Los Alamos

Ask anyone—Bob’s Well Bread makes the best sourdough and pastries in the Santa Ynez Valley. Get cappuccinos, eggs benedict, and more blueberry scones than you can eat today (they freeze well). Their lunch menu is great, too. There’s another location in Ballard.

When you’ve had your fill of formal tasting rooms and vineyard tours, pop into Bodega to buy a bottle of organic or biodynamic wine and lounge at a picnic table, in a hammock, or around a fire pit. Their wine list changes from week to week, and they never miss. And they make their own coloring books—great if you like to hang out and scribble while you sip. On Saturdays, Priedite Barbecue pops up with their famous adobo brisket tacos and spicy fennel slaw.

On Saturdays in Los Alamos, Priedite Barbecue pops up behind Bodega, and they make a kind of magic you don’t often find west of Texas. The smoker runs for days. If you get here right at opening, you’ll arrive to a line around the block; get here early for brisket, spare ribs, and pork shoulder by the pound, plus generous sides of baked beans, potato salad, slaw, and pickles. They do burgers on Sundays and tri-tip sandwiches on Thursdays.

Chef Daisy Ryan and her husband Greg Ryan run Michelin-starred Bell’s, which serves à la carte lunches and prix fixe dinners, focusing on locally-sourced ingredients and French techniques. The menu changes daily, depending on what’s fresh at the farmers market and what Daisy feels like making. That said, you can expect some killer seafood. The service here is warm and inviting, and the vibe is immaculately low-key—the kind of fine dining that works perfectly in Los Alamos.

No trip to the Santa Ynez/Santa Maria wine region is complete without a pit stop at Bell Street Farm, particularly if you have little ones in tow. Part market, part restaurant, they offer everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to rotisserie chicken. There's also a deli counter for to-go orders, plus plenty of sweets, including pretty epic mini-cobblers.