Menchaca Chocolates - Santa Barbara, California

Sabrina M.

Love, love, LOVE! So much fun for a Sunday afternoon with my friend. We painted boxes, and made chocolate bars! We made our own artisanal chocolate bars!
There are so many choices, various nuts, maple cookies, gogi berries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, candy, tiny marshmellows, coconut, and your own personal magic. It was a wonderful day!💗 They supply everything for a small fee.
Menchaca Chocolates is owned by a local family, Pete Menchaca & LeAnne Iverson Menchaca.
It's located in the El Mercado Shopping Center on State Street. Parking is Free.
The chocolate is DIVINE. No Soy or Corn Syrup in any of their chocolate. The chocolate is smooth, rich, and lush. Your mouth will thank you. The store is cozy, a sight for the eyes, and smells delightful. If you are a chocolate lover this place is for you. If you are " on-the-fence", trust me, you will be won over. Creating art and making your own chocolate stirs waves of excitement and pure happiness in your pleasure center and you'll never be the same.
While you are there sample some of their drinking chocolate. I had the spicy kind, and I dream about it to this day. Fortunately for me, Menchaca Chocolates, is quite close to my house.
Go experience your own chocolate making. Go and buy some lovely local chocolate. Buy and support our local gems, so we can all enjoy this place for years to come.

Located 4141 State Street, Suite E-1 Santa Barbara, CA 93110 . FREE Parking

Lady 4.

My 14 year old daughter and I had the best time here! It was so relaxing just to sit with her and enjoy being together, and who doesn't love chocolate and crafts LeAnne and Pete were so chill, friendly, and helpful, and we never felt rushed while making our creations; they're amazing hosts! There's an extensive array of things to decorate your box with, as well as an extensive array of delicious tidbits to add to your custom chocolate bars. This was all topped off with a delicious cup of tea. We're definitely coming back!

Scott E. -. D. D.

Fantastic Chocolate and Art Workshop Experience!
Our recent visit to the chocolate and art workshop was an absolute delight! From the moment we stepped in, the welcoming atmosphere and enthusiastic staff set the tone for a fantastic afternoon. The concept of decorating our own boxes and customizing chocolates with a variety of toppings was incredibly fun and creative. The art bar offered a plethora of paints and crafty bits, allowing us to let our imaginations run wild.

What truly made the experience memorable was the helpful and friendly staff who guided us through the process with patience and expertise. Their passion for what they do was evident, and they made sure everyone felt included and enjoyed themselves.

As for the chocolates, they were simply divine! The combination of freshly poured bars with marshmallows, ginger, and other toppings was a treat for the taste buds. It was evident that high-quality ingredients were used, resulting in delicious and decadent chocolates.

Overall, I highly recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a unique and enjoyable experience. Whether you're a chocolate lover, an art enthusiast, or simply looking for a fun activity, this workshop has something for everyone. Kudos to the staff for creating such a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to visit again soon!

Karine G. (.

Holy moly. I can’t tell you how much this place exceeded my expectations. My boyfriend told me we were going to a chocolate bar making class on my birthday, so I expected a quick workshop. What I got was the most incredible and delicious chocolate tasting, the best
cocoa tea, the chance to decorate my chocolate box with paints, stickers, and more, and the best experience overall. Pete and Leanne, the owners, are incredible. This chocolate is made purely with love, and there is so much thoughtfulness that goes into it. They even treated me to something extra special because it was my birthday. The artwork they have on display is absolutely beautiful and drawn by Leanne herself. She is a true artist. Pete buys the cocoa beans, splits and roasts them to make the chocolate. This is as real as it gets. I can’t wait to come back!!!

Karen B.

Awesome hours of fun and laughter. The chocolate was delicious. We were truly surprised by creating your box to place your chocolate bars in. Make sure you try the tea. The owners were friendly and very helpful. We would definitely do this activity again.

Darcie B.

We had such fun making our chocolate bars and decorating our boxes to put the bars in. Chocolate is delicious and the craft project made the experience extra fun. The owners are so kind and truly love what they do. It was not expensive and was a unique experience. We spent about 2 hours and it made for a memorable afternoon in Santa Barbara.

Karen C.

This was a fun experience. My friend and I were in Santa Barbara for a couple days and this was one of the highlights of our trip. We enjoyed designing our own chocolate bars and also decorating the keepsake box. There was so much to choose from. I felt the price was fair and the chocolate was delicious.

Clarisa G.

You’re not really making chocolate, you’re adding toppings… we were so excited to make chocolate but then when it was our turn the worker asked us to a pick flavor, which he then poured into a molding tray and we had an array of toppings to choose from. Took about 2 mins, no information about how they make the chocolate, their history or even a hello, nothing. I understand they were busy but it didn’t feel very welcoming, other than the woman that tells you about the craft options she was kind. We also didn’t realize we got less chocolate than what we paid for, until the next day when I was re-reading their website description to see if I misunderstood what to expect.. however, If you like crafting this is the place for you, they have a craft station to decorate your box which is more of what this experience is about. The small box to decorate is one you can find at dollar tree. At least the chocolate was pretty good!