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A vaulted wood-beamed ceiling and paper-topped tables set the scene for romance at this softly lit French bistro inside an 1890s boathouse. Look for clever variations on classic dishes such as croque monsieur (grilled Parisian ham and Gruyère) and salade niçoise for lunch, with veal sweetbreads, cassoulet, beef bourguignon, and, in season, steamed mussels for dinner.
540 Main St., Napa, California, 94559, USA
Known For
- Classic bistro cuisine
- Romantic setting
- Outdoor seating under bright-yellow umbrellas
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Giovanni Scala opened this boisterous roadhouse restaurant in the mid-1990s, and it's still a hangout of Napans who appreciate its Cal-Italian bistro cuisine, prepared with flair by Scott Warner, Scala's executive chef and partner. Warner augments the greatest-hits lineup—fritto misto (deep-fried calamari, onions, fennel, and rock shrimp), spinach ravioli with lemon-cream or tomato sauce, slow-braised lamb shank, and wood-fired pizzas—with daily specials based on seasonal ingredients.
4110 Howard La., Napa, California, 94558, USA
Known For
- Patio and garden dining
- Specialty cocktails and aperitifs
- Broad selection of Napa, Sonoma, and international wines
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Escargots, cassoulet, steak au poivre (pepper steak), and other French classics are prepared with precision inside this tan-brick country bistro whose flower-filled window boxes, extra-wide shutters, and red-and-white-striped awning hint at the old-world flair and joie de vivre that infuse the place. Regulars often start with the rich tomato soup in a flaky puff pastry before proceeding to sole meunière or coq au vin, completing the French sojourn with crème brûlée au chocolat or another authentic dessert.
6510 Washington St., Yountville, California, 94599, USA
Known For
- Traditional preparations
- Oh-so-French atmosphere
- Patio seating
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The team that created The French Laundry is also behind this place, where everything—the zinc-topped bar, antique sconces, suave waitstaff, and traditional French onion soup—could have come straight from a Parisian bistro. Pan-seared flat iron steak with caramelized shallots and mussels steamed with white wine, saffron, and Dijon mustard—both served with crispy, addictive fries—are among the perfectly executed entrées.
6534 Washington St., Yountville, California, 94599, USA
Known For
- Bistro classics
- Raw bar
- Bouchon Bakery next door
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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Cookbook author and Iron Chef judge Domenica Catelli returned home to revive her family's American-Italian restaurant, a Geyserville fixture. Contemporary abstract paintings, reclaimed-wood furnishings, and muted gray and chocolate-brown walls signal the changing times, but you'll find good-lovin' echoes of traditional cuisine in the sturdy meat sauce that accompanies the signature lasagna paper-thin noodles and ricotta-and-herb-cheese filling.
21047 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, California, 95441, USA
Known For
- Three-meat ravioli and other pasta dishes
- Festive back patio
- Organic gardens
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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From pintxos and paellas to Iberian cheeses and fish à la plancha (flat-grilled), the chefs at this Wine Country offspring of Michael Chiarello's successful San Francisco restaurant Coqueta reimagine Spanish classics with a 21st-century farm-to-table sensibility. The frenetic pace in the flame-happy open kitchen, inside Yountville's redbrick former railroad depot, keeps the mood lively in the relatively small dining space, with the vibe on the patio out back even more so.
6525 Washington St., Yountville, California, 94599, USA
Known For
- Sensual flavors
- Dynamic spicing
- Seasonal cocktails inspired by Spain and the Napa Valley
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In a high-ceilinged former barn with plenty of outside seating, Farmstead revolves around an open kitchen whose chefs prepare meals with grass-fed beef and lamb, fruits and vegetables, and eggs, olive oil, wine, honey, and other ingredients from nearby Long Meadow Ranch. Entrées might include wood-grilled trout with fennel and bacon-mustard vinaigrette; caramelized beets with goat cheese and chimichurri; or a wood-grilled heritage pork chop with jalapeño grits.
738 Main St., St. Helena, California, 94574, USA
Known For
- Heritage St. Louis–style ribs
- Sunday brunch
- On-site general store, café, and Long Meadow Wines tasting space
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The mixologists at this verdant "bar-focused restaurant" whip up creative "garden-to-glass" cocktails meant for pairing with neo-comfort food whose ingredients, especially the produce, are primarily cultivated in west Sonoma County. "Umami bomb" mushrooms with sticky rice and the tofu with turmeric and peanut velouté entice vegans and vegetarians at dinner, but with lamb sausage, roasted chicken, a smash burger, and pan-seared fish, there's plenty for meat eaters, too.
6780 Depot St., Sebastopol, California, 95472, USA
Known For
- Inviting 21st-century tavern feel
- Low-alcohol and spirit-free drink options
- Sandwiches at lunch and weekday brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon. and Tues.
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Chef Ari Weiswasser honed his craft at The French Laundry, Daniel, and other bastions of culinary finesse, but his Sonoma Valley outpost revolves around haute-rustic cuisine, much of it emerging from a wood-fired oven. In 2022, Weiswasser turned the day-to-day reins over to a new chef de cuisine, but the mainstay crisp-crusted, richly sauced Margherita and other pizzas continue to thrive in the oven's torrid heat, as do tender whole fish entrées and vegetables roasted in small iron skillets.
13648 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, California, 95442, USA
Known For
- Outdoor dining area
- Prix-fixe Wednesday "neighborhood night" menu with free corkage
- Weiswasser's sauces, emulsions, and spices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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Shortly after graduating from a local college's culinary program, chef Carlos Mojica opened this warmly lit Latin American–Caribbean restaurant with a handful of tables inside and out. Loyalists pine for enchiladas with salsa verde and pupusas (corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and pork or vegetables), a prelude to signature entrées like pescado en salsa con coco (fish in sweet coconut) and Caribbean-style paella suffused with smoky-garlicky tomato broth.
117 North St., Healdsburg, California, 95448, USA
Known For
- Attentive service
- Distinctive flavors
- Neighborhood feel
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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Pizza and pastries are the specialties of this tiny restaurant whose owner-chefs, Jim and Michele Wimborough, forsook their fancy big-city gigs for the pleasures of small-town living. Jim's mushroom pizza, adorned with feta, mozzarella, and truffle oil, and the pie with sausage and egg are among the headliners, with Michele's chocolate pot de crème among the enticements for dessert.
3782 Bohemian Hwy., Occidental, California, 95465, USA
Known For
- Flavorful seasonal cuisine
- Roasted chicken with lemon vinaigrette entrée
- Outdoor seating area
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch
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Born in the Azores and raised in Sonoma, chef-owner Manuel Azevedo serves cuisine inspired by his native Portugal in this warmly decorated spot with a heated patio out front. The wood-oven whole-roasted fish is always worth trying, and there are usually boldly flavored pork dishes, along with a casserole, pot roast, stew, salted cod, and other hearty fare.
452 1st St. E, Sonoma, California, 95476, USA
Known For
- Authentic Portuguese cuisine
- Sophisticated spicing
- Rice pudding with Madeira-braised fig for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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Northern Thailand–born chef-owner Lalita Souksamlane decorated her Wine Country restaurant with the same upscale flair—Thai wall ornaments, ornate wallpaper, cushy leatherette chairs, quartz tables adorned with roses—as her longtime San Francisco flagship. Beyond the aesthetic pleasure the decor provides, it also signals that in their delicacy and finesse her aromatic, flavorful entrées (some garnished with orchids) are on a par with similarly bedecked fine-dining establishments.
1142 Main St., Napa, California, 94559, USA
Known For
- Pad Thai, ginger chicken, and other standbys but also a few rarities
- Wine offerings that complement the cuisine
- Weekday prix-fixe lunch a good deal
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Sun.
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Even restaurateurs as famous as Thomas Keller test out concepts via pop-ups, though in retrospect his pairing of mostly French sparkling wines with caviar from a company (Regiis Ova) the chef co-owns was always destined for permanent glory. Intended as a palate-cleansing pit stop between Cab tasting and dinner, the place, furnished in insouciant, faintly decadent style by Bay Area celeb designer Ken Fulk, tempts patrons to stay put, order more bubbly and roe, and call it a meal.
6480 Washington St., Yountville, California, 94599, USA
Known For
- Sommelier-selected French Champagnes
- Chilled oysters, tartares, and crudités
- Live jazz most days
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Wed. No lunch (but check)
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The brightly lit dining room's mural map of the Naples coastline signals the chef's focus on frutti di mare (seafood) at this downtown homage to southern Italian cuisine the folks behind valley-fave Bistro Don Giovanni opened in 2023. Raw oysters, cooked whole fish, skillet-sautéed mussels, and halibut soup were among the early hits, along with pizzas hot out of a wood-fired oven.
1141 1st St., Napa, California, 94559, USA
Known For
- Late-night pizza, small bites, and desserts
- Italian wine selection
- Shareable plates and pasta dishes
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The same people who operate the Willow Wood Market Cafe across the street run this restaurant with a Continental atmosphere and a seasonal menu based on smaller and larger dishes. Entrées might include anything from hoisin-glazed ribs and seared scallops to "Thai Life" staples like chicken curry and crispy five-spice duck leg.
9113 Graton Rd., Graton, California, 95444, USA
Known For
- Oyster of the day, French onion soup, and flatbread starters
- Old-style cocktails, ports, and cognacs
- Outdoor patio with heaters
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Sun.–Thurs.
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The team behind this wine shop, bar, and restaurant across from Sonoma Plaza revamped a 19th-century adobe (though inside you'd never know it's this old) and expanded its outdoor patio, where most dining takes place. Sustainably produced seafood and meats find their way into "California home cooking"—summer dishes that might include halibut with corn and cherry tomatoes and winter ones like pork adobo or a half chicken with broccoli.
487 1st St. W, Sonoma, California, 95476, USA
Known For
- XO deviled eggs, shrimp rolls, and other small plates
- Organically and biodynamically farmed wines by iconoclastic producers
- Weekend brunch with traditional fare plus less common alternatives
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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A San Francisco culinary star with establishments worldwide, Michael Mina debuted his first Wine Country restaurant in 2020, its interior of charcoal grays, browns, and soft whites dandy indeed, if by evening vying with outdoor spaces aglow with firepits and lighted water features. Seasonal regional ingredients—Pacific Coast fish, pasture-raised meats, freshly plucked produce—go into haute-homey dishes, prepared open-fire, that include pizzas, handmade pastas, and the signature lobster potpie with brandied lobster cream and black truffle.
1325 Broadway, Sonoma, California, 95476, USA
Known For
- 3–5 happy hour's beverage and app selections
- Many local wines on award-winning list
- Prix-fixe Night at the Tavern tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch
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The owner of this four-storefront empire touts it as a "mid-block party": ZuZu for paella, tapas, and other northern Spanish favorites; next door a gin bar (the spirit is big in Spain); third, a takeout window; and finally La Taberna for beer, wine, and pintxos (bar bites). The anchor, which opened in 2002, is still drawing crowds, who come for shareable plates that might include flounder ceviche, tender wood-fired octopus, jamón ibérico, and lamb chops with Moroccan barbecue glaze.
829 Main St., Napa, California, 94559, USA
Known For
- Range of gin flavors and tonics
- Paella of the day with bomba rice, chorizo, and shellfish
- Energetic crowds at gin bar and La Taberna
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., Reservations not accepted
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The rooftop's the draw at this three-level brick-walled bar and restaurant opened by vintner Joseph Wagner, who grew up working at his family's Caymus Vineyards before starting Belle Glos Pinot Noir and other brands on his own. Small plates for pairing with updated classic cocktails might include caviar, oysters on the half shell, ceviche, and roasted bone marrow, but it's worth sticking around for dinner items like steelhead trout, pan-seared scallops, and cola-braised short rib.
813 Main St., Napa, California, 94559, USA
Known For
- International wines and beers
- Carved-wood first-floor bar
- Affiliated Quilt & Co. tasting room next door for Wagner's small-lot wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No lunch