Los Alamos

Judged by its cover, five-block-long Los Alamos doesn’t seem changed from its stagecoach-stop days. Bell Street, the main drag, still wears its Old West façades. Ancient sycamore trees and vintage farming equipment dot the roadside. And locals gather around the red-felted pool tables at The Depot Bar, housed in the Pacific Coast Railway’s freight depot, to chat about weather and crops.

But this Santa Ynez Valley hamlet—located 45 miles north of Santa Barbara—is much more than a one-road ranching town. It’s also an unconventional food-and-wine mecca, antique shopper’s haven, and stylish wedding and event venue.
 

Where to Eat in Los Alamos

Bell Street’s home-on-the-range exterior houses a surprising food scene, and you’ll need a few days to taste your way through it all. Get up early in the morning to beat the line at Bob’s Well Bread, an artisan bakery in an unassuming stucco building. Sourdough baguettes and corn rye loaves bake in wood-fired ovens, and croque-madames and eggs-in-a-jar are sold all day.

At lunchtime, take advantage of Los Alamos’ bevy of outdoor patios. Swing over to Charlie’s, a local favorite since 1978, for a juicy tri-tip sandwich or meaty carne asada burrito. At Babi’s Beer Emporium, sample locally made beer and cider paired with dumplings, egg rolls, and bao from restaurant partner Sama Sama. Or take a seat on Full of Life’s covered porch and order a flatbread pizza smothered in dates and bacon, or mushrooms and caramelized onions. Since 2003, this eatery has made its name on 36-hour slow-rise sourdough flatbreads roasted in a 20-ton stone hearth.

For dinner, Michelin-starred Bell’s serves steak tartare and tuna tartine to rival that of any Paris bistro. Executive chef/co-owner Daisy Bell cut her teeth at Per Se in New York City but grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley and brings the best of both worlds to this irresistible spot. Pico, run by husband-and-wife owners of Lumen Wines, serves farm-to-table fare in an 1880s general store with a bucolic back garden. For a vineyard view and swanky cocktails, book a table at stylish Norman in the Skyview Los Alamos. Norman’s menu revolves around seafood—tiger prawn risotto, ceviche tostadas, and yellowfin crisps—but the Wagyu Bates Burger has legions of fans. 

Where to Taste Wine in Los Alamos

A stroll down Bell Street lets you taste world-class Santa Ynez Valley wines without driving. Start with the Pinot Noir and Grenache produced by winemaker Sonja Magdevski at Casa Dumetz. Half a block east, Lo-Fi serves native-yeast wines with a lower alcohol content accompanied by a soundtrack of vinyl records. Next-door neighbor Bedford Winery pours Chardonnay and Pinot Gris in a charming vine-covered patio. At laidback Bodega, play a game of bocce while you sip and socialize in the leafy beer garden or at the wine bar.

Where to Shop in Los Alamos

Treasure-seekers find happy hunting in Los Alamos’ quirky shops, which overflow with one-of-a-kind furnishings, art, and gifts. Start browsing at the Los Alamos Gallery, an aging warehouse filled with oodles of antiques and locally made crafts—chic upcycled hats, driftwood mobiles, wood burl bowls, vintage glassware and cabinets. There are plenty of surprises too, like a 1910 doctor’s office scale and a windchime made of pesos. Sisters Gifts and Home, housed in a historic cottage framed by a white picket fence and manicured lawn, bulges with furnishings and knickknacks from six antique vendors and works from Central Coast artists.

The Los Alamos Depot Mall is both a pub and an antique store, so your travel partner can sip a cold beer while you shop for vintage finds and collectibles, including midcentury-modern glassware, Hummel figurines, and rare coins. Browse a while in Keane’s Eclectic Shoppe and you might go home with a few gently read poetry books or a half-dozen German beer steins.

Where to Stay in Los Alamos

When you can’t eat, drink, or shop any more, retire to your room at The Vick, formally known as The Victorian Mansion. This 1864 gem with an ornate gingerbread exterior boasts six themed suites designed to impress even a Hollywood set designer. Choose from a 1950s drive-in with a real Cadillac bed, an Egyptian sheik’s tent with a King Tut sarcophagus and hot tub, or a pirate ship with a treasure chest and captain’s bed.

A block away, The Alamo Motel rocks a rustic-cool look with cowhide rugs, rough-hewn floors, clawfoot tubs, and gargantuan cactus growing next to every guest-room door. Across Highway 101, Skyview Los Alamos is perched atop a vineyard-covered hill. The completely reimagined 1950s motel has 33 rooms with private decks and fire pits surround a sparkling swimming pool, plus the aforementioned restaurant Norman.

Where to Hold an Event or Celebration in Los Alamos

On weekends, photo-ready Los Alamos bustles with brides, grooms, and wedding guests. A peek through the saloon doors of the 1880 Union Hotel reveals a mounted moose head, weathered wood, and saddle-style barstools—a memorable setting for any celebration. Nine rooms upstairs are available for small wedding parties or family reunions. For larger gatherings, The Maker’s Son is a rustic-chic event venue in a 1920s gas station with gorgeous gardens in the back. (Brides and grooms have their photos taken with the aged-patina gas pumps out front.) Wine bars and eateries including Bodega and Plenty on Bell are also popular spaces for events, parties, and reunions.