The once-sleepy Sonoma is bursting with new restaurants ranging from affordable burgers, ice cream and coffee to high-end Mediterranean. Check out what’s now open and ready to serve you. Click through the gallery for details.
New Sonoma Restaurants and Bars You Need to Check Out
The once-sleepy town of Sonoma is bursting with new restaurants ranging from affordable burgers, ice cream and coffee to high-end Mediterranean.
Layla: A luxe new restaurant that’s part of the overhaul of the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. The bright, open space features a modern Mediterranean and New American menu from Executive Chef Cole Dickinson whose resume includes stints at Acacia House in Napa, Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Kitchen, Hemisphere at the Greenbrier and The Bazaar by Jose Andres in Beverly Hills. (The original pre-opening concept of the new food and beverage program was created in partnership with Zakarian Hospitality.) The food is outstanding, and includes dishes like spring pea hummus and Israeli couscous with lobster. Excellent service and a unique cocktail and wine list add to the experience. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, macarthurplace.com. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Crispy kale and pea hummus at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Beet salad at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Shakshuka at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Crispy octopus at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Straus yogurt with figs at the new Layla restaurant in Sonoma. (Photo courtesy of Justin Lee)
Patatas bravas at Layla restaurant at MacArthur Place in Sonoma. (Photo by Heather Irwin)
Parker House Rolls at Layla restaurant at MacArthur Place in Sonoma. (Photo by Heather Irwin)
Seasonal hummus at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Tzatziki at Layla restaurant at the MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
The Bar at MacArthur: Also part of the new MacArthur Place, this clubby bar has a simple menu with a burger, fried chicken sandwich and even hot dogs along with Layla’s Parker House Rolls and mezze dips. Cocktails, like the color-changing Forager, are stellar. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, macarthurplace.com. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Swizzle on the Square and Maple Leaf cocktails at The Bar at MacArthur. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
The Bar at MacArthur in Sonoma. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Local lettuces and wine at The Bar at MacArthur. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Swizzle on the Square cocktail at The Bar at MacArthur. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Juniper & Thyme cocktail at The Bar at MacArthur. (Photo courtesy of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa)
Forager cocktail at The Bar at MacArthur.
Reel & Brand: The former Reel Fish House (also once known as Little Switzerland) has a new menu that still includes plenty of seafood, but also steers more toward, well, steer. Though the new owners are keeping some of their popular sushi rolls, fish tacos, fish n’ chips, fish stew and chowder from former owners, they’ll also be serving up more beefy burgers, NY Strip steak, Sonoma Mountain ribeye, and filet mignon along with bacon fat seared salmon, and Dungeness crab lettuce cups. Expect the same great live music and patio dining. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, happy hour from 2-6p.m., 401 Grove St., Sonoma, Sonoma, thereelfishshop.com. (Photo by John Burgess)
Spicy Mezcalete cocktail from Reel Fish Shop & Grill in Sonoma. (Photo by John Burgess)
Shige Sushi: A favorite Cotati sleeper, this authentic Japanese izakaya and sushi bar recently relocated to Sonoma. The former Shiso spot got an interior upgrade and Shige’s menu has expanded to include more appetizers and skewers. 1916 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma, shige-sushi.com. (Photo by Alvin Jornada)
Nigiri Sushi and Sashimi Combo at Shige Sushi Japanese Kitchen. (Photo by Alvin Jornada)
Toki Roll at Shige Sushi Japanese Kitchen. (Photo by Alvin Jornada)
West Handmade Burgers: Grass-fed burgers are the name of the game, along with fries, salads and milkshakes. Handmade Events owners Garrett Sathre and Nicole Benjamin have been working on the space for nearly two years, and their hand-ground burgers are made from Tomales’ Stemple Creek. They buy one cow per week and sell the other cuts first-come, first serve. They do sell out, and when the burgers are gone for the day, they’re gone. Open daily from 11:30a.m. to 10p.m., 18375 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma, facebook.com/WestHandmadeBurgers. (Courtesy photo)
West Handmade Burgers on Highway 12 in Boyes Hot Springs. (Photo by Robbi Pengelly)
Picazo Kitchen + Bar: Longtime owners of cozy Picazo roadhouse have taken over the former Breakaway Cafe (which also housed the short-lived Mint & Liberty). The menu is similar to their original restaurant, with spectacular burgers (get the Don Chava), fish tacos, pulled pork and salads, but has expanded to include some larger dinner entrees like chicken mole, ramen soup, steak frites, and fish or chicken piccata. They’ve got a full bar at the restaurant, so expect some tasty traditional cocktails — pisco punch, mint julep, pina colada — as well as Micheladas, beer and wine. Open daily from 5 to 9 p. m., 19101 CA-12 in Maxwell Village, picazokitchen.com. (Photo by Robbi Pengelly)
Burgers at the Picazo Cafe in Sonoma. (Courtesy photo)
Cielito Coffee and Ice Cream: The fourth tenant in the new Vailetti Plaza shopping center on Highway 12 in the Springs has opened for business, much to the delight of area ice cream lovers. The store serves a wide variety of coffee beverages, milkshakes and ice cream and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cielito is located next to Noble Yoga, Operation Bicycle and North Bay Credit Union at 105 Nino Marco Square. Park in the back. - Sonoma Index Tribune Staff
Jacqueline Ulloa, who owns the ice cream shop Cielito with her husband, hands out samples. (Photo by Robbi Pengelly)