San Francisco Restaurant Guide - Wine Country/North Bay Restaurants

Encompassing Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Napa, Wine Country dining is some of the best in the country for ultra chic restaurants specializing in the artistry of pairing wine and food. With vineyards, rolling hills and a bucolic yet worldly vibe, the Wine Country, just an hour north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, is a must-do day trip from San Francisco. San Francisco visitors with the time to explore the Wine Country's dining won't be disappointed and for local San Franciscans who need a convenient and completely transportive escape from urban life, the Wine Country is it. For a historic, main street dining vibe, try Santa Rosa. For laid back Wine Country atmosphere, Sonoma country restaurants are the ideal choice. For the chic Wine Country experience, Napa is the place for some of the Wine Country's sleekest (and most expensive) restaurants and Wine Country hotels.

Santa Rosa Restaurants

Equus at the FountainGrove Inn

101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
American, California.

John Ash & Co.

4330 Barnes Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Monti's Rotisserie & Bar

714 Village Ct., Santa Rosa, California 95404
California cuisine. Small plates and a few larger entrées with emphasis on house-roasted meats. Great bar, family feel.

Syrah

205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, California 95401
Californian-French. Sophisticated cuisine in restaurant or indoor courtyard. Seasonally changing menu and inventive desserts.

Willi's Wine Bar

4404 Old Redwood Hwy, Santa Rosa, California 95403
Small plates/wine bar. Bistro dishes and extensive wine list.

Chai BaBa Chai

463 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.544.2222
Vegetarian. Middle Eastern and veggie treats. The Love Burger is well-named.

Emile's Creekside Bistro

2800 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.575.8839
French. Intimate and charming old-fashioned bistro with classic French offerings, like beef bourguignon and duck confit.

Gary Chu's

611 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.526.5840
Chinese. Fine Chinese food in elegant setting.

Johnny Garlic's

917 Piner Rd., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.636.1010
Californian. At Johnny's, garlic is God--all dishes are infused with the glorious stinking rose. Lunch and dinner daily; buffet brunch, Sun.

JoJo Sushi

645 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.569.8588
Japanese. Hip downtown eatery features fresh sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, and innovative specials.

Mac's Delicatessen

630 Fourth St, Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.545.3785
Diner. Best diner in downtown Santa Rosa. Large selection of Jewish-style sandwiches; excellent cole slaw.

Osake Sushi Bar & Grill

2446 Patio Ct., Santa Rosa, California; Tel.707.542.8282
Japanese. Gourmet sushi, exotic seasoned seaweed salad, robata grill specialties and premium sakes. Karaoke lounge until 1:30am, Fri-Sat.

Roberto's Restaurant

4776 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.539.0260
Italian. Reliable home-style Italian cooking.

Sapporo

518 Seventh St., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.575.0631
Japanese. An excellent choice when the sushi urge hits.

Yao-Kiku

2700 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.578.8180
Japanese. Fresh sushi with ingredients flown in from Japan steals the show in this popular neighborhood restaurant. Open daily.

Zazu

3535 Guerneville Rd., Santa Rosa, California; Tel. 707.523.4814
Cal-Euro. Perfectly executed dishes that sing with flavor.

Sonoma Restaurants

The General's Daughter

400 W Spain St., Sonoma, California 95476
A few blocks from the tourist-driven bustle of Sonoma Plaza rises a stately yellow American. Victorian mansion, set on one and a half acres of landscaped gardens, complete with patios, porches, and century-old climbing roses. The General's Daughter is an enjoyable and elegant place to entertain guests (or give yourself a well-earned breather) during these abundant seasonal times.

LaSalette Restaurant

452 First Street East, Suite H, Sonoma, California 95476
Portuguese. You don't need to search out a dusky tavern in Lisbon to share in this soulful expression and partake in some Portuguese soul food, where exotic cuisine and haunting music make a memorable meal. Here, authentic rustic dishes include classic lusty Portuguese stews and seafood.

Saddles Steakhouse - MacArthur Place

29 East MacArthur Place, Sonoma, CA 95476
Steakhouse.

Sante at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma CA 95476
With over 300 Sonoma and Napa County wines on the wine list, this upscale Sonoma restaurant is pure wine country dining. With locally-grown produce, meats and seafood, this nationally-renowned Sonoma restaurant offers some of the area's best simple and elegant Wine Country cuisine.

The Girl & the Fig

110 West Spain, Sonoma CA 95442
Drawing crowds nightly, Sondra Bernstein's nouvaeu-country cafe in Sonoma offers figs in one form or another, including the delectable winter fig salad made with arugula, pecans, dried figs, goat cheese and fig-and-port vinaigrette. This fig is French, and the cuisine is just as comfy as the Provence-inspired Sonoma restaurant.

More Sonoma Restaurants

Bistrot La Poste

599 Broadway, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.939.3663
French. This tiny space houses big, rich bistro delights.

Cellar Cat Café

14301 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, California; Tel. 707.933.1465
Eclectic. Cozy wine bar and deli ambiance.

Della Santina's

133 E Napa St, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.935.0576
Italian. Casual chic, family-run combination trattoria/rosticceria/pasticceria featuring traditional Tuscan fare and emphasizing spit-roasted meats and house-made pastries.

Garden Court Caf&eactue; & Bakery

13647 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, California; Tel. 707.935.1565
American. Traditional diner food treated with utter respect; the quality ingredients make for sublime eating.

Juanita Juanita

19114 Arnold Dr, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.935.3981
Mexican. Fun and funky.

La Casa Restaurant & Bar

121 E Spain St., Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.996.3406
Mexican. Standard gringo-cized Mexican fare right off Sonoma's plaza. A good neighborhood place to get pitchers of margaritas.

Maya

101 E Napa St, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.935.3500
Upscale Mexican. Colorful festive atmosphere featuring fun Yucatán-inspired food and some 30 tequilas available by the half shot. Lunch and dinner daily.

Meritâge

522 Broadway, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.938.9430
Californian-French. The menu, which changes daily, is well-rounded with plenty of options, thanks in no small part to the fresh seafood bar. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Wed-Mon. Brunch, Sat-Sun.

Murphy's Irish Pub

464 First St E, Sonoma, California; Tel. 707.935.0660
Pub fare. Casual, homey place serving no-nonsense pub grub like shepherd's pie.

The Restaurant at Sonoma Mission Inn

18140 Sonoma Hwy, Boyes Hot Springs, California; Tel. 707.939.2415
Californian. In this world-class spa setting sample Sonoma County-inspired dishes or an elegant traditional brunch.

Saffron Restaurant

13648 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, California; Tel. 707.938.4844
Eclectic Californian. Creative dishes such as roast squab in red currant sauce, complemented by a great wine list featuring local vintages and many Spanish wines. Great desserts too.

Napa Restaurants

Celadon

500 Main Street, Ste. G, Napa, CA 94559
A local historic Napa favorite, Celadon is a rustically cozy Napa neighborhood restaurant serving "global comfort food" inspired by Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. The wine list includes local Napa favorites as well as a diverse mix of world wines (Caledon has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 1997).

Cole's Chop House

1122 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
Two blocks from its sister Napa restaurant, Caledon, in historic Napa, the casually elegant Cole's Chop House is located in a 100-year-old Napa building and serves classic steaks, chops and hearty sides. The open air patio is a balmy Napa spot to enjoy Cole's dry-aged steaks, New Zealand lamb and fresh seafood.

Julia's Kitchen at COPIA

500 1st St., Napa, California 94559
French-Californian. Premier dining within Center for Wine, Food, and Arts. Chef Mark Dommen uses regional and seasonal specialties from the Center's organic gardens.

Piccolino's Italian Café

1385 Napa Town Center, Napa, California 94559
Italian. A family-style, Old World Italian restaurant with a simple, Italian country décor, Piccolino's is a favorite on Wednesday nights for Steve Albini's live accordion music. Piccolino's also boasts live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pilar

807 Main St., Napa, California 94559
Californian. Located in Napa's emerging Waterfront District, Pilar's boasts an ever-changing bistro menu concentrating on what is fresh at the moment.

Restaurant Cuvee Napa

1650 Soscol Ave., Napa, California 94559
American. Located in downtown Napa adjacent to the River Terrace Inn, Restaurant Cuvee Napa boasts an extensive wine list, including wines on tap, in addition to a menu designed to showcase the character of the wine.

Zare Napa

5091 Solano Ave., Napa, California 94558
Mediterranean. A stylish wine country restaurant, Chef Hoss Zare serves innovative Mediterranean cuisine that infuses classical European dishes with a Persian mystique. The Zare Napa lounge is chic spot for a Persian Martini and Zare's late night menu.

More Napa Restaurants

Bounty Hunter

975 1st Street, Napa, California 94559; Tel. 707.255.0622
Wine country casual. Wine shop and bistro with maverick moxie for the wine cowboy. Premium bottles for sale, also.

Fumé Bistro & Bar

4050 Byway E., Napa, California; Tel. 707.257.1999
California cuisine. California bistro fare that nearly always hits the mark.

Saketini Asian Diner & Lounge

3900 Bel Aire Plaza, Ste. B, Napa, California; Tel. 707.255.7423
Californian-Asian. Sip a saketini cocktail "liquid appetizer" in this casual lively eatery that blends California and Asian cuisines to good result. Try the fresh fish from Hawaii or the Hunan barbecue ribs.

Zuzu

829 Main St., Napa, California; Tel. 707.224.8555
Spanish tapas. Graze your way through a selection of tasty tapas in a lively rustic chic setting with a popular wine bar. Bite-sized Spanish and Latin American specialties include sizzling prawns, Spanish tortilla, and Brazilian style steamed mussels.

San Rafael Restaurants

Seafood Peddler

100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael, CA 94901
Pull up your boat and dine at the Seafood Peddler, a dockside restaurant in San Rafael. The menu at the Seafood Peddler changes weekly to highlight the freshest fish available from the west and east coasts. Seasonal seafood shows up in dishes such as a cocktail of Dungeness crab, jumbo prawns, and Blue Point oysters and the herb roasted wild king salmon.

Yountville Restaurants

Bouchon

6540 Washington St., Yountville CA; Tel. 707.944.8037.
French. The revered Thomas Keller and his brother Joseph have engineered one of the hippest spots in Napa Valley. A Yountville restaurant, Bouchon boasts a distinctly Parisian ambiance, offering French classics that require no tinkering, prepared in a straightforward style: raw seafood, cassoulet, steak frites.

Mustards Grill

7399 St. Helena Hwy, Yountville, CA 94558
A wine country classic, Mustards Grill has been feeding and pleasing wine country visitors and locals alike for over 20 years. Serving up American style fare with a global influence and pairing the food with fine wines from around the world including a huge selection of Californian wines, Mustards made the tiny town of Yountville a dining destination before Thomas Keller joined the scene with the French Laundry.

Rutherford Restaurants

Auberge du Soleil

180 Rutherford Hill Rd., Rutherford, CA 94573
On 33 acres of lush Napa Valley wine country, this Rutherford restaurants pairs Wine County wines with French and Mediterranean cuisine. The bar's outdoor terrace offers excellent views of Napa Valley.