Sebastopol
For BBQ lovers, you need to give this place a try, and as you all know, we love BBQ around here.
Healdsburg
Really great and consistent spot that is always a fun visit.
Petaluma
The Table Culture Provisions team's casual French sibling, at roughly half the price.
Guerneville
Known for warm service and excellent food. Very cozy and welcoming.
Tapas!
Unapologetically classic French bistro cooking, tableside steak tartare included, from a France-trained chef.
Jenner
Coffee, live music, and a view of the river mouth. Magic in the right weather; just a café in the wrong.
Geyserville
A Geyserville institution since 1936, still family-run, still making the ravioli by hand.
Cloverdale
A water-wise nursery with a gift-shop streak, the kind of plant stop worth a detour. Love a great nursery. Thank you, Julie Anne for recommending!
Designed for a long, unhurried evening. On the list for a very special ocassion.
Some of Northern California's most respected wood-fired bread. Go on a weekend morning for the levain and a café table.
A place that actually lives up to the hype. So cozy and unpretentious with phenomenal food.
The definitive provisions stop for a day exploring Sonoma.
City of Sonoma
Right on the square, with the patio seating that makes the plaza worth it.
The retro exterior masks one of the most carefully crafted regional Mexican kitchens in the county.
The most accessible entry point into Sonoma's top tier. Saving this one for a very special occasion, likely our 20th wedding anniversary.
Cotati
The Galvan brothers' food-truck quesabirria, finally with a beer garden to eat it in.
Bodega Bay
Known to sell out almost daily. Tip is to order online or arrive early. Looking forward to trying the brisket.
Glen Ellen
One of the best values in fine-casual dining in the entire county.
Santa Rosa
A 100% sourdough boulangerie built on a 20-year-old levain carried over from the French Alps.
The fish and chips, just named one of Sonoma's top 50 bites. The Sunday pub quiz sounds fun too.
Bodega Bay natives rave about this place. Looking forward to a visit.
The lox and latke Benedict with schmaltz hollandaise is what most people rave about but I haven’t tried it.
So many reasons. The food is outstanding. The vibe is perfect and easy always.
Occidental
More about the small-town morning feeling than cutting-edge cooking.
Greek and Mediterranean done with intent, octopus to lamb shank, hiding in a Santa Rosa shopping center.
Noted for being above the typical Thai in Sonoma County. My neighbor raves about it. My standard is Kin Khao in SF and I hope this place comes close.
Intrigued by the pistachio-burrata pizza, and the lasagna's local reputation.
The garden-patio restaurant at MacArthur Place.
In the old Shed building - the building alone worth the visit. Had brunch here with a friend from New York and both of us are carnivores. We didn’t miss the meat at all. That visit was three years ago and I need to go get the latest.
A short menu of comfort food done well, from house-ground burgers to an Oklahoma fried onion burger.
I love a great food truck park, and this one rotates regional Mexican kitchens.
A rite of passage if you want to feel like a Sonoma native rather than a culinary destination.
Forestville
Trying to time a visit with the cinnamon rolls.
The ideal Healdsburg mid-afternoon move.
A neighborhood pasta shop from the Diavola family, on the list.
Windsor
A four-time national pizza champion's New York-style pies, in a Windsor strip mall.
A few friends have gone and raved. This one is high on the list.
Go early. The best pastries sell out. This is a pilgrimage stop in its own right.
The sunset over the Russian River mouth is legendary.
The Valley Ford roadhouse's Bodega Bay outpost: oysters and harbor views at historic Lucas Wharf.
Valley Ford
Super-insider spot with a devoted following precisely because it's in the middle of nowhere and it’s comfort food.
The county's most authentic French bread and croissant.
Louisiana meets California with smoke sounds like an amazing combination. I love Cajun food and the idea of it paired with local CA produce is very appealing. Pending a visit.
A Japanese restaurant with Japanese food, not an American restaurant serving Japanese food is the local reputation.
This is a pilgrimage, not a restaurant.
Sandwiches and salads on the square when you want to grab and go.
For wood‑fired, locally sourced pizzas in a casual garden setting that has earned top‑50 Bay Area recognition from Yelp Elites.
One of the best Middle Eastern kitchens in the Bay Area, hiding in plain sight in Sonoma.
Clam chowder The Infatuation called a high bar, from the fisherman who caught the crab.
Kenwood
Same kitchen pedigree as Glen Ellen Star. Less crowded, less known. My friend Meredith raves about it, so it’s climbed on my list.
Six tables in 300 square feet with an outsized reputation.
Worth exploring on a weekday when the kitchen is at its sharpest.
Highly regarded in a community with many respected restaurants. The team is lauded as outstanding so excited to visit.
A serious small-producer wine program and real kitchen pedigree (Eataly, Art Smith), in little Cloverdale. Recommended by the amazing Julie Anne!
The plaza standby for French country cooking, with seats outside.
Spinster Sisters is where you go a spot-on meal that is fully seasonal. Other than a few dishes, including their incredible burger on Wednesday nights, the menu changes often.
Central European comfort (schnitzel, spätzle, strudel) from a chef out of the global luxury circuit.
A daytime sandwich counter that becomes a Michelin-starred French-Californian tasting menu by night, from the Quail & Condor team. I have a visit planned and will report out soon! Stay tuned!
Rohnert Park
The county's best North Indian, in an unassuming strip mall.
Serious cooking without any stuffiness.
Go for the food, not the view.