wine country lovin’
Planning a visit to Wine Country and need recommendations about where to eat and drink? This is probably the number two most asked question I receive on the blog, second only to what is my real natural hair color. To save you that email, the answer is blond. Happy now?
As for Northern California, here’s a list I came up with some of my favorite places. This will be expanded upon in the very near future! Click on each restaurant’s name and you will find my review and sufficient food porn. You’re welcome.
Best wine tour around
Platypus wine tours. I went went on one of their tours the day after my Century bike ride and it was one of the best decisions of my entire life. It’s $80 for the day and includes lunch, snack and transportation to about seven wineries.
Great wineries to check out:
Kendall-Jackson food and wine center (do the food and wine pairing and garden tour!)
Iron Horse Winery
Kokomo
Arrowood
Bella
Matanzas Creek
Michel Schlumberger
Gary Ferrell
Quivera
Passalacqua
Lynmar Estates
Sonoma County restaurants:
Girl and the Fig (sonoma)
Zin (healdsburg)
Zazu (Santa Rosa)
Scopa (healdsburg)
p-30 (Sebastopol)
Island Deli (Botega Bay)
Rocker Oysterfeller’s (Valley Ford)
Rosso (Santa Rosa)
Dry Creek Kitchen (Healdsburg)
Cyrus (Healdsburg)
Diavola (Geyserville)
Peter Lowell’s (Sebastopol)
The Estate (Sonoma)
Nick’s Cove (Tomales Bay)
Stark’s Steakhouse (Santa Rosa)
Stellina (Point Reyes Station)
Sea Thai Bistro (Santa Rosa)
Smokehouse BBQ (Sebastopol)
Restaurants in San Francisco:
Sunrise Deli (yummy falafel!)
Poggio (Sausalito)
Cibo (actually this is in Sausalito but it’s delicious so I wanted to add it, too)
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
tartine?
There are still ample restaurants that you need to see in San Francisco.
Yep.
LOVE THIS SECTION OF YOUR BLOG!!!!! I am from NY so my wine-o studies have been based in the Finger Lakes. Imagine Rieslings and Gewurztraminer galore! Although…recently I have been loving on a few really good Pinots and Cab Sauv from Cali!! Wine is a component of any good meal! I have been trying to study it more and am so glad to have your advice as a resource! CHEERS!
Great list! I used to live in Sebastopol and I don’t recognize any of the restaurants. Nice to have an update next time I visit.
Have you been to Greens?? So good!
HI! Thanks for all of those San Fransisco suggestions. I am taking my first trip there and to Napa with my boyfriend iat the end of August and I have been looking for good restaurants. I’ve read a lot about the Tipsy Pig, and the Slanted Door. We will definitely check those places out. And I need to try Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern. Have you been there yet? Thanks again
Berkeley restaurant suggestions? I have a concert there in October (Jack Johnson, Hollla!) and want to plan a nice early dinner before…
Thanks for the suggestions for San Fran! I’m moving to Santa Cruz @ the end of August, and need some new places to call ‘my own.’ Have you been down to Santa Cruz or the Monterrey Bay area? Have any suggestions?!
This is awesome! Thanks!
Love this section. I’m moving to Palo Alto in about 5 weeks – can’t wait to explore NorCal!
Hi Jenna,
I just found your blog a few weeks ago and I’m loving it. My husband and I made our first trip to the Northern California wine country last year and I completely fell in love! We lived in San Diego for a while about 7 yrs ago, but never made it up to the Wine Country. We weren’t happy in So Cal and moved to North Carolina. But when we were in the Wine Country, I told my husband that had we lived THERE, we would still live in Cali. It truly is my idea of heaven. Such great food and wine! So you’ll have to forgive me if I live vicariously through you being a foodie in one of my favorite places on the planet! BTW, we LOVED Bella and Quivera Vineyards as well as Zazu. We also fell in love with Frog’s Leap Vineyards in Napa and the restaurant Mosaic in Forestville. Check them out if you get a chance!
Cheers!
Thanks Jenna! Totally wish I had this last year when I went to wine country. I went to a few of the places you listed…and plenty of other incredible wineries and restaurants…it’s really endless out there! I can’t wait to go back
My mom and I are planning a Northern California trip for later this year and I just spent half the day looking at all these links! Thank you so much for putting this all together!
HEy Jenna!
Love your site! Just a small note, when you say “Botega Bay” do you mean “Bodega Bay”? I just noticed because it’s one of my favorite places ever and I am a spelling nerd
If you haven’t tried it already, you might want to check out (and add to the list) Small World Cafe. The place has awesome hummus wraps and I always make sure to eat lunch there on every trip to Napa.
http://local.yahoo.com/info-21452312-small-world-restaurant-napa
You’re right about Michel Schlumberger being a great place to check out. I know nothing about wine, but went tasting in April for the first time and my friends and I took a tour there. It was great fun..the guide was very humorous, I learned a lot and the tasting was most excellent! I even bought a bottle…but not the $75 bottle I wanted to get from te tasting. Living on a budget is so lame!
Hey Jenna,
As a former Santa Rosa resident for my whole life (now a military pilots wife) you simply must try Mosaic in Forestville. I believe it may be the best SoCo fare next to Cyrus.
Also, a fab new wine bar just opened in Napa, Carpe Diem. As a foodie, and child born into the wine industry I miss the area so much! Yuma, AZ just doesn’t have as much to offer
Best of luck to you up there, and I hope you’re able to try Dutton Goldfields Sonoma Coast pinot (I helped put in the vines myself in my teens.) Cheers! Casey
My sister works @ Platypus….I’m so happy to see you mention them here! I was just about to suggest them, but see you’re already a fan. Nice!
Jenna you are a really good photographer! Wanted to let you know that we’re serving local wines (some from wineries you listed) and craft brews that go great with smoked cue at the bbq smokehouse now. We’ve had a couple of wine and cue pairing workshops – would love your ‘wine country native’ take on wine with bbq.
Hi! I live in Sebastopol. Great Restaurant recommendations! I’ve been to a lot of those. Have you ever been to Willi’s Seafood and Wine bar in Healdsburg? Or the Underwood in Graton? Those are two of my all-time favorites! I think you’d love them. I’m pretty sure Willi’s is run by the same people as Stark’s.
Love all the suggestions- You should check out Larson Family Winery is Sonoma, it’s my favorite! Perfect place for a glass of wine, picnic, and some lawn games…
Squee! I’m so excited that you created this page
My husband & I just booked our September vacation to wine country, and I’m so excited to check out some of the restaurants you recommend! Thanks for the wonderful tips!
Are you from the area? I was just looking at your Vegi Chili and saw the link to Sol Food. I live in Healdsburg… Its just a small town up here that its crazy to run into posts and people that know and talk about the area!
You MUST try Doce Lunas in Kenwood! We hosted a dinner there 2 years ago and friends are still talking about it!
P-30 closed.
Great list of places to eat out! Some of my all time favorites, I would include Underwood and Catelli’s on my list. YUM!