I am known for many things (some good, some bad, some pretty, some ugly - but I digress); with one being my obsession with all things medieval. In fact, I professionally moonlight as Historian specializing in medieval English history! This means that I am a sucker for anything reminding of the time period; making the Santa Barbara-adjacent Danish city of Solvang right up my alley with its medieval storybook streets/architecture. Among the many spots in Solvang that make my heart go pitter-patter is The Good Life: a cellar wine/ale/tavern- bar. Grab your favorite wench and come along to grab a pint... Stroll down Mission Drive in the famous Danish city of Solvang and you will be delighted to venture upon The Good Life that appears to pop out of a medieval history book with exposed wooden beans, plaster exterior walls and an entrance that resides at basement level (they don't call it a cellar bar for nothing!). Owned by a husband-wife team with extensive hospitality and restaurant experience under their belts in 2012; the charm of The Good Life is instantaneous and perfect for a gal like me obsessed with this sort of thing. Prepare to be instantly transported into the 15th century! Once you cross the threshold of The Good Life, the Shakesperean feel continues but is also modernized with a glowing fireplace, plush arm chairs and high bar tables (plus bar seating) and floor to ceiling wine racks. The Good Life is a perfect ratio of Solvang tradition with hints of romance making it ideal for a casual beverage, tourist pop-in or memorable date night drink. The latter is exactly how my boyfriend and I happened to come across The Good Life as we were visiting Solvang from Los Angeles for the city's Christmas-time Julefest. We had just spent the evening making holiday memories among the city's Christmas trees, twinkling lights and sugary delights. Post Danish-dinner, we decided to wrap up our forever-Solvang memory with a drink at The Good Life. We were immediately greeted by the male manning The Good Life without any attitude or distaste towards us for coming in as he was preparing to close for the evening. If he was upset with us in any way - he certainly didn't show it! The Good Life features an amazing menu of local and international wines, beers, ales, meads, ciders, and ports that make The Good Life feel fancy-schmancy and artisan; but also, neighborhood friendly for your favorite hipster or friend next door. My boyfriend and I shared a cider (I wish I remembered the specific one but alas my memory evades me) while enjoying the atmosphere of warmth at The Good Life. Other customers sat in the plush chairs with notepads and tarot cards, an older couple arrived to cap off the evening and I enjoyed the view of my boyfriend in a medieval-Danish inspired cellar bar. The Good Life is standout at accommodating to all customers and making sure no one feels out of place. A bountiful tip as important as the bosom of a medieval bar wench: the bathroom at The Good Life is labeled as 'Office'. Don't worry, you won't walk in on someone preparing accounting books and the only business happening behind this door involves you and your private matters. The Good Life is delightful and unique but doesn't just stop there: it also differentiates itself with a truly impressive alcohol selection that allows you to be introduced to local, national, Danish and international bevies you have surely not tried prior. The Good Life is recommended for a drink on your next trip to the tourist-friendly city of Solvang. Even if you aren't pretending to be in medieval times... read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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My favorite bar and wine tasting downtown. Our server was super friendly and really took the time to tell us about each drink as he poured. The location is 21 and over which creates a really relaxing atmosphere. The drinks were so good we even bought a bottle to take home. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

A great spot to try local wines and beers while enjoying Solvang. The vibe feels cozy and exclusive, yet in a very friendly way. The bartender (owner?) is so knowledgeable and offers great service. In addition to drinks, they offer cheese plates and a few other snacks. Casual classy. read more

The Good Life - Blueberry stout beer, pinot grigio - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

~ Cozy place with great wine! ~ I don't like the taste of any alcohol BUT there was this wine the owner recommended that tasted really good! My friend ended up buying 2 bottles of it. The service was attentive! And we played card games inside. read more

We were looking for a winery and came by this one. It's a cute wine bar inside. We ordered rose wine, beer flight, and a charcuterie board with meat. The wine and beer were really good. I thought the charcuterie board was okay. The bagel crackers were so hard and stale. Some of the cheese were good but some of them weren't. I really didn't think the meats were that good. I'm not sure if it's also because the bagel crackers were so hard so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy the charcuterie board as much. I thought I was going to break my teeth while eating. I just felt like a lot of the things on the charcuterie board were hard or just not tasty. The place was really cute but I feel like there's plenty of wineries nearby. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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This was a nice cute, quaint place to chill and have a drink. Very homie cottage vibe. The service was great, welcoming and accommodating. Would come here again. read more

The Good Life - Rose - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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We stopped by The Good Life late night for a couple drinks this past weekend. It's a cute and cozy spot with excellent service. The menu consists of beer, wine, and small bites. We enjoyed the Del Cielo "savage red" irish red ale and a glass of the Riding Monkey alicante bouschet red wine, while sharing casual conversation and appreciating the laid back atmosphere. They offer live music here on some days too, not during our recent visit, but I can imagine that being a great addition. read more

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10/2024 This cozy little wine bar is a perfect place to gather with friends. They offer a selection of bar snacks to enjoy with your wine. A very clean and well organized bottle of wine selections. read more

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Alfred was very welcoming and knowledgeable. Tell him your likes and he will help you select the perfect wine for your palette. I am not quite sure if Alfred has a photographic memory, but this guy can tell you how many barrels of each wine he carries was produced. Very impressive! Cute cozy place with a great selection of craft beer and excellent wine. If you like a unique spot with a quaint charm, this is your place. read more

The Good Life - Alfred's wine choice for me - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

The good life is famous for wine tasting . I tried this place for wine tasting . They have nice wine that you can try . They cost you $25 read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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Walked into music night, and rather an intimate setting maybe but went in for a glass of wine. When going in, we weren't greeted by employees nor asked if we would like to see a menu. I asked to see a menu and a worker asked 'what were we looking for and if she can help us find something, rather rude than asking if we would like to order or help us with the menu. The location was adorable but the employees just had a rude and unwelcoming setting. Next time, maybe go elsewhere where you wouldn't be referred to as 'you people' ! :D read more

Great find. Stumped upon this awesome spot and so glad we did. I immediately told the owner that I don't know much about wine and she haloed me navigate through the experience. We sat inside and felt comfortable, relaxed and attended to. read more

The good life was not so good if you want to watch a game. We were the only ones in there and was asked to turn the game down on my phone. Who was it disturbing????? Only the owner Lisa. She was the only one in ear shot. I told her that she was the only one who could hear it and I was told I can go outside. No wonder this place was empty during the busy Christmas season. Hope she learns to put her customers first one day. On the one bright side, they had some decent beer there. But so do many other places on the same block. read more

My first time in Solvang and I was walking around looking for the closest restroom. I walked down to The Good Life wine cellar and asked the bartender where the closest restroom was. He was polite and told me to go to the office and open the door and it would be there. I used the rest room for no longer than a couple of minutes and walked put. A older lady stopped me at the door and blocked me and rudely asked what I was doing. She had curly tangled hair, crooked glasses like she just woke up. She looked me up and down and was very rude as if I was stealing something. I told her I was just using the restroom. She was disgusted and rudely said that I shouldn't be using their restroom and it was only for paying customers. Little did she know I asked the bartender before I used the restroom and he showed me where it was. I was the only brown colored person in there at the time. The women who probably owns the shop is racist and rude. I would not have used the restroom if the bartender didn't let me. Please do not support this business they are rude and racist especially the white lady with curly tangled hair with glasses, you know who you are. Do not go here, there are many wine places to choose from in Solvang that has wine tasting and craft beer. It was a Saturday and they were only 2 people in the business and wonder why. I would avoid this place at all cost. 0 STARS! read more

The Good Life - This is the rude racist lady - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Since The Good Life was one of our last stops and I had to drive back to L.A., I skipped getting alcohol and tried their cream soda instead. I've always been a fan of cream sodas and this was a brand I'd never heard of. It was right on par with similar drinks and perfectly sweet with a nice carbonation. We had our two dogs with us so we sat outside on the patio, which had comfortable booths but got chilly fast when the sun went down. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Man oh man. The place is cute and wine/beer selection was full of variety. Though mostly empty, service was pretty questionable and very cold. We are not a local to the area so don't recognize a ton of the brands and each asked for a wine/beer recommendation. The response was delivered more in shame for not knowing instead of assisting with recommendations. read more

We went here twice during our stay. The first time going we had a male server with dark hair and he was really nice. When we went Saturday evening about 930pm we had Lisa and she was really rude. She made us feel unwelcome and like we shouldn't be there. We were the youngest at the bar. We are only 32. Another young couple came in shortly after us and sat behind us and Lisa said to me "what are you doing here" really rude. It's almost like she wants a older clientele there. Pretty bummed that was our last encounter there. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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The server makes you feel like you're dumb for asking questions my partner and I had one drink and left so condescending and like other reviews I don't know of us being poc has something to do with it but the woman was so condescending this was our least favorite part of being in town read more

We came here for 4th of july... Walked in and no greeting..Maybe we weren't dressed appropriately?..all eyes were on us ..We're Hispanic so maybe that was the reason ?..My husband starts looking at the wine bottles..it was our 1st time here..so did we need a menu to wine taste ?..My husband picked a bottle and the man came over with the bill ,which he placed on the table, so my husband can purchase the bottle right away. Wait!... we actually wanted to taste the wine ...we asked him and he brought one wine glass only...I wanted one too but I shared with my husband ...I felt awkward...we taasted..it was good and I brought out my card to pay the bottle...Man comes over and says" I knew you were the one with the power"...power of what?...very awkward moment in this place...didn't feel welcome at all and we won't be back read more

This little tucked away location is a great place to relax while sipping wine. Upon entering, you see a plethora of wine, cozy seating and a friendly staff member to help you. My friend and i enjoyed of glasses of wine and reading the fun books they had. I will say no glass of wine is under $14 (from what i recall) so just be aware of that. I wish there was a cheaper option but the wine i did get was great! read more

The Good Life - Sips and reads - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

This cozy little spot has good flights of beer along with good ambiance, would recommend coming in for a flight and a charcuterie board. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Cannot beat the ambience. Small tasting room, down stairs with a fireplace. Can't go wrong with this setting. Host was super friendly, attentive, knowledgeable, and help us find a steakhouse to go after our tasting. Plenty of good wines to enjoy, and the draft selection is superb. Place may be easy to walk past, but do yourself the favor stop on in. read more

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Came here for some wine tasting! Everyone was so kind if was a vibe! Wish we lived closer

Small but extremely cozy place. The fire place seating looks so pretty. I had a glass of wine while my husband try his own custom flight of beer. Prices are extremely reasonable and service is excellent. We felt very comfortable and noticed couple of people were on dates and as they would leave another couple would take their place :) This is how nice and intimate this bar felt. We were here for about 2 hours and never felt rushed to leave if anything we had small talk with service (probably owners) and they give us lots of insight on beer and wine. I bought a bottle of wine and beer for hubby. read more

Beers, music, the right vibe for a good time, hospitality on point thank you for a delicious beverage read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

I come to solvang once year because I enjoy the atmosphere and all the wine tasting. This year I came with my 3 cousins on a girls weekend, this being their first time. We were staying in one suite at a local hotel that recommended us a list of tasting rooms, this being one of them. We stopped by and told them we were there for the wine tasting in which they pick on what they want to serve you. We sat outside and once the owner saw we had a charcuterie carry tray she told us to put it away that no outside food was allowed, valid so we did. When it came to the end of our last drink she didn't even wait for our drinks to be sipped, she walked up to us and said you've came to the end of your tasting and dropped off the tab. Didn't even bother to ask if we liked any, or what did we think, did we have a favorite. Nothing. Pretty weird bc you would think they would want to sell. We went inside to pay and we informed them about the two for one tasting we were told about in the hotel we were staying. The guy looked at us like if we were lying and didn't want to simply honor it. We showed him the room key and he asked "what about you?" I said "us 4 are staying together in a suite" he then proceeds to not honor the 2 for 1 thinking we wouldn't notice and only honors one. We paid and didn't say anything because that immediately was the end of me ever stopping by this place in the future. His demeanor was complete garbage and the lady which from the comments I now know is the owner was so unfriendly. I will never stop by this place and will let my fiancé know. He loves buying the beer here when we come to solvang once a year but from now on this place is off the list and will never be recommended to family/friends. read more

The taste of Solvang! What an amazing place. Great beers and great wines! And it is family owned, we must support family owned businesses. When it comes to to recommending local, Alfred knows! Good vibes and delicious spirits. A must read more

The Good Life - The good life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Heard about the Good Life Craft beer and Wine Cellar from a couple we met while wine tasting and we decided to try it out. In a comfortable little Cellar setting we sat we just a handful of people and the beer tender and tasted many really good craft beers, several of which were barrel aged stouts which is something both my wife and I really enjoy. In addition to the craft beer for which we came in for, they also had a great selection of wine to try out as well. The Good Life provides a very nice setting to relax and enjoy whatever you are drinking and the opportunity to meet some really nice people who share some of the same passions in good wine and craft beer. Next time we are back in Solvang, this will be one of the first places we will visit. We highly recommend The Good Life. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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Super limited menu and very unfriendly staff. As a bartender in a tourist town myself, I understand feeling the burn out but the service we received was nearly snarky and disrespectful. People come to see your town and escape from their everyday lives , you never know what they're going through or how much saving it took to get there . The bartender on Wednesday night totally killed our night. read more

The Good Life, excellent name in itself. Truly felt the good life as I sat here enjoying the chill ambiance literally it was hot out. The wine knowledge I gained from co-owner Lisa is invaluable. I appreciate the vibe she and her husband have cultivated. They truly made me feel welcome and provided superior hospitality. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Being a home brewer, I am the type that likes to support craft beer establishments. However, the unwelcome vibe from the owners makes it difficult to return. Solvang is filled with other great options that we will be supporting instead. read more

What a great place to grab a glass a wine and a pint of beer. My wife sat by the fire, chatted with other folks and she even did the wine tasting. It's a great low key place ! read more

Loved everything about it! The owner, Lisa, was a wealth of knowledge and a fantastic conversationalist. The atmosphere is so comfortable and homey and the selection of wines and beer is stupendous! read more

This place was AWESOME! Great wine, great service and great atmosphere! They do have music on Saturday nights too.The owner was very friendly and great to talk to. They have cheese and Charcuterie boards. They also have craft beers.The fireplace was a nice touch too. read more

While Solvang is known for its wineries, they do have some neat little craft beer selections. The Good Life was one of them. They opened about noon on a Saturday. Perfect time for us since we were walking thru at that exact time. They have an large selection of craft beers from around California which can seem a bit daunting when looking for something new to try. The gentleman helping us out was polite but wasn't so sociable. He wasn't rude at all but we couldn't seem to carry a conversation. The beers we tried were very tasty and good selections for us and we would be back to try others read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Had a great time here with my wife. We sat at the bar and initially, felt like we were an inconvenience. Well, after talking to the two individuals that were working that night, the whole demeanor changed. Come to find out, they were the owners. I don't recall their names but very cool and fun people. Very knowledgeable in the wine business. The place has a great vibe to it. Feels like your sitting at home in front of your fireplace. read more

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The service is excellent and the mulled wine is delicious! My husband and I arrived on a cold night in December and were told there was only seating outside. We were seated by a heater and promptly served a variety of tasty drinks. After 10 minutes of sitting outside, our server offered us seats inside by the fireplace and even carried all of our drinks in for us. Definitely recommend! read more

The Good Life - a fireplace with christmas decorations - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

Very quaint wine & craft beer tasting spot. The bar attendee was easy to talk to and had a sense of humor. He was well aware of the different craft beers that we're on the menu. Me and my boyfriend stayed for a couple of beers with a good buzz and went to go out and sightsee. read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

This was our favorite place to have a drink during our most recent stay in Solvang! We've visited the area several times in the past and have always walked by, but never stopped in. We finally did this past weekend and enjoyed ourselves so much that we came back again the next night for the live music. The husband and wife team (I'm assuming Alfred and Lisa) were incredibly courteous and attentive, so don't let the bad reviews of the past sway you. My husband and I were sticking with beer and Alfred was very knowledgeable and enjoyed talking about what they offered. The live music was perfect for the venue and vibe. This place is truly cozy--the type of place you'd like to settle in with a glass of wine or beer on a cold night. We will definitely be stopping in every time we find ourselves in Solvang in the future! Cheers! read more

The Good Life - Wine Bars Near Me - Solvang, California

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ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE!! I went to Solvang with my partner and our puppy and they were so accommodating with the wine tasting. Unfortunately, our anxious puppy had an incident with the barstools and his leash got tangled on it and was scared for the rest of the visit. They were so accommodating, gave us a special table to sit in to calm our anxious pup, give him a water to drink in a bowl and some treats. Even though our pup was so agitated for reasons they can't control or are not their responsibility, they still did their best to accommodate us and even gave us a discount! Absolutely dog friendly and would recommend!! read more