The Spot/The Rainbow, Carpenteria

The Spot

389 Linden Ave

Carpinteria, CA 93013

Rainbow Ice Cream

751 Linden Ave

Carpinteria, CA 93013

Beach Crowd

I was just reading the Yelp reviews and they seem to run the gamut for both The Spot and Rainbow Ice Cream. Sometimes these hole in the wall places have issues with consistent quality control.

But based on my experience, both are solid joints in a great location. Both are also “Cash Only,” as things near the beach should be.

A block off the water with outdoor seating, I’ve been coming to the Spot since I discovered it a few years back.

Many of the Yelp reviews slam their burrito, but to me, this is a burger kind of place. If I want a burrito, I go to a Mexican place, and there are a couple of good ones in Carp.

Outdoor Dining

On a recent visit, I went with a cheeseburger and onion rings, while my daughter had a cheeseburger and fries. We sat at one of the outdoor tables. The wait wasn’t too long, the burger and onion rings were quite tasty, and the fries adequate. It’s a touch on the high side, but the location can’t be beat. They also charge extra for refills and certain condiments, but the question becomes, “Do you really need a second soda?”

Carpenteria is a great family beach-meaning usually smaller waves, the state campground (across the street from The Spot) is excellent if you can get a reservation-extremely difficult in the summer and The Spot completes the small town, beachy vibe.

Maybe not worth a special drive, but certainly worthy of a stop if in the area.

After the burger, my daughter and I wanted ice cream. I saw a Rite Aid on Linden, up the road from The Spot, but upon entrance, we discovered that this Rite Aid doesn’t serve ice cream!

My sharp-eyed daughter had noticed the Rainbow Ice Cream shop a block away, so we walked over. The first thing to note is that they serve McConnell’s Ice Cream, a super-premium brand made in Santa Barbara. The Yelp reviews complain about the small size, but this isn’t Rite-Aid, and I felt the size and price were comparable to the two McConnell’s Ice Cream Shops (Ventura and Santa Barbara) that I’ve been to.

I didn’t feel the need to try the featured flavor, Avocado, and instead had butter pecan. It’s rich and creamy, and really quite good. The girl at the counter was young and friendly, and I do like McConnell’s when I want a good ice cream.  The Rainbow is a locally owned mom-and-pop shop.

The shop was small and warm, most likely due to the motors for the ice cream coolers, but there were tables outside, where my daughter and I sat and watched the beach people roll by.