LAGuide
The Best Restaurants & Bars In Los Alamos
photo credit: Jakob Layman
For years, a weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley meant stumbling between tasting rooms in Los Olivos, eating split pea soup in Buellton, and window-shopping in the Disney-fied Danish village of Solvang. Now, it’s all about Los Alamos. Walk down the main drag of this former farming town and you’ll find craft beer gardens, crowded tasting rooms, Instagram-friendly motels, and a collection of restaurants that rivals any on the Central Coast. And the best part is it still feels untouched. So bypass the bachelorette parties and Sideways bus tours and come here instead.
THE RESTAURANTS
If you’re planning a weekend in Los Alamos or anywhere close to Los Alamos, there’s a high probability this cute little French bistro is on your must-eat list. And we don’t blame you—Bell’s monthly reservation drops sell out within days. So set an alarm and make it happen, because this place exceeds expectations. They offer a three-course tasting menu for $110, which includes a choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert, plus an uni and caviar starter, bread and salad for the table, and a glass of champagne when you sit down (it’s a good deal). Coupled with a dining room that looks like a Provence farmhouse straight out of a 90s rom-com, it’s no wonder half the weekenders eating here are simultaneously scrolling Zillow for nearby open houses.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
If you’re staying overnight in Los Alamos, the next morning should begin at Bob’s. This order-at-the-counter cafe/bakery is housed in a converted old-timey gas station and famous for two things—hangover-curing pastries and hangover-inducing lines on the weekend. Our advice: Get there before 9:30am. You’ll not only beat the rush, but you’ll also get first picks from the baked goods case (the crunchy kouign-amann and gooey almond croissant are musts.) If you want something heftier, go for the gravlax platter or the breakfast sandwich with turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheese on a housemade English muffin.
photo credit: Brant Cox
You probably didn’t come to wine country expecting to wait in line all afternoon for brisket, but that’s what it takes when the barbecue and burgers are this good. Priedite BBQ pops up every Saturday and Sunday at noon inside Bodega, but if you want to beat the lines, plan on lining up well before that. Our advice: Get there just before Bodega opens at 11:30am, at which point you can drink wine and make friends with the hot couple who are also tomato farmers next to you in line. Priedite serves pulled pork, racks of ribs, and more on Saturdays, then switches to smashburgers on Sundays, so plan your visit accordingly. Or just go to both.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Full of Life is where we go after checking out from our hotel, but before getting back on the road to reality. This casual flatbread spot has a big side patio with a playground for kids and lawn games for kids-at-heart, but if you’re itching to get home, do what we do and order takeout. Sunday traffic on the 101 can be hideous, but a sausage and fennel flatbread sitting in the backseat will make any road construction more palatable.
Pico is a solid dinner option if you’ve already been to Bell’s—or didn’t get in—and don’t feel like traversing the 101 for dinner. The farmhouse-like space is gigantic, with multiple levels, a front bar area, and a patio out back that’s great for big groups. Chairs are big and plushy, like having dinner at a fancy grandmother’s house. The American-ish menu changes frequently, but you can expect a kale salad or two, oversized loaves of cornbread, big plates of red meat, and a particularly decadent bacon cheeseburger. Also, get the ice cream. They make it in-house and use ingredients from the back garden.
THE BARS
photo credit: Brant Cox
Bodega is one of those places you see on social media and assume can’t possibly look as gorgeous in real life. But somehow this outdoor wine garden is even more stunning in person. There are fire pits, hammocks, bocce ball courts, and a full greenhouse where you can buy succulents. Consider it an essential stop on any respectable wine crawl— just make sure it’s the last of the day. Once you’re in a hammock next to a roaring fire with a chilled red in hand, you aren’t going anywhere for a while. Bonus: on Saturdays and Sundays, Priedite BBQ pops up on the far back patio.
photo credit: Brant Cox
Lo-Fi’s bare-bones tasting room isn’t the flashiest in town, but it’s worth a visit just to sample the most interesting, minerally wines being made in Santa Ynez Valley these days. It’s owned by two friends who live in town, and many of the grapes they use are grown in Los Alamos proper. The tiny space fills up quickly on weekends—you might have to lean against the wall until a seat opens up—but if standing around sipping chilled gamay and listening to vinyl records spinning behind the bar is the worst part of your afternoon, you’ve had a pretty good day.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
At any point in the afternoon, the most buzzed people in Los Alamos are at Casa Dumetz. The female-owned tasting room does six-glass flights for $40 and pours are generous. Their lineup includes an earthy pinot noir, a bright rose, and our all-time favorite, their Feminist Party, a light Grenache-Syrah blend that we always buy several bottles of to take home. If you need a little break from wine o’clock, head next door to their sister business, Babi’s Beer Emporium, where you’ll find local IPAs and Indonesian food from Sama Sama on the patio.
There will come a time during a night out in Los Alamos when all the restaurants and tasting rooms close and you’ll wonder what happens next. The answer is Depot Bar. This dive bar inside the Antique Mall isn’t merely the only place in town open past 10pm, it’s a debaucherously good time. The enormous barn-like space includes air hockey tables and shuffleboard, live music, and four pool tables crowded with people whose reputations are on the line if they don’t sink the next shot. There’s nothing fancy about this place, but after a day of riesling tastings and charcuterie boards, it’s a nice palette cleanser.
