The Good Life — Restaurant in Solvang

My wife and I stopped in on the way to dinner. My mother-in-law wanted us to get her some more almonds which she bought there on her previous visit and told us she had enjoyed her and my wife's time there. My first impression on the outside was small and tucked away, almost hidden in plain sight. On first entering I felt warm and cozy a welcome contrast to the brisk evening outside. The decor is well thought out and the fireplace give it a wonderfully homey atmosphere. Warm wood and earthy stone make an atmosphere reminiscent of a warm cabin or hobbit hole. It invites you in and bids you to relax and stay awhile.

And stay we did. We ended up sampling about 5 wines each. They had red, white, or mixed groupings to pick from for a reasonable tasting fee. My wife selected the mixed group and I chose the red group. Alfred, our host, was very knowledgeable and explain the origins of each wine. He had information about the winemaker and the process for making each wine. I got the impression each wine was carefully chosen from the local wineries to highlight the best the area had to offer. Each wine had a little food sample paired to highlight its taste. If you've been to a lot of tasting rooms before you'll find the experience here right in line with the best of them. We ended up finding several wines we liked enough to buy. The prices were reasonable for the kind of place it is; Obviously not as good of a deal as the winery itself but only a reasonable markup higher.

While we were sipping, other patrons were enjoying beer. Alfred seemed to have a equally similar knowledge of the various craft beers they he offered. He seemed pretty good at helping patrons find something new they would enjoy.

It was a good experience and one which we plan to repeat on our next trip. If you are looking for a place to try a wide variety of the region's wines in a warm friendly atmosphere I recommend giving visiting...

Been coming to Solvang with my boyfriend and our two labs for two years now and The Good Life became a staple for us the first time we came - the husband owner (as he mentioned his wife is co-owner) is very knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming to us and our dogs. Our dogs are important to us and we’ve always been welcomed inside the small, quaint, ambient space by the husband.

Except this most recent time we went and there was a woman serving instead. She was working alone, as the husband usually had in our previous visits, and had three couples to serve. We walked in with our dogs (again siting we had never been turned away because of them) and I asked if we could sit by the fire. She appeared impatient with our presence and with a similar tone stated, “What can I help you with.” It wasn’t presented as a question and it immediately felt like a cold shoulder. She dismissed us to the outside in a manner that showed us she didn’t want to serve us saying, “You can sit outside and I’ll bring you menus if you want.” We kindly declined and left - we won’t stay where we aren’t wanted.

I don’t know if she is the wife; I don’t know if she was having a bad day; I don’t know if perhaps she doesn’t like serving people, but that behaviour is not for customer service.

We will be returning! Love the atmosphere, the wine and beer choices, and speaking with the husband! I’m leaving four stars for the previous sentence stated. But we are okay going to other favorite spots if we encounter that behaviour...

Once we found the place it seemed like an great little out of the way retreat for beer and wine. The air conditioning was going full blast which was delightful in the afternoon heat. He drinks beer and I drink wine so we thought this would be a great stop. I didn't recognize anything on the wine menu and wanted to do a tasting. I was told that I had to sit at the bar. There were 5 seats and 4 of them were occupied. One of us would have had to stand after walking throughout Solvang all day. The place was empty and the table I sat at was 5 feet from the bar but we couldn't do the wine tasting there. I've done a lot of wine tasting and never been told that I was required to sit at the bar.

He took a look at the beer menu searching for something he hadn't had. The bartender kept telling us that they were out of several things. In the end, the inability to do a wine tasting and the pricing on the beer kept us from ordering anything. The beer he wanted to order was $21 - we walked a couple blocks down and found it at the Viking Garden Cellars for $8. He explained to me after we left that the pricing on all the beers was that bad - 2 to 3 times as much as what you can get...