A little further afield than Ojai, Los Alamos is a charming little town to escape Los Angeles for a couple of days, or for a pit stop along the PCH roadtrip.
Eat
– Bob’s Well Bread. The ideal place for breakfast, a bakery run by the former Marketing president of Sony Pictures.
– Bell’s. Probably the best restaurant in Los Alamos, perfect for lunch with French bistronomic influences and an adorable backyard. They now have a Michelin star, and opened Bar Le Côté in Los Olivos.
– Full of Life Flatbread. Head there for dinner, wood-fired pizzas and optional gluten-free dough. Choose from their wine list or bring your own bottle from one of the wineries you visited and pay a $12 corkage fee. There’s a reservations policy, so go early and pick a table on the front porch.
– Picco. An excellent back-up option,, if Bell’s and Full of Life Flatbread are already packed.
Drink
– Lo-Fi Wines. A low-key wine bar with the finest selection of the local natural wines, as well as vinyls playing all night on the turntable.
– Bodega. With a bocce ball court, outdoor seating, and house-brewed IPA on tap, this is the bar where you want to start day drinking.
– 1880 Union Hotel and Wine Saloon. This old joint is overseen by Kurt Russell and was cool before Los Alamos became cool. Play a game of pool, have a whiskey, and brush elbows with the locals.
– Babi’s Beer Emporium. The sister bar to Casa Dumetz Wines will be a nice change for anyone who needs a little break from all the wineries.
Do
– Martian Ranch & Vineyard. Los Alamos is the place to come for a wine crawl, and Martian is probably the most reasonably priced tasting ($10), filled with biodynamic wines. Get a bottle for dinner at Full of Life Flatbread!
– Demeteria Winery. By far, the best winery in Los Alamos, and also the best kept secret. Call ahead to make sure they are open, and you’ll end up sipping wine in Tuscany.
– Foxen Canyon Road. Although filled with tacky wineries (skip those), this is a beautiful road to drive through the vineyards on your way to Los Olivos and the rest of the Santa Ynez Valley.
– Alamo Motel. Owned by the same people as Ojai Rancho Inn, the Alamo Motel is the epitome of Los Alamos, with airy rooms and clawfoot tubs.
– Depot Mall. Spend an hour at this curiosities emporium in a former railway station right across from Bob’s Well Bread.
– Skyview Los Alamos. A second roadside motel turned luxury boutique hotel, with a full-service restaurant, heated pool and a working vineyard.
– Solvang. Head to Solvang for a day trip, for the quirky Dutch village and its Santa Ines mission, but don’t linger too long as it tends to get packed with tourists.