A solid Day in the Santa Ynez Valley
A solid Day in the Santa Ynez Valley – exploring Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, and Ballard California for great food and wine, fresh farmers market finds, and great shopping in California's Central Coast.
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We took a four part road trip to taste our way from Santa Monica Californiathrough Oxnardand on to the Santa Ynez Valley and San Luis Obispo to check out California Restaurant Month, and all the good food throughout California's Central Coast.
To see our entire road trip plan, please start here.
To learn more about California Restaurant Month and get ideas for your own culinary trip through California, please head here.
There is never a better time than now to Visit California – heading in the off-season saves a ton of money, but is also ideal for less crowds, and good restaurant specials.
A solid Day in the Santa Ynez Valley
From Los Alamos to Solvang, Santa Ynez, and Ballard – where to go, what to do, and what to see if you find yourself with one solid day to spend in Central California's Santa Ynez Valley.
scroll all the way to the bottom of the post for a printable guide of everywhere we stayed and everything we ate, with addresses and menu recommendations.
Where to Stay in the Santa Ynez Valley
With lots of small, charming hotels – as well as fabulous home rentals – there is no shortage of beautiful places to stay in the Santa Ynez Valley.
If you're looking for an incredibly good and charming romantic B&B, the Ballard Inn should be your first choice.
While this hotel isn't great for kids, it is one of the most romantic and lovely places to stay – we were sad to leave.
Ballard Inn
2436 Baseline Ave, Ballard, CA 93463
$-$$$ depending on season
Romantic themed B&B with luxury out-fittings, antique decor, and fireplaces in every room.
Tips:
Bike rentals are available through the hotel.
Every evening, there is a gorgeous cheese plate and plenty of wine and coffee for guests to enjoy.
There is only one television on property in the common room. Rooms do not have their own television.
Every room has a different theme – some rooms are bright white, some have a funky country feel, some more like a mountain cabin.
If you browse through the website before you book, you can pick a room with a style you love.
Breakfast in Los Alamos, California
With an abundance of fresh ingredients and world class chefs, the Santa Ynez Valley has tons of options for fantastic breakfasts – but for value and style, our pick is Plenty on Bell in sleepy Los Alamos.
Plenty on Bell has tons of gorgeous, generously portioned breakfasts and lunches that are focused around fresh California ingredients.
Plenty on Bell
508 Bell St, Los Alamos, CA 93440
$$-$$$
California focused breakfast and lunch classics. Closed Mondays.
Avdaye Picks:
Mimosa
Latte
Avocado Toast
Hash
Burger
Lunch In Santa Ynez, California
Santa Ynez has a multitude of great options for lunch – but we couldn't help to fall in love immediately with S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez.
From the gorgeous interior and a locally sourced refined Italian menu, to the slow drip manhattans and a knockout craft cocktail program, S.Y. Kitchen is an easy choice for lunch or dinner when visiting Santa Ynez.
S.Y. Kitchen
1110 Faraday St, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
$$-$$$
Refined Italian with a fresh California twist; exceptional local wine list and craft cocktail program in a gorgeous space with indoor and outdoor space.
We can't pick fault with anything from our lunch at S.Y. Kitchen – it was good.
The house-made pasta was full of flavor and the solid texture – hearty, salty, and creamy – but the real standout was the fresh pea salad.
It might sound funny, but we have been dreaming about the fresh pea salad since dining with S.Y. Kitchen.
It was light, but full of sweet, salty, and crisp flavor thanks to the peas, dried ricotta, and celeriac root.
We haven't had time to make a recreation of it – but we WILL be figuring out how to make a similar salad at home…. it was so good!
Avdaye Picks:
Fresh Pea Salad
Gigli Al Ropeton Pasta
Affogato
El Viejo Cocktail
Dinner in Ballard, California
If you're staying at the Ballard Inn, there is no reason NOT to go to the Gathering Table, the in-house restaurant.
But even if you're not staying in-house, the Gathering Table is one restaurant in the Santa Ynez Valley you don't want to miss.
Gathering Table
2436 Baseline Ave, Ballard, CA 93463
$$$-$$$$
Indonesian meets French with an emphasis on local California sourced ingredients.
Besides the food being phenomenal, the Gathering Table was an exceptional experience in part because of Chef Budi Kazali who is honestly one of the nicest, most welcoming chefs we've ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Learning a bit about how he was born in Indonesia, raised in California, and trained in France helped us connect with his food even more – you can taste each influence in every dish.
The menu at Gathering Table changes often – and we got to sample some of the Santa Ynez Restaurant Week dishes that aren't always on the menu – but we are confident in saying we don't think there is a dish at Gathering Table we wouldn't be completely in love with.
If you're a bit adventurous and don't mind being surprised, ask them to bring something interesting, or that the staff loves. We actually didn't order off the menu at all – let the staff know our food allergies and asked to be surprised – and it was seriously good.
We can't wait to head back soon with our husband and eat our way through the menu some more!
Avdaye Picks:
Hamachi
Seafood Chowder – a Santa Ynez Restaurant Week pick
Steak
Pudding
Wine Tasting in Santa Ynez, California
If you've ever watched the movie Sideways – which was filmed in the Santa Yenez Valley – you know how well known the Santa Yenez Valley is for winemaking.
With over 120 wineries, it is hard to pick where to visit – but if you're dying to replicate Sideways, you'll want to start at Kalyra Winery, where Sandra Oh's character was featured in the tasting room.
Kalyra Winery
9302, 343 N Refugio Rd, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
$$-$$$
As featured in Sideways – California wines with an Australian focus.
Kalyra's varietals have a distinctly Australian focus – the varietals are a bit more crisp and sweeter than some of the big, bold, peppery fruit-bomb Californian wines we've become used to. It's a nice change, and definitely stands out from the crowd.
Shopping in Solvang, California
Solvang Farmers Market
1st St, Solvang, CA 93463
With a focus on fresh, local produce and nutritious locally processed foods, the Solvang Farmers Market every Wednesday is a must-visit if you're there on a Wednesday.
The Solvang Farmers Market runs every Wednesday rain or shine – and we can vouch for the fact there were still plenty of people even though we visited while it was pouring rain!
Parking is available throughout town, watch closely for any restrictions.
Hans Christian Andersen Museum and The Book Loft Book Store
1680 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463
Bookstore featuring games, new books, used books, and features a small museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen with a working Gutenberg Press and other historic artifacts.
The Book Loft is located on Mission Drive a few steps from the Solvang Farmers Market, and is a deceptively large corner building that looks like two storefronts.
If you enter one side, you're greeted with a book store with signs for a used books section upstairs – and if you enter the other side, it is a game shop with signs inviting you upstairs to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum (which is small and free to enter) upstairs.
The spaces sort of feel like 4 connected spaces built into one, making it a great place for groups where some like to shop and some enjoy history, all under one roof.
