Summerland Welcomes a Fresh Coffee Bar as Santa Barbara’s Food Scene Grows

Summerland has a new cafe ahead of the holiday season. 

Dart Coffee Co. has expanded and opened its fourth store outside the Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, the cafe announced in an Instagram post on December 8, 2025.

Open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Dart Coffee Co. occupies the bookstore’s outdoor food truck area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by DART COFFEE CO. (@dartcoffeeco)

In addition to freshly ground specialty coffee, the coffee shop offers a range of food and baked items, including pastries, burritos, empanadas, doughnuts, and croissants.

Dart Coffee Co. has stores at Carpinteria, Yanonali Street in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, and at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum at the harbor. 

While the food options at the Summerland store are the same as the other stores, there are fewer beverage options due to the constraints at the food truck, according to Siteline. 

Godmothers is a bookstore and gathering space co-founded by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson that opened in September 2024. 

This is Dart Coffee Co.’s second new location this year, following the Carpinteria store’s opening in August. The store is located at Linden Square. 

In an earlier Instagram post, the cafe shared images of the under-construction Carpinteria coffee shop and its crews preparing and painting it ahead of its opening. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by DART COFFEE CO. (@dartcoffeeco)

Owned by Erika Carter and David Dart, Dart Coffee Co. is committed to offering ethical craft-roasted coffee, according to its website.

“We believe roasting is a balance of creativity and practiced precision. We are passionate about our craft and our aim is true,” the owners shared on the website. 

Dart Coffee Co. sources organic, fair-traded coffee beans from small-lot indigenous farmers. 

Committed to the community’s well-being, Dart Coffee Co. contributes to the Yanonalo Street Artist Fund, according to its website. A percentage of every bean sold is donated to artist studios in Santa Barbara’s art districts. 

Santa Barbara’s Diverse Dining Scene

Santa Barbara’s dining scene is becoming more diverse with the opening of several new cafes and restaurants across the city. 

Bodega Flower Girl, a chef-curated farmers market and specialty convenience store or bodega, had a soft opening earlier this month. Located near the corner of State and Gutierrez Streets, the store also has a six-seater restaurant. 

Owned by Emma West Roldan, the former executive chef of Satellite, the store focuses on “supporting organic, regenerative, and family-owned farmers,” according to an Instagram post.

Earlier this month, Noe’s Cafe opened near Sunken Garden in Santa Barbara. The family-owned breakfast and lunch restaurant’s menu focuses on family recipes passed down through generations.