Santa Barbara’s Public Market Ranked 5th in Top Ten Best Markets

USA Today released its “10 Best” Reader’s Choice Awards of Public Markets in the United States. The 10 public markets were nominated by an expert panel and voted by readers as the best in the U.S.

“A visit to a public market often offers insight into local life. With a diverse range of stalls and booths, offering everything from groceries to artisanal goods to prepared foods, often alongside opportunities for activities and demonstrations, these markets are community hubs,” the article states.

Santa Barbara’s Public Market ranked 5th with the article stating our local food hall is where sweet meets savory and light collides with hearty.

The market on the corner of Chapala and Victoria Streets used to be the home of a Vons grocery store and parking lot. The market opened in 2014 with a grocery store, butcher, and cheese shop fashioned after the Ferry Building in San Francisco where visitors could shop daily for fresh groceries.

The concept didn’t exactly catch on with Santa Barbara residents. Perhaps it was the $9 price tag on a half-pint of coffee creamer… in 2014. (This is a true story). Instead the market pivoted to a “premier food hall” featuring beer and wine service with merchants selling ice cream, sushi, pizza, noodles, and tacos.

Today I’d describe it as a fancy food court with 11 eatery options and 30 beers on tap. There’s a little something for everyone and it’s a great place for people craving different foods to meet up together and watch a game.

USA Today declared the Milwaukee Public Market as number one, the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia came in second, followed by the Boston Public Market and the West Side Market in Cleveland.

See the full list of winners here.