Best Restaurants Open for Newyears Eve this year in Santa Ynez – 2024

We had some pastries and very good coffee for breakfast! The service was friendly and perfect. We will definitely come back if we are around SYV.

Coffee and breakfast with our toddler on Sunday morning was very enjoyable. The atmosphere and vibes inside are wonderful. We ordered at the counter, and our drinks and food arrived quickly — even though they were freshly prepared. All was delicious! They seem to have a good amount of staff to keep things running smoothly, and everyone was very friendly.

YUM!!! Every once in awhile one finds a gem of a place, where one wants to come back to again and again. To try all of their mouth watering temptations one at a time. Knowing that each croissant, scone, macaroon, quiche, breakfast and lunch item will explode all of your 5 senses at once. Did I mention their coffee, breads, and helpful caring service. Stop what you're doing, and head to Santa Ynez. But get there before 2, because they sell out fast.

Chill, modern atmosphere on their outdoor patio - very relaxing. Service was also very attentive. The BLT&E (eggs) was good although the eggs were a bit undercooked. The cobb salad was also very tasty and had lots of avocado, which wasn't even listed on the ingredients. Unfortunately, as is common with a lot of reheated chicken breast, the chicken was overcooked and tough. Still a good overall experience and we'll go there again. But the food frequently seems to be hit or miss.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving meal at the Victor. The staff was very nice, personable and attentive. Food was very good, and they had a decent selection of wine, beer, and mixed drinks. The patio seating is dog friendly, and they have propane tower heaters out amongst the patio seating area. Very nice atmosphere. The bathroom was clean and had candles burning which provided a laid back atmosphere. All in all, I would definitely recommend The Victor for anyone looking for an upscale restaurant experience.

Wow. This place was so good. Definitely a goto when you visit solvang. The ceviche was on my top 3 list and the mains for me and my wife tasted amazing. An not to forget the dessert. A meal I'll remember from start to finish. The staff was super friendly. Well be back on our next trip up there.

This is THE gem of the valley! The other spots are great! But if you want cozy, intimate, quiet and relaxing, tasty and fine dining, this is your place! The service is sincere wonderful and Joy the owner and chef are truly amazing! Make this your dining pleasure tonight!

Wow! Great dinner. Best place we ate at while visiting Solvang/ santa Ynez. Atmosphere was a rustic romantic ambience. Food was all amazing. Chris, our waitress was phenomenal. Very attentive and charismatic. We will definitely come back. 5 stars for sure. Oh... and the chicken liver with dijon was sooooo good!

What a sweet find! Everything from decor, delicious food and options, wine list, ambience, and views. This is a must to check out! The owner and chef made a special point to chat and serve our dinner. A homey, comfortable, and yummie dinner out! We highly recommend it. We had the halibut cooked to perfection and the roasted chicken, moist and flavorful. A delightful night out in every way possible way!

Do not hesitate to get the chicken! My friends had a chuckle that I wanted chicken over the steaks! The chicken was the best I’ve ever had. It’s was simply perfect! Hats off to the chef! I came back a second time the following week because I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was!!!! If I’m ever back in the area I won’t pass this place up! Also get the crab cake appetizer!!!!! Delicious

Great for special occasions! My fiance and I celebrated our 10 yr anniversary and this was the perfect place to go! The food was delicious and the dessert was amazing. The staff was friendly and our server was nice and we felt no rush to leave.

We've been visiting the Willows Restaurant at the Chumash Casino for many years and always have a great experience. The food is very good (pricey) and the service is exceptional. They always make us feel special. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 on the food is I wish they'd make their menu more clear. Most of their entrees are sold in an a-la-carte style, so sides are sold separately. However, lots of times, some things DO indeed come with sides, but it's not noted. It's confusing. Their bread also leaves a little to be desired.... I wish the sourdough was served hot with softened butter as opposed to warm with cold butter. We recommend the filet mignon, king crab legs, wedge salad, macaroni and cheese, veal oscar, and wagyu beef.

One of the places I still return to in the valley. The quality of their food is consistent and always great. You get so much food and usually walk away with leftovers. If you go for dinner, before 5 there will usually be no wait; after 5, especially on the weekend, you can expect to wait for a table.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Dos Carlito's Restaurant & Tequila Bar, and let me just say, it was an absolute delight from start to finish! First and foremost, the food was simply incredible. The enchiladas were a true standout, bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. And don't even get me started on the chicken tacos - they were like a fiesta in my mouth! Each bite was a delicious explosion of taste that left me craving more. But it wasn't just the food that impressed me; the service was exceptional as well. Our waiter, Eri, was incredibly attentive and really went above and beyond to ensure that we had everything we needed. His friendly demeanor and professionalism truly enhanced our dining experience. Now, onto the ambiance. The restaurant's interior exuded an authentic charm that instantly transported me to the heart of Mexico. However, what really stole the show for me was dining outdoors on the patio. The ambiance was simply unbeatable, especially on a beautiful day. It was the perfect setting to enjoy a meal with friends and soak up the sunshine. If I had to nitpick one thing, it would be the sautéed veggie tostada. While the flavors were delicious, I couldn't help but notice that the veggies were a bit on the raw side. However, this small hiccup did little to detract from an otherwise stellar dining experience. Overall, Dos Carlitos Restaurant & Tequila Bar exceeded all of my expectations. From the mouthwatering food to the impeccable service, it's clear that this is a gem of a restaurant that shouldn't be missed. I can't wait to return and indulge in more of their delectable dishes!

We LOVE dos carlitos! Been coming here for years, whenever we pass through Santa Ynez. We even visited two days in a row this past weekend.... They have amazing salsa, to die for margaritas (Cadillac, baby!), food, and service. I always get their two item combo: crispy chicken taco, cheese enchilada, and their caesar salad. It's soooo good, fresh, and flavorful! You won't be disappointed.

The inside seating isn't comfortable but outside is nice. It's great to have a local place to get Mediterranean food. Prices are reasonable and they have a great selection of beers and wine by the glass.

As someone who visits the Santa Ynez Valley often, this place is a "must stop" when I'm there. The food is fresh, healthy, flavorful and made with love by the family that runs the establishment. They take pride in their food and service as if they were serving their own family a meal. There are plenty of beers on tap and a large selection of bottles beers and beverages. The outdoor patio area is delightful with shade and firepits used in the winter months. It's a must visit, eat, drink, and play spot whether you're passing through or staying in the area.

We initially stopped here because it was the most reasonably priced food in the area, however, it was also FANTASTIC! We had the hummus, chicken shwarmma, and Fattoush. We loved it all and the family who owns it is really lovely! We will be back!

If there’s one thing I can’t pass up in Santa Barbara county, it’s THIS restaurant. We do a trip to wine country every year or two and we stop here for dinner. Amazing wine list, fantastic service, and the food… incredible. You know those meals that every single bite is as good as the first? This is one of those places. My husband and I both ordered the lamb, and zero regrets. So incredibly tender and juicy. They make their own breads too and the focaccia is seriously the best bread I’ve ever had from a restaurant. The vibe is always spot on as well. Great for a date night, birthday, graduation, or just because. Do not overlook this place!!!

Excellent food, excellent presentation of the dishes and very good service! They have live music on the outdoor patio during the weekend. The prime rib with mashed potato’s was excellently prepared to a medium rare. The mashed potato’s had great flavor and the green beans perfectly cooked so still nice and crisp. The rest of the group that night had burgers, which they all agreed were so of the best they ever had. It’s nice you can have the burgers cooked how you like. A nice touch is the breads they serve the table, 4 different kinds, the mini biscuits and corn bread are my favorites. Another visit to the restaurant we had Diver Scollops which was a special for the evening, Roasted Chicken Breast and the Sautéd Petrale Sole. All excellent dishes. We shared the Baby Greens Salad with pears, Stilton Cheese and candied walnuts (we had this both times because it was so good). For dessert we had the Brothers Mud Pie….if you are having dessert you must have this one, great flavor, not to sweet!

Was recommended to come here by 3 different people while visiting the area. Came early on a Sunday and there was a few folks waiting for the doors to open at 5. Bar tops are open seating so you do not need a reservation. Let’s talk about the bread, that stuff is amazing. The focaccia bread and the jalapeno cornbread were delicious! We enjoyed the greens salad with poached pear, wow. This was a great combination and was so fresh. The main course we shared the pork chop, perfectly cooked and the apple sauce compote added so much to the dish. Bacon in the mash potatoes, yes please! Alex was an amazing server and his table assistant was on the ball, my water glass never dropped below 2 inches, was right there to top off!

First Timer; I learned that Chef Luca was a head chef at restaurants in LA that were very very successful and has culinary training in Italy. I think Verona, Italy and partnered with the owners of his old LA restaurant to open this one. The menu suggest things that are fresh and in season and locally sourced. The food is very high-quality, from what I can see. Very pleased on this first visit Sat at Bar, seat not the most comfortable, bartender great, drink menu - nothing I wanted to order at first BUT as I watched him make everything I began to rethink my desires, lol. I wish I would’ve looked at the pictures of the cocktails and would’ve ordered a cocktail. The wine list is very minimal or rather the wine by the glass is very minimal and basic but all very good. I had the Beet Salad Bobs Bread (meh) and Butternut Squash Soup. Beet Salad, one of the BEST beet salads I can ever remember eating, it was incredible, so simple, very flavorful. I can tell this is one of those places that doesn’t overdo things, I like that so much, really can’t wait to come back and order a full meal! Squash Soup was very good too, not oozing with cream. NOTES ✅NO PETS ✅Purses hung by the door left alone wow we would never do this at home ✅Outside Dining looks incredible, so cozy I will eat out there next time if I can ✅Inside, not too noisy I was kind of surprised given the floors and height of the ceilings, but it was very pleasant

My favorite meal in Santa Ynez. Ordered the pappardelle, gigli, and yellow beet salad. Every single attention to detail from the complementary flavor profiles to the freshness of the pasta was noticeable. The owner / manager even checked in a few times, along with our server to ensure we were enjoying everything. I would absolutely recommend these three dishes to anyone. I always appreciate when a meal lingers in your senses several days after enjoying it. Highly memorable experience.

Very tasty Italian food, very hospitable staff, but expensive and the portion sizes are small. We tried the roasted cauliflower and the minestrone soup. The minestrone soup was excellent, hearty and had fresh ingredients. The cauliflower was good but the portion size was very small. It had only few pieces of cauliflower and a small amount of cheese for $22. For the main dish, we had the wild mushroom pappardelle: the pasta was al dente and was tasty. Against, the portion size was small ($29). Note it had no meat or chicken. We also tried the Faraday pizza which was good with two kinds of cheeses and caramelized onions, but the onions were burnt. The size was medium. Usually, you get a larger size. For dessert we had the pistachio crème brûlée which was delicious and innovative. The service was excellent. The prices are high ($60-$70 per person for a soup or salad and main dish). Reservation is highly recommended as it is very busy (during dinner) even on weekdays, especially after 6 pm. We were able to get a table without reservation because we came early. Tasty food, and excellent service but need to reduce the prices and increase the portion size.

It’s got that dive bar atmosphere with that 5 star restaurant! The customer service was great, the bartender was on top of things! The food was AMAZING!!! those wings were super saucy and delicious! Tasted like secret recipe kinda sauce. The home grown, pickled vegetable medley was a great surprise! The breading was fluffy and crisp at the same time! The catfish was melt in your mouth delish. My smothered chicken was a little dry but the gravy was worth it. We came for a local treat and were pleasantly surprised by the whole experience!! Will definitely we eating there again next time we hit the casino.

Came here to grab a drink with some friends while we waited for a dinner reservation - had 15-20 mins to kill. This place used to be so much better in the past. It's now a restaurant too. Bartender looked annoyed to be serving us, - maybe he had a bad night. The greeter was really nice, though.

This place scores big for local flavor and historic ambiance. The food is mediocre at best, but if you're coming for some drinks and a good time with music and friends you'll be just fine here. Cash & credit cards accepted. Large venue for music & dancing. Indoor and outdoor seating. Traditional bar seating inside, but the stage/dance floor area "downstairs" has more indoor tables for seating. Menu tries to position itself above bar food fare and succeeds in options if not in quality. The brussel sprouts & bacon are quite good, though - recommend those. The nachos are quite bad - cheese sauce and other mystery liquids. Tri-tip sandwich is light on the tri-tip and has no other redeeming qualities unless you include the slightly damp bun. French fries are respectable though - crispy and well-salted. Full bar and weekly specials. Spicy margarita is basic and not terribly spicy. Sazerac is all right but nothing memorable - but bonus points for offering it! Again, don't come here for the food. Come for music, dancing, mixing and mingling with the locals and all that jazz. Maybe eat beforehand!

We've been several times now. Daniel is running a great operation here. Exceptional pizza, pasta, and very good wine list representing Italian and local wines. Very good service rounds out a fantastic evening.

I went there without a reservation and set at the bar. The staff was really efficient and nice. The food was amazing! I am Italian born and raised and crave a lot for a good Italian authentic restaurant. This was delicious! I had the Roman crostini, which are rich and buttery but really tasty. I also had octopus carpaccio which was delicious! Fresh, tender octopus and delicious rucola salad on top. I highly recommend eating there! 5 on 5 ⭐️ for me!

Great place to stop by if you are in town. Food was great. The place is not too big, nor to small. The Tortelloni Burro e Salvia was not what we expected. It was good but probably wouldn't try that item again. I only wish it came with a salad or soup.

We’ve been coming here for years but it hasn’t been good the last 3x. We will not come back again. $14 for a burrito is no longer worth it with the quality of the food. My steak burrito has a LOT of gristle. Hubby got half steak and half pork. The meat was not seasoned. The steak and pork were full of gristle, fat and he had bits of bone in it. He threw part if the burrito away. The salsa is simple seasoned juice. To describe it, it looks like juice from canned tomatoes or the juice from chopped tomatoes. The cashier was very friendly.

Man, I was really looking forward to an authentic chicken burrito, but unfortunately I got a very salty marinated chicken of some kind, mixed all together with beans, cheese and rice on a tasteless tortilla. I like layers in my burrito that all meld together for an authentic flavor, not everything combined together like some kind of stir fry. The "burnt" steak burrito was the same and at least they're consistent with the "burnt" steak because it tasted burnt last time and the time before that, which is awful and makes me want to gag just thinking about it. This is our 3rd disappointing meal here and our last. Now excuse me while I go brush the terrible flavor of this food out of my mouth!

Great burrito shop inside a convenience store (lots of liquor available). Quick service, big burritos, excellent taste. The red sauce is a decent pico sauce and the verde is nice and spicy but not overly hot where it burns the pallet.

The new atmosphere and ambiance at Pony Cocktail and Kitchen are incredible! Great service, food, and cocktails. Alberto and Chef Jonny have outdone themselves. So fortunate to have yet another upscale sophisticated restaurant right here in Santa Ynez.

Great breakfast and a tasty coffee! Can't go wrong!

Fantastic ambiance. Unique items on the menu, that were absolutely outstanding. Great customer service! Fun cocktails that had a perfect twist of original and exotic. We’ll definitely be back!

This is sweet little spot for quality eats. Very pleasant waitstaff. We got a charcuterie plate for 2. It was a little box of delightful goodies. Truly enjoyed the selections. A must stop if you are in the Valley. Lots of jams and honey & nuts. I even got some tasty cheese to go.

One of the best sandwiches I’ve had! TL;DR: outstanding ingredients, loved their turkey sandwich, delicious focaccia. Outdoor seating. ~$15-19 per sandwich. Does take a bit of time to be made, so order ahead! Lucky Hen Larder has a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, generally served on their house focaccia or ciabatta breads. They also serve up ready-to-eat and pre-packaged Charcuterie foods, such as cured meats and cheeses. All the sandwich options looked excellent, but I ended up going with their famous Turkey sandwich on focaccia, that featured thin turkey slices, crispy pancetta, rosemary aioli, cranberry-fig compote, triple cream brie, and arugula. Already from the ingredient list you can tell it was going to be good, but this sandwich was truly excellent. All of the ingredients meshed perfectly, from the saltiness of the bread and turkey, to the creaminess of the Brie, to the sweetness of the cranberry-fig compote. Would definitely come back again, but keep in mind it takes about 20-25 minutes to get your sandwich, so you may benefit from ordering ahead. Outdoor seating only. I paid ~$15 for my sandwich - totally worth it!

A gorgeous view of rolling gold hills while you enjoy an exceptional caprese sandwich on a baguette, or a decadent cheese board with always-changing selections? Count me in. I enjoyed every minute, and every bite