From Old Town’s best tables to Santa Barbara wine country’s finest sparklers — here’s how to celebrate Easter morning on the Central Coast.
Photos by Cali Coast Wine Country
Easter Sunday has a particular quality of light on the Central Coast—golden and unhurried, the kind of morning that was made for lingering over a second cup of coffee and a plate of something wonderful. Whether you’re setting your own table or heading out to one of Orcutt’s beloved brunch spots, this is a corner of California that knows how to celebrate a spring morning. And if bubbles are involved (and they should be!) you happen to live in one of the most exciting sparkling wine regions in the state.
Hosting a Spring Brunch at Home
There’s something deeply satisfying about setting your own Easter table. The good news is that in Orcutt, you have exceptional local resources to make it look and taste like you’ve been planning for weeks — without actually doing that.
Curate Your Menu
The heart of a great brunch lies in its menu. Start with a selection of artisanal pastries — freshly baked croissants, buttery Danish, and seasonal treats. For the main course, consider poached eggs with hollandaise, smoked salmon on toasted brioche with crème fraîche and capers, or a decadent stuffed French toast with seasonal fruit compote. A gourmet cheese board with local selections and cured meats rounds out the spread beautifully.
For the sweet side of things, swing by Orcutt Bakery on S. Bradley Road, which bakes everything fresh daily, or Cups & Crumbs in Old Town for their rotating pastry case — almond croissants, oatmeal fudge bars, seasonal bundt cakes, and more. Both travel beautifully to the table and require exactly zero effort on your part. You can also grab specialty cheeses, charcuterie, or fun frozen brunch treats at a local grocer.
Set the Scene
A crisp linen runner, your best glassware, and a simple arrangement of spring flowers — ranunculus, sweet peas, or whatever’s at the farmers market — go a long way. On the Central Coast, the best tablescapes lean into the natural beauty outside. Open windows, fresh air, and sunlight do most of the decorating.
Embrace the Bubbles
No brunch is complete without sparkling wine, and here is where Orcutt hosts have a distinct advantage. Rice Ranch sits in the heart of the Santa Maria Valley AVA in Santa Barbara wine country — one of California’s premier cool-climate growing regions. You are practically neighbors with some of the Central Coast’s finest sparkling wine producers. A few ideas for the table:
- Set out two or three sparkling wines alongside a selection of fruit juices for a DIY mimosa bar
- Pair each wine with a different pastry from Cups & Crumbs — cupcakes, donuts, or almond croissants — and find your favorite combination
- Brown-bag all the bottles and do a blind tasting to discover which local sparkler you truly love best
Eating Out: Easter Brunch in Old Town Orcutt
Short on time or just want someone else to do the cooking? Orcutt has you covered.
Far Western Tavern (300 E. Clark Ave.) is the special-occasion anchor — a three-generation Central Coast institution since 1958, serving Contemporary California Ranch Cuisine in an elegant Old Town setting. Weekend brunch features tumbleweed shrimp, prosciutto-wrapped jalapeños, stuffed French toast with seasonal fruit compote, and egg dishes sided by ranch fried potatoes. The wine list draws heavily from Santa Maria Valley and Santa Barbara County producers. Reserve early for Easter Sunday.
Kay’s Country Kitchen (135 E. Clark Ave.) is Orcutt’s beloved neighborhood brunch institution — a 20-time winner of the Sun News “Best Breakfast” award, now in its second generation of family ownership. The crab cake Benedict, dill hollandaise, and smoked tri-tip hash are perennial favorites, and the four-juice mimosa bar (orange, apple, grape, and grapefruit) is half the fun. Arrive early or expect a wait — especially on Easter.
Cups & Crumbs (156 S. Broadway, Unit B) is your stop for Easter morning treats to go: fresh pastries, specialty coffee, crepes, and seasonal bakery items that make any gathering feel festive. Open daily from 7 AM.
The Bubbles: Your Local Sparkling Wine Guide
You really are spoiled here. Within a short drive of Rice Ranch, you have access to some of the finest sparkling wine producers on the entire West Coast — from a winery making wine just four miles away to heritage producers with deep French roots to free-spirited Los Alamos newcomers doing things nobody else is doing.
Here’s your guide.
Closest Sparkling Wine: Presqu’ile Winery – 4 miles away
Presqu’ile specializes in cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the two principal grapes of Champagne, which makes them perfectly positioned for French-style sparkling wine. They have various sparkling wines, but most of them are for wine club only.
The Presqu’ile Non Vintage Brut Cuvee Sparkling wine is produced in-house using traditional méthode champenoise: 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir, fermented and aged for five months, with that crisp, apple, brioche-toasty character you expect from a great Champagne. It’s the most accessible of their five sparkling wines (the others are wine-club-only) so grab it when you see it.
Most Variety: Riverbench Vineyard & Winery – Foxen Canyon
Riverbench Riverbench produces six different sparkling wines and holds a remarkable distinction: they are the first producer on the Central Coast making a 100% Pinot Meunier sparkling wine from their own estate grapes. In Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are the three traditional grapes — and Riverbench works with all three.
There’s something here for every palate:
- Demi Sec — Off-dry, with a pleasant palate of apple and pear. Perfect for guests who prefer something a touch sweet.
- Blanc de Noirs — Deep and complex, suitable for special occasions.
- Blanc de Blancs — Soft and lush yet bright and fresh, traditionally made and beautifully balanced.
- Brut Rosé — Light, fresh, and fruity. Perfect for a warm Easter morning on the patio.
- Cork Jumper Cuvée — A unique and delicious blend of all three Champagne grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.
- Sparkling Pinot Meunier – Santa Barbara County’s first sparkling Pinot Meunier exhibits a stunning palate of berry, caraway, and a touch of yeast.
Heritage Sparkling Wine: Laetitia Vineyard & Winery – Arroyo Grande
Laetitia has the oldest heritage of sparkling wine on the Central Coast, having planted the estate estate vineyards were planted in 1982, and the first wines were released in 1984 under the estate’s former name, Maison Deutz, a French-owned estate that once produced 30,000 cases of sparkling wine annually. Laetitia is now locally owned and still produces sparkling wines in the same manner, and with the same French basket press, on display at the tasting room.
These bottles are worth seeking out for Easter:
- Brut Coquard – Its sumptuous mousse texture gently glides across the palate delivering delicious flavors of watermelon rind laced with rose petal and toasted graham cracker. Elegant in character, this wine’s vibrant acidity keeps the wine bright and balanced through the lingering finish.
- Brut Cuvée – Gala apple, streams of bubbles and soft melon notes meet to create this festive sparkling wine comprised of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, respectively. Lemon chiffon and sultry pear framed by freshly baked challah bread come forward on second approach of our house sparkling wine, great for pairing with pork with an apple-celery root slaw or our winemaker’s favorite: potato chips.
- Cuvée M – A blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, this sparkler opens with an enticing orange blossom bouquet and crème brûlée. The palate is dense and creamy with flavors of honeydew melon, Granny Smith apples, and vanilla crème. The full mouthfeel leads to a very round and long finish.
- Sparkling Brut Rosé – Composed of our best estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, this alluring sparkler opens with fresh aromas of raspberry, blackberries, and red currants coupled with subtle hints of lime. Round and full in the mouth, flavors of freshly cut peaches and tangerine ride on a balancing acidity, leading to a long and savory mouthwatering finish.
- Sparkling Brut Reserve – The barrel fermentation and long aging add depth, flavor profile, and uniqueness to this very special wine. Enjoy aromas of blooming flowers, ripe citrus, and marzipan with delicate flavors of hazelnut, jellied fruits, and brioche.
Coolest Sparkling Wine: Los Alamos, Bell Street
Los Alamos has a free spirit, and so do its wines. Three wineries along Bell Street produce small-quantity sparkling wines that tend to pop up seasonally, sell out fast, and feature non-traditional grapes that nobody else is working with.
Côtière (pronounced “koh-tee-yay”) is the project of Santa Barbara native and winemaker Kevin Law, who has spent nearly two decades crafting terroir-specific wines from some of the most exclusive vineyards across the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria Valleys. Law recently opened a tasting room at 645 Bell St., Suite 101 in Los Alamos, bringing his small-production, vineyard-focused wines—including a sparkling wine that reflects the same precision and sense of place as his celebrated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays—right to the heart of wine country.
Lo-Fi’s 2019 Sparkling Pinot Noir was made from Pinot Noir around the SkyView Hotel in the traditional method, but the winemaker is constantly creating new sparklers. Coming this spring is a sparkling Chenin Blanc and a Pét-nat Mondeuse rosé. Keep your eye on this winery, as they may release even more bubbles next year.
A Tribute to Grace’s Gracias Madre is made from Winemaker Angela Osbourne’s favorite wine grape; Grenache. Osbourne makes her bubbly from that grape to accompany laugher, sunsets, and freshly harvested scallops. This Gracias Madre Blanc de Noirs is made in the traditional method, and named in honor of her mother.
However you celebrate — at home with good food and local bubbles, or out at one of Old Town Orcutt’s beloved tables — Easter morning on the Central Coast is something to savor slowly. Happy Easter. 🥂
