There is no better way to start the day than with a nutritious breakfast in the best city of the West Coast: Santa Barbara. This chic town features a variety of bakeries, cafés and restaurants that satisfy everyone’s tastes. Sweet or savory, rich or light, the American Riviera has plenty of options for the perfect breakfast. If you are either looking for an elegant location, or a family-friendly place, you’ll for sure find something that suits your preferences.
1. Helena Avenue Bakery
Helena Avenue Bakery is an artisan bakery that offers a broad organic breakfast menu, including bread and pastries made by hand every day with healthy high-quality ingredients. The top options include avocado sourdough toasts, salmon bagels, maple pecan granola & yogurt, and much more.
2. Lilac Patisserie
Lilac Patisserie is a totally gluten free bakery offering a simple – but delicious – menu that satisfies everybody, not only celiacs! The bakery is located in Downtown Santa Barbara and is run by a married couple. Some of the fine gluten-free breakfast options include Belgian waffles, home-made granola, Irish oatmeal, berry bowls, pancakes, pastries and cakes.
3. Andersen’s Danish Bakery
Andersen’s Bakery is a family-owned Danish bakery located on Santa Barbara’s State Street. The bakery was founded in 1976 by a Master Chef from Denmark. Today, his wife and daughter continue to run the bakery, staying true to traditional European and Danish recipes. The breakfast menu includes quiches with Hollandaise sauce, Kielbasa with eggs, omelettes, and a wide variety of cakes and fresh pastries.
4. Scarlett Begonia
Scarlett Begonia is a picturesque bakery and café situated in the Victoria Courtyard in Downtown Santa Barbara. The breakfast menu includes lemon ricotta pancakes, soft scrambled eggs, French toasts, and oatmeal. You can also order pastries, croissants and fresh artisan breads made only with sustainable, locally sourced, organic ingredients.
5. Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro
Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro is the right place to try authentic French pastries, croissants, eclairs, and cakes! The bakery was founded back in 2008 by Renaud Gonthier and Nicole Black. Their wide menu features a selection of French specialties from the Provence region of France and some of Renaud’s favorites. All pastries are handcrafted daily by a dedicated team of pastry chefs. The breakfast menu includes omelets, eggs benedict, quiches, oatmeal, yogurt bowls and much more!
6. D’Angelo Bakery
D’Angelo Bakery offers European-style breads and pastries baked fresh every day, accompanied with a true Italian coffee. The special breakfast menu includes salmon croissants, banana French toasts, oatmeal, and waffles.
7. Savoy Café and Deli
Savoy Café and Deli is a family-run business created by Paul & Kathy Shields, a couple of Santa Barbara locals. They combine more than 41 fresh organic ingredients to create healthy food, ranging from salads to cookies, muffins, and cupcakes. The breakfast menu includes burritos, granola and yogurt bowls, huevos rancheros, quiches, eggs benedict, and scrambled eggs. There are also vegan options, such as vegan burritos and vegan bowls.
8. Bree’Osh Artisan Bakery
Bree’Osh Bakery is run by Nelly and Pierre, a French couple that decided to open a French-style bakery in Santa Barbara back in 2015. The top specialties of Bree’Osh bakery are sourdough brioches bread and viennoiseries. The brioches are made following the classical French artisanal baguette process making, based on a slow and long fermentation and the use of liquid sourdough.
9. Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach
Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach is a restaurant with a breathtaking view located in front of Henry’s beach, also called Arroyo Burro Beach. The large breakfast menu includes quinoa blows, breakfast burritos, French toasts, organic granola, pancakes, eggs benedict, omelets and more.
10. Cajun Kitchen Cafe
Cajun Kitchen is a Santa Barbara traditional informal café with different locations all around the county. It offers delicious food with good prices and fast service. Breakfast is served all day and it includes a large variety of egg-based dishes (e.g. omelets, scrambled eggs, benedict eggs), burritos, sandwiches, pancakes, and waffles.
