The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern Is a Leisurely, Luxurious Ode to California Days of Yore

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, a new hotel by Auberge Resorts that opened this February in Los Olivos, feels less like something rooted in 21st-century reality, and more like something plucked from California lore of centuries past. The earliest Craftsman-style building on its grounds dates back to 1886, constructed during the state’s boomtown years when a newly-completed branch of the Pacific Coast Railroad brought an influx of settlers to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. One of them? Swiss immigrant Felix Mattei, who, upon settling, decided to run a stagecoach inn amid the rich ranchland.

Mattei’s centuries-old ledger still sits in the entrance to what is now the bar, its guest list featuring near-immaculate handwritten ink. On August 8, 1892, a Randall Hunt from San Francisco checked into room six, while John Long from Santa Marina went into room 10. If you had no luggage, a notice at the top reminds guests, you had to pay upfront. On a table nearby sit weathered first editions of McNally maps.

Pull back a curtain and there’s a moody, ranch-style room that serves elevated bar fare like chickpea fritters, wild boar chili, and crispy chicken sandwiches. Beyond that, you’ll find an elevated farm-to-table restaurant, The Tavern, that serves dishes like pork belly and clams, ocean with onion soubise, and crispy cauliflower with roasted garlic tahini and spiced local honey. The culinary concepts are modern, and, in some ways, their interiors match: the bar has leather club chairs and faux-fur throws, whereas the Tavern is light and airy, with spindly botanicals hanging from the walls. 

Yet historical touches are everywhere: hung on the walls at the Tavern are the horseshoes from the equines of the historic Los Rancheros Visitadores, a riding club made up of mostly businessmen traveling throughout central California countryside. A key social stop on their trek? Mattei’s, where they’d drink beer before journeying out again. (Look closely and you’ll see a horseshoe from “Minnie Mouse,” the mare of former member Walt Disney.)