The Tavern — Restaurant in Lompoc

Our stay at The Inn at Mattei's Tavern was an absolute disaster from start to finish, turning what was supposed to be a luxurious getaway into a frustrating, filthy ordeal that sent us packing within hours. For $4,400, we booked a two-bedroom suite, expecting top-tier service and accommodations. Instead, we got incompetence, miscommunication, and a room so disgusting we couldn’t stomach staying.||The trouble started before we even arrived. I called en route to confirm details about the dedicated poolside cabana included with our suite, as advertised on their website. Virginia, the first staff member I spoke with, had no clue what I was talking about. I had to read the website verbatim to her before she reluctantly agreed. She then transferred me to Hannah at the front desk, who was equally clueless. I read the website to her too, and only then did she acknowledge the cabana. How does a “luxury” hotel have staff completely unaware of their own amenities? The room was also supposed to come with a dedicated Mercedez Benz, as per the website, not 1 mention about the Mercedes by any of the staff members upon check in.||We arrived early at 1:00 PM, only to be told our room wasn’t ready but would be by 4:00 PM at the latest. They directed us to the cabana to spend the day by the pool, which was the one thing that went as expected. But by 4:30 PM, we hadn’t received a single call or update about our room. I had to get out of the pool, dry off, get dressed, and march to the front desk, where I learned the room had been ready for who-knows-how-long. Why promise to notify us and then drop the ball? It’s basic hospitality.||The real horror show began when we finally got to the room. Within 15 minutes, my son noticed the bottoms of his feet were completely black. We checked ours—same thing. Every single one of us had filthy, coal-black soles from walking on the hardwood floors. Upon inspection, it was clear these floors hadn’t been cleaned in months. They weren’t just dirty; they were gritty, like sandpaper, with more traction than a hiking trail. Clean hardwood is supposed to be smooth, not a health hazard. It was so bad we couldn’t walk to bed without our feet getting filthy again. Shower, step out, dirty again—rinse and repeat. Disgusting doesn’t even begin to cover it. ||I called the front desk to complain, and they sent the maintenance manager, who had the audacity to insist the floors “do get cleaned.” Really? Then why were all our feet black? Sweeping isn’t enough—hardwood needs mopping, and clearly, they’re cutting corners. His empty assurances did nothing to address the grime we were standing in. At that point, I started wondering what other shortcuts this place was taking. If they can’t clean a floor, what’s happening in the kitchen or with the bedding? I wasn’t about to stick around to find out.||This place calls itself a luxury hotel, but that’s as laughable as calling Pergo faux-wood flooring “hardwood.” It’s a facade. We checked out immediately, demanded a refund (which, to their credit, they processed), and drove two hours back home. No way were we staying in that filth. The Inn at Mattei's Tavern isn’t just a letdown; it’s an embarrassment to the concept of hospitality. Save your money and stay somewhere that actually respects its guests and understands what...

THREE UPDATES BELOW:

UPDATE #3: Nov 2024: Sadly this is probably the last update I will do for The Tavern because as my wife put it I don't think we'll go back. We took friends on this beautiful fall Sunday afternoon looking forward to Boar Chili and found that the menu has completely changed. Not only is there no chili and cornbread as I had described so glowingly below from a visit 11 months ago, but the other items are pretty bad. We had a burger and it was tasteless while the fries were burned and tasteless as well. I had a wedge salad which was relatively small for $24 and tasted far too bitter. The cheapest wine was $23 a glass. So we felt badly for our friends since we had hyped the place so much. $90 for a burger and a wedge salad and a glass of wine is also just too much. How sad because we were excited about our visit. What's more it seemed relatively empty for late afternoon on a Sunday during a holiday weekend. Dropping my rating from 5 stars to 2. 🫣

UPDATE #2 Jan 2024: Arrived at 5:00 p.m. specifically to just enjoy the bar area. We sat on the couches and the fire was very cozy. Candles around on the tables as well. The place filled up over the next 2 hours and we enjoyed drinks at the table in front of the fireplace and eventually the boar chili with cornbread. FANTASTIC! I thought the boar chili might be a little gamey but it wasn't at all! It was just the right balance of meat and beans and cream and tomato flavor; not too strong but very tasty. A generous portion served in a cast iron mini pot. It must have simmered a long time. The cornbread in my opinion was even better! It had a sweetness to it, came in a cute little loaf on a breadboard. Crusty on the outside but warm and moist on the inside. A lot of cornbread is too dry and falls apart, but this was perfect! I suppose you could argue that two bowls of chili a glass of wine and a glass of Ice-tea should not cost $120 with tip! But welcome to California and if you factor in the pleasure of sitting in this rustic but upscale bar for entertainment it might be worth it!

UPDATE #1: Breakfast is served until 11:00 on Sunday. The huevos rancheros are pretty good. Prices are a little steep, breakfast for 4 with three coffees and two diet Cokes tax and tip came to $160!!

ORIGINAL: The inn itself is not actually open yet. But we were able to enjoy the restaurant, see the new decor, and walk around the property. The bungalows look like they will be great. And the restaurant and soon to be coffee shop and sun porch all look very very inviting. The food was fantastic with a new chef who uses lots of local fixings and the result are some very distinctive and interesting flavors. The word I kept hearing and I think it fits is...

Mattei’s Tavern blew all my expectations and original ideas away upon setting foot on the property. I was looking for an outdoor space for my engagement party of about 30 people. Their event coordinator, Taylor, responded to my original inquiry within 24 hours with ideas, follow up questions and available days to show me the grounds. She met my mom and I early on a Sunday morning (the only day I could make it due to my work schedule) and gave us an extensive tour of the property. She showed us all the areas we could have the dinner AND showed us the amazing bungalows we could rent out the weekend of the event. Unfortunately they are doing renovations on the actual Tavern restaurant right now but she gave me several recommendations for private chefs and caterers who could provide food and services during the dinner party. My mom and I had a few other venues to check out in LOS Olivos later that day so we parted ways with Taylor and continued with our day. When we finished viewing the other locations (all beautiful of course, LOS Olivos is amazing like that), we both knew undeniably that Mattei’s was the place we were picking. We loved the idea of having our out of town friends and family be able to stay on the property and that we could choose from several sized outdoor spaces for our event. Taylor was so so helpful through the planning process! She connected me to our amazing chef, Mattias Bloom, and wonderful photographer, Lindsey Drewes, who shared Taylor’s knowledge for event planning and went above and beyond to make the day of the event easy for us. Taylor continued to check in with me frequently up until the day of our party when she was at the venue herself to help us set up and to answer all our questions. Our friends and family ended up renting out most of the on site bungalows for the weekend and LOVED them. My now husband and I stayed in the Hartley House and are already planning when we can return again. Everything was clean, easy to access and beyond beautiful. We can’t wait...