What a fun time! My wife and I took the Funk Zone tour during a brief vacation in Santa Barbara. There are other food tour companies in the Santa Barbara area, but we selected this one because of the photography aspect of it. It did not disappoint. The tour took us to eight different venues, a nice mix of restaurants plus wine and beer tasting rooms. Although it was a well paced walk that adhered to a schedule, it felt relaxed and leisurely, but always interesting and engaging. On the strolls between sites, the discussions about local streets and architecture were fascinating. At each stop, there was interesting discussion about the food, plus useful tips for making engaging food pictures. The tips tend to be geared toward smart phones, but bring any camera you are comfortable using.
Our guide was Keith. His was originally a chef, so he was very knowledgeable about the local restaurants, but also about food and the industry in general. As a Santa Barbara local, he was full of facts and insights about Santa Barbara history and culture. He made the entire experience fun, friendly, engaging, interesting. He was by far one of the most fun tour guides I have ever made the rounds with.
The tour was paced out over about 3 hours. None of the stops served a full meal, just samples or small bites comparable to ordinary appetizers. But, with eight stops over 3 hours at midday, it felt like a full lunch, and we were not hungry for dinner until much later that evening. We paid $99 each for the tour, and when you consider that it included multiple small plates from good restaurants, plus wine and beer, plus a knowledgeable and engaging chaperone, it was well worth it. A comparable meal sitting down at a single restaurant would have been comparable, without the extra company, fun, and sightseeing. Highly recommended.