Sonoma Restaurants

A meal at the restaurant at Sonoma’s MacArthur Place, Layla, feels like you’re dining in a friend’s beautiful backyard. The indoor dining room is in an airy, light-filled modern barn, but you’ll want to snag a seat on the patio, where you’re surrounded by lush trees and greenery. That’s to say: For an upscale hotel restaurant, Layla is as stunning as it should be, yet it remains warm and inviting—a pillar of dining in Sonoma Valley. The Mediterranean-focused menu leans on locally sourced ingredients and bright, fresh flavors, like the crispy Spanish octopus paired with black risotto and tender lamb chops served with roasted baby artichokes and fava beans.

Located in the heart of Sonoma's central plaza, this restaurant serves up Portuguese cuisine with a twist–with most dishes heavy on the olive oil, garlic, and fresh tomatoes. Chef Manuel Azevedo cooks classics from his native country, such as a traditional fish stew with a medley of clams, mussels, shrimp, sea bass, and scallops.

Husband and wife Nick and Jen, culinary institute alumni, offer up a seasonally changing menu in this small but mighty restaurant.

Fremont Diner is a charmingly local spot where the menu focuses on old-fashioned comfort food—the fried chicken and waffles, fried chicken sandwich, and especially the homemade pies make for customers year-round. Kids will love the backyard chicken coop, where local-as-it-gets eggs are harvested daily for famous dishes like the deviled eggs and breakfast hash.