My owner picks in the Santa Ynez Valley are the 13 places I send friends, each with the exact thing I order. Start with a $1 tasting at Tensley, the chicken pesto at Los Olivos Grocery or the rainbow trout at Brothers. I've lived in Los Alamos for about four years and grew up in Santa Barbara, so these are personal calls. Of the 13, 10 sit in the core valley towns and 3 are side trips toward Lompoc and Santa Maria.
Nobody paid to be here and none of these places knows they're on this list. No business pays The Ynez for coverage or placement; some links elsewhere on the site are paid affiliate links, labeled where they appear (see the disclosure page). The opinions are mine. The hours, prices and menu items come from each business's own site, and a Heads-up on a pick flags anything to confirm before you go. How we verify.
In the valley
Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop · Los Olivos
My order: A walk-in flight when I only have an hour.
This is the one stop where I can taste around the valley without driving it. It has been pouring wines from the area's small producers, many without a tasting room of their own, since 1987, in the town's original general store.
Insider tip: no reservation needed for a walk-in pour; book ahead for a private or group tasting.
lotrwine.com · 2905 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · Los Olivos wine tasting guide
Tensley Wines · Los Olivos
My order: The tasting, for about the price of a parking meter.
For the quality in the glass, I haven't found a better value in the valley. Joey Tensley cut his Los Olivos tasting fee to $1 ($5 if you keep the glass) in fall 2025, per the winery's announcement. The room is open every day, 11am to 5pm.
Heads-up: the $1 fee isn't printed on the winery's own site, so confirm it at the counter.
tensleywines.com · 2900 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · Los Olivos wine tasting guide
Dragonette Cellars · Los Olivos
My order: The seated tasting, if I can get it.
Top-caliber tasting, a few steps off the flagpole at the center of Los Olivos. It's open seven days, 11am to 5pm, and walk-ins are welcome, though reservations get seated first.
Insider tip: book "The Study" for a sit-down session with their single-vineyard and reserve wines.
dragonettecellars.com · 2445 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · Dragonette in our Los Olivos tasting guide
The Bar at Mattei's Tavern · Los Olivos
My order: A Hendry's vodka martini.
Hendry's is named for Hendry's Beach in Santa Barbara, where I grew up (it's distilled in San Luis Obispo), and a martini of it in this 1886 bar is my kind of homecoming. The Bar is open daily from 11am.
Heads-up: Hendry's isn't on the posted drinks list, so ask the bartender what vodka they're pouring.
auberge.com · 2350 Railway Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441 · Mattei's in our Los Olivos restaurants guide
The Depot Bar · Los Alamos
My order: A dirty Shirley and a pretzel on the back patio.
My neighborhood bar, a cowboy bar in an 1882 railroad depot with a bonfire patio out back. Kids can come along before 9pm; it's 21 and up after that. It's open Wednesday through Monday and pours until 1am Friday and Saturday.
Heads-up: it's closed Tuesdays, and bar bites and food trucks rotate, so check @ladepotbar on Instagram before you count on the pretzel.
ladepotbar.com · 515 Bell St, Los Alamos, CA 93440 · Los Alamos restaurants guide
Charlie's Restaurant · Los Alamos
My order: Fish and chips on a Friday night.
A Bell Street diner that's been feeding Los Alamos since 1978, with burgers, tri-tip and Mexican plates on the everyday menu. My Friday ritual is the fish and chips.
Heads-up: fish and chips aren't on the posted menu (a fish sandwich and shrimp basket are), so call (805) 344-4404 to check before you go.
charliesfood.com · 185 Bell St, Los Alamos, CA 93440 · Charlie's in our Los Alamos restaurants guide
Los Olivos Grocery · Santa Ynez
My order: The chicken pesto sandwich.
I'd put it up against any sandwich anywhere: grilled chicken breast, homemade pesto, avocado, sundried tomato and provolone on sourdough, $15.99. (Despite the name, the store is in Santa Ynez.)
losolivosgrocery.com · 2621 Highway 154, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · Los Olivos Grocery guide
Highway Tacos · Santa Ynez
My order: The steak quesadilla.
Tacos from an Airstream off Highway 246, and the reason I order the quesadilla is the tortillas, which LAist reports are made in-house. It's open Monday to Saturday, 11am to 10pm, so it works for a late bite.
Heads-up: the menu isn't posted online; order at the trailer.
highwaytacos.com · 3145 E Highway 246, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · Highway Tacos in our tacos guide
PONY Cocktails + Kitchen · Santa Ynez
My order: The Sunrise Burrito.
My breakfast order on Sagunto Street: eggs, potatoes, 'nduja, a blend of cheeses, house salsa and avocado, per Pony's own description. It's a daytime dish, carried over from the Pony Espresso days.
ponycocktailskitchen.com · 3558 Sagunto St, Suite A, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · Pony in our breakfast and brunch guide
Brothers Restaurant at the Red Barn · Santa Ynez
My order: The sautéed Idaho rainbow trout, with my own bottle plus a bottle of champagne and a vodka martini.
The best fish dish in the area, on par with the best I've had in Coeur d'Alene: sautéed Idaho rainbow trout with classic mashed potatoes and lemon-chive sauce, $42. It's a friendly room, open daily for dinner only. Brothers is bring your own wine, and my policy is simple: I bring my own bottle, then I also order a bottle of champagne and a vodka martini so I'm not always just bringing my own.
Tip: check the corkage fee when you call (805) 688-4142; parties of 5 or more book by phone.
brothersredbarn.com · 3539 Sagunto St, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 · Brothers in our Santa Ynez restaurants guide
Side trips: Lompoc and Santa Maria
These side trips are worth the drive past the six core towns, and none is a stop you make on the way to somewhere else.
The Barn at The Hilt Estate (The Hilt & Jonata) · Lompoc
My order: A seated tasting across both estates.
The drive out Santa Rosa Road and the barn at the end of it make me feel like I've landed in Tuscany. Two estates pour side by side: The Hilt's Sta. Rita Hills Pinot and Chardonnay, and Jonata's Cabernet and Syrah.
Heads-up: every visit is by appointment, so book before you head west.
thehiltestate.com · 2240 Santa Rosa Rd, Lompoc, CA 93436 · The Hilt in our Santa Rosa Road guide
Babcock Winery & Vineyards · Lompoc
My order: A flight, then a slow lap of the shop.
My wife and I had our first date here, and it's still unlike anywhere else in the valley: two tasting flights, a vintage shop to browse and 70s and 80s songs on the playlist. No reservation needed for 7 or fewer, and it's pet friendly.
babcockwinery.com · 5175 E Highway 246, Lompoc, CA 93436 · Babcock in our Sta. Rita Hills guide
Paul Lato Wines · Santa Maria
My order: The full sit-down tasting.
Wine so good I'd swear I was in Burgundy tasting Romanée-Conti. Tastings are by appointment with at least 24 hours' notice, and the fee is $100 a person, waived with a 6-bottle purchase per person.
Heads-up: appointments fill fast, so book early.
paullatowines.com · 5250 Tepusquet Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454 · Paul Lato in our Santa Maria Valley guide
Last checked Oct 20, 2026. Spot something out of date? Report a correction. Who I am and why I built this: About The Ynez.