Santa Barbara Funk Zone Food and Photo Tour

Overview

Eat your way through the Funk Zone - Santa Barbara's hip, new 'hood - while learning about local culture and how to take great food photos.

This food & photo tour starts on lower State Street and will walk you through the Funk Zone neighborhood where you will taste what Santa Barbara is known for with bites of fresh seafood, gastropub creations, Mexican food, artisan beer, and locally grown wines several different locations. Along the way, you’ll get immersed in the local culture and hear interesting stories about each place you’ll visit.

You’ll also learn easy-to-shoot photo tips from your pro tour guide and take your food photo skills to the next level using your smartphone’s camera app. By the end of your 3 hour tour, you’ll be eating like a local and shooting like a pro!
(Please note: we cannot accommodate shellfish allergies, vegan or celiac restrictions at this time. However, we only have one shellfish/seafood tasting on the tour.)

City: Santa Barbara

Sun 20 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

Sun 20 Oct

Starting at $135.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Wine tasting

Beverages

Food tasting

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Infant meals not included
Minimum drinking age is 21 years
Not recommended for vegan or celiac dietary restrictions. Shellfish allergies cannot be accommodated, but will only miss out partially on one tasting.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
We are still adhering to all current guidelines for Santa Barbara County. Please do a quick online search for "mask mandate Santa Barbara County" so you can stay in-the-know for your trip! We will also be updating all our guests on any COVID guideline changes as is needed.

What To Expect

Funk Zone

Begin your 3-hour Santa Barbara walking food tour at a central location in the Funk Zone, located near lower State Street. This region once housing warehouses and scuba shops — now revitalized into a bustling neighborhood of hip eateries, wine-tasting rooms, and artist studios — is where you’ll meet your guide for an afternoon food tasting and photo tour. Set out on foot at a moderate pace as your guide shares insights into Santa Barbara’s history and burgeoning art culture. Keep your smartphone ready so you can practice the helpful photo tips your guide offers along the way. You'll have many opportunities to take food photos and colorful portraits in the lively Funk Zone. Along the way, your guide stops for food & drink tastings (all included) at restaurants, a wine bar/bakery, & one microbrewery. Learn how to properly position your food for the best photos as you sample local fare. After your tour you can continue to explore and capture this fun & funky neighborhood on your own.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (93)

Norma B

Mar 2019

Good friend and I spent several days in beautiful Santa Barbara. Our Eat This, Shoot That! tour started at Enterprise Fish Co. where we sampled lobster bisque! MMMMMMM! Along with tasting great food and sipping great wines, our tour guides showed us how to take great snapshots of our food and drink with our smart phones. We then walked to the Funk Zone - a unique corner of Santa Barbara filled with art studios, wineries, breweries and GREAT food! We sampled a Danish Red Lager at Figueroa Mountain Brewery. Refreshingly delicious. Street tacos at Mony's Mexican Food - very good! Yummy bread board, etc and delicious wines at Helena Avenue Bakery. Pizza at Lucky Penny (great ambiance)! The Shalhoob Meat Company will whet your appetite with a tri-tip slider on homemade bread - tender and delicious! Flavored popcorn from Santa Barbara Popcorn Company. Our tour guides, Kimmie and JJ, were outstanding, funny, and informative about the Funk Zone's history. Do not miss this tour! Amazing food, brews and wines!

Response from Host

Mar 2019

Thank you for the wonderful review, Norma! We're so glad you enjoyed your time with us and we hope to see you on our other tours soon.

omerchip

Feb 2019

It was amazing! Tour guide Jimmie was so funny and helpful. Good locations walkable distance each other and all of them are local, warm and delicious places. I love it and will suggest everyone. Thank you so much!

Response from Host

Feb 2019

Thanks for the review, Omer! It was our pleasure having you on our Funk Zone food tour. We hope to see you on our other food tour someday!

ThomasD827

Jan 2019

This is a creative way to see a cute part of an already cute city, through the food and drink of the Funk Zone. It turns out it is called that because in former times the odors of the businesses were very funky in that neighborhood, but now it is cool, arty, and has both small and famous businesses. As an added kicker to the tour, the guide will teach you how to use your expensive camera (you call it a phone), to take pictures of food and drink. I am now boring my friends at every meal out showing them how their food looks in pictures. The guides are very personable and the hosts at the businesses very accommodating. We tasted lobster bisque, locally made beer, tri-tip (a local delicacy; look it up), pizza, local wines, and finally locally produced whiskey (!). This is a great way for a couple or a family to spend a few hours sampling Santa Barbara.

Response from Host

Feb 2019

Thanks so much for such a great review! So glad you had a good time us! We hope to see you on our other food tour someday :)