Chocolate was sooo good. A bit pricey but worth it. Added plus is it's right next to a coffee shop…read moreso perfect afternoon snack!

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.

Had an amazing date at Menchaca! The owners are super nice and the chocolate workshop was a perfect…read moreevening date

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!

Brunch is great, it has become a favorite place on weekends for my family because…read moreOutside tables are dog friendly , glad State Street is not open to cars because that would immediately eliminate Lilac from my go to places, who wants to dine next to cars driving and exhaust , right ? Us dining with dogs don't have other options. Service is good and food is great, I'm a fan of their eggs Benedict and pastries

My boyfriend and I stopped by Lilac Pâtisserie for a sweet treat after lunch and tried two of their…read morecheesecakes: the original and the lemon. Both were enjoyable overall. The lemon cheesecake had a mild lemon flavor that was not overpowering, it tasted mostly like the original cheesecake with a lemon glaze on top rather than lemon throughout the entire filling. The cheesecake itself was dense and creamy, while the crust was very thin and fairly neutral in flavor. They also had many other pastries and desserts that looked appealing, so I'm glad we had the chance to try the cheesecakes. The coffee was fairly standard café coffee and did not stand out as much. While the cheesecakes were good, I'm not completely sure they justified the $13 per-slice price point. Service overall was quick and friendly. The ambiance was very charming with plenty of seating both inside and outside.

Simply delicious…read more Super welcoming. The place smells incredible - makes me want to buy everything there. I'd love to go back if we stop by santa barbara again.

Let's Goooooooooaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll Simit!!!!!!!!!…read moreThank you Hassan for the wonderful hospitality and sharing stories while we had coffee, chi, and amazing food. You have created a wonderful family environment on State Street.

Great stop next to the mujeres market. I've been here before for their high tea and remember asking…read morethem what bread they use for their cucumber sandwiches and they said white bread from Trader Joe's. Such a fancy place so I thought they made the bread in house. Their pastries are so pretty it was hard to break to eat. So sweet and delicious. We couldn't finish both. One sweet per three instead of two would have been better. Not busy at 2pm on a Sunday. Would come again.

Alessia Bakery is truly one of the cutest bakery/breakfast spots I have ever been to! Their latte…read moreare is adorable and so fun! The vanilla latte was really delicious! We were seated inside right away. They do have both inside and outside seating. The hostess and waitresses were very nice and accommodating. Food came out looking SO pretty! The hollandaise sauce is the absolute best i've ever had! So creamy and tasteful and not too heavy! I would absolutely recommend Alessia to anyone looking for a delicious breakfast or brunch spot! So amazing!

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.

People love Deux Bakery, but I don't know. Somehow, it was a miss for me. We tried one of their…read morefrequently reviewed and loved cinnamon buns, along with a piece of coffee cake and a chocolate chip cookie. The cinnamon bun, I'm sorry to say, was just okay. The bun was fresh, soft, loaded with icing, but it just didn't wow me. It wasn't bad, but I wanted amazing, and it just wasn't. So far, nobody or nothing can compare with my high ideals for a cinnamon bun/roll, but that's okay. I keep searching. As for the coffee cake, that was just weird. It was more like a cookie base, a layer of nuts mixed with brown sugar and other ingredients, and then a layer of cake... but it didn't have any noticeable flavor profile, and it was kind of dry. It didn't work for me. Kinda boring. As for the chocolate chip cookie, it was good, but again, nothing great. I've definitely had better. Maybe we should have tried a loaf of bread, but we didn't. I don't think it's worth a return here to find out, though. They seem to be doing well enough without me, so that is how it'll remain. Oh well.

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.

I love olive oil stores, especially the ones in California have wonderful products. Viva Oil on…read moreState Street in the heart of Santa Barbara didn't disappoint! The store has a nice decor, airy, it's welcoming, has a wide variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars with nice flavors (some fruit based - fig anyone?), nice staff and reasonable prices. Great place to shop at, you can get a set for a nice gift or a couple of bottles for dipping and salads at home!