We ordered the espresso, a cappuccino, an almond croissant and 2 mistake mushroom bao. The maitake bao were awesome - it was a perfectly fried big mushroom with korean spiced cucumber and mayo. A bit oily, but worth it. Our group liked the cappuccino, the espresso was ok, and the the almond croissant was pretty dry and was light on the almond paste. Maybe our standards for almond croissants are artificially high due to places like Arsicault in SF, but I wouldn't order it again. The vibe was very cute/hipster, they had a ton of dry grocery goods like flour and yeast, and a lot of outdoor seating. Customers were distanced and the staff was safe. There was a lot of outdoor seating that was pretty full at 11am on black friday, and there were only ~3 parties in front of us around the same time. It seems like this location has much shorter lines than the other more central location. read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Almond croissant - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Best coffee in Santa Barbara - and it's not close! Handlebar in my opinion is the quintessential coffee shop. It has a relaxed but bustling vibe - the place always seems busy... a testament to the product and service. Speaking of the service, it is world class. Everyone is friendly and smiling and they do a great job of taking care of you as the customer. One man who I think is the owner is in quite regularly and he seems especially helpful and kind to the customers. But he is great - he genuinely wants you enjoy his coffee and have a wonderful experience in the coffee shop. I appreciate that and it keeps me coming back at least once a week! Now onto the coffee, it is always great! Never too bitter and full of flavor. As for mochas/lattes/etc. I haven't had better in SB. Everything is of the highest quality and is fantastic! That quality is translated across the board to the food too - the almond croissant is AMAZING!! If you find yourself in the mood for coffee and a wonderful pastry while in the Santa Barbara area, this is the place for you. P.S. It's my fave spot to do the daily connections and wordle! ;) read more

Cute coffee shop with lots of indoor and outdoor seating! The iced lattes are amazing and so is their iced chai!

The staff are helpful and there are many coffee options! From the cold brew to the matcha latte and many types of beer; there is something for everyone. The hit for food is the avocado toast and the almond croissants (which are sourced from Renouds), yum! At the line can be long, the food and drinks come out quick. The best: almond croissant and black coffee The ok: sitting outside in the sun The ehh: some of the customers- something hipster-ey going on. read more

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Worst parking situation, sat for so long just trying to park. Just ended up leaving. Pretty bad experience.

If for nothing else, i always visit the Handlebar for it's Terrific Coffee. Coffee that i think changes a bit from based on what is available in the market at any given time. Nontheless, the Java served here is strong, delicious and brewed with the perfect mix of coffee beans to water on first class equipment. Other Coffee joints just don't get this. So we had big cups of Joe, a cheddar scone and a cookie called a Hippie cookie. Am i witnessing a trend, a movement back here in SB to the Hippie Lifestyle? (Noted it in Whole Foods today also) hmmm. In any event the Coffee today was redolent of dark, stewed cherries and Roasted Pecans as well as perfectly roasted (which is done in house) beans: beans roasted just this side of burnt so as to squeeze out all the flavor the beans posses. Likewise the Cheddar Scone and "Hippie" Cookie are natural items free of any kind of preservative. The scone is slightly crispy and chock full of cheese, onion and herbs. The cookie is crunchy and full of oats,coconut and berries. Great time at the De la Vina Handlebar today. Btw: they have food pop ops here. In fact, months Ago i had Roman style pizzs here. Cheers! read more

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The drip coffee and assortment of vegan and gluten free baked goods are top notch! I can understand why there are so many reviews and so many people waiting in line (it moves fast!). On top of that the staff is helpful and very friendly! Hey, they're easy on the eyes too!! read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - The best coffee in Santa Barbara? Well...it's subjective but I'm leaning that way! - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Food is tasty! Try the almond croissants, the cowboy cookies and the sandwiches. Oh .... the star ... is the coffee. Freshly roasted and brewed!! Good place to meet friends! Good place to hang out and enjoy a summer day!!! read more

Service was great and atmosphere was awesome. 3 stars because I ordered an espresso and it was very burnt and over extracted. Not super drinkable. But in a latte, you probably wouldn't taste it so I don't want to be too hard on it. read more

Got the chai latte and it was a little to much of spices for my taste. A friend ordered the mocha latte which was fine. Really liked the ambience and vibe of this place and would be nice if they could improvise on the chai latte spice mixes. read more

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Great little coffee house in town. Awesome, modern, laid back vibe. Very dog friendly and bike friendly. The food is amazingly healthy and organic, just a couple dollars more than what I would like to pay, but they make up for it with good vibes and even cooler employees. Pictured here is their Huevos De La Vina - organic eggs on top of buttered sourdough with arugula on top. Paired with a cup of coffee cost $10.78. Not outlandish, and worth every cent. It's also a great environment for working remotely. Love this coffee shop vibe. read more

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Best coffee shop in Santa Barbara. Everything they do, they do right. Always service with a friendly chat. I go every day and miss it when I am unable. read more

We are VERY against Starbucks, and appreciate the smaller, local coffee shops that take the time and care about quality espresso. There are only a few coffee houses that we frequent in Santa Barbara, and Handlebar is one of them! Even when our European cousins come to town, we are literally there daily, on multiple occasions, for their espresso fix. We frequent the De La Vina location most, as we live in Goleta, and enjoy the larger outdoor patio that is pet-friendly. We also appreciate the Vegan menu item offered, Avocado Toast, that can be served with or without an egg on top. Make sure to ask for some salsa! read more

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Quality coffee, good tasting and employees who greet patrons with a smile. Thanks for operating a professional coffee shop. read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My favorite coffee shop in Santa Barbara! I moved away for a while and when I moved back, this was the first place I had to visit and the place I thought about the most while I was gone. Go! read more

I'm a big matcha drinker and let me tell you this is definitely one of the best hot matchas I've had! My mom loved her double americano (she's a bit of a coffee snob) and they had oat milk which we love! They had 2 vegan cookies out of the few pastries that they had. I got the cowboy cookie and I'll never complain about a good cookie with chocolate chunks! There was a line and a short wait, the popularly of the place says a lot!' read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Oat milk matcha late - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

#fatjared say... This place was above average inside, the cold brew was average, but below average when it came to their latte. All that combined to an average overall experience. The epitome of 3 stars. I love to be consistent in what I do. Grading and reviewing is one of those things. 1 stars means you did nothing right. 5 stars means you did everything right aka perfection. 3 stars is average. Handlebar was that. Average IMO. I was actually pumped when I walked in. They had some local wholesale stuff, it was well laid out, you could see the grinding machine and roasting stuff inside which I love, and they had a restaurant you can eat at for lunch also. Very cool look and feel. I have been to ALOT of coffee shops though. I know what good unique smooth coffee is. I always judge by having a cold brew, because it gives you the true flavor of the bean IMO. This cold brew was good, not great, but good. The latte though, poor. It tasted like flavored milk. Not a good combo of flavor, and not good portion control. This seems to be a very favorite spot, so maybe I caught it on the wrong day, but overall, this was an average coffee shop for me from what my wife and I have experienced all over the country before. I would try somewhere else if I was in Santa Barbara again. read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Roaster behind local produce (very cool) - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Delicious coffee, but the menu is limited. Just the usual grunge styled coffee shop, basically the same ambiance as Verve in NorCal. Really enjoyed the space in the establishment and seriously appreciated having a nice area to study/eat. The cheese and ham croissant was quite nice and kind of filling, but everything else was pretty funky Gen Z food like avocado toast and Kombucha, and I was surprised that the "baby boomers" don't get so confused that they leave, because I almost did and I'm a college student. I also waited in a line after realizing it was shorter than the one I was in, and as my girlfriend and my friend purchased their drink and food from this line and were just reminded what line it was (There's literally nothing saying its a no-espresso line), the Weird-Al looking dude gave me a blank stare after taking my friends' order. So I sat in another line for 15 minutes watching my friends eat and talk while I was starving. Overall, great coffee, great ambiance, okay food, and the Weird-Al guy didn't even make a funny joke or smile. read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Front Coffee Bar - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Omg first of all the almond croissant is a MUST. I'm not a croissant person and I absolutely just about died eating this. it's flakey and gooey and wonderful. Loved it and love the warehouse read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Almond croissant heated up, Iced oat vanilla latte. - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Hubby loved the cortado and I enjoyed the ambiance. Very open space with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. Great place to chat and hang out! read more

Been here a few times when in Santa Barbara for meetings. Location opens early, so great for getting an early start before jumping into all day meetings. Nice menu, good bakery options and quality hot and cold drinks. Great seating options indoor or outside. Pretty good parking lot, though it can be full even early. The staff are friendly and the service is quick. read more

Cozy and spacious roaster/shop. The coffee was smooth and rich in taste. They didn't have soy milk but they do have almond and oat milk. The staffs were kind and welcoming. read more

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Searching for a coffee spot while doing a SB drive through on the way back from vacation. Both Pinterest and yelp led me to Handlebar. There was a long line but it went very fast. Staff was all very friendly. Beautiful coffee shop, I just wanted to hang out! Ordered a simple vanilla latte with an extra shot. Delicious and just perfect. The pastries all looked amazing, I wish I'd gotten some to sample. This is a definite place to hit again next time. read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Perfect latte for the road! - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Loved this place! The scone was very okay, but the croissant was great, and the coffee was phenomenal. We even bought a bag of beans to go, strongly recommend. read more

This is my first time trying this place and I already know I'm going to be a regular. You can watch beans being roasted on Monday and Thursday while you wait and there is plenty of open space and seating. I've never been to a cooler coffee shop! read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Vanilla late - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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There is something so awesome about their coffee beans here....I don't know what it is. This is the next up and coming third wave coffee joint that you cannot pass up. I got their mocha one day, and almond latte the next. The mocha was rich and satisfying. I also loved the almond latte for being so smooth. The beans were strong and delightful. My fiance and I bought 2 bags for home - a single origin, and a espresso blend, $20 each. Expensive, but worth it. The inside of this coffee shop is so hipster. You instantly have 10 extra points of cool factor just stepping foot into the doorway. It's a large open studio type place, so it feels so open and spacious. There are beautiful and comfy looking wooden tables for you to study at if you please, or just sit and catch up with a friend. I also did like their avocado toast. It was $10, but what the hey! read more

Much bigger than the older one. High ceilings. Good coffee. Mediocre food. The avocado toast was more like guacamole toast. The ricotta toast was pretty runny, so didn't have the right consistency. The hash seemed to be ok. We brought dogs and there wasn't a place outside. Everything was full and many of them in the blazing sun. They should work on providing shade. It is very uncomfortable. Good service though. Found parking in the lot. read more

Okay, dope coffee shop in Santa Barbara, I see you. Was in the area and needed a little boost to get the day going. Happened to drive by here, and what a find! Space is really cool, big and open, with a marketplace type vibe and other food stalls--it was early in the morning, so those were all closed. Almost swooped a bag of beans to take home, wish I would've actually, but ended up just grabbing a nitro cold brew for the road. High quality stuff. Super smooth. Highly recommend if you're in the area! #SupportLocal read more

Coffee ! Yes the coffee indeed is delicious! This place was recommended to us! I must have my coffee in the morning and I am always headed in the way of the major known coffee locations, BUT a local lovely couple recommended Handlebar coffee. To the locals Handlebar coffee is a major location to them with 2 great locations. The ambience was a place where there's stuff to watch as you see the big roasters and large bags of coffee to many people reading and drinking their favorite drink. My husband and I did all of the above, we drank, we ate, we read and then we looked around. A gentleman approached us whom I thought was just a kind man came from around the big roasters and began to tell us about the pastries we were eating and said they are freshly baked with only 1 of the pastry that comes from a local baker. But he shared he made everything else. As he shared the history of the coffee and the location (his significant other whom is his business partner- what a team) , we realized he was the owner. Aaron you are amazing and to tell your story made our experience elevate off the charts. So glad I purchased a vegan cookie to go with oatmeal, OMG! My drive back to Los Angeles with my cookie made the drive home sweeeeet! The cookie is highly recommended and nope not too sweet at all, just a figurative way of saying yummy. Ordered my coffee on line to have it shipped to my home. Brazil and Guatemala roast. Can't wait to receive it!! read more

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I rarely go because of the line. I really wish they'd take online orders. People stand outside in the rain and it's great coffee but definitely not good enough for that. Someone gave me a gift card and I don't know when I'll ever use it. I'm at Breeosh because the line was out the door again. Came to breeosh instead and am so much happier! read more

Fantastic drinks and food! I highly recommend stopping by this coffee shop if you have the time. Staff was incredibly friendly as well read more

Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Despite the limited hours, this is a must try place. I had a dirty chai and turmeric latte with espresso, both very well made. They're dog friendly too! read more

This is one of the best coffee shop experiences I've ever had. I am from San Diego and was up in Santa Barbara for a weekend. The coffee was simply delicious and the best coffee I've had in awhile and would drive up from sd to sb for this coffee even if the gas prices were $6. What really made the experience was not just my ham and cheese croissant, but the owners friendliness and attitude. He was simply so nice and I loved how he checked up on every costumer continuously. I hope everyone finds the joy I found here lol! read more