Sonoma County Food

Sonoma County features some beautiful coastline (with the largest town being Bodega Bay), wine country (especially around eponymous Sonoma and Kenwood), cute towns (like Healdsburg and Sebastopol) and some larger bedroom communities (Santa Rosa, Petaluma).

Roughly from South to North:

Petaluma

  • Cucina Paradiso - rec'd Zagat, Michelin (still rec'd but not Bib Gourmand anymore as of 2017)

  • Risibisi Restaurant - Italian with emphasis on seafood, Michelin (still rec'd but not Bib Gourmand anymore as of 2017), Zagat

  • #Della Fattoria Downtown - cafe/lunch place, rec'd by several CHs, Zagat

  • Le Bistro - rec'd by Chowhound

  • Central Market - rec'd by Zagat, Michelin for "Cal-Med" food

  • #Sugo Trattoria - informal (in a strip mall) but family friendly with farm-to-table ingredients, rec'd Zagat, Michelin

  • Luma - fancy pizza and more, rec'd Michelin

Sonoma/Kenwood

  • Fremont Diner - rec'd Zagat

Santa Rosa

  • ***Rosso - wood-fired pizza place rec'd Zagat, Michelin, just E of downtown near Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, nice pizzas (not quite as good as those in SF but pretty good), great salads (we loved the Ceasar), fried calamari, burrata, etc...the pasta with meatballs was a tad overdone but nevertheless very tasty, great wine list.

  • ##Sazon Peruvian Cuisine - rec'd Zagat, Michelin, SW of downtown near 12/101 interchange

  • Willi's Wine Bar - north of town, fancier "small plates", rec'd Zagat, Michelin

  • Chloe’s French Cafe - northern edge of Santa Rosa in the back of a hospital, popular for breakfast/lunch, croque monsieurs, pastries, popular on Yelp/Google...we went there in 2017 and thought it was OK (some pretty good pastries but I would have liked more butter...croque monsieur had too much cheese, etc.)

  • Stark's Steak & Seafood - rec'd Zagat

  • La Gare - French, rec'd Zagat

  • Superburger - Zagat rec's their bacon cheeseburger with house BBQ sauce, NE of downtown on 1501-4th St

  • Worth Our Weight - nonprofit culinary apprenticeship program, has occasional guest chef meals, regular Sunday brunch

  • Osake - near Montgomery Shopping Center, rec'd Thrillist, Zagat

  • Bird & The Bottle - rec'd Zagat, Southern plus Asian & Jewish flavors

  • ?Spinster Sisters - rec'd Zagat for breakfast/brunch, including kimchee bacon deviled eggs, just S of downtown near Julliard Park and 12/101 interchange

  • ?Naked Pig - near Spinster, "farm-to-fork"?

  • ?Dierk's Parkside Cafe - popular on Google/TripAdvisor, voted best breakfast in Sonoma County in 2016

  • Downtown:

  • "Railroad Square" (just W of downtown/Santa Rosa Plaza across 101):

  • Windsor (N of Santa Rosa)

    • Chinois - pan-Asian, rec'd Michelin

    • Himalayan Restaurant - Himalayan/Nepalese, popular on Yelp

    • ***Rumba Cuban Kitchen - good reviews on Google, a diner vibe (very casual), amazing chimicurri fries, great pecadillo (including inside stuffed fried plantains), nice pressed sandwiches, although some other dishes were lackluster (e.g. pork chops).

    • #Superburger - see above

Sebastapol

(~10 min W of Santa Rosa)

  • K & L Bistro - French, rec'd Zagat, Michelin Bib Gourmand, Thrillist

  • [Hole in the Wall - rec'd Chowhound]

  • [French Garden]

  • ?Peter Lowell's - Cal-Italian, fresh, organic ingredients for limited menu, rec'd Michelin, Zagat

  • Ramen Gaijin - rec'd Michelin, Zagat

  • Fork Roadhouse - rec'd Zagat for casual rustic feel and good ingredients cooked well

  • ***Handline Coastal California - counter service place in a former Fosters Freeze run by Peter Lowell's folks, mix of seafood, burgers, etc., rec'd Zagat, we went here in 2017 and liked it in general (very nice fries, fish tacos) but a few dishes weren't quite as good (e.g. the fish burger had a huge bun).

  • The Barlow - a small ~mall of sorts with lots of places to eat & drink including:

  • (North in Graton:) Willow Wood Market Cafe - rec'd Michelin

Forrestville

(~15 min N of Sebastapol, ~20 min W of Santa Rosa)

  • Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant - 1 Michelin star, Zagat

  • Russian River Pub - featured on food network

  • Backyard - Michelin Bib Gourmand, Thrillist

Healdsburg

15 min N of Santa Rosa—probably the best food town in the county

  • Scopa (Italian, “spicy meatballs”, feel like a local says Zagat, was Michelin Bib Gourmand but now just rec'd)

  • #Campo Fina - sister restaurant to Scopa, pizzas and small plates, bocce ball court, relatively inexpensive, rec'd Michelin, Zagat

  • #Healdsburg Bar & Grill - burgers often get rated as one of the best in the county, nice outdoor seating, rec'd Zagat

  • #Healdsburg SHED - cafe and "fermentation bar" (fermented drinks like kombucha), rec'd Zagat, Michelin

  • ***Barndiva - Former French Laundry chef, all local ingredients, Liz had "life-changing" chicken here, rec'd Zagat, Michelin

  • Spoonbar

  • Bistro Ralph

  • Chalkboard - rec'd Zagat

  • Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar - rec'd Zagat, Michelin

  • www.jimtown.com (lunch/picnic place featured on Food Channel)

  • www.downtownbakery.net

  • Mateo's Cocina Latina (Healdsburg, featured on “Unique Eats” for tamales with suckling pig)

  • Dry Creek (alfresco, Italian-inspired, Charlie Palmer celeb chef)

  • Healdsburg Bar & Grill (owned by Cyrus people, less fancy, truffle oil French fries, burgers & milkshakes, mac & cheese http://www.healdsburgbarandgrill.com/hbg_menu.pdf )

  • Ravenous (eclectic, popular with locals, moved back to 117 North St, http://www.yelp.com/menu/ravenous-cafe-and-lounge-healdsburg)

  • Zin (farm to table, http://www.zinrestaurant.com/?page=menus)

  • Restaurant Chacuterie (French, rec’d by chowhounds)

  • Costeaux French Bakery (good place for lunch stuff)

  • Madrona Manor (1 Michelin star, classy, victorian mansion, on Zagat's "12 Essential Sonoma Restaurants")

  • Cyrus (2 Michelin stars, liquid nitrogen-type place)

  • Preston Farm & Winery - not in town but NW of town, rec'd by several CHs

Geyserville

(~11 min N of Healdsburg)

  • Featured on Food Channel: www.mycatellis.com (local/organic, Italian-inspired)

Bodega Bay/Coast

  • #Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant - 1 Michelin star, rec'd by several Chowhounds

  • Lucas Wharf Restaurant

  • Seaweed Cafe

  • Spud Point Crab Company - closed Wednesdays and after 5 PM, clam chowder, crab sandwich

  • Duck Club - very fancy, in Bodega Bay Lodge fancy hotel overlooking water

  • Boat House - informal, fish & chips

  • (Willie Bird Turkeys in Santa Rosa?)

  • in Valley Ford (on 1 on the way to Bodega Bay)

    • Rocker Oysterfeller's

    • Casino Bar & Grill

  • Jenner (north)

    • River's End Restaurant - rec'd by some Chowhounds, especially for the view

  • Freestone

    • Wild Flour Bread - rec'd by several Chowhounds

Occidental

(22 min N of Bodega Bay, 17 min W of Sebastopol)

  • Union Hotel Restaurant

  • Bistro des Copains - rec'd by Chowhound

  • Santa Rosa

  • Bistro 29 - rec'd by Chowhound

Guerneville

(N of Occidental, ~30 min W of Santa Rosa)

  • Applewood Inn & Restaurant - 1 Michelin star

  • Boon Eat+Drink - rec'd by Chowhounds' (Michelin bib gourmand, “hip”, California cuisine, good prices http://eatatboon.com/pdfs/boon_dinner.pdf)