When Cafe La Haye owner Saul Gropman announced his retirement in December 2024, Sonoma Valley collectively clutched its pearls. The bespectacled host had been a welcoming presence in the intimate dining room since the restaurant opened in 1996 — a rare fixed point in a county where the culinary landscape is always in flux.
Nearly a year later, the restaurant hasn’t missed a beat. The dining room is still packed with locals who reliably show up for pork chops and risotto.
Inside, little has changed: it’s the same art, the same menu and the same cozy split-level room that has made it a neighborhood favorite for nearly three decades. And that’s precisely why it still works under new husband-and-wife owners José López Nuñes and Marta Elena Echeverría Bacab.
Chef José has spent nearly 25 years in the pint-sized kitchen, learning his craft under its inimitable founding chef, John McReynolds. Though McReynolds left La Haye in 2007 and died in 2024, his bistro-classic sensibility and gregarious energy still hover over the line like a cheerful patron saint.
“We thought about changing things, but locals gave us feedback to keep Cafe La Haye for what it was known for,” said chef Andrew Lopez-Echeverría, who now works with his father in the kitchen and as a host in the dining room.
Today, the restaurant is firmly a family affair: daughter Karen Lopez-Echeverría runs the front as general manager, Marta handles the books, and her brother, Marco Echeverría, has worked in the kitchen for over two decades. Their easy familiarity brings warmth and continuity.
The specials board still reads like a “greatest hits” album — seasonal tweaks, few radical shifts — and the regulars wouldn’t have it any other way. Cafe La Haye is the kind of place where swapping out the fresh pappardelle ($37) could spark an uprising. There’s no need for constant reinvention of something that already works.
That doesn’t mean it’s lost its cachet. Cafe La Haye’s quiet refusal to reinvent itself has become its signature. It’s comfort food for a pearl-and-platinum crowd that likes what it likes — and in Sonoma, that’s money in the bank.
The vibe
The 40-seat room has a modern, white-tablecloth look that feels upscale without getting stuffy. A small elevated section — just three steps up — offers cozy bistro banquette seating ideal for date nights, though you’ll be shoulder-to-shoulder with neighboring tables. Six tin-topped bar seats give guests a front-row view of the kitchen. Open-beam ceilings and large windows keep the space bright and airy, while contemporary canvases add pops of color without visual clutter. It’s timeless, with a subtle ’90s gloss that nods to its origins.
The food
Despite its diminutive size, the kitchen turns out big flavors, leaning into contemporary American classics like the much-loved grilled pork chop with warm mustard seed vinaigrette ($36), pan-roasted chicken with goat cheese and rich, dreamy polenta ($34) and braised short ribs in puff pastry with horseradish cream ($22).
The beef carpaccio ($19) is fine, but a tangle of arugula, red onion, cucumbers and balsamic vinegar overwhelms the simplicity of the dish. Don’t miss the cheesecake ($12), light and airy with a drizzle of raspberry coulis.
Fun fact
Watch for classic dishes to reappear on the menu, an homage to the McReynolds era. A favorite is the fried eggplant in coconut chili sauce ($16), made with soft cubes of Japanese eggplant and topped with sesame seeds and green onions.
Most popular dish
The grilled pork chop is the undisputed “can’t take off the menu” item, along with the daily risotto and short ribs in puff pastry.
The price
Starters are priced from $12 to $22, while mains range from $27 to $58. Expect to pay approximately $80-$90 per person, including wine.
The spot
140 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-935-5994, cafelahaye.com. Reservations are highly recommended.