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Manny's in Solvang
updated: Aug 08, 2012, 12:34 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Does anyone know why Manny's of Solvang closed all of a sudden? They were in business one day and gone the next. Just wondering because it was a pretty good rest for the most part with good prices sad to see it go.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 305896	2012-08-08 01:45 PM
A lot of my friends from Solvang said that the food became very bland and when they asked why they were told they were trying to attract more tourists or cater to the tourists. All the locals stopped going because they were used to a little more spice and flavor. Can't please everyone and in this case everyone stayed away. I'm repeating rumors because I've never been there.
COMMENT 305897	2012-08-08 01:48 PM
"the food became very bland and when they asked why they were told they were trying to attract more tourists or cater to the tourists. " That sounds like Santa Barbara itself.
COMMENT 305923	2012-08-08 02:25 PM
They opened a couple years ago in a new location but it was the same lousy food as it always was. There was also a dust-up over their beer and wine license that was very dumb, but ultimately I think the bad food was what really did them in.
COMMENT 305967P	2012-08-08 03:31 PM
No surprise here. Their food quality continued downhill after they reopened in the new location. Looks like Dad & Mom really knew how to run a successful, Mexican restaurant! The locals all frequent Taco Roco & Rudy's in Buellton. What we need here is a Rubio's. Now those are tasty & a good value.
COMMENT 306060P	2012-08-08 06:48 PM
How about opening a Natural Cafe there? That's what Solvang needs - a place that the whole family can dine, not over priced and the food is pretty good quality.
COMMENT 306158	2012-08-09 07:37 AM
Solvang definitely needs a decent non-ethnic non-gourmet down home family style restaurant. Let the locals enjoy a good restaurant too! No more Mexican food! There's one on every street corner! We need the Red Barn back!
COMMENT 306185P	2012-08-09 08:26 AM
ahh, the Red Barn! Does anyone know when it will open again? It is not closed for good is it?
COMMENT 306186	2012-08-09 08:26 AM
158, don't get Solvang confused with SB. There most definitely is not a Mexican place on every street corner in Solvang! Let's see, I count 2 in the whole city. A far cry from one on every street corner. Now if we were to add in Buellton, that would be a different story. BTW, Manny's food sucked. You can't have a bad restaurant and expect it to be successful, especially in the Valley.
COMMENT 306191	2012-08-09 08:31 AM
That's how all business closures go. They're open until the day they close. Happens about 100% of the time.
CORKY	2012-08-09 08:50 AM
Loved 191.
COMMENT 306227	2012-08-09 09:12 AM
I heard the owners of Matte's were taking over the Red Barn. Just for the record, I ate at the RB 3 times and all 3 times were horrible. It was usually service related though.
COMMENT 306264P	2012-08-09 10:12 AM
I have eaten two meals at Manny's - one dinner and one breakfast. It was terrible both times. I feel bad for the owners having to close down, but it really was inevitable. :-(
COMMENT 306281P	2012-08-09 10:37 AM
Seems no-one posting comments seems to remember all of the good the folks at Manny's have done for the local community in opening their restaurant for fundraisers to help high school groups, people with extraordinary medical bills, and other SYV causes. The food was not "high end" and more like the equivalent of Mexican "comfort food", but they DID cater to locals, including me, and this hardworking family always made locals feel welcome. Think of it as the SYV version of Pancho Villa's that was a popular favorite in SB and Goleta in the 70's and you'll get a sense of what type of establishment it was. I wish the family well and will miss them and the no-fuss option of a simple meal at a reasonable price you could afford to take the whole family to enjoy.
COMMENT 306373	2012-08-09 01:00 PM
281P - thanks for the kind, clear words - I used to eat Pancho Villa's and appreciated their comfort food. There's a joint in Ojai that does the same thing - midway between Oak View and Ojai on the 33 - nothing fancy but good and very nice to the customers. I appreciate things like that and I know others do too. Best of luck to the folks who owned Manny's.
COMMENT 306860	2012-08-10 12:00 PM
281P is right on the money. Plus, I would imagine the rent for the building on the corner of Alisal and Highway 246 was not cheap. I wish they still had their old location at the dead end of Atterdag. We just loved going to Manny's all the time. Jesse, if you are reading these, we will miss you. You did your best and gave it a good run!!!!! 227 comments are perplexing to me. The Red Barn, the way it was will be missed. At any restaurant you can have an off night, but I must say we amost always enjoyed the food and the service was very good. The Brother's from Mattei's Tavern will be taking over soon and no doubt the food and service will be amazing. It will again be one of the best restaurants not only in Santa Ynez but the entire County of Santa Barbara. We can hardly wait!!!!!!
COMMENT 342787	2012-11-14 02:39 PM
Manny's closed due to a rent increase. Not just 10% either...try almost 50% higher. Manny's may not have been the highest of quality but their charm and friendly atmosphere and giving back to the community is what made them successful. The Brother's will be moving into the Red Barn location once permits are all cleared.

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