When a woman on Sonoma Square tells you and your friends to go to Starling Bar, you listen…read more Starling Bar is the kind of place where, if I lived in Sonoma, I'd be there three times a week. It has the distinct feel of a neighborhood bar, staffed by people who know the locals and make excellent drinks. The bartenders are people who obviously know what they're doing: just one look behind the bar, and you can see that they have a rhythm and ease that speaks to a lot of experience. I had the Manhattan with Black Walnut bitters--the cognac-soaked cherry, imported from France, complemented my cocktail. The atmosphere is comfortable and easy, and people are friendly and having a great time. I liked the place so much that I bought two t-shirts. Until next time, Starling Bar--and hopefully we'll run into your cape-wearing fan again!

The thai tea drink alone deserves the five stars but the fact that the bartender was such a sweet…read moreperson and the service was great made it even better. They even have an amazing indoor ambiance full of board games, chairs, and booths, topped off with a beautiful outdoor patio AND the prices are REALLY good. All that combined just makes this one of the best bars in Sonoma. I'll definitely be coming back. Would give 10 stars if I was able!!!

Excellent dinner at our first night at Fairmont Sonoma! Cheese platter was so generous and fried…read morechicken was delicious. Waitstaff was wonderful.

This is a great bar in the lobby at the fairmont Sonoma mission inn. They have a nice variety of…read morenapa/sonoma wines by the glass. I was debating between 2 different sav blanc and our server was so kind to offer me a taste. The burger here is amazing! They also have a reverse happy hour from 9-10 pm Monday thru Thursday.

Awesome Beer Selection…read more Awesome Vibe Awesome everything Pool table, with karaoke nights

Not too busy on a Thursday afternoon. Huge selection of libations. Smoking to the right, in the…read morealley. FYI

Our early Saturday morning in Sonoma was made in this bar! Vivian, behind the bar, is as sweet as…read moreshe is spicy. She had our family cracking up and kept drinks flowing. I loved the simplicity of the place and the locals coming in and out. Vivian knew them all by name. Lastly, I appreciated the quality ingredients of the Bloody Mary. No premade mix! I hope to visit Sonoma again. This will be the first place we revisit!

Total stumble upon, as I had just hiked nearby and it was a little past lunch time on a glorious…read morewarm autumn sunday. Sure I was interested in some food but it was also a football Sunday and I wanted a cold frosty beer to celebrate my hike and the start of my roadtrip. I don't do strict planning when it comes to eating and drinking. I often find it more intriguing when serendipity plays a hand. I'm walking down this town's main retail square, insured something was within reach. I pass by this unassuming dive bar with no signage but very well laid out inside. It was surprisingly quiet for a weekend afternoon in a touristy spot. Friendly bartender asked me what I wanted. But I ask first if I could get our local football game on and if they served food. Game yes said it would be on within minutes. Food unfortunately no but there were tons of options outside the door. Ordered a cold lager on tap from the east coast. The lager was light cold and refreshing. I think I finished it within minutes. Tender was quick to ask for a refill, love that. I next get a beer refill, and a Jameson on the rocks to quietly sip on, as I was now committed to watching the first half there. Very impressive glass and pour on the Irish whisky. I take a few sips but finish my beer, but this time much longer to down as I wasn't so parched now. I sip the rest of the whisky but now well diluted from the cold ice, which makes it so much more smooth to me. It opens the spirit, takes away the heat and blooms the flavors. My second round took over an hour. Then halftime hits in the game with a close score, even though my team did not look good. I tell the bartender that I'll close out to look for some lunch. By this time the bar was filling up. 3 perfectly timed drinks for well under $10 bucks a pop just sent me on my long weekend on a sweet note. I found food around the corner where they had a tv and I was able to watch the remaining of the game there. If no TVs were found, I would have gone back to the bar to finish the game. I was still pleased with my short experience there. Small town watering hole encapsulated.

This place is a cute, small craft cocktail bar on the square and is great for pre-dinner drinks! We…read moreloved the seasonal menu but felt that the cocktails we got were a bit on the sweeter side and missing a bit of "bite". Regardless, the drinks were still pretty delish and beautifully presented. The service was attentive too. Beware the bar can get quite noisy with the music pumping and crowds talking over each other to be able to hear. Overall, great tunes, decent drinks, solid pre-dinner or post-dinner spot.

Loved the interior. Had a little bit of a macabre, spooky feel. Great for a cocktail before/after a…read moreghost tour (or dinner). The bartenders were very knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy their craft. The cocktails we tried were all excellent, perfectly balanced and exactly what we ordered.

The answer is Yes, go here and enjoy the food, service and the great atmosphere. Had the Jersey…read moreShore pizza and it was amazing. 5/5 Why are you still here? Go, get out of here and go get some pizza.

We have been looking for a great pizza here in town and have had many disappointing pies. Finally a…read moretrue pizza place, among other dishes. The crust has a nice flavor and usually a crunch and a bit chewy. All the ingredients are quality and their sauce is delicious, best I've had here in Cali. They have a happy friendly staff. It's a nice family atmosphere, with a nice patio area. Also a separate Bar for the older crowd, always a fun group and cozy space. Definitely, will recommend to all friends and family.

Stopped in to watch the World Cup and had a great time. Bartenders were all super nice ... even…read morewhen they were busy. Loved that they had Pliney on tap; would have liked a red ale, but this worked. Loved that we were able to play Darts It was a great vibe and all the patron were also very kind ... a good time was had by all. Would I go back? Yes!

I love a good bar bar. Unpretentious. Great bartenders. Decent food when you need it. A cool dark…read moreplace on a hot day. Steiner's satisfies. Stiff drinks. Cool bartenders. Good burgers fries onion rings. Most importantly stiff drinks.

Came here for some drinks and had a great time…read more HopMonk Tavern is located just next to downtown Sonoma. There is plenty of space here both inside and outside. It was extremely lively when we went on a Tuesday evening. There were families outside with tons of food that looked really good. They also have live music events every so often here. I tried one of the rotating hazy IPAs. Super solid IPA and was nice in the warm Sonoma sun. Prices are as you would expect at a place like this and are very reasonable all things considered. Overall, a place I'd definitely recommend!

Great environment! Bartender Junior is fantastic. 10 out of 10 recommend this place. Warm and…read moreinviting. Food is great too. And the people there are nice.

If someone was to ask me for a rec in Sonoma, this would be top 3…read more Incredible. Multiple people recommended Valley to us so we came by for brunch. The breakfast potatoes were to die for. Wow 10/10. The chilaquiles were the best I've ever had. The sauce had an incredible flavor with a salty balance from the queso. The restaurant is a vibe. It's so fun and funky. P.s as I'm sitting on the patio next door I'm tempted to go back for dinner ;)

I heard a lot of recommendations for this place so we tried to stop in for dinner. It is a small…read morespace but they do have a back patio. We came in and stood around 5-8 minutes waiting for the hostess to even arrive, which I thought was a bit strange. When we were sat, we got a small table near the kitchen. We did also wait a while to get someone at our table and then we got a pretty chill surfer like dude who helped us maneuver the menu, etc. We started off with a glass of Chardonnay and they did have a great wine selection. We ordered the tomato toast to start and it may have been the best bite I had my whole Napa/Sonoma trip. I would recommend ordering TWO of these, they were that good. We also tried the yellowtail sashimi item with the passion fruit which was quite tasty but the tomato toast was the star of the show. For our mains we got the crispy rice and the halibut with the tomato curry, both which were recommended by our waiter. I thought both were decent - the crispy rice had good flavor but was inconsistent in the crispiness- some pieces were rock hard and others were just right, definitely too crunchy if you have sensitive teeth. The halibut dish was nice, it did have a good flavor but I just think I personally dont love halibut. Overall a good spot - reminded me of restaurants in Richmond,VA. Would like to come back for brunch or try more items.

The spicy crispy chicken Caesar wrap is the best wrap I've ever eaten. I keep seeing food review…read morevideos trying to find the best wrap -- this one is it. Except for one problem, it's GONE! They no longer serve the world's best wrap-- not just in the Caesar category. They also have the best truffle fries and onion rings, but apparently they don't have those anymore either! If they bring back the wrap, I'll absolutely upgrade to 5 stars.

While I'm fully aware that hotel restaurants and eateries can be super hit or miss, we were pretty…read morehopeful about our chances at The Watre Tower Bar considering how we it's The Fairmont. Hotel brand has little to no bearing on how the food will end up tasting, but we figured our chances were better given the luxury pedigree and how we were in Sonoma (not to mention we had a resort credit to use). Sadly, it seems we had a little too much faith and should've gone with one of the spots we had bookmarked ahead of time instead. Serving as seemingly the only lunch option available on the hotel's grounds (on weekdays, at least), it'd be fair to say that the option to eat here was somewhat made for us. However, I can't say we necessarily minded since we just wanted to grab something quick and easy so that we can get in as much pool time as possible. What's more, the menu actually didn't look too bad - alongside their collection of wines, beers, cocktails, and mocktails, they also have a mix of small bites and entrees to pick from. Granted, it's an extensive range of options, but it's decently varied, from salads, quesadilla, and flatbread to a burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and fish tacos, -- FRESH MINT MOJITO with Planteray Rum, Mint, Simple Syrup, Lime, and Club Soda...$20 Just awful, but my mistake for assuming this was going to actually be made. Instead, they just used a pre-made mix and poured everything into the glass. So, not only did this not taste fresh and bright, but it was super harsh and acidic, like bottled lime juice with alcohol. Pass. -- SUNSET DAIQUIRI with Bacardi Ocho Rum, Planteray OFTD Rum, Banana, Toasted Coconut, and Lime...$25 The better of our two drinks, but still underwhelming. Just like the mojito, they used a pre-made mix, but it was an unappealing shade of brown (presumably from the bananas oxidizing). That being said, at least this wasn't as harsh to drink (relatively speaking, that is). -- ROCK COD FISH TACOS with Jicama-Cilantro Red Cabbage Slaw, Charred Pineapple Salsa, and Corn Tortillas...$27 Pretty to look at, but the taste of this was just okay. The rock cod was a little overcooked, but it was decently flavorful and the pineapple slaw wasn't too shabby. Still , it definitely felt like the taco was more about the slaws than the actual fish in it. -- CRAB QUESADILLA - Flour Tortilla, Pepper Jack Cheese, Cilantro, Green Onions, Lime Sweet Chili Sauce...$25 Ehh...nothing amazing, but not had. While I liked that this had meaty chunks of crab in it, which tasted great, I wish there had been more of it and/or that they had been broken down and spread out, as we had several bites where this tasted like a generic cheese quesadilla. Also, between how it's a poolside eatery and that it's the Fairmont, we were well aware that the food may not be the greatest and the eating here wasn't going to be as cost effective as leaving the hotel and eating elsewhere (to be fair, the latter is true for any hotel). However, for $120 after tax/tip (!!!), I definitely expected better and tastier. At the bare minimum, I would expect our drinks to have been crafted/made fresh instead of just being pouring alcohol with their mixes out of their fridge. Considering how the food here is somewhat decent, it definitely feels like the safer bet is to stick with the food and possibly their beer and wine options while avoiding their cocktails. However, unless you're short on time and/or just want a bite while lounging by the pool, you might be better off exploring what the rest of Sonoma has to offer, if only for the sake of variety.