Travel Style: Foodie
So many restaurants, so little time!
Buellton is not only home to a number of delicious culinary delights; we are also neighbors to dozens of amazing dining experiences just waiting to be discovered!
To get your trip planning started, here are key locations that offer something unique to Buellton and our surrounding area. Use our online trip planner to design your ultimate foodie escape, and be sure to add a few of these local favorites if they aren’t on your itinerary already!
Activities Checklist
- Learn everything you ever wanted to know about pork by completing a two day introductory butcher class by Valley Piggery.
- Sip an espresso and learn how this Italian master makes his custom machines at Espresso Machines by Salvatore – by hand.
- Treat yourself to the gourmet olive oil tasting at Global Gardens.
Culinary Adventures
- Hitching Post II – Most of the menu at the famous Hitching Post II restaurant is cooked over a red oak fire, in a technique known as Santa Maria Style bar-be-que. With simple seasonings and the only sauces served on the side; once you leave California’s Central Coast you won’t find bar-be-que like this anywhere else in the world.
- Industrial Eats – The epitome of farm-to-table, Industrial Eats specializes in unique and locally sourced specialties. The menu features a rotating assortment of gourmet flatbreads and sandwiches, depending on what’s fresh. But you will also find sophisticated and exquisitely prepared specials unlike any other restaurant in Santa Ynez Valley.
- SY Kitchen – Located in Santa Ynez, SY Kitchen offers unique, modern Italian dishes in a beautifully appointed setting.
- The Gathering Table – Located in the quaint and scenic Ballard, this Zagat-rated, AAA Four-diamond hidden gem expertly marries French and Asian cuisine featuring seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
- Full Of Life Flatbread – Located north of Buellton on Highway 101, in Los Alamos. You may recognize the name from your favorite natural foods market’s frozen pizza aisle. Full Of Life Flatbreads is where these delectable freezer necessities come from, and the restaurant is only open Friday through Monday for dinner, with seasonal lunch hours available Saturday and Sunday. The menu changes weekly, with many of the ingredients coming straight from the garden by the restaurant. We recommend calling ahead to confirm hours, and going early: reservations aren’t accepted and it gets packed come dinner time. Have no fear, if there is a wait it is always worth it.
Tasting Rooms
- Loring Wine Company – One of the deliciously different experiences Loring provides is a ‘cookies and wine’ flight. Each wine is expertly paired with delicious, freshly made cookies, making this a fun and unique culinary experience.
- Saarloos & Sons – This wine tasting hot spot is in downtown Los Olivos, and happens to be home of Enjoy! Cupcakes. Enjoy! offers regular size and miniature gourmet cupcakes, which you can also order as a flight to accompany delicious local wines. How sweet is that?
