Santa Barbara is a quintessential SoCal Coastal living town about 1.5 hours north of LA. It oozes charm with its Spanish-style architecture and adorable shops and restaurants. We took a little weekend escape to head up and soak up the peace and charm of the town, COVID style.

While I was in town I couldn't help but want to try all the amazing gluten-free dining options with the various dedicated gluten-free eateries the town has to offer! I am quite impressed that there were so many safe places to eat and really enjoyed all of the restaurants.

This blog is a take out addition as I am currently not doing dining in or outdoor dining due to COVID but since recently getting my vaccine, I am excited to come back once fully immunized and partake in some of these adorable outdoor eateries! Santa Barbara is a quintessential SoCal Coastal living town about 1.5 hours north of LA. It oozes charm with its Spanish-style architecture and adorable shops and restaurants. We took a little weekend escape to head up and soak up the peace and charm of the town, COVID style.

While I was in town I couldn't help but want to try all the amazing gluten-free dining options with the various dedicated gluten-free eateries the town has to offer! I am quite impressed that there were so many safe places to eat and really enjoyed all of the restaurants.

This blog is a take-out addition as I am currently not doing dining in or outdoor dining due to COVID but since recently getting my vaccine, I am excited to come back once fully immunized and partake in some of these adorable outdoor eateries!

Dedicated Gluten-Free Eateries:

Elubias Kitchen

Our first stop when we arrived was Elubia's Kitchen and it was such an amazing find! The entire menu is 100% gluten-free and wheat-free. Elubia started the restaurant after having to gluten-free for her own health journey and has made sure that this is a safe haven for all of us celiacs and non-celiac gluten-free diners. She is conscious of the ingredients she uses in her marinades and makes sure there is no risk of hidden gluten which is music to my ears, heart and tastebuds as cross-contamination is such a huge issue for me.

Now let's talk about how amazing the food is! They have an assortment of Latin American Classics including tacos, taquitos, Pupusas and even tamales on some days! They also have a variety of fillings from tasty grilled meats to vegan and vegetarian options. I personally loved the Carne Asada Tacos and the Potato Taquitos. They also have a variety of sides like casamiento which is rice and beans, refried beans or just rice. If you were not already sold and ready to go eat there right now with the amazing food, they also have a dairy and gluten-free Arroz Con Leche dessert that was the perfect way to end the meal!

You can order take out, get delivery or dine outside as well. And as if you needed another reason to try Elubias, you can also use coupon code gf for $5off your order when you order online!

Oh and a total bonus is the next stop, Santa Barbara Cider is literally next door so grab some ciders to go with your food......

Santa Barbara Cider Company

Santa Barbara Cider is a hidden gem that is serving up delicious craft ciders! All of their Ciders are made with a blend of fresh-pressed Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Honey Crisp Apples and are paired perfectly with fresh fruits or hops to make the most delicious variations of cider you can get your tastebuds on. I am a huge fan of super dry ciders and these hit all the right flavor notes.

The menu is so unique using flavors from hibiscus tea to passionfruit to cardamom but it all pairs magically in every single sip. They brew everything here at their shop in Santa Barbara and you can pick up some ciders to go or enjoy them on draft on the patio while you grab your food from Elubia's Kitchen (hint hint). Now if they would only ship their ciders I would be ordering these all the time in LA! Now I have yet another reason to return to beautiful Santa Barbara.

Lilac Patisserie

Lilac Patisserie is where all of your gluten-free dreams and fantasies become a reality! This bakery is out of this world and it was a true treat to indulge in all of it for our Saturday brunch. We went all out with our sampling as it is such a rare treat to have a bakery / restaurant with such beautiful food that I can eat everything on the menu.

We had the eggs Benedict which has always been one of my favorite brunch items and the brioche french toast which was so light and fluffy and paired perfectly with the fresh berries on top!

We also got a slice of the raspberry lemon cake and berry patch cake and they were both so incredible! I am usually not much of a cake person but these 2 slices won me over. They were the perfect amount of sweetness and the cake itself was so fluffy and moist! The fresh fruit made them so flavorful it all tied together, I can confirm both slices were consumed quickly.

And a bonus, they offer Gluten Free Wedding Cakes, something that I am currently looking into a good option for my upcoming wedding.. Lilac Patisserie are you open to making a cake in Mexico sometime next year for my wedding?🙂

We also tried the lemon bar, brownie, orange chocolate scone and coffee cake. ALL OF IT WAS AMAZING. I am a sucker for anything lemon and the orange chocolate scone was delicious too. Usually, scones are really dry over overly sweet, but not this one!

In addition to all the amazing breakfast / brunch and pastry items they also have salads, soups and sandwiches for brunch which all sound incredible as well. Next trip for sure.

One note, if you are a sensitive Celiac that avoids oats (like myself) some of their breads do use oats so make sure to ask which ones do so you can navigate the menu. You still have tons of options!

Also if you don't find yourself coming to Santa Barbara anytime soon you can order some of their breads and rolls online and have them shipped right to you.

However, if you are in Santa Barbara soon, this has to be on the top of your list of must-stops.

Greens Table

Greens Table was the last stop on our weekend adventure and was the perfect way to end the weekend! Not only are they 100% gluten-free, everything on the menu is also organic, vegetarian, local, no refined sugar and super fresh! They don't even use gluten-free flour as it is overly processed and instead use almond and coconut flour. These are my people!

I love how dedicated they are to the quality of their food. They sprout their own almonds before making almond milk every day and use dates, bananas, maple syrup as sweeteners. This is so in line with how I eat when I am at home so I was really excited to stop in. They also have an amazing selection of matcha which I am all about.

I had the Skinny G juice which is a blend of seasonal fresh-pressed organic greens, cucumber and lemon and was very refreshing after a weekend of indulging. I also had vegetarian Quiche Lorraine which was delicious with the addition of olives and so light and fluffy and I ended it with Midnight Bite which was a decadent dessert with dark chocolate, house-made walnut butter and raspberry!

It was all so so good and I can't wait to come back and try more!