As we live and work in the heart of downtown Sonoma, we wanted to share some of our personal favorite Sonoma local hometown picks. All these spots are within easy walking distance from Auteur.
We are located on the Northwest corner of the historic Sonoma Plaza. Across the way, our lawns of Sonoma Square are adorned with picnic tables allowing for lazy lunch in the sunshine. Stop by for a tasting and enjoy a bottle of cold Auteur chardonnay for a picnic lunch. Or, only steps away from us is El Dorado and Girl and the Fig. Tuesday night is the Sonoma Plaza’s Farmer’s Market, and the plaza is packed full of local purveyors and live music in Spring through late Fall.
With two world-class resorts, MacArthur Place and The Lodge, you are just minutes from some of the best restaurants in Sonoma. Enjoy wandering our neighborhood and sauntering down Sonoma’s cobbled streets and cafe-lined plaza.
Serving California home cooking, driven by seasonal produce with a focus on organic, biodynamic, regenerative & traditional agricultural practices. Come taste wines with us after your Valley brunch. Valley is our new neighborhood restaurant, wine bar, and bottle shop, just one block south of us in Sonoma, CA.
Cafe La Haye is diagnolly across the Sonoma Plaza from Auteur and is an iconic gem with romantic white table cloth settings serving sophisticated and classic California cuisine with a locally curated wine list by owner Saul himself. We love the fresh local cuisine and Saul’s attentive service.
Two doors down, enjoy roasted Maitake mushrooms with chimichurri sauce at El Dorado Kitchen. A hands-down favorite, mainly because of its fantastic outdoor patio, bustling vibe, and unique twist of favorite dishes with exotic finishing touches. The truffle fries are fantastic if you need little comfort food. And, it’s pretty easy to get there!
Ask for Sommelier Becky to help select a perfect wine. Wit & Wisdom is Michelin-rated Michael Mina’s only Sonoma wine country restaurant with a 5-star wine list, mixed with local producers as well as impressive international selections. As expected with a Mina restaurant, service is impeccable. Located at The Lodge resort off Broadway. Pizza’s are excellent.
Our backyard backs up to Girl & the Fig and is almost a right of passage when visiting Sonoma. The focus is on a great European-styled menu as their focus is on Rhone wine varietals. We love snuggling up at the awesome cozy bar for the fig and argula salad and duck confit with great bar tending service to spill the beans on where you should go next.
If your palate needs a refresh and wants a great cocktail, stop in at the Swiss Hotel for people-watching and a fire tossed pizza. MacArthur Place has the most groovy bar in town and stunning grounds. The Beacon feels nothing like Sonoma and more like a speakeasy crafting great cocktails. Starling is a mile west of town and has dive-bar energy, killer cocktails, often music, and sometimes comedy.
The grand finale after all the wine country cuisine or rehab after a great Sonoma wedding, try Lou’s Luncheonette for home cooked breakfast biscuits or the epic Two Burn Chicken Sando with a draft beer and cue up a afternoon nap. Only place on the outskirts of town, buy a fantastic bike ride to burn up some calories.
Have fun meandering through our hometown of Sonoma. Heck, look around you might see us, we live a few blocks away.
Come see us!
xx, l&k
Our Local Winemaker’s Best of Sonoma List ~