Must-see restaurants in Napa & Sonoma Wine Country

  • SingleThread Farm-Restaurant-Inn

    Healdsburg

    The most ambitious project in Northern California is SingleThread, a world-class restaurant and, secondarily, an inn, where omotenashi (warm hospitality…

  • Restaurant at Meadowood

    Napa Valley

    If you couldn’t score reservations at French Laundry, fear not: Meadowood – the valley’s only other three-Michelin-star restaurant – has a slightly more…

  • French Laundry

    Napa Valley

    The pinnacle of California dining, Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-star rated French Laundry is epic, a high-wattage culinary experience on par with the…

  • Oxbow Public Market

    Napa

    Graze at this gourmet market and plug into the Northern California food scene. Standouts: Hog Island Oyster Co; comfort cooking at celeb-chef Todd…

  • Backyard

    Russian River Area

    This relaxing, alfresco spot gets every fruit, vegetable and animal from local farmers or fishers and the chef knows just what to do with all of it…

  • Ciccio

    Napa Valley

    The small, frequently changing menu at this family-owned Italian place is dependent on the season and likely to include just a couple of veggies, pastas,…

  • Handline

    Russian River Area

    Housed in a former Foster's Freeze, this local's favorite seafood restaurant is over-the-counter casual but undeniably elegant. The stylish interior is…

  • Madrona Manor

    Healdsburg

    You’d be hard-pressed to find a lovelier place to propose than this retro-formal Victorian mansion’s garden-view verandah – though there’s nothing old…

  • Flower + Bone

    Russian River Area

    From the foraging, pickling, preserving Santa Rosa couple behind the Naked Pig comes Flower + Bone. The cuisine is inspired by ancient cooking techniques,…

  • Lovina

    Calistoga

    A sparsely decorated cottage surrounded by a white picket fence, Lovina is especially good for lunch in the garden. The menu changes frequently, featuring…

  • Cafe La Haye

    Sonoma

    One of Sonoma’s top tables for earthy New American cooking, La Haye only uses produce sourced from within 60 miles. Its dining room gets packed cheek-by…

  • Dry Creek Kitchen

    Healdsburg

    Right on the town plaza, you'll no doubt catch a glimpse of this restaurant's elegant dining room with its beautiful people, floor-to-ceiling windows and…

  • Ottimo

    Napa Valley

    Chef Michael Chiarello opened this Italian market, cafe and mozzeria in Yountville's V Marketplace across from his popular farm-to-table establishment…

  • Valette

    Healdsburg

    If you're looking to impress somebody, Healdsburg residents suggest Valette. The sleek American restaurant is regularly packed with suits and fancy ladies…

  • Glen Ellen Star

    Sonoma Valley

    Helmed by chef Ari Weiswasser, who once worked at Thomas Keller's French Laundry, this petite Glen Ellen bistro shines a light on the best of Sonoma farms…

  • Ad Hoc

    Napa Valley

    A winning formula by Thomas Keller, Yountville’s culinary patriarch, Ad Hoc serves the master’s favorite American home cooking in four family-style…

  • Chalkboard

    Healdsburg

    With its tony grotto setting, sunny back patio and changing daily menu, this top restaurant focuses on pulling the freshest ingredients from local farms…

  • Hazel

    Russian River Area

    This restaurant is small, unassuming and serves absolutely delectable food. The menu only features a few starters, pizzas and mains but you cannot go…

  • Torc

    Napa

    Wildly popular Torc plays off the seasons with dynamic combinations of farm-fresh ingredients such as pork belly with satsuma-imo potato and choy raab, or…

  • Bouchon

    Napa Valley

    Details at celeb-chef Thomas Keller’s French brasserie are so impeccable – zinc bar to white-aproned waiters – you’d swear you were in Paris. Only the…

  • Angèle

    Napa

    Stalwart Angèle serves reliable provincial-French cooking – French onion soup, Nicoise salads and croques monsieur (gourmet toasted ham-and-cheese…

  • Farmhouse Inn

    Russian River Area

    Special-occasion worthy, Michelin-starred Farmhouse changes its seasonal Euro-Cal menu daily, using locally raised, organic ingredients such as Sonoma…

  • Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg Co

    Napa Valley

    Before the advent of fancy-food stores, this ramshackle market introduced Napa to Italian delicacies: real prosciutto and salami, meaty olives, fresh…

  • Solbar

    Calistoga

    We like the Spartan ag-chic look of this Michelin-starred resort restaurant. The menu maximizes seasonal produce in elegant dishes, playfully composed,…

  • Cook St Helena

    Napa Valley

    Locals crowd this tiny storefront bistro, beloved for its earthy Cal-Italian cooking: homemade pasta and risotto, crispy sole and soft polenta. Expect a…

  • Underwood Bar & Bistro

    Russian River Area

    Underwood draws accolades for Mediterranean-style small plates and Californian bistro cooking, and bon vivants fill the hoppin' bar. This is a great place…

  • Oenotri

    Napa

    Housemade salumi (cured meat) and pastas, and wood-fired Naples-style pizzas are the stars at always-busy Oenotri, which draws crowds for daily-changing,…

  • Farmstead

    Napa Valley

    An enormous open-truss barn with big leather booths and rocking-chair porch, Farmstead draws an all-ages crowd and farms many of its own ingredients –…

  • Spinster Sisters

    Russian River Area

    At Santa Rosa's culinary vanguard, this casual market-driven restaurant makes its own bagels, cheese and charcuterie meats. The diverse tapas-like small…

  • Bistro Don Giovanni

    Napa

    This long-running favorite roadhouse serves modern-Italian pastas, crispy pizzas and wood-roasted meats. Weekends get packed – and loud. Request a…

  • Redd Wood

    Napa Valley

    Celeb-chef Richard Reddington's casual Italian trattoria serves outstanding homemade pastas, salumi and tender-to-the-tooth pizzas from a wood-fired oven.

  • Bouchon Bakery

    Napa Valley

    Bouchon makes as-good-as-in-Paris French pastries and strong coffee. There's always a line and rarely a seat: get it to go.

  • Miminashi

    Napa

    It's easy to tire of California cuisine, and this fresh-take izakaya joint (Japanese pub serving small-plate dishes) gives a welcome relief with a hip…

  • Sam's Social Club

    Calistoga

    Housed in the Indian Springs Resort, this is Calistoga's fancy American restaurant that also brews its own beer. Colorful and expertly prepared dishes…

  • Canneti Roadhouse

    Russian River Area

    A Tuscan-born chef makes bona fide cucina Italiana using quality ingredients from local farms at this austere restaurant in downtown Forestville, worth…

  • Mateo's Cocina Latina

    Healdsburg

    Here the upmarket Yucatan-inspired cooking at lunch and the California-French fusion dishes in the evening integrate fine technique and all-local…

  • El Dorado Kitchen

    Sonoma

    The swank plazaside choice for contemporary California-Mediterranean cooking, El Dorado showcases seasonal-regional ingredients in dishes such as seafood…

  • Union Hotel

    Russian River Area

    Occidental has two old-school American-Italian restaurants that serve family-style meals. The Union is slightly better and serves a delicious,…

  • Tasca Tasca

    Sonoma

    Specializing in Portuguese and Mediterranean fare, this tapas tavern in food-obsessed downtown Sonoma holds its own. Try the authentic caldo verde …

  • Archetype

    Napa Valley

    In an architect-designed dining room that breaks the Wine Country mold, Archetype effortlessly melds Asian and Mediterranean techniques with the best of…