195 Best Restaurants in Napa and Sonoma, California

Colorful paintings and metal wall hangings decorate the indoor dining spaces of this Mexican restaurant whose signature, nuanced mole recipe comes from the family's Oaxaca-born grandmother. Much of the menu—tacos, burritos, enchiladas, carne asada, and chicken in cream sauce—may sound familiar, but the chefs craft them with care, and the chips, tortillas, and sauces are all made fresh daily.

A Craftsman bungalow whose 1920s owner reportedly used the cellar for bootlegging during Prohibition houses this restaurant where the pairing of food and drink is as likely to involve a craft cocktail as a sommelier-selected wine. Main courses such as wood-grilled chicken or salmon, pork katsu, black Angus rib eye, and the grass-fed G&G burger with Gruyère follow starters that might include corn croquettes, sticky pig ears, and grilled cauliflower with vadouvan aioli.

A 1950s-style outdoor hamburger stand goes upscale at this spot whose customers brave long lines to order breakfast sandwiches, juicy burgers, root-beer floats, and garlic fries. Choices not available a half century ago include ahi-tuna and Impossible burgers and kale and Vietnamese chicken salads.

A dependable varied menu makes this modest corner restaurant occupying a brick-and-glass storefront many Napans' go-to choice for a simple meal. Empanadas and iron-skillet cornbread with lavender honey and butter show up at all hours, with buttermilk pancakes and chilaquiles scrambled eggs among the brunch staples and cassoulet and roasted heirloom chicken popular for dinner.

A chef formerly with the Stark organization (Willi's Seafood and others) opened this casual restaurant—a good bet for families—whose decor of rich pastels sets a placid tone. Hits here include Parmesan arancini, fried calamari, and burrata with lemon honey starters, as well as shrimp diavolo pasta and risotto, chicken, fish, and beef entrées.

An homage to Jewish delis, Grossman's plays the greatest hits—blintzes, latkes, lox, chopped liver, and knishes, plus pastrami, corned beef, and Reuben sandwiches all on house-made breads—but mashes things up with quinoa tabbouleh, chicken shawarma kebabs, fish-and-chips, and other atypical deli dishes. The retro-eclectic decor (black-and-white ceramic tile floors, colorful tropical-bird-print wallpaper, chunky stone fireplace) feels nostalgic yet of the moment.

The owner of casual and fine-dining restaurants in Japan and elsewhere, Kobe-born chef Haruyuki Yamashita gained fame within his native land for techniques that modernized Japanese cuisine. At his sparsely decorated Napa location—black, gray, and brown tones, polished concrete floor, gleaming open kitchen—his team prepares prix-fixe multicourse meals, but you can also order sushi, tempura, and other items à la carte.

Sebastopol’s former Fosters Freeze location, now a 21st-century fast-food palace, won design awards for its rusted-steel frame and translucent panel-like windows. The menu, a paean to coastal California cuisine, includes oysters, fish tacos, ceviche, tostadas, vegetarian and beef burgers, and, honoring the location's previous incarnation, chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream.

Even before diners settle in their seats, the Montage resort's glass-walled special-occasion restaurant captures the imagination with exterior views of vineyards, oaks, and far-off Mt. St. Helena and interior haute-luxury touches like chandeliers of locally handblown Czech glass. The Cali-Continental connection comes full circle in dishes—rabbit cassoulet or caviar with house-made potato chips to start, perhaps, or striped bass with prawn, uni, saffron, and fennel—whose French flourishes elevate the seasonal ingredients.

The fuel is more than petrol at this gas station–convenience store whose redbrick exterior recalls the heyday of Route 66 travel. The shop inside sells hot dogs, fresh scones from nearby R+D Kitchen, gourmet chocolates, and (in summer) ice cream—gas up, grab some picnic items, and be ever-so-merrily on your way.

A family-friendly, mostly open-air spa restaurant, HoB promotes wellness via Southwest-inspired "booster food" like a quinoa-and-kale salad and bowls containing sautéed kale, red quinoa, green chilies, and avocado. To reel in the wary, House of Better hedges its bet with nicely spiced fish tacos, going full carnivore with a green-chili cheeseburger and pepper steak add-ons to nachos, enchiladas, burritos, and tacos.

The morning fare (some served until closing) at Occidental's neo-hippie go-to breakfast and weekend brunch spot includes order-at-the-counter huevos rancheros, omelets, eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, French toast, and "healthy alternatives" such as oatmeal, house-made granola, and quinoa and brown rice bowls with kale and eggs. Soups, salads, burgers, and sandwiches are among the lunch items at this laid-back space with seating inside a 19th-century gingerbread Victorian and on its wooden front porch and covered back patio.

Founded in 1980 and by many accounts Sonoma County's first farm-to-table restaurant, this dress-up multiroom establishment was also among the first to tailor its cuisine to the region's wines. Though eclipsed as a destination-dining locale by rivals in Healdsburg and elsewhere, John Ash remains a worthy stop for well-crafted dishes that might include pork belly and scallops with butternut squash puree and Pacific halibut with clams, chorizo, and basil-potato gnocchi.

Beef brisket and St. Louis ribs are the hits at this saloonlike, order-at-the-counter joint whose house-made sauces include espresso barbecue, South Carolina mustard, and the sweet-and-sourish KIN blend. Along with the expected sides of potato salad, cornbread muffins, and baked beans (the latter bourbon-infused), the spiced sweet-potato tater tots and Granny-Smith-and-horseradish slaw stand out.

A casual order-at-the-counter restaurant (affiliated with Priest Ranch Winery’s tasting room next door) serves filling comfort fare for all-day breakfast and lunch. The novel variations on morning cuisine include gnocchi replacing hash browns in an egg dish flavor-balanced with pickled onions, wild mushrooms, and chili aioli; the hit for lunch is a brisket-and-chuck smashburger on a Bouchon Bakery bun.

A longtime Bay Area caterer opened this retail shop serving soups, salads, sandwiches, and a few entrées to go or eat indoors or on the front patio. Supplementing staples like turkey, tri-tip, and roasted portobello sandwiches—the Caesar salad is a town favorite—are surprise items, says the owner, "we just feel like cooking, like pot roast when it rains or Thai wraps on sunny days."

The burritos, tacos, and quesadillas here will fill you up before wine tasting or help absorb what you've imbibed. The Super Burrito laden with cheese, beans, sour cream, guacamole, and your choice of meat provides a day's fuel in itself (wine workers also swear by the crispy carnitas); for breakfast (before 11), there's a burrito with eggs, your choice of meat, and potatoes, beans, and salsa.

Colorful on-a-stick natural fruit bars and ice cream bars known as paletas in Mexico are the main draws at the equally brilliant-hued roadside building where they and a few other sweet frozen delights are made. Mango, pineapple, lime, and guava are popular among the fruit-flavored items; rice pudding's the sleeper hit on the ice cream side.

Chef Ken Frank serves French-inspired cuisine in a formal dining space, his dishes complemented by a wine lineup that has earned a coveted Wine Spectator Grand Award for a decade. Ingredients appearing on the à la carte and six-course prix-fixe tasting menus often include caviar, bluefin tuna, Wagyu beef, and rich cheeses in dishes prepared and seasoned to pair with wines jointly chosen by the chefs and sommeliers.

Napa River views and multiple indoor and outdoor dining spaces make a visit to this pet- and family-friendly restaurant and sports bar a decent choice for beer and cocktail-friendly comfort fare. Bourbon deviled eggs, adobo chicken wings, salmon lollipops (on skewers), and a combo of hash browns and mac and cheese are typical shareable starters, with tacos, smash burgers, and pasta dishes among the more filling options.

Inside a metal-and-glass structure design writers have described as industrial grange-hall chic, the chefs at this café and lounge with informal seating prepare satisfying plant-based cuisine. With most ingredients rushed over from Little Saint's nearby 8-acre Russian River farm, the menu items change often.

The vivid colors of the drinks, food, furnishings, and a mural by the Mexican urban artist Senkoe provide visual entertainment at this riverfront restaurant that evolved from a popular food truck. Oaxacan influences and spices like chileajo (vegetables, herbs, and chiles cooked and pureed) appear in the enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and other items, many inspired by southern Mexican street-food staples or recipes of the chef's extended family back home.

Down-home Southern cuisine with modern flourishes remains the mission of this retro-yet-au-courant roadside restaurant whose vineyard-view outdoor patio has a backyard-party vibe. Try the biscuits and gravy, hash-brown casserole, and the fried-chicken waffle for breakfast, with more fried chicken, multiple burgers and barbecue dishes, and fried catfish among the lunchtime attractions.

In a modern space radiating offhand elegance, the Bardessono's restaurant seduces with sophisticated flavors, many from fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown in the hotel's on-site culinary garden. Although the cuisine is ultimately modern American, the chef might incorporate other techniques and ingredients depending on the dish.

With Edith Piaf as his background track, Dennis McInnich spent several months toiling to perfect the macaron, the favorite cookie of his wife, Aubrey. Success selling the resulting confections at farmers' markets and elsewhere spurred the couple to open this shop and café serving their brightly colored treats, along with sweet and savory crepes and a few brunch and lunch items.

Owner-designer Jay Jeffers initiated a top-to-bottom makeover of this restaurant and its same-named hotel but retained the farm-to-table, French-inspired cuisine, the chef freshening it up a little to reflect The Madrona's flashy-elegant look. Inside a 19th-century mansion, with ornate molding and high ceilings but ultracontemporary to the max, diners feast in chic splendor on multifaceted preparations that make ample use of locally raised proteins and the on-site organic garden's fruits and vegetables.

Thin-crust New Haven–style pizzas—including one with goat cheese and a piquant entry with Calabrian chili and honey—top the bill at this funky, boisterous "chalkboard menu" restaurant with wooden-top tables. Chef-owner Rebecca White, who cut her teeth on catering and food-truck gigs and won a Food Network competition, also prepares pasta dishes (tagliatelle with mushrooms and pancetta among them) and baked items like lasagna and chicken, eggplant, and sausage Parmesan.

Ernesto Martinez, this stone-walled, high-ceilinged eatery's Mexico City–born executive chef and co-owner, often puts a Latin spin on farm-to-table American classics. Although he plays things straight with the chopped salad, Champagne-battered fish-and-chips, and baby back ribs, the organic fried chicken comes with cheddar-jalapeño cornbread, and the fried calamari owes its piquancy to the accompanying peppers, nopales cactus, chipotle aioli, and avocado-tomatillo dip.

Thanks to multiple plugs by Oprah, each day's fresh batch of English muffins often sells out, but the scones, croissants, breads, and other baked goods also inspire. Breakfast brings pastries and sandwiches with scrambled eggs, cheddar, and bacon between a buttermilk biscuit; the lunch menu expands to include soups, salads, pizzas, and more sandwiches—turkey-pesto focaccia, ciabatta chicken-Asiago panini, and vegan veggies among them. There are other Model Bakery locations in downtown Napa and Yountville.

Not to be confused with chef Masaharu Morimoto's flagship sushi palace a few doors south, his pan-Asian restaurant serves dim sum, spicy Szechuan mapo ramen, orange chicken, and a slew of other Chinese-inspired apps, soups, salads, and entrées in a light-filled space with Napa River views. This culinary concept previously worked well for the chef in Orlando and Waikiki.