The ORIGINAL Downtown Santa Barbara Walking Food & Drink Tour
Description
Eat and drink your way through downtown Santa Barbara with a local—no planning required. We’ll take you to a mix of favorite spots, with generous tastings, a little day drinking, and just enough storytelling along the way. Founded over 10 years ago from a local’s love of Santa Barbara, great food, and bringing people together—without the stress of planning it all yourself. You’ll experience the city alongside a knowledgeable local host—not a scripted tour guide. Group sizes are kept smaller for a more personal, social experience. We can accommodate most food allergies with advance notice. Private and corporate tours are available. Tastings and locations may vary slightly based on availability.
Tour Options
Itinerary
El Paseo is more than a building—it’s a vibe and a mini neighborhood tucked just off State Street. As you walk through, you’ll find charming pathways that open into a beautiful courtyard surrounded by local businesses, including wine tasting rooms, restaurants, and historic buildings dating back to the early 1920s. This is one of our tasting stops (often the first), where you’ll enjoy a guided wine tasting (typically 3–4 wines) along with a shared grazing box, served just for your group.
We pass by the historic Casa de la Guerra while sharing a few light stories about Santa Barbara’s past—just enough to bring the surroundings to life without slowing down the experience.
The Santa Barbara Courthouse is one of the most beautiful landmarks in the city, known for its architecture and views. When timing and access allow, we may step inside to take a look. If not, we’ll still pass through the area—and you’re welcome to return after the tour, since it’s located between our start and end points. Please note that on weekdays, security screening is required to enter the courthouse. If you have a medical device such as a diabetic pump, let security know and they’ll guide you through the appropriate screening.
The Granada Theatre is one of downtown Santa Barbara’s most iconic landmarks—and the tallest building in the area. We pause here to take in its architecture and history, and share a bit about its role in the local arts scene. While we don’t go inside during the tour, it’s still a standout stop along the way.
We pass by the iconic Arlington Theatre, a well-known Santa Barbara landmark and often the opening night venue for the SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival). It’s a quick pass-through as we head to our next stop, with a light story or two along the way—kept fun and easy, not a history lesson.
Downtown Santa Barbara is full of hidden walkways and arcades, and when timing allows, we like to weave through a few of them along the way. As we pass through La Arcada Plaza, we’ll point out local restaurants, wine tasting rooms, and small shops tucked into these spaces—along with fun details like the famous window washer statue, the Benjamin Franklin statue, dolphin sculptures, and even some surprisingly adorable turtles. It’s a mix of local spots, unexpected finds, and little details you might miss on your own.
El Presidio is one of the oldest historic sites in Santa Barbara and part of how the city first took shape. If our route allows, we’ll pass by and share a quick bit about how it connects to the Santa Barbara Mission—just enough to give context without turning it into a full history lesson.
Throughout the tour, we weave on and off State Street, the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, as we move between stops. We usually meet and end right on State Street—so it’s easy to keep the day going, grab another drink, or head wherever you’re off to next.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that restaurants and tastings are subject to change based on availability
- This is a walking tour; comfortable mobility is recommended
- Most stops are wheelchair accessible, but not all surfaces and locations are fully accessible
- Food allergies or aversions can often be accommodated—please notify us in advance
- Tours begin and end in different locations
- Tours run approximately 3.5 hours
- Children are welcome—parents know best if the experience is a good fit
- Service animals are welcome; pets are not permitted on food tours
- Tastings are included and typically provide enough food for a satisfying midday meal
- If anyone in your group has mobility or health concerns, a private tour may be a better fit
- Monday tours are priced a bit lower and may have a slightly lighter food lineup—but don’t worry, there are still plenty of tastings along the way
- Not recommended for travelers with serious medical conditions
Reviews(552)
Wonderful mix of new foods to try. Enjoyed going off the beaten path. Kirk was knowledgeable about his city’s history.
Thank you! Can’t wait to see you again soon!
There was plenty of food and drink with a good variety. The pace was good and Kirk was an excellent host. Do not eat before as you will be full
Kim, this made our day—thank you! 🙌 We love hearing that you enjoyed the variety (and yes… we fully support the “don’t eat before” strategy 😄). Thanks again, and we hope to see you on another tour soon!!
The guide was extremely knowledgeable. Food was not up to what I have had on every other food tour I have been on.(6) Shared portions instead of individual servings. Food was bland, except for Italian ice. Pours on wine were less than I have previously experienced.
Glenn, thanks so much for your honest feedback—we really appreciate it. We’re glad you enjoyed your guide! Taste can definitely be subjective, but your notes on the food, portions, and pours are something we take seriously and share with our partners. Thanks again for joining us—we hope to welcome you back for an even better experience next time.
Maddy was a friendly and engaging tour guide. She took great pictures of us and later texted them to us. She was knowledgeable about the history of the city and locations we visited and made sure we alternated between walking and eating all afternoon. The food was tasty at every stop.
Thank you so much for the kind words! 😊 We’re thrilled you had such a great afternoon with Maddy—she had a wonderful time with you too! It’s always our goal to create that perfect mix of food, history, and fun, so we’re so glad it came through. Hope to see you again on another tour soon!
What a delightful afternoon with Captain Kirk! We enjoyed the food, the wine, the history and the insight into a unique city. Highly recommend for first time visitors to get a great feel for the unique flavor of Santa Barbara. You won't be disappointed!
Cheers to that indeed! We’re so happy you had a wonderful afternoon with Captain Kirk—he had a blast with you too! We love that you enjoyed the mix of food, wine, and local flavor—it’s exactly what we aim for. Thanks for the recommendation, and we hope to see you again next time you’re in Santa Barbara!
Captain Kirk was awesome ! He was extremely charismatic and presented us with a lot of interesting history regarding Santa Barbara’s past. The 5 food stops were also tasty and we will be back with more friends and family.
Jason, thank you so much for the awesome review! We’re thrilled you had such a great time with Captain Kirk—he had a blast with you too! We love mixing history with tasty bites, so it’s great to know it hit the mark. Can’t wait to have you back with friends and family next time! 🍷🌮
The tour was cancelled the night before by the tour company. They said two of the restaurants on the tour closed unexpectedly. My thoughts are there are a lot of restaurants on State Street. Still waiting on the refund to my credit card.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re so sorry we had to cancel your tour. Two of our partner restaurants closed right before your scheduled date, and since we carefully select our tasting locations, we didn’t feel we could deliver the high-quality experience we promise. We understand how disappointing this is, and cancellations are the last resort. Your refund was initiated two days ago through Viator and may take 7–10 business days to appear on your card. Because you booked via Viator your payment was processed directly by Viator, the funds will come from them. If it doesn’t show up soon, please feel free to reach out to me or their support team. We sincerely apologize again and hope to welcome you on a future tour.
Maddy was our tour guide and she was fantastic. Knowledgeable, funny, extremely personable. We learned a lot about Santa Barbara and California history, ate a lot of food (you will not leave this tour hungry), and had some great drinks. Worth every penny to learn more about this gorgeous city.
Thank you so much! 😊 We’re thrilled you had such a great time with Maddy—she really is the best! It means a lot to know you enjoyed the food, drinks, and history along the way. So glad you left full and happy—hope to see you again soon! 🍷🌮
Loved loved loved this tour. Kirk, our guide, was excellent! We loved the food and the history shared by Kirk
LuAnn, thank you so much—this made us smile! 😊 So glad you loved the tour and had such a great time. Thank you again, and hope to see you back for another round soon! 🍷🌮
This was both an educational and a food tour. Learned a lot about Santa Barbara that I did not know. Started the tour off with a fabulous wine tasting. Absolutely beautiful Bordeaux wines were tasted. The food on the tour was delicious especially the goat taco. Well, maybe the noodles were a little bland but can be easily spiced up. Captain Kirk was a lively guide who truly enjoys what he’s doing. He loves Santa Barbara and it shows in all his stories about this the charming town.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! 😊 We’re so glad you enjoyed the mix of history, wine, and delicious bites (especially the taco!). Agreed—sometimes a little extra spice makes things even better 😉 Captain Kirk loved hearing your kind words. Hope to see you again on another tour very soon! 🍷🌮
