So happy that the Isla Vista Food Co- op opened in the old Cantwell's market. Fabulous sales here for organic groceries. Fantastic chocolate bar selection. Super selection of spices. Flavorful soups made fresh daily. Basics available here also. Wine, coffee, produce, dairy, and lunch all in an easy location. I do wish their cafe have cookies and pastry's. read more

Nice, cute small grocery store. I like indie ones and try to shop local when I can. I discovered this market on State St. because it was very close to the hotel we stayed. I didn't linger a lot inside, but they have an OK variety of food and a deli if you need lunch or to go food. Prices - a bit high. Grabbed a few items for the room since our hotel was bare bones. I wish they'd stay open passed 8 pm. Just a suggestion since there are many hotels around, they might get customers later, tourists like myself in need of getting a few things on the way back. That would be very convenient. read more

Still no change with this place. If you are looking for expired food and a guarantee of food poisoning than this is the place for you. I just can't believe this place haven't been marked as hazardous by the county read more

I love this place. I always forget something on my list and am happy to find what I forgot and a lot more at the IV Coop. We got a membership-feels good to support local. They make great burritos and fresh soup daily. Plenty of items to carry out and made with fresh ingredients you can feel good about. Fresh fruits and vegetables for purchase. Plenty of healthy choices as well as decadent ones, as well. There is a little diner style spot with 3 or 4 booths to sit. They even have slushy drinks for a cool refreshing treat on a hot day. read more

Hands down the best green chicken enchiladas in Ventura County. I drive from Ventura up to Santa Barbara every day just to taste the delicious flavor of Isla Vista Food Co-op's premier cuisine. Never mind the hour and a half traffic, it's no bother with the knowledge of what i'm waiting for, in fact, it is a PRIVILEGE to wait in traffic for just a single mouthful of their green chicken enchiladas. It's an absolute steal that I get 2 of them. And at a price that can't be beaten anywhere else in the area. It doesn't get any better than this. Thoughts on Isla Vista? The shelves are always stocked, lighting is perfect to set the mood, and customer service is impeccable. I can't wait for tomorrow's enchilada run. read more

IVFC Downtown Market - Green Chicken Enchiladas - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Wow. Really blown away by the quality of the food at the hot Deli and the customer service. Well done. read more

Cantwell's Market has been a staple in our town for as long as I can remember. Believe me, it's a long time!! I have always loved their trii tip sandwiches, hot pastrami hoagies and their potato salad!! Lately the grab and go items have been a great way to try their other meal alternatives. Chicken curry sandwich and the Chicken Teriyaki meal are just the right portions for a healthy food choice. There are also vegan alternatives to chose from, their broccoli salad is my favorite . All these meals are freshly made and conveniently packaged for on the go days. Must try is Taco Tuesday where all tacos are $2, with an array of fillings to chose from, just bring your appetite. See you back on Tuesday. read more

IVFC Downtown Market - Chicken teriyaki meal - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I'm knowingly writing a biased review because I want this little deli and co-op to continue indefinitely. It is a much needed little gem in the area, ran by friendly employees. There's seating outside if you want to sit and eat your little deli finds. Just beware. This is food for white people. I mean, I haven't had this "white" of food since London. The sandwiches and wraps are flavorless. They carry salt-free potato chips and carrot cake. This isn't a Jewish deli or a deli like Erewhon. Heck, it's not even a deli like Whole Foods. You'll need to visit to see what I'm talking about and most likely, you'll agree. That said, it's sort of an iconic place in a great location. I always feel like a local when I visit. It's not a place where tourists pack in, so if a quick bite with peace and sanity is your thing, you can't go wrong with Cantwell's. read more

I was looking for a place to grab a quick small lunch and found this great little market. It's a cut above 7-11 or similar quick food shops because their food is much better with more variety. Pleasant and spacious little shop with very nice customer service. This one goes on my "go to" list for those emergency potato chip and comfort food needs. They have some nice fresh Pattie's and prepared foods, not just sandwiches. read more

As a longtime shopper of the Isla Vista Food Co-op, I'm so excited to see them expand and take over Cantwell's. Since they changed hands, the menu offerings, grocery availability, and overall vibe have improved so much! read more

It's a restaurant counter in the rear of a grocery store. The food was okay, nothing special. I had the New Yorker which is a pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut and mustard. It was served on two slice of overdone breakfast toast, three thin slices of meat, a tablespoon of sauerkraut, and mustard. More of a snack than a meal. The two others had fish and chips; they said it was good but not great. We were there on vacation, and it is unlikely that we will have reason to ever go back there. read more

An absolute disgrace to the world of co-ops. The produce selection is of poor quality and wilting. Zero bulk bins. They haven't made any improvements in the quality of the Cantwells deli menu. If they had any business savvy at all they would be using this resource to bring back the diverse organic wrap/sandwich and spread selection that made the isla vista food co-op a special community resource for students and workers while also bringing something unique to the downtown area. Instead they've outsourced most of the IV deli options to third parties. I don't see how opening a wildly underwhelming downtown store is supposed to help the plummeting quality of the Isla Vista location. Now you have two disappointing stores. read more

When I heard the Isla Vista Food Co-op was introducing an additional location on State Street downtown, I couldn't wait for the opening! The location is ideal, and includes an ADA parking space in its lot. The selection is wonderful- with a larger space than the Isla Vista location, more products and a larger variety are on hand, as well as the deli serving fresh deliciousness. The staff were warm, welcoming and informative. It was a fantastic place to meet a friend and chat over tea in one of their awesome sitting booths. I will be back often! read more

I live right by this amazing one stop shop boutique grocery deli store and can always count on finding what I need. Today I wanted caper rosemary pasta and was able to find everything I needed for the recipe. It's pricey but expected and have such unique flavors of soups and specialty pasta sauces if you don't want to make them from scratch. Their food is really good too. read more

IVFC Downtown Market - Caper rosemary pasta fry sauce - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Thankfully management changed hands and this place is being run by people who know what they're doing. Used to only be good for something quick, but now they've turned it into a real grocery store. read more

Very disappointing. Used to be the best place in town to get breakfast burritos, now it's a dismal shadow of its former self. Mediocre food and over priced. Not worth it read more

I go to IV Food Co-Op nearly every day because the food - from the deli to the produce - is fresh and delicious. The service is exceptional too. For a little downtown market, this place is off the charts. read more

Excellent food and service, a warm place dedicated to enjoying and great ambiance I recommend this place to everyone read more

I've been here a number of times over my many visits to Santa Barbara. Yes it's a bit more expensive than some local markets but it is right on State Street in Santa Barbara. The service here has always been great and they have a decent selection trending toward the gourmet end of things. Their hot food counter and prepared food are also pretty good. In short -I would love to have this market around the corner from my house...unfortunately I don't live in Santa Barbara. read more

The breakfast burritos are fantastic and the deli and grab and go food all looks great and there is lots of it! Based on today's experience with their breakfast burrito and to go food as well as checking out the grab and go burritos, nitro coffee and everything else, I would give them five stars. Everything tasted great, good selection of ready to go food, good deals, good prices, friendly and fast. The reason I am putting three stars is because as a market I have stopped here multiple times trying to grab that one last.... head of lettuce, or thing of sour cream, bunch of cilantro, sweet potatoes, whatever it is, I need for dinner or any number of quick simple ingredients and they never have anything I need and I end up going to Ralph's. So as a grocery store/ market I don't think they carry many normal products and the things they do carry seem to be marked up quite a bit. This is why I took away two stars. read more

This is the second time I have purchased a breakfast burrito and they both SUCK!!!! I placed an order at the counter waited about 10 min. When I got home and cut burrito in half, I could see the floppy bacon not cooked well, potatoes looked like 3 to 4 days old, Eggs tasted gross so I threw away $9.00 burrito and went to Little Alex in Montecito and what a difference in taste and everything in burrito was very fresh!!! No more Cantwells for me !! Yuk Yuk !! read more

What happened, Cantwell's? You used to be the go to for big tasty sandwiches? The market is still great but the quality and size of your sandwiches are the same as a supermarket deli. Very sad! read more

We recently stayed nearby and dropped in at the end of the day. We were surprised by the friendliness of the person behind the deli counter and his willingness to make us some sandwiches when it was close to closing time. Very nice service, great sandwiches and lots of interesting "stuff" in the store. We would go back for sure. read more

Stay away from this business at all costs. Awful selection, completely overpriced and truly one of the rudest store clerks I've ever encountered in my life. It's like they don't want anyone going in here - hopefully that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and they go out of business soon. Horrible. You will regret going here. read more

As locals who live across the street, we were so hopeful when Cantwell's became IV Food Co-op-finally we were getting a small corner store with natural produce without having to drive. So far, we are very disappointed by their selection of vegetables and fruit. The selection is not fresh and nothing to get inspired about. We were hoping for a farmer's market selection. Even if a tourist pops in, there is absolutely nothing in their veg selection that screams Santa Barbara and as a region we boast such a bounty and uniquness of local produce! The cashiers upfront and service are hit or miss. Some are friendly but some are not so much, they are definitely not trained to the point of providing stellar service. Overall, not a major change from Cantwell's -super disappointing! read more

There's a new, big difference at the former Cantwell's Market - fresh foods, much more variety, and the deli sandwiches are good, particularly The New Yorker - better pastrami than the more expensive places in town. Friendly staff, convenient parking, kudos. read more

I loved going to the IV Food Co-op when I was going to UCSB years ago. I am happy they are downtown! I ordered the chicken pesto sandwich with french fries to go. The sandwich was delicious- fresh ciabatta, roasted chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and pesto-yum. Very reasonably priced and fast service. I cannot wait to try the other sandwiches. read more

We love coming here for breakfast burritos or to pick up picnic items (wine, salads, chips, etc.). It's very close to Alice Keck Park Park so it's perfect for on-the-way items! They're breakfast burritos are quite large and great for a late brunch on a weekend. We also love that they take Axxess for BOGO burritos and sammies!! I recently saw that they also have a taco Tuesday deal. I'm interested in coming by and checking it out... read more

IVFC Downtown Market - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Ordered Chicken Tenders and Fries. I work nearby so it's convenient. 8.50 for 3 tenders and $5 for fries. Too expensive for food thats not the best, but it's convenient. Service wasn't the best, had to wait around for someone to come to the register. Place was empty. What really made this a negative experience for me, was the old ketchup and the old sour ranch they provided. The smell of the ranch made my stomach turned. By the end of my lunch, I didn't eat any of it and was completely unsatisfied. Won't be back for awhile or maybe even at all. Cantwells has definitely fallen off over the years. read more

Very disappointed in new owner's customer service. The deli counter woman's flippant attitude is inexcusable. What happened to the bright, bustling, courteous Cantwell's we all remember? read more

Super bad service tall white guy cashier, disrespectfully, I'll never go there again, I've been going there since I was a kid.Theres been bad service. read more

Can'twell's Deli is the shxt! I come here regularly. They have breakfast sandwiches, omelets, with house made pastries, burgers, salads... the employees are all helpful and the food come out quick! All at a very low price and even bargain with you to help you out. read more

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I used to be a huge fan of Cantwell's sandwiches however, recently they have just gone down in quality. I decided to give them one last try and it was a disappointment. I paid $12 for a sandwich with little inside and a lot of bread. I will have to cross Cantwell's off of my local sandwich list fortunately there are several other delicious sandwich spots around town. read more

I have high hopes for this now co-op to get rolling. Became a member and hope to support it as often as possible. Love the small market vibe and appreciate the orderliness, cleanliness, and ready made food items along with the interesting shelf choices. Still seems to be a work in progress though, or maybe I just need to become more familiar with the best hours to visit. read more

Terrible man working the cash register -- tall white guy who is so miserable that it literally has halted me from going when I need something at last minute. This guy is the most off putting person I've ever encountered at a customer service driven workplace. My recommendation (and I don't have a car!) walk the extra mile literally to be treated in a respectful way-- especially in this season -- if we can't always channel joy let's at least try to be decent. read more

i love this place. Ever since the IV Co-Op has come in the fresh product availability has gone up and prices have gone down. Check it out and support your local food system!! read more

We stayed in a hotel across the street and Cantwell was our place to grab a sandwich and drinks to go before heading out. Service is fast and the sandwiches were tasty! The people behind the counter were friendly and efficient. The perfect place to grab a bite or a bottle of wine. read more

Nice people but the food was not as good as i remembered it being in the past. It used to be a really good deli.

ordered sandwich on a baguette but received on a small, stale roll. the ham was poor quality and not freshly sliced. in a town known for lots of sandwich places, this is the worst I've tried . read more

Needs a shot of energy and maybe lighten up atmosphere it clearly rests on it's nostalgia and hey there's the ol cantwells.For old locals sure.But wouldn't recommend it. read more