The Good Life

Great beer and service! Very knowledgeable about the different local beers and had good recommendations.

Howdy folks. How’s all my fellow Unilocalers doing? Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Whether you were with that special someone in your life, or riding solo, hopefully you did something special. I couldn’t think of a better way of spending my Valentine’s than at The Good Life.
You know I have got to be honest with you all. I have never really been into hanging out in the various wine bars that we have here on the Central Coast. Don’t get me wrong. I love good wine. But this has never really been my scene. But a make BIG exception with The Good Life. I absolutely love this place.
Now who wouldn’t love a place that is called The Good Life? Located in the Danish themed city of Solvang, The Good Life is a cozy little cellar that offers delicious wines and craft beer in a pleasant setting. That is the first thing that really struck me about this place. That is the groovey atmosphere. Beautiful paintings hang from the walls. I love art. Live music. There is even a fireplace that you can sit in front of in comfortable chairs while you sip your wine and enjoy good conversation with family, friends, or loved ones.
The owners are a handsome man named Alfred and a beautiful woman named Lisa. They are a lovely couple who are extremely knowledgeable about wines and are more than willing to help you select the bottle that is perfect for your tastes. They really do provide excellent customer service. They truly are great people who make every customer feel welcomed.
Another thing that I really like about The Good Life is that I always seem to make new friends every time I go there. Last night I met a really nice group of Eastern Indians who had maid their way to the area from the Bay Area. There was also a nice couple from Lodi who offered to share their table with me. I even got to meet the musician playing that night, a nice young woman named Nataly Lola. Hey, wait a minute. That is my sister. :-)
So whether you are a local resident of the Central Coast, or travelling from places far away, head on into beautiful Solvang and visit The Good Life. Delicious wines. Groovey atmosphere. Friendly people. Who could ask for anything more? Thanks Alfred and Lisa. Until next time may the force be with you. Happy trails.
Nasty Nathanial

Stopped by for a quick look, the tastings weren’t the cheapest but we were greeted right away. It was a cute, quaint wine bar and everyone seemed to enjoy the service and wine. Unfortunately, can’t say much else since we didn’t actually drink, once we looked at the prices. But I’ll still give a 4 because customer service and being acknowledged is HUGE in my book.

I had such a wonderful night at the good life! The place has such a warm and inviting energy. Lisa and Al are the best. Al helped us pick 2 wines that were just amazing. The cheese plate was tremendous. I can’t wait to go back!

Was in town over Labor Day weekend with some friends. We were staying right down the street so we walked over here. There aren’t a lot of places open late in the town so this was a great fine. Good wine and beer selection with live music. Very cute and cozy inside. Would definitely return.

Cool little bar in the heart of Solvang.
Wine & beer tasting. Indoor and outdoor (limited) seating. Clean restroom.
This place has personality and is definitely worth a stop. The female employee behind the bar seemed a bit crabby and unfriendly, but it didn’t stop our enjoyment of this unique pub.
4 stars!

Hidden gem in Solvang. Husband and wife owners with a dog to boot, gave the place a friendly atmosphere.

Took my boyfriend to Solvang for the first time. Looked on Unilocal and saw good reviews on here for this place. I’m so glad I chose this place. We had a red wine flight, a white wine flight, and a beer flight. All three flights were tasty and delicious. I learned a lot about wine during the two wine flights because the bartender was very knowledgeable. Also, she helped me realize that 805 central coast wine is just my fit. I highly recommend this place. Lastly, I loved that we were able to enjoy the patio while we indulged in the beer flight. The honey beer was so light and smooth and I’m an IPA girl so this was surprising that I actually liked a lighter beer. I ended up purchasing a case. I’m confident I will return for the wine, beer, and inviting knowledgeable service.

Kind of a pub feel. Came in for a tasting, but I don’t recall it much, having come directly from a three-​hour Celebration of Harvest. Forgot our bottles of olive oil there, and they still had them the next day!

Fun rustic/​dive feel with a great selection of beer and wine. Fell in love with the atmosphere and friendly staff as well as other bar patrons.
BEAR, the unofficial mascot/​pet dog who is oh so friendly seems to have her spot by the fire place.
Great live acoustic band in on Saturday who we (my mom, her best friend and I… celebrating my mom’s birthday) tipped well ;)
I will definitely be back for good vibes and to work my way down the drink menu — Albarino (white wine from Spain and/​or Portugal) was AHHHMAAZING as was the sparkling wine. CHEERS!!!

Great wine. Owners have no soul or personality. They used to — vey sad, as such a lovely place. We were here several years ago when they first opened and loved the experience with them. So sad the energy and enthusiasm is gone.

AWESOME spot!
the second I walked in, i fell in love. Great selection of craft beer and wines!
the staff was very knowledgable and very attentive. I was glad to see some of LA’s best craft beers on the shelf.
Definitely coming back!

What a cute, cozy, classy place! Came up for the weekend and just ADORED this fabulous little wine «cellar». My glass was never empty due to the attentive staff and I just had the best time ever. Definitely try the hard root beer by Mission Brewing!

Allow me to be frank from the commencement, this place has the rudest owners I have ever encountered in over 12 years of visiting the majority (if not all) of the establishments in the Solvang, and surrounding areas. In fact, I don’t think I have ever witnessed a more rude business owner, ever. Although this establishment does have a decent selection of craft beers, the selection of wine and beer is quickly and easily overshadowed by the pugnacious and cantankerous attitude displayed by the modicum blusters of the owner. I only wish I could give this establishment a negative star rating.

More like «The Bad Life», AMIRIGHT?!
Where’s the zero star button on this thing? I’ve been here in the past and had a perfectly enjoyable experience, but I passed through town last week and had the misfortune of being served by the owner. I was very underwhelmed by both his wine suggestions and his overall vibe and attitude.
If you’re in town to drink wine, there are plenty of much better places to go, but if you absolutely MUST drink at this spot, do yourself a favor and call ahead to make sure he isn’t working that day. If he is, make the trek out to Lincourt or Riverbench, because those places both rule.

Came here with my good friends on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The staff was great and very attentive as soon as we walked in. My choice of wine was the Cabernet Franc by Carr Winery. This Cabernet Franc starts off with layers of black cherry, raspberry and blueberry unfolding on your palate. It was delicious!
They also have a good variety of beer but I didn’t look into it as much since I’m more of a wine drinker. There’s a cozy fireplace located inside as well if you’re lucky enough to get seats in front of it.
There’s a 10% discount upon check-​in on Unilocal so that’s a bonus! Check them out when you’re in town.

Not friendly to Asian people. Not allow to sit to get a tasting tour. My dad and I went there for a wine tasting. We were asking for siting on chair and have a wine tasting. However, the bar tender was not allow us to sit. I was very surprise and nearly agree. During the wine tour, more people came in, sit down and taste wines. I was stocked.

We came to this place because it was one of two places open past 9pm on a Saturday night in Solvang and it advertised live music.
It was pretty packed when we got there and there was barely any place to stand or sit. The music was good and the bartenders were pretty nice.
The weird part was how rowdy everyone was getting in there. It was bordering on inappropriate and there was a really weird vibe to the whole place. The bartenders didn’t seem to want to stop the rowdiness and just seemed to feel awkward about the whole thing. We quickly grabbed our drinks, drank them and left because of the vibe there. This woman was practically taking off her clothes on the dance floor.

A nice spot to stop in to cool down from the heat, and taste some great craft beers, and wine.
Inside is small but very cozy with great atmosphere. There’s a small bar along the wall and couches for you to relax in.
The service was great, the lady checked in with us several times to make sure we were okay, and made good suggestions on beer.
There’s also patio tables outside if you want to «people watch» or just enjoy the nice day.
Smaller than the other wine bars around, decent prices on their menu.

Wandered in on a sunny Friday afternoon. We walked around the town looking into other spots for a drink, and after half an hour of exploration, we decided to come back to Good Life and wait another 20 minutes until they opened. The little patio in the front is very comfortable and offers a nice view of the street. You can half hide behind the plants while watching cars and tourists go by.
Inside, it’s comfortable with dark woods, leathers, and a brick fireplace, but not so dark that your eyes strain to read the menu. Bar area is intimate, and seating area by the fire is also cozy. There are bar stools and tall tables toward the back wall where you can sit and read the various labels of wine offered.
Service was kind and casual. Not pretentious. I appreciate that very much.
Atmosphere inside was nice, but after a while, we decided to go back onto the patio and enjoy the weather. Even though we moved outside and even though there are only two people here running the show, we weren’t forgotten.
Looking forward to my next stop in Solvang so that I can try another local craft brew and sit on the patio again.