27 Best Bars in Napa and Sonoma, California

Cadet plays things urban-style cool with a long bar, high-top tables, and a low-lit loungelike feel. California wines and beers predominate, but the lineup circles the globe. The same owners run Chispa, a tequila-oriented bar a few blocks away.

In Spanish, the name of this upscale watering hole means "spark"—it's also slang for "tipsy"—but by any translation it's a lively place to sip artisanal tequila in cocktails or on its own. The tequila-friendly menu plays the field with ceviche, raw oysters, caviar bumps, tacos, and pork-belly lettuce cups. Other spirits are served, along with beer and wine.

Ramshackle Ernie's shares a corrugated tin building with a frozen-in-time roadside garage, with part of the bar actually in the garage. Mounted stag heads and a toothy wild boar watch over this rural neighborhood hangout with a long narrow bar, a patio outside, and Pliny the Elder and another 20 or so brews on tap. There’s often live music on weekends. Signs everywhere ban cell phone use, though patrons and staffers occasionally flout them.

Reimagined classics crafted with precision are this nautical-themed cocktail bar's stock-in-trade. Lit with restraint, it nimbly walks the line between kitsch and hip, with a long bar, elevated booths, high-tops, and a low-slung rear lounge area to suit your mood. The entertainment includes trivia nights and live music, including the occasional ukulele plucked with verve by the bar's puckish owner.

A bar, vinyl shop, and indie-music public radio station inside a century-old warehouse, Folklore draws Napans, visitors, and wine-industry and creative types. Before heading elsewhere for dinner, many early-evening patrons quaff expertly crafted cocktails while nibbling on bar snacks, tinned-fish boards, salads, or "in-between" fare like merguez hot dogs with kimchi and saffron aioli, but a goodly number stay put for slightly more substantial fare.

Two doors down from Diavola Pizzeria (same ownership), this long skinny bar in Geyserville's Odd Fellows Building wows locals and tourists with classic cocktails and a bar menu of international comfort food. Hardwood floors, exposed brick, taxidermied animals, and contemporary lighting set the mood at this cool spot.

Saturated colors out of the Day-Glo school of lighting illuminate a decor heavy on bamboo, rattan, and intricate wood carvings at this Tiki establishment. The rum-led lineup includes updated takes on Trader Vic's mai tai and Don the Beachcomber's Zombie, along with newer cocktails with equal verve. All play well with the Asian-influenced bar fare. 

Two bartending all-stars and a chef fascinated by international comfort food opened this bar where patrons wash down tacos, kimchi noodles, crispy pork spare ribs, and chicken tenders with craft cocktails. There are good beer and wine selections, too. Everything's best enjoyed on the back patio.

Sommeliers own and run this wine, beer, and sake bar whose selections roam the globe but favor coastal California, Burgundy, and Champagne. A good place to learn about new regions or grape types, it hosts winery nights and restaurant pop-ups.

The elevator at the back of The Matheson restaurant whisks patrons up to Roof 106, Healdsburg's hot spot for craft cocktails enjoyed with or without pizzas, small plates, and desserts. The vibe here is jolly and hip, with luxury patio furniture for lounging, and firepits and overhead heaters that keep the open-air space toasty when there's a chill.

Chat up the locals at this neighborhood hangout with a welcoming vibe and bartenders slinging the classics along with craft cocktails like the pickled martini made with Sonoma’s own Hanson's organic vodka. The bacon bourbon sour soothes on a cold night. Music and comedy acts perform many nights.

The welcoming vibe of the largely under-30 crowd at this retro-hip but chill wine-and-beer bar is exceeded only by that of the charming hosts. Congeniality aside, the other draws here include the craft brews on tap, the change-of-pace selection of international wines (nothing from California), and the live-music, movie, and other event nights.

The husband and wife behind this energetic garden-theme bar (its name is a play on "arboretum") aim to provide patrons with more than a place to throw a few back in a verdant indoor setting. It's a sit-down affair, with specialty cocktails—no two remotely alike—the focus.

The famed New York jazz room's intimate West Coast club hosts headliners such as Candy Duffer, Kim Waters, and Dinah Jane. At Locals Night on many Wednesdays, homegrown talent performs. There's a full bar, and you can order a meal or small bites from the kitchen. The larger JaM Cellars Ballroom upstairs books similar artists.

“Farm-to-bar" cocktails, many powered by local artisanal spirits and organically farmed ingredients, are among this downtown bar’s specialties. The old-school-in-a-fresh-setting vibe suits the inventive libations, but the bartenders fashion the classics equally well. DJs get people dancing on many weekends.

Mescal-powered craft cocktails, classic tequila margaritas, and artisanal bourbons are the mainstays of this serape-chic watering hole. A festive downtown spot to begin or end the evening or to park yourself while waiting for a table at nearby restaurants, El Barrio serves ceviche, guacamole, cheese dips, tacos, and other small bites.

The libations at this downtown hangout include wines and beers the owners make and entries by other producers. With sports on multiple TVs, trivia nights, and a personable staff, the place is often hopping by late afternoon. You can order ice cream from the affiliated shop next door and enjoy it in the bar.

Brass-colored furnishings, rich blue walls, and bistro tables lend a Parisian air to this 400-square-foot pit stop for sparkling wines by the glass, flight, or bottle. The star-studded selection roams the globe but favors Europe, especially Champagne.

Sahar Gharai's downtown wine bar highlights boutique producers worldwide. You can sip by the glass or order a themed flight, perhaps of whites and reds from Italy or comparing Sauvignon Blancs from France, New Zealand, and Mendocino. The kitchen turns out small bites, pizzas, soups, sandwiches, and desserts.

The laid-back setting, daylight Fitch Mountain views, and seafood-leaning menu are among the reasons to check out this fourth-story bar. The mostly small bites pair well with specialty cocktails like the Rooftopia (rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice).

It's all about Belgian-style ales, "aggressively hopped California ales," and barrel-aged beers at this famous brewery's Santa Rosa pub. The lineup includes Pliny the Elder (and Younger, but only briefly), Blind Pig IPA, Supplication sour (aged 12 months in used Pinot Noir barrels), and many more. A second larger pub (more seats, more beers) operates out of RRBC's Windsor production facility.

This high-ceilinged downtown wine bar occupies a stone-walled late-19th-century former bank. Lit by chandeliers and decked out in contemporary style, with plush sofas and chairs and Lucite stools at the bar, it's a classy loungelike space to expand your enological horizons. Cheese, charcuterie, and caviar are served daily, with full meals an option except on Sunday and Monday.

From the oval bar and walls the color of a fine blanc de blancs to retro chandeliers that mimic champagne bubbles, everything about this sparkling-wine bar's frothy space screams "have a good time." That owner Jayme Powers and her posse are trained in the fine art of sabrage (opening a bottle of sparkling wine with a saber) only adds to the festivity. Sigh opens at noon, so it's a good daytime stop, too.

Calistoga's entrant in the dive-bar sweepstakes is on the demure side, but it's a good place to toss back a top-shelf cocktail or a local brew at well below resort prices. Happy hour’s from 4 to 6 pm.

Head to the hotel's frozen-in-time wood-paneled watering hole for a blast of Glariffee, a cold and potent cousin to Irish coffee that a relation of Ernest Hemingway supposedly had a hand in creating. The only person who knows the recipe keeps it locked in a safe deposit box.

West County natives who also own Bowman Cellars in Graton attract a craft-cocktail-loving crowd to their downtown watering hole. The place, whose name and redbrick interior pay homage to "The Three Little Pigs," stays open a little later than most neighboring bars.

The effusive subtropical decor of this Tiki bar flirts with excess, but the artistry of the murals, carvings, and furnishings elicits respect. Sensibly updated fruity drinks are poured along with more straightforward cocktails and artisanal beers and wines. Hawaii-inflected dishes pair well with the libations, and a deck with Napa River views enhances the overall appeal.