Handlebar Coffee Roasters - Santa Barbara, CA
I tend to stumble upon the best coffee and food when I’m aimlessly exploring a new place. Handlebar is one of those gems that I hope everyone visits (and I saved you the extra steps in finding it! At least one of the locations, that is). Situated on a quiet street right outside of downtown Santa Barbara, the coffee shop is open and inviting on a hot Cali day. So, take a quick walking detour (or bike detour, it’s called Handlebar for a reason) for a tasty cup of coffee to fulfill your caffeine fix.
I flew out to Santa Barbara to visit my best friend, but was warned ahead of time that she had to go to jury duty one morning. So, armed with my camera and laptop, I looked to get out of the hot sun and do a little bit of work. Luckily downtown Santa Barbara is relatively small, so it didn’t take me too long to walk the main streets. Once I had exhausted those, I wandered the less populated side streets. That’s when Handlebar came into view, a bike propped outside of the entrance... how perfectly cliché. All the doors and windows were open wide to let in a slight breeze. A few young professionals were working on their laptops inside, while young families and couples took over the umbrella-shaded tables outside. The decor had a minimalist look with a flair of Southern Cali/Spanish with the black and white tiles decorating the long coffee bar. The baristas were chatting and laughing with one another while Tame Impala softly echoed through the space. I snagged a corner table, connected my laptop to their free WiFi, and went to order coffee.
At this point, my friend had texted me that she was finished with her jury duty (woohoo!) and was walking over to meet me. I ordered a cappuccino with oat milk for myself, and a cold brew for her. The yogurt parfait looked too good to skip out on, so I grabbed one of those to split as well. $4.25 for the cappuccino with oat milk and $3 for a small cold brew were pretty standard prices to me.
My friend arrived as did the coffee and food. My cappuccino was smooth with very little acidity, the oat milk blending seamlessly with the fruity, chocolatey notes of espresso. The cold brew was refreshing on this hot day, a perfect symphony of nuttiness and chocolate notes throughout. Finally, we indulged in the parfait. It’s safe to say that we devoured it in record time. The yogurt was thick and creamy, blended with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. There was fresh apricot compote mixed in, adding a touch of sweetness alongside the house-made granola. It was a delicious change of pace, a medley of flavors bringing you on the best rollercoaster of a ride. I would have ordered another if I didn’t have any self-control!!
I ended up returning to Handlebar during my trip and had to bring home some beans to Boston (it was a sad day when I got the the bottom of the bag…)
A coffee shop that does it right, both drink and food-wise. The open concept building and bright interior is welcoming, and is a place to spend either a couple minutes at or a few hours. I can’t wait until I go back to Santa Barbara to hit up Handlebar again.
ALSO: If the baristas weren’t friendly enough… one of them was genuinely interested as to why I was taking photos, then proceeded to get really excited about helping me out! He made a fake espresso drink just so I could take pictures of the process. Bonus points for amazing people!
Coffee: 4/5
Food: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5