4 Best Restaurants in Sebastopol, Napa and Sonoma

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 five-spice pistachio entice vegans and vegetarians at dinner, but with pork belly skewers, chicken wings to share, a smash burger, and pan-seared fish, there's plenty for carnivores and pescatarians.

Northern California's diverse farm-fresh and ocean-fresh ingredients and global culinary influences converge exuberantly at this brick-walled bistro with brass-colored wire chandeliers, teal walls, and plush mahogany-brown booths. The food, much of it prepared by wood fire, matches the polished yet informal atmosphere, with pickled vegetables, oysters, and caviar whetting the appetite for shareable starters like ceviche, fried calamari, and roasted beets, followed by entrées that might include grilled fish or hanger steak, a pasta plate, or a heritage pork chop.

The chef at this café, wine bar, and bottle shop prepares the primarily small bites—among them yellowtail crudo, ricotta tartine, duck-liver mousse, and baba ghanoush—in a semi-open kitchen, while her sommelier husband and his cheerful front-of-house team suggest pairings from the local-to-international natural wines the couple champion. With bar seating, high-tops, and several tables, the space is too big to feel like you're at a friend's party, but that's the vibe.

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.