The Shop Café

Went with the Tugboat
With fried chicken. You better be hungry! Two mounds of basically eggs Benedict with avocado and friend chicken under the eggs. Delish!

Really good but very large portions, I would split a meal. Got the tugboat but everything else looked amazing!
Note the side of breakfast potatoes are chips not your typical breakfast Ps but they are still delicious.
The Bloody Mary is decent but if you have a love for them you will be a tad disappointed

Walked to this place from our airbnb house. It was a wonderful suprise to see gluten free bread on the menu. My wife had In your face eggs, while I had the gluten free frenchie. Then we topp3d it off with fresh fruit and mimosas. Everything was perfectly cooked and delivered to our table fast. Can’t wait to come back tomorrow.

This place never fails. Everytime I come I leave very satisfied. The side of potatoes (~$ 4)are a must for me. Its crispy– almost like chips! The only scary part is when you get to the bottom and its a puddle of grease.
Last time, I got the special which was a toast with goatcheese, honey, persimmon, walnut. I was so amazed by it that I had to buy the ingredients to recreate it. Their toast is thick and very soft like a cushion. This time, I got the toast with jalepenos, avocado, cheese. Theyre reallly generous with the avocado! My friend got the tugboat with fried chicken. The portions were huge and the biscuit was different. Very flaky! The tri-​tip sandwich was also very delicious. They had a good amount of tri-​tip. It came with a side of homemade chips. I would recommend all the things I got!

Something about this place that I loved. I’ve never been a fan of the eggs benedict, but this place has completely changed my mind. Definitely coming back.

Oh dear sweet baby tacos The Shop Café is AMAZING!
Stopped off in Santa Barbara with friends on our way up to San Francisco and were looking for a cute place to stop off and eat some lunch. After searching Unilocal (and the streets) for about forty-​five minutes we came across this absolute gem of a restaurant and thought «Why Not?». We had a puppy with us so the outdoor seating sealed the deal and we made our way in to grab some grub and try it out.
Firstly, the setting is beautiful! Especially if its a nice day and you’re sitting outside in the sun! The atmosphere is very laid back which I love when coming somewhere to eat and it makes it easier when narrowing down what you’re going to eat from the plethora of delicious meals on offer here.
I settled on the Fish Tacos, mainly because the tortillas are handmade in house! I was not disappointed in my decision at all! Although my two companions got equally incredible looking meals my tacos were definitely the envy of all around even if they did take slightly longer to come out.
I wish I ventured out of Hollywood more because this place could easily become my local!

Love this place! Super cute décor, friendly staff and amazing food. I went there with the hubby and I had the banana french toast (absolutely delicious) and he had the fried chicken benedict (also super yumy). I’ll definitely come back and would recommend this place to anyone who’s looking for a great meal. :)
Will come back to try the Cecilia, well, just ’cause, you know hehehehehe

Can’t believe I never tried out this brunch place before ! Cute small shop near Cesar’s Place. Went on Memorial Day + the service was quick!
Environment + Location–
* Great outdoor seating
* Next to Js tire on the corner of N Milpas + DLG
Ordering–
* Quick ordering @ small window
* They give u a # + bring you your food
Food + Value–
* Assortment of drinks: coffee, tea, smoothies, craft beer !!
* With the price, portion + quality/​types of food served I would give this place a solid 4 stars
Ordered–
*Tug Boat w/​Salmon
($ 15 for 2 poached eggs, avo atop of two biscuits — The hollandaise was superb, slight kick to it – I would order again just not with salmon. I was hoping it would melt in my mouth… But it was rather chewy)
— Side Mac n Cheese $ 5
(Bland, good portion, needed hella siracha + pepper)
— Maui Coco Porter 6%

Great food. Eggs Benedict was perfect. The biscuit was soft and melts in your mouth. They out thick slices of maple bacon then two big eggs on top.

So good I got the Justin salmon with heirlooms tomatoes with a vanilla latte. Staff was kind and very attentive. Breakfast came out in under 10min. My first time here and the craving is real!!! I’ll be back

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. To find this place a truly one of the highlights of our trip. The restaurant is at a street corner, kind of easy to miss if you drive too fast
Weekend seems to be packed with people so it may be wise to get there early. We ordered southwest chicken French toast and the in yo face salmon. The salmon combo was absolutely delicious. The wheat toast was out of this world! So soft and tasty. The smoked salmon was definitely a home run. Mixed with a poached egg and capers, the flavor was top notch.
The fried chicken with French toast was nothing I’ve ever had. So good and fresh. It’s not drenched in overly sweet maple syrup, but the balance of flavor was just right.
Highly recommend this place for breakfast and brunch. If you are ever in the area this is a must visit. Oh, and did I mention the coffee latte was better than Starbucks? There you go.

Best spot on Milpas for breakfast! While I have yet to try something I haven’t liked, I have a few suggestions. If you are in the mood to indulge yourself, order the Eggs-​in-​Yo Face with bacon and avocado. Oh. My. Delicious. A thick cut piece of house made bread toasted to perfection with poached eggs and a pile of chopped bacon. If you prefer a lighter fare, try out the Good Day Sunshine; A delicious salad served in a bowl lined with potato chips. It’s the perfect balance of trying to be healthy, but with a small cheat.
They also have great lunch selections! Yet again, there’s not one that I’ve tried and didn’t like, but the Sweet Maria and Just the Tip are my go to choices. All sandwiches are served on house made bread that can hold up to the meat and condiments inside.
The staff is always friendly and helpful, but it does seem difficult for them to hear your order thru the small window, so speak up! They bring your food to the table and with a recent change, also bus the tables.
To recap, go to The Shop Café and try anything!

It’s good, it’s good. It really is… But can you just please lower the prices? For a walk up counter-​style restaurant, I don’t feel the need to be paying $ 20 for breakfast. The food is good, but the prices are just too high and I’m always leaving hungry.
This would be higher up on my list of regular spots, if only the prices were just a touch lower.

If I lived in Santa Barbara id be a regular! the outdoor seating was perfect for this sunny winter day
Order at the window and food will either be delivered to your table which can be either indoors or in their umbrella’d outdoor picnic tables
–Tugboat benedict w/​ham: only available on the weekends! the biscuits & avocado make this benedict very enjoyable! it’s pretty large so if two people are ordering this, i’d get a benedict & salad to share
—got an arnold palmer to go too!
NOTE: seems like they may share the building with a tire shop?

Great brunch place! Order at the window kiosk, get a #, find a table, place # on table, food arrives. The entrance is located to the right of the kiosk, slightly hidden.
The tugboat is one of the most popular items and you can choose which type of meat. My favorite part about it was the poached eggs and avocado! Let the eggs run throughout for overall delight!
I also had the rolexx and it’s basically a crêpe sandwich with bacon, scrambled eggs, and avocado. Combined, it tasted good, but I prefer the tugboat!
Fresh OJ was fresh indeed. Self service inside but staff still around if you need them.

Love this place, right down the street. It;s a little pricey, but the food is always good.

You order at the front counter then sit down and they deliver the food, don’t be awkward like we were.
Holy sh*t order anything, no anything, with hollandaise sauce and you will be happy. We got the Tugboat with ham (so good but maybe next time I’d substitute toast for the biscuit) and the Eastside In Yo Face (spicy and delicious).
Friendly service. Cute patio. Surprisingly impressive food and presentation. Do it.

Never too late to have breakfast even close to 3pm lol. I got the Maria last time and decided to get the rolex this time. I love that lightly fried wrap, perfect consistency, loved every bite A1

Neat little brunch place. Lines can be seemingly long but it goes by better than expected. The chefs are professional artisans who make the simplest foods so well. Try the biscuits, they’re the best. There are lots of beverages to choose from too.
While you wait for your food just look out for seating. It’s mostly communal. Plenty of street parking available and nice shops nearby. Overall a pleasant experience and I would go back for brunch next time I’m in the area.

I don’t live in SB anymore… and I still ask myself every day why I ever left. It was the BF’s second time in SB and I’ve brought him to numerous restaurants near State St, the more popular ones and what not. There are soooo many brunch places to choose from in SB. I decided to choose a place that neither of us have been before & I’m so glad I came across The Shop this past weekend! I loved the neighborhood local vibe, loved the service, loved the outdoor seating, and loved the food!
Another great thing about it was that there was no wait (which is very unusual for a brunch restaurant in SF). Parking was easy peasyyy! We were able to walk straight to the counter & order our food, grabbed seats outdoors, and the food came shortly after! Weather was brilliant so it was the perfect experience here!
Food-​wise… I’m trying to stay on the healthier side so I ordered The Ahhhnold w/​ham along with a side of fresh fruit. BF ordered the Tugboat eggs benny (without the muffin cause we’re still off the bread ughhh) w/​bacon, avo, and added potatoes. Everything was delish and I’ll def come back to order the bread-​y goodness! We were drooling over everyone else’s heavenly looking bread dishes!

Yes! The world needs more places like The Shop. This joint has a wonderful vibe and even better food that’s made fresh, baked in house! I had the Ahhhnold (egg white scramble with sauteed kale, squash, and onion, topped with avo and Pico, served with toast) and I was so pleased. The bread and jam were fresh and out of this world. Great iced tea, too. We’ll be back next time we visit.

Ah, Unilocal made the Shop Café look so amazing. And I’m sure most dishes are pretty good, but what I ordered I couldn’t finish. That made me sad.
I had the Tugboat with tomato. All the tugboat options look so good! And if I was a normal human being, I wouldn’t complain. But, I’m weird and I didn’t like the biscuit the Tugboat comes with. For some reason it was just too doughy, as if it wasn’t cooked all the way. But, the two organic eggs were great!
Also, the lemonade was delicious.
I would still come back to try something else.

Ahhhhhmazzzingggg!!!
Everything is made from scratch and everything tastes out of this world!
The staff is super friendly and attentive!
Love

Absolutely fabulous little café with outside and inside seating. Feels very homemade… food is absolutely excellent. Definitely try the toast with housemade almond butter and bananas on top. The Mac on crack is incredible. Can’t say enough about this place it would be my first six star review if I could.

Mixed opinion: My Yoly breakfast of poached egg, chicken and biscuit with gravy was amazing! It’s a winner. My pal ordered the Rollex, which was a poor presentation of a bacon and egg wrap. Mistake #1 was to create a dense dry egg/​meat blend that simply lay unfluffy in an exaggerated oversized brown tortilla shell. Awful. Mistake #2 was to put a $ 5.25 orange juice on the menu. I don’t care what holistic farm from which the darn orange was picked, it’s ridiculously priced.
P. S. The dining room is drab and prison-​like. Get it To-​Go!

There are so many yummy breakfast options in Santa Barbara but we decided to give this one a shot. I was a little surprised to find that it looks to be a to-​go only place from the outside. However, you order at the front and can either eat your food indoors with fork and knife and plate and all or grab a seat outside.
Prices are a bit steep compared to other breakfast joints (you’re looking at a $ 12 – 15 sandwich only, no sides). However, everything tastes wonderful.
I ordered the salmon-​in-​your-​face with a poached egg ($ 10.50). It’s a slice of toast with salmon, capers, and red onions. It’s surprisingly filling, at least for a petite girl like me. I saw some photos where the toast came with two poached eggs but I think they changed the menu since.
My boyfriend ordered the tugboat which is basically eggs Benedict and only offered on the weekend. He got it with the tomatoes and bacon ($ 13). It was filling – ingredients are stacked high and a bit hard to eat without getting the different ingredients all over your face!
It’s not a typical waiter-​service restaurant. Also, come before 9:30! Anytime after that and the lines get very long. There isn’t a lot of indoor seating so don’t forget to bring a jacket!

Ignore the sourpuss reviews. Food is scratch made and better than most snooty breakfast places in town. Owners work in house and always check on customers to ensure breakfast is up to par.
Update: Came a couple weeks later. Ordered Cecilia, The Tijuana, side of fries and Mac. Mac and cheese worse than from the box, fries used to be craft skinny fries with a great seasoning, now like cheaper version of in and out. Way too much kale in the Cecilia. Missing the quality of when this restaurant first opened. Rooting for you guys!!!

$ 30 for 2 dishes and two drinks. Severely overpriced for what your get on your plate
My portion size was fine, but my friend’s was small for $ 13
Mostly outdoor seating.
Wouldn’t recommend the place, but it is cheaper compared to most breakfast and brunch spots

Perhaps we chose wrong; apparently this spot is known for its eggs Benedict; however, I still expected better of the other menu items as well. I chose it when vacationing in the area based on location (in direction we were heading anyway), menu, and the high Unilocal reviews. I also liked the idea of trying something not right in the middle of downtown Santa Barbara.
It was underwhelming to say the least. We wanted something on the lighter side and so ended up sharing a kale salad and an order of fries. The salad had a citrus vinaigrette, kale, corn, squash, quinoa, almonds, goat cheese, and pomegranate seeds. When I read the description, I liked the ingredients but envisioned them in different quantities. The salad was primarily quinoa and slivered almonds, with relatively little kale and corn. It was drenched in the vinaigrette, which was too acidic from an overabundance of citrus. I would have a better balance between the quinoa and the kale and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) fewer almonds.
The fries were average; skinny with the skins on (good) but nothing special and not any better than In-​N-​Out fries except for the cost ($ 5!).
I didn’t think it was worth the price, which came out to about $ 15 (and we didn’t even order soft drinks or any extras).

Friendly welcoming staff. Fantastic music playing outside. Relaxing chill cool atmosphere. Unsweetened ice tea came very quickly. Ordered good day sunshine which is eggs over greens and cheese. Perfectly cooked poached eggs.
I think one of the owners is a blonde women who was super nice and checked up on me. I recommend this place. Good fresh food.
Minus 1 star for no fresh squeezed oj or lemonade.

This is a hidden gem and an unexpected delicious eatery! I came here for a late Saturday breakfast and they were out of the hollandaise. Most of the menu is made in-​house and at a 3 PM arrival, I can’t blame them for running out of sauce. Luckily they were open for lunch so we decided to dine there anyways. There were three of us and we shared the mac-​on-​crack, which was a spin on mac and cheese but it still lacked that nice cheesy pop. I ordered the quest love salad, which was prepared perfectly. I enjoyed the roasted carrots with beats and goat cheese. It was the perfect salad for a hot summer day.
The next day we returned for breakfast and OhOhOh, it was amazing! I added two poached eggs to the salmon-​in-​yo-​face and also tried the tugboat. I can’t tell you which was better; they were both amazing.
I highly recommend The Shop Café for anyone who is looking for a decent priced yet delectable breakfast for lunch. You will not be disappointed.

Came here again the next day after enjoying a delicious lunch, this kitchen knows its stuff. With clever names each dish holds up to it’s promise to kick you in the face with flavor, wrestle you to the ground with comfort and blow your mind with creativity.
This time around I had the tugboat, only available in the weekends, a unique and incredible choice foe eggs benedict. I had two perfectly poached eggs, sitting on fall apart in your mouth, moist and buttery biscuits topped with avocado, fried chicken and hollandaise.
Seriously good, and not as heavy as you would think, I will be dreaming about those biscuits and fried chicken until my next stint at this joint.

Looking for a service-​light, outdoors-​friendly, small-​ish place for breakfast? The girls and I wanted something «healthy» so we came to The Shop.
The Shop is what out of towners usually think of when you say «California.» They have delicious and plenty of hot drinks (I thoroughly enjoyed my chai latte). They don’t have nonfat milk, so the sweet cashier offered to mix the skim and 2% for me. There was a long line for breakfast around 10−11AM Sunday morning, but the line moves fast.
The poor cashier girl was swamped that morning we went. They were understaffed for the cashier spots, but the kitchen seemed to be functioning fine! I love their glass windows so you can see your food (drinks AND brunch) items being made in real time. Ingredients are absolutely the fresh-​est and delicious. Service was on point that morning we went. They have food runners that bring your food out to your table, and even after we all finished our breakfast, one sweet boy went to our table to ask us how we were doing! That’s awesome considering that The Shop isn’t really a full service spot – and people were just lounging in their exercise gear on a lazy Sunday morning! Props.
I loved my delicious «Good morning Sunshine» kale salad. I was afraid that the feta would be too strong, but it was superb. The runny egg really made my salad POP in a good way. We sat at an outdoor picnic table (limited, so first come first reserve!) and enjoyed being in that intimate space with a bunch of other diners. The one thing I hated were the annoying buzzing flies around us. There’s nothing much to be done, but maybe place some fans around the patio so the flies leave us diners alone! Otherwise, they are dog-​friendly, kid-​friendly, and even accommodate for larger parties with their seats. They also have indoor seating, but most people want to sit outside during brunch time. Pricing is on the lower side for brunch spots in Socal… or even in SB in general. I’d totally come back here again.

This little number was quaint. I really liked the large window and the view of the cooks preparing your awesome food. Just to let you know that this is a pet friendly establishment. Sashabelle my little furry baby, was with us… They have a very large patio to the left of the building, with a water bowl for the fur babies.
It is a little on the small side inside the café, so if it is busy and you are claustrophobic you are better eating outside. There is one bathroom and it seemed to be really clean when I used it. Downside was that there was only one bathroom and sometimes you have to wait a really long time… like Hubbs had to… lol
This place had some really great sandwiches and were quick and efficient.

Think of this restaurant as a Hipster food truck without wheels.
I think the reviewers are being a little too kind to this establishment and maybe it’s because it’s a college town with few breakfast options? Anyhow, we chose it because of it being on the way to UCSB where we had a tour scheduled on Wednesday for my son.
The location is super hard to find without your GPS tapping you on the head and telling you exactly where it is. Why is that you ask? Because they don’t have any exterior signage, at least none that I could see as we were driving by. The only thing that tipped us off that it was a place to eat was the fact that there are umbrellas outside and we could see the tops of peoples heads above the hedge. What makes it more difficult is that the business directly next door is some kind of automotive shop (I guess that’s where they derived the name of this restaurant), which made me think initially that this outdoor seating area was simply for the customers of the automotive place to wait while their car was being worked on.
Alas, thankful to have found the restaurant I now faced the challenge of finding parking. Street parking in the nearby neighborhood is your only option.
To order food you place your order at the window, get a number and then you go and find a seat. After craving pancakes I was sad to be told that they only make pancakes on the weekends (who does that? evil, people, evil!). So I settled for the Banana in Yo Face, which is a thick slice of Brioche toast, slathered with almond butter and topped with sliced banana and finished off with a ribbon of honey. Super good but still not pancakes.
My son had the YOLO which is a buttermilk biscuit topped with fried chicken and sausage gravy.
Food is decent but overpriced for what you actually get. I’m sure some would argue and tell me that they are making the bread from scratch and therefore it’s worth more, but so are other restaurants and the same price includes table service.

Great spot to have brunch.
Love how all their dishes have a catching name to it
This is what we ordered for four of us!
Yolo! — Gravy served with buttermilk fried chicken & grilled buttermilk biscuit and poached egg on top! It was pretty good. The biscuit did seem a bit dry but the gravy helped~
Salmon in yo face — cured salmon on top of a toasted bread. The put some spread on top of the bread along with red onion and capers.
Tugboat –Pretty much its an eggs Benedict. Comes with two biscuits, poached eggs, hollandaise, ham and avocado
Also ordered mimosas and chardonnay!
Loved the vibe and food. It’s outdoor seating so you can bring your dogs with you!
I would recommend this place to anyone who is visiting SB and looking for a brunch spot. Walking distance (well when I mean walking distance, you are going to have to walk ab it but not bad, since you can digest before you start wine tasting!) to all the major wineries too!