Top Coffee Shop in Santa Barbara
Handlebar Coffee Roasters
2720 De La Vina St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, United States
Was going knock them a point again but will leave as it is. Go for the coffe, not the snacks. Four shot Latte today, taste nice but makes me very sleepyEven the cookies, fantastic when they first appeared, are throw aways when I forget and order one. Very sweet, too sugary and not enough substance. Kids may like them better. Scones, so-so. Other sweet things available. Bagels are nice. Nothing savory offered other than a slice of cheese with a slice of ham in a croissant. I like the Morning Buns... but they are sweet!...........................Hopefully kitchen will reopen with fresh intersting selections soon and coffee return to amazing..........................Older review.Update: Love the food selection, yeah, the kitchen did open!!! Sandwiches, toasts, tarts, occasionally salads with fresh ingredients, farm fresh and great breads. Lotta of other yummy selections with an adaptive menu that changes with the season. Cant get bored here ❤️ Their bread pudding was amazing!Some staff changover but still delicious coffee!............................Consistently great coffee, excellent service and satisfying cappuccinos. Beautiful latte art. Hoping the kitchen will reopen soon, meanwhile baked goods are always good. They roast their own beans and have been offering an array of local gourmet goods from wines to honey and baking supplies.Can be a long lines and hard to find parking depending on the time and day, sometimes they run out of baked goods. But if you time it right the wait is quick and did I say I love their expresso drinks!Extra for oat milk or other alternative milks is something Id like to see phased out. You can get other additions for an extra fee but milks ought to be reflected in the basic cost.Nice ambiance, plenty of tables.And sweetly canine friendly!!!
Handlebar Coffee Roasters
128 E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Yep – good coffee. Bagel with almond butter and jam is a hit too. (4/5 green stars)Busy place but service was fast and very friendly. When I asked about bagel toppings I was recommended to try their almond butter and strawberry jam. I was a bit skeptical, but on top of a savory everything bagel it turned out to be a very tasty combo. I was concerned that it might be a bit sickening, but no! They have a toaster on their counter so that you can toast to your own liking. Together with a latte it came to just over $7, which seems reasonable (especially considering the price of almond butter, and they give you a lot!) The latte was $4 (made with organic Strauss milk) and I thought it was very good. The bagel, almond butter and delicious strawberry jam was the highlight tho!I'm giving Handlebar Coffee 4/5 “green stars” for social and environmental impact, based on these reasons:• Coffee beans. It's weird: almost everything that they stock (see below) comes from good suppliers. But when it comes to their very own beans, they have nothing to say! Nothing! No info on prices paid for green coffee, sustainability on farms, processing methods, shade cover. I looked everywhere.• Their dairy milk is from Strauss Organic.• A good selection of plant-based milks, including oat milk from Oatly (although that comes all the way from Sweden).• Almond milk is from Califia, one of the better commercial brands that I can see (e.g., water-use and bee-care).• Pastries (some vegan) from Renaud's patisserie.• Bagels from I.V. bagels, which uses some organic ingredients.• Chocolate from Twenty Four Blackbirds and tea from Steven Smith.• Coffee cup lids, cold cups, straws, coffee bags, were not compostable.• My almond butter and jam came in plastic containers – would have preferred if they used ceramic pots or just placed it on my plate.Find out more about green-star ratings at Green Stars Project dot org.
Dune Coffee Roasters
1101 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
The name thats written above the door, hanging quaintly from a rod iron pole: The French Press.The name thats displayed on the glass entryway, boldy painted on the wall inside, and the name of their website: Dune Coffee.The history of how these two names refer to the same place is a baffling story of intrigue, mystery, and back-stabbing. Its a study in feudal society, noble houses, and one Paul Atreides. --If youre an astute science fiction reader, you already know Im no longer talking about the coffee shop, but about Frank Herberts novel that obviously inspired this enterprise. If you arent, you should pick up a copy of Dune and head over to The French Press to read it.In all seriousness, when you visit, you should take a moment and ask the barista why the place seems to have two names. It should lead you to a fun conversation, but we wont spoil the results here.-------------ATMOSPHEREIt feels like stepping into a desert. Its dry, sandy, a wasteland of a place. Water is in short supply, but it is made notable for being the single source in the known universe for Melange, a spice known to extend life and aid in interstellar travel.No, wait. Thats a Dune reference again.If we want to talk about the State Street location of this fine coffee roaster: Its a quaint, relaxing, not terribly quiet location. Plenty of chairs and tables line the narrow hallway to the back, opening up to a small outside patio. Theres also an outdoor sitting area in the front, ideal for people watching. Contrary to the first paragraph in this section, water is not hard to find inside the French Press, rather its available to dispense yourself from an iced container.The location is suited for a quick espresso, as well as spending an hour or two working on your latest novel (science fiction recommended) or checking those work emails._____________COFFEE 4.5/5Dune declares that their mission is source the absolute best coffee, roast it with attention and care, and hand it over for you to enjoy. They claim to be in constant search of better and better coffee. Their passion comes through in the taste and smell of the coffee offerings, and the friendliness of the employees. The coffee is roasted in Santa Barbara (but not at the State St location)OTHER OFFERINGSTheres a small selection of pastries, but the main focus here is on the coffee. If you want food, we highly recommend walking across State Street and visiting Andersens.____________________WORKABILITY/DATE PLACE 4/5If you are used to making a small workspace footprint, you can camp out on one of the wall tables for as long as you need. Free wifi is available.You also need to have a great work ethic and ability to stay focused, lest the temptation to people watch on State Street becomes too tempting.This place feels like a fantastic one for having a good conversation, feeling cozy in a public area, and discussing the fashion choices of everyone that walks by.We obviously recommend that you drop the next time you visit Santa Barbara.(This post was also posted on our blog: http://coffeehouselovers.com/2018/09/08/visit-arrakis/ )
LOKUM
1019 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Well worth a visit! (3.5 Green Stars)We went into Lokum just to use the restroom and honestly I thought at first that it might be just a tourist trap kinda place. However, we sat down to sample some of the inventive Turkish delight rolls ($16 for around 6 pieces) and then went back for more, going a little overboard ($35!). However, one month later, we are still enjoying the selection – one piece at a time is enough for my sweet self – and they are still fresh and delicious.The rose-petal-covered-nuts-and-pomegranate and the hazelnut-almond-cream are two definite favorites. The café itself is beautiful and worth stepping into just to imagine that you are visiting an exotic place, “full of eastern promise” (that was the slogan for Fry's Turkish delight, which bears no resemblance to the real thing!).It's helpful that Lokum publishes ingredients on their website. Here's a typical list: Water, Sugar, Starch, Coloring E124-E100-E141-E110, Nuts, Aromatic, Cream. Many of the colors used are actually pretty natural (e.g., chlorophyll or turmeric-derived) although some (E124) are synthetic. Would be nice to know what the ingredient “aromatic” means, but I guess that it's probably derived from spices and/or fruit.I also talked to a staff member, asking if the marshmallow listed in one of their rolls is made from gelatin, and he told me that it's plant-based (made from sugar) and gave me a sample of it.I'm giving Lokum 3.5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, for these reasons:• This provides a nice alternative to over-packaged, over-processed “candy” from destructive multinational corps (I'm talking about all of you – Nestlé, Mondelēz, Hershey, Godiva, Ferrero, etc.)• When buying them in-store, Turkish delight is delivered in a simple cardboard box – recyclable or compostable. They even let us use our box a second time to buy the second batch!• Most of the Turkish delight rolls are vegetarian (contain cream) while the traditional Turkish delights are vegan. None of them that I could see contained gelatin, so they are all vegetarian (rolls) or vegan (traditional squares).• Honestly, there's a benefit to opening people's eyes to cultures that they may have been previously unaware of, or even biased against.• Ingredients are provided but it would be nice to provide more information on sustainability or social impact of these ingredients (i.e., some more info on sourcing of nuts, sugar, etc.).• Similarly, the teas and coffee lack certifications and info on sourcing. The coffee beans come from Brazil, where farming is usually industrial and very little coffee is shade-grown. If Lokum supported coffee and tea with a positive social and environmental impact, I would be more likely to have a coffee there.
Dune Coffee Roasters
528 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
A NO-BRAINER ! When you have found the best coffee in town you look no further ! My wife and I were up in Santa Barbara for a few days to celebrate her birthday. And we were having a great time dining at some fine eateries. WHAT ! But we are coffee people...and we want the best. After fabulous lattes here on Saturday morning this was our NUMBER ONE SPOT for brekkie on Sunday morning before we headed home to Irvine. We pulled into their parking lot around 7.45am...plenty of spots at that early hour. A smiling cashier named Camilo took our order for 2 x 12oz double shot LATTES with 2% milk, 2 x HAM & GRUYERE CROISSANTS and 1 x ALMOND CROISSANT. We were dining in of course ! This place has a laid back chill out vibe and a few coffee lovers were already here enjoying their well made brews. Our Lattes in lovely porcelain cups were ready pretty fast...I picked them up at the espresso counter making sure to thank Drue the talented barista for her dazzling work. Our Croissants were being heated up a tad and within a couple of minutes we had them in front of us. Yet again we chose to sit at the community countertop overlooking their outdoor patio....people watching ! To say our lattes tasted very good would be an understatement....they blew our tastebuds into the stratosphere. I said to my wife we are not leaving without a bag of ZIP ZINGER whole roasted coffee beans...their in house coffee. Now Im not a big croissant fan especially for breakfast but hey....my Ham & Gruyere Croissant tasted darn good. Of course my wife agreed ! Then my wife tried the Almond Croissant....flavor heaven I was told....try some. Mmmmmm....very very decadent ! Of course we were mainly here for great coffees and I was really enjoying mine. YIPPEE ! A quick trip to Camilo the cashier and I had a bag of Zip Zinger whole roasted coffee beans in my hands. ALL COFFEE ROASTERS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL !
CAJ
416 E Haley St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Was in town for a little bit so we dropped in the try these cute drinks.We ordered the Jupiter Forest, Bela Rose and the Summer Time Ice Tea for our drinks. We also ordered the Avocado Toast and Caprese Panini. Total $53.. The Jupiter Forest drink was nice strong coffee. It had a thin sliced orange that the barista torched in front of us. The Bela Rose was such a subtle but sweet matcha taste served at room temperature and light light ice. The Summer Time Ice Tea was really good and fresh! Every drink was surged with a metal straw too. The avocado toast was packed with a thick layer of avocado, cherry tomatoes sliced in half and vinaigrette that ha the right amount of citrus to bring it out of together. The Caprese Panini had lots of pesto pouring out of it as well as cheese, a thin layer of the Turkey slice and one slice of tomato cut in half. It was pretty good but the bread was hard and kind of hurt the roof of my mouth a couple times when I bit into it..Over super cute trendy place, not crowded at all but just seemed to be entirely too expensive for what we got. I just can't agree with the price.
Lighthouse Coffee
711 Chapala St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Before heading back to LA, my wife was in the mood for a coffee and sandwich. We had no idea where to go. So, she searched for a nearby café and noticed a nice coffee house with five stars!!! But, it only had one review, from Kathy M. So, like the risk taker that I am, we set off to go to this Lighthouse Café, with one review. I get to the shop, the gentleman greeted us and I ordered the muffin breakfast sandwich and a latte. The wife just got a small cappuccino. The sandwich was amazing! Crispy bacon, ripe avocado, & the scrambled egg was cooked to perfection. Both drinks were also delicious, but my latte was the best. ? Atmosphere is modern, slightly busy, but with enough tranquility to come and study. Top notch!
Old Town Coffee Santa Barbara
1131 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
A nice little coffee shop in downtown Santa Barbara! We stopped in to get a snack and ended up sitting down in the courtyard outside to enjoy the yummy coffee and sunshine. They share the space with other local restaurants/cafes, so there were plenty of different unique & yummy options to chose from. I got an iced caramel lavender cold brew that was fabulous, and my husband had an iced green tea matcha with honey. The staff was friendly and seemed to have some good relationships with regulars/local patrons. They had plenty of indoor seating inside & out. There were also glasses and water for us to enjoy along side our treats. I would recommend stopping here if you are in-town exploring for the day.
Winchells Donut House
202 N Milpas St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, United States
10/05/2021 After a cold rainy night camping in the mountains, early the morning I was looking for some hot coffee and breakfast. This shop had reasonable prices for hot coffee. Other places in the area wanted $3.95-$4.95 for a small cup of coffee. I ordered the bacon, egg and cheese bagel combo which came with a donut and coffee for $8.49. The sandwich was full of bacon. It just needed some salt, pepper and mayo to suit my tastes. The donut I chose was lemon filled powdered sugar. It was heavy and generously filled with lemon filling. The donut was lip smacking delicious. They didnt have a lot of choices for cream or milk for your coffee. But they did have my half and half and raw sugar. There is only two tables that seat one or two indoors. And two tables that seat one or two outdoors. There is no restroom available. I parked on the street because the small parking lot was full.
Brasil Arts Caf
1230 State St suite c, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, United States
Update: Staff used to seem knowledgeable and well-trained about gluten-free and cross contamination, and I didn't get sick after eating here for the first 5 or so times (I have celiac disease and I am very sensitive to even minute amounts of gluten). That run was broken last night, when they were nearly empty. I've definitely been glutened. I had a salad and a BAC burger on a cheese bread bun.The Brazil arts burger on the Brazilian cheese bread bun is one of the most delicious burgers I've ever eaten in my life. They use local grass fed beef. Unfortunately, they never make enough of these buns and often sell out fairly early in the evening. Their smoothies are delicious, and they offer many interesting and exotic juices.The deep fried plantains are not gluten-free, so everything out of the fryer is unsafe. I had one waitress that knew this, and another that didn't.