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Farm-to-table Modern American cuisine is the prevalent style in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but this encompasses both the delicate preparations of Yountville’s Thomas Keller, whose restaurants include The French Laundry, and the upscale comfort food served throughout the Wine Country. The quality (and hype) often means high prices, but you can find appealing, inexpensive eateries, especially in Napa, Calistoga, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa.
Spouses Andzia and Jenay Hofftin opened this organic restaurant, wineshop, retail space, and community hangout inside Occidental's oldest building (1876), originally a hotel. The "farm-fresh comfort food" menu encompasses egg burritos, avocado “smash” toast, and pork-sausage sandwiches for breakfast and vegetarian bowls, pork melts, and the popular Hawaiian-inspired beef hot dog with grilled pineapple relish for lunch and (three days a week) early dinner until 7.
Pink on the outside, with tutti-frutti walls on the inside, Sebastopol’s hands-down favorite for all-natural ice cream and sorbet often appears in feature stories listing the nation's best shops. Mimi's Mud (espresso ice cream, cookies, chocolate chips, and homemade fudge) and strawberry made from local fruit are among the popular ice creams, with lemon, raspberry, and mango among the palate-cleansing sorbets.
Fried chicken and St. Louis ribs whose meat glides off the bone are among the hits at this open-air, partially covered restaurant where diners sit at sturdy oak picnic or high-top tables. Many ingredients come from artisanal protein and produce purveyors; craft breweries make most of the two dozen beers on tap.
When the weather's nice, the inn's outdoor patio and beer garden edging the Napa River are swell places to hang out and sip some microbrews. Among the beer-friendly dishes, the garlic-crusted calamari appetizer and the country paella entrée stand out, along with several pizzas, the burger topped with Tillamook cheddar, and (for lunch) the Reuben with ale-braised corned beef.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bookended by culinary gardens and constructed of corrugated-metal former shipping containers, redwoods felled by wildfires, and other recycled materials, this 3½-acre open-air hangout has a block-party feel, especially at weekend brunch or when area musicians perform. The gardens (like the restaurant temporarily occupying a site slated for development into a hotel-commercial complex) inspire the seasonal comfort-food menu, with staples like fish tacos, grilled chicken wings, and plant-based variations appearing year-round.
Clam shacks and roadside eateries of days gone by inspired this order-at-the-counter covered-patio restaurant serving ceviche, fried oysters, Louis salads, crab sandwiches, spicy tuna bowls, fish-and-chips, and other seafood-oriented comfort food. Despite the lack of a place to swim, a carefree summer-at-the-pool vibe prevails at this second venture by the Valley Bar + Bottle team, whose penchant for wines from eco-minded, family-owned, small-batch producers shows in the well-priced list here.
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