The Gathering Table

Deeeelllllliiicccious! That is ALL. Thank you!

No, seriously. We decided on this location based on the menu and we WERE NOT WRONG to do so because everything looked and sounded amazing. Too many things to try! I cannot wait to come back for more.

This terrific restaurant in The Ballard Inn is very popular, so be sure to make reservations. The atmosphere is a cross between modern and colonial, and the food is 100% creative.

We loved every course. The standouts were the best tomato soup I've ever tasted, and some incredibly tender octopus. The hamachi was also melt in your mouth tender. Service was an efficient team effort.

The wine list offers a nice selection of local bottles and some French wines, but very little variety by the glass.

Highly recommended.

Wow! (a good Wow!) Comfortable restaurant within the quaint Ballard Inn. Our understanding is that current menu has been going for only 5 weeks with I believe a new or newer chef. They say they have tried to offer something different that what you would typically find in the Santa Ynez valley - I would suggest they knocked it out of the park.

There were two of us and we focused on the bouchees and tapas part of the menu. It gave a chance to try quite a few things. Doing this we anticipated some real hits and some misses. In all we had 6 items (slider twice) and honestly they were all delicious. Our list was the curry bun, slider, abalone mushroom, Beef carpaccio, and grilled octopus. The base of each dish was good (the beef, octopus, etc.) but the accompanying sauces were epic! Even the grill toast with the octopus was spectacular. This was more than enough food for the two of us (arguably too much) - but we savored every bite.

The space is small and intimate - meaning service was attentive and personal. Was just looking for a glass of wine with dinner and our server had me taste 4 (including one not on the menu) before settling on the final choice.

Needless to say - loved it. Highly recommend if your in the area or local.

This is a small restaurant with only a few tables inside a boutique hotel. The French inspired good was excellent. Looks like the menu, though short, changes every month.

Service was good too. They forgot about two orders for our table. Mistakes happen. When reminded, they were apologetic and mended with offering the desserts on-the-house.

This place was amazing! We stayed in Solvang but wanted a somewhat fine dining experience for dinner. Searched and came across this restaurant. And boy are we glad we did! It is just outside Solvang, a quaint little 6 min drive to the beautiful rural setting. It is a huge house with gorgeous outdoors and the inside is even more stunning. Service was fantastic, and the atmosphere was so comfortable. We shared great conversation with other guests dining and our server was so accommodating to our every need. Details were not skipped when it came to the food or experience. I had the soft egg with caviar and it was beyond delicious. The wine was yummy and great selection! We will definitely come back to eat again and would highly recommend going here if you're in the area!

Our favorite dish was the chanterelles 3-ways: sautéd, tempura, and bisque. The steak special disappointed us because the description sounded as if it was served with creamy potatoes (to us that suggested mashed) when instead they were spicy chunks of potatoes. The steak itself was good. The potatoes were fine. The written description misled us and the dish then truly disappointed my one friend who was so eagerly awaiting a mashed potato fix with her steak.

We enjoyed their sesame Caesar salad, a nice adaptation of the classic. The pork belly smaller plate was good too.

They were out of the wine we wanted. They need more wine selections $55 and below. Their wine list has too many over $100 and even $200, and not enough reasonable options from this wine region in our opinion. We are not all wealthy and there are so many good California wines at better price points for mere mortals.

The overall inn looked modernized, chic, and appealing. The Gathering Place itself had a nice fire burning. Expect very firm and upright wooden seats--fine by me.

I was glad to have this dining experience but not blown away by it.

Generally a very good meal but it did not live up to its rep as the hands down best in the area. Beautiful New England style farmhouse and garden setting in a quiet street in Los Olivia, there are lots of small plate options that were excellent: Korean style wings, hamachi, mushroom risotto, Thai shrimp and mango salad all impressed. Larger plates of duck and hanger steak had undercooked and under seasoned proteins. Salted caramel panna cotta and a berry compote desserts were both tasty but lazy. They were basically pudding in a half mason jar that did not seem to be up to snuff for a restaurant with this reputation
Odd that there are no cocktails. Some times after a day of vineyards and tastings I can't look at another Pinot or Syrah

One of our favorite restaurants ever. Figured we'd take our grown daughter, son, and his girlfriend so they could finally see what we're always talking about. We had heard something about a new chef and a menu change and were a little apprehensive but we were very happily surprised at how amazing the food was with the new chef, Nick, and French influenced menu. We ordered the Warm Bread, Whipped Burrata, Caesar Salad, and Ahi Toast appetizers- and our whole table was blown away by how great everything was- especially the Burrata with its beets and peanut sauce. Three of us ordered the sustainable Sea Bass which was superbly prepared and delicious. My son ordered the pork and said it was incredible. My daughter had the chicken and was very happy as well. Do not miss the maple salted chocolate gelato sorbet if they have it. We figured it had to be made by sorcery. OMG.

My husband and I came here with friends over the last weekend. It was another exceptional experience. The ambience is casual but the cuisine is five stars! Looking forward to returning again soon.

VEGAN EATERS HERE.....This is a time when I wish there were more options for voting. The GOOD news is, The Gathering Table is remarkable, the setting in tiny Ballard, in the middle of a mostly rural, residential village, the charm of the Ballard Inn and Gathering Table itself, the care in the kitchen, the staff, and the food which is simply put, glorious. I can't say enough about it, wonderful scarcely seems enough.

The less GOOD news is the room in almost insanely noisy, more so than almost any restaurant I've been to in ages, and we've been here more than once. Our group was literally covering our ears from the shrieking laughter from adjoining tables. To be honest, we won't likely return on a weekend. It is unpleasant, impossible to have a real conversation. This pains me to say, I couldn't be a bigger fan.

Owner/chef, Budi Kazali is a total doll, SO gifted, so kind and genuine, I hope it is possible to get a handle on this, the food deserves better, MUCH better. As someone who has designed many restaurants, I would look at upholstering the walls but that's me.

NOTE: I'm not so sure that nearby Los Olivos with its countless tasting rooms doesn't contribute to the level of "festive" behavior.

The menu is so fascinating, so rich in diversity, so bloody delicious, from the appetizers to the homemade sorbets. Vegans will love The Gathering Table, as carnivores clearly do. They are very, very accommodating.

Great wine list though I imagine many bring wines of their own because of the neighboring wineries. The list is actually more expansive and should not be overlooked.