Santa Barbara Funk Zone Food and Photo Tour
Description
Eat your way through the Funk Zone - Santa Barbara's hip, new 'hood - while learning about local culture and how to take great food photos. This food & photo tour starts on lower State Street and will walk you through the Funk Zone neighborhood where you will taste what Santa Barbara is known for with bites of fresh seafood, gastropub creations, Mexican food, artisan beer, and locally grown wines several different locations. Along the way, you’ll get immersed in the local culture and hear interesting stories about each place you’ll visit. You’ll also learn easy-to-shoot photo tips from your pro tour guide and take your food photo skills to the next level using your smartphone’s camera app. By the end of your 3 hour tour, you’ll be eating like a local and shooting like a pro! (Please note: we cannot accommodate shellfish allergies, vegan or celiac restrictions at this time. However, we only have one shellfish/seafood tasting on the tour.)
Tour Options
Itinerary
Begin your 3-hour Santa Barbara walking food tour at a central location in the Funk Zone, located near lower State Street. This region once housing warehouses and scuba shops — now revitalized into a bustling neighborhood of hip eateries, wine-tasting rooms, and artist studios — is where you’ll meet your guide for an afternoon food tasting and photo tour. Set out on foot at a moderate pace as your guide shares insights into Santa Barbara’s history and burgeoning art culture. Keep your smartphone ready so you can practice the helpful photo tips your guide offers along the way. You'll have many opportunities to take food photos and colorful portraits in the lively Funk Zone. Along the way, your guide stops for food & drink tastings (all included) at restaurants, a wine bar/bakery, & one microbrewery. Learn how to properly position your food for the best photos as you sample local fare. After your tour you can continue to explore and capture this fun & funky neighborhood on your own.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infant meals not included
- Minimum drinking age is 21 years
- Not recommended for vegan or celiac dietary restrictions. Shellfish allergies cannot be accommodated, but will only miss out partially on one tasting.
Reviews(109)
We had a great time on the Santa Barbara Funk Zone Tour on April 23rd. Kudos to our guide Lizette, who made it fun and interesting. She enthusiastically shared local history and her love of the area came though. On our tour we had Octopus ceviche as Santo Mezcal (one of our favorites), Schnitzel and Gravy covered fries at The Brewhouse, a soft Taco with 3 kinds of sauce at Mony's Taqueria, The O.G. Pizza (San marzano marinara, fennel sausage, calabrian chile, smoked mozzarella, arugula at Lucky Penny, 2 wines at Fess Parker Funk Zone, and finally 2 scoops of our choice at McConnell's Fine Ice Cream. This was worth every penny. Pro Tip: Eat a VERY light breakfast - it was a lot of food.
Wow, wholeheartedly! Thanks so much for the kind review. So glad we got to enjoy the afternoon with you in the Funk Zone.
Lizette was friendly and knowledgeable and made it a very enjoyable tour.
Thank you for leaving us a review! So glad you enjoyed your time with Lizette in the funk zone. We hope to see you on our Solvang food tour someday!
Lizett was very knowledgeable about the area and we learned a lot of the areas history. The 4 restaurants we visited all had delicious food and each restaurant was unique and different from the others. The restaurant staffs were phenomenal as well. Bring you appetite and come hungry!!
Thank you for leaving us such a kind review! We are so sorry again about the time mixup at the start, but I am so glad to hear you enjoyed your time with Lizette. We hope the rest of your time in Santa Barbara was enjoyable as well.
The Funk Zone is an artsy neighborhood within Santa Barbara, located near the ocean. Our guide provided us with background information on the area as well as how the Funk Zone got its name. We explored the Funk Zone, eating and drinking along the way. Be prepared to eat & drink!
Thanks for leaving us a review, Elena! So glad you enjoyed your time in the Funk Zone with Vanessa. We hope to see you on our Solvang food tour someday!
This was a nice balance of food, we went on a Friday which we learned was more food than alcohol heavy. Vanessa was a fun guide
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review! So glad you enjoyed your time with us on the Funk Zone. We hope to see you on our Solvang Food Tour someday soon (which is a bit more alcohol heavy-especially during the holidays ;)
Such a fun day in the Funk Zone eating our way around with guide Hannah. The food was yummy and company was great to spend the day with!
Thank you for leaving us a review! So glad you enjoyed your time with us in Santa Barbara! We hope to see you on our Solvang Food Tour someday soon.
A fabulous food tour with 6 stops varying in food and drink types. The guide, Hannah, shared history and expertise of the area, making us feel like locals. A hearty amount of food and a nice balance of drinks.
Thank you so much for leaving us a review! So glad you enjoyed your time with Hannah in the funk zone. We look forward to having you on our Solvang food tour someday!
My husband and I were in town for a comedy show that was taking place that evening and we had some time to kill. I use to go to school at UCSB; however, I never did many tours when I was in school and this was the perfect time! I believe it was Hannah (I'm horrible with names!) who took us on our tour on Saturday at 11:00. The weather was perfect and even better, it was only us two; so it was like having a private tour. We ended up eating 4 different dishes, along with a stop at Fess Parker Funk Zone (winery) and we ended at McConnell's Fine Ice Creams. First off, our tour guide was awesome! Not only was she super personable, but also very knowledgeable and hilarious! It takes a lot to keep up the energy for 3 hours and she did it effortlessly. On our tour we ate at Santo Mezca, the ceviche was delicious and the octopus was cooked perfectly! We would definitely come back to dry more dishes! Another stop was at the SB Biergarten and we ate Schnitzel Poutine that came with fries, mushroom gravy, green onion and cheese curds (I asked for the curds on the side). I can't say this would be a dish I would order on my own, however, I was glad I was able to experience it once. We had our third food stop at Mony's Mexican Food, we had a taco that came with chips and salsa (the salsa had a bit of heat!). I liked the portion of the taco dish since both of the previous dishes were full portions. I love street tacos that are made with simple ingredients and this was it! Second to last was a stop at the Lucky Penny and we had The OG pizza. The pizza was a full size pizza and had great flavor and thin crust (my fav is thin crust). Last but not least, we ended at McConnell's Fine Ice Creams. I am lactose intolerant, therefore, I ended up having the Mango sorbet. Flavor and texture wise, this was definitely one of the better sorbets I've had and very refreshing. Overall, I appreciate the large portions of food; however, I would say I could be happy with smaller portions and try more places or smaller portions and the cost of the tour be cheaper. I only say smaller portions since I don't like wasting food. Either way my husband and I really enjoyed our time exploring the Funk Zone!
Thank you for leaving us such a thorough review! I know this is so helpful for future guests who like to be in the know about the details. So, thanks for sharing your feedback. So glad you enjoyed your time with Hannah and we hope to see you on our Solvang Food Tour sometime soon (btw, Hannah is also one of our guides in Solvang!). Cheers!
We had an incredible time on the Funk Zone Food Tour in Santa Barbara! Visiting five local spots, we enjoyed a perfect mix of delicious food, refreshing alcoholic beverages, and a delightful dessert to top it all off. Our guide, Hannah, was fantastic—so friendly and knowledgeable, making the experience even more enjoyable. The group we toured with was wonderful, adding to the fun and lively atmosphere. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to explore the flavors of Santa Barbara!
Thank you so much for leaving us a review! So glad you enjoyed your time with our crew in SB! I hope we see you on our Solvang Food Tour someday soon.
Fun tour. Great food and information. The picture taking tips was a nice addition. Hannah was an excellent guide. Good way to see and learn more about the Funk Zone
Thank you so much for leaving us a review! We’re so so glad you enjoyed your time with us.
