Overview
A delightfully charming small town we discovered while researching the wine route for our 2-day drive between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Compared to alternatives like Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Monterey, accommodation in Solvang is much cheaper and the town itself is a tourist attraction. It ended up being one of the highlights of our entire US trip. If you're into wine, this place offers a more affordable and enjoyable experience than the bigger-name alternatives.
Food & Drink
Our absolute favorite was Solvang Brewing Company. We ate there for both lunch and dinner. Their sausages, onion rings, and fried zucchini and artichoke were genuinely incredible.
Tips & Advice
If you stop by, definitely pop into the gift shop across from the park and say hi to the staff. You'll spot the Turkish Coffee poster at the entrance of the cafe next door, unmissable. Even in a tiny Danish village in the middle of America, we managed to find a Turkish connection. Sometimes I wonder if there's anywhere we haven't spread to.
My Place Reviews
Restaurants
Paula's Pancake House2023★★★★☆
Long lines but good for breakfast. Big portions and delicious.
Solvang Brewing Company2023★★★★★
Awesome food, both not too expensive and also delicious! Onion rings and sausage example table was really nice.
Zucchini and artichoke starters was really good too! We loved everything we tasted except the pinot noir wine they have as the only option.
Grassini Family Vineyards - Downtown Santa Barbara Tasting Room2023★★★★☆
Wines are nice and also they have a really good service staff but the food (mini snacks) could be better.
Bars
The Good Life2023★★★☆☆
Good place to hangout. They also have some wine and beer flights to taste from different vineyards on this region. While the service staff is really good too, the wines were not too good comparing to the other vineries that we tried on. So wine list can be changed within better options.
Sanger Wines Tasting Room2023★★★☆☆
Place is nice. White wines are also good but red ones are not in a good shape. Also the service staff was not too chatty indeed.
Hotels
Atterdag Inn2023★★★☆☆
Really good hotel to stay but there is definitely an isolation of sound problem exist between rooms. If you would stay in here just ask for the rooms in upstairs to avoid that.
Shops
Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards2023★★★★☆
Good vines, good ambience. Not sure about the best one in the area but could definitely check it out for a good tasting of reds. Cabernet's were really nice.