6 Best Restaurants in Sonoma, Napa and Sonoma

Chef Efrain Balmes attracted such throngs for his "real Mexican food" truck specializing in his native Oaxacan cuisine that he finally went full brick-and-mortar, creating a colorfully casual order-at-the-counter space with wooden-top tables and pastel blue metal chairs (there’s also a covered outdoor patio). The tacos—fish, shrimp, potato, mushroom, pork, and an outstanding lamb one—and the signature mole Oaxaqueño sauce are the must-tries here, the latter with either an enchilada or a burrito.

The team behind this wineshop, bar, and restaurant across from Sonoma Plaza revamped a 19th-century adobe (though inside you'd never know it's this old) and expanded its outdoor patio, where most dining takes place. Sustainably produced seafood and meats find their way into "California home cooking"—summer dishes that might include halibut with corn and cherry tomatoes and winter ones like pork adobo or a half chicken.

This restaurant owes its visual appeal to its clean lines and svelte decor, but the eye inevitably drifts westward to the open kitchen, where longtime executive chef Armando Navarro's team crafts dishes full of subtle surprises. The menu might include ceviche or roasted maitake mushrooms as starters and pan-roasted salmon, fettuccine carbonara, or paella awash with seafood among the entrées.

The goodness at Karen Waikiki's roadside restaurant, which has more tables outside than in, starts with high-quality ingredients and authentic techniques. The stars include tamales (chicken mole, Niman Ranch pork, and seasonal vegetables), tacos filled with beer-battered fish or crispy beef, ahi tostadas poke style, and enchiladas and burritos.

Down-home Southern cuisine with modern flourishes remains the mission of this retro-yet-au-courant roadside restaurant whose vineyard-view outdoor patio has a backyard-party vibe. Try the biscuits and gravy, hash-brown casserole, and the fried-chicken waffle for breakfast, with more fried chicken, multiple burgers and barbecue dishes, and fried catfish among the lunchtime attractions.

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.