Exterior View - Barndiva, Sonoma, California

Barndiva

Housed in a converted red barn that feels more like an art gallery with a garden dining area, this quirky restaurant highlights modern country food. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

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Food at Café La Haye, Sonoma, California

Café La Haye

Just one block off the Sonoma Plaza in a nondescript building, Café La Haye serves satisfying fare to locals and weekenders alike. Roasted beets with quinoa and feta might be followed by homemade pasta with braised pork shoulder and goat cheese croutons. You’ll find a daily risotto and fresh fish on the menu as well. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Dinning Area at Chalkboard, Sonoma, California

Chalkboard

The menu at Chalkboard, in a building just off of Healdsburg’s main square, features exactly what guests in wine country are hankering for: small plates to accompany their sips of wine. Features of the menu include maple-glazed pork belly biscuits with pickled onions and chipotle mayo and housemade pasta like porcini mac & cheese made with smoked white cheddar, toasted garlic and Calabrian chili. Most dishes include at least one fresh ingredient grown in the nearby Chalk Hill Gardens.

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Dinning Area at Diavola, Sonoma, California

Diavola

Many claim that this local favorite eatery serves the best pizza in the county. Geyserville is another eight miles north of Healdsburg, but Diavola’s thin-crust pizzas alone are worth the journey to the adorable town. The Sonja pie, with mascarpone, prosciutto and arugula, is a particular favorite.

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Bar at Dry Creek Kitchen, Sonoma, California

Dry Creek Kitchen

From Charlie Palmer, this sophisticated vaulted dining room located in Hotel Healdsburg serves primarily local products, like Sonoma duck with seasonal vegetables from nearby farms. The top-notch wine list features mostly Sonoma County wines.

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Food at El Dorado Kitchen, Sonoma, California

El Dorado Kitchen

Executive chef Armando Navarro, who has worked with some of the best chefs in New York, as well as at Auberge du Soleil and the now-closed Redd in Napa, prepares dishes that celebrate the seasonal flavors of Northern California. Guests can enjoy a sun-filled lunch on the patio or dinner around the grand communal dining-room table, which seats twenty-two.

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Fig Café & Winebar

The little sister restaurant of Sonoma’s acclaimed The Girl and the Fig occupies a small dining room in Glen Ellen, and there’s almost always a wait. The often-changing menu focuses on what’s fresh and seasonal, and devotees are divided on what’s better: the scrumptious thin-crust pizzas or fresh and simply prepared seafood. There’s no corkage fee, so most everyone brings their own bottles, though the wine list here is also interesting and well-curated. Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Glen Ellen Star

On a rural road in tiny Glen Ellen you’ll find the Star. The small structure’s stylish exterior has brown wood siding, a deliberately rusty corrugated metal awning and a worn metal sign with a large, lone star. It looks like a hip take on the Old West. The rustic chic look works, and welcomes you to come inside.

Therein, you’ll find a petite dining room, as well as a patio out back. You’ll also encounter an inviting menu that highlights the tastes of the season, prepared with a comforting sensibility. Chef Ari Weiswasser opened the restaurant with his wife Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser in 2012, drawing on his experience working at some of the best restaurants in New York and at the French Laundry. Many of the vegetables come from the Star’s garden in the Benziger family estate. These are roasted in the Star’s wood oven, as are such temptations like the creative pizzas or the roasted lamb meatballs. The wine list features some surprising picks from the area and abroad. Make sure to save room for dessert; ice cream flavors include vanilla maple bourbon and salted peanut butter.

Editors' Picks

Healdsburg Bar & Grill

If you have kids along and are looking for a quick bite instead of a five-course gourmet meal, this no-frills restaurant across the street from the Hotel Healdsburg is a good bet. The menu is straightforward American (burgers, pasta, salads), but the ingredients are first-rate and the ambience congenial and local.

Interiors at Noble Folk Ice Cream + Pie Bar, Sonoma, California

Noble Folk Ice Cream + Pie Bar

This retro-chic spot in the center of Healdsburg has two specialties: pie and ice cream. All versions of both treats are homemade in house and range from traditional (summer berry pie) to more funky (jasmine ice cream). The offerings change with the seasons and what’s available, so each visit throughout the year will yield new findings.

Food at Oso, Sonoma, California

Oso

Oso serves up casual fare in sleek surroundings. Owner-chef David Bush’s innovative comfort food includes dishes like soy and Syrah-braised short ribs with smoked gouda polenta. Savor them with full-bodied Sonoma vintages or inventive cocktails.

Food at Pizzando, Sonoma, California

Pizzando

Everything at this modern space has a creative twist. Salads may be tossed in a sunflower seed dressing, while pastas arrive with pork belly and egg yolk. And the wickedly delicious pizzas feature ingredients normally not seen anywhere together, like peaches with bacon, or blue cheese united with mint pesto and grapefruit. But the talents of its chefs all meld together as well as the unusual ingredients.

Drinks at Sigh Sonoma, Sonoma, California

Sigh Sonoma

At this bubbly restaurant, locals and visitors sip regional sparkling wines or French Champagne. The staff is happy to saber the Champagne bottle or, if you buy your own saber, teach you how to do it.

Coffee at Taylor Maid Farms, Sonoma, California

Taylor Lane

The Barlow development in Sebastopol, a town in southern Sonoma, is a former apple cannery that has been transformed into a vibrant assemblage of restaurants, shops and event spaces. A highlight of the industrial community are its artisan-owned eateries, ranging from breweries and casual bars to this hipster coffee shop. Taylor Lane prides itself on serving 100% organic coffee and tea that has been sourced from family-owned farms. The minimalist, two-story space feels like a SoHo loft in northern California; the coffee bar was constructed of reclaimed wood and the floors are poured concrete. Don’t miss the pistachio biscotti if they’ve just been taken out of the oven, which they probably were.

Ambience - The Girl and the Fig, Sonoma, California

The Girl and the Fig

The Girl and the Fig is a local favorite, with signature dishes like steamed mussels, duck confit and fig salad with goat cheese. For a quick bite at the mahogany bar or in the lounge, order a charcuterie platter or cheese course with a glass of Rhône wine.

Editors' Picks
Exterior View - Valette, Sonoma, California

Valette

For a special night out in Healdsburg, in-the-know visitors and locals head to Valette, a Sonoma restaurant that skews towards the formal with its cuisine and atmosphere. The eatery is family-owned, which adds a personal touch to the place, which can feel a bit overly refined. Exemplary dishes, like the scallops en croute and cacao-nib crusted duck breast, are crowd favorites and pair beautifully with certain local wines.

Wild Flour Bakery

Though it’s located well off the beaten path, this bakery’s homemade treats are worth the journey. Particular favorites include the sticky buns and scones, which are on offer to eat in or take out along with good quality coffee.

Dinning Area at Wood Four Brewery, Sonoma, California

Wood Four Brewery

Wood Four Brewery stays true to Sonoma's farm-to-table (or in this case, farm-to-pint) heritage, boasting a fine selection of beers on tap.

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