Maddie Haneline

GO HERE. Food is amazing. Service is just as good. Rachel was great. Friendly, upbeat, and good conversation. We had the burrata board app and the sausage and burrata pizza. More than enough for two to split and every bite was spectacular. We didn’t order pasta but the neighboring tables did. They raved about it but it did look on the smaller side. We will be back!! Reservations highly suggested

BigRyan

A woman in a Croatian village once told my wife and me a secret: the best restaurants keep their menus small. Focused. No fluff. That wisdom hits home at SY Kitchen in California’s Santa Ynez Valley, where the menu is a tight, perfect poem of dishes done right. The Margherita pizza? Crisp, blistered, with tomatoes that taste like summer. The meatballs, juicy and tender, nestled on focaccia bread, soaking up sauce that feels like a hug. The mushroom tagliatelle pasta is earthy, soulful. And the artichoke—dear God, the artichoke—grilled to smoky perfection, each leaf a masterclass in care. It’s not just technique, though SY’s got that nailed. It’s the sourcing. Surrounded by regenerative, organic farms, the ingredients—carrots, herbs, everything—taste like they were just pulled from the earth. No James Beard or Michelin star needed to know this place is world-class. You feel it in every bite. The staff seals the deal: James keeps the table humming, Jennifer knows the menu like a poet knows words, and John, the maître d’, runs the show with warm precision. SY Kitchen isn’t chasing fame; it’s too busy being great. Eat here. Eat here often. Because when the awards catch up, you’ll be fighting for a seat. Cheers SY, J+R @bigryanpark

+1

Thip R

We had a wonderful dining experience here. I was blissed with their lavender lemon drop cocktails. The food was great. The service was exceptional. The ambience was relaxing and pleasurable. Update 2025, since we found out about this place 4 years ago, it still worths a detour every time we travel by.

+2

carmen fought

Honestly, I would rate this as one of my top five restaurants that I have ever been to. (And I’ve eaten all over the world. I live in Los Angeles. I just visited Italy, etc…) Every time we go, the food is exquisite, every dish, down to the last detail. The soups are mind blowing. The cheese crisp on the soup was mind blowing! The special that day was black truffle pizza. *chef’s kiss* Add to that the charming atmosphere of it being set in a house and the amazing, warm service. The food feels luxurious, but the vibe is homey. Worth every single penny! We keep wanting to try new restaurants in Santa Ynez, but we just can’t seem to do it and keep coming here. Please go!

Susie Reilly

I always say YES to SY Kitchen. You can, too. The food is yummy every time and they take care of you like a loving family. I recommend requesting an outside table when you arrive.

+2

Jan Early

We are so fortunate to have SY Kitchen less than a mile from home! Our lunch today could not have been better. Cilantro margaritas, truffle t-bone sliders and potatoes and salmon salad all absolutely delicious. It was a busy Saturday lunch time, but the professional, friendly service we received was on point.

Emma C

This is our kind of place! A beautiful older home that has been lovingly renovated into a cozy, beautiful restaurant serving up local, fresh food done right. The executive chef had a quote on the back of the menu that I am paraphrasing but it said 'i try to take the best ingredients and not mess with them too much.' and it shows! Every plate we had (and we had almost.one of everything on the menu) was just perfection. The cocktails were expertly crafted. And the service--this place could teach a course on excellent customer service and experience. Because that's what this place is -- an experience.

+1

Kris Takasuka

Yummiest beet salad ever. Unfortunately we had a late lunch so we were not super hungry. Parking was plentiful. A converted home. Well done. Open kitchen. Great service and atmosphere. Overall wonderful experience. Need to return when we are starving. The next table had amazing looking pasta. We enjoyed wagyu meatballs but that beet salad was divine. Look forward to returning. Definitely make reservations. At 6pm on a Sun it was pretty full

+1

Bon Neovakul

Amazing restaurant! Service was quick, cocktails were one of the best! The food was to die for. We had the beet salad, crab spaghetti and mushroom pasta! Oh and you must get the hot bread with the chili sauce! I had 2 servings!

+2

Very tasty Italian food, very hospitable staff, but expensive and the portion sizes are small. We tried the roasted cauliflower and the minestrone soup. The minestrone soup was excellent, hearty and had fresh ingredients. The cauliflower was good but the portion size was very small. It had only few pieces of cauliflower and a small amount of cheese for $22. For the main dish, we had the wild mushroom pappardelle: the pasta was al dente and was tasty. Against, the portion size was small ($29). Note it had no meat or chicken. We also tried the Faraday pizza which was good with two kinds of cheeses and caramelized onions, but the onions were burnt. The size was medium. Usually, you get a larger size. For dessert we had the pistachio crème brûlée which was delicious and innovative. The service was excellent. The prices are high ($60-$70 per person for a soup or salad and main dish). Reservation is highly recommended as it is very busy (during dinner) even on weekdays, especially after 6 pm. We were able to get a table without reservation because we came early. Tasty food, and excellent service but need to reduce the prices and increase the portion size.

Rosanna Holod

The ambience of the place is wonderful; definitely gives a nice homey, country vibe! The establishment was also very clean and the staff were very kind and professional! I gave the food 4/5 only because the prices are very high and I feel that the food isn’t something out of this world or unique. Thanks for the experience!

Teresa Tims

First Timer; I learned that Chef Luca was a head chef at restaurants in LA that were very very successful and has culinary training in Italy. I think Verona, Italy and partnered with the owners of his old LA restaurant to open this one. The menu suggest things that are fresh and in season and locally sourced. The food is very high-quality, from what I can see. Very pleased on this first visit😎 Sat at Bar, seat not the most comfortable, bartender great, drink menu - nothing I wanted to order at first BUT as I watched him make everything I began to rethink my desires, lol. I wish I would’ve looked at the pictures of the cocktails and would’ve ordered a cocktail. The wine list is very minimal or rather the wine by the glass is very minimal and basic but all very good. I had the Beet Salad Bobs Bread (meh) and Butternut Squash Soup. Beet Salad, one of the BEST beet salads I can ever remember eating, it was incredible, so simple, very flavorful. I can tell this is one of those places that doesn’t overdo things, I like that so much, really can’t wait to come back and order a full meal! Squash Soup was very good too, not oozing with cream. 👍👍👍 NOTES ✅NO PETS👎 ✅Purses hung by the door left alone 🤣 wow we would never do this at home ✅Outside Dining looks incredible, so cozy I will eat out there next time if I can ✅Inside, not too noisy I was kind of surprised given the floors and height of the ceilings, but it was very pleasant

D G (ConsumerGuru)

I had a high expectation coming with locals that, like us, are adept foodies with Italian and European culinary experience. We wanted to like the place but all four of us were, sadly, not impressed. Especially not impressed, given the sometimes pricey menu items. Positives: Decor is simple, clean, and nicely spaced so that you don't feel crowded. Noise level is optimal, you can have a conversation. Service was pleasant, very professional, but unnecessarily slow on a night when only half the restaurant was filled. The drink selection was very good. However, I must say that while the cocktails were creatively designed, and overpriced as many are, they didn't always turn out so tasty. A matter of creative ingredients that sound interesting but that do not necessarily work well together. In other words, paying for the novelty more than the flavor. The food was the most limiting factor. Despite a nicely balanced menu and a good wine list, the preparations were often just OK but certainly not great or memorable. The gnocchi may have been the exception: fluffy light pillows of flavor in a delicate and well balanced cream sauce. The lamb filled pasta was dry inside and the sauce inadequate to make up for the insipid flavor. The waiter enthusiastically sold an overpriced cut of beef that was good but not exceptional in any way. The pizza was good even if some of the large-edged crust was beyond crispy. Desserts were decent but generally average. All in all, the place would have been a pleasant meal if it were in a nice cafe but in an expensive highly-rated restaurant, we were not impressed enough to return.

+2

After a first/initial disappointing experience at SY Kitchen, my fiancé and I decided to give it another shot for our Valentine’s Day weekend. Unfortunately, SY Kitchen was again highly disappointing, and it will be our last time visiting. I do want to acknowledge the positive aspects here — the service and waitstaff are very attentive, and your water glass will never be empty. Additionally, the cocktail program is good and consistent, particularly in an area where restaurants tend to focus on only wine pairings for meals. That being said, we have now visited SY Kitchen twice with high expectations considering it’s reviews, and have been highly disappointed with the food both times. And just to note, we visited several months apart, with both visits planned for celebratory occasions. During our first visit, we ordered a starter, two entrees, and a dessert — with one being a special for the evening. None of these dishes were enjoyable, but we ‘generously’ chalked this up to it being our first visit and the fact that we ordered somewhat intricate dishes (regardless of some being mainstay menu items, and one being a special). During our second visit this past weekend, we were deliberate to order only dishes which were on the standard menu — as we assumed these dishes would be the best and most refined plates, considering they are being offered as a consistent menu item. Unfortunately, these dishes were even more disappointing in quality than our previous visit, and honestly shocking given the generally positive reviews of this restaurant. The squash tortelli’s filling was extremely grainy, and the dish didn’t taste of anything beyond the overly-sweet filling, which felt as though it was from a can. The spaghetti vongole & bottarga tasted only of fennel and chilies in every bite, and there was no bottarga which we could see (or taste) throughout the entire dish. Bottarga has an extremely potent and distinctive taste, and considering it was noted as a component of the dish, we had hoped to taste (even a hint) of it. I don’t know if perhaps the food here used to be higher quality, or maybe there was a change in chef/management at some point recently, but unfortunately I can’t recommend SY Kitchen for anything beyond cocktails or having your water glass consistently filled up.

Kurk Scheer

I had eaten there a couple years ago and the food and service was amazing, my wife and I ate there last night and had a reservation for 5:30 in the evening. We arrived hardly anyone there, and still had to wait roughly 15 minutes before we were approached by a waiter. I ordered the special which was in New York steak and mushroom nice presentation. The steak was tough as a two dollar one I couldn’t cut through it with the stake knife they provided, it was like chewing a Goodyear tire! Not going back!