Tag archives: Montecito Inn

Montecito’s First Michelin Star
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 5, 2021

Twenty-seven California restaurants were awarded Michelin stars earlier this week, and for the first time ever, three eateries on the Central Coast made the list, including Montecito’s Sushi Bar, located in the Montecito Inn on Coast Village Road. “This is all I’ve wanted for a very, very, very long time,” owner Phillip Frankland Lee said.  […]

Copus Family Unveils California-style Brasserie on Coast Village Road
By Claudia Schou   |   October 1, 2020

Step into the al fresco dining area at Coast & Olive, the new California-style brasserie that recently opened at the historic Montecito Inn, and you get a sense of its history. The hotel, built by silent film star Charlie Chaplin in 1928, has been a beacon of hospitality for nearly a century with its Spanish […]

People of Montecito: Lynn, Montecito Flowers
By Megan Waldrep   |   May 28, 2020

When Did You Start Your Business in Montecito? “I’ve been here for twenty-six years. I used to work at the café at the Montecito Inn. I can’t remember the name now, it was so long ago. But I came to Montecito and was working there for a while and there was a little flower stand […]

The Monarch Closes at Montecito Inn
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 24, 2019

The owners of the Montecito Inn on Coast Village Road announced last week that a new restaurant concept will be coming to the historic hotel, expected to open in Spring 2020. The announcement comes after the closure of The Monarch and Silver Bough, two restaurant concepts by Scratch Restaurants, a Los Angeles-based restaurant group, which […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   October 1, 2019

Sue Happy Supervisors The old saying, “What goes around, comes around,” should be the new County motto! That is, our County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has done virtually nothing to prevent forest fires by way of reducing fuel loads or creating adequate buffers between the urban and wildland interface. Moreover, they have not maximized the […]

Sushi|Bar to Open on Coast Village Road
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 18, 2019

Sushi|Bar, located inside the Montecito Inn, is the second location of Monarch owner Phillip Frankland Lee’s critically-acclaimed omakase restaurant. Omakase – a Japanese phrase that means “I’ll leave it up to you” – is a free-form, interpretive take on the traditional sushi counter experience; this new location will have a heavy emphasis on Santa Barbara […]

Wedding Bells
By Richard Mineards   |   December 6, 2018

It was quite the wedding at the Montecito Inn when prolific author Carl Boggs tied the knot with Laurie Nalepa, a dean at Los Angeles Valley College, in a ceremony presided over by Ford Roosevelt, grandson of FDR. Carl, who has written 23 books, spent much of his childhood in our rarefied enclave, just a […]

Poor Old Charlie
By Montecito Journal   |   November 29, 2018

For some reason the memory of silent-film star Charlie Chaplin is exploited with the fantastical myth that he “built” the Montecito Inn. Totally untrue. In David Myrick’s definitive history (“Santa Barbara & Montecito,” Volumes I and II), he explains the origin of the Montecito Inn in some detail. “Don B. Sebastian and William S. Seamans,” […]

All Inn
By Richard Mineards   |   November 15, 2018

Montecito Inn owners Dewayne and Kathy Copus, fittingly celebrated the charming Coast Village Road hostelry’s founder, silent film star Charlie Chaplin, for a 90th anniversary bash in the  bijou ballroom, which was festooned with film posters, photos, and paintings of the Little Tramp for the At the Speakeasy beano. Guests were welcomed with a 1951 […]

New Offerings at The Monarch
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 15, 2018

Four months after opening for business in Montecito Inn, the owners of The Monarch restaurant announced November 1 that they have expanded their operations to include brunch, which is now available seven days a week.  The menu, which is available from 7 am to 2:30 pm, includes breakfast items that will be offered for the […]

Just Warming up
By Richard Mineards   |   July 19, 2018

The Monarch is ready for its closeup! The 45-seat eatery, which replaces the iconic Montecito Cafe at the Montecito Inn, has been dogged with problems, including the Thomas Fire, the mudslides and, more recently, the heatwave that caused an electricity transformer to explode, knocking out power to the eatery and its neighboring nosheteria, Lucky’s. The […]

Montecito Motor Classic
By James Buckley   |   April 12, 2018

It’s not scheduled until Sunday, September 23, but planning is fully underway for this year’s Montecito Motor Classic. The Montecito Inn, a landmark on Coast Village Road, celebrates its 90th birthday this year, as does the Model A Ford, and the September event will reflect that dual celebration of the two American classics. MCC founder […]

Montecito Inn to Reopen
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 1, 2018

After seven weeks of vacancy while mitigating the damage caused by the January 9 debris flow, Montecito Inn is scheduled to reopen its doors this Friday, March 2. “We are grateful to the community for the ongoing support, and the crews that worked so hard to get us back in business,” said Jason Copus, whose […]

Youth Served with $500K
By Richard Mineards   |   January 25, 2018

It was child’s play when Kids Helping Kids, the 10-year-old organization launched by students at San Marcos High School, raised a record $501,251 to help local children in need with two sold-out concerts at the Granada. The group, headed by economics teacher James DeVries, has raised more than $2.5 million since it started. Singer-songwriter Andy […]