Dune Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

A NO-BRAINER ! When you have found the best coffee in town you look no further ! My wife and I were up in Santa Barbara for a few days to celebrate her birthday. And we were having a great time dining at some fine eateries. WHAT ! But we are coffee people...and we want the best. After fabulous lattes here on Saturday morning this was our NUMBER ONE SPOT for brekkie on Sunday morning before we headed home to Irvine. We pulled into their parking lot around 7.45am...plenty of spots at that early hour. A smiling cashier named Camilo took our order for 2 x 12oz double shot LATTES with 2% milk, 2 x HAM & GRUYERE CROISSANTS and 1 x ALMOND CROISSANT. We were dining in of course ! This place has a laid back chill out vibe and a few coffee lovers were already here enjoying their well made brews. Our Lattes in lovely porcelain cups were ready pretty fast...I picked them up at the espresso counter making sure to thank Drue the talented barista for her dazzling work. Our Croissants were being heated up a tad and within a couple of minutes we had them in front of us. Yet again we chose to sit at the community countertop overlooking their outdoor patio....people watching ! To say our lattes tasted very good would be an understatement....they blew our tastebuds into the stratosphere. I said to my wife we are not leaving without a bag of ZIP ZINGER whole roasted coffee beans...their in house coffee. Now I'm not a big croissant fan especially for breakfast but hey....my Ham & Gruyere Croissant tasted darn good. Of course my wife agreed ! Then my wife tried the Almond Croissant....flavor heaven I was told....try some. Mmmmmm....very very decadent ! Of course we were mainly here for great coffees and I was really enjoying mine. YIPPEE ! A quick trip to Camilo the cashier and I had a bag of Zip Zinger whole roasted coffee beans in my hands. ALL COFFEE ROASTERS ARE NOT...

BEST COFFEE IN TOWN ! My wife and I were up in beautiful Santa Barbara for a few days to celebrate her birthday. On Saturday morning we needed to kickstart our day with great coffees. BUT WHERE ? The reviews for Dune Coffee Roasters were too good to ignore. After a very light breakfast at our hotel The Eagle Inn we zipped over here around 8.40am. We nailed the last available parking spot on the lot and headed inside. WOW ! It was surprisingly very busy...a good sign ! I stood in line at the cashier desk to order while my wife nabbed a couple of barstools at the huge glass window overlooking the outdoor patio. NICE SETUP ! A cashier named Gabi took my order for 2 x 12 oz Lattes with 2% milk. At this time just the coffees though their display of croissants looked inviting. PRISTINE ! While waiting for our lattes to be made I looked the place over......absolutely immaculate. Lots of happy campers sitting around enjoying their coffees. Within a short time I heard my name and headed to the espresso counter to collect our lattes. LOVELY ! Abby the barista had done a sterling job making our beautiful looking lattes in pretty porcelain cups. When I asked Gabby which coffee they use in house her reply was ZIP ZINGER ( dark chocolate, stone fruits, rich ). WHOO HOO ! My wife is gonna love this. I grabbed a few sachets of raw sugar for sweetener. DARN GOOD ! Let me tell you that only a small handful of coffee shops have ever delivered a latte this delicious. We loved sitting at the countertop sipping away at our wondrous brews and watching the activity outside. WE WILL BE...

Review: Dune Coffee Roasters - Santa Barbara

We recently visited Dune Coffee Roasters in Santa Barbara during an afternoon break from our ride on the CA-1 highway. Around 2 pm, very few other cafes were open, making Dune Coffee Roasters a convenient stop. The café, situated in a beautiful location with ample parking, immediately caught our eye. The layout and overall aesthetic are impressive, with visually appealing packaging and high-quality coffee cups. The washrooms were clean and well-maintained, which added to the positive first impression. There's even a gym next door, adding to the convenience for locals.

One notable aspect is that the café does its roasting in-house, which is commendable. However, our experience was marred by the quality of the coffee, which we found to be quite sub-par. We tried three different kinds of coffee – cappuccino, espresso, and a pour-over – and all were bad. Given the promising setup and attention to detail in other areas, we were quite disappointed by this. Additionally, when we ordered, some food items were not available, which was a letdown.

While the café excels in its ambiance and amenities, the primary offering – the coffee – did not meet our expectations. In summary, Dune Coffee Roasters has a lot going for it in terms of atmosphere and facilities, but there is significant room for improvement in the quality of the coffee and the availability of menu items. We hope they can address these issues, as it has the potential to be a fantastic stop for travelers and...