Best of Santa Barbara® 2024
By Tyler Hayden
Photos by Ingrid Bostrom
October 17, 2024
Find more Best of Santa Barbara® 2024 winners here.
Beer Selection on Tap
Funk Zone Spot
Lama Dog Tap Room + Bottle Shop
No shaggy-dog yarn from Peter Burnham, owner of this Funk Zone mainstay. He gets straight to the point with the good news: “Big plans coming in the very near future,” he said. “I’m happy to report that Lama Dog Tap Room + Bottle Shop is partnering with Sama Sama Kitchen [they just opened their new spot together at 3435 State St].” The uptown taproom is taking the place of the old La Rumba Bar & Restaurant and will feature ample indoor seating and a wide patio perfect for Sunday football. “We’ll have even more excellent beer, wine, sake, kombucha, etc., and this time around, it will be paired with Sama Sama’s award-winning menu,” said Burnham. “So excited!”
Runner-Up (BEER SELECTION ON TAP): Third Window Brewing Co.
Runner-Up (FUNK ZONE SPOT): Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Bloody Mary
Happy Hour
The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach
[See Eating: Sunday Brunch]
Runner-Up (BLOODY MARY): Brophy Bros.
Runner-Up (HAPPY HOUR): Santa Barbara Fishouse
Cider
Santa Barbara Cider Company
“We are always humbled to be recognized by our amazing community for what we do,” said Ben Schroeder, who’s now up to three wins in a row. “We look forward to another year filled with enjoying a great glass of cider with our friends.” Their Old Town tasting room has about a dozen of his recipes on tap, and right now they’re serving their Apri-Disiac (apricot, cinnamon), Hugo (caviar lime, flower, mint), and Sauced (cranberry, cardamon) as well as pineapple, plum, and tangerine. “If you haven’t been to our tasting room, we invite you to join our community and try our (always gluten-free) rotating, dry, and fruit-forward flavors,” Schroeder said.
Runner-Up: Apiary Beverage Co.
Coffee House
Handlebar Coffee Roasters
Handlebar Coffee doesn’t like to toot its own horn, so we’ll let their pleasantly caffeinated and fiercely loyal customers do it for them. “Local, friendly, lots of room, excellent baristas,” said Vivian-Lee N. “Superb coffee + cool vibes,” said Richard M. “When you go to Handlebar for coffee, you have to have a little something to go with it, and they always have the freshest pastries,” said Kathy G. “They also have great bagels.” Nico A. summed up: “It’s the best in S.B.”
Runner-Up: Dune Coffee Roasters
Juicery
Smoothie Bar
Blenders in the Grass
“As we said in the beginning, way back in 1995, we strive to provide a fast, healthy meal in a cup,” said owner Keric Brown. “We continue to believe this is an idea that resonates with our customers, and we love being able to continue to provide that to a community we so appreciate being a part of.” Here’s a pro tip for Blenders newbies: You can actually order their seasonal specials any ol’ time of the year. Get a Candy Cane in July, or a Tropical Fuzz for Thanksgiving. Or, better yet, try one of their healthy-yet-tasty blends formulated by a registered dietician, like the Trim Fit with coconut water, spinach, kale, avocado, ginger, lemon, peaches, chia seeds, flax seeds, pea protein, and stevia.
Runner-Up (JUICERY): Juice Ranch
Runner-Up (SMOOTHIE BAR): Backyard Bowls
Margarita
Santo Mezcal
A catered Santo Mezcal margarita? Yes. Please. “As we step into the coming year, we’re thrilled to elevate your dining experience by expanding our catering services, bringing the vibrant essence of our Mexican cuisine directly to your celebrations,” announced Ana-Karen Cruz. “Our catering services showcase an exquisite array of traditional and contemporary dishes that highlight the rich flavors and artistry of Mexican culinary heritage, but we would like people to know that the margaritas from Santo Mezcal can be also one of the highlights if you choose to book your event with us!”
Runner-Up: La Playa Azul Café
Martini
Stiffest Drinks
Harry’s Plaza Café
We won’t quibble with Harry’s General Manager Kevin Hebert over semantics. And he’s right — “generous” does sound a lot nicer than “stiff.” “At Harry’s, we take pride in serving up what we like to call the ‘Most Generous Drink’ in town,” he said. “For us, it’s not just about the drinks — it’s about the atmosphere we create and the people who come through our doors. The most rewarding part is seeing familiar faces return, customers relax, share stories, and enjoy a moment away from the everyday hustle. Whether it’s a casual evening or a celebration, being part of those memories is what keeps us passionate about what we do.”
Runner-Up (MARTINI): The Good Lion
Runner-Up (STIFFEST DRINKS): Joe’s Café
Mocktail
Show-Stopping Cocktail
The Good Lion
Some bars are for drinking and yapping. Others are for sipping and chatting. The Good Lion is the latter, not only because its cocktails are liquid works of art that deserve to be savored, but because the State Street spot is a true neighborhood haunt where our troubles are all the same, and you’re always glad you came. “We do what we do because of our passion for great food and drink, and the importance of having spaces for communal gathering,” said owner Brandon Ristaino. “We understand how important having a number of safe, fun, relaxing, and hospitable ‘third spaces’ are to a community, and we’re honored to be able to contribute to our beloved city in this way.”
Runner-Up (MOCKTAIL): Test Pilot
Runner-Up (SHOW-STOPPING COCKTAIL): Loquita
Neighborhood Bar
The Pickle Room
threepickles.com/pickle-room-dinners
“Next thing I knew, we were in pickle costumes,” remembered longtime bartender Jersey Dave Kasich. Seeing customers dressed as pickles wasn’t all that unusual, but this time, after some arm-twisting, Kasich and fellow ’tender Chris Wright found themselves lumbering around in the big green suits. Squeezing past each other proved difficult, as did mixing drinks with their hands stuck in massive white gloves. But everyone got served with a good laugh and it was another Pickle Room memory in the bank. Doesn’t get more “neighborhood” than that.
Runner-Up: Uptown Lounge
Restaurant Wine List
The Stonehouse Restaurant
[See Eating: Stellar Service]
Runner-Up: bouchon
S.B. County Brewery
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Santa Ynez Valley isn’t only home to world-class wine. It flows with award-winning beer, too. The #FigFam, who operate four taprooms along the Central Coast that are kid- and dog-friendly and host live music, regularly take home gold from the Brewers Cup of California. Last year, it was for their signature Hoppy Poppy and Magpie Porter. In 2022, the 101 Blonde took top prize. At the moment, they’re pouring an Agua Santa Mexican-style lager, Guava Point Conception IPA, and Hibiscus Lime shandy, among a flight of others. As the weather cools, we recommend Davy Brown Ale, a rustic belly-warmer that tastes of caramel, chocolate, and coffee.
Runner-Up: Third Window Brewing Co.
S.B. County Winery
Margerum Wine Co.
“We feel that opening the tasting room at Hotel Californian and planting the Margerum Estate Vineyard in Los Olivos are the two greatest decisions we’ve made as a company,” explained Doug Margerum, a living legend of local winemaking. “The tasting room has allowed us to essentially have a restaurant again, with the goal of becoming the only tasting room in the world with a Michelin star.” After so many years in the business, how does Margerum stay gratified by the work? “We do what we do because we are Sybarites,” he said. “A Sybarite is a person devoted to luxury and pleasure, and it is the name of our sauvignon blanc. We love the lifestyle of the wine business. We do a lot of our work at the table — our customers and clients are our friends, and we enjoy the time we can spend with them sharing our wine and food.”
Runner-Up: Sunstone Winery
S.B. Wine Tour Company
Santa Barbara Wine Country Tours
Santa Barbara’s wine country is a wonderful but confusing place, dotted with dozens of tasting rooms and vineyards, each with their own specialty and character that showcase more than 75 different varietals, from chardonnay to syrah to grenache. It’s enough to induce a wicked case of FOBO (fear of better options) and maybe an argument or two over directions. Let the folks at Santa Barbara Wine Country Tours do the deciding and driving for you, our readers say. “But it’s more than just the wine,” said manager Will Adams about the joys and setting of his job. “The incredible food, rich culture, and passionate people behind it all make this place so special,” he said.
Runner-Up: Captain Jack’s Santa Barbara Tours
Tea Selection
Vices & Spices
An incomplete list of teas available at Vices & Spices, starting with the blacks: apricot, assam, black currant, Ceylon, chai, China Keemun, cinnamon spice, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English breakfast, Irish breakfast, golden monkey, lapsang souchong, mango, passion fruit, pu-erh, London Fog. Now the greens: coconut pouchong, dragonwell Longjing, genmaicha, gunpowder, China jasmine, Dragon Phoenix Pearls, matcha, Mao Zen Green Needles, fujian oolong, Queen Victoria, sencha, yerba mate. And finally, the herbals: berry patch, chamomile, Dr. Ackerman’s Blend, hibiscus zest, Indian Spice, licorice spice, peppermint, rooibos, ruby orange, Totally Bitch’n Berry, Organic Tubertonic. Not a bad selection, we’d say.
Runner-Up: Wild Tea Leaf
Urban Tasting Room
Grassini Family Vineyards
“Our incredible team loves sharing our family’s wines with both locals and visitors,” said Katie Grassini, whose great-great-grandfather came to the United States from Pisa, Italy, in the early 1900s. He didn’t make wine, but he was a serious gardener and cook, passing his green thumb and generous spirit down through the generations. “I’m proud of how our local vintners, including our family, give back,” Grassini said. “Whether it’s donating wine, pouring at charitable events, or providing space for fundraisers, supporting this amazing community is truly fulfilling, and it’s an honor to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Runner-Up: Frequency Wine Co.
Valley Tasting Room
Sunstone Winery
Lots happening up at Sunstone Winery, the historic Santa Ynez vineyard and villa that lives up to its Instagram hype, and then some. “This past August, we debuted our Members Only Lounge on our new Cavetop Terrace,” said CEO Djamila Cabugos. “With its panoramic scenery and exclusive ambiance, the lounge provides a private retreat, allowing our members to fully savor the Sunstone experience in an intimate setting.” They’re also picking up the pace of their events, Cabugos said, including an upcoming paint-and-sip party, haunted ball, and holiday market, with even more in 2025. “We deeply appreciate the support of our community, and we look forward to our next opportunity to serve you,” she said.
Runner-Up: Stolpman Vineyards
Wine Bar
Wine Shop
Satellite
“Satellite is TEENY-WEENY,” said “Chief Winestronaut” Drew Cuddy. He’s not lying. Until this month, they had pumped all of their Farmers’ Market–fresh food out of a 180-square-foot space behind the bar with no deep fryer, grease trap, hood, or flame of any kind. The cramped quarters and limited appliances also led to some pretty funny mishaps. When one of their sinks backed up, a plumber pulled 11 butter knives out of the pipe. But no more. Later this month, Satellite is opening The Factory at 616 East Haley Street: “Our huge event space for groups of 25-500 as well as an awesome commissary kitchen we’ll share with a number of chefs in town,” Cuddy said. “It’s the home of our Natural Coast Wine Fest, our WSET Wine Education, and a space for celebrations of all kinds. We’re so pumped to share it!”
Runner-Up (WINE BAR): Margerum Wine Co.
Runner-Up (WINE SHOP): Good Land Wine Shop
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