Downtown Specialty

Locals swing by the Eddy on their way to a dinner party for nicely-packaged tinned fish, non-alcoholif spirits, and other cute and thoughtful gifts. There’s a wall of boutique magazines (like Mother Tongue, Pipette, and Emocean) and some plastic-free kitchen goods, too.

Founded in Santa Barbara by a husband and wife team more than 70 years ago, McConnell's still uses many of the same farms and purveyors they did when they first began. You’ll find flavors ranging from sea salt cookies and cream to lemon and marionberry, as well as top-notch traditional flavors like mint chip and vanilla bean. If you can’t make it to this shop, you can find pints in many upscale grocery stores, and also at LA outposts in Studio City and Downtown LA.

Prepare for a little bit of a line at these popular Santa Barbara coffee spots (there are two very close to each other, to accommodate overflow): Besides great almond milk lattes and macchiatos, they serve some pretty mean almond croissants.

If Santa Barbara is Mecca for cycling enthusiasts, then Handlebar Coffee Roasters is their temple. The owners, ex-competitive cyclists Aaron Olson and Kim Andersen, took up coffee roasting (using a vintage Probat roaster, no less) after the recession put their cycling careers on hold. Fast forward a few years and their creamy capps, cold brews, and killer almond milk lattes have made their tiny coffee shop the go-to rest stop for riding groups (the wall outside is never without a stack of bikes) and pretty much anyone looking for a quality cup of a coffee and a low-key place to enjoy it.

This goldmine of a gourmet market, is comprised of individual artisanal vendors specializing in local and sustainably-sourced fare. This means that it's essentially set up like the perfect pantry. As far as prepared foods go, Wexler's Deli serves up lunchtime classics like bagels and sandwiches, while Empty Bowl is all about steamy noodle bowls and handmade dumplings.