Maria Arroyo had been coming to the Santa Ynez Valley for several years for getaways and wine tastings, and she loved the atmosphere so much that she moved to Los Olivos two years ago.
“I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, and our family history goes back generations, but I wanted a fresh start,” she said.
Arroyo, who started the popular Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurants on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast with her former husband, Tony Arroyo, decided that the valley needed a location as well.
Los Arroyos’ newest store, at 1992 Old Mission Drive in Solvang, is scheduled to open in early August. The restaurant is in The Merkantile shopping center at Highway 246/Old Mission Drive and Alamo Pintado Road.
“I called Tony up and suggested we start a Solvang location, and now here we are about to open up,” said Arroyo, who co-owns the Solvang restaurant with him.
It has taken about a year of planning to get this far, and the Thomas Fire and Montecito flash flooding and debris flows pushed their opening date from the spring.
“Thinking of coming this far in our restaurant and partnership is amazing,” Arroyo said. “We had very different upbringings as I was the typical Santa Barbara girl, going to private schools, horse riding lessons, played volleyball, and Tony came here from Mexico sleeping on his cousin’s couch at 13 and working in restaurants to earn money.”
Tony worked at Moby Dick on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, working his way up to manager, and then worked at Carlito’s Café y Cantina, where he met Maria.
“We ended up falling in love and it was amazing,” she said. “We were a great team and eventually decided that we wanted to open our own restaurant. We loved our Carlito’s family, but wanted to strike out on our own.”
In a 600-square-foot space, the two started the restaurant in 1999 at 14 W. Figueroa St. in downtown Santa Barbara and ran the business themselves with just a few employees, some of whom are still with them today, until demand required hiring more staff and leasing more space.
From that first location, Los Arroyos has since opened restaurants at 5764 Calle Real in Goleta, 1280 Coast Village Road in Montecito and in Camarillo, at The Promenade at Camarillo Premium Outlets, 630 E. Ventura Blvd.
“Doing this while starting our family was a lot of stress, and while we were great business partners we decided that our relationship should stay as such and parted ways as friends,” Arroyo said.
Both are thrilled that their son, Diego, now 15, has shown an interest in the restaurant business and hope he will someday take over the operations.
“Diego is amazing and loves learning about his heritage and the recipes,” his mom said. “He really takes after his father with his work ethic and attention.”
Arroyo added that the feel of the restaurant will be just like their others, very family friendly and keeping in line with using fresh ingredients that are locally sourced as possible.
“We are really thrilled to partner with local producers, from farmers to wine makers, and the valley has some of the best,” Arroyo said.
Click here for more information about the opening of Los Arroyos in Solvang. Connect with Los Arroyos Solvang on Facebook, and follow Los Arroyos on Instagram: @losarroyossolvang.
— Raiza Giorgi is publisher and editor of the Santa Ynez Valley Star. Contact her at news@santaynezvalleystar.com. This story is republished with permission.