Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a beautiful sea-side city that is a must during summer vacation. The wonderful weather, top-rated beaches, and historical landmarks make it a beachy paradise. However, what tops all of that is Santa Barbara's food. My family vacationed there this year, and we had a blast. For most of our meals, we decided to go with the authentic Mexican cuisine. We reached Santa Barbara at about 1 o' clock, so we decided to stop somewhere for lunch. At a corner of N Milpas Street is a tiny Mexican restaurant called La Super Rica Taqueria. The restaurant is a tiny white-washed building with ocean blue trim. It is always very crowded, and the lines snake a long way up the street- everyday, so it is best to come a little in advance. At the back of the restaurant is an area for people to sit and eat. It is very tiny, and for the amount people that come every day, it is not at all enough. As soon as someone leaves- you have to grab the spot- BAM!! Otherwise, you will be stuck for a VERY long time. It is not the cleanest place, but the food definitely makes up for it. We ordered a tacos de rajas, which was a small tortilla topped with fresh peppers and a delicious sauce. Most of the ingredients in the sauce, I could not name :) We also ordered pasilla peppers with cheese, which were served wrapped in a homemade corn tortilla. It was delicious, but extremely spicy- so you have to watch out :D The menu changes every time, so you can't really keep track of what food will be there. On top of that, we ordered a dish of tomato and cheese sauce, as a dipping for the tortillas. All of the portions are extremely small, so order quite a bit more than you think will be necessary.


While strolling down Santa Barbara's famous State Street the next day, we stopped at a burger chain called The Habit for lunch. It turned out to be an amazing choice. The "chain" is set in a corner of the street, and has adobe-style walls with red-tiled roofs, which gives a nice Mexican touch to the building. The colors are bright, but the place is tiny, so come a little bit in advance. We had to wait for a little bit until be found a table. The benches and tables are shaded by red and yellow umbrellas that provide a friendly atmosphere. My brother chose a grilled cheese sandwich of the kid's menu, and he LOVED it. The bread was toasted to perfection, and the cheese was gooey, yet it maintained an aromatic flavor. My parents and I ordered Veggie Burgers. The whole wheat bun, fresh vegetables, and grilled patty made it a healthy, yet delicious concoction. The portions are a little large though, so order a little less than you think is necessary :) For sides, we ordered onion rings and french fries, which turned out to be a LOT more than needed. The french fries were crunchy yet not too oily, and they are made with Idaho potatoes. Good quality! The onion rings were battered and fried to perfection, then and again, it wasn't too oily, either. They were delicious :) To quench our thirst in the heat, we decided to go for strawberry and chocolate milk shakes. The shakes weren't special, but they were delicious with a layer of foam on top and a fresh flavor. All of our items were not expensive, and what we paid was definitely worth it. I loved The Habit, and I know it will be a must for me the next time I visit Santa Barbara.