Santa Barbara Food Tasting Tour: 3 Restaurants, Theatre District

Taste your way through Santa Barbara's hidden paseos and landmark restaurants

A two-hour guided food tasting and walking tour in Santa Barbara's Historic Theatre District, led by a local guide who pairs tastings at three neighborhood restaurants with the history of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, hidden pedestrian walkways, and downtown landmarks most visitors miss. The tour includes a French croissant at Renaud's Patisserie, a choice of savory waffle or toast at Goodland Waffles and Melts, and a seasonal gourmet donut at Hook & Press. Saturday mornings only. Minimum age 18.

Step-by-step itinerary

Santa Barbara food tasting and walking tour

• Visit Renaud's Patisserie & Bistro
• Learn history of Arlington Plaza and Theatre District
• Explore El Pueblo Viejo Historic District paseos
• Discover Santa Barbara Public Market food hall
• Walk through Victoria Court and State Street
• Stop at Goodland Waffles and Melts
• Enjoy gourmet donuts at Hook & Press

The experience

How do you actually eat like a local in Santa Barbara without spending hours figuring out where to go? This two-hour tour anchors itself in three restaurants (each one a neighborhood fixture with its own story), and threads them together through the paseos and courtyards that connect Downtown Santa Barbara and the Historic Theatre District. Your guide is a local storyteller who knows the food scene and the architecture equally well, so you're not just tasting. You're learning why these places matter to the people who live here.

The route itself is half the point. You'll walk through Victoria Court and La Arcada, pedestrian passageways that date back to the Spanish Colonial era and were expanded after the 1925 earthquake. Along the way, you pass the 1924 Granada Theater (home to the Santa Barbara Symphony and Opera Santa Barbara), the San Marcos Building arcade, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, which was the Post Office from 1912 to 1932. The Public Market, a food hall that opened in 2014 as Santa Barbara's first shared restaurant space, sits along the route too. None of this requires a car or a separate ticket. It's all woven into the walk.

The three tastings are specific enough that you'll remember them. Renaud's Patisserie serves a butter croissant (you choose chocolate or almond) made by a chef who trained in France and appeared twice on the Food Network. Goodland Waffles and Melts offers a choice between The Locale (sourdough, seven-cheese blend, and your pick of bacon, ham or turkey) or Waffle-Cado Toast (half waffle with avocado, sea salt, cherry tomatoes, crispy onions and balsamic glaze). Hook & Press, the final stop, is known for overnight brioche donuts made with European butter. The menu changes seasonally. By the end, you'll have tasted the places locals actually line up for and learned how to navigate the Santa Barbara food scene on your own.

What’s included

• Tasting at Renaud's Patisserie (choice of chocolate or almond croissant).
• tasting at Goodland Waffles and Melts (choice of The Locale or Waffle-Cado Toast).
• gourmet donut sample at Hook & Press.
• guided walk through the Historic Theatre District and Downtown Santa Barbara, including hidden paseos, the Granada Theater, San Marcos Building, and Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
• live guide in English.

Before you book

Days and timesSaturdayDeparts at 09:30

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 30

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Taste and See SB

Is this one for you?Two hours is short enough to fit before or after the rest of your day in Santa Barbara, but long enough to taste three real restaurants and see the architecture that makes the Historic Theatre District worth walking through. If you want a full meal, this is tastings only. If you want to understand where locals actually eat without spending hours researching, this is built for that.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly do I get to eat on this tour?

You choose one item at each of the three restaurants. At Renaud's Patisserie, pick either a chocolate or almond croissant. At Goodland Waffles and Melts, choose The Locale (sourdough with seven cheeses and bacon, ham or turkey) or Waffle-Cado Toast (half waffle with avocado and toppings). At Hook & Press, you sample a gourmet donut from their seasonal menu.

How much walking is involved?

The tour balances food tastings with easy walking through the Historic Theatre District and Downtown Santa Barbara. You'll stroll through hidden paseos, past the Granada Theater, the San Marcos Building, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, but the pace is leisurely and designed for all fitness levels.

What is La Arcada and why does the tour go there?

La Arcada is a 1926 pedestrian passageway lined with restaurants, shops and galleries that evokes Spanish architecture. It's one of the charming paseos (walkways that snake through Santa Barbara dating back to the Spanish Colonial era) that most visitors miss but locals use every day.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All areas and surfaces along the route are wheelchair accessible, and transportation options in the area are also wheelchair accessible. Service animals are allowed.

What is the Public Market and why is it on the route?

The Public Market is Santa Barbara's first and only shared food hall, opened in 2014. It showcases restaurants, bars, coffee shops and food counters under one roof, representing the Central Coast's food culture. The tour passes through it to show you where newer restaurateurs test out ideas and where you can find diverse artisanal food and drinks.