What a sweet gem in Carroll! Hidden in the heart of downtown, it's not so much vineyard (no grapes being grown there) as much as it is winery. The ambiance is cozy and warm with a spacious outdoor terrace. We were there for a special event that served wine but not tastings. A few of us went to the tasting room (which I believe also serves as a restaurant). The service on that side was very good! I bought a flight and all but 1 was delicious. I purchased a wine glass as a souvenir. Back to the event room we went and the buffet was generous and food was delicious! They allowed my cousin to bring in his karaoke machine to DJ so we got to do what our family loves: dance. It was a wonderful and memorable event. The bathrooms were clean and rustic. At the end of the event, my aunt was able to go up to the terrace and wave to all of us there to wish her a happy 90th. I'll definitely visit Santa Maria again when I'm town. I'm knocking one star off for two reasons: 1- they should've allowed tastings in the event room. This would've kept everyone on the party in one place and the tips for the hardworking server in there. 2- in the the tasting room, the tasting glasses were really spotty, making them look dirty. Not a good look for a winery. read more

Food was ok but charged more than the prices on the menu and a service fee for using credit card. All of the items were $1 or $2 more that stated on menu Manager said there was a sign with this information on it but when asked where sign was located it did not exist. Using lower quality condiments ( Great value/walmart) Menus are just printed on paper so it would be very easy to update menus with correct prices and service fee information Very pretty restaurant with nice patio area read more

It's the swankiest restaurant/winery in the small town of Carroll, Iowa. Wine is not too bad for Iowa; they actual bring in grapes from all over, California, Washington, etc. Nice selection of wines for a small town though and nice atmosphere. They're got a beautiful courtyard and beautiful grand piano, which i was praying that someone would play. John, the owner, is a worldly and pleasant man. He has a passion for wine so i only see the brand developing over time. Bon Appetit...winning the hearts of food lovers one tummy at a time! read more

I was very excited to eat here for the first time and had heard many good things. However, I was very displeased by the time we left. PROS: One of the two best atmosphere's you're going to experience at a restaurant in Carroll, Iowa. They did everything right-- great courtyard, fantastic event rooms, great dining area, fountain, stone brick oven, wrought iron gated entrance, etc, etc. No complaints in this regard. The wine is pretty good. I wasn't expecting it to be anything special. But I got the sampler and a few of the wines surprised me. I highly recommend the Edelweiss. CONS: To start with-- the service is very slow. Let me repeat that-- Very, very slow. We went during the late afternoon and there weren't many people there and yet it took forever for us to get our food. We kept looking around wondering when it would come, and I saw the other few tables doing the same. Second, the food quality that I experienced was not very good. I thought the menu could have been a little bit more exciting and so my wife and I finally settled on getting a Parmesan Chicken Pizza with Homemade Potato Chips. The Parmesan sauce was bland at best. The pizza itself was undercooked which made the food cold and the crust rubbery. It needed more time in the oven and a better recipe on the sauce (more spices, PLEASE!) Homemade potato chips may sound unexciting, but it's one of those simple things in life that I enjoy. I usually order it if I see it on a menu, regardless of the venue. These ones, though, were not good. The chips were not warm, didn't have good flavor, and I had a sneaking suspicion that they might have actually come from a bag rather than being produced fresh that day. I say this because every time I have gotten homemade potato chips they have been warm and they stained the wax paper with their oil/grease. These chips were cold, bland, and dry as a bone. In summary, there are unique and favorable qualities about Santa Maria, but unfortunately food is not one of them. Their wines are good. Their venue is great. But they need to invest more time in service, prep time, and their menu. Right now, it feels as though the restaurant is merely a means of promoting their wine. If you live in Carroll County-- it's worth the trip. If you live anywhere else-- wait another year until they have solved some of their issues. read more

Had good lunch with very good wine. Chicken chipotle wrap was good. Got to pick 4 wines to taste for $3.50. Very nice restaurant. read more

Santa Maria Vineyard & Winery - Lunch with wine tasting! - Wineries Near Me - Carroll, Iowa

With limited options in Carroll, I would consider this a good spot for dinner. They make their own wine (obviously) and it's pretty good. Food is decent. 4 stars for the area, would be a 3 star if there were better options. read more

If you ask me it's to high class for this town the food is good but overpriced. It just fells to much like your in the city and that's not what carroll is about. read more

By far...one of my favorite restaurants. I read that the service is slow...if you are in a hurry....this isn't the place for you....go to McDonalds. This is about the experience. About slowing down and enjoying the whole night with friends and family....enjoying a great glass of wine....and fabulous food. This is a great "date night" place....the one place my hubby knows to take me to make the night extra special!!! read more

I read all the reviews so I knew the service was going to be on the slow side. That being said , it wasn't as bad as expected and everything was delicious. My mother and I visited this restaurant to pick up some of their Ruby Dooby (Strawberry Rhubarb wine) and we're beyond pleased with our dining experience. We will be going back next time I'm in Iowa. read more

Santa Maria Vineyard & Winery - Appetizers: bruscetta bread , Turkey artichoke panini , and rooby dooby cheescake. All of it was DELICIOUS. - Wineries Near Me - Carroll, Iowa

All in all, fantastic experience. We will be back. Wine - 5/5 - Terrific choice and variety of wine available. The "Wine Tasting" on the menu is a great value and allows you to fully sample everything they have to offer. We ended up taking 2 bottles home with us. Food - 4/5 - The sides were actually the most impressive to me - mashed potatoes are tremendous...garlic'y with skins included - yum. Vegetables great, uniquely seasoned, and they really pop when combined with the au jus sauce. The prime rib was good, but maybe a little dry. Service - 5/5 - Our waitress was fantastic and did a great job of both being friendly and steering us to the right choices on the menu. She was very accommodating to special requests - for example, she brought us a "sampling" of a new wine that ended up being nearly a half glass for each person at the table! Atmosphere - 5/5 - Big, beautiful complex. The exterior has a "rustic", old country vibe, while the interior is modern and comfortable. They will schedule tours of their in-site winery if you call in advance. I have virtually no complaints - this restaurant can hold its own versus any "big city" place from Chicago or NYC. Yeah, you'll probably spend $20 per person (which is a little high for the area), but it's totally worth it. I was really shocked to see the overall rating here - everyone had pretty good things to say, but chose to give it 2-3 stars? That makes no sense. This place gives a much needed touch of class to the town and surrounding area. read more

Had a prime rib dinner there on Friday April 16th. The steak was served with the aujus on the side, it was a little dry. The service was slow at best, the waitress would forget about us and not come back to the table for quite awhile. She looked to be handling the entire right hand side of the restaurant. However, the wine was great, atmosphere outstanding. The entire winery was beautiful. A wonderful place in a tiny town full of cute shops. I'd recommend this place again, as I think waitresses have off nights. They implemented a wood fired pizza oven on the patio that I am going back to try. It's a 2 hour drive for me, I am willing to give them another try because it is such a great atmosphere. read more

So disappointed with this restaurant. I was in town on business and so excited when I saw this unique gem in Carroll. That was short lived. By far the worst service I have received at any restaurant. We were rushed through our meal by a waitress that made her disdain for having to serve us an hour before they closed anything but inconspicuous. After our subpar entrees, we were eager to order dessert hoping that would be better than our dinner. Instead, we were promptly brought our check, no sooner than we set down our silverware. When my boyfriend asked if he could order dessert she told him "no"! My jaw hit the floor. We paid and left. read more

I have given this place many chances to impress me the only thing that is worth it is the wine. I have eaten here three times at various points, lunchtime, early dinner and a late dinner. Service was slow, very slow. Had a very terrible waiter who ignored us completely when a larger party was drafted in his area. Food I can't even call it mediocre. It was under cooked vegetables, cold rice and fatty chicken covered in greasy cheese, my child ordered a pizza which was brought to us almost black and covered in ash. I know what food tastes like out of a wood stove but this was not it. Too overpriced to be this impressive. Will not recommend to anyone. read more

I've been here a couple times before and had a good experience but have always been confused on where to enter and the parking isn't good either. This time for some reason we were the only people in the restaurant to be served with plastic drink-ware. Which my drink was accompanied with a bug in it and no apology what so ever from the waitress who was completely scatter brained. Food was ok. read more

I will agree. Service can be S-L-O-W, but it is always friendly. Classy dining room with central bar. Lots of wines--- most are entirely too sweet for me. The Cab, Tempranillo, and Malbec are dry enough and nicely full-bodied for me. Steaks and chops are great. Fish is 'meh,' but I'm an East Coaster. Side veggies can be hit or miss--- occasionally overdone. By and large, an good choice in Carroll. read more

I had the pinot grigio first which wasn't bad. I'm just not a white wine fan. The petite syrah is the best I have tasted in a while! Appetizers are small but the do they do have a good deal on unlimited soup, salad, and bread stick. Overall, best in Carroll for places to hang out! read more

Excellent wine, prime rib, and service. Beautiful restaurant.... clean and lots of light. Lovely place for a nice dinner.

What a wonderful place in Carroll Iowa!!!! Love the outdoor patio, and the inside is nice too (restored wood floor from dealership that used to be there). After living in California and visiting wineries there, this is right up there in terms of atmosphere. Wine is more sweet and food is delicious. read more

I liked this place. Great atmosphere, looks just like a winery should, brick fireplace, etc. Went here with a party of six. Everyone liked their food. I had a steak, baked potato and salad. The steak was pretty good, not the best I've ever had. Friends who tried the wine said it was good, I didn't have any wine. We had a fun time, will probably go back. read more

I have heard good things, so I decided to take a few friends from TX. We drove up from Des Moines only to find the place closed. All three of us were extremely disappointed. There was nothing on the website about them being closed, so after the 2 hr drive up there to be turned away because of a sign saying that changes were coming to the restaurant. Very disappointed that this info was not conveyed on the website. read more

As a vegetarian I was pleasantly surprised to find multiple pizzas on the menu that I could eat, and that concludes the positive aspect of my review. The service was EXTREMELY slow. We waited at least 30 minutes for our food. Our server didn't check back on us until after we had finished our meal and had already flagged someone else down for boxes. Our server also never refilled our drinks so I resorted to pulling out a water bottle from my purse. Bottle line: unimpressive food and service. read more

We enjoyed our meal at the Santa Maria Restaurant. The setting is beautiful and the food was delicious. Our server did a great job coming back several times to make sure we had everything we needed. This is the second time I ate at this restaurant and both times were a treat. read more

Service is very slow. Tried to order the hot roast beef. Was told after 10 minutes that they did not have roast beef. I ordered the salmon pizza which the menu said was made with green onions, cheese and pizza sauce. After a very long wait, the pizza came out covered with green peppers. No refill was offered for our iced tea. I double checked the menu to make sure I had not read it wrong and I hadn't. The only response to my complaint was that they would have to change the menu. Asked for the manager who did not even come to the table. I was offered 20% off my bill. Unsatisfactory experience all the way around. Will not go back. read more

Pros: Great selection of wines/beers (the wine sampler was so fun, and at a reasonable price. I even got a wineglass to take home!) The pizza was amazing. They cook it in an outdoor stone oven... delish, and so different from the usual, greasy fare. Esthetically, it's a beautiful place, fun to chill and "people watch". I honestly don't remember if we had a wait or not.. we had good company and weren't in a hurry! Cons: Can be kind of pricy, the servings are small and pasta is dry. If you do come to eat, I recommend the pizza. My husband and I split a large pizza for the same price as my mother got a disappointing pasta dish. They seem to 'run out' of some of the meats, twice we tried to order some sort of cut of meat that they were stocked out of. Fine if you aren't picky. (Try the pizza! LOL) read more

Stopped here on a weekend road trip. Was disappointed that its right in town...not in the country like I imagined. Nice place, nice wine selection and friendly service. My food was really bland. I had the Cesar salad, it seemed like its was purchased somewhere else. Worse was they served it in a plastic container...probably the one it was purchased in...it was terrible. My hubby had a brat and said it was excellent. Probably wont go back...its a long way from us but I'd buy the wine. read more

My husband and I LOVE this fabulous Winery/Restaurant. We drive up from Omaha just to eat there and stay at a B&B close by. I also order Wine to ship as gifts to my friends! Their wine is outstanding just like the service they provide when you are in their Restaurant. We drive 2+ hours because we know the food and wine is Excellent! read more

I don't like to mix my politics with my food. I happened to be at the restaurant when a "Right to Life' vigil was taking place. It seemed the owners sanctioned it. I was incredibly uncomfortable - and pro choice. I will not return. read more

Unique place for small town Iowa. been there 3-4 times. Food has always been good. Sevice at times has been slow. Will be back in the summer to experience the out door patio. read more

Ate here for our anniversary, the service was marginal, had the bruschetta appetizer which had very little flavor - chopped tomato on a baguette. The prime rib was ok, baked potato cold by the time we got our meal and the vegetable side was cold also. Probably won't return. read more