2 Best Restaurants in Santa Ynez, The Central Coast

Chef-owner Joy Reinhart opened this locals-favorite restaurant to honor her deceased mom, Ellie, a colorful, full-of-life character who enjoyed life to the max. The intimate, clublike dining room and deck invite socialization, and the seasonal, farm-to-fork menu is filled with Ellie’s favorites, including liver pâté, crab cake atop creamy, sweet-potato-bacon-spinach hash, and slow-cooked beef short ribs.

The owners of Toscana, a popular eatery in L.A.'s Brentwood neighborhood, run this rustic-chic restaurant with an Italy-meets-California-Wine-Country vibe. Chef and co-owner Luca Crestanelli, a native of Verona, Italy, typically offers multiple seasonal daily specials.