World-renown as a bountiful agricultural community, Napa Valley is a culinary mecca with an abundance of fresh, local produce, giving its innovative chefs plenty of access to top-notch ingredients. So, when it comes to quality and variety of vegetarian fare, you’ll find menus here that offer a tempting array of delectable choices – and more than a few tasty surprises.
While nearly all restaurants offer vegetarian, and even some vegan options, here are a few suggestions for restaurants that take vegetarian food to the next level.
La Toque
This Michelin-starred restaurant features a vegetable tasting and wine pairing menu, along with an a la carte menu. Their menu evolves with the seasons, to showcase the finest available ingredients sourced from the freshest products from local farms and purveyors to create exquisite flavors and textures. Two current favorites are Potato Gnocchi with Fiscalini cheddar, and Three Spring Peas, Ramps and Morel Mushrooms.
FARM at the Carneros Resort & Spa
A stylish and modern take on the Napa farmhouse, this ultra chic restaurant features a beautiful bar, an outdoor terrace, and a menu with delicious vegetarian and seasonal offerings. Dishes are made with fresh ingredients harvested from the restaurant’s own 1,300-square-foot organic raised-bed garden. Start with a handcrafted cocktail like the FARM Espresso Martini, then a FARM salad followed by the Black Truffle Potato Gnocchi or the Spring Beet Risotto.
House of Better at Dr. Wilkinson’s Resort
Green chiles are at the heart of this flavorful, “healthy comfort food” menu. Think green chile stew, a green chile margarita, and red and green chili nachos. Flatbreads from their wood-fired stove include roasted green chili and mushrooms, or fennel, apple, and camembert. Try the Booster Bowl with sautéed kale, red quinoa, Anasazi beans, calabacitas, red or green chiles, avocado, and pickled onion. Be sure to save room for their famous green chile apple pie.
Clif Family Bruschetteria food truck
This is farm-to-truck dining at its finest. The Bruschetteria is usually parked in front of the Clif Family’s Velo Vino tasting room in St. Helena. They feature farm fresh items, some of which, along with being vegetarian, are also plant-based and gluten free. Try the Marinated Green Curry Tofu, Firecracker Salad, or Funghi Bruschetta. Their bruschetta offers change weekly and usually feature a specific region of the world. Note they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch
This farm to fork restaurant receives fresh harvest each day from the gardens of their Rutherford Estate, 90-acres of benchland dedicated to organic fruit and vegetable production, hand-tended beehives, and vineyards. Try their cheddar biscuits with honey butter, rancho gordo beans with salsa verde, and their California Arborio rice with winter squash, mushrooms, or other seasonal items.
Heritage Eats
A favorite with locals – they were voted best vegetarian menu and dish by Napa Valley Life readers for their sweet chili Brussel sprouts – Heritage Eats’ globally-inspired vegetarian meals are sure to please even the hardcore carnivore in the group. This fast-fine dining spot is perfect for a quick bite before wine tasting, with fresh ingredients sourced locally. Visitors can find rice bowls, salads, wraps, tacos, and more.
Tarla Mediterranean Bar + Grill
This Mediterranean-inspired grill features fresh local produce and many delicious, vegetarian friendly items. Start with a signature cocktail such as the “Piece of Greece” made with Metaxa brandy, and the Greek Dip Trio with hummus, Baba Ghanoush, tzatziki, pita, and olives, or dine on the Spanakopita and the fresh, house made dolma. For entrees, try the caramelized, onion-red pepper stuffed eggplant or a seasonal risotto with white truffle and roasted mushroom. Finish with Turkish pistachios to eat in or take home.
Oxbow Public Market
This one-stop-shop market features a plethora of veg-friendly restaurants including C Casa Taqueria, which offers gluten free everything along with veggie options like delicious salads and their amazing white bean taco. Gott's Roadside is now serving up the meatless – but convincingly meaty – Impossible Burger with all the trimmings plus Gott’s “secret sauce” served on toasted egg bun. Eiko’s second location at Oxbow (their main restaurant is on 1st Street in downtown Napa) serves up delicious modern Japanese, including sushi. And for some grab-and-go fruit and veggies, Hudson Greens & Goods has plenty of fresh picked seasonal offerings.
