Beautiful setting! Get here early and just walk the grounds to see the beautiful landscaping! Our Hostess was friendly and food was great! my favorite dish so far is the mouthwatering Masala Braised Boneless Beef Short ribs which sat on Floriani polenta. my disappointment is that our waiter could have been a lot better although we enjoyed the staff who came with the water and breads a lot more. I also Wish the deserts were better but u may not have room for it. read more

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Favorite place for Happy Hour Love the fish tacos & truffle fries. Nice eating outside on sunny days.

I've always enjoyed a top notch experience at John Ash. Our last visit was no exception. Great food. Efficient and friendly service. John Ash is my go-to restaurant whenever we have out-of-town company. read more

John Ash offers a very classy and sophisticated atmosphere. The food is delicious and the drink menu offers a good selection of cocktails and wine. I came here on a Friday night around 745pm and by 9 pm the place was empty. Not a lively place. So if your looking for a more quieter evening with yummy dining experience, this is the place ! Recommend sitting outside for the view if possible. read more

John Ash - Filet Mingon - American Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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We had reservations for 5:45 before the 8 O'clock Chris Issac show at Wells Fargo Center. We were given our dessert in a to go bag the service was so slow. The pre-set menu was very limited and frankly not good. I was super disappointed . There were 4 of us and the bill was $372.00 for beet soup, couscous and dessert to go, We wont be going back! I did feel sorry for our server, I think she was hiding , she was so embarrassed . read more

Let me just start off with the good things of the night: 1. The bartender and our server were awesome! Friendly, attentive and easy to talk to. 2. The venue is recently built and it's design brings a great date-night ambiance. It's an Italian villa style seated in the middle of a vineyard. They offered excellent bread choices before our entrees were served and the jalapeño bread was my favorite! It was in muffin form with a kick! The appetizer we decided for was the calamari and they sure know how to do it! The Asian slaw and Thai dipping sauce was the perfect flavor balance. The bad: Marsala Braised ShortRibs. For $37 and a Michelin star rated restaurant, I was not impressed. By no means am I a food snob, it just didn't stand out. It was not flavorful nor filling. It was more of a $20 dollar dish. My wife had the gnocchi. It was completely bland! She had to dump salt on it to try and make up for it. Again, I emphasize we are not food snobs, but this is the dish that she gets most places we go to. It was the worst one we've had. I want to try and give this place another try during their happy hour because I have heard good things. As of right now, I am not impressed. read more

John Ash - American Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Our family group of ten recently went to John Ash to celebrate a beloved family member's graduation. We were seated in a patio-type room with glass walls. The walls were closed; the room was already occupied by a large group making a lot of noise. None of us could enjoy the food or each other's company because the noise level was assaultive: 90 on a phone app decibel meter---that's chainsaw level, folks. Everyone came away saying it was the absolutely worst dining experience they had ever had. I fault the management for allowing this and for seating us where they did. None of us will ever return to John Ash. Ever. read more

We really wanted to love this place, but we just didn't. The food is good, but it does not at all justify its price. We were seated promptly. The dining area we were in was nice but not particularly amazing. We overlooked the outside seating where they were hosting an event, and that looked very nice. The courtyard area was very pretty, and I can understand wanting to host an event here. The service was very meh for this level of dining. It was a bit slow, and I remember constantly wondering when the waiter would be by for a number of things. The bread was where it first started off as not so great. They have different options, and the only one worth eating was the biscuit. The biscuit was solid, but the other bread was so meh that it was almost scary for a restaurant at this price point. For appetizers we got the: Sweet Corn Bisque - get this! Probably the best value on the menu. Ample amount of soup, and it's very well done. Tuna Tartar - this was just okay. At $16 it was about what you'd expect it to be. The shell it was in wasn't really worth eating though. For entrees: Chef Tom's Lamb Trio - for $37 it's just not a lot of food. My husband said it was good, but nothing particularly special, and I can NEVER understand how you charge that much for this dish and don't just throw in some easy and cheap potatoes. Strauss Farms Veal Scallopini (from the tasting menu) - the sauce was good, but again, not super unique. It suffered from the same lack of food as my husband's dish, although I at least had some potatoes. At the end of the meal, we were just ready to be done. We were so hungry that we stopped at Target on the way home to get some snacks, and we spent way too much money for that to have been the case. We wouldn't return. read more

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Party of 3 with $300.00 dined generously: cheese board appetizer; bottle of wine, veal, steak, duck, desserts! I will return. Ambiance is California casual: terrific bar with happy hour specials and attentive bartender with lively Tuesday crowd. Would love to return for TGIF celebrations! There are two indoor dining options offering the same menu: a glassed enclosed atrium attached to the bar, and a more formal (table cloths) area better suited for couples (mostly seating for 2). Outdoor seating would have been our choice had temps been more moderate. Service was ok at our atrium table. I was somewhat astonished no cooler was provided for our bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and no effort was made to refill glasses? Just a small detail, but this is what separates the goats from the sheep at truly excellent dining venues. read more

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Well it ain't the good old days...When you spend $30 on an appetizer...perhaps it will be the service that pulls things back together...nope, when we asked for two more pieces of toast to accompany the app, there was no mention of the $6.00 added charge. OK, no problem but mention it, and when asked about the charge, don't simply say, "oh, sorry" and walk away. The app was called Tips and Toast, "Angus filet tips, mixed mushrooms a la crème, garlic roasted ciabatta" for $20, you could add mashed potatoes for a total of $29.00 (that 1 moderate size spoonful of potatoes must have been shipped in from some far land). I counted 8 very small pieces of filet. Flavors were fine but nothing special. The $22 glasses of wine were fine but nothing special, the Cesar Salad was very bland, nothing special. Two lovely waitresses that filled in when our waiter couldn't make it to check in with us were sweet, but we've checked this place off as "Nothing Special". read more

The food was just average not particularly mind-blowing. I was also bothered that we weren't seated immediately when we had a reservation but others after us were seated right away. The calamari was perfectly cooked but didn't particularly excite. When I dine, I expect the experience to impress me. I had the scallops and pork belly. The rice cake did not enhance the combination. A pilaf would probably have worked better. The creme brulee was definitely fragrant and outstanding. Our server was attentive. The ambience was fine. The site indicated business casual but we saw some diners wearing shorts and t-shirts. I think that there are better options in Sonoma County. read more

We love booking a massage at La Vita Spa, spending some time at the "pool" (it's a small dipping pool), freshening up in our hotel room, and heading to John Ash (or the Front Room bar) for dinner. The only negative thing I have to say is the hostesses at the restaurant are ALWAYS snooty and rude! Every other staff member (spa employees, front desk clerks, restaurant servers) are friendly and great! It's a mystery why these young girls at the restaurant hostess stand are consistently rude! read more

Went for happy hour in December like we do every year- got a sitter and everything! Were seated quickly in their cozy bar next to the fireplace but it was downhill from there. Server (with the longest, pointiest nails I've ever seen, I'm taking 2 inches at least) took our order, 2 martinis and a beer. I was SO excited for a well earned ice cold vodka martini. 10 minutes went by and our drinks still hadn't arrived. I stood up to see our drinks sitting there behind the bar. I asked the bartender if they were our drinks- he said yes but they were waiting on someone to run them, I said okay assuming that meant someone (maybe one of the 2 employees standing by the bar just talking or maybe even he) would run them over. Another 5 minutes went by when a hostess seated another party so I stopped her to ask if she could go get our drinks for us. Couple minutes later, the drinks show up- WARM. I'm done. So disappointed, we drank them, ate our apps (that came prior to the drinks and were mediocre), paid and left and went to willi's wine bar which was a phenomenal experience, great COLD drinks, wonderful food and great service. So bummed to see such a great restaurant take such turn. read more

Had the warm Jalapeño cornbread with melty herb butter it was very nice and a good appetizer. I ordered the New York steak which was cooked nicely and had a great taste, it came accompanied with asparagus and a baked potato. The GF ordered the shrimp, scallops, and grits dinner entree and she was happy with it. read more

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Fantastic ambiance. Hands down one of the most romantic places in Santa Rosa. The little extras make it more memorable. Like the quail egg potato nibbles and the chocolate truffles. Jose our server was awesomely attentive. The salmon special was epic, but the agedl filet tasted gassy. Turn your flame down to blue! (Or put away the blow torch) Totally ate it anyway as it was an epic aged cut that should never go to waste _ . Besides, I never send dishes back. read more

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Is it me or are the ladies at front of the house (wait staff and hostess) seem snobby? I've been there many times and never had issues with the waiters or any bussers. But the ladies always seem to have this condescending attitude when you ask for something. Last time it was the hostess and today it's the server. Today, our friend accidentally spilt a bit of her cocktail when she moved her hand talking, and our server saw the entire thing. Not a "oh, could I get you more napkins", but just continued on walking away. We go there for the vineyard view and atmosphere even though it's overpriced for what it is. If the ladies could lower their noses a little and show more warmth and welcoming vibe, we would always bring out of town friends. Today was an embarrassment for a supposedly high end restaurant. read more

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews here so just want to say our experience was outstanding. my fiancée had the chef's tasting menu which was a cherry gazpacho, confit duck, and frozen lemon yogurt desert. It was all excellent. We shared the oysters, I had the angus tenderloin and thought it was very good. We also had a great bottle of pinot noir and fantastic service. It's not a giant menu, but we wouldn't hesitate to come back. Just a very nice dining experience start to finish. read more

3 star for the ambience, it's a great space. I would give negative star if I could for the cocktail. I think it's by far the worst whiskey sour I've had, it was not in a proper coupe glass, with too much ice added. same goes for the old fashion, too watered down. for the price of the cocktails, the place is not worth it. It's a dive bar cocktail dressed in a fancy location. read more

The food was pretty good, it definitely did not live up to the hype. The restaurant has no sound dampening features so it was super loud. My waiter was excellent, but the rest of the staff needs better training. My salad plate was taken away a but my salad dressing container was left on the table. And it took 10 minutes to get a glass of water when I first sat down. Although the salmon special was excellent and perfectly cooked, overall the dining experience was disappointing. read more

Tip to save money: Go on Monday night where they do free corkage on Sonoma County wines (we brought in one from Napa and still got free corkage). We have been to John Ash a couple times and sat in different locations. My reviews will be based on location. Bar Area: We heard they had a great and affordable happy hour. As far as the drinks, it wasn't so happy... the drink happy hour menu wasn't that much less. The food had a few good deals. We got the tacos which were good. Service was a bit slow. Our experience was actually horrible and we couldn't wait to get out of there because there was a group that was extremely loud. The group completely ruined our experience. Dining Area: The service was absolutely amazing along with the food. We got steak and the lobster risotto. I highly recommend the lobster risotto. We will definitely be back but we will only sit in the main dining area. read more

John Ash - Free corkage on Monday night! - American Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

A great traditional white table cloth restaurant. The service was impeccable and the menu made it hard to decide. We were in a partial outside room with nice flame heaters. It created a nice ambiance. Of course being from Chicago we didn't need the heaters! California banned foie gras so the one on their online menu wasn't available. It looked so good! The soup special was New England clam chowder with little clams in their shells. The crab fritters were crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. A big hit for us. The sea bass couldn't have been more perfectly cooked and the pork chop was one of the most tender and flavorful I've ever tasted. We ended with a chocolate mint tart. A decadent ending to our meal! Our server,Alan, was very helpful with our selections. read more

Went here Saturday night loved the food (see photos posted) and atmosphere! We sat in the sun room that made you feel like you were outside. The rain filled day was moving towards the Sacramento Valley causing the sunsets warm colors to streak across the Sonoma sky. The surrounding vineyard outside looked spectacular during the golden hour. As it got darker the glow from twinkle lights and warm fire heaters bounced off the glass enclosure created a relaxing mood. Out waitress, Jessica, was AMAZING! If you get her you'll see what I mean! Tip her well people! She was on it! My whole table loved her! I gave them 4/5 stars because although the service was great, the guy filling water glasses spilled some on me. Not a fan of getting water spilt on me. It's just water it will dry. I'm sure he didn't mean to and he didn't even notice or I'm sure he would have said sorry. But still. read more

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If you're looking for a nice outdoor dining experience during Covid, this is a great option. We've been here several times, but last night was the first time since Covid. We sat out on the lawn this visit. They had heaters and firepits surrounding nicely spaced tables. It's been in the 100s the past several days so some fans and/or misters would have been a nice touch for those like me that are hot natured. The food is always good. Average plate price $39. I had the swordfish which was prepared in a heavy tomato like sauce with a rice and mixed veggies. Very unusual but I liked it. And the complimentary truffles at the end of the meal are so darn good! Can't go wrong here. read more

this place has a very calm atmosphere the patio is very nice the view. the customer service is excellent the menu is a bit short you don't have much choice. but enough for. to eat. they don't make very big dishes and the prices are a bit high for the type of food but you are also paying for a nice place and spend a relaxing moment I recommend it to go have a good talk not for large groups it would be too noisy read more

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Great food and service. I ate the delicious halibut and loved it! Ambiance is wonderful!

I love to come here for Happy Hour- we always enjoy the onrush that happens at lunch or dinner, and we feast on a variety of yummies. We had beer, wine, a mixed drink among us, all good quality. The appetizers were our favorite way to snack- fish tacos, fried calamari (very light) , empanadas, the each-one-wants-her-own sweet potato fries, the spring rolls, everything served freshly prepared and hot. Great attentive service. So why a 4 $ star rating? I love dogs,but since I cannot bring my 55 pound Jindo into supermarkets or restaurants, why are small dogs allowed (not talking about service dogs, here- the small dog at the next table wore some clothing but not the uniform of a certified service pup.... read more

This was the best swordfish I have ever had. We were seated outside with a breeze and beautiful trees and flowers. Great wine!! The staff was knowledgable and friendly. It was a relaxing evening with delicious food and nice music. The food literally melted in my mouth. read more

The menu is very limited for the main courses The service is good and the ambience is nice The oysters were good we ended up getting several appetizers which took over 29 minutes to get Don't get the polenta. The asparagus salad was mediocre it only had thebottom part of the asparagus very disappointed read more

I feel like John Ash is a Sonoma County classic institution for prestige. It has a swanky bar that could lend to a younger crowd for happy hour, but it is not a young, hip spot over all. If you are looking for the young crowd then this is not the place to go. However, the food is great, service is impeccable, and the wine list shines to support local wineries. My mister and I had a wonderful evening here that was filled with delicious food and great service. It was a fantastic experience and everything we ordered was perfectly cooked. We split a couple of meals so we could try different things. We shared the new york steak and scallop and shrimp dishes. Both of the dishes were executed perfectly. The twice baked potato in the steak dish was incredible as it was prepared with goat cheese to offer a slight twist to the traditional concept. This was not my first time here and probably won't be my last. I like that you can dress it up or down depending on your occasion for being there. We both gussied up a pair of jeans and I felt quite comfortable and not under dressed. I have also known people to go there for prom, so it can be what you make of it. The patio is super romantic at night for a date night or cozy time out with loved ones. Prices are a little high, but it is about what you would expect for where we are talking about. You get what you pay for in my opinion. read more

Visited this place in May for my birthday. Was visiting California from Texas and had a great trip overall, except for my time at this restaurant. I stayed at the resort and had reservations for dinner. Enjoyed drinks and an appitizer before me and my significant other decided on the filet (medium cooked). Once our dinner arrived we cut into the steaks to uncover that they were overcooked. I brought this up to my waiter and he was able to take my guests plate back. I was told it would be 5 minutes. 15 minutes later and my entire entre and plate was now cold. The whole experience was ruined and I wanted to speak to a manager to let them know about my experience and how it made me feel. I was able to speak to both John and Chris, and I brought up that her steak was overcooked and I waited 15 minutes for her steak to come back. While waiting for hers to return  my food became cold and the expierence was ruined. I talked to the general manager about the situation who then laughed at me multiple times. I then proceeded to say, "this is bullshit", if that is vulgar and out of line I apologize. But the way this staff made me feel and the way that this situation was handled was horrible. If a customer wants to tell you about what their experience, YOU LISTEN, you don't need to interrupt or laugh at them. If I would have been listened to and if would have recieved an apology that would have solved this issue... While looking at other comments throughout this site I do see that there's a trend with this manager and that nothing is being done. If you are reading this I just advise you that this establishment is not hospitable. I have been in the hospitality business for over 15 years and I have not and will not ever treat a customer the way I've been treated. With so many options to choose out there, choose one that values you.... Not this establishment. read more

We were very disappointed. John Ash had been a favorite place to take out of town guests. No more. There was nothing on the new menu that I even wanted to order. It was very average and I didn't finish mine. Service was excellent. But the quality of the food was a major disappointment. We will not be going back. read more

Thanksgiving dinner 2013. 5 of us had various selection from the menu. Everyone one was swooning about how good the food tasted. We traded bites off each other's plate. My least favorite was the pumpkin ravioli, they were gummy. My traditional turkey dinner was moist, flavorful, entirely satisfying. This is a special occasion restaurant, you should dress up a little to make your experience a more classy event.. read more

Disappointing. SR needs more good restaurants and JA&C used to be one. Sadly it just isn't working anymore. We've been a couple times since late last year. The food has been fair. The shrimp is consistently dry and the scallops are juicy. The jalapeño bread is enjoyable if you like a hint of spice. The lamb is consistently over cooked (order it rare) and the pork chop is fine. The lemon dessert isn't the best. For a restaurant of this caliber I should be writing that everything is stellar. But. A big but. The host staff. You will likely wait for your table regardless of occupancy or time of day. It feels like it is a process to make you seek the bar or feel like it is exclusive; it isn't. People dressed nicely? People in shorts? Reservation? Walk in? You'll likely wait. Even families with infants. And the lobby area is tiny with the bar, host station, main door and bathroom all in a roughly 100 sq ft space after subtracting the chairs and other encumbrances. But this evening? Wait. And wait. It was at open so there were 100% of the tables. A couple had been sitting in the lobby for at least five minutes; they wouldn't be seated for another ten at least. We were about 10 minutes ourselves. Now, I understand a late start, short staff and other reasons - but no. Just no. A restaurant of class would simply offer parties their option - be seated and you may wait a little longer for water and drinks or wait here, standing on a hard, uneven tile floor, while you're in the way of everyone else. Is that really the option? Can you really not staff so the compromise isn't required either? Sit parties or avail the option (there were two hosts plus a runner). Left a bad taste before getting to the food. And then. Two separate evenings; different party; same scene. If you have an encumbered person with a crutch or other walking aid, why would you seat them up narrow stairs and then offer them a circular booth?! You seat them at a level table and easy to use chair unless they express a different desire. Or you ask (really, don't, because this is elder and encumbered 101). Hostess in both cases bounds up the steps with person balancing with a crutch or walker in trail... just the liability risk should make managers train something so daft out of the system. read more

Having never been to this place, we entered with an open mind. Usually, in a restaurant they like to get you in/out within the hour or so. Not this place; it's like a night out at the opera. It's an experience. We started off with happy hour drinks (non alcoholic), then moved to our table of reservations. The atmosphere is low keyed, yet very busy. We started off with the ahi tuna for appetisers, so good! The dinner took almost 30+ minutes to arrive ~ and my dish was Luke warm. They took it back immediately and apologised. I had blackened shrimp with pasta. I have Never seen this before! Universally speaking , we're used to the traditional pasta and red sauce with meat, right?! This was out of the ordinary and tasty! Then came the house dessert ~ BEFORE our actual dessert. Then... the truffles. #encore! I would definitely recommend coming back to this place with an open mind. For those who didn't have a good experience, try them again, I'm sure you'll be glad you did. read more

Came here for a work dinner, and this place is nice. We were all the way on the back patio which was super cute with its vines hanging around. The service was on point and the staff super friendly on directing all of us. We had a fixed menu but I had a roasted chicken with broccolini and dirty rice, and it was super yummy. For desert we had a chocolate cake which helped finish the meal. I had a nice hot cup of black coffee to was it down. I need to make another trip out here even if it was for drinks. read more

John Ash - Roasted chicken, broccolini and dirty rice. - American Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

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Went the for valentines day. Only had one option for dinner. We got the wine pairing to go with dinner. Food was good but the food was served before the wine on each coarse so by the time the wine was served the food was eaten. With tip just over $600 for two. Left hungry and needing a drink. read more

If you read my restaurant reviews you see my wife and I have had dinners all across the country. You will also see I grade on a curve. Meaning you can't rate a burger place the same as a high end steak house. So each place is rated compared to similar restaurants. John Ash. Nice atmosphere and the staff is fine. The food is good. My only issue is how they seat you. Example, we are eating here right now. Why is it in a restaurant that is mostly empty do they sit everyone in the same corner. Makes conversation a little difficult. With that said. Food 4 Location 4 Service 4 Atmosphere 5 minus 1 for cramming in the same areas as other diners. 16 of a possible 20. 4 average read more

This horrendously overpriced retaurant delivered one of the mot disappointing dining experiences I have ever encountered. I was delighted when a friend asked me to join him at an "upscale" restaurant in Santa Rosa for Thanksgiving Dinner. Knowing that such meals in an "upscale" restaurant are expensive I was not surpried by the $90 price tag. But I was astounded that this place had the nerve to serve up a horrible meal at such a price point. It began with a thin, poorly seasoned, salty onion soup with very few onions, almost no cheese, and a poorly made doughy biscuit (not croutons or good French bread) as a "crust." The "Thanksgiving" meal that followed was even worse. The turkey was NOT freshly roasted. The meat was of poor quality and extremely dry. It tasted like processed food. It had not been seasoned. There was no gravy. The "stuffing" was burned, tasteless, and dry. The "mashed potatoes" had no seasoning and tasted like reconstituted potato flakes. The remainder of the meal consisted of a tiny portion (perhaps a single tablespoon) of poor quaity cranberry sauce. The carrots (very few of them) were prepared adequately. That was it. Thanksgiving Dinner! The gingerbread cake desert was nice enough, but pedestrian. There was nothing particularly pleasing about the ambience. No nice table settings for the holidays, uninspired lighting, uncomfortable seats. I would have enjoyed a better Thanksgiving meal at the Midnight Mission. Last year I ordered a lovely Thanksgiving dinner from a local coffeeshop in Vallejo - I paid $70 for enough to serve four people and the food was delicious and included a fresh homebaked pie. The $90 per person price tag for the slop I was served at John Ash is inexcusable. The waiter was very pleasant, and had the sense to look embarassed when he cleared the table of our barely tasted food. It was too disgusting even to make a pretense of eating it. Thanksgiving ruined, and charged $240 (total, with drinks) for this "meal" for two. This place should be out of business. read more

Had the Halibut and Salmon. Salmon was fair not a lot of flavors. The Halibut was a little better but still lacking. Service was so so. Had to ask to have water refilled twice, no check back. Bathroom trash was overflowing needed to be cleaned. All and all not great. Very limited menu. For the price I would expect more. read more

I was treated to dinner for my birthday. I'm giving 2 stars because the cheese platter was delightful. I wish I had stopped there. The food was awful. I can think of 30-40 places I would have rather eaten. Very much over priced for what you get. read more