Napa Valley Restaurant Reviews
Where to eat in Napa Valley? Here is our take on the restaurants in the area. We'll be filling these up with more reviews over time, but so much to eat and so little time...
- Ad hoc Review
- Another Thomas Keller offspring which was originally meant as a throw-away concept, but a Keller throw-away is someone else's genius idea. Family style fixed menu every month that changes every day.
- Alexis Baking Company and Cafe Review
- Great bakery for cakes, cookies, etc, but we love it for the best weekend breakfast (especially Sunday) in Napa.
- Angele Review
- Underrated French restaurant by the Napa River Inn which consistently serves up solid meals.
- Annalien Review
- Upscale Vietnamese cuisine comes to the city of Napa. Worth going to if you want a break from typical Napa Valley restaurants although die-hard Asian eaters might grouse.
- Auberge du Soleil Review
- The food is good, but the real claim to fame is the absolutely gorgeous view of Napa Valley while you eat and a wine list so thick you could use it to hammer nails.
- BarbersQ Review
- Memphis-style BBQ comes to the city of Napa. Good eats, prices aren't too bad by Napa standards, and some welcome diversity from Napa Valley cuisine.
- Bayleaf Review
- Secluded and pretty location just off Silverado Trail that is sort of an old-school high-end restaurant. The atmosphere is a bit on the stuffy side for us, and the food doesn't quite live up to aspirations though.
- Bistro Don Giovanni Review
- Italian cuisine (with some French highlights) that's very popular with the locals and one of the prettiest outdoor seating areas in the area in spring.
- Bistro Jeanty Review
- This is French food in all its hearty, buttery, tasty glory. It is not pretentious or affected at all. It ain't light, that's for sure, but it is delicious, homey, and very satisfying.
- Bistro Sabor Review
- Another restaurant looking to take tacos and streetfare upscale from the Ceja family. Open late too.
- Black Bear Diner Review
- Well, on the plus side, the meals probably have the largest calorie to dollar ratio in Napa. Makes other greasy spoons seem like health nuts.
- Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen Review
- California-based American cuisine with some Mexican and Asian touches.
- Bleaux Magnolia Review
- Some of the best overall flavors in the city of Napa, Bleaux Magnolia is Creole cuisine with a Napa Valley twist.
- Boon Fly Cafe Review
- Hearty casual dining fare with an upscale Napa Valley twist. You got a problem with buffalo wings and potato skins?
- Bouchon Review
- The French Laundry's more casual sibling, Bouchon is a French bistro that not only serves up good eats but serves up good eats late. A Thomas Keller creation or Denny's or IHOP...which to choose...which to choose.
- Bottega Review
- Michael Chiarello returns to the kitchen with Bottega.
- Brix Review
- Sporting one of the nicest outdoor seating areas in the region, Brix focuses on a farm-to-table theme. But food and service sometimes uneven vs. price.
- C Casa Review
- Erasto and Pablo Jacinto move on past Border and open a new restaurant in Oxbow serving artisan tacos.
- Ca' Momi Review
- One of the best pizzas in the area and a terrific pasticceria too.
- Caffe Cicero Review
- A bar / restaurant in downtown Napa serving American dishes but heavy Italian and Mexican influences. Biggest claim to fame is its relatively late hours but food and service can be uneven.
- Cole's Chop House review
- Definitely the toniest steak house in Napa, Cole's Chop House offers some wonderful pieces of meat but some tony prices as well.
- Cook Review
- Relatively new casual, modern Italian restaurant in St. Helena that's already a local favorite. Small, packed, noisy, but very worth it.
- Cuvee Napa Review
- Cuvee in Napa, CA
- Downtown Joe's Review
- Emmy Lou's Diner Cafe Review
- A diner specializing mainly in breakfast and lunches but with an interesting dinner option.
- FARM at Carneros Inn Review
- Bigger brother to the Boon Fly Cafe at the Carneros Inn, the FARM is the "grown-up" restaurant. The food overall is solid, but the food sometimes doesn't match up to the price.
- Farmstead Review
- Sheamus Feeley leaves Rutherford Grill to set up at the Farmstead Restaurant in the Long Meadow Ranch Winery. Southern farm cooking meets Napa Valley.
- Fish Story Review
- Stephen Barber leaves BarbersQ to open up a seafood restaurant in downtown Napa but with a sustainable seafood focus.
- Foothill Grille Review
- The original owners return to Foothill in the newly re-opened Foothill Grille. The friendly mom-and-pop feel to it is refreshing, but it feels like the original owners are still trying to find their culinary rhythm.
- Frida's Review
- Best Mexican restaurant in the city of Napa and aspires to be a lot more than just another taco and burrito shop. It's not designed to be a fancy place, but an accessible restaurant where the flavors show you what Mexican food can be rather than what people expect it to be.
- General Store Review
- Pizzas and California lunch food with strong Asian highlights (particularly Vietnamese). Also has a fairly large wine tasting bar and sells a variety of local goods (olive oils, soaps, cookbooks, etc.)
- Genova Delicatessen Review
- Best place to get a deli sandwich in Napa and a number of other Italian foodstuffs. Long wait though as it's a pretty popular place with the locals.
- Gillwoods Cafe Review
- One of the more popular homestyle, traditional breakfasts and lunches in Napa Valley with two location (St. Helena and downtown Napa)
- Go Fish Review
- Interesting experiment in all things fish. Best thing about it is we get Hana level sushi (arguably best sushi in North Bay) without driving up to Rohnert Park.
- Gott’s Roadside Tray Gourmet Review
- The Restaurant formerly known as Taylor's Refresher. Good burgers, but pricey. Taylor's was a local favorite, but what happens when the name is gone?
- Grace's Table Review
- A global menu with Latin, French, and Italian items co-existing with each other. More reasonable pricing than similar restaurants in the area. Good chance to become a locals mainstay.
- Hurley's Restaurant and Bar Review
- Underrated Yountville restaurant that should get more attention. Mixes California cuisine with Mediterranean flavors. Known for its wild game dishes in particular.
- Julia's Kitchen Review
- Named after Julia Child, Julia's Kitchen is the flagship restaurant of the Copia center near downtown Napa. Aspires to high-end cuisine but with mixed results.
- Kara's Cupcakes Review
- Kara's Cupcakes opens another location in Oxbow. Best cupcakes in Napa if you're into cupcakes. Little pricey but still plenty tasty.
- Kelley's No Bad Days Cafe Review
- A locals favorite. California cuisine with Asian highlights. Informal, fun, irreverent atmosphere. Hummer drivers probably should go somewhere else though. ;-)
- La Toque Review
- Best high-end tasting menu of the 3-7 course kind in the city of Napa. Not quite at the level of the very top restaurants in the greater area but still a pretty good pick and easier to get into.
- Market Review
- An ode to American comfort food in St. Helena using local ingredients from the local markets. Lunch menu does a better job in meeting their goal than the dinner menu. But still overall, good, hearty eating.
- Martini House review
- Mini Mango Thai Bistro Review
- A new Thai restaurant opens in Napa, and it looks like it'll be a keeper. Not only is the Thai food solid, but for once a Bistro with actual Bistro prices.
- Morimoto Napa Review
- Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto opens a West Coast presence in...Napa? Morimoto brings his global Japanese with local ingredients for a stunning debut.
- Mustard's Grill Review
- A mainstay of Napa Valley restaurants, Mustard's Grill offers an upscale version of a truckstop diner. Although the food offers tasty eats, some of the prices might leave you scratching your head.
- Napa Valley Grille Review
- A chain restaurant of sorts, the Napa Valley Grille offers decent enough higher-end Napa Valley cuisine, but it's a step behind the other restaurants in what must be the most competitive 1 mile fine-dining block of restaurants in the world, Yountville, CA.
- Neela's Review
- Norman Rose Tavern Review
- Oenotri Review
- You'd think that the last thing Napa needed was another Italian restaurant, but Oenotri is one of the best Italian restaurants in the Napa Valley area
- The Pearl Review
- Casual Napa Valley cooking with Southwestern, Hispanic influences.
- Piccolino's Cafe Review
- Homestyle "Old World" Italian restaurant that feels more Italian-American in downtown Napa and caters more to the Everyman crowd rather than those seeking fine dining.
- Pilar Review
- Small cozy restaurant serving up Napa Valley cuisine with a Mediterranean slant. Don't blink because you'll miss it, and that would be a bad thing.
- Pizza Azzurro Review
- Gourmet thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas in a low-key, casual dining environment. Locals favorite.
- Pizzeria Tra Vigne Review
- Probably the best pizza overall in Napa Valley. Wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas that you can customize with a variety of quality ingredients, a decent wine selection, and a casual dining environment that's kid-friendly.
- Press review
- Redd Review
- Best tasting menu in terms of bang for the buck in all of Napa Valley. California cuisine with Asian and Mexican influences.
- Red Rock Cafe Review
- Blue-collar, old-fashioned hamburgers which are some of the best in town. Some good BBQ too.
- Restaurant at the Meadowood Review
- Definitely one of the best restaurants in the entire area (also one of the most expensive). Dishes are delicious, immaculately presented, and have a great wine pairing.
- Ristorante Allegria Review
- Italian restaurant in downtown Napa that focuses on heavier Northern Italian dishes with some Cailfornian influences. Moderately priced and aims for a solid meal.
- Rotisario Review
- Located in the Oxbow Market, Rotisario is the first non-mobile eatery of Thomas Odermatt from RoliRoti, a mobile rotisserie that frequents Farmers' Markets in the Bay Area.
- Rutherford Grill Review
- Popular American-style grill restaurant in Rutherford. Limited menu but terrific for meat-lovers
- Sushi Mambo Review
- Probably the most popular sushi place in the city of Napa and can definitely satisfy your sushi cravings if you're not looking for anything too exotic.
- Taylor's Refresher Review
- Taylor's Refresher opens up a 3rd location in Napa. Good hamburger eats, but a little on the pricey side. Still, it's an area favorite and, like its St. Helena sibling, it is frequently packed.
- Tres Hermanos Review
- Favorite mom and pop Mexican restaurant in Napa. Best tacos in town.
- Tuscany Review
- Pleasant Italian restaurant with one of the nicer open, airy downtown Napa settings during the spring.
- Ubuntu Review
- A Yoga Studio/Vegetarian Restaurant. Does the Health Department know about this?
- Uva Trattoria Italiana Review
- Cali-Italian restaurant on the heartier side. Half-plates make it an interesting and relatively inexpensive place to go wtih friends.
- Villa Romano Review
- Located just outside of town in what looks like a large farm house, Villa Romano offers its take on Northern Italian cuisine.
- ZinsValley Review
- Napa Valley cuisine with a smattering of Asian highlights and a big Zinfandel wine list. One of the more underrated restaurants in the city of Napa.
- Zuzu Review
- Zuzu offer tapas in Napa with Spanish, Portuguese, Mediterranean roots. One of the trendier places to eat in Napa, particularly in the evening.
- COMING UP NEXT...
- Quick summaries of restaurants we've been to but don't have reviews for yet. And some other misc food-related places in Napa Valley too. I try not to think about the sum bill of all this nonsense.