Richard N.
Yelp
High Class Comfort Food In An Attractive Setting.....
Pros: Comfortable Ambiance. Tasty food. Good portions. Friendly service.
Cons: None
Star Ratings:
- Overall: 5
- Food Taste: 5
- Food Portions: 5
- Location: 5
- Ambiance: 5
- Menu: 4
- Service: 5
- Price: 4
- Value: 5
- Parking: 4
Although we live in Nipomo - only 50 minutes away from Solvang - we rarely drive to the area. But family was visiting from out-of-state and the town is meant for tourists searching to be entertained. Solvang, with its interesting shops and tons of Danish bakeries, certainly fit the bill on a Friday.
We arrived around noon, walked a bit and decided on lunch. Mad & Vin, a restaurant in a nice looking building, seemed to be a good choice.
- Location: Central. Mad & Vin, inside the Landsby Hotel, is on the main street in town...Mission Drive ...not far from the middle of everything.
- Ambiance: Contemporary farmhouse. Tables are spaced nicely for conversation and appear to be a combination of Scandinavian and Santa Barbara country. Seating is a mix of comfortable wooden chairs (I sat in one) and plush, but not overdone banquettes along the perimeter of the restaurant. Colors are very soothing with shades of beige contrasting with blacks and grays. Splashes of yellow and red dotted the walls. A very agreeable atmosphere.
- Menu: Small yet interesting. We had the brunch menu which contained 4 egg-centered dishes, 6 entrees, 3 salads and several "sides", including "house made granola". Descriptions of each item sounded great - as if you couldn't go wrong.
- Food Quality: Excellent. I had the Seafood Salad with 5 poached red shrimp, pieces of crab and calamari, arugula, capers and 2 pieces of grilled bread. The bread was a bit dry, but I could eat that salad every day. Cost was $25. My wife ordered the Avocado Toast with 2 large pieces of sourdough each with an egg, avocado, arugula and sesame seeds for $22. She fashions herself an expert on that dish and called it "one of the best". Her brother had Short Rib Grilled Cheese for $21. The menu said it contained a braised short rib, havarti, fontina and gruyere cheese and pepperocinis. He claimed "I couldn't believe how good it was". Both my wife and I drank an Aperol Spritz for $15 apiece.
- Food Portions: Ample and just right. We were full, but with room for a few things from nearby bakeries.
- Service: Exceptional. Our server was friendly, helpful and always available when needed.
- Wait for a Table: None. Between noon and 1 PM on a Friday in the winter, the room was about 1/3 full.
- Price and Value: Reasonable. Mad & Vin is not cheap, but there are many choices in town if you'd like to save $5-7 per dish. However, the cost was exactly what I'd expect for what we bought.
- Parking: Plenty in the offseason. You might need to walk a few blocks to park on weekends and during the warmer weather.
We've been to a few places for lunch in Solvang over the years, but Mad & Vin is one we'd return to.