Where To Eat - Downtown Napa
For the perfect weekend trip, a visit to Wine Country and Downtown Napa is a great and easy option. Ever since the revitalization of the downtown area, there has been a resurgence of great restaurants, cafes, and interesting shops!
We spent a weekend exploring the culinary scene in Downtown Napa while staying at the lovely Napa River Inn and here's where we found the best places to eat, drink, and have a great time!
Dutch Door
This amazing walk-up restaurant is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it but its name comes from the front door that is half closed on the bottom and open on top.
The owners are very much into serving high-quality food that is sustainable, delicious, and also offer up plant-based versions of many of the items on the menu.
The menu is based on their travels around the world, with my personal favorite being the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. It’s outrageously crispy, juicy, and packed full of flavor! It might be one of the best Korean Fried Chicken dishes I’ve ever had.
On top of it all, they source all their ingredients locally to reduce their carbon footprint. They also choose to not overproduce the items on the menu to reduce food waste. As a result, some of their most popular menu items sell out, so it’s good to get there early to nab the things you want.
Also, if you want to check out some wineries, including a 13th-century-style castle - make sure to check out this small-group Napa Wine Tour!
TORC
We found this restaurant via a tip from a foodie friend of ours and boy we were so glad to find this gem of a restaurant!
TORC focuses on local, seasonal ingredients to make their incredible California/American-inspired food. You’ll notice right away by the menu, which will feature new things based on the current season and whichever produce is the freshest.
Highlights included the Sweet Potato Pakora with Yogurt Truffle Dip, the most amazing Corn Soup, Truffle Pasta, Soft Shell Crab with peach kimchi, and popcorn ice cream.
Napa River Inn
For our weekend trip to Napa, we stayed at the boutique Napa River Inn, which is also a member of the Historic Hotels of America.
The Napa River Inn has an interesting history going all the way back to the late 1800s when a German immigrant named Captain Hatt created a warehouse, grain mill, and skating rink that became one of the centerpieces of the town for both commerce and social functions.
(About that skating rink, our room floors were made from the wooden flooring from the original skating rink!)
Over the years, the building became vacant with its future in doubt until a local developer had the idea to convert the whole complex into a hotel while preserving its historical significance.
Many of the rooms are unique with historical touches while others are modern designs with views of the Napa River.
There is also a wonderful sitting and walking area in the rear of the hotel that is complete with a mosaic tile waterfall, tree-lined walkways, and a lovely ambiance.
Oxbow Public Market
Similar to San Francisco’s Ferry Building, the Oxbow Public Market is a great place to explore the wide range of culinary delights that Napa has to offer.
Hog Island Oyster is famous for its decadent selection of fresh oysters and seafood.
Live Fire Pizza has delicious wood-fired pizzas run by a former chef from San Francisco’s A16.
Eiko’s has a small spot serving up fresh and authentic sushi.
Bar Lucia is a popular spot to have a glass of wine and some small bites.
Kara’s Cupcakes is always a good choice for their sweet delights.
Naysayer's Coffee
A local favorite - this specialty coffee shop is run by delightful staff and makes one of the best lavender lattes in town!
To find Naysayer’s, you’ll have to walk into a retail space that is shared with a couple of other shops.
They also make a great drip coffee and have their own roasted beans for sale.
Model Bakery
Famous for having Oprah Winfrey’s favorite English Muffin - this bakery near Oxbow Public Market sells out of their muffins by late morning so make sure to swing by before 11 am if you want one!
The English Muffins here are really delicious with butter, jam, or as a base for a breakfast sandwich!
Gott's Roadside
If you’re in the mood for a proper burger, chicken sandwich, salad, or fish taco, you’ve got to swing by Gott’s Roadside!
I’m a big fan of their double cheeseburger as it’s cooked smash burger style with gooey cheese everywhere, crisp lettuce, tomatoes, secret sauce all on a great toasted egg bun.
Their crispy chicken sandwiches are no joke either! Super juicy and crispy with just the right amount of sauce - they are just as satisfying as the burgers.
If you’re in the mood for fish tacos, their beer-battered Baja fish tacos or Poke Crispy Tacos are really nice as well.
Last but not least, they make a delicious Vietnamese Chicken salad as well as a great Citrus Avocado salad.
They also make seasonal items such as Bacon Lettuce Tomato Sandwiches in the summertime when California Tomatoes are super sweet!
Eiko's Sushi
One of the most popular sushi restaurants in Downtown Napa - Eiko’s serves up fresh and authentic sushi in a friendly setting.
Amongst their huge signature roll choices, my favorites are the Super California (crab, cucumber, unagi, avocado, unagi sauce), Lion Roll (crab, avocado, sesame sauce, salmon torched on outside), and Napa Valley (tempura shrimp, avocado, salmon, crab, sesame sauce, and green onions).
Other favorites include the Grilled Hamachi Collar, Eiko’s Calamari, Crispy Whole Fish, and Pan Roasted Teriyaki Chicken.
Everything is really delicious here so you can’t go wrong with anything you order!
Gran Electrica
If you want some fantastic Mexican food, look no further than the much-hyped Gran Electrica!
They have all the street food items such as tacos, Gorditas, and quesadillas but also authentic Mexican staples such as posole and tlacoyos.
My favorites here are the fish tacos which are beer-battered long cod with chipotle mayo and pickled red cabbage surrounded by hand-made corn tortillas.
The sweet potato balls with chipotle mayo (camotes) are quite delicious as well!
For dessert make sure to try the homemade churros.
Cadet Wine & Beer Bar
Cadet is a nice change from the usual wine tasting spots around town and offers a nice selection of wine, beer, charcuterie boards, panini, and cheese.
Bounty Hunter Wine Bar
Decorated like a 19th-century saloon, the main draw here is the beer-can chicken which is a full bird, coated in Cajun spices, cooked on a can of Tecate. You can also get delicious barbecue here as well as a great selection of wine.