The French Press

Some of the best espresso I’ve ever had. Bold enough but not too bitter and very smooth. I ordered a hot half-​sweet vanilla latte. Very chill atmosphere, not too noisy. There’s outdoor seating in the front and on a back patio and ample indoor seating. Clean, modern decorating. A great place to spend an hour reading or working.

This is definitely not the place if you’re looking for specialty coffee… but the place was homey, and the crew was friendly. it was a rainy night when we went here and it was just perfect for a hot coffee.

Nice staff and good vibe and ok-​ish décor. The cappuccinos were great and the experience had nothing negative to report back.

Great little coffee shop in downtown SB. Happening spot with plenty of locals and friendly barista’s. Latte was good. They could really improve on their sweet/​dessert/​party collection. We grabbed something from across the street and enjoyed it with our coffee.

Best coffee place in SB. Better than Handlebar (I said it), Daily Grind, Coffee Cat, Green Star, Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Peet’s,…you name it. This is one of the best… if not the best coffee I’ve had in California and I lived in the Bay Area for 10 years and have lived in SB for over 6 years. They make the best vanilla lattes and their coffee tastes really fresh and very similar to European coffee (I am European so I know my European coffees). They also have a great variety of teas that I have not been able to try yet. The best pastry they have is the earl grey strawberry scone! OMG do yourself a favor and order one of those with a vanilla latte and you are practically a local.

Ok, so I’m lactose intolerant, but my drink is a latte. Soy usually has too much sugar in it, and if it doesn’t, it usually tastes like peas. So I get almond milk.
An almond milk latte is hard. Most almond milks have added sugar, and they don’t froth well.
Ah, but here… Here we have a contender for the number one latte spot. The competition is fierce, but my drink was creamy and smooth, with balanced flavor that went quick through the mouth. It was pretty much perfect. Like I drank sunshine.
We sat on State under the awning, people watching and listening to the beats from inside. It’s a beautiful morning.

Pretty good coffee spot. The back patio was a great place to hang out after a few hours of walking. Drip coffee they serve was pretty good – not as good as handlebar coffee imho.
Overall good spot!

Quiet chill café with some good coffee and a ton of fresh biscuits in the pastry case??? My life is complete. I’d be here everyday if we lived in SB.
The Goods:
Buttermilk biscuit came toasted, sliced, and with butter and peach marmalade. Biscuit was buttery and flaky with a great crust but tender melt your soul inside.
Almond milk latte. Rich with little to no acidity thanks to the Pacific almond milk. Solid drink.
In the words of CA’s one and only Governator «I’ll be baaack.»

Moderately fantastic coffee place down in the thick of it. Awesomely, they have pour over manual brewed coffee. It costs a lot, but is about 2 ³⁄₈ cups in volume.
You can buy their coffee beans, which are roasted over a blaze of actual paper currencies of varying denominations.
Apparently a person must swear allegiance to either this place or handlebar (this is bikes not mustaches). Jury is still out…

First review of the year goes to… This amazing coffee shop! So, my parents came back from a trip to Santa Barbara raving about this coffee shop and how I just neeeeed to check it out. I’m like «eh. Okay, what do my parents know about my type of coffee shops,» seeing as I am quite the coffee snob when it comes to coffee shops.
Fast forward to driving through Santa Barbara last weekend. They just had to take me here and. Guess what? This was probably one of my favorite ones I have ever been to! And trust me, I have been to MANY MANY coffee shops over the past two years when this coffee snobbery began. Darn San Francisco. Making coffee snobs out of us all.
The atmosphere was bright and welcoming.
The menu was vast, with quite a few more drinks than your normal hipster type coffee shop. (PS.loved that branch accent above the menu. Super cute!)
The baristas were friendly. Which is like unheard of in the coffee world. So yay for non-​intimidating baristas!
So I can’t actually speak for the coffee… Because usually I just get a latte and use it as my point of comparison.
I tried the chocolate chai which was very unique from anything I’ve tried. The chai wasn’t like your typical powdered chai. But made from real tea! As a result, it was a little different than what I expected from a chai but you could tell it was quality and it had a hint of spice to it! The chocolate added a nice touch to it.
If only I lived in this gorgeous city. You would know where to find me: here. All day every day.

I came across this cute coffee shop while shopping on State Street. We were tired from walking around and stopped in for a quick caffeine break. The shop is intimate and cozy with a clean, hipster design. As for the menu, it’s pretty simplistic with the basic coffee choices. I ordered the vanilla latte and my friend got the iced version of the vanilla latte. The prices here are standard drink prices.
Even though the shop was busy, we didn’t have to wait long for our orders. There’s about ten tables in the store, and at the time (around 4 pm on a Saturday) were all occupied so we took our drinks to the patio outside of the shop.
The lattes are on the sweeter side, which gets no complaints from me because I definitely like sweeter drinks. For those wanting to taste more coffee than milk in the latte (like my friend does), ordering a different drink would be a better choice. Overall, I enjoyed my vanilla latte at The French Press, which has better lattes and a cozier atmosphere than if you were to get your coffee at Starbucks.

I came into grab a hot drink. I wanted to try something new so I ordered a drink from their tasty bevs menu. I tried the magic bowl (chamomile tea and soy milk). It was okay. Definitely, something new. I like the vibe of the coffee shop! It seems like a nice place to hang out.

Great shop on State Street in the heart of Santa Barbara. Castle Roasters coffee and espresso. Yummy baked goods. Good teas and plenty of coffee merchandise.
Come in and enjoy a great cup of crafted coffee and sit back and work or watch the world go by. Some outside seating. Get a pour over and relax.

Love their cappuccino and biscuits with homemade jam
It doesn’t get better than this
Great atmosphere and service
Artistic designs in cream
Just took my best friend from Palo Alto here before she goes to bridge tournament in Ventura
We will be back
Thank u

Got a double latte (3.5 stars)
I thought it was a nice place.
Expected a nice smooth latte with 2 shots.
It was nicely made with perfect foam.
I thought the coffee was a bit earthy.
Coffee was rather grounded, as if organic.
Interesting flavor, and would’ve liked something less earthy.
Might try another set of beans next time.
Nice presentation. See photos.

Pour-​over coffee in Santa Barbara!!! Something my friend from San Francisco was pretty excited about, they get pretty spoiled up there with places that only offer pour-​overs…
Anyways, I was craving something sweet and decided to try the iced Tres Leches drink upon the barista’s recommendation. And I’d like to say thank you so much! The drink was so yummy and definitely gave me the sugar rush I needed to hit the gym later that night ;) They sprinkle cinnamon on top and the taste truly reminded me of tres leches.
There’s outdoor seating and it’s also dog friendly. I like the location, would definitely come back to spend a nice day out for studying.

Nice coffee shop right on State St. next to all the shopping and restaurants… it’s a nice little place with decent amount of tables inside and 4 tables outside on the street… the coffee is decently strong, double espresso is really strong!!! The latte is well made and the tres leches is Delish!!!

Great little coffee joint.
Opens early. Dog friendly patio area. Service was very nice.
Coffee — $ 2.40 — Very good black coffee.
Soy Latte — $ 3.65 — Loved that they did not charge you more to make it with soy. Great tasting latte. Coffee art always gets me!

Excellent coffee shop.
I had never been to this location before the other day and wow it’s really nice and full of space. The staff is solid and the coffee is great.

Oh boy, this place is my new addiction! I mainly come here for the vanilla latte. I like to order it half sweetened since I can’t tolerate overly sweet drinks. There is no bitterness to this drink like other coffee places. It’s perfectly smooth, frothy, and the temperature is just right! Now this is what you call a vanilla latte at its finest.
This place is always busy so expect to wait in line a few minutes, but they play some jammin music there so you won’t be too bored. Sometimes I get lucky and there is no line but either way you will leave happy once you try your drink of choice. And if its not to your liking don’t be afraid to let them know! They will gladly fix that for you.
For the tea lover: My second favorite item on the drink menu here is their Magic Bowl. It’s so simple yet delicious and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s made with chamomile tea, honey, and frothy soy milk. It really is pure magic in a bowl or cup if you get it to go. I’m addicted to this as well.
The staff here is really great and If you’re lucky you will see them dancing and giving high fives showing how much they enjoy their job while making each drink with pure love.
Give this place a try!

On l’a vite compris, le café aux US, c’est autre chose que chez nous… plus qu’une mode, c’est une vraie culture. Ici, chez The French Press, vous pouvez y aller les yeux fermés. En entrant, juste sur votre droite, au mur, vous verrez leur Manifesto: «We believe delicious coffee should be fun & easy»…bref, le genre de chose qui moi me fait dire que les mecs derrière bossent par passion ! En goûtant leur café, l’histoire se confirme… c’est juste délicieux, le chaud, comme le «iced» !
Un petite faim? Demandez leur bägel et un petit pot de cream-​cheese à emporter, c’est le combo parfait. Un coffee shop où l’on se sent bien… on en demande pas plus pour commencer la journée.

tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches tres leches
YUM