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!

Fantastic chocolate with great variety. Live on the east coast and can even say it travels from…read morecoast to coast!

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...

My wife and I were in Santa Barbara for two days and needed a breakfast spot. We relied on the Yelp…read morerating and tried Lilac. Everything was absolutely awesome. The aptmosphere was beautiful. We had quiche lorraine and salmon benedict which both included a salad and slit them. We finished with lattes and a linzer tart cookie. We looked at a few other places for our second morning, but felt compelled to go back to Lilac. Call us boring, but we had the same thing again. When you find something great it is hard to change.

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!

Discovered this wonderful Santa Barbara maker of gourmet truffles and other chocolates just in time…read morefor the holiday season--YUM! Oh.My.Word. The gingerbread and coconut-enrobed peppermint truffles were absolutely outstanding, and my cadre of foodie recipients were both delighted and impressed. Even more outstanding was the sample of the white chocolate-chai-turmeric truffles; they are to die for. Unusual and completely wonderful, creamy, with a subtle blend of ingredients I'd never think of (but which worked to perfection). Owner Michelle is herself delightful, boxing up a fairly large special order promptly and quite prettily. Not only is she eager to accommodate her customers, but she even offered to deliver when circumstances put us in a bit of a bind. Highly recommended--Five Stars!

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!

My 1st time visiting Deux Bakery and it did not disappoint! The incredibly sweet lady who helped…read moreme heated up the cinnamon roll because it's best warm but I don't have a microwave in my hotel room. I also got the cranberry, orange and walnut bread slice and a croissant. Of course I shared the goodies with my friend and we both agree - SO GOOD! Everyone should have this cinnamon roll experience! Thanks Deux Bakery! You made our morning!

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.

If you have a must make dinner, and there's a need to impress, or a souvenir to show your…read moreappreciation; this must be on your list. The highlight is the truffle oils. You can get black and white or your favorite. On top of that, pair it with a balsamic of your choosing which will leave the crowds speaking and complementing of your culinary knowledge. Best gift from Santa Barbara!!!

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.

My friend and I spent the day exploring Downtown Santa Barbara. I had told him about how…read moreMcConnell's is a must stop by for Santa Barbara, and how iconic their ice cream is around here, since they were founded here. I had stopped by this very same spot with my parents 9 years ago on our way back from a San Francisco road trip. This place definitely did not dissapoint, almost a decade later! My friend and I just had dinner at The Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf, and since he covered dinner, I had promised ice cream on me. We absolutely had to stop here on our walk back to the car. We got the "Double", which was 4 scoops - Eureka Lemon & Marionberries, Pistachio & Almond Biscotti, Martinelli's Apple Cider Cranberry Jam, and the Pumpkin Spiced Latte. All of the flavors were absolutely delicious!!! Flavor, texture, sweetness-creaminess, everything about the ice cream was perfect! Service was good, staff was pretty nice with samples (some places can be super stingy and have an attitude about samples), and they were accomdating with extra cups and spoons since I wanted to share with my friend. Ambiance was nice too. I loved the upstairs seating area and how the store is covered in the history of the McConnell's Ice Cream legacy. Beautiful to witness, experience, and enjoy part of that legacy. 100% would definitely recommend McConnell's Ice Cream, check out a location if you're nearby or try them if you see them at your local grocery store. I absolutely love them!!!

Santa Barbara is the birth place of McConnells, so naturally you have to get yourself some ice…read morecream when you're here. This particular location is in a busy part of State Street, but you can find parking at one of the nearby structures or on the street if you're lucky. We came late in the afternoon and there was practically no line. I was disappointed that they didn't have any fruit flavored ice cream, only sorbet. After trying some samples I settled on a single cup ($7.95) with 2 flavors. The first was Vanilla California Brittle featuring See's Candy brittle and it was really good but sweet. The second was Toasted Coconut Almond Chip which is also good if you like coconut. It's a little pricey for a scoop of ice cream but they use higher quality ingredients and you can taste it. Sometimes you just need to treat yourself.