Blame it on a few too many viewings of Sideways, but it’s hard to think of Santa Barbara without conjuring Paul Giamatti’s Miles, cruising up the 101 in that cherry-red Saab, en route to prime Pinot Noir and a whole host of personal problems that do not need to be rehashed here. 

No. If you do this region right, you’ll find that it’s heavy on the hospitality, light on the drama. About two hours north of Los Angeles, with a winding coastline that’s lapped by the Pacific, Santa Barbara benefits from cool ocean breezes and the Santa Rita Hills, which produces much acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Head inland and you’ll hit Buellton, famous for the Hitching Post and the windmill-adorned inn where the Sideways guys stayed, which now announces itself with a giant, glowing sign bearing the movie’s name.

There are other places to hang your hat. The cottage-style suites at the Steward Santa Barbara provide an ideal jumping off point for nearby wineries, like The Hilt Estate, where you can sip saline Chardonnay in an plushly appointed barn that feels like a Ralph Lauren fever dream. If you’d prefer to have your wine come to you, consider the bucolic San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Santa Barbara’s slightly more buttoned up neighbor to the east. The Ranch’s past guests include Winston Churchill and JFK, and the cellar boasts every vintage of Pétrus from 1945 to 2017, as well as a host of other bottles worth the uncork. 

In these parts, gustatory talent abounds. To help you choose where to eat and drink (and what to do in between) we tapped three local experts: Rachel Greenspan, co-owner of Bettina, a Michelin-lauded pizzeria; Tristan Pitre, sommelier of the San Ysidro Ranch; and Alejandro Medina, co-owner of Bibi Ji, Santa Barbara’s buzzy Indian bistro and natural wine bar.

Morning

Greenspan: “If we’re not making coffee at home, Handlebar and Dune are two favorite spots. Hook & Press for donuts is one of our favorite treats. They have seasonal flavors, and there’s a brown butter sea salt that’s especially delicious.”

Pitre: “Hook & Press is more on the fancy side but it’s really good. They also do biscuit breakfast sandwiches. It’s a great morning spot. Oat Bakery for freshly baked breads can also be a really nice start to the day.”

Medina: “I’ll walk or ride my bike to Handlebar on De La Vina Street, in Santa Barbara. They roast all their beans in house and pay extra attention to their coffee. You could go from there to Bree’osh (there’s also a location in Montecito). They make true French pastries: breads, boules — it’s great for grab and go. Right next to that is Westward General. They have really cool vintage clothing and household goods. I buy my wife a lot of gifts there.”

Lunch & Afternoon

Greenspan: “Corazón in the public market is great and nice for kids because they can run wild. The Daisy is really good for comforting, home cooked and delicious American staples. There's a very cute home goods store called Domecíl. I’d go there after lunch. If it’s a Saturday, you could check out the Santa Barbara farmer’s market on Cota Street.” 

Pitre: “Merci in the Montecito Country Mart is my go-to lunch spot. It’s unassuming, really good food. One of my favorite things is the chicken paillard, pounded and breaded with a little squeeze of lemon on top. It’s among the most delicious things you can eat in Montecito. They also do a great duck confit with an endive salad.

If you’re looking to taste, Au Bon Climat’s Santa Barbara tasting room is excellent. They have lots of older vintages that they’ve made available so you can taste wines with 10 years of age on them already, which is pretty rare for a tasting room. Not a lot of people think about California wine and ageability in general. The fact that they’ve held back wines so that you can see that they’re worth holding is really nice, and then you can purchase them and take them home.”

Medina: “I often take visitors on a walk through the Natural History Museum or the Botanic Gardens, if you’re up for more of a hike. Every spring they do a butterfly exhibit at the museum and you go in this netted area where there are tons of butterflies. It’s really cool.

I like La Super-Rica for lunch. (It’s my cousin’s taqueria, so I’m kind of biased.) I also like Satellite for sandwiches and salads, or I would go to Three Pickles, this deli that’s inside a historic bar called the Pickle Room. I always get the veggie cheese deli stack and add turkey. Another option: Dutch Garden, it’s German food, off the beaten path. They do all their own sausages in-house as well as pretzels. My wife and I love going there. Also, Rascal’s Vegan for lunch or brunch. It’s owned by a good friend of mine. They make traditional Mexican food, but it’s all vegan—and still really delicious.”

Dinner & Evening

Greenspan: “The Good Lion for great classic cocktails. We love Aperitivo for dinner and crushing a bottle of wine. It’s a super small wine bar, a hole in the wall with a small menu. Very cozy—you feel like you’re eating at a wine bar in Italy. Lucky’s for special occasions and martinis. It feels very much like New York to me, that old school steakhouse vibe. Riviera Bar is really good—very neighborhoody, cute, and fun.” 

Pitre: “Secret Bao is really great at night. The dumplings and bao are what they’re built around but they also do great noodle dishes at night. Any of their rotating specials are fantastic.”

Medina: “I am a big fan of going to Chuck’s, a steakhouse on Upper State Street. It’s one of the last open salad bars where you make your own salad. It’s pretty old school and low lit. I also like Bettina for dinner. For sushi, I’d go to Arigato. Gala is a new restaurant that I’ve been hanging out at a bit. They do Spanish food and they have a sister restaurant in Barcelona.”

Late Night

Greenspan: “At this point, it’s getting ice cream at McConnell’s or Rori’s. We have a two-and-a-half year old. We’re not going out drinking like the old days.”

Pitre: “The Plow & Angel for sure. There’s live music every day of the week—no matter what’s going on, you’re going to have piano. The fact that it’s open late night also makes it an outlier. Sometimes, when you’re going late, you’re not getting the best quality drinks—a place where you can get something handcrafted, with top tier spirits, is even more rare. And you don’t need a reservation, you can just come by.” 

Medina: “The Good Lion or Soho if there’s music. Test Pilot, down in the funk zone, if you want great tiki drinks.”