How to please a Santa Barbara gal like me:
* fine weather
* good company
* baguette from Our Daily Bread
* double gouda from C’est Cheese
* a glass of Pale Pink
* sitting on the deck of Municipal Winemakers.
It’s hard to write a review of Our Daily Bread without also mentioning its neighbor shops, because the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The cheese shop next door, C’est Cheese, is a great complement to the bread sold here.
But as a stand-alone, Our Daily Bread is fine. Fresh bread, including my favorites, baguette and ciabatta (as rolls, half pound or full pound loaves). There are also numerous pastries and cookies, and a deli section with sandwiches and salads. The place is nearly always busy, with natives and locals and some of their dogs. Not too many tourists, since it’s a couple blocks off State Street.
I had one slight poor experience when I ordered the creme brulee to go. They scooped out the custard from the single-serving dish and plonked it into a big plastic box. Ugly as anything, all broken and smeared, I learned my lesson and only eat this dessert on site. I think it cost about $4.
One thing I like about the place is its distinct separation of the bakery and the deli. On the right side of the shop is the menu ordering for sandwiches and salads and other fussy service stuff. The bakery is a different line on the left side of the shop, everyone queues up, points to their baked items, pays, and they are out the door. No fuss. This is my preferred side.
Parking nearby is a hassle. There’s no private lot. The street spaces are shared with the cheese shop and a popular sandwich shop across the street. But there is a garage lot a few blocks away.
Our Daily Bread
831 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
www.ourdailybread.net
