I was on State Street for a quick day trip and was wandering around and saw a huge line in front of…read moreTondi Gelato. I saw that the line was moving pretty quickly so I decided to wait in line. It was about a 15 minute wait, which was not bad for Saturday afternoon. Tondi Gelato hand churns the gelato (which they advertised in front), so I was excited to try. There were tons of flavors and they also allow you to mix. I decided on salted caramel and strawberries and cream. Once I got to the front, I was in and out in about 5 minutes. They also put on whipped cream, which I opted to skip. There's a small patio for seating, but I wandered around state street. The ice cream was pretty delicious, so creamy and tasty. The only thing is that my strawberry and cream over flavored the caramel. So I ate them one side at a time (lol). Next time, I will pick other flavors that mesh better. Definitely a must try when you're on state street. They also have a ton of vegan options, which looked really good.

While visiting the Santa Barbara mall stopped in at Tondi Gelato to satisfy our craving for…read moresomething sweet. Employees were welcoming and friendly and trying their best to get everyone served. The shop was simple but cute. This was my first time having gelato, and I really enjoyed it. They had a variety of flavors to choose from however I went with coconut and lemon might go to flavors. Coconut was sweet and creamy and the lemon tasted like fresh lemons the perfect flavor for a hot summer day.

I've tried McConnells ice cream at the grocery store before but this was my first time trying it…read morefrom the actual McConnells store, and wow, I was impressed. The ice cream here is wayyy better than the pints at the grocery store. I got the sea salt cream and cookies flavor and really enjoyed it!! If you're a fan of sea salt flavored ice creams, you would absolutely love this! The service here was friendly and the employees let our party sample as many flavors as we wanted. The store itself is on the smaller end and is more of a grab and go spot.

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!

I ordered the milk and cookies and the Nutella flavor. The ice cream was very creamy, and was on…read morethe softer side which I like. The milk and cookies flavor was good. It had these chunks of chocolate cookies and chocolate chips. I liked the cookie bits, not so much the chocolate chips. The Nutella ice cream was great, and I enjoyed how it came with Nutella spread on the bottom. I like how the ice cream is organic but it is pretty expensive. The service was nice. Rori's is located in a food hall. It is kinda loud, and there is not a ton of seating outside of the stall.

$$$$ Simple counter…read morestand inside the SBPM. Melting as it is being handed to you. Flavors are good, service was meh. Dripping within a couple minutes onto your hand. Needed to go back for a cup and was given a look as if was a burden. Tiny cone, tiny scoops, big tipping solicitation.

Melt in your mouth goodness!!! While visiting SB, we drove…read moreby this spot on the way to dinner. We said to ourselves, skip dessert at the restaurant , so we can save room for ice cream! Thursday evening and there was a line! We got double scoops and those were generous portions for sure, seemed like a pint of ice cream in each. We got Santa Barbara Strawberry, very strawberry, creamy and yummy! And Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate - as creamy chocolate as it gets, with bits of chocolate - yummo!!! Go get some goodness while in the area, we highly recommend !

While in Santa Barbara, I came across McConnell's Fine Ice Creams. I'm a creature of habit, so I'm…read morenot big on trying something different when I already know what I like. But I decided to step outside my comfort zone and give this place a try. When I walked in, the place was clean and busy. The employees were friendly and provided great customer service. They even let me sample a couple of flavors before I made my decision. I ended up getting Strawberry and Eureka Lemon & Marionberries. The Strawberry was good, but that Eureka Lemon & Marionberries... ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! If nothing else, I'll definitely be back just for that flavor. It was that good!

What an amazing little shop right next to one of my favorite taquerias. My partner and I were…read morelooking for a sweet treat! We were enticed by their water-based or diary options that they had available and you were able to get two scoops with their smallest option. Getting two flavors is the best! I got watermelon and lemon while my partner got strawberry and lemon. Overall service was amazing and the shop was really cute. We're craving more Italian Ice for our next visit!

Such a beautiful shop and the ice cream flavors were very refreshing. Perfect stop for a hot summer…read moreday or a casual winter stroll. The owner was so lovely and let us sample some flavors before picking what we wanted. She claimed to be late (she was not tho, store opened right at 12) and gave us the third ice cream for free. Can't wait to come back

McConnells is always a classic place to stop when in Santa Barbara! There is public parking behind…read moreit with the first 75 minutes free. The street is super cute to walk around with. There isn't much seating inside, it's definitely a grab and go place but we found some shaded planters to sit by at the end of the block. The employees are so upbeat and super helpful. They allow samples before you choose your flavor. Each flavor is so yummy and unique and fun but not out of the ordinary. It's quality ice cream for sure! I went basic with the COFFEE ICE CREAM and it was exactly what I hoped for. So yummy. What a treat!

First impressions are everything. While the young men working there were not super organized in…read morekeeping the line moving, and had a lot of chatter going on between them, the ice cream made up for it! I ordered a lemon- marionberry ice cream. It was so delicious, creamy, and had the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. It was perfectly delicious! I just wish I had taken a picture of it. Best ice cream I have had in a while. The next time I pass through Santa Barbara I will make a point to stop in.

Came for the chicken stayed for the ice cream. A lot of this review is similar. The vibe is very…read moreice cream shop and that's great. The staff worked their butts off but ultimately if felt like a third person or some better organization would help them out. But the reason we were here was ice cream and that was just kind of middle of the road. We didn't do all the fancy stuff and just for scoops so maybe we can try that next time (churros and ice cream looked bomb), but again the ice cream was just kind "meh".all the menu options they had were more interesting than something like baskin robbins but the ice cream was just one tick below in my opinion, and again not that it should be in the same category, but it wasn't as good as Roris. If I'm eating ice cream, I'd prefer to spend the extra and get the best.

Amazing customer service from Kayla. Her efficiency, friendliness, and knowledge about the flavors…read morewas great. Clean, colorful, and fun spot for a sweet treat on any occasion. It's people like Kayla who makes it worth the trip for a delicious 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...

Rori's Artisanal Creamery in the Montecito Country Mart is still just as delicious as ever. I've…read morebeen coming here for years, and it's amazing to see that Rori's has been part of the Montecito community since 2012. I had the Milk & Cookies with chocolate sprinkles, and it was so yummy. There's something about Rori's that just never disappoints--the ice cream is consistently delicious, and it's still such a great stop when you're in the Country Mart. And the girls working behind the counter are always so nice. Every time I've been here, they've been friendly, welcoming, and make the best recommendations! Thank you! I can't wait to come back! Support local

My husband and I were spending the weekend in Montecito and we wanted some ice cream…read more We eat at Bettina a lot, and every time we're there, we see a long line at Rori's Artisanal Creamery next door. So this past weekend, we decided to try it. Wow. Some of the best ice cream we've ever had. My favorite flavor is the PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CANDY, followed by the LEMON CURD. My husband loves the CUP O' JOE SPINELLI and the NY STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE. Now every time we're in Montecito, we'll be stopping at Rori's for a scoop or two! Can't wait to try more flavors!

A warning: don't come here…read more If you come here, your expectations for any future plate of expertly and carefully prepared crudo will be extinguished forever in the aftermath--the afterlife--of a crudo so delicate, so beautifully presented that few plates could compare. There was life before this crudo plate, and there is life afterward. Burrata? You haven't *tasted* burrata. A plump burrata seeming to bloom amongst hefty slices of speck resting on a bed of some of the sweetest peaches I've ever eaten, grains of oil-kissed mustard seed divinely adorning its crown. I'm light-headed writing this. My queendom for burrata of this caliber. Now, the service. Exquisite, warm, intelligent. Lindsey (Lindsay? Please tell me how to spell thy name!) was incredible. From the moment we walked in, to the moment we left, we felt genuinely welcomed and cared for throughout our dining experience. I was merely passing through on my way back home to Claremont from Monterey (on a research trip; you didn't ask, dear reader, but this context is essential as research takes its toll on one's nervous system and sometimes only a glass of wine and delightful aperitivos will do to calm thyself) and decided to stop here on a whim. Don't come here, lest you find some excuse to drive 2.5 hours out of your way from the Inland Empire to Santa Barbara to taste not only these delights again, but to feel welcomed so wholesomely into a space where it is clear (from service to food prep) that the art of the aperitivo is not lost, not shallowly puppeteered for an unknowing diner, but ALIVE, and vibrantly so. Thank you to everyone there for one of the best dining experiences of my life. I will be back. Don't come. Turn away. Do not embrace the internal shifting of one's sense of self. Like Stephen King warns his Constant Reader at the end of The Dark Tower: "Should you go on, you will surely be disappointed, perhaps even heartbroken...Endings are heartless. Ending is just another word for goodbye. Would you still? Very well, then, come. (Do you hear me sigh?) Here is the Dark Tower, at the end of End-World. See it, I beg. See it very well. Here is the Dark Tower at sunset." Here, at Aperitivo, is a materialized sunset that you can taste in every bite. Like many, I read beyond Stephen King's warning to see the truth of what lay at the culmination of his most famous series. I want the truth, however painful it may be. If you are strong enough to embrace a shift in what a truly special dining experience *can* be, then come, at your own peril. Oh, and they have txakoli. Long days and pleasant nights, dear reader.

Not the first and definitely not the last we'll be here. Stumbled upon Aperitivo a few years ago,…read moreand it was some of the best and most authentic Italian food I'd ever had (even before knowing what real Italian food tasted like). Now that I've come back from Italy, I have a greater appreciation for Aperitivo and what it stands for. Definitely fell in love with the concept of aperitivo in Italy, and this restaurant really embodies that concept. Sat down and got myself a Negroni. It was pretty damn good and close to what a real negroni would taste like if it had Campari. Was pleasantly surprised that they gave us snacks on the side (in true spirit of aperitivo) and then proceeded to crush some crudo and mortadella sandwich. Afterwards, ended the night off with delicious affogato. Really brought me back to my time in Italy. The menu is always fresh and seasonal, so there's always something new to look forward to. Will definitely be back.