6 Best Restaurants in Sonoma, Napa and Sonoma

In a postage-stamp-size open kitchen (the dining room, its white walls adorned with contemporary art, is nearly as compact), the chef turns out understated sophisticated fare emphasizing seasonably available local ingredients. Meats, pastas, and seafood get deluxe treatment without fuss or fanfare—and the daily risotto special is always worth trying.

Shaded by oaks and burnt-orange umbrellas, this kid- and dog-friendly roadhouse outdoor restaurant, best for lunch on a sunny day, often bustles with locals and out-of-towners chowing down on comfort fare based on ingredients from local artisanal purveyors. A recent menu's smoked-and-glazed pork belly with maitakes and pistachio pesto pleased with its layered flavors, as did vegan and gluten-free sweet-potato tacos and a vegetarian mushroom Cubano with spicy pickles, cabbage, and Monterey Jack on focaccia.

The owner of this bright storefront restaurant and marketplace across from Sonoma Plaza's southern edge escorts her customers on a round-the-world journey via street-food mashups like tandoori “tacos” on naan and healthful “blue zone” salads for lunch, retaining many of these items for “supper,” which might also include berbere-spiced chicken thighs. The through line on the dishes is that all are baked (nothing’s deep fried), their ingredients from reputable purveyors employing sustainable growing practices.

Decorated in shades of brown and white and softly lit at night, the Grille is the type of spot where old-schoolers start a meal by washing down oysters on the half shell with a stiff gin martini or cut to the chase with vodka oyster shooters. The menu at lunch and dinner covers all the bases with grilled, baked, or roasted beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fish dishes, plus risotto and pasta plates.

Whimsical art and brightly painted walls set a jolly tone at this casual eatery whose assets include the verdant rear patio. Waffles, eggs Benedict and ham on a Model Bakery English muffin, and the soft-scramble buttermilk biscuit sandwich are among the breakfast hits, with grilled cheese sandwiches done four ways (traditional, chicken avocado, smoked ham, and Waygu steak) and a kale and chicken Caesar salad steady crowd-pleasers at lunch.

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.