Santa Barbara Hives — Restaurant in Carpinteria

After reading the story of Barnaby Draper becoming a baker, I was excited to drive 45 minutes away and experience the culinary delights described in the story of Santa Barbara Hives. My girlfriend and I jumped in the car and drove up the coast, looking forward to deliciousness. When we arrived at the location, in a small industrial area located near a Tire Shop and next to a cabinet maker, I was puzzled? The atmosphere was a little off putting because the courtyard style parking lot is very small, shared by all of the businesses at the location and there were orange safety cones placed in 3 of the less than 10 parking spaces, blocking me from parking in them. We found a place to park and went inside. We realized as we walked in that there is no seating inside of the business, only tables and chairs placed in the parking lot. We looked at the menu and decided to go with a standard Pepperoni Pizza as they are usually pretty good. So we ordered then went outside and sat at one of the two tables which had a shade umbrella to wait for our pizza to arrive. Unfortunately when the pizza came the first thing we notices was the size of the pepperonis was very small, and that most of them were burnt black around the edges, WAY OVERCOOKED! We don't like to complain about food when we dine out, if it's not up to par, we just NEVER RETURN again. So we tried the pizza, ( We removed most of the charred pepperonis ) because the crust was supposed to be the highlight. After eating the pizza I was unimpressed by it's mediocrity, it was not the exciting culinary experience that I had read about in the article, it was nothing but an overcooked lump of dough with some too sweet marinara sauce and burnt to a crisp pepperonis. I realized that this was just more clever HYPE ADVERTISING which seems to be the norm in our current society. What was the final kick in the pants was the fact that I ended up getting severe heartburn from it. I guess the fact that the owner wasn't there and just some young, confused looking staff may be the contributing factor to why we had such a terrible experience, but we won't be returning to Santa Barbara Hives to find out. Like so many places in our modern online society, I question most of the...

First, I want to say that the pizza here is outstanding, mainly their delicious sourdough crust! I also have to share that I have ordered a pizza 3 different times and each time they were out of a main ingredient, the first being the crust itself. The second and third time, I arrived to pick up a pre-ordered pizza and was informed that one of the toppings was not available so I would have to choose an alternative. I can understand this happening occasionally, but 3 times in a row? Not only was this disappointing, but no one seemed to care much. They not only charged more for the pizza than their sign stated, ("oh, that's an old price"), but when I asked to substitute a side of ranch instead of marinara, as I can't eat tomatoes and always order a sauceless pizza, I was charged for that as well. I added a tart that I had previously paid $5 for, and this time it was $7. There are no prices posted for the pastries, so one can't really argue. However, the experiences I've had so far don't have me wanting to rush back very quickly. The perception I am left with is that this business cares more about not wanting to lose a dollar than they do about customer service, and they seem to make up prices as they go along. God forbid they would have substituted my side of ranch for the marinara sauce, especially after the concessions I made three times on my pizza orders. If the cost of the pizza is different from what is posted on the sign, then update the sign! Have prices listed for your baked goods, so what customers are being charged is consistent from one time to the next, not dependent on who is working. And perhaps increase your order for pizza toppings, now that you have been open for a while and have a better sense of how busy you are. Simple, small...

In short, I love what Barbary has created! My husband & I regularly buy sourdough bread, with confidence that the bread is good for me! We love the Nutella raspberry croissants. Sometimes we sit outside at a little table to eat it. Most extra special was the German Chocolate cake, that Samantha baked for our sons’ 50th birthdays. Tasty, heavy, with coconut cream, instead of dairy! Even our neighbors & friends raved about it!

Here’s a longer version: Barnaby’s SOURDOUGH BREAD, regular, or with articulated charcoal, is wonderful! Barnaby also explained that the long process makes the glutinous chains long, which s easier to digest, than the quick cooked store bought versions. I appreciate knowing his!

CROISSANTS: Barnaby was raised in Paris, so he truly knows how the bread & croissants should taste. What a pleasure! Creativity abounds as well, with croissants filled with Nutella and raspberry! There are also plain & chocolate filled croissants.

CAKES: Samantha made the Best Ever German Chocolate cake, substituting coconut cream for dairy. No one knew, yet they raved - our sons, families & a neighbor!

PIZZAS: Made with sourdough, with options, including non-dairy, mushrooms, special cheese.

COFFEE: Regular & decaf

OTHER: There are lots of other things to eat, drink...