Cold Spring Tavern

Such a cool spot!
While technically secluded in the Santa Barbara mountains, this highly trafficked eatery is a go to for all types of travelers. The location is absolutely beautiful. There’s an authentic charm in the rustic décor that you don’t find much anymore. The tavern consists of both an outdoor bar/​eatery where you can grab drinks and sandwiches on the go, as well as a smaller indoor space (that takes reservations).
If you’re expecting a super exhaustive menu, you’ll be disappointed. There’s a decent selection, but you really want to stick to the classics here. The BBQ pulled pork sandwich is Ah-​Mazing! It’s a flavorful, and messy experience — as it should be.
The tri-​tip sandwich is excellent too, though it’s a bit more deconstructed — so you’ll have to add your own sauces that they provide.
Don’t be afraid to add some chili to your meal. We got the sampler, but their classic chili is by far the best. Get it on fries or in bowl — JUST GET IT!
Overall had a great experience here and would recommend it to anyone traveling nearby!
Stay Cheerful ;)

Cold Spring Tavern is an awesome, cozy place to go for lunch or dinner. It used to be a rest stop for stagecoach travelers. Located in the mountains, I felt like I was camping again. FYI, the parking lot is pretty small. My friends and I came here for dinner on President’s Day and made reservations for 6:30pm. When we got there, we were greeted by a friendly staff which told us to wait since our table wasn’t ready yet. However, we waited for quite a while and the staff didn’t check up on us or say anything while we were waiting. There were lots of open tables around and I wasn’t sure what was taking so long. There was like no point in making a reservation since we still had to wait for a while. It wasn’t even that busy! Anyways, we were finally seated and it was time to eat!
We ordered the Venison Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms ($ 11), the Cold Spring Chicken ($ 24) and the Tri Tip Sandwich (($ 19.50). The chicken and the sandwich came with two sides each. We had their mash potato, clam chowder, jasmine rice and beef chili. Everything was soooo delicious! I liked all the side dishes and my favorite main dish was the stuffed mushrooms and the sandwich. We heard their Tri Tip Sandwich was a must-​get dish and it was so yummyy. The Cold Spring Chicken was baked with almond raisin stuffing smothered in sberry, sour cream and and mushroom sauce. It was really interesting since it was sweet and savory. The stuffed mushroom was baked in garlic butter with fresh parmesan cheese. Soooooo goooodd!
Although the service was kind of bad in the beginning, it got better later. Our server was great and recommended lots of dishes for us. I love the environment and the history behind the restaurant and no doubt was the food on point. FYI, restrooms are located outside of the restroom, right next to it.

Such a great little spot. Drive up was just so beautiful and scenic. Because of the rain, everything was very green. The place resembled a little like Knotts Berry Farm as another patron stated. The restaurant was tiny but super cool. You can either wait to be seated inside or order tri tip sandwich’s from the bar.
Chili was decent and the tri tip was good. Would like to go back to try the dinner menu.

Precioso restaurante en medio de una montaña en Santa Bárbara. Para llegar es necesario tener coche, que se puede dejar aparcado en las inmediaciones.
El sitio es una antigua estación de postas. Así, el restaurante está en una cabaña muy bonita y con una decoración rústica, rodeado de vegetación y del resto de elementos de la estación (incluso una pequeña cárcel donde se encerraba a los presos que se transportaban mientras se cambiaban los caballos de los coches).
Es un poco caro, y la comida está buena, aunque mi hamburguesa BBQ estaba demasiado picante para mi gusto. El servicio es atento, aunque no tanto como en otros sitios de EEUU (donde están todo el rato pendientes de ti), tuvimos que esperar un rato para que nos sirvieran o para que nos rellenaran las jarras de agua. Y, eso sí, se suele llenar bastante de gente.
En fin, lo mejor del restaurante, sin duda, es el sitio en el que está, que merece la pena visitar antes de seguir por la ruta de la costa.

When in the Santa Barbara area, take a detour off the 154 onto Stagecoach Rd to find this unexpected, somewhat hole-​in-​the-​wall, in the middle-​of-​nowhere, roadside bar and food joint. Rickety looking old wooden buildings, ivy taking over in spots, large logs for seating outside, some picnic type tables, and benches too; tables and stools inside. Dusty during summer, damp in the winter.
We had first passed by during a wine tour. After the tour, we immediately made our way back to indulge in this experience. The bar/​tavern is adjacent to the restaurant. We had just had lunch on the wine tour; our time was spent at the tavern. The smell from the bbq wofted throughout. Live music outside and a line at the bar (s) inside. Cold beer, happy people, all walks of life. People all about with people leaving and arriving at a steady pace. This is a place to return when in the area again.
It’s not hard to find, just awkward. Expect windy roads and a grand curve and at the apex is Cold Spring Tavern. Parking sucks, let’s be honest. If arriving by car, you’ll need to find off pavement parking along the road; no sidewalk; precarious walking up the road with traffic both directions. On motorcycle, no problem, pull right in, usually.
As soon as I find my pics, I’ll post.