Patrick’s Side Street Cafe

Sorry you are closed Patrick. The Harvest Festival weekend was not the same without starting it at your place.
Good luck.

I’m a dog lover, but the owner lets his two dogs roam the area around the restaurant and allows the dogs in the dining room. Pit Bulls are not all the same, but to have one of them roaming freely around town isn’t safe or fair to other people walking their dogs in the neighborhood.
Patrick, the owner is definitely the «alpha male» on the property and makes sure everyone knows it. As you’ll read on many reviews here on Unilocal,he’s rubbed many patrons the wrong way. I can understand why.
I’ve only eaten here once and have no desire to return, more because of the service and «we can do no wrong» attitude, but the food really isn’t anything to talk about.
I heard that he recently had to close up shop. I don’t know if this is true, but if so, I wouldn’t be surprised. Focus on catering to your customers next time around, Patrick!

Went for lunch with my parents and daughter, it was cute and rather nondescript. I was a bit surprised that the owner allowed dogs in the dining room. The owner/​chef has an adorable pit bull who is sweet as pie, but my dad was attacked by a large dog years ago and was very anxious about the freedom the dog had in the dining room.
Another patron also brought in a dog who sat at the table with them… This is just strange to me and I have 2 dog.
On to the food, I ordered the crab salad along with the coconut cabbage soup. Both wonderful, my daughter enjoyed the hearts of romaine salad, and it was yummy as well, it was slightly wilted and the cheese melted into the dressing, this was a divine combination. As good as the food was, I did not think it was worth the $ 60 with tip bill. Did I mention we drank water only. My parents enjoyed a pastrami sandwich, which was pretty thin and average in flavor. No way near worth the $ 17 price per sandwich. My parents left hungry.

My wife and I have been coming here for years as we taste the valley and in Los Olivos. We have never been disappointed with the food, which is what most matters when you go out to eat. I recommend the little neck clams, the pork chop, and the wienerschnitzel which I have had as a special.
We find Patrick to be one of the most interesting characters we have met. He has been friendly, funny and charming. Some of you must be either overly snobby, overly sensitive, or lacking a sense of humor.
We will be heading up in a few weeks, and this will be a definite stop as usual. And we will be glad you wont be there.

Holy crap. I’ve been to all sorts of restaurants — from 5 star haute cusine to greasy hole-​in-​the-​wall shacks in the middle of nowhere. I’ve never had an experience like the one I had at Patrick’s. And I mean that in the worst possible way.
Here’s the deal. I went to lunch at Patricks, and while our waitress was lovely, she totally forgot our drinks. Don’t worry, I’m not THAT petty. I wouldn’t dock a restaurant all its stars for something minor like that. Nevertheless, after thirty minutes, she resurfaced (we were in the back patio and thus forgotten) at which point my parents complained about the lack of drinks or starters.
The waitress was very apologetic and said she had completely forgotten. She immediately brought us out our drinks. Certainly it was an oversight on her part, but she rectified the situation, and all was well. Two minutes layer, however, the titular Patrick arrived and asked how everything was. My dad said it had been okay. Just okay? Patrick was shocked. Why was it just okay? My father replied that we’d had to wait practically half an hour for our drinks.
«it’s a busy restaurant,» Patrick replied.
I forget what my dad said, but it was something along the lines of «So?»
“You ever run a restaurant?” Patrick then asked.
«No,» said my dad, not willing to take any attitude. «But I’ve eaten in many.»
«Are you the owner?» my mom then asked.
«No,» he said. This surprised us. What sort of employee would go off on patrons like this?
Patrick then moseyed off and returned five minutes later.
«I just checked the computer. You weren’t waiting that long.» (Never mind the fact that when we placed our drink order and when it was entered into the computer could have been two completely different times, not that it even mattered at this point).
«It felt long to us,» said my dad.
«You think I give a shit?» he responded. Omg. I could NOT believe this was happening. What sort of bizarro Wild West saloon had we walked into?
«You think I care if you do?» replied my dad, who was more than happy to give back whatever Patrick was throwing his way. This was beyond insane in so many ways.
At this point, Patrick walked away and then bellowed out over the entire patio of diners «So, you’ll never eat in this restaurant again, and we won’t have you.»
Craziness. And then the coup de grace:
Patrick then announced, «The employees all voted, and you are the MEANEST PEOPLE IN THIS RESTAURANT.»
«Then my job here is done,» remarked my dad, who was now quietly happy to have gotten under this guy’s skin.
Patrick left, and the waitress soon returned with our food.
«Who was that man?» my mom asked.
«Oh, he’s the owner,» she said. This left us all scratching our heads. The guy was so sensitive that we would DEIGN to open our mouths that our drinks were so late, but when confronted, he pretended like he wasn’t the owner? Kind of ridiculous.
Truth be told the food was good, and had Patrick not come out and made such a scene, we would have thought «okay, the waitress was inattentive at first, but she got her act together and the food was nice.» Ultimately though, he was such an ass that he ruined the whole thing. Maybe if you’re a Michelin star winning chef you can pull that attitude, but when you own a lunch spot in the middle of nowhere, it’s a bit ridiculous.
Look, my parents aren’t these gauche restaurant boors who raise hell when their every whim isn’t catered to. However, the wait for the drinks was quite long, and there was no reason to literally strut out to us and pick a fight. It was so bizarre I almost should give this place five stars for giving me a golden story to tell to friends.
Caveat emptor!
Nice food but not worth the drama.

My husband and I always make it a point to eat at Patrick’s Side Street Café every time we’re in Los Olivos or vicinity.
Patrick knows exactly what he’s doing as far as cooking!
We’ve never had a bad experience with Patrick himself. Yes he’s a bit eccentric def not boring which he expresses through his food.
When I go to a restaurant, my main goal isn’t to become best friends with the chef/​owner and his employees, but to eat, and when I go to Patrick’s I eat great food!

I think I mostly adore Patrick’s Side Street Café because of well, Patrick himself – the owner, the chef, the visionary.
I came to Patrick’s after a long, beautiful, relaxing day of wine tasting with my family in Los Olivos. We heard about this place from a family friend who swore it was the most fun she’s had at a restaurant and that again, was a result of Patrick himself. So, we went.
Don’t get me wrong, the food here is really very lovely. The cheese bowl, the warm duck roasted salad, the prime rib – all of it was delicious. But Patrick made my night. He schmoozed and joked and laughed with each table. When I was uncertain of what entrée to order, he asked me what my three top picks were. When I told him he ran back to his exposed kitchen, put together a few plates, came back to my table, grabbed my hand, and brought me into his kitchen to try bites of each entrée I was contemplating. It was marvelous!
Patrick is an outspoken, no b.s., borderline crass, aggressive, hilarious and charming character. He might offend some customers, but he also might win you over like he did with me and my family. We drank wine with him, talked food with him, and ate until our hearts and stomachs were content as can be.
It was the perfect end to our day in Los Olivos and I will look back on that dining experience fondly!

My husband and I went here because I read they were dog friendly — BUT while I was admiring Patrick’s dog he came out of the back kitchen and walked near his dog — when his dog got excited to see him and jumped up he slapped her across the face so hard that she cried out. I was so shocked I just walked back to my table for my own dogs and left immediately. Wow what and ass! Dog Friendly he is NOT!!!

follow your nose.
I parked my car and started walking around Los Olivos, I always called this town «Mayberry» it just looks like it. Anyway… this place has changed… maybe it was the film «sideways» but the town is now full of wine tasting shops, like every other storefront… I digress.
The smell of meat cooking over Santa Maria Red Oak caught me from the intersection… I saw the wispy blue to the west and headed over. I took a look at the proper Santa Maria Grill with the many Tri-​Tips cooking about 18″ off the red oak embers and knew we had a grillmaster on hand!
Upon entering the restaurant I could see it was not a bbq joint, but a nicer eating establishment fitting to the wine industry that is now Los Olivos. I requested a seat outside on this perfect summer day and waited for a menu. It had salads… other stuff… but not the tri-​tip that drew me in. Finally the waitress went over the specials and offered chicken or «st louis style ribs» ½ or full rack… I ordered a ½ and a Negro Modelo and enjoyed the bread and butter she left behind.
I love bbq, and I must say this place made some of the best ribs I have ever had. really. ½ rack was $ 23. on the expensive side but worth it.
the Negro Modelo was only $ 3.
I hope to visit again to enjoy some wine and other dishes from this gem of «Mayberry»

For God’s sake what is with all the low star raters. Their main issue is with the owner. This makes Unilocal not what it should be. Knock it off!
I base my ideas of a decent restaurant on my own observances, which in my case, have been extensive to say the least. I know good food and I darn well know good wine. So…
1. Is the food good enough to compare with the price asked?
Patrick’s Side Street Café is excellent. Wanna know why? When I first went to this absolutely great place, I ordered the Prime Rib. It was excellent. I then went on a Thursday night the next week and ordered the Rib Eye. It was excellent. I then went the following Sunday at 5:45 pm I had the Prime Rib. Again the best I have EVER had… BAR NONE HANDS DOWN THE BEST. The wife had Trout. The best she ever had. We fought over her last piece.
I have been on a Saturday, Friday, Sunday, Wednesday over a ten week try at all varying hours of operation. «Come on, I thought. There has got to be a time that it fails or the bad thing happens that these other „reviewers“ had experienced.»
I mean come on… We aren’t popular. We don’t brown nose and neither does this restaurant, but it just can’t be consistently excellent. Regardless of singing or quietness, and I have been there when we were the only ones in the place, and other times when we had to wait to be seated in a noisy, packed, atmosphere, so one has to face facts…
But excellent every time? I mean… Come on, It can’t be true.
Oh yes it can… Over 20 visits spanning every conceivable hour and day that they served dinner the food was OUT «F“ing STANDING.
2. Is the server (hired help) nice?
Oh really… Come on… They are people. Sometimes people do and act like human beings. Sometimes people can make a mistake or appear that they don’t care. Why don’t you cry babies go work as a dishwasher sometime. Try looking at things differently next time and I bet the things you look at, will indeed change. In other words… Get over it and get over yourselves for God’s sake! Walk into Patricks and wait to be seated. They aren’t Dennys. They get busy. They are human.
Is there room for improvement? There always is, but…
Now I was really thinking…“Ok, ok… So Patrick acts the way he does.» He has been trite with me on occasion. But why am I there? I am there to eat damn it, not to be kissed and have wind blown up my ass! He talks to his customers instead of getting in the way of the hired staff that he pays to do their job. At least this place lets you see full (heads on) into the kitchen. That aspect right there blows the other establishments out of the running. So what if he jokes and talks to his friends? He likes what he does. I think these other reviewers were just peeved that they did not get to know Patrick. After getting to know him I can honestly say that the guy has a really big heart. What he thinks of me, quite honestly, I do not care. Los Olivos should be honored he hangs his hat there.
As for dog issue? if you don’t like dogs, why on earth did you visit Los Olivos to begin with? I bet you don’t understand the love of a dog and if you do have one, for God’s sake, give it to someone that will.
Bottom line…
Food Excellent.
Staff… beyond nice.
Owner… He is a person like all the rest of us. Get over it. If you want to eat your meal in peace go to In and Out Burger at 1:00 am. Until then, quite frankly, grow up.
For those that want an outstanding dinner, take my word for it. Try the Prime Rib. You’ll thank me for it and probably know you want your portrait done by me because of my ability to know good food and damn good art as well.
Try forgiveness, it will set you free and peace will be at your doorstep.
S and N

Knowing full well we should have a little substance in our bellies before hitting up wine tastings, we found ourselves at Patrick’s Side Street Café, a cozy eatery at the far corner of Alamo Pintado Ave in Los Olivos.
The restaurant itself definitely has a quaint charm to it… I love open concept where you can see executive chef, sous-​chefs, chef de partie, etc diligently working together to create something grand… tables are covered in white cloths, and local artwork hangs on the walls. It’s always in towns like Los Olivos that you find creativity and eccentricity are in unison. That goes without saying at the Side Street Café…
We wanted to keep lunch somewhat light in anticipation for dinner reservations that evening… and also save room for the tastings we were about to partake in.
I will say, it was a little off putting that Chef Patrick did not want to seat anyone until his kitchen caught up with orders. We stood there… Watching in amazement as four tables sat empty… why it was an issue to actually seat us, rather than having us stand by the restroom was kind of a bummer… we could have taken that time to peruse the menu and perhaps have something to drink… but no… the chef prefers his patrons stand and wait until his kitchen staff is caught up in the back. After 15 – 20 minutes we were finally seated.
I ordered the Wine Maker’s Lunch — which consisted of house made pâté, chef’s choice of cheese, port-​soaked figs, glazed pecans, and freshly sliced bread. The pâté was just ok… it wasn’t as soft as I prefer and the flavor was just ok… the chef’s choice of cheese was variety of blue and actually quite nice. It was sharp and yes, pungent. It paired nicely with the pâté… but again I found the pâté to just be aiiight, not out of this world… it was minced, but I could still taste a separation of ingredients. The port soaked figs were the appurtenance that held the entire dish together. I enjoyed the glazed pecans… they were more or less coated in cinnamon and tasted like a churro, sans the deep fry.
I was more impressed with what my BF and friends ordered. The BF had the Hearts of Romaine salad; a large romaine heart sautéed in garlic olive oil on top of a warm gorgonzola cream sauce. That sauce was outstanding. Very smoky in flavor and complimented the garlic olive oil and lettuce perfectly. The few bites I managed to steal were delicious.
My friends split the Panini sandwich and salad… the Panini they ordered was the special for the day… our waitress informed us Chef Patrick recently acquired a Panini press and was having fun coming up with new Panini creations. Their sandwich was filled with Italian deli meats, two cheeses, and grilled onions… the bread was dusted in parmesan and pressed. I had a bite and thought it was quite good.
I wouldn’t mind coming back here… and trying something else. Perhaps breakfast next time… to beat the rush and hopefully grab a seat immediately.

I first met chef/​owner, Patrick, as we tried to complete our wine tasting at the neighboring Andrew Murray wine shop. He was enthusiastically demonstrating a Lion’s Mane fungus, which he carried in his breast pocket. He ranted and raved about how this «mushroom» was so rare and precious — blaring out how he couldn’t wait to cook with it.
He even let us inspect and smell it… smelling fungus is usually pointless as they often do not smell or do not smell pleasant. it didn’t look like something I would ever want to try, but then again, I am hardly the adventurous eater. I am sure if this chef /​owner of Patrick’s Side Street Café, which is revered as one of the best restaurants in Los Olivos (award winning as well), made a dish using the lion’s man fungus, I would be inclined to try it out. Plus, this guy was extremely boisterous and his personality was eccentric and unconventional.
I was only intrigued to try his food even more.
The restaurant itself is very quaint — and often times, a full house. The wait can be a little discouraging, however, many stand around and endure the painful 30min — 1hr wait just to eat here. This was my first time making it INSIDE, so I was definitely eager to try out a specialty plate. That is, until i saw the food prices.
The average plate on the lunch menu ranges between $ 14 — $ 25. Including the salads. Now, this is definitely not cheap eats, but the signature dishes lure you in. Our wait was probably about 15 minutes or so – seemed longer considering there weren’t many people occupying tables inside the restaurant. But we heard the kitchen fell behind and so the chef put a halt on the seating.
This was a little unnerving considering we could have easily sat at a table with a cold glass of water and some bread. instead, they coral the patrons in the back area where the bathroom is, creating a cluster fuck for those who want to relieve themselves. i don’t know about you, but hangin’ out by the toilet doesn’t really do much to curve the hunger pains.
After about 15 minutes, we were finally seated. Water came quickly and our orders were taken within minutes. I observed the food portions and for the price, these dishes were definitely huge. But was the food worth it?
I ordered a Parmesan crusted Baguette panini with Italian deli meats, cheese and sweet grilled onion. The panini was delicious; the Parmesan crusted bread was crunchy at first bite, then soft. The meat was not greasy or oily, not even the melted cheese gave off any signs of grease. My panini came with a mixed salad topped with spicy cilantro dressing. Very light with subtle hints of spice.
i actually split my dish with my BF as we were trying to keep it light before our main dinner at the Ballard Inn. My friends also kept it light;
Sauteed Hearts of Romaine with olive oil and garlic topped with a warm Gorgonzola cream sauce and balsamic syrup.
Winemaker’s Lunch — homemade pâté, choice of cheese, glaze pecans and port soaked figs served with bread.
Overall, i thought our light lunch was decent. However, I must mention this in my review; (granted, I should have brought this discovery to the attention of the waitress and even Patrick himself) as i was digging into the latter part of my panini, I found a blond hair embedded in the cheese. It wasn’t like an airborne hair just landed on my sandwich… it was pressed and grilled in the cheese. I pulled it out and sure enough… That certainly ruined my lunch — but had I not noticed it, it would have been a delightful meal. Hair is harmless, sure. But it’s also disgusting. And if i wanted hair in my food, I would have plucked one of mine instead.
There probably won’t be a next time at this place — it’s just too crowded, too pricey, and too hairy.

We stopped by the Side Street for lunch. It was a warm, sunny day so we chose a table outside in front.
We couldn’t have had a better meal. I had a sausage plate, which was perfect. It was a nice mixture of sausages. The salad was made of local greens and was fresh and crisp. I enjoyed a nice glass of white wine from the area.
Our waitress was helpful, friendly and our service was great.
My son enjoyed the dessert where you pick a frozen banana and roll and dip it in chocolate and other goodies.
We enjoyed our meal here and if I am ever in the area again I will seek out another meal here!

When we saw Patrick walking through town showcasing his rare find, lion’s mane mushrooms, we knew we had to try Side Street Café. One of the «friendliest» restaurant owners I’ve met, Patrick invited my girlfriends and I into the kitchen to «ooh», «ahh» and «wowww» his new treasure.
Side Street Café serves up big, big portions. We split the delicious, hearty mushroom appetizer (served over creamy, savory polenta), soup, 2 entrees and had plenty leftover.
The sweet potato with cumin soup was heaven in a cup. Creamy, rich, smokey flavored sweet potato that got tastier and tastier with each spoonful… perfect for a chilly, winter evening.
My main entrée was the rib eye. The cut was double the size of an L.A. steakhouse portion and covered in spicy peppercorn sauce. Accompanied with your choice of potatoes or saffron rice and brussel sprouts.
Sadly, no one had room for dessert, so a return trip is needed to try the chocolate banana, banana cream pie, and Heath crème brûlée.
Cozy dining room including bar/​counter service and open kitchen. Definitely stop by when you’re staying or passing through town.

We had such high hopes, what a disappointment! If I’m going to spend $ 40 on two small lunch plates, the food had darn well be good, if not spectacular. Also of note, they do not take reservations, the seating is first come first served.
Backstory: My wife and I frequently make the drive up and down the 101 from Santa Cruz to LA. We’ve tried different pit stop restaurants along the way and have largely been disappointed. For the first time ever, we decided to make our pit stop in Los Olivos. As we were pretty hungry but on a moderate budget, we wandered around the town a bit and stumbled upon Patrick’s. The menu is really what enticed us.
So we enter. Every table is full. This is at 2:00 on a Sunday. Good sign, I’d suppose. No hostess to seat us. We look around some. Admire the ceiling a bit. Is that crown molding up there? Was that window crooked? Tick tock… still no hostess. We wander up to the bar, where there are two seats, hoping to seat ourselves. We look around sheepishly to make sure it’s okay. Still nothing. Finally after about 5 minutes we’re acknowledged. The waitress tells us that the chef is seating people personally. Okay, sure.
We get our table and order. I get the Torpedo Sandwich with salad & hazelnut vinaigrette, she has the Winemaker’s Lunch (port soaked mission figs, pâté, goat cheese, bread). No problems here on out. We chat with a neighboring table about Fred Savage. Then, the food arrives. Disappointing is an understatement.
Wife’s plate had 4 minuscule morsels of cold untoasted bread, chopped liver, some candied pecans, goat cheese, and some super boozy figs. The «pâté» was really a mousse of liver, and the bread lasted about 4 bites. My salad was drowning in the dressing. Inedible. The sandwich, while flavorful, was essentially stacked high with meat and nothing else on a soggy kaiser roll. Somehow this was the highlight of our lunch. It gets better though. In my salad, was a big soggy piece of receipt paper. Lucky I hadn’t touched much of my salad, or I might have eaten it.
So all this seems pretty grim, right? Well, no problem, in swoops our server to make everything swell. Only. Not so much. Our server all but disappeared. We spent what felt like an eternity trying to make eye contact with the wait staff, bus person, and the chef (who was wandering around shmoozing with customers and drinking wine instead of maybe, you know, running his kitchen).
Finally our server showed up. We asked for some more cold stale bread so we could finish the cheese and liver on the plate. And we mentioned the plucked piece of paper from my plate. Our server didn’t seem surprised, and said something along the lines of «oh, looks like some receipt paper got mixed into your salad, I’ll let Patrick know.» Instead, she just scurried off without a word to anyone else.
I don’t mind paying top dollar for high quality ingredients. I don’t even mind if there are mishaps along the way as long as they’re addressed. But to spend almost $ 20 each only to be served mediocre food and be ignored, even by the sociable chef, was too much. We’ll never return.

This place is an amazing find. We have been here 2 times now and have been blown away with the quality of the service, and he food.
The first time I went, I had the corned beef sandwich (haven never eaten corned beef before). It was spectacular and even though I was full, I couldn’t stop eating it and devoured everything on the plate.
The second time, I had the «Croz» salad. Absolutely amazing. Im usually not one for salads but we were doing a big wine run and wanted something light. By far this was the best salad I have ever had in my life.
A funny thing happened the first time though… A couple next to us (rather snooty with a man who was so pompous about the wine list) ordered, and the lady got a salad, but she instructed the waiter to have the dressing on the side, none of this, and none of that. A few moments later the head chef came out and asked «why», to which the lady said «its the way i like my salads»… The Chef, neither miffed nor frustrated explained to her that this wasn’t Denny’s and he was a chef, and that all his plates are hand crafted and meant to taste a certain way.
I thought at first «Wow» but then realized that he was right. The last thing you want is someone ordering food the way they want it, not liking it, and walking out with a bad experience rather than having them taste the food the way you want it experienced.
Great place, and we found it only by luck after being so frustrated with the line at Los Olivos Café, which I will never eat at again.

We had dinner at Patrick’s tonight and it was wonderful. Patrick was firing up the wood-​burning smoker out front as we arrived, so eating something cooked with this method seemed like the way to go.
We thought about getting the fondue appetizer, but then heard about the heirloom tomato bisque and we all had a round of that instead. It was the best tomato soup any of us have ever had. We’re apparently not alone in this line of thought as we heard that it has been featured in Sunset magazine more than once.
After that steaks were calling and we had both the New York strip and the Rib-​Eye. Both were amazing and had a wonderful flavor from the smoker.
If you’re ever looking for a great diner in Los Olivos, give Patrick’s a try. His multiple CIA degrees will make your taste buds very happy!

I hadn’t read any of the previous reviews before having lunch here with my wife recently. I don’t think we encountered the owner during our meal, although some of the staff were a little different. Not to feed any fires, but I saw tables of people from lots of backgrounds eating here, and they all seemed to be having a good time.
I thought our food and service was fine. I had a sliced pork sandwich and my wife had a pâté and cheese plate. It was pricey but I figured that was just how all the places must be to survive around here. Lunch for two and a couple of drinks was around $ 60.
They certainly seem to know the definition of a full pour if you’re having wine with your meal.

Wanting to «hide the salami» one last time this past weekend, I opted for the «torpedo sandwich» at Patrick’s.
The torpedo is a monument to all things meat and contains salami, pastrami, ham, turkey with mozzarella and tomato all toasted up nicely ala Quiznos.
Just the sight of this monolith on the menu made my «about to be clogged» heart flutter with giddy anticipation.
With mouth watering and eyes wide open, I take my first bite only to realize that the sandwich doesn’t want to let go.
Has the sandwich decided to bite me back?
(don’t laugh, it’s happened before)
Nope, it was the outer skin left on the salami that was ½ in my mouth and ½ attached to the sandwich.
Yeah, super fun.
Now repeat until the sandwich is done.
The sandwich was delicious but it was killed by lingering pig parts.
Not to be missed is the cilantro dressing on the salad.
Casing.

I’ve had two very pleasant experiences at Patrick’s, from food, ambiance, and service perspectives.
What really shines is the ambiance and service. Their back-​patio is great, and resembles more of a garden than a restaurant. My trips were a while back, but what I can remember is that the food was great, and each time we were greeted by the owner, Patrick. He chatted us up and it was a pleasant experience, you get the feel that you are in the backyard of someone’s home and they just happen to have a really great chef living there! I will return on my next trip to Los Olivos.
For those with your gripes… get over it. Unilocal is not for when you’re looked at wrong by a server, or a chef out back is trying to joke around. If that happens twice at the same place, Unilocal about it. But life is too short to overreact about little quips, IMHO.