There isn't much that can be said about this establishment that hasn't already been said, but after…read moreour last visit to the area, I had been anxiously waiting for the chance to return. The chocolate here is absolutely delicious, but the caramel, in my opinion, is on another level altogether. It's the kind of thing that makes you slow down and appreciate every bite. The shop's warm, inviting atmosphere adds to the experience, and the incredible smell that hits you when you walk in is almost impossible to resist. Thanks again for the continued dedication to your craft. It truly shows in every bite, and we're already looking forward to our next visit!

I do love my dark chocolates, whether it's Trader Joe's many varieties or local places that make…read morethe more "exotic" ones with creative flavors. I kind of stumbled in here to be honest (I was looking for coffee, but I'm a little spacey at times and popped in here), but once I saw what it was (fancy dark chocolates), I decided "why not!" and ordered a small box of 4. They're $4/each, which is pricey, but not out of line for this type of thing. But having tasted several really nice examples (Recchiuti, Deux Cranes, Fleur de Cocoa, Alexander's), this didn't really measure up to those. Granted, I only tried 2 flavors myself, but they either barely tasted of the intended flavor or they didn't have the depth of flavor I was used to. It's very possible that I didn't sample enough flavors or just didn't take to the couple I tried, but I was honestly expecting better. Nice friendly lady who helped me though, and it's a nice looking shop.

One of my favorite stops in Santa Barbara. The chocolate was made beautifully and delicious! I…read morebrought home the Jasmine Caramel flower and Jade Oolong buddha. My friends loved it. The staff were also very friendly. They also have drinking chocolate.

This is a special chocolate shop. It's small but brings in the world of chocolate. There's all…read moretypes represented from all over. Dark, milk, truffles, ganache (my gosh good) etc. each piece I tried was full of flavor. They also have chocolate bars and sipping chocolate. And they even featured hand painted greeting cards by a local artist! Lovely. Whenever I was in SB I tried to swing by because Chocolate Maya is a neat place to pick up a chocolate treat!

As someone who has traveled to Europe many times and tried a variety of local chocolatiers there,…read morethe huge stream of 5-star reviews (and finding out the owners were French) had me ecstatic. However, my experience was disappointing. The two girls in the shop were almost asleep. One was barely conscious, the other was trying to make up for her. The chocolates looked very interesting, but they were rather dull-looking and often hard to differentiate because the display case had no lights. Add to this the already dim lighting of the store and that it was an overcast day outside, and it felt like trying to buy chocolates in an old library. As for the chocolates themselves, they did not taste like French/European chocolates at all; they had the very standard American chocolate taste-that is, Hershey-like and with no deep resounding real cacao flavor that is like bass from a speaker on your tongue. That's what real European chocolate tastes like. This was just sugar, sugar, sugar, and cute designs. Maybe they are using cheaper American ingredients rather than importing higher quality ones? No point in having the Eiffel Tower on your logo if you wouldn't be able to keep this store open in France. But the best part: the girl at the counter didn't let me try anything other than the three pre-selected types of bon bons on the sample tray! How cheap can you get? I've never had any chocolatier deny a sample of a simple truffle, especially not one with the gall to charge $3 per chocolate in a tiny town like Carp! $35 for a dozen, just to not even be able to try what you are putting in the box? You must be joking. Anyways, onto trying to find another good chocolatier in the 805...

Some of the finest, highest quality, and most exquisite chocolates in all of Santa Barbara, and…read moreeven California. Jean-Michel is a chocolate virtuoso. My goal is try to every single chocolate, at least one time (if not several times over). I feel as though time stands still when I am in his shop and in particular when I am having my chocolate experience. I savor every bite and feel an unexplanable euphoria of flavors in my mouth and pleasure coursing through my veins. If you love small batch, hand-made, top quality and innovative marriage of flavors of chocolates....this is the place you should make your pilgrimage to. Get the chocolates in a bag to save a few dollars if you are getting them for yourself, otherwise they have different sized boxes to give as a gift.

Menchaca Chocolates is truly a chocolate lover's dream. A hidden gem located at the Mercado on…read moreupper state. From rich dark chocolate to creamy oat milk and white chocolate, Menchaca Chocolates crafts every bite with care. They also offer sampler boxes. On my visit, I picked up the chocolate covered spicy mangos. Who knew dark chocolate covered mangos would be so addictive. Highly recommend! The habanero sea salt is what gives it a little kick, but it's not too spicy where it burns your mouth. I also bought a chocolate bar covered in toffee. They offer chocolate and art workshops; where you can emerse your senses in cacao beans grinding, nibs roasting, fluid chocolate hardening, and create your own chocolate bar! The choices of chocolate are dark, oat milk and white chocolate. With over 40 toppings to choose from and customize your own chocolate bar. I'm looking forward to taking a class here soon!

I think my biggest issue here was just in the way the chocolate workshop is described as a "make…read moreyour own chocolate bar." I've done chocolate workshops where we literally got cacao beans from bods, roasted and dried them, them mixed with other ingredients to make chocolate, this is not that. This is really an arts and crafts project where you just happen to take home some chocolate at the end. That being said, the chocolate base is quite good, from the dark chocolate (which I normally don't like), through the milk chocolate, and the white chocolate. Each of the base is already made, then they give you a ton of toppings to customize your own bar. I will say I wish they would have suggested us to push in the topping a bit more into the mold, as much of the toppings came off when we ate them later. After this 10 min process of customizing your bar, the rest of the time is spent just decorating your box. They do have an extensive collection of art materials, it was just a bit of a let down that it felt like 90% crafts. Beyond that, the service could have been better. It was very stand off-ish. We ended up decorating our box for what felt like an hr cause no one came to tell us our chocolate was ready. And it just really felt like we had no idea what was going on throughout the process. Staff was nice, just not very informative.

We decided to come back to this fantastic gluten free bakery and cafe. It was only 2 minutes walk…read morefrom the Kimpton hotel we stayed at. This store was packed the entire weekend when we came in. Store is big and spacious with two sections. One is sit down cafe, the other is bakery and take out area. It's all fast casual style though. They have a lot of varieties to choose from and great coffee and tea to go menu. They take reservations for weekend brunch too. I picked quite a few pastries to try. My favorites are lemon tart and lemon bar. Obviously I like lemon flavored pastries. The red velvet vegan cupcake and blueberry muffin were delicious as well. I am so jealous of this gluten free kitchen bakery and cafe. Wish we had something like this near my home! This is our must stop whenever we are in Santa Barbara!

I needed to buy birthday cake, same day and this biz was the most promising. I had no idea it was a…read morededicate gluten-free restaurant/bakery until after we ate the cake! We also ate lunch at the cafe the same day. So the overall rating factors out lunch in. The cake was 5-stars. We ordered a the chocolate decadence cake and it was delicious and not too sweet, which we appreciated. It's a dark chocolate cake filled with layers of dark chocolate mousse, frosted in swirled French buttercream, One downside is the price tag. A 6 inch cake was $80ish dollars. Our lunch was a-ok. We ordered a Ham and Swiss sandwich, a quiche, and lilac salad. The price point here is quite high. The sandwich was 19.50 for a fairly basic item. I short, we went there for the cake and stayed for lunch. The cake was memorable for the recipient. So we'd order from them again. Not sure I need to go back for a meal.

I'v never had Turkish delights but I do love baklava so much. Glad we came in to get Turkish…read moredesserts and tea to go. We stayed in downtown Santa Barbara so this store was 2 minutes walk from our Kimpton hotel. The store itself is very spacious and stylish. I picked assorted baklava, modern and traditional delights. The traditional ones are naturally gluten free. The Turkish iced tea was so delicious and strong. The desserts were amazingly tasty! I will have to order from their online store from time to time. The service was friendly and fast!

Took a day trip to SB and wanted to try some interesting sweets. I like Turkish coffee, so I…read morefigured this would be an interesting option. They sell lots of flavors of Turkish coffee, and I was used to a sweetened and cardamon flavored version I had had in Egypt, Jordan and Israel, so I opted for the cardamon version. What they serve here was unsweetened, so I needed to add sugar, but it was good. On the sweets side, they have cheesecake, baklava... but the dominant sweet here is Turkish Delight. They have a myriad of flavors here, using various Middle Eastern nuts and spices as flavoring. They have the traditional cubed gelatin version, along with a rolled version that is a little softer and less chewy. It is all sold by weight, so you can mix and match.

I was on the hunt for a classic French omelet when I came across Alessia Patisserie & Cafe, and…read morethis place far exceeded my expectations in every way! As soon as I walked in, I was immediately drawn to the beautiful display of desserts. They have a huge selection of croissants, cookies, tarts, cakes, mini cheesecakes, and so much more--and everything is just as wonderful to look at as it is to eat. Even though I originally came here for the French omelet, there was no way I was leaving without trying some of the pastries. So I ended up getting the salted chocolate chip cookie and the lemon & raspberry tart, and I absolutely loved both! The salted chocolate chip cookie was soft and chewy in the center with just a slight crunch around the edges. The salt sprinkled on top really enhanced the chocolate flavor and gave it that perfect sweet-and-salty balance. But the lemon & raspberry tart was what I would call a nearly perfect dessert. It had just the right amount of tartness from the lemon and raspberry, while the light, fluffy meringue on top balanced everything out beautifully. Now for the savory food! I was so sure I was going to order the French omelet, but for some reason, the Blue Crab Crepe was calling my name. So I decided to go with that along with the Veggie Quiche, and I have absolutely no regrets about either choice. The Blue Crab Crepe came with two crepes generously stuffed with fresh-tasting blue crab and topped with lemon hollandaise and chives. The Veggie Quiche does take a little longer to come out, but it is absolutely worth the wait. Mine came with sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and basil, and it was delicious. The breakfast entrées also come with your choice of house potatoes, fruit, or a side salad. One thing to note: you order everything at the counter first before finding yourself a seat, and there is also a self-serve water station. From the beautiful décor and relaxed café vibes to the sweet AND savory food, I loved everything about this place. I originally came in searching for a French omelet and somehow left without even ordering one--which I guess just gives me the perfect excuse to come back!

Wow. Can't say enough about this place. It is a must visit and I will definitely go back…read more The setting is delightful and gives French bakery, with a counter service and table service option. We arrived during a busy Saturday morning and were lucky to be seated right away. Our server Sidney was awesome. Arrived with a smile, patients made great recommendations, and very efficient. Props to Sterling, also her brother, and his excellent basing support as well as keeping our water glasses filled. We also had the opportunity to meet one of the co-owners who was humble and helpful! The food was some of the best I tasted! The pastries were amazing and sauces delectable. Everything was cooked to order and prepared with care. We were so happy with our food that we had to take some pastries to go. We will definitely be back to visit this charming place!

I found Deux on Yelp as I craved a sweet treat. A small, mom & pop vibe with robust deliciousness…read more Rolando made the flan from scratch and with lots of love - evident in the rich flavor. The Trea Leches cake was also a treat, not too heavy or sweet. A must try!

This bakery was amazing. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and high quality. The banana bread and…read morebran muffin were both delicious, super soft and moist without feeling heavy, and clearly made with care. The service was also really friendly, which made the whole experience even better. You can tell they take pride in what they make. Definitely coming back.

I live in Santa Barbara, planning an out-of-town trip, and was looking for gift for a host at…read morewhose home I would be spending a couple of nights. Viva Oliva was perfect. A small, local company, they offer a large variety of very reasonably priced gift choices. The sales associate was very friendly and helpful. (I chose a beautiful gift box of gourmet olive oil/vinegar pairings.)

I absolutely adore this shop!! The vibe is very charming, intimate, and warm. I have never seen so…read moremany different infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars before. I really appreciate that you can taste the products. I found so many I loved and tasting the notes helped me better envision what I could use each one for and how it fit into my cooking style. I also like how they offer each product in two sizes. The people here are so warm, friendly, and knowledgeable as well. They were so ready to help and give information about their store and their products.

This is a popular ice cream shop with plenty of heritage. It's located on the beautiful scenery…read moreState St next to the beach, making it an especially nice stop when visiting Santa Barbara. We're not locals like the original owners, but it's always a pleasure to grab a few bites of tasty treats whenever we are around town. As many patrons know, McConnell's Ice Creams uses simple ingredients and makes everything from scratch. The rich and dense texture and flavors are pure fine craftsmanship, showcasing the what nature offers at its finest. There can be quite a line here depending on the time of day, but if you come before noon, you're likely to be served right away. I recommend all their flavors, so the flight option is a great way to sample a few. And for what you get, it's a pretty healthy for your wallet too!

Came three times in a span of three days because it's that good…read more I love when the ice cream is smooth, creamy, and taste the way you expect the flavor to be. I am HUGE fan of their Santa Barbara strawberry which has large chunks of fresh strawberry and a strong strawberry flavor. Unlike other shops where the strawberry flavor is faint. I also love their chocolate chocolate which is closer to a dark chocolate ice cream with fun small bits of dark chocolate bits. When the line is out the door, it only takes about 10ish minutes to start trying samples so don't let the line deter you! I wish we had one of these in the Bay Area.