Favorite Places in Santa Barbara
We’re so excited to have you join us in Santa Barbara. Regardless if you’re staying with us for the weekend, or staying for some more days, we hope this list provides you with a few places to visit (And EAT!!!) while you’re in town.
We hope that you will fall in love with Santa Barbara as much as we did!
Taste
Super Cucas is always the spot to hit up whenever we are down in Santa Barbara. I (Anthony) discovered it when Ariane and I went to dinner over at Stearns Wharf, and we asked the locals what they thought was the best place for Mexican cuisine. Immediately all of them said Super Cucas. Try their pinto bean nachos, shrimp enchiladas, or grilled veggie burrito. There is something for everyone.
Alec (Anthony’s son) loves sandwiches, and one day when we are gallivanting throughout Santa Barbara, we ended up in the Funk Zone (which is one of the more popular spots in the city). Anyways, as we were sipping coffee over at Dart, Ariane noticed the small market down the street and decided to take a look. The sandwiches are top notch, and you can even shop for things needed in your pantry. Try their fresh homemade cookies as well as their eggplant parmesan.
(805) 730-9299
Pickles & Swiss came up as a search on my (Ariane) Yelp as I was interested to see if there were any other amazing sandwich spots in SB. And yes, there is!!!! The bread is toasted just right, and you really do get bang for your buck here at this local spot. They have another location in Goleta, for those of you staying in Goleta.
Fun fact: Alexis (my daughter) ordered just a pickle from here and loved it.
DINNER PARTY!!!
The A-Team discovered this place while trying to find parking to explore the area. They had a parking lot attendant who was nice enough to let us park there for a few minutes while we fed the Maui Girl (the dog..lol). So, Ariane decided to email the place, and this is how we ended up with this place being our “reception”. On top of that, lobster mac and cheese is amazing as well as the mushroom risotto (Anthony’s vegetarian so that was one of the only things he can eat). Overall, great vibe and experience.
(805) 963-9353
You know how they say “location is everything?” Well Crushcakes & Cafe is “crushing” it (lol). They are located near the Santa Barbara Courthouse, Alice Keck Memorial Gardens, and The Arlington Theaters. The bakery serves homemade pastries, tasty paninis, and they have specialty beverages like their berry palmer. Try their zucchini bread, too!
Favorite Location: 728 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 324-4402
If you know me (Ariane) then you know I’m kind of an ice cream connoisseur, and so when Santa Barbara comes to mind, you have to visit McConnell’s Ice Cream. I mean, yeah you can go to the stores up here in the Bay Area to get you a pint of their ice cream, but nothing beats the experience of getting it freshly made.
My fave flavor: whatever today’s flavors are.
Açaí Bowls, amiright???
When you find a place to go to four days straight and you end up trying a majority of the menu, you know it’s good. And it’s especially good at Backyard Bowls. They have their signature Backyard Bowl or be daring and try their Dragon Bowl (if you love pitaya, this is amazing).
Public markets are always fun! But since the pandemic hit, it’s been difficult to find a public market that’s open. Fortunately, while we were in town, they instituted safety precautions so you can explore and eat safely. We only really went here for Rori’s Artisinal Ice Cream, but by the looks of the other vendors, the place provides a lot of options for food. We also shot part of our engagement shoot here.
Sip
The branding here is on-point. Dune Coffee knows exactly what they are doing. The coffee is pretty good, and the outdoor seating is very Instagram worthy.
Here’s Maui giving us a face that she doesn’t want her picture taken, but we’re making her take one anyway.
You know how when you walk into a place and the smells and the whole vibe just makes you feel at home? Dart Coffee did that for us. From their welcoming staff right down to their cold brews, everything about Dart just felt right. And if you’ve been following us closely, the Green House Studios Garden (owned by the owners of Dart Coffee Co) is right across the street.
This is another place with their patio open, and guess what…they’re dog friendly. They have a one page menu that features their beers (Anthony loved their Fig Mountain Mosaic the most), and you can order a tasting flight or just enjoy a pint. The staff was very kind and they even have a good selection of appetizers to go along with your beer.
See
This is probably the number one attraction in Santa Barbara, mainly because of how you get to drive over the wooden dock (built in 1872 believe it or not) and because of how relatively less crowded it is (probably a result of the pandemic but also because it isn’t as cluttered as the Santa Monica Pier). You can go fishing, wine tasting, and eat at the various restaurants. We ate at Santa Barbara Shellfish Co.
Being a coastal town, Santa Barbara has more than enough beach parks to go around. Hang out, wear some sunscreen, and just drink it in maaaaaaan. The vibe is super chill, and it just seems the weather is always just right.
Bonus Maui picture again…
At the moment, you’re only allowed to admire the amazing courthouse from the outside as, like everything else, it is temporarily closed. And if you’re lucky enough to get an appointment to have your ceremony, then be willing to wait awhile. However, the nice thing about the architecture and the open space is that you can truly appreciate it from a distance.
Per Wikipedia: ‘Architect Charles Willard Moore called it the “grandest Spanish Colonial Revival structure ever built,” and the prime example of Santa Barbara’s adoption of Spanish Colonial as its civic style.’
The public schools here in California make it a point to make sure the kids know their history of the Golden State. Among that history is the building of the Missions. It was a great testament to the Catholic religion during the colonial times, and Mission Santa Barbara keeps that tradition alive.
Here’s a description from the Santa Barbara tourist website: ‘With its grand double bell towers, lush gardens and the majestic San Ynez mountains as a backdrop, the Mission is one of the city’s most picturesque landmarks. Known as “Queen of the Missions” for its exceptional beauty, the Santa Barbara Mission was founded by the Spanish Franciscans in 1786. More than 200 years later, it’s still an active parish church and a vital and enduring element of Santa Barbara’s cultural landscape.’
In exploring SB, we came across this park because we were literally down the street (at Crushcakes). Anyways, the garden is well maintained, there is a clear path that leads you to look at the variety of botanicals featured here, and like all parks, it’s dog friendly. You can sit and meditate at the lagoon, but remember, don’t feed the ducks (even though people do).
We’re including this here because it’s still on our list of places to visit. We keep hearing of how amazing this place is, and great news is that they’ve recently just opened up for socially distanced (self-guided with a personal listening device) tours. It is a wonder of the area, and we’re hoping to take the trip either before or after the wedding. If we go, we hope you can join us