6 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Napa Valley

 

Are you lucky enough to live in Napa Valley, or will you be visiting soon to start your search for Napa Valley villas for sale? While Napa Valley is well-known for its wineries and breathtaking scenery, it’s also a hotspot for fantastic dining experiences. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or are just visiting, you need to take advantage of all the fine dining establishments in the area. Here are some of the best to put on your list!

 

Recognized as Napa’s first fine dining restaurant, Auberge du Soleil has been serving tourists and owners of Napa Valley properties for more than 40 years. Executive Chef Robert Curry is proud to source local ingredients for his innovative French dishes. You can experience Auberge du Soleil in a variety of ways. Dine on the Terrace to experience the chef’s two or three-course prix fixe lunch or three, four, or six-course dinner tasting menu. Choose from delicious dishes like sauteed foie gras, chilled Maine lobster, or Liberty Farm duck served with Santa Rosa plum and endive salad, Marcona almonds, honey, and star anise. You can also pop into the Bistro and Bar for some oysters on the half shell or a grilled flatbread. Auberge du Soleil not only has had a Michelin Star designation for 14 consecutive years, but Forbes and Wine Spectator have also recognized them for their continued excellence.

 

 

After a long day searching for the perfect Napa Valley real estate, relax and dine at The Charter Oak. No matter what mood you’re in, you’ll be able to choose a dining style that will exactly match your frame of mind. You can sit back and let the kitchen do all the work for you by ordering The Legacy Menu, 5% of which will go back to The Cameron Thompson Legacy Scholarship. You can also choose to dine in one of the restaurant’s cozy yurts if you have a small or large party. The Yurt Experience includes a welcome glass of wine, chef-curated Legacy Menu, and an after-dinner Hennessy cocktail. Of course, you can sit in the dining room and order off the menu for brunch, lunch, or dinner to experience smoked beef short rib, sea salt-cured chicken, or hearth-roasted ham. Make sure you save room for a chocolate tart or 23-year rum for dessert.

 

 

Wine and Italian cuisine naturally go together, and there is no better place in the valley to enjoy this combination than at Bottega. The restaurant, located in Yountville, offers outdoor dining on the patio, complete with two stone fireplaces that will keep you warm on even the coldest of Napa evenings. If you’d rather dine inside, you’ll enjoy rustic Italian décor with plenty of soft leather seating, glass chandeliers, and a welcoming atmosphere. 

 

Head chef, owner, farmer, and vintner Michael Chiarello proudly taps into his Southern Italian roots to create dishes like spaghetti alla Sophia Loren, Pesce alla Milanese, and calamari. Dishes are served alongside a curated wine list, craft cocktails, and Negronis selection. You can dine at Bottega for lunch or dinner or stop in for a dessert and drink to celebrate making a successful offer on one of the Napa Valley properties you’ve visited.

 

Whether you want to take a perfectly selected bottle of wine home to enjoy on the porch or you want to experience a night out of fine dining, you won’t be disappointed when you visit Compline. Named after the hour of the day when work was complete in the vineyards, Compline serves lunch and dinner in a cozy and warm environment. Dinner is served from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and offers bites to accompany your wine like cheese boards as well as meals like Stemple Creek sweetbread schnitzel and spaghetti carbonara. If you stop in for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., you can expect an oyster po’boy, winter wedge salad, or stuffed collards. If you want to make it a special occasion, pair your dinner with one of Compline's wine education events held regularly.

 

Located in picturesque St. Helena, Goose & Gander serves rustic American food sourced from the owners’ two-acre farm in downtown Napa. The restaurant is in the historic Martini House, built in 1923 by Walter Martin. When you visit this charming eatery, you can dine on starters and bar bites like sticky pig ears, mushroom and burrata toast, or house-cured charcuterie and farm cheeses. For your main course, you can choose from an array of burgers, steaks, and pork chops, each served with hearty sides. The Goose & Gander also prides itself on its cocktail menu that features fun choices like the Angry Moscow Mule, Never Keep a Dude Waiting, and The Rock on the Rocks. Of course, local wine connoisseurs who own Napa Valley properties will also find plenty to love on the restaurant’s extensive wine list.

 

 

Since it opened in 2002, ZuZu has been a favorite of tourists and those who live in Napa Valley properties alike. The Spanish-inspired eatery and tapas bar is located conveniently in downtown Napa and is open for lunch and dinner both inside and outside on the patio. Put together the perfect meal by choosing tapas like flounder ceviche, Tunisian Brik pastry stuffed with Dungeness crab, and artisan cheese with house-made accouterment. Pair your meal with a fantastic wine by the glass, the ZuZu’s house blend sangria, or an artisan beer, and top it all off with an apple empanada or Basque cake with seasonal fruit compote.

 

Whether you’re in Napa Valley for the weekend or you live here year-round, making a trip to one of these restaurants will never disappoint. Need help finding Napa Valley villas for sale? Reach out to experienced local agent Yvonne Rich for excellent service.