Los Olivos is one of those small towns where the best plan is usually no plan at all. Most of it is one walkable stretch of Grand Avenue, which means you park once and spend the rest of the day on foot. The pace is slow by design, and that’s the point. Here’s how we’d spend a day in town.
Start at Lefty’s Coffee Co. before the crowds roll in. The dirty horchata latte is the local order, and the patio out back is a good place to ease into the morning. It’s the kind of coffee shop where people end up staying longer than they planned, which is fine, because Los Olivos rewards that approach.
Get there early if you want the quiet version of the day.
Once you’re moving, the town is easy to navigate on foot. Two stops worth making while you’re walking around:
Los Olivos General Store sits right on Grand and is full of the kind of curated goods that are hard to categorize. Home goods, cookbooks, local products, things you didn’t know you needed until you saw them. Even if you go in planning not to buy anything, you’ll probably leave with something.
Global Eye is harder to describe. Part art gallery, part vintage shop, part treasure hunt. There’s always something interesting tucked away inside, and no two visits feel quite the same. Worth at least a walk-through.
Bar Le Cote has become one of the most talked-about spots in the valley, and for good reason. The oysters are a must. The menu changes often depending on what’s fresh and in season. If the weather’s right, grab a table outside and take your time. This is not a lunch to rush.
After lunch, slow things down with a tasting at Carhartt Family Wines. The tasting room sits right in the middle of Grand Avenue, but it manages to feel relaxed — grab a spot out back on the patio and someone will come to you, every wine on the list poured at your table. People come in as guests and tend to leave like they’ve been here for years.
Most of the wines are estate-grown on the Carhartt family ranch just outside of town, land the family has farmed since the early 1950s. The person pouring your wine likely had a hand in growing it, making it, or both. It’s a good place to settle in for the afternoon and let the day slow down properly.
Book your spot at the tasting room before you make the drive. Walk-ins are sometimes available, but a reservation means you’re not waiting. Book a Tasting.
Can’t make it in person? The same wines are available online.
After a full day of walking, shopping, and wine, Lucky Penny is an easy place to land. Wood-fired pizza, casual atmosphere, outdoor seating. It fits the pace of the day. Order a pizza for the table, get a drink, and don’t rush out.
The outdoor seating fills up on weekends, so getting there on the earlier side of dinner helps.
Most of Los Olivos is walkable from a single parking spot. Tasting rooms in town typically run until late afternoon or early evening, so plan your Carhartt visit before 5pm. If you want to extend the trip, the Santa Ynez Valley has more to explore than a single day allows.
Planning more than a day? See our guide to wine tasting in Los Olivos
If you want to make a full weekend of it, we have a two-bedroom rental on in the middle of our Sangiovese vineyard.
