In a time of change and uncertainty, extolling the virtues of a perfect ball of burrata or a 10-course tasting menu may seem out of touch. But when you look at the bigger picture, it’s food that brings us all to the table. This year, we’ve chosen 25 Sonoma County restaurants that each bring a strong reason to be in our community and in our lives, whether a stunning plate of pasta, a sublime slice of lemon cream pie, or a singular point of view on the restaurant industry, it’s all important. Food is connection, food is love — and Sonoma County’s singular connection to land and sea creates a common ground we can all appreciate.

Enclos

Because it’s time for a Michelin star in the town of Sonoma.

Not every restaurant has that singular ambition of worldwide recognition woven into its DNA. But Enclos is a rising star destination that’s about to change all that. In March, Michelin inspectors dangled a tasty carrot by including it as one of 15 “recommended” California restaurants that could be on the shortlist for 2025 stars. It happened just three months after the opening, a rare feat for a fledgling.

Chef Brian Limoges, who was on the opening teams of San Francisco’s Quince and Birdsong, has the experience, drive and financial backing to reach for those stars. In January, he hit the ground running with an 11-course tasting menu that pays homage to the flora and fauna of Sonoma Valley, his new home. Instagram collectively swooned at tiny bites of venison and tree lichen perched on a found deer antler and Lilliputian ice cream sandwiches atop a honeycomb frame. Dining at this level is as much about over-the-top artful presentation as it is about pristine sourcing and complicated technique.

With a $325 price tag and just 30 seats spread over two elegantly appointed rooms, this is a bespoke luxury experience for a niche audience. But Limoges is raising the fine dining bar to a new level in Sonoma County, giving us a renewed pride of place and another chance at stardom. 139 E Napa St., Sonoma. 707-387-1724, enclos-sonoma.com

Acorn Cafe

Because French toast should always come piled this high.

There’s something gleeful about a breakfast standard gussied up with brioche and tall whipped mascarpone, cacao nibs, and a hearty scoop of coffee ice cream. No doubt this is an adult version of French toast, but it’s one that speaks to the kid in all of us.

Acorn is the breakfast and brunch spot that Healdsburg needs, with sunny lemon ricotta pancakes with lemon curd, whipped ricotta, and lavender ice cream and a riff on Dr. Seuss’s green eggs and ham, made with herby yogurt, poached eggs, and grilled ham seasoned with dukkah spices.

Everything about the place radiates joy, with orange pops of color throughout the interior, a bright and open floor plan that floods the space with light, and owner Beryl Adler’s obvious enthusiasm for adding a little wonder to your brunch. 124 Matheson St., Healdsburg. 707-955-7001, acornhealdsburg.com

Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria

Because deep roots matter.

When Chefs Franco Dunn and Thom as Oden opened Santi restaurant in 2000, Geyserville was a tiny community. Their Italian restaurant honored what Press Democrat food writer Diane Peterson described as cucina povera, the soulful and frugal genius of Italian peasants with dishes like trippa alla Fiorentina and spaghettini Calabrese. Dunn and Oden’s passion ignited a generation of Sonoma County chefs eager to learn Old World ways of making pasta, salumi and bread from scratch.

Among the young recruits were three important chefs who later opened their own restaurants — Ari Rosen of Scopa and Campo Fina, Liza Hinman of Spinster Sisters, and Dino Bugica, who founded Diavola in Geyserville in 2008.

There’s a clear line that carries through from Dunn and Oden’s ideals to Bugica’s Geyserville restaurant today. Ingredients are local, the pizzas and pasta pay homage to Italian home cooking, and the delicious charcuterie is made in-house. The brick oven inside the restaurant glows — and trippa alla Fiorentina is still on the menu. 21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. 707-814-0111, diavolapizzeria.com

The Goose & Fern

Because mate is just another word for friend.

If a British pub could be transported lock, stock and barrel to Santa Rosa, this would be it. Darts, pints and football — the kind with a soccer ball — are on tap, along with stellar pub food, including top-notch fish and chips, Guinness pie, and the world’s best sticky toffee pudding.

Clyde Hartwell, who speaks with a brogue as thick as his salt-and-pepper beard, runs the come-as-you-are establishment with his wife, Brittany, a trained pastry chef. He’s the guy behind the bar who’ll shout for you to grab yourself a table and refers to just about everyone as “mate,” because in his pub, you are. 116 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. 707-843-4235, thegooseandfern.com

Buck’s Place

Because these walls hold 119 years of stories.

A couple miles off Sonoma’s downtown Plaza, Buck’s Place has served as watering hole, polka hall, music venue and family-style restaurant since 1906. These days, its roadhouse charm shines brighter than ever thanks to owners Erika and Chad Harris, founders of Sonoma Valley’s popular Lou’s Luncheonette and Jack’s Filling Station, spots that, like Buck’s, feel heavy with the trappings of another era.

At Buck’s Place, the couple take a turn towards Italy, offering up red-tablecloth classics like chicken Parmesan, hoagies with all the gabagool, and crunchy-gooey mozzarella sticks. Pizza is the main event — Chicago deep-dish sometimes, or grandma-style Sicilian, crunch-edged Detroit, and the basic New York 16-inch round.

While the patio is dog- and family-friendly, we also like to head for the bar, a grown-up spot where you can grab a beer or one of their excellent daiquiris and chat with the locals. 401 Grove St., Sonoma. 707-231-1245, bucks-place.com

Marla Bakery & Cafe

Because summer suppers make us happy.

Marla is, of course, a bakery at heart, a year-round sanctuary of carbohydrates and sugar. Piles of impossibly large croissants, housemade bagels and breads, dark chocolate brownies, and slices of French apple pie peek from their glass case, along with the cult-favorite, croissant-muffin chimera, called the Crebble.

But Marla has a summer secret. From June to October, owners Amy Brown and Joe Wolf host a series of monthly dinners with similarly sustainability-minded local farmers, cheesemakers and winemakers. Tickets are announced by email and social media, so you need to be a follower to grab a seat.

Once you’ve experienced Amy Brown’s talents outside the pastry realm, it’s easy to see why the intimate dinners frequently sell out. Yes, she knows her way around a boule, but the former Nopa chef also knows how to tease the of-the-moment flavors from heirloom tomatoes, fresh goat cheese and sweet corn. This summer, the team is planning monthly pair-ups with Mt. Eitan Cheese, Lani Chan and Nathan Bender of Occidental’s Big Spoon Sauce Co., and a whole hog roast with Eric Sussman of Eye Cyder and County Line Vineyards. 208 Davis St., Santa Rosa. 707-852-4091, marlabakery.com

Quiote

Because blue tortillas just taste better.

Maybe it’s all in our mind, but the heirloom blue corn masa that this Petaluma restaurant uses for its tortillas just tastes, well, corn-ier. Or maybe it’s just because they use the buzzy Masienda masa that chefs line up for, sourced from small, traditional farmers across Mexico. (Food writers tend to get excited about that kind of thing.)

After hitting the comal, the tortillas turn nearly black, framing the brilliant colors of pink pickled onions, green avocado and citrusy cochinita pibil. This isn’t your usual taqueria fare, but family history following a line from Jalisco, Mexico to Sonoma County. The chile-marinated barbacoa (short rib), al pastor with ayocate beans, and fish tacos always make our best-of lists. Don’t miss the enchiladas smothered with mole and stuffed with chicken and braised Rancho Gordo pinto beans in broth. 121 Kentucky St., Petaluma. 707-774-6130, quiotemx.com

Bazaar Sonoma

Because compromise isn’t a word in their vocabulary.

Sean Quan and Jenny Phan of Bazaar Sonoma take a rigorous approach to classic regional Chinese dishes and refuse to Americanize their food to appeal to a broader audience. There’s no General Tso chicken, sweet and sour pork, or fortune cookies — instead, the seasonal menu leans into comforting, family-style dishes like whole sizzling fish, Hainan chicken, clay pot rice, and Hong Kong-style noodle soup.

Bazaar Sonoma is like going to a friend’s house, if that friend cooked like a Chinese mother who had also happened to work at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant (which Quan did). But the young couple are also hoping you’ll find a sense of community in their shared dishes and linger over a cup of tea.

BaSo is a natural extension of the couple’s outsider pop-ups — Second Staff’s spicy fried chicken, the high-low FNCY + PNTS, and the late night Matriarch that targeted off-duty hospitality workers and curious foodies. Quan and Phan are certainly ones to watch as they continue to evolve, one dumpling at a time — and on their own terms. 6566 Front St., Forestville. 707-614-8056, bazaar-sonoma.com

Augie’s French

Because we could live on warm baguettes.

“Are the baguettes still warm?” is a silly question to ask at Augie’s because, of course, they are still warm. These long batons of crackly crust and airy crumb are a signature of Mark and Terri Stark’s downtown Santa Rosa ode to French bistro culture, along with boeuf bourguignon and escargots floating in Pernod and garlic butter — two things that happen to go nicely with baguettes.

The French 75, a cocktail made with Cognac, gin and sparkling wine, also pairs nicely with baguettes, especially while relaxing on the streetside patio. Any further questions? 535 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707-531-4400, augiesfrench.com

Psychic Pie

Because pizza comes in all shapes and sizes.

At Psychic Pie, it’s hip to be square. Or sometimes round. Either way, it’s definitely Roman. Cut by the square or by the slice, owners Nicholi Ludlow and Leith Leiser-Miller are enthusiastic proponents of pizza al taglio or “by the cut,” as it’s done in Rome. Portions are measured by one, two or three fingers, as big or small as you’d like, and topped with rotating seasonal ingredients such as mushroom and chèvre, roasted leek cream and veggies, or pork ‘nduja sauce with pepperoncini, roasted peppers and aged Estero Gold cheese.

Occasionally, this pint-size pizzeria surprises with 16-inch tonda pizzas, the thin and crispy circular cousin of the al taglio , and they’ve even been known to serve up a hoagie or two. Ludlow and Leiser are natural collaborators, floating all boats with their rising tide of popularity, introducing us to pizza-friendly local products like Big Spoon Sauce Company’s chili crisp, Mad Marvlus’ fizzy natural wines and chef Preeti Mistry’s limited edition Hawt Sauce. 980 Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol. 707-827-6032, psychicpie.com

Cyrus

Because Douglas Keane has a lot to say.

Beneath the caviar carts, rare wine collections and shaved truffles, fine dining restaurants are in trouble. Inequity is widespread, with cooks often earning less than half of what a server makes. Health insurance is a rare benefit, vacations often nonexistent, flexible schedules unworkable and burnout rampant.

Chef Douglas Keane has a solution, and he’s just written a book about it. “Culinary Leverage: A Journey Through the Heat” recounts his years-long journey from clueless line cook to executive chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s got plenty of dirty secrets, juicy tidbits, and names named, but most importantly, it gets to the heart of how the restaurant industry can fix itself. The answer: Less staff, more training, and higher salaries.

It took a 10-year hiatus, a pandemic, a divorce, and some serious soul-searching to get there, but Keane’s “everyone does everything” mindset at Cyrus is living proof that the idea works.

His luxurious multi-course menu has guests sipping Champagne and wandering through the restaurant’s manicured vineyard — but his egalitarian ethos strikes a chord for restaurant workers struggling to pay rent and the restaurateurs struggling to stay afloat. 275 Highway 128, Geyserville. 707-723-5999, cyrusrestaurant.com

A&M BBQ

Because Texas brisket is what’s up.

Fellow Californians keep trying to convince me that tri-tip makes for great barbecue. It does not. The lean cut can make for a lovely fajita, but it is fundamentally unsuited for low and slow cooking — the very definition of barbecue.

Brisket, of course, is the king of ’que, and veteran pitmaster Kris Austin knows his way around this well-marbled piece of meat. A well-cooked brisket is the most primal of foods, smoky and charred, with soft bits of melted fat and yielding meat. With slaw and beans and thick slices of bread to sop up the juices, it’s a meal worth an amen any day.

Mississippi-born Austin has barbecue in his soul. He learned the craft from his mother, aunts and uncles, finally taking the tongs after years of apprenticeship. And like so many things in life, barbecue is a skill that’s never truly mastered. You just keep working at it. 495 S. Main St., Sebastopol. 707-8881315, ambbqllc.com

The Beet

Because Friday nights are for turning up the beat.

Cloverdale is usually a pretty sleepy town after dark, but on Friday nights from 9 p.m. to midnight, everyone’s dancing to the beat (beet?). Though this spot remains a mild-mannered restaurant and wine lounge by day, the owners realized there was a serious lack of hip-swaying and busting sweet moves in the north Sonoma County ’burg. As night falls, the weekly jump and jive comes to life. Just remember your dancing shoes. 116 E. First St., Cloverdale. 707669-5080, cloverdalebeet.com

Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen

Because where else does a skate park come with such delicious treats?

The Russian River town of Monte Rio is known for three things: its proximity to the secretive gatherings at Bohemian Grove, the Pink Elephant Bar, and Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen. Only one of those places right now is open to the public — and it has cake.

Follow the signs for the Monte Rio skatepark to Lightwave, a curious indoor-outdoor cafe bedazzled by a garage-sale decor, rooted in vibey California skateboard culture, and entirely west county wonderful. A short distance from the river, you’ll join both locals and in-the-know beachgoers at this secret garden of delights. The scraping sound of skateboards (and the occasional wipeout) are the soundtrack to your meal, along with spicy Monte Rio gossip and the occasional whimper of a dog begging its owner for a snack.

The menu ranges from simple bagels and smoothies to North African shakshuka with red peppers and eggs, Middle Eastern flatbread with eggplant and tahini, and fat slices of lox and beets on challah bread on the weekends.

But before all of that, order dessert. Co-owner Gal Ginzberg’s Instagram is a billion-calorie ode to adventurous cheesecakes and pies flavored with halva, lemon cream, pistachio, and strawberry. They can sell out quickly, so be sure to get there early. 9725 Main St., Monte Rio. 707-865-5169, lightwavecafe.square.site

The Redwood

Because you don’t have to love pet-nat to join the party.

The vibe at The Redwood, a wine bar, bottle shop, and cafe from chef/wine geeks Geneva Melby and Ryan Miller is decidedly New School, with a staff that’s obsessively well versed in anything skin-contacted, unfiltered or wild-yeasted.

You’ll find eager advocates of low-intervention wines on both sides of the bar here. But even if you’re not entirely convinced, it’s worth spending time with the wine list for two reasons: One, this is the next generation of wine, a sector of the industry that continues to be on the upswing. And two, tasting notes like “spring air” and “garrigue” (the forest floor of scrubland) are wonderfully weird and entertaining.

Yes, there is a whole section of the menu devoted to tinned fish, because every cool wine bar has tinned fish for some reason. But move past the sardines to Melby’s more intriguing bites, including Liberty Duck mousse with grilled bread, yellowtail crudo with pickled rose petals, and the trip-worthy Route 1 pita-and-dip array with homemade hummus, smoky baba ghanoush and labneh with dates.

Melby has a knack for Mediterranean and North African cuisine, with savory braised lamb shank with couscous, sole tagine, or roasted squash with Calabrian chile on the dinner menu. On Sunday, don’t miss the outstanding Turkish-style breakfast with jammy eggs, feta, tahina, pickled vegetables and grilled bread. 234 S. Main St., Sebastopol. 707-861-9730, theredwoodwine.com

Casino Bar & Grill

Because Saint Evelyn’s spirit lives on.

Evelyn Casini was the heart and soul of the Casino. Even at 97, she was the ever- present, no-nonsense matriarch who could stare down a man twice her size and then grab a beer with him. When she passed away last year, Bodega locals mourned and wondered what would become of the 100-year-old bar, with its creaky wood floors, herd of stuffed deer heads and ancient jukebox — a place that has served as a gathering space and watering hole for generations.

Fortunately, Evelyn’s granddaughter-in-law, Brandi Mack, has recently taken over, ushering the Casino into a new era. Recent renovations to the bar have expanded the kitchen and fancied-up the cozy dining room, though there’s still plenty of character — and characters — to be found inside.

Mack is also carrying on Evelyn’s support of up-and-coming guest chefs, who take over the tiny kitchen at the end of the bar a few nights a week and spread their wings. This spring, chef Amelia Telc of Half Hitch, whose resume includes buzzy restaurants you’ve definitely heard of in New York and San Francisco, pops up for dinner Friday through Sunday, with globally inspired dishes like pot au feu and Cantonese fish with ginger. Her weekly lineup is driven by trips to farmers markets and what’s just come in at the dock, meaning you never quite know what you’ll get. And that’s the fun of it.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Alyssum Revallo of Alyssum’s Kitchen makes her mark with comforting soups, salads, and flatbread along with smokey kalua pork and flourless chocolate cake. For updates on guest chef pop-ups, check Instagram @casinobarandgrill. 17000 Bodega Hwy., Bodega. 707-876-3185

Valette

Because Dustin isn’t the only Valette who is a Healdsburg icon.

When chef Dustin Valette opened his namesake plaza restaurant 10 years ago, his dad took up residency in the dining room — and we are all better for it. Bob Valette, now 84 years old, spent 45 years with Cal Fire flying specialized tanker planes on critical operations that ranged from the Mexican border up to Oregon. Only a handful of pilots can fly these converted military planes, known for dropping thousands of gallons of all-too-familiar reddish-pink fire retardant. Bob Valette’s dangerous job often meant leaving Dustin and his siblings in the care of family members at a moment’s notice, with little idea of when (or if) he’d return.

For most of that time, the family’s hometown was a quiet, dusty, Alexander Valley hamlet with only a handful of restaurants frequented by winemakers and ranchers. Now, Healdsburg has blossomed into an international dining destination with a growing constellation of stars and nods and regular celebrity sightings.

“Pops,” as the senior Valette is best known, spends his evenings at his son’s fine dining restaurants as unofficial greeter and full-time storyteller. He’s easily picked out amidst a sea of well-heeled visitors and Healdsburg regulars, in his jeans and black T-shirt with the Valette logo. With a glass of wine in hand, he constantly circulates, proudly letting everyone know he’s Dustin’s dad. 344 Center St., Healdsburg. 707-473-0946, valettehealdsburg.com

Valley

Because food connects neighbors.

In January, Valley chefs Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor hosted a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico for a deep dive into culinary history. They brought back not just recipes, but an ongoing connection to farmers and producers, resulting in a special Oaxacan menu at the restaurant. It’s just another way the Valley team, which also includes Lauren Feldman and Tanner Walle, has always made a point to marry food and culture in a way that feels intentional.

Over the past year, that’s included a series of dinners dedicated to the legacy of Chinese culture in Sonoma, a dinner celebrating the Jewish and Hungarian cuisine of Jeremy Salamon of Agi’s Counter in New York City, and an event to honor local critic Elaine Chukan Brown’s groundbreaking new book on the history of California wine, which recognizes the oft-ignored contributions of Indigenous peoples and Mexican immigrants within the industry. At Valley, you’ll always find good food — and food for thought. 487 First St. W., Sonoma. 707-934-8403, valleybarandbottle.com

Rocker Oysterfeller’s at the Wharf

Because of heaping mounds of fried seafood.

Dining at the coast is a coin toss. Sometimes the fish is fresh and local, but other times, you’re probably eating frozen Alaskan cod and soggy French fries. Sonoma’s seafood fans demand better, which is why the Captain’s Platter at Brandon Guenther and Shona Campbell’s new restaurant is the catch we’ve been waiting for.

This is classic wharf-side dining with some Southern twists — not surprising, since the original Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Valley Ford highlights shrimp and grits and fried chicken. Here, however, the focus is on the “surf,” with blackened rockfish, clam chowder and Dungeness crab. The best bet, however, is the Captain’s Platter, the holy grail for those on a pilgrimage for fried seafood.

It’s a ridiculous amount of saltine-fried shrimp, beer-battered rock cod, salt and pepper calamari, a Dungeness crab cake and Kennebec fries, served with tartar, rémoulade and cocktail sauce for your dipping pleasure. I’ve looked for something as impressive as this on the coast for decades and never before found it. A tip of the captain’s hat to the kitchen. 595 Highway 1, Bodega Bay. 707-772-5670, rockeroysterfellers.com

Table Culture Provisions

Because everyone loves an underdog.

If you had to bet on the success of two guys who opened a fried chicken takeout restaurant during the pandemic, the odds would be long. But betting those same two guys would be in the running for a 2025 Michelin star? We’re talking multi-million-dollar lottery-level odds.

The long odds weren’t for lack of talent or tenacity — it’s just that chefs Stéphane Saint Louis and Steven Vargas didn’t have loads of wealthy backers or long culinary pedigrees before opening Table Culture Provisions. They had $1,000 and a vision of putting Petaluma back on the Michelin map.

In March, their passion and commitment led to TCP being tapped as a “recommended” restaurant (along with Enclos in the town of Sonoma) by Michelin inspectors. If the restaurant receives a star, Saint Louis will be the first black chef in California to be recognized. And that’s something all of Sonoma County is rooting for. 312 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma. 707-559-5739, tcprovision.com

Underwood Bar & Bistro

Because a secret Thai menu at a French restaurant screams Sonoma County.

French onion soup, steak frites, cauliflower gratin, and pad grapao moo. Though one of these things is not like the others, at Underwood it all makes sense.

Chef Mark Miller’s Graton menu has always been focused on comforting bistro classics like croque madame, frisée salads with lardons, and duck leg confit with green French lentils. His real passion, though, is Thai food. After years of traveling to southeast Asia, he fell in love with the vibrant sweet, sour, salty, spicy flavors of Thailand and learned how to make curries, sauces, and complex dishes from a Thai cooking mentor. “Working in a Thai kitchen — it was amazing. It just changed me,” says Miller.

During the pandemic, Underwood shifted to an all-Thai menu to simplify takeout. Cheeseburgers just don’t travel as well as pad Thai does. And locals loved it. While the Underwood menu has mostly returned to fan favorites, Miller keeps a handful of his favorite dishes — hat yai fried chicken, Thai lettuce cups and spicy pork pad grapao moo — in the mix. Pad Thai, however, remains the top seller. “I’m not sure why, but we serve hundreds of them each week,” he says.

This year, Miller hopes to do a Thai pop-up featuring some of his favorite recipes, happy to have an excuse to fire up the wok and cook what he loves. 9113 Graton Road, Graton. 707-823-7023, underwoodgraton.com

Shokakko

Because Spam fries are what chefs really want on their days off.

Tired of fine dining foams and tweezers, a merry band of three fine-dining chefs drew inspiration from late-night Japanese yatai food stalls selling ramen, fish cakes and skewers of grilled chicken. The trio have used their highbrow culinary skills to create skyscraper-sized fried chicken sandwiches, Spam fries, husky crab and cheese-filled croquettes, and cult-favorite cream-filled fruit sandwiches.

“It’s the things we liked eating on our days off. The stuff we couldn’t find in Sonoma County,” says chef Elijah Trujillo of the food trailer he co-founded with his partner Kayla Hendrix and friend Kazuya “Kaz” Makishima in August 2024. You’ll find their kitchen trailer at various breweries and events around Sonoma County, and the weekly lineup of their stops is posted on Instagram @eat_shokakko.

Stella

Because pasta is the new kale.

I can’t quite remember when pasta became a bad word, but it’s time to welcome back a good plate of tagliatelle and step away from the lacinato and spaghetti squash. Like forever.

Stella takes a deep dive into the bottomless well of time-tested pasta – Roman tonnarelli (spaghetti’s chunkier cousin), lumache (snail-shaped) and creste di gallo (rooster’s crest) made daily. The dried stuff in your pantry has nothing on these silky ribbons and toothy tubes meant to grip every last drop of sauce. You will be ruined for anything else after eating a plate of Stella’s housemade rigatoncini with Bolognese.

The Kenwood restaurant is a much-anticipated new venture from Glen Ellen Star founder Ari Weiswasser, his wife Erin, and managing partners Spencer and Ashley Waite. Glen Ellen Star’s chef de cuisine, Bryant Minuche, leads the kitchen.

The wood-fired oven plays a leading role at Stella, but it isn’t used for pizzas. Here the oven is for roasting vegetables, meats, and even cheese, all to bring a kiss of smoke. You’ll also want to peruse the seasonal mozzarella selections — aka the mozzarella bar — including burrata with brown butter walnuts and 12-year aged balsamic vinegar and buffalo mozzarella with anchovy and a farm-fresh egg yolk. Save room for the Baked Gelaska, a riff on Baked Alaska with sponge cake, raspberry sorbet, and vanilla gelato topped with a swirl of torched marshmallow fluff. You can always go back to kale tomorrow. 9049 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. 707-801-8043, stellakenwood.com

Wild Poppy

Because the patio is everything, and so is the queso.

Warm days call for lazy mornings with mimosas and “cosmic queso” nachos on the rambling outdoor patio of this perfectly imperfect restaurant. It’s always been a magical place, full of nooks, crannies, and hidden spaces for adults and kids to explore. The remote location a few miles outside Sebastopol has been both blessing and curse, but the historic roadhouse finally seems to have hit its stride with an inclusive plant-forward menu that doesn’t exclude meat eaters.

This is west county, after all, and cosmic nachos with plant-based cheese sauce and cashew crema are not only normal, they’re expected. What’s unexpected is that the creamy cashew queso dip with a swirl of pepita chimichurri and a side of slaw is delightful, even if plant-based cheese isn’t your jam.

Sit by the babbling stream hidden by steep slopes covered in ivy and shaded by eucalyptus trees. The world slows for a moment or two while you enjoy heirloom beans and greens with polenta, fish tacos, or a fat grilled mushroom sandwich on focaccia. 9890 Bodega Hwy., Sebastopol. 707-503-6332, thewildpoppycafe.com

Troubadour

Because it’s been shouted from the rooftops.

Fine dining chefs-turned-entrepreneurs Melissa Yanc and Sean McGaughey are media darlings for a reason. Recognized by The New York Times, the James Beard Foundation and the Michelin Guide, the couple have created quite the following around their quirky food businesses around Healdsburg, which launched with beloved bakery Quail & Condor.

And when you have bread, you have sandwiches — the foundation of Troubadour, the second act in the ambitious couple’s culinary story. By day, Troubadour pairs freshly baked bread with a revolving lineup of fillings, including ham and brie with honey, fresh ricotta and roasted carrots, and creamy egg salad. Sounds simple, but these sandwiches are anything but.

Come nightfall, McGaughey and his small team shift gears for Le Diner, with seasonal French dishes like escargot, bouillabaisse, and duck breast stuffed with mushrooms and dates, either à la carte or as part of a seven-course tasting menu, and served on mix-and-match Limoges china. Troubadour’s kitchen lacks a proper hood or stove (it used to be a cupcake decorating room), so much of the cooking is done in simmer baths and low-temperature ovens, an even more incredulous feat. 381 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-756-3972, troubadourhbg.com

The post 25 Best Restaurants in Sonoma County in 2025 appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Many local restaurant owners can spin long stories of how they got to where they are today. Pemba Sherpa, co-owner of Cotati’s Everest restaurant, might just have the longest and most dramatic of the bunch.

He was born in Nepal, and after immigrating to the U.S. in 2002, he worked at several local restaurants, including nine years at the Red Grape in Sonoma, where he learned from the late Sam Morphy. Pemba Sherpa’s business interests grew, and he is now involved in five North Bay restaurants: La Casa in Sonoma; Yak & Yeti in Napa; Everest in Petaluma; Himalayan Kitchen in San Rafael; and his newest, Everest in Cotati, which opened last year.

“Nepalese food isn’t something that a lot of people are familiar with, but it’s something people love when they try it,” says Pemba Sherpa, who lives in Napa with his wife and two children.

(Another restaurateur, who is also named Pemba Sherpa, owns the recently-opened Farmhouse Sonoma. Born in Namche, a village in the foothills of the Himalayas, he opened the first Taste of the Himalayas restaurant in Sonoma in 2003.)

The menu at Everest is what many Nepalese Sherpa would consider traditional foods, including several types of noodle soup and momo dumplings. Everest restaurant is also the only local spot to enjoy thakali thali, a traditional combination plate with rice, lentils, meat and vegetables.

The connection between Wine Country and the Sherpa community goes back to the 1990s, when Chhiring Sherpa, who now owns Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen in St. Helena, moved to the region and opened a restaurant in Glen Ellen. Others followed. Nima Sherpa, who owns Sonoma Grille in Sonoma, arrived in 1998.

“Our community is like a family,” says Nima Sherpa, who, before he became a restaurateur, assisted on dozens of high-altitude treks on Mount Everest.

Elite climber Pasang Tshering Sherpa, who starred in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks,” flew a flag for Sonoma Grille atop Mount Everest in May 2022. And Mingma Dorchi Sherpa, who grew up in the same Himalayan town as one of La Casa’s owners, flew a flag for that restaurant atop Everest in May 2023.

“The Nepalese culture is about hospitality and treating people with kindness and respect,” says Everest restaurant’s Pemba Sherpa. “This is a way of bringing the culture of Nepal to the people of Sonoma County.”

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Wine Country is known for its world-class cuisine. Now, two of the region’s Michelin-starred restaurants also are getting recognized for the amounts of cash diners shell out to experience their food.

SingleThread in Healdsburg and The French Laundry in Yountville are on a new list of  the “10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the U.S.” compiled by GoBankingRates, a personal finance publication.

SingleThread, Healdsburg

SingleThread, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant and inn in downtown Healdsburg, offers a 10-course Kaiseki-style tasting menu that ranges from $425 to $500 per person, depending on the day of the week.

Opened by Kyle and Katina Connaughton nearly a decade ago, the restaurant quickly rose to prominence — earning two Michelin stars in 2018 and achieving the coveted third star the following year. In 2024, it was recognized on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the fourth time in a row.

Nearby, the Connaughtons operate a 24-acre working farm that supplies the restaurant with seasonal ingredients central to its Japanese-influenced, hyper-local approach. Above the restaurant, a five-room inn offers guests an immersive experience, recently earning Three Keys from the Michelin Guide in recognition of its elevated hospitality.

Restaurant reservations are released at 9 a.m. on the first of each month via OpenTable, for the following month’s availability. A prepayment in full is required to confirm a booking, and cancellations or rescheduling are not permitted. Guests can also pre-select beverage pairings through OpenTable or order them tableside during their visit.

SingleThread, 131 North St., Healdsburg, 707-723-4646, singlethreadfarms.com

The French Laundry, Yountville

Just across the county line in Napa Valley, The French Laundry in Yountville offers a lavish multi-course tasting menu — one of the most iconic dining experiences in the country.

Opened in 1994 by acclaimed chef Thomas Keller, The French Laundry is housed in a historic stone building that once served as a 1920s French steam laundry. The 1,600-square-foot space dates back to 1900, when it was constructed as a saloon. Keller discovered the property in the early 1990s while searching for a space to realize his dream of bringing refined French cuisine to Napa Valley.

The French Laundry’s menu changes daily but remains steadfastly committed to classical French techniques and seasonal ingredients of the highest quality. It has held Michelin’s highest honor — three stars — since 2007, helping to make Keller the only American-born chef to simultaneously operate two restaurants with that distinction: The French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York.

In 2023, English food review and recipe website Lovefood named it California’s “most famous” restaurant, and recommended it as one of the 50 places in the country that diners should experience at least once in their lives.

Guests can choose from several dining options, all requiring prepaid reservations. GoBankingRates stated The French Laundry’s tasting menu starts at $390 per person; however, the restaurant’s Tock page has reservations starting at $425 per person. Private dining spaces are also available for $600 per person. For an even more exclusive experience, The French Laundry offers occasional special events, such as its Black Truffle & Caviar Dinner, priced at $1,200 per person.

The French Laundry, 6640 Washington St., Yountville, 707-944-2380, thomaskeller.com/tfl

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Even in tourist destinations like Sonoma Wine Country, there are plenty of off-the-map eateries where locals congregate. Chances are you won’t hear about them in the guidebooks, but locals know where to find the tasty stuff. Click through the above gallery for some of our favorites.

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Fall is the best time to eat out in Wine Country. Local farms and gardens overflow with of-the-moment produce that makes its way onto restaurant tables throughout the county. It’s also a great season to explore the cuisines of other lands — German, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Mexican — that bring unexpected flavors and dishes to the table. Here are a few spots to savor this seasonal embarrassment of riches.

Click through the gallery for the yummy pictures. 

Brot — German comfort food and drink come to Guerneville

Harkening back to her midwestern roots, Guerneville restaurateur Crista Luedtke’s homey German-style bratskellar just put the cherry on top of the town’s burgeoning food scene.

A mix of on-trend design, quirky charm, and classic Bavarian dishes, Luedtke and Chef de Cuisine Joey Blank have distilled the classic beer hall menu into a “best of” playlist that includes potato pancakes, spätzle, sauerbraten, schnitzel, creamed herring, and sausages. Mit kraut und bier. Lots of Deutsches bier.

The interior has been overhauled with added seating and thoughtful touches like a wall of cuckoo clocks and creative paneling to evoke the outline of the Alps. Old German movies play silently in the background, while an array of mason jars near the beer taps hold white asparagus pickle. It’s cute without feeling overly precious.

Brot — which joins Luedtke’s other ventures, boon eat + drink, El Barrio, and boon hotel + spa — translates as “bread” in German. For the stalwart entrepreneur, “brot” means more than a loaf of rye. It also means livelihood, and Luedtke has made it her mission to bring vitality to residents of the destination river town. That means a 20% service charge that allows her to pay the staff a living wage. In these days that offer a limited pool of local staff, surging food costs, and skyhigh rents for commercial space, many restaurateurs find themselves providing more of a public service than enjoying the largesse of a lucrative for-profit venture.

Though the menu itself can be daunting, with a heaping helping of umlauts and hard-to-pronounce words, the food itself is familiar and comforting with crunchy potato pancakes, an Alsatian pizza, spätzle (think tiny dumplings), and broasted chicken. With the addition of vegan sausages, the ever-popular schnitzel, and seasonal salads, there’s something for most everyone to enjoy.

Like any German restaurant worth its Märzenbier, Brot has an Oktoberfest-tastic lineup of Bavarian beers on tap. Luedtke has also gone to great lengths to have not only the proper glassware, but traditional wheat beers, lagers, and pilsners, many of which come from Bavarian brewmasters Schneider Weisse. They also serve incredible Rhône wines and desserts worth saving some room for. Brot is already a popular addition to the local melting pot of cuisines, and a testament to the fortitude that Luedtke continues to show in her adopted hometown. Plus, her mom — who helps in the kitchen — makes some truly legit potato pancakes.

Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday at 5 p.m. 6218 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-6102 brotguerneville.com.

West — Handmade Burgers, Sonoma

Making cheap hamburgers comes at a high cost, according to Garrett Sathre, the owner of West — Handmade Burgers in Sonoma (technically Boyes Hot Springs).

A born and bred Sonoman, he’s a passionate advocate for grass-fed, sustainably sourced organic beef. He also understands that $20 for a burger, fries, and a milkshake is out of touch for everyday eaters.

That’s why he spent two years working with nearby Stemple Creek Ranch to source a great burger and try to keep surging costs at bay. It wasn’t an easy process, but he’s done it.

Instead of just buying ground beef, Sathre and his wife, Nicole Benjamin, purchase a whole cow each week from Stemple Creek. They flip patties for lunch and dinner daily and sell high-quality cuts of beef from a small refrigerator at the front of the restaurant. It’s your one-stop beef shop.

The restaurant offers five plays on their grass-fed burger, from simple to black-tie. There’s plain (homemade sauce, onions, tomatoes, butter lettuce, and homemade pickles and ketchup), cheeseburger, a Point Reyes Blue cheese burger, a smoked Cheddar and fried onions West Burger, and the luxurious truffle burger with truffle cheese. Fries and onion rings are far better than your usual burger bar along with homemade milkshakes.

18375 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-343-1479, facebook.com/WestHandmadeBurgers

Cocina Mana, Windsor

Never far from their roots as tamale cart operators, the Morales family’s Windsor restaurant is all simple homestyle Mexican cooking. Unsurprisingly, their famous tamales are a key feature on the menu, served up a la carte or in bowls with red or green salsa. Hefty tacos guisados plates with shredded chicken, beans, and rice are under $10, and their chilaquiles are a perfect hangover remedy.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., you can get champurrado, a warm Mexican chocolate drink made with cinnamon and masa harina.

7238 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 128, Windsor, 707-657-7701, cocinamana.com.

Tambayan, Santa Rosa

Where to find adobo chicken, lumpia, halo-halo, or banana sauce? Larkfield’s Tambayan.

You’ll find both familiar and “what exactly is this?” Filipino dishes that blend traditional island flavors (taro, coconut milk, banana leaves, banana sauce, fish) with influences from China (egg rolls, rice, soy sauce, steamed buns), Spain (adobo), and America (Spam — you’re welcome).

The family-run restaurant isn’t fancy, but offers up cozy homestyle cuisine like rib-sticking breakfast (silog) noodle bowls, beef satay, and off-beat specialties like pan-grilled milkfish, pork sisig (minced pork with rice, onions, and mayonnaise), and laing with dried taro leaves, coconut milk, and pork.

Go in with an open mind and hungry belly, because some of the best dishes require a bit of trust if you’re not used to having your meal on a banana leaf. Condiments are definitely part of the experience, and contrary to its name, banana sauce is a lot like sweet ketchup.

Save room for halo-halo. This traditional dessert combines crushed ice, evaporated milk, coconut strips, sweet beans, gelatin, and a scoop of purple yam ice cream.

600 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa, 707-843-3824.

Corner Cafe, Santa Rosa

Tasty Vietnamese food at a donut shop? It’s a thing. Though it seems like an odd pairing, there’s a long history of immigrants from Southeast Asia opening donut shops that happen to also serve the foods of their homeland. You can thank Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who is widely credited for not only building his own donut empire in the 1980s, but providing seed money for hundreds of other immigrants to purchase the high-profit-margin sweet shops throughout the state.

This spot had a slightly different trajectory, owned by longtime donut-maker Frank Whigham and his Cambodian wife, Champa, for more than a decade. The couple typically worked 18-hour days, sticking to fresh donuts of every stripe. At 89, Frank was ready to retire, recently transferring ownership to Kanha Kien, another Cambodian who owns Santa Rosa’s Yo Panda. That Corporate Center Drive cafe offers — you guessed it — donuts and Vietnamese food.

Go for the pho, barbecue pork banh mi, fresh rolls, and noodle bowls, but save some room for mango shaved ice, a specialty. Mango ice cream is shaved into impossibly thin stacked ribbons of flavor, topped with a pile of fresh mango and sugar syrup. They’ve also got a taro root version with strawberries that’s a more exotic take. Of course, you can’t leave without a couple donuts too.

4275 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-539-2416.

Miracle Plum, Santa Rosa

Neighborhood market meets specialty food shop meets bottle shop. And then there are the popup dinners and cooking classes.

Defying simple categorization, Miracle Plum embraces the idea of delicious things made well. The selection changes frequently, so one day you may find local honey and handmade pottery at a dumpling pop-up and the next time gelato and microbrews.

Owned by Santa Rosa natives Sallie Miller and Gwen Gunheim, the open space is constantly changing with the seasons and recent inspirations.

208 Davis St., Santa Rosa, 707-708-7986, miracleplum.com.

Worth the Drive…Tony’s Seafood, Marshall

This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it restaurant in the tiny hamlet of Marshall was a charming seafood destination until it wasn’t. A popular fish house for nearly 70 years, families came from miles around for the bay-to-plate menu. By the time the restaurant changed hands in 2017, however, it was a fading relic from another era.

After a two-year remodel by the owners of Hog Island Oyster Co., Tony’s has been reborn as a vibrant, modern seafood house with some of the best food and best views of Tomales Bay.

Old oyster shells litter the ground on the strip of land south of the cozy restaurant, giving a satisfying crunch underfoot. The smell of brine is a companion for the mildly harrowing journey along Highway 1, but the reward is a cozy, modern room filled with sunlight and bowls of shells on every table.

Seafood is the main attraction, naturally, with mostly local clams, mussels, crab, and oysters. There’s also fresh Alaska cod, halibut, salmon, and anchovies along with a handful of seafood-free items like the Tony’s burger, or battered-veggies and local greens if you’re fish-averse.

Whatever you do, don’t miss the clam chowder. There’s no flour to thicken it and only fresh, shell-on clams from nearby Hog Island Oysters making it an interactive experience as well as a tasty one. This version is heavy on the good stuff with aromatic herbs, fresh cream, and bacon, and light on the fillers (potatoes and carrots). This is what chowder should always be and rarely ever achieves.

18863 Shoreline Highway, Marshall, 415-663-1107, tonysseafoodrestaurant.com.

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Hungry for something new? Click through the gallery for restaurant picks from Sonoma Magazine food critic Carey Sweet.

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Hungry for something new? Click through the above gallery for 25 Sonoma County restaurants that continue to please discerning customers and critics.

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Sure, the North Bay has plenty of lovely patios, but how about an amazing view and great food to boot? Not quite as easy. We’ve culled through our favorites and created a carefully curated list of spots where you can dole out some serious cheddar (that’s seriously worth it) or just bundle up with a plate of tacos by the bay. In Wine Country, you don’t necessarily have to spend a mint for a million dollar view. Click through the gallery for all the details.

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You may be trying to shed a pound or two of winter padding, but get ready to blow your New Year’s resolution at some of our favorite new (and old) restaurant and bar picks. We promise not to tattle.

WISHBONE
Whether sourcing from their own cattle ranch or the farms of friends and neighbors, Wishbone is an ode to Sonoma County’s bounty. Brunch is the perfect storm of some of their best dishes, including the Wishburger, made with their own Scottish Highland beef, or the “Hot Mess” (polenta with house-made pickles, mushrooms, kale, hot sauce and a fried egg). Whatever your choice, consider washing it down with an El Toro Rojo spicy Mexican mocha or classic mimosa.

841 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-763-2663, wishbonepetaluma.com

SONOMA CIDER TAPROOM AND RESTAURANT
From sarsaparilla-vanilla and habanerolime to limited-run breakfast-cereal-inspired flavors, this Healdsburg taproom is an ode to all things cider. Father-and-son team David and Robert Cordtz have 23 taps featuring their oft-changing lineup of small-batch, signature ciders as well as guest beers, wines and nitro-coffee from Taylor Maid. More than just libations, the expansive space also includes cider-infused French onion soup, crab mac and cheese, banh mi sandwiches, salads and smoked ribs. The menu changes up frequently, so reservations are highly recommended. And a dog-friendly patio means Fido can join in the fun.

44 Mill St., Healdsburg (behind Mill Street Antiques and the Parish Cafe), 707-723-7018, sonomacider.com

NEW HAVEN APIZZA SHOP
Mexican bakery by day, New Haven, Connecticut–style pizzeria by night. Fernando Garcia, whose family owns Garcia’s Bakery, learned about this East Coast style of pizza after working in a New Haven restaurant for 15 years. Locals say the crispy crust and traditional clam, garlic and white sauce pizza is as real as it gets — at least on the West Coast. Pies run from $14 (small) to $31 for a large. Don’t miss the homemade espresso tiramisu ($6) made daily. Beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

555 5th St. W., Sonoma, 707-931-4694, newhavenapizzashop.com

GOURMET AU BAY
Owners Bob and Sissy Blanchard recently moved and expanded their longtime winetasting shop from Bodega Highway to the last available waterfront property in Bodega Bay. Tucked away in a tiny cove in Bodega Harbor, the revamped Gourmet Au Bay is more than twice the size of the original, and now has a wood-fire oven and full menu Thursday through Monday. (The kitchen is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, though tasting takes place daily). While the Blanchards serve up flights of wine on their signature wine glass surfboards, Chef Sam Badolato is at the 900-plus-degree wood oven creating roasted mussels, wood-fire prawns, crab cakes and creative flatbreads, in addition to their signature clam chowder. Though the food and wine are trip-worthy, it’s the stunning views that will keep you coming back, even on blustery days.

1412 Bay Flat Road, Bodega Bay, 707-875-9875, gourmetaubay.com

HANDLINE COASTAL CALIFORNIA
Made-to-order corn tortillas with local rockfish cod and chipotle aioli have folks lined up at this Sebastopol newcomer from longtime west county restaurateur Lowell Sheldon and his partner, farmer Natalie Goble. Stick with the seafood theme and grab a Henhouse Oyster Stout, or try their organic rice horchata.

935 Gravenstein Highway S., Sebastopol, 707-827-3744, handline.com

STARLING
This new craft cocktail bar in the former Blue Moon is everything a neighborhood joint should be — but with really good cocktails. Their Black Walnut Manhattan is made with their own nocino (a walnut liqueur), along with bourbon, vermouth and a brandied cherry. We also like the Bacon Bourbon Sour with a mix of bacon-infused bourbon, Madeira, maple syrup, fresh citrus juice, cherry, lime and sriracha bacon.

19380 Highway 12, Sonoma, 707-938-7442, starlingsonoma.com

SPRENGER’S TAP ROOM
Half the fun of this epic taproom is the after-work crowd piling in for a basket of sweet potato fries and a brew. We like to buck the trend and go for lunch. Order a French Dip (order off menu with onion rings and cheese inside for an extra $1) and Pinot Grigio Hard Apple Cider.

446 B St., Santa Rosa, 544-8277, sprengerstaproom.net

BREAKAWAY CAFE
This cafe is one of the most underrated spots in the Sonoma Valley, and we’re half-hoping it stays that way. Plenty of the usual suspects are on offer (scrambles, huevos rancheros, hash), but we love the extra-delicious buttermilk pancakes and banana walnut waffles.

19101 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-996-5949, breakawaycafe.com

DUKE’S SPIRITED COCKTAILS
Although food isn’t the star here, the cocktails are crafted with the same care and ingredients as at many top-rated nearby restaurants. Farm-to-glass drinks at the former John and Zeke’s bar in Healdsburg include herbs, fruit vinegars, fruit purees and top-shelf artisan spirits, sometimes accompanied by a little molecular gastronomy magic. The Darling Nicki ($11) includes Mezan Panama rum, chai tea, Hamilton 151 rum, Leopold Bros. Tart Cherry Liqueur and local Spirit Works Sloe Gin. The Rangpur More ($11) melds Opihr gin with Rangpur lime shrub, pink peppercorn, saffron bitters and house tonic. The Barely Legal ($12) has Charbay Meyer lemon vodka, Giffard lychee syrup, and yuzu, lemon and grapefruit juice. Wine, beer and ciders are also on the menu, as well as nonalcoholic, house-made sodas (burdock root beer, grapefruit) and tea. Small bites include pickled vegetables, mixed nuts, chips and salsa, and Noble Folk ice cream sandwiches. Open late, must be 21 or over.

111 Plaza St., Healdsburg, 707-431-1060, drinkatdukes.com

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For Wine Country dining, it’s the year of yakitori and designer ice cream. Call it coincidence, but four of our most significant new restaurants for 2016 boast a Japanese theme, with three of those four offering the skewered meats plus the dessert that’s immensely popular in Japan.

I’m referring to Sebastopol’s Ramen Gaijin, which opened its izakaya in March; Napa’s Miminashi, which debuted in May; and St. Helena’s Two Birds One Stone, which rolled out in June. (If, after Single Thread Japanese restaurant opens Dec. 2 in Healdsburg, we discover charcoal-grilled meats and soft serve on its menu, too, we’ll be in for a perfect quadfecta.)

That’s all great for me, since I love Japanese cuisine and could eat it every day. Yet even less addicted fans have good reason to visit all the new places. Each chef takes a different approach to the Asian cooking style, with varying techniques and ingredient twists.

So far, Two Birds is the most inventive of them all. Credit its talent, chef Douglas Keane of Healdsburg’s former two-Michelin-star Cyrus and his partner Sang Yoon, of the acclaimed Father’s Office American gastropub and Lukshon Asian Fusion in Los Angeles. Yes, you can get charcoal- and wood-grilled teriyaki chicken thigh here, served in sweet shiitake sauce ($12).

But surely no Tokyo restaurant offers chips ‘n’ dip of fried wontons dusted in liquid nitrogen-frozen togarashi spice, dunked in Kewpie mayonnaise ($6), or deviled eggs kicked up with wasabi, sprinkled in red chile shichimi togarashi and scattered in gribenes (chicken skin cracklings).

Inventive recipes

In short, leave your assumptions at the door. The idea is to appreciate inventive recipes reflecting fine dining, California seasonality and just an undercurrent of Japanese tradition.

The menu lists one dish as a “savory Japanese pancake,” for example, instead of classic okonomiyaki ($16). That’s because okonomiyaki usually is a rather thin, crisp edged but moist, golden, egg-flour pancake laced with shredded cabbage, any of a wide variety of meats or seafood, and a finishing drizzle of mayonnaise and tangy Worcestershire-like sauce.

This version makes me think of brioche — the rust-brown pie is thick with crunchy edges and a custardy interior, dotted with lots of green onion and ginger and capped in thick squiggles of sambal mayo plus a caramel-like spicy sauce. Bonito flakes dance across the top as the heat dissolves the whisper-thin fish leaves, and it’s so remarkably flavorful in its black pottery dish that I don’t miss the salty duck ham that was included in another visit.

Radishes and butter are a popular Wine Country snack, and these chefs compress the crunchy vegetables with dashi for a swipe through roasted nori goat milk butter ($7); it’s a terrific flavor marriage. A spin on chawanmushi is sumptuous, as well, presented as “ham & eggs” of warm, savory custard layered with highly smoked duck ham, scallion greens, togarashi and silky, poached-in-shell onsen jidori egg ($16).

Head-on prawns are difficult to eat, though, with little meaty reward for dismantling the sudachi-salted, charred lime-spritzed shell. Our server explained that the crustaceans were slit down the back for easy enjoyment, but ours weren’t.

When ordering, keep in mind that while Asian dining often showcases lighter, cleaner flavors, here, the chefs lean toward rich, opulent dishes. Portions are ample enough for sharing, and with such full-bodied recipes, it’s best to focus on just a plate or two at a time and see how your appetite keeps up.

Six small slabs of Wagyu short rib ($22) look rather plain on the plate with nothing other than dollops of pea puree and a coat of thin, mild Korean barbecue sauce. But generous fat marbling and a soft, sous vide texture makes a very lavish dish. With a side of lotus root kimchee ($6) to spark your palate or chilled sesame noodles brightened with pickled beech mushrooms and cucumber ($14), it’s a full meal.

On the more delicate side, the kitchen sends out beautiful silken tofu, awash in chilled shiitake broth and dressed in furikake seasoning, salmon roe and two thin tendrils of tiny, succulent sea grapes ($11).

Little nibbles

I also like the chicken meatballs, simple and satisfying in hoisin glaze. The little nibbles feel glamorous, enjoyed in the drop-dead beautiful setting within the newly renovated 130-year-old Freemark Abbey Winery. Spanning 4,000 square feet, the 80-seat dining room is open and airy, while the 35 patio seats offer pretty views.

No stereotypical Japanese look for this interior, but rock walls, a concrete floor, a backlit entry wall of wine, tufted couch booths and well-spaced wood tables for a feel as modern as the food.

To sip, Keane and Yoon put a stamp on wine and cocktails fitting the fancy space. Ten wines are on tap for 5-, 13- or 26-ounce pours, and they’re made exclusively for the restaurant by notable local winemakers such as Steve Matthiasson (a lovely 2015 Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre Rosé, $10, $25, $49). Beyond the impressive stable of American and Japanese whiskeys, the bar crafts signature drinks like a potent gimlet, made hot-and-sour with Monopolowa vodka, Thai chile, lime, Thai basil and shiso ($12).

And while the food bill admittedly can quickly get pricey, in a very friendly touch, corkage is complimentary for one bottle of Sonoma or Napa wine per guest (not table).

The creative journey continues at dessert, where alongside the green tea soft serve ice cream sprinkled in ginger ($7), we can savor a bunch of quite sweet peony grapes, dressed in pickled ginger with shards of shattered white miso custard ($7). It’s unusual, and perhaps a bit too unusual, I decided, with so many flavors and textures.

It remains to be seen if everyday diners will embrace the more eclectic dishes. On one visit, I asked my server, a cheerful young lady, what her favorite dishes were. “Fried chicken,” she said immediately.

It turns out that on Sundays, the kitchen adds a special supper, serving a whole, local bird that’s been kimchee-brined, battered and fried crispy golden, then tossed with sweet-spicy Korean barbecue glaze ($65). Served with pickled lemon cucumbers, kimchee and compressed spiced watermelon, it’s different, but delectable.

Carey Sweet is a Santa Rosa-based food and restaurant writer. Read her restaurant reviews every other week in Sonoma Life. Contact her at carey@careysweet.com.

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