Solid place for a tasty and classy lunch in Los Olivos. Got to try the smash burger, duck liver appetizer, and the mussels. Everything was super solid, but I gotta say the best part of the meal was dipping the perfectly buttered toast in the mussels' soup. SO delicious. The duck liver was so creamy and rich. Smash burger was solid, was strangely too sweet at times though. The ambiance is super coastal, classy, tavern-like. Service is great. My partner and I wanted to order more things but our server warned us that we would be over ordering which was so real of him. read more

Stopped here for brunch and it was delicious! Got the hangtown fry which apparently isn't the most popular but it was such a great flavor combination! My husband got the Huevos Rancheros and loved it! read more

The Tavern - Huevos Rancheros - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Olivos, California

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I read reviews that said it was overpriced and nothing special. I was hesitant to bring my husband here so we opted for breakfast- less pressure than dinner. We absolutely loved it. He got a simple omelette and after watching an episode of Bear where Syd makes a perfect omelette, he said this was just what he's been craving. I had eggs and bacon and the most amazing toast with jam that was definitely not out of a jar. Was it pricey, yes but worth it. We pay for good meals and good ambiance. We will be back to try dinner next time! read more

Disappointing Experience During Recent Hotel Stay @ so called Auberge Hotel very disappointing recent stay at your hotel. Unfortunately, our experience did not meet the standards I expected based on the Auberge experience. During ourstay @ which we reserved two very expensive rooms & that were not identical with the same square footage but we were charged for the bigger room , we encountered several issues, including extremely late check in as no one bothered to call us as instructed when rooms were ready. poor customer service, noisy environment. These problems significantly impacted our comfort and overall experience. Also, this was supposed to have been a big birthday for my husband & that is why we invited another couple along. As for the food offered in both the restaurant & Room service, that was another huge dissapointment & we are just glad that we only did that on our first night & left the proeprty for lunch & dinner the following days. read more

Don't believe the hype. Six of us went for dinner. Expectations were high based on several recommendations. Cocktails were meh, appetizers missed the marque, salads had zero flavor and the black cod was so slimy it was inedible. A $600 meal and the only thing anyone raved about was the mashed potatoes. Stick with Bar Le Cote or Nellas. Mattei's is over priced and under delivered. read more

A visit to Los Olivos can't be complete without having a meal at The Tavern. We had a spectacular dinner over Easter weekend and the Yelp reviews did not disappoint. The decor is rustic but very elegant and beautifully appointed. We started our meal with the focaccia and I can't recommend it enough; the cultured butter with herb oil is unbelievably tasty paired with the freshly baked herbed focaccia. The uni carbonara pasta was flavorfully creamy with dollops of uni and salmon roe. My husband is vegetarian and selected the crispy cauliflower and butternut squash soup; the cauliflower is large enough to be eaten as an entree, crispy and seasoned perfectly. The butternut soup is infused with a smokey flavor and a subtle hint of maple syrup. The staff was so welcoming and attentive. Jeremy was our server for the evening and he couldn't have been more hospitable and knowledgeable regarding the ingredients and preparation for the entrees and appetizers. We didn't think we could eat another bite and said we'd have to come back to try dessert next time. Jeremy kindly brought us a petite mud pie to try which was outstanding: a crispy thin Oreo crust shell that contained a fluffy chocolate mousse, brownie bite, caramel syrup and espresso ice cream. It was a wonderfully delicious way to end a lovely evening. A big thank you to Jeremy and the staff for making our dinner at The Tavern a memorable one. read more

Great food and amazing ambience. Cozy fireplace to have a cocktail. We loved all the detail that's gone in Mattei's Tavern read more

Such a fun property with so much history! Elle in guest services was so kind and friendly. The stone around the pool is beautiful and the ambiance is as if you went back in time with modern twists. The food was fantastic. There's room service and it was fast. We cannot wait to come back. The cottages are STUNNING. You won't regret visiting read more

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Nothing special but not bad. Cute space food was nothing memorable. Nice for drinks I'd say and the vibe.

The first word that came to mind was horrible but that really wasn't quite true. My lunch selection was good and thats why they got three starts. Otherwise it would have been "one". A group of seven of us stopped in for lunch. We were on motorcycles and in full protective gear. So clearly we didn't have hours to wait. That seemed to be lost on our waiter who wasn't at all in a hurry. Several of us chose heirloom tomato sandwiches or heirloom tomato salads. There were two burgers. This took just under an hour. They offered avocado for the sandwich. But they ran out. How the F does a restaurant in California run out of avocados? My Heirloom Tomato sandwich and accompanying salad was very good. Particularly the salad. Most enjoyed their entries. But, one of our group ordered fries instead of a side salad. His fries came looking like they had been left in the "fry max" well over their cooking time. Waiter and expediter served them anyway. Now for the best part. The ubiquitous brunette floor manager comes to our table and asks how everything was. The guy with the inedible fries says, "well these fries should never have been served". Crickets. No acknowledgement of the identified problem at all. She then goes to the other side of the table and says something along the lines of "Glad everyone enjoyed their meal." Wait.. What? Never before. Never again. read more

After reading some of the views, we didn't know what to expect, but we have always wanted to give it a try. We were pleasantly surprised. Great ambience, the service was excellent, and the food was outstanding. I absolutely loved the lamb chops with eggplant. Highly recommended. read more

The Tavern - Colorado Lamb - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Olivos, California

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When the tavern was remodeled and reopened we were overwhelmed by the quality of the dishes prepared and the amazing depth of flavor of every dish. We returned Friday evening and were told about their new chef and that they no longer serve their Chocolate Soufflé. We ordered our meals and immediately realized that the restaurant food is now just good cooking but priced as if it's the previous level of quality. We left feeling a bit taken advantage of. The next time we are in town this will no longer be at the top of my list. Parking is very easy in their lot. The hosts and servers are as professional as ever. I am used to leaving with my tastebuds exhausted from the layers of flavors but this time it was just solid cooking that I could have done myself. We felt that we had lost something very special. read more

Everything about the place is perfect. While a bit on the pricy side it is worth it. Food, service and ambiance is amazing. We went for breakfast and dinner. read more

Beautiful grounds and setting. We went for brunch on Sunday, and it started off good. Server was very friendly and we got our drinks pretty quick. That's where "service" stopped. We got our food, and the server came by and asked if we needed anything, and we asked for salt and pepper. Even though see walked by the table a couple of more times,, I had to ask again, now halfway through our meal. The food was good, not great. As I was finishing my meal I happened to look at my watch and noticed the time, it was 40+ minutes from that time until I was able to ask somebody for the check. It has been longer than that since we had seen our server. As a former server and manager, I cannot understand how this happened. Literally no one checked on us or even looked pur direction, for a very LONG time, other than the busser who took our plates away. Unfortunately poor service does not over come good food. read more

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Super cool place. We came here at 6pm on a Tuesday and it was very busy. We had a burger and fries, can't go wrong with this. Very cool crowd. read more

The Tavern - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Olivos, California

Robin was a fabulous server! She made our experience fantastic!!! Great recommendations on things local! This restaurant is lucky to have her! read more

Outstanding - great place for brunch. Sit outside on the patio and just enjoy life. Split the burger, fries outstanding. Mussels had thicker broth. The vegetable dip was so fresh and the white bean dip was so good. read more

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Great food and location! Our servers were perfect for Brunch in a very relaxing atmosphere! read more

This was the first visit to Mattei's Tavern, but not the last! Marcus and Emmie (Emily) were extremely attentive to our party. Such a lovely property and ambiance. The food was very good. There was a lot more bread than meat in the steak sandwich, but other than that the dishes were fantastic. Try the roasted cauliflower appetizer for a treat! We will be back the next time we are in town. read more

My most favorite thing here was the hand soap and lotion in the bathrooms. The servers were great as well. The food & drinks weren't bad they just weren't anything where you say I want to go back there. There's so much potential but the food just missed the mark. Cocktails as well. read more

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Wonderful Service. Historic Ambience. Interesting Food Offerings. Lovely Crab Salad & Dessert.

A lovely way to start our New Year's Eve night out in the Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos to be specific. A new Auberge property, I believe the hotel slated to open soon, is an historic 1880s building gorgeously redone. We had dinner reservations elsewhere so I can't speak to the menu but we did enjoy a few of the cocktails on the menu before heading out. Gary, the bartender mixing away directly in front of us was great. And the beverage manager from the property (I don't want to butcher his name but want to say it started with 'Russ,' please forgive me) was charming and a pleasure to speak with. And the fact that he used to work Republique was an encouraging sign! Thanks for a lovely start to our evening, we'll be back! read more

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What an amazing place, the service was top notch, the rooms were warm and luxurious, and overall felt like I was in a small down in Europe. read more

The Tavern - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Olivos, California

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Service was friendly and attentive (almost too attentive). The decor and ambiance feels high end and relaxed at the same time. Now let's talk about the food. Overall, we really couldn't complain, but complain we must. Mattei's onion dip served with house made chips was just ok.. they'd be better off serving them fresh from the fryer, as cold potato chips turn stale alarmingly fast. The half chicken was the head scratcher. Over seasoned with a "stiff tofu" texture, all I can imagine is the chef really doesn't understand sous vide, because this was definitely vacuumed hard and left in the bath for a very long time. My mother's scallops were the highlight.. very fresh, with beautiful flavor. Lastly the salmon was serviceable, but I do better at home. Dessert was an 8/10. I think at these prices in an expensive wine country resort, the Tavern should be aiming a little higher. read more

So fresh and tasty. Sauces and dressings I've never tried in my life. Their bean dip with veggies was mind blowing. Fries were crispy to perfection. Must try their smash burger! read more

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We had a great experience dining at this tavern. The decor is so awesome, the food was delicious - started out with the Duck Liver spread which were so good, the Hope Ranch mussels are the best ever, must have them, you'll love the sauce and the fried chicken and waffle was out of this world. Our waitress Tam was very attentive and so were the hostesses, very pleasant. We totally recommend it and we hope to be back there for dinner next time. The brunch was absolutely delicious. And so was the ambiance. read more

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Ambiance was nice in the entry area. The restaurant was cold and as soon as I finished eating I put on my jacket. The server was too attentive meaning came by too many times - you have to know how to balance that out so you are not interrupting too much. The food was just ok. I cannot believe the waiter mentioned the baker for the bread was super amazing and the bread was sourdough - toasted- it was over toasted - why was it toasted??? You could not taste it at all I'd say it was too hard to eat it. It was my birthday and I wanted to love it but I didn't. :( read more

Was visiting Los Olivos and was recommend by a shop downtown to go to Mattei's Tavern. This spot for lunch made our ladies getaway extra special. The ambience is beautiful, all of us were thrilled with our orders. I had the salad with Salmon and it was so delicious. I wish I wasn't a tourist to go back to enjoy the restaurant and food again! The best part of our lunch was our server, Kristen Esparza. She was the kindest, considerate and attentive to us as I have enjoyed in a very long time. Kristen was exceptional in every way, she made us feel so appreciated for being there. Absolutely highly recommend Mattei's Tavern and hope you are as lucky as we were to be waited on by Kristen. read more

Was excited to try this place on our way back from Santa Barbara to Morro Bay. Thought for sure food would be excellent given the high end resort it's associated with....big yikes/way wrong. Terrible service...pretty sure the manager was taking care of us for the beginning of our meal and then we had random wait staff throughout our meal. It was weird though because there was a lot of staff visible but none of them looked like they were doing anything/busy and the restaurant wasn't even full or busy itself. Definitely felt neglected even though we were sat in the middle of the restaurant. Food: We ordered the burger and heirloom tomato BLT. Both were without flavor. The burger was almost raw even though we asked for medium and like I said...absolutely no flavor on either. The sandwich was mainly just buttered bread and like a small piece of "heirloom" tomato that I doubt was actually heirloom. The sandwich was served with salt and vinegar chips that looked homemade and nice but once bit into were stale and hard.... The only positive was the fries. They were good. Oh and also...the tap sparkling water tasted weird and almost old...if that's possible?! 2 stars for nice vibes/presentation but it's sadly all a mask and presentation cannot make up for quality of food. Definitely wouldn't come back. read more

Food was bland, but fine. Service was mostly excellent; good training with minor hiccoughs. Ambience is excellent; new owners didn't fuck up a historic building. Go for the vibes, not the cuisine. read more

Food was fantastic. The halibut was cooked perfectly and uniquely paired. The heirloom tomato salad was fresh and a perfect appetizer. The steak was wood fired and very flavorful. But, tres leches was a bit dry. The service was attentive and friendly. The ambiance is rustic, warm, welcoming, and casual. Overall we were very pleased with our visit and would easily dine here again. read more

I've eaten at Mattei's many times over the last 50+ years. My daughter drove up from LA for Easter Brunch with me there this weekend. She called for a reservation over a week before and was told 2:45 was the earliest available but that they'd be serving until 5. Calling later in the week she was given 2:30. We got there at 2 and were seated right away as there was only 1 other table with guests plus a few on the patio. We looked around and not seeing the food, were told it was outside on the patio. There was 1 table with food plus a side table. None of the food was covered. The hot food was in serving trays with heating candles under them that had blown out since it was a breezy day. The bacon, sausage, eggs, and hot cakes were at room temperature. Had to ask our waitress for syrup. A lady had to shoo a fly that was near the cut fruit. The only meat to slice was prime rib but all that was there were small, well done ends, about the size of a deck of cards. Next to that were 2 kinds of eggs Benedict. The prime rib and Benedict's were on the side table uncovered and in full sun. Being still hungry from not eating much of the food outside, I asked where the desserts were. The waitress said there were none and that other people had asked about that, too. All this, plus no champagne, for $75 per person before tax and tip. The service was good but not the food. Definitely not up to Auberge standards. read more

Worst 20 minutes a guest can experience. After 10 minutes of waiting for a hostess to acknowledge us. Waited another 10 minutes for a waitress to even look at our direction. We got up and walked out. Horrible service. read more

We had lunch here on a Friday before everyone was in town. The service was excellent and the hostess did a great job explaining that they had a tavern restaurant and bar. We ate at the tavern restaurant. Between the four of us, we ordered a shared steak sandwich, BLT, and smashburger. While everything was cooked very well, the food was severely under seasoned. I don't know if there was a single speck of salt or pepper on any of it. I'll be back for the ambiance and drinks at the bar, but it's a pass for me on the food. read more

I have a vacation house very close to the restaurant and have always wanted to try it for lunch or dinner and finally did. First off the food was tasty, fries are very well made (double fry method very nice). $28 burger was expecting more. For a regular burger it was ok but was expecting it to be much better. In N Out blows it away from our perspective. I had the mussels and they were perfectly cooked. Not much of a complaint there. However, at Mattie's Tavern there are different areas from which to dine from which I was educated during my visit. What bothered me was if you are in the main dining room you can't order from the bar menu which was obviously different and literally right in the next room. Made little sense to me as it came from the same kitchen. We could have moved to the other room but then would be able to have the set from the dining room menu. Weird. Service was sub par, I had to ask three different people for some ketchup. The fourth person I asked was our server who forgot. And he then passed on the task to the second person we asked. I was confused...LOL finally got our ketchup but my son was already done eating. I don't mind lack of service so much if the food is great but this place is suppose to be high end quality and the service should reflect that. We had 3 people checking up on us to see how we were doing but they didn't do anything (like get us some ketchup for our fries) seems like they were just going through the motions. At some point I just gave up and said everything was fine can I have my check please. For a place that charges $750/night and $28/burger and $20salads you expect better service. They seem to be about 30% more expensive then most places from my experience of living in the area the last couple years. My two cents food is good but probably won't return for dinner service but very nice ambience. read more

One of the best restaurants in the area!! Get the crunchy cauliflower and don't miss the chocolate soufflé....

Our time at Mattei's started out rough since they could not find our OpenTable reservation that we made months ago for a birthday, anniversary and early Mother's Day celebration, but the staff definitely made up for it. The manager found us a spot to sit by a fireplace and even brought out chairs until they could find space for us. They also gave us a complementary round of drinks, which was nice. We ordered the scallops and lamb and both were incredibly delicious! The cocktails were on point and we really enjoyed the mudd pie. Our parents said they would remember this dinner forever so we will be back but likely confirm our reservation in advance next time. read more

We had dinner in the dining room. The menu is limited and what there is could be more interesting. The Rockfish I ordered was swimming in a thin vinaigrette with a variety of spices. The Rockfish needed something more substantial than a thin vinaigrette, a rich cream sauce would have worked. We weren't shown the Bar menu until after we ordered from the restaurant menu. I wish I had been shown the bar menu before ordering. Mattei's Tavern value doesn't live up its to prices. read more

I wanted to love this Easter brunch. My family has been coming here for over 50 years. We had my sister's 21st birthday here in 1971. This year my daughter was driving up from LA for the special meal. The weather was perfect. However the meal was not. We called over a week before and were told the earliest reservation we could get was 2:45 pm. She called later in the week and was told 2:30 pm. We arrived at 2 pm and got seated right away inside at a great window seat because the dining room was practically empty. A few tables were occupied outside. Looking around, we could not see where the food was. The waiter said it was outside. Pushing through 2 large glass doors and walking across the brick patio, we found it. The table was beautiful with flowers. But the food was all out in the open. No covers on anything. We saw one lady brushing a fly away from the open bowl of cut fruit. The trays for sausage, bacon, eggs, and pancakes were open and the food was room temperature because the trays they were served in had little candles under them but they were all unlit because it was breezy outside. We had to ask for some syrup for the pancakes. There was roast beef, but only end pieces that looked like they were left over from earlier service. No roast to slice from. Since I was still hungry from not eating much there, I looked for the desserts. Not seeing any, I asked the waitress who said there wasn't any and that other people had also asked for some. All of this was $75 per person. I drove hime to make a piece of peanut butter toast to fill me up. The wait staff was very good. I might go here for a regular meal ordered from the menu but i will never go for brunch again. This was not up to the Auberge standards. read more

Well, after two stays at Mattei's the only thing to say is amazing and extraordinary. Everyone that works at Mattei's is a star that shines on a consistent basis! However, there is one star in particular that shines even a brighter light amongst all the other stars at Mattei's. His name is Sean Murphy and he serves in the role of Director of Rooms. Sean is such an asset to Mattei's and to the Auberge Resorts hospitality chain. Sean is an extra miler who always goes the extra step to make your stay memorable. So when you head to Mattei's make sure to hunt him down, shake his hand and thank him in advance for what he does. read more

The Tavern - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Olivos, California