Whether you’re stopping in as part of a big road trip to Santa Barbara, visiting for work, or you live here, Santa Barbara, has lots to do and eat. While Santa Barbara may have some excellent Michelin-rated restaurants, we also have great, affordable sweet treats.
Here’s a local’s guide to the best treats and desserts around Santa Barbara.
1. Cupcakes from Crushcakes
Crushcakes Café is a popular bakery and café in Santa Barbara known for its delicious cupcakes, cakes, and unique coffee menu. It was originally founded as a cupcake shop but expanded its menu to include breakfast, brunch, and lunch items, such as pancakes, omelets, salads, sandwiches, and coffee.
The cupcake shop has a few locations around town, with the main one located right off state street. Crushcakes has a focus on creating an inclusive community hub and has become a go-to spot for locals. It also has a small outdoor patio space if you want to hang out for a bit.
Some of their popular flavors are lemon drop, coconut cloud, mocha blackout, and buttermilk crumb cake. My favorite is the strawberry blush.
2. Gelato from Tondi
Tondi Gelato is a Santa Barbara gelato shop with artisanal Italian gelato made with fresh ingredients. It has a range of classic and unique flavors that they craft in small batches. Their menu changes frequently based on the new batches and when they run out, they’re out.
Their gelato is made without artificial flavors or preservatives, with options that include dairy-free and vegan choices. The vegan options make this place really popular, especially with groups with mixed dietary needs and preferences.
There is no indoor seating, as the shop is very small. You often see a line build up here but it generally moves pretty quickly. It is also on State St. and located next to the mall. There are about a half dozen tables adjacent to the shop to eat at.
You can get whipped cream added on top for free.
3. Ice Cream from McConnell’s
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams is a Santa Barbara-based ice cream staple. They remind me of Salt & Straw because of their inventive flavors.
Established in 1949, McConnell’s uses local, organic ingredients and makes its ice cream in small batches from scratch, sourcing dairy from regional farms and incorporating fresh, high-quality ingredients.
Known for both classic and innovative flavors like Eureka Lemon & Marionberries and Sea Salt Cream & Cookies, McConnell’s has a loyal following. The Santa Barbara Strawberry is also a must try, as strawberries are Santa Barbara County’s largest crop.
McConnell’s is so popular, you can even find pints of it in grocery stores nationwide.
4. Cake at Alessia
Alessia Patisserie & Cafe is a French-inspired bakery and café in Santa Barbara, offering a range of artisan pastries, cakes, and savory items. Known for its elegant atmosphere and beautiful presentations, it has an indoor and outdoor dining concept right across the street from the Presidio and next door to the popular Handlebar Cafe.
Alessia serves classics like croissants, éclairs, and tarts, as well as specialty cakes and pastries with a twist. The café also offers breakfast and lunch, with menu items including fresh salads, quiches, sandwiches, and coffee.
It was founded by an experienced pastry chef and is one of my favorite treats in town. The pastries and cakes have such great attention to detail that even window shopping is impressive. I’d consider pastries or cake at Alessia to be one of the best eats in Santa Barbara.
5. Brioch and Mochi Donuts at Kin
Kin Bakeshop is a bakery located in Goleta, known for its Asian-inspired baked goods and creative flavor combinations. The bakery offers a variety of pastries, cakes, and desserts, often incorporating ingredients like matcha, black sesame, yuzu, and other flavors inspired by East Asian cuisine.
Some of their recent donut varieties have included key lime pie, chocolate orange, injeolmi, cinnamon sugar, and maple pecan.
Kin Bakeshop has amazing customer service. It frequently sells out first thing in the morning of its most popular items like the donuts. They usually offer a small free serving of barley tea while you wait for your order or while you’re in line.
While people line up for the donuts, the craft coffee and tea drinks are also amazing. The cream topping on many of the drinks like the Einspänner is homemade.
6. Sundaes at Creaminal
Creaminal is a one-of-a-kind ice cream operation built alongside Your Choice, a local Thai restaurant. If you really want a local’s scoop on the best dessert in Santa Barbara, they’re sure to mention Creaminal if they’re in the loop.
This shop doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar building, but rather does pop ups. They usually open on select nights with curated menus shared on social media. Follow them on Instagram for their recent menus and events.
The pop-up shop has quickly gained popularity for its fun concepts, cool merch, and local block parties. Some of their coolest sundaes are the Mango Sticky Rice, Thai Tea Oreo, Malted Ube, Fried Banana, and Honey Almond Crunch.
7. Turkish Delight and Baklava at Lokum
Lokum is a specialty dessert shop in Santa Barbara that offers authentic Turkish delights (lokum) and other Mediterranean-inspired sweets. It catches many people’s eyes for the glittering colorful lanterns hanging inside and ceramics prominently on display. If you wander in, you’ll see the impressive show cases of Turkish delight and baklava. They have a variety of flavors, including rose, pistachio, pomegranate, and lemon.
You can also buy a variety of Turkey inspired souvenirs or kitchen items like plates, coffee pots, lamps, etc. right in the shop. This is one of the best spots for Turkish coffee, baklava, and Turkish delight in Santa Barbara.
You can find Lokum directly on State St. with indoor and outdoor seating.
8. Craft Donuts at Hook & Press
Some of the best donuts in Santa Barbara are found at Hook & Press. Hook & Press is a popular donut shop in Santa Barbara known for its handcrafted donuts made from scratch with quality ingredients.
The shop offers a rotating menu of creative and seasonal flavors, as well as classic favorites, with options including vegan and gluten-free donuts. Some popular donut flavors are pumpkin chai, chocolate pomegranate, everything bagel, pear cobbler, and pecan pie.
Hook & Press also serves specialty coffee, beer, and wine. It has a nice airy space with lots of indoor and outdoor tables, creating a great spot to enjoy a unique donut and a drink of choice. Plus, it is right next door to a local bookstore, the Book Den.
Related: Top 3 Bookstores in Ipanema
9. Soft Serve at Mr. Softee
Mr. Softee is a beloved soft-serve ice cream truck and brand-new permanent location operating in Santa Barbara known for its classic soft-serve cones, shakes, sundaes, and floats. Originally an iconic East Coast brand, Mr. Softee’s has expanded to the region in places like Camarillo. If you’ve seen Iron Man, you may actually recall that Tony Stark is wearing a Mr. Softee T-shirt in the movie.
The truck serves vanilla, chocolate, and twist cones with a variety of toppings like sprinkles, chocolate dip, and candy. With its cheerful blue-and-white truck and classic jingle.
Mr. Softee is also on the more budget friendly side relative to most other ice cream spots in Santa Barbara and on this list.
So, in the end which is my favorite? I think Tondi Gelato is one of my most frequent treats. The many different flavors makes it fun to try new things often. Alessia is also on of my favorites for their pastries and cakes, although they are a bit more on the expensive side.
Where to Stay in Santa Barbara
Budget hotels in Santa Barbara:
There are not very many affordable options for lodging in Santa Barbara. One of the cheapest (but decent) options in the area is Motel 6 in Goleta which is located right next to a cute coffee shop, Dune, as well as a Trader Joe’s and Walgreens. Any Motel 6 in the area will cost about $130 a night. The airport is in Goleta and is a slightly more budget friendly area. That said, it takes about 10-15 minutes of driving to get to the heart of Santa Barbara from Goleta.
Mid-range hotels in Santa Barbara:
For about $180-250 a night, you can find many more options. You’ll likely recognize many of the names of good mid-range hotels in the area. There is the Best Western Plus Santa Barbara, which has older decor but a convenient location in central Santa Barbara. If location isn’t as important, the Courtyard Marriot Goleta, offers an upgrade on renovations and decor. If you prefer a boutique style hotel, try the beachfront Hotel Milo.
Luxury hotels in Santa Barbara:
Hotel Californian is a well-located luxury hotel within walking distance of the beach, wharf, and countless bars and restaurants. Its patio is also a popular venue for weddings and receptions. A new boutique hotel named Drift was built in the old Santa Barbara headquarters of the Church of Scientology. This hotel has stylish, calming boho decor. Drift starts at about $300 a night. A bit further north is one of the most luxurious hotels in the area, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.
Planning a trip to Santa Barbara, CA?
Have you had some great dessert in Santa Barbara? What did I miss? Drop a comment to share your ideas with others.
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