Since midterm season never ends in the quarter system, continually going to the same study spot each week can get boring. Luckily, Santa Barbara and Goleta are home to various aesthetic coffee shops to study in. All of these places offer WiFi and have an assortment of small snacks to enjoy while grinding through a paper or study guide.
Rinah Anatalio / Daily Nexus
Old Town Coffee
Old Town Coffee is located in Old Town Goleta, right on Hollister Avenue. This spot is perfect for studying because it is moderately quiet and has multiple outlets available to charge your devices. Their coffee is great, and they offer vegan and dairy-free milk substitutions. Many of their snacks come from other local businesses in the Santa Barbara area, such as empanadas from Buena Onda and sweet pastries from D’Angelo’s. Furthermore, their space is nicely decorated with a rustic vibe. Even if you don’t find yourself studying at Old Town, they have a beautiful outside space with games like cornhole and ping-pong.
Rinah Anatalio / Daily Nexus
Hook and Press Donuts
Hook and Press is a relatively new spot located on State Street. They offer beautiful gourmet donuts that are freshly made each morning. Hook and Press sells the most aesthetic donuts in Santa Barbara. If you love posting your food on your Instagram story, then this place is for you! Their donut flavors can vary depending on the season and holidays. Although this is a donut shop, they also serve coffee from Dune Coffee Roaster’s and an assortment of juices from Juice Ranch. Hook and Press offers free WiFi for their customers as well. This shop shares a space with other food vendors, which can make the space a bit louder than most other study spaces but is nevertheless a great spot to study. Their social media is constantly updated with flavor announcements and deals, so keep an eye out for that!
Rinah Anatalio / Daily Nexus
Breakfast Culture Club
Breakfast Culture Club is a trendy coffee shop located in downtown Santa Barbara. They offer Handlebar Coffee Roasters’ coffee along with teas and kombucha on tap. They also have an assortment of delicious gourmet toasts and pastries. Breakfast Culture Club has free WiFi as well as many tables and outlets for studying. Although they play music, it is calming and the noise level is still moderate. They offer vegan and dairy-free milk substitutions in addition to gluten-free bread. I highly recommend the Cinnamon Sugar Toast because it tastes like a giant piece of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This place is often filled with students, so it is best to go early in the morning in order to get a good spot!
Rinah Anatalio / Daily Nexus
Handlebar Coffee Roasters
Handlebar Coffee Roasters is a local coffee shop with two locations in Santa Barbara and a very hipster atmosphere. They source their coffee beans from Central and South America as well as Africa and roast them in house, which makes their coffee unique. Handlebar offers a variety of pastries from other local businesses in Santa Barbara. There is free WiFi and plenty of tables at both locations, but both lack a sufficient number of power outlets, so it’s best to have your devices charged beforehand. The noise level in Handlebar is moderate, but it is often very busy. The workers at Handlebar are all very sweet, and I personally think they make the best latte art!
