Santa Ynez Valley doesn’t just offer up the best restaurants, the best hotels, and the best wineries, it also is home to some of the best coffee houses and tea merchants around southern California. Nothing better than starting your day off with a good cup of coffee or treating yourself to a midday pick-me-up. Also, check out our bonus tip on where to find the best loose-leaf teas and spices in Solvang. You won’t be disappointed.
Partnered with Lucky Hen Larder, Queen Cup Coffee provides patrons with the best espresso drinks, teas, and some of Queen Cup Coffee’s more specialty drinks including their Dirty Horchata, Canela Oat Latte, and Hot Mama’s Chocolate to name a few. If you are not familiar with the Lucky Hen Larder, it provides delicious charcuterie platters, sandwiches, salads, and soups, and will even make you a beautiful picnic to be enjoyed on your day in Santa Ynez wine country. Not all the wineries provide hardy nourishment, so it is not a bad idea to take something with you to go if you are just starting your day with a cup of good coffee or tea along your way to wine tasting, horseback riding, or a day of golf in Santa Ynez. This makes Queen Cup Coffee one of the best coffee and tea shops in Santa Ynez.
Location: 1095 Meadowvale Road, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
Hours: Daily, 7 am-3 pm.
Delicious coffee and tea offerings at Pony Espresso in Santa Ynez. Not only is their coffee exceptional, but they are also home to some of the best avocado toast in Santa Ynez. Beyond yummy baked goods, bagels, soups, salads, and sweet treats like cupcakes, remember this is Santa Ynez, so you can also find what else at this coffee shop. But a glass of sparkling wine of course! You have to love that. This makes Pony Espresso one of the best coffee and tea shops in Santa Ynez.
Location: 3558 Sagunto Street, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
Hours: Daily, 7 am-4 pm.
Cafe Dolce
This is located in the heart of Solvang, CA Cafe Dolce is just steps away from shopping, restaurants, hotels, and wine-tasting rooms. They offer anything from fresh pressed juice made from organic local farms, Boba drinks, smoothies, protein shakes, teas, avocado toast, gourmet sandwiches, gelato, and yes, a hot dog! The menu is small but very inclusive. So you can take your kids, and health-conscious friends, and treat yourself to coffee or tea and a quick bite to eat, as well. This makes Cafe Dolce one of the best coffee and tea shops in Santa Ynez.
Location: 475 1st Street, Solvang, CA 93463
Hours: Daily, 6:30 am-8:30 pm.
Looking for a good Nitro Cold Brew Coffee? Look no further than Good Seed Coffee. Their motto is “Coffee for a better life”. Good Seed Coffee is a boutique roastery located in Santa Ynez Valley. Much like a winery treats its seasonal grapes, Good Seed Coffee is attentive to each new batch of coffee seeds, providing its coffee members and house guests with only the finest brew of coffee. Their menu is all organic, with baked goods, seasonal biscuits, sourdough, and vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! Yum. You can also pre-order loaves of bread that include, 100% Rye, Semi-Rye with Walnut, Kubana with Smoked Butter, Einkorn/Spelt, Rye with Cherry and Pecan, Hard Red and White, and Miso Nori Seaweed to name a few. This makes Good Seed Coffee one of the best coffee and tea shops in Santa Ynez.
Location: 1607 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463
Hours: Daily, 7 am-3 pm.
Santa Ynez Cafe
This establishment offers a list of 15 plus Harney Sons Teas, apple cider, chai lattes, Americanos, iced blended coffee drinks, and a long list of smoothies to choose from. Santa Ynez Cafe is much more than a coffee house. It is also an amazing Greek cafe with a menu serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some of their signature dishes include a veggie breakfast burrito, Falafel burger, Gyros sandwiches, Greek salads, and meat, lamb, and seafood kabobs. They also provide local wines and beers to choose from if you are in the mood for a good glass of suds or spirits. There is a little something for everyone here and it is a locals and visitors favorite. This makes Santa Ynez Cafe one of the best coffee and tea shops in Santa Ynez.
Location: 606 Alamo Pintado Road Suite 1, Solvang, CA 93463
Hours: Mon-Tues, 8am-3:00pm, Wed, 8am-730pm, Thurs-Sat, 8am-8pm, Sun, 8am-3pm
Tea lovers take note! Solvang Spice Merchant has one of the largest loose-leaf tea and spices in Santa Ynez Valley. Located in the heart of Solvang, California, this is a wonderful place for gifts or souvenirs. Owned by Joy Cullen and Taylor Facha, the team is very helpful and knowledgeable. Their most popular teas are Purple Tea and Vanilla Honey Chamomile Tea. But there is so much more than just tea here. These ladies are always adding new yummy spices to the mix. Their most recent include Cracked Fennel, Cinchona Bark, and Butterfly Pea Flower Powder. This makes our list a bonus for those who are not only tea enthusiasts but spice lovers as well. Check out Solvang Spice Merchant for the best tea in Santa Ynez.
Location: 1603 Copenhagen Drive, Suite 2, Solvang, CA 93463
Hours: Thurs-Sat, 10 am-6 pm, Sun, 10 am-4 pm, Closed on Tues + Wed.
