Trattoria Grappolo

This restaurant was a hotel recommendation and the food was good. My wife and I had a seafood dish. The service was underwhelming however. We sat outside and it felt like we were afterthoughts. A couple of arrivals after us were served ahead of us. In the end our server brought us a free dessert for the delay in getting us our check. It did not seem excessively busy so it was disappointing to feel ignored. May have just been a busier night than it looked.

Thought the food, service and atmosphere was all on point. Very fresh appetizer, very hot entrée and very cold salad.
Will be returning next year.

We’ve been going to Grappollo for years on our way North. I love the bone in pork chop and also the salmon. My wife loves the pasta and salads here. The last couple times we went there I’ve had the salmon and it was better than ever, as good as it gets. The staff is great and they treat you like family.
Every time we go there it seems to get better.

The service was great– our server was very apologetic when not one, but two of our wine selections were unavailable. He was very responsive when I asked if he had any suggestions. I had the house made ravioli stuffed with spinach and my husband had the mushroom and sausage penne pasta dish– both were excellent! It took us a awhile to choose our entrée, everything sounded so good!
The only reason I didn’t rate Grappolo’s the full five stars is because although I made a reservation a week ahead of time, we were seated outside in their porch/​patio section. Both my husband and I were very uncomfortable, as we were both dressed up for our night out. I asked about the possibility of moving inside, though we were told there wasn’t anything available (unless we wanted to wait). Other than that, my husband and I enjoyed our evening immensely.

Gosh, I went in with high expectations and came out elated. Christina our über-​server couldn’t have been nicer. One of the best Caesar Salads yet; Minestrone soup so farm-​fresh; great grilled seafood and incredible stuffed calamari. Terrific fattening desserts. Very reasonable and interesting wine prices. I sat outside with friends where it’s not as noisy (apparently)…that’s my recommendation where they have space heaters which helps on chilly nights. A completely relaxed experience with terrific food and wine.

The food was ok but the service was awful & slow. We went over memorial weekend so it was busy but it doesn’t excuse the poor service we received. First off we had to flag a server over as we sat for at least 15 mins with no server acknowledgement. 30 mins after we placed our order our server informed us that one of our orders had ran out. No reasoning. And most concerning was that 30 mins had passed before he informed us. Then the sever walked away rather than waiting for us to decide what to order in replacement. Once the food came the order that was the replacement was cold. And once again our server was no where to be found so we had to flag over someone else. At most restaurants they would’ve comped the dish they messed up but our server made no offer. So all in all I would not recommend this place due to the poor service.

Amazing dinner here last night. We enjoyed a bottle of the house Pinot Noir and it was great! We had the caprese salad, the Quattro Stagioni pizza and the Pizza Crudo (with the prosciutto). The food was EXCELLENT — the most authentic Italian-​style pizza that I’ve had since living in Florence. We finished dinner off with an almond pear tart that knocked our socks off. The service was so impressive; it was up there with a 5-​star restaurant. I was so impressed. Can’t wait to return on our next visit to Santa Ynez.

The service here is phenomenal and the food is exquisite. I so wish I had a place like this closer to where I live. Every time I’m up in the Santa Ynez area I try to make it a point to come by here and share a glass of wine with the staff. I am the type of person that eats just about everything so I love when the waiter serves us special appetizers that aren’t always on the menu but they whip them up for us to taste. The food is out of this world with flavor and there is something for everybody! I love the ambience here as well it reminds me of a little farm house and there aren’t a lot of tables but I love this cozy environment. Makes you feel more like family than larger chain restaurants. You won’t regret making a stop here!

Food is a bit pricey for pasta but delicious. It is a small quaint establishment with a warm ambiance. I’ve never been disappointed here. You may want to make reservations on the weekends.

The Service was outstanding. That is hard to come by these days and in these parts. I was with a party of 6 and each of our meals was the best we’d ever had.
I had the linguine bolognese which was so very very good.
There was seafood pasta and NY steak to be had at our table and every bite was enjoyed.

My lamb chops were med rare as requested with a nice reduction sauce and were a good portion. My wife had there mixed seafood grill which was also delicious and a generous portion.

The pasta dishes here are amazing. The gnocchi al Gusto di Pollo is ridiculously good, with tender morsels of chicken, pine nuts and a to-​die-​for rosemary cream sauce. The pumpkin ricotta ravoli is also delicious, both savory and sweet. The wine list is extensive and there are plenty of options for the perfect pairing with your meal.

I spend a lot of time in Santa Ynez and really enjoy this restaurant. The town has about a dozen restaurants but if you want Italian food this is a great choice. It isn’t a quiet restaurant as it is very popular on weekends but if you like a lively atmosphere you’ll enjoy this place.

I was so excited to eat here. Our first trip to Solvang, and this was a recommended restaurant to us.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very good experience. Our waiter, and the other staff just couldn’t get on the same page. At least 4 times, someone would come to our table and ask if we needed anything, and we would say «more water», and all 4 times between 1 – 4 min after the person walked away, another person would come by and ask us the same question, then they would actually bring it to us. Our waiter just was the main downfall to our experience. My girlfriend kind of wasn’t that hungry by the time we got our food, so I had ordered the pizza with arugala, sausage, and mushroom for me, which was very good. I mean, I am a tough critic on pizza and sauce in particular, and it was a pretty perfect tasting pizza… Unfortunately, since my girlfriend was sort of just piecing on her pasta I made the dumb mistake of just deciding I would take half my food home to enjoy later when she was hungry. Someone came by and ask if we wanted our food to go. We said yes, and they said they would bring us to go boxes. Then a couple of minutes later, true to form with the water, another employee came by and took our food and said he would box it up. This was now the 5^th occurrence that our waiter had said he was going to do something for us, and didn’t. Well, he brought my girlfriends food to her in her to go box, and I said «where’s mine. The pizza?!» He looked confused and ran off, then came back with another to go box and packaged it up.
When we got home and opened it up to eat, they gave me someone else’s leftover pizza. The Marguerite pizza… I tried a slice and almost gagged. It was horrible. I went and threw all 4 pieces in the trash. I was furious and extremely disappointed.
So, my girlfriend decided to call the restaurant and talk to them while I was throwing that putrid other pizza out and she said they told us we could drive back out (15 min) and pick up another pizza (and another 15 min home), but that they closed in an hour, or come get it the next night, except they don’t open until 5p and we are leaving town before then. In short, the pizza was good that I payed $ 18 for, and only got half of. The hostess and busser did a fantastic job, but the server was awful, and I’ll probably never go back now. I felt like me having to travel 30 min roundtrip for their mistake was inexcusable. Sheer laziness on the servers part killed out whole experience. Unfortunately, you only get one chance to make a first impression and I was very disappointed by the lack of care for the customer from our server on the patio.

We were surprised that all the locals we asked about this restaurant had never been, but Unilocal reviews were good and we decided to give it a try instead of our usual stops when we vacation here in SYV.
Our experience was great. We were initially seated on patio since that was all that was available, however the GM noticed we were not as happy and said he could seat us at bar and we could wait for a table. long story short — we enjoyed being at bar and decided to enjoy dinner there. We enjoyed watching the chefs prepare dishes and got a front row seat to how hard they work, plus we got to see the yummy dishes come out.
Another plus is they offer gluten-​free pasta and pizza. A must for me.
We were given a couple crustini with Motzerella and prosciutto and fried basil as a courtesy dish, it was yummy! The Ceasar salad was perfect to share and the penna and Bolognese was deliciois. The GF pasta was cooked al dente which isn’t easy to do. For dessert we did the panne cotta, which was good, but when we saw the chef making pizza dough donuts we asked about them and were given 4 as a courtesy, I think this was their way of saying thank you for being so flexible on not making a big deal about sitting on patio then bar when we had reservations for the inside main dining room.
We recommend this place and will make it our go-​to Italian place.
Ambience — white table clothes, busy, noise level was modest, good for families, couples and they offer «to-​go» options.

I visited this restaurant on 11÷6÷2015 and enjoyed a great time from start to finish.
Arrived around 6, didn’t know we needed reservation and the young lady got us seated fairly quickly. And they were packed.
We were served by a wonderful lady, at the end of an awesome meal, she brought over a special desert with a candle to celebrate my birthday.
I don’t live in the area but I will be back.
Her name is Elisabeth Endy manager, hat off to you and your staff

We got married down the street at the Santa Ynez Historical Museum and Carriage House, so naturally having it catered by Trattoria Grappolo was the easy decision. WOW are we glad we did! The food was so amazing, they served it in exactly the order we wanted, and the servers were awesome! I couldn’t recommend having them cater your event more!
We’re still getting compliments about the food and friends of ours are planning a trip back just to eat here! So many thanks to Elise for her planning, organization, expertise, and for being a wonderful server. A true professional!

One of our go-​tos after wine tasting.
I’ve come here for their outstanding authentic Italian food and service for the last seven years and not much has changed. I’d be devastated if the porch screen door was ever un-​squeeked. Devastated. It really adds to the old school feel here.
I’ve only sat out on the patio. Love it. I come right at opening so I’ve never had to wait. Locals and tourists come in quickly no matter what day of the week. Make a reservation if you’re later on.
Blanca, our server, is like like seeing an old friend. She’s been here since the beginning. She never steers us the wrong way with specials, wine,… desert. PS– get the flourless chocolate cake. It’s perfect. Thanks, Blanca. The added calories was definitely worth it.
The ONE thing we get each and every time, whether it’s for an app or entrée (to split), is the sausage and white bean. It’s heaven. And my inspiration to make better beans.
My only complain this time around, is one of the boys clearing our dishes was wearing cologne. That’s a big no-​no with me at a restaurant, never mind an employee at a restaurant. Why taint one of our senses? Hopefully, the owner (s) read this and addresses the issue. No one wants to smell that while dining.
I adore Grappolo. If one does not have a great experience here, I wonder what kind of energy was brought to the table. Some people are never happy. I don’t remember ever having anything but a love-​fest here.

EAT THIS: linguine mare monte, rollino veneto
I ordered what Unilocal recommended — the Linguine Mare Monte, made with shitake mushrooms, shrimp, garlic, and olive oil in a tomato and white wine sauce. And my friend ordered what the restaurant recommended — Rollino Veneto, which is rolled pizza with smoked mozzarella and radicchio topped with fresh tomatoes and basil. Both were amazing!
There weren’t that many food options around and very few that were open past 8pm, so we were skeptical but ended up delighted to dine at Trattoria Grappolo! The restaurant is very old-​school elegant. They have an impressive wine list, which should go without saying because they’re in Santa Ynez. Their service is great and the waiters are friendly. There’s plenty of parking outside and it was easy to locate. We really lucked out choosing this restaurant, and I’d highly recommend the dishes we enjoyed if you’re ever in the area. All in all, our needle in the haystack ended up being a diamond in the rough!

Absolutely worth the drive! Whether you are coming from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, this restaurant is fabulous. I highly recommend calling and making a reservation prior to your visit to the Santa Ynez Valley, as non-​reservations are near-​impossible to get a table.
Though the interior has great lighting and elegant table settings, and artwork; the restaurant is loud inside, with busy tables, clinking and eating; a bar and the constant movement of servers, and bartenders. The outside is simple, the décor is minimal, but it is somewhat more private because there is more room between the tables. Although we had reserved a table inside, the hostess pushed us to sit outside. I recommend the Patio for families or older folks, but for couples (though yes, it is quieter), it’s not as cozy or exciting. So if you are planning on eating here, I recommend a table inside (this is just my personal preference); although the hostess might encourage you to sit on the patio.
The food, is excellent. The BEST food in the Santa Ynez valley and beyond. The Cioppino was full of hearty fish, shrimp and potatoes. A healthier choice than most other things on the menu (though please don’t come eat here to be healthy)! The flavor was strong, rich in textures, and the portion was large. The Spinach and Ricotta ravioli dish, was rich and buttery, a smaller portion, but the buttery creamy delight with the soft ravioli pieces made it just the right amount and we even had leftovers for the next day. An incredibly generous selection of wines to accompany every dish (but of course, you ARE in Santa Ynez wine country).
It was my boyfriend’s birthday so our server brought him a Crème Brulee on the house and sang Happy Birthday at our table. Our server was professional, knowledgeable (he gave us all the specials), but never pushy on trying to upsell. Our water cups were always filled, even though we had ordered wine. The food came out fast, everything tasted fresh.
There is parking in the front of the restaurant, and all over the side streets. The bathrooms were clean.
The food alone is worth the visit, even if you had to eat it standing on a street corner, make sure that if you are in the Santa Ynez Valley, you taste the Trattoria Grappolo, Italian delicacies! We stayed at an AirBnB (a ranch nearby), and the locals told us that this is one of the best restaurants in town. It’s where the locals go, as well as visitors from all over the world.