The City of Santa Barbara is only a stone's throw away from wine country here; In fact, wine country's in Santa Barbara County. So wine tasting rooms are more than common here. But there is no shortage of coffee vendors here in Santa Barbara, either, and the good ones look like they roast and use their own beans.
Here's a short list of my recommendations.
Caffe Luxxe
1028A Coast Village Rd., Santa Barbara CA
Located in the Montecito Country Mart, Caffe Luxxe is conveniently located near an eatery and the supermarket so you can grab your food, grab your coffee and grab a seat in their outdoor patio. I highly recommend getting their Nico. It's like a Gibraltar but with a dash of orange zest. It is strong, short and delicious! They sell their beans and chocolate if you want to take some of that home too.
Handlebar Coffee Roasters
128 E. Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara CA
Even early in the morning, there is a line. Wait another half hour and the line gets longer even though there are three barristers and a cashier working hard behind the counter. And why not? They have good coffee made from beans they roasted themselves. The outdoor patio is one of a few places you can still "dine in". They offer yummy pastries. And... there's a refreshment spot for your pet Spot. You can always request for an extra espresso shot if you like your coffee strong. Bags of their beans are for sale in the shop as well.
Caje Coffee
416 E. Haley Street, Santa Barbara CA
Caje Coffee offered the strongest, fanciest and priciest of the coffees we had in Santa Barbara. Their espresso shots were made from beans they roasted themselves and are mixed into caffeinated mocktails that made me wonder if I was in a bar instead of a cafe. I even had to order my drinks from a bar! Their beans are for sale if you want to take some home.
Any of their signature drinks would be great, but I can personally say that I very much enjoyed their Burnout, which was a hot coffee drink served on what looked like an old-school champagne glass rimmed with ginger salt... and even garnished with candied ginger. I realized after I finished my drink that this drink has both ginger and activated charcoal; one is reported as an anti-inflammatory agent and the other an anti-oxidant .
Their Jupiter's Forest is an iced coffee drink that uses oat milk instead of cow's milk. Here's another drink that looks like a cocktail with rock sugar coating one side of the glass and gold-dusted flower topping it.
Dune Coffee Roasters
1101 State Street, Santa Barbara CA
Conveniently located, you can order you coffee and park yourself on one of the "boxes" on State Street so you can people watch while enjoying your coffee. Dune Coffee Roasters also offer their beans for sale. I highly recommend getting their Gibraltar, or Cappuccino or Macchiato to get the full effect of the espresso shot.
Lighthouse Coffee
711 Chapala St, Santa Barbara CA
I can't really tell you how strong the iced latte was that I ordered - it kinda disappeared seconds after it was handed to me. LOL. It was good and refreshing: I know that much!
Interactive Google Map of places mentioned here.
If you have any other coffee or tea place to recommend, let me know in the comments section or email me!
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