Lab Social, at 414 E. Haley St. in Santa Barbara, serves as the nighttime counterpart to the Cajé coffeehouse. 
Lab Social takes a break from tradition, and not just with its décor. 
Cajé’s unique coffee drink menu features inspired hot or cold drinks, such as the Burnout served in a coupe glass and garnished with candied ginger and a roasted blackberry. Drinks may be purchased to go but will be served in reusable glassware or ceramic cups. Return the drinkware for a refund of $2 to $5. 
The Churchill Sour is served on the rocks with an orange essence mist that rounds out one’s tasting experience. 
The drinks at Lab Social aren’t the only thing on point. The ice program also plays an important aspect of the overall presentation and quality of each cocktail. 
The Santa Barbara Margarita, or The SB Margy as it’s known, lauds a special foam designed to infuse each sip with the perfect amount of saltiness and floral flavor. 
The Mai Thai is the bar’s only limited availability drink on the menu. Imbibers may want to start with this drink first!
Let me be the first to say, or maybe the hundredth person to say, that the communal vibe within Santa Barbara’s food and beverage industry is a breath of fresh air. In case you haven’t noticed, more and more places are popping up that either model the small public market model or are businesses that promote not just them but other food and drink purveyors.
Ryan Patronyk, owner of Cajé at 948 Embarcadero del Norte in Isla Vista and its new location at 416 E. Haley St. in Santa Barbara, has teamed up with longtime friend Sean Sepulveda to create a new type of collaborative effort within the food industry.
Santa Barbara has long needed new inventive eateries that break away from the traditional model, and I’m not just talking about different décor.
Cajé’s new space has taken the average cup of coffee to a whole new level with unique ingredients like active charcoal, drinks served in coupe glasses, and creative garnishes such as candied ginger or toasted marshmallow.
And while this swanky new coffeehouse is worthy of many daytime visits, its nighttime counterpart, Lab Social at 414 E. Haley St. in Santa Barbara, is what makes this collaborative effort unique to our sweet little stretch of the Central Coast.
The doors to the coffeehouse open at 6 a.m. daily, but by 5 p.m., things start to change within the space. At sundown, the front doors are locked and a hidden speakeasy entry is the only way in, with the doors open until 12:30 a.m.
Santa Barbara’s long and sordid history during the Prohibition era makes this city no stranger to secret watering holes, but since the 1933 repeal, places went legit with above-ground bars and easy-to-find entrances.
While Lab Social can be found at street level, the entrance isn’t quite so easy to locate at night. Keep an eye out for the red light that leads the way. And in the future, be prepared to learn the password of the night — and possibly be dressed to impress — to gain entry into this quirky space.
If you’re lucky enough to find your way inside, an order of The SB Margy, or Santa Barbara Margarita, is definitely in order. This unique twist on the traditional margarita is served with salt in the “air” instead of on the glass. Lavender salt foam sits atop a traditional margarita libation and blends perfectly with each sip.
Out-of-towners in search of a great beach cocktail should order the Mai Thai, a southeast Asian and tropical-inspired pineapple rum-based concoction. Locals looking for balanced booze-forward cocktails should try the Churchill Sour and Lab Social “Solstice” Negroni.
Sepulveda has concocted dozens of housemade syrups and gommes — such as the earl grey gomme found in the Churchill Sour that brings balance and adds a layer of seriousness to what otherwise would be an overly sweet cocktail.
I, for one, quickly became a fan of the Lab Social Negroni. The negroni on the menu is seasonal and will be changing toward the end of summer. For now, the Solstice negroni is a strawberry thyme rhubarb concoction that is not to be missed, and one that I will have on repeat throughout my summer agenda.
Worried you won’t be able to keep up with the round after round of drinks? Enjoy the free Cajé cold brew served from 7:30 p.m. until closing.
If you get a craving for small bites, you’ll find other local foodie touches at this collective speakeasy. Order up a round of Mediterranean small plates prepared by the crew at Sama Sama Kitchen or the ever-popular sal de mar ceviche crafted by Corazon Cocina chef Ramon Velazquez.
As the old saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats,” and it looks to me like the tide in Santa Barbara is coming in.
To keep up on the latest speakeasy requirement of the night, follow @a_bar_in_sb on Instagram.
— Tara Jones Haaf leads Eat This, Shoot That! and welcomes reader tips and ideas for future columns. She can be reached at tara@eatthisshootthat.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.