The Pride of the Hotel Bar

There’s something magical about a great hotel bar. Done right, it becomes a portal: a sanctuary for travelers, a home base for locals, a liminal space where you can slip into anonymity or stumble into unexpected conversation. It’s the perfect setting for an impromptu martini or a slow-burning Manhattan, a late-night snack or a celebration toast.

In many ways, hotel bars are the heartbeat of a good property. They give personality to otherwise polished lobbies and serve as an anchor for guests arriving weary from travel. More than that, they’re a cultural barometer. A hotel bar can tell you the tone of that part of town… 

Lion’s Tale understands this at its core. Situated in the historic Montecito Inn, this hotel bar is positioning itself as Montecito’s living room – equally suited for a post-beach snack, a refined date night, or a visiting cocktail connoisseur’s deep dive. This is no coincidence… no, it is the culmination of years of work and experience from Brandon and Misty Ristaino. 

Brandon and Misty, along with the esteemed Good Lion Hospitality that they helm, have crafted some of the most signature bars in Santa Barbara and beyond. Their namesake bar, The Good Lion, is the go-to spot for a drink in the moments leading to or following a show at the Granada. Shaker Mill. Test Pilot. Ventura’s Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust, Strange Beast, as well as the newly opened Jaguar Moon. This husband-and-wife team has built a small empire of cocktail bars revered for their quality, distinct décor, and flawless service. And after visiting Lion’s Tale in the Montecito Inn… they now have a crown jewel for it. 

Building the Concept

The Montecito Inn space had been on their radar for years. “We pitched the idea nearly a decade ago,” Brandon says, “but it didn’t happen at the time.” When the Copus family reached out in 2023, it felt like the timing was finally right.

At just under 1,600 square feet, the bar occupies a manageable footprint. It’s compact enough to feel personal but laid out well enough to handle a crowd. “We thought it was too big back then,” Brandon reflects. “Now it feels like the perfect size.”

The design nods subtly to the lobby bars of London and the renovated Chelsea Hotel in New York – comfortable, slightly polished, never overwrought. “We travel a lot,” Misty adds. “That’s where most of our inspiration comes from – just sitting in hotel bars around the world and noticing what works and what doesn’t.”

Brandon refers to the concept of “spatial honesty” – a term he and Misty use to describe bars that feel appropriate to their location. It’s one reason their other projects across Santa Barbara feel distinct. Test Pilot is built for the Funk Zone, with its tropical slant and beach proximity. The Good Lion reflects a more downtown cocktail lounge aesthetic. Lion’s Tale, in contrast, is softer around the edges. It knows where it is.

Deep burgundy bar stools wrap around the slate black bar lined with honeycomb tiles in a green that’s only found deep in the forest. Sunset blues accent the bar walls with earthen patterns and stamped ceiling tiles completing the scene. Glowing globes dotted above the bar form a celestial path along the center of the space. Nooks and books are a common accompaniment to their bars and Lion’s Tale is no different – both in the embellished wall recesses but also the various seating areas that feel distinct yet melded with the surroundings. 

A New Culinary Venture

The Lion’s Tale is a notable departure for Brandon and Misty – not in quality or philosophy, but in scope. This is one of the few bars in their ever-expanding empire that includes a full kitchen. Most of their other venues – like the Good Lion or Shaker Mill – have relied on creative partnerships or adjacent food offerings. But here, the kitchen is theirs.

Overseen by Michelin Bib Gourmand chefs Ryan Simorangkir and Tyler Peek of the Sama Sama group, the food leans into “elevated bar fare” with a French backbone. The goal isn’t to compete with Montecito’s fine dining scene, but to complement it. “We didn’t want to be another full-service restaurant,” Brandon says. “We wanted to offer something that supports what’s already here – a cocktail-focused bar with a serious, but not overdone, food program.”

The result is less of a 20-course fine-dining experience and more of a balanced blend of small bites and larger meals delivering dishes that are elegant enough to impress a date, or relaxed enough to roll into straight from Butterfly Beach with a little salt still in your hair. Think… gentle, sea-fresh flavors of cold-water oysters alongside a mignonette accented with yuzu koshō – a paste made of Japanese chili peppers, yuzu peel, and salt. 

A light bite at Lion’s Tale can be as simple as koji-cultured butter and Oat Bakery sourdough with a side of olives Provençal, or as elaborate as buckwheat blinis and Oscietra Caviar. For a fuller meal there are options like steak frites that brings together filet mignon and crisp shoestring fries drizzled in the herb-infused Café de Paris butter sauce. A Catch of the Day delivers a more delicate offering. 

The Potato Pavé is one of the standout dishes. Echoing a Thomas Keller recipe, these three stacks of potato are cut razor thin and then browned in butter, cream, and thyme. The fork flakes off layers of potato that can gently soak up the tarragon crème fraîche they lie upon. The smoked trout dip is another notable dish. Good to share with a group, or even just by yourself – crisp crackers and endives give the dip something to spread on and a side of radishes provide a spicy snap to everything. Smoky, salty, and crunchy – the dip satisfies the senses and begs for a good drink to wash it down with… fortunately, it’s the right place for that. 

Classic Concepts, New Flair

Cocktails remain the core of the experience. This is, after all, what Brandon and Misty are known for: carefully built drinks that favor structure over trend-chasing. Drinks here follow a philosophy of layering, balance, and intention. Every listed ingredient is meant to be tasted. Nothing is for show… The menu avoids excess – resulting in drinks that are balanced and clean, not cluttered. “If it can be done more simply, it must be,” Brandon says, quoting one of their many internal mantras for cocktail creation.

Each of Brandon and Misty’s bars have a distinct theme – the cocktail menu reflecting their chosen environs – and while Lion’s Tale is no different, it offers one of the most straightforward listings of their collection of establishments. As with everything though, that is intentional – highlighting the often more traditional drinks offered in a hotel bar (plus, doing the classics well is a sign of mastery). 

There is a Gimlet and an Old Fashioned, even a Margarita – yet each drink has a hint of the French/London undercurrent that flows through the space. The Manhattan swaps in Calvados and French vermouth for a rounder, more aromatic finish. The namesake Lion’s Tale – a reimagining of the classic bourbon and allspice cocktail – gets a curry and mango twist that evokes the comforting complexities of British colonial cuisine. 

The dry martini – that can be ordered with vodka, gin, or a 50-50 blend of both – is served in crystal-clear glassware from the Prince of Wales’s preferred maker, chilled to the ideal degree, pre-diluted and pre-frozen for consistency and perfection. “It’s the crux of the program,” Brandon notes. “It’s where everything started.” There’s even a cheeky “Martini Shot” – a nod to London’s bar culture – served in a petite glass meant to be sipped, not slammed. 

These are drinks that respect your intelligence and your tastebuds in equal measure. A theme suitable for Montecito… While initially Brandon and Misty were a little daunted by entering the area, those feelings were soon alleviated. “We have really found Montecito to be incredibly warm and friendly, cool and kind,” Brandon reflects, “People here will not support something that’s not great – so we are hyper focused on doing just that.”