Locals Guide to Napa Dining and Happy Hours
Napa locals share their favorite breakfast, lunch and happy hour spots. Cheap Eats and hidden gems not typically found on other Napa Valley restaurant guides. Authentic and real.
good eats Napa: Locals pick the best places to eat in Napa
No Tourist Traps, Locals Approved!
With everything from taco trucks to Michelin stars, Napa has no shortage of great places to eat. But with fake reviews and paid influencers now flooding the internet it’s nearly impossible to figure out what’s good eats, and what’s a tourist trap.
That’s why I asked all of my local friends to chime in with restaurants they eat at and places they send their friends to. You’ll see some familiar names but rest assured that it’s on the list its because we really like it.
You’ll find the big name spots that we still recommend, the hidden locals only spots we dine at, every restaurant here is guaranteed to free you of Restaurant Regret Syndrome, the feeling you get when your meal doesn’t live up to its hype.
No bad meals when you trust Local Wally and my local friends!
Meet the Local Napa Foodies
“Some of my best meals in Napa came from small, family owned spots that focus on quality without formality.”
Jamie owns Priority Wine Pass and rents a downtown AirBnB for my readers.
“I approach food with curiosity and intention with an adventurous appetite driven by discovery and creative flavor combinations.”
Dave owns The Napa Wine Project and offers driving service for my readers.
“You might find me indulging at a Michelin star restaurant or chatting with a friendly bartender over a great wood fired pizza. I love it all!”
Melissa owns A Drive for Wine tour service - email her for info on luxury tours for my readers.
“I’m a vegetarian and tend to gravitate to restaurants with good value where both you and your wallet leave happy.”
Greg owns Wine-Lyft and is a designated driver who drives rentals, including large vehicles.
Locals Favorite casual Napa Breakfasts
From quick bites to classic sit down breakfasts, here are the top places for breakfast in Napa
👍 Highly Recommended 🔥 Top Pick 🤑 Cheap Eats
Bouchon Bakery
A classic French Boulangerie by Thomas Keller of The French Laundry
You can’t leave Napa without trying at least one Thomas Keller restaurant. Bouchon Bakery features pastries, croissants and morning breakfast sandwiches, and nearly always a line. Slider sized macaroons are a must, as good as the best in Paris, and their classic ham and cheese baguette on artisanal bread is the perfect snack between wineries.
Bouchon Bakery Official Site | Yountville
Contimo Provisions
👍 Trendy elevated menu
It’s start as the breakfast stop at the Culinary Institute of America should tell you a lot about this place. Contimo Provisions serves foodie worthy biscuits and creative biscuit sandwiches like the Ham and Jam or Bacon and Molasses. Lunch, salads, desserts, everything made with from scratch with the finest ingredients. A breakfast worthy of the Napa food scene.
Contimo Provisions | Downtown Napa
Model Bakery (and Mini Model in Yountville)
🔥 Three locations to get Amazing English Muffins
Picnic tables outside, English Muffins inside, Stumptown coffee, good morning to me. And you might be asking why the fuss over English Muffins but one bite of these homemade muffins, griddled fried with clarified butter, will make you a believer. Breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and lunch items for later make this a perfect way to start the day.
Model Bakery Official Site | Downtown Napa (Oxbow Public Market), Yountville, and St. Helena
TOP PICK FOR BREAKFAST FROM NAPA LOCAL Melissa
Melissa’s Order: You can’t visit Napa without getting an English Muffin and jam from Model Bakery.
Contact Melissa if you want info on her luxury wine tour planning.
Petit Soleil
New larger location and same great food
Petit Soleil moved from their cute and tiny cafe to take over a vacant Denny’s spot. Some of the charm is gone, it’s more like a standard coffee shop restaurant now, but the high quality food remains the same with faster service and more seating. Can get busy so the pro-tip is to go to their official site and join the wait list before arriving.
Sunshine Cafe Official Site | South Napa location
Sunshine Cafe
👍 Down Home cafe with huge portions
Featuring locally sourced, farm-fresh, and seasonal ingredients and a seriously local vibe. Overlooked by tourists who miss out on the huge portions of home style cooking. From trendy avocado toast, to fried chicken with waffles, French toast and pancakes to eggs benedict with prime rib, this unassuming cafe turns out some delicious breakfast and lunch options.
Sunshine Cafe Official Site | North Napa location
Top Pick for Breakfast from Napa Local Greg
Greg’s Order: Garden Omelette with baby spinach, broccoli, feta, cherry tomatoes, tomatillo salsa - paired with a Bloody Mary from Sunshine Cafe.
Contact Greg if you need a designated driver.
Sweetie Pies
Old fashioned charm and a sit down breakfast spot
Of course a place called Sweetie Pies has plenty of pastries and desserts but locals love this country store vibe and sit down simplicity serving breakfast tacos and burritos, sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, all with a side of great hospitality.
Sweetie Pies Official Site | Historic Napa Mill (downtown) location
local’s favorite Lunch Spots in Napa
The places that locals go to when they go out to lunch!
👍 Highly Recommended 🔥 Top Pick 🤑 Cheap Eats
Addendum (Ad Hoc Restaurant)
🔥 Thomas Keller’s Fried Chicken is the star
Most people can’t afford The French Laundry but everyone can afford Addendum, Thomas Keller’s “add on” food shack behind his Ad Hoc restaurant. Open only in summer and only for lunch, food is boxed and ready for a picnic table and 100% lives up to its hype. Very limited menu but all you really want is the famous fried chicken.
Addendum (behind Ad Hoc) | Yountville
Amami Charcoal Kitchen
Napa’s best sushi with charcoal grilled items
You have to love a sushi restaurant that is so serious about their food that they makes their own soy sauce and uses real wasabi. Plenty of creative sushi rolls, grilled seafood items and an affordable omakase option at under $60 for 11 items that’s sure to please hungry sushi fans. Ignore their terrible website and trust the locals who claim this is Napa’s best sushi.
Amami Country Kitchen (sushi) | Downtown Napa
Clif Family Food Truck
👍 Gourmet food truck outside Clif Family Winery
This isn’t like any food truck experience you’ve been to. Fueled by their organic farm, their menu focuses on what’s in season. Rotisserie chicken, meal sized bruschetta topped with veggies, salmon or porchetta, creative fresh salads, this is the best of Napa dining in a casual setting. Order at the truck, relax under their covered patio, great for a snack stop as well.
Clif Family Food Truck | St. Helena
The Charter Oak
Cheeseburger and Wings in a fancy Napa environment
Whoa, this place is nice! The Charter Oak is the place to get a cheeseburger, a serious smashburger, juicy and gooey with molten cheese, prepared by the Michelin star chef and award winning team behind The Restaurant at Meadowood which was closed due to the 2020 Napa fire. Local’s Lunch features many favorites at friendly prices.
The Charter Oak | St. Helena
La Luna Market
🤑 Mexican market with food counter with vineyard views
Amidst the sea of fancy and expensive dining options in Napa is unassuming La Luna Market, an authentic Mexican market with equally authentic tacos, burritos, even tamales with vineyard view picnic tables in back. It’s not the least bit fancy, grab some fresh chicharones, deep fried crackling pork belly, and a burrito for the road. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
La Luna Market | Rutherford
La Taquiza Fish Tacos
Best fish tacos in Napa
Tacos, burritos and bowls made with seafood, meats or veggies with ultra fresh ingredients and chef driven execution. Big and filling, tacos are $7 and burritos are $19, order at the counter and enjoy in their dining area. Located in a strip mall, La Taquiza owners have strong ties to the Mexican food scene in LA and bring a bit of SoCal cuisine to Napa wine country.
LAWLER’S LIQUOR | Downtown Napa
Lawler’s Liquor
🤑 Cheap Eats!
In a town where $19 sandwiches are the norm it’s surprising that Lawler’s still has fully customizable sandwiches for five bucks. Is it the best sandwich in Napa? Maybe not but it’s way better than a five dollar sandwich has any right to be and a good pick for that picnic or car snack later. They close at 9pm and offer plenty of other cheap Italian dishes to-go, perfect for when a day of wine tasting has caught up and you just want to crash in your hotel in front of the TV.
LAWLER’S LIQUOR | North Napa
Top Pick for a cheap lunch from Napa Local dave
Dave’s Order: For lunch or dinner I get the Malfatti, little handmade dumplings like rustic raviolis swimming in sauce, you get 12 for $5.99. Add a half loaf of garlic bread for just $2.99 fromm Lawler’s Liquor.
Contact Dave if you would like more info on his driving and tour services.
Oakville Grocery
Historic grocery store with gourmet sandwiches
Perhaps it’s a bit cliché, a bit too obvious to recommend Oakville Grocery but then again you’ll be missing out if don’t stop in at this foodie paradise that still serves some of the best sandwiches in the valley. Opened in 1881, this isn’t some Disneyesque fabrication, it’s the real deal turned gourmet. Sandwich lines can get long so give yourself time to browse while waiting and don’t miss the Wine Merchant with self serve wine machines next door.
Oakville Grocery | Oakville
Rutherford Grill
👍 Still popular with locals and visitors alike after all these years
Yes, it’s part of the Houston’s chain and even shares many of the same menu items but there’s something so locally Napa about Rutherford Grill. Maybe it’s the smoke calling you from the parking lot, maybe it’s the winemakers at the bar talking shop, I can’t resist ordering the grill artichoke whenever I stop by. Taste at BV afterwards, they share the parking lot.
Rutherford Grill | Rutherford
Sumo Dog at Oxbow Market
Fusion hot dogs
Inspired by flavors found in a Japanese Izakaya, Sumo Dog takes the hot dog to new culinary levels at the “food court” at the Oxbow Market. Order at the counter, you pick your dog (standard, pork or veggie) and style (traditional or Japanese) and dine at one of the plentiful tables nearby. Pro-Tip: Wine bar nearby, get a glass of sparkling to make this a true Napa dining experience.
Sumo Dog | Downtown Napa, Oxbow Market
V. Sattui Winery
The only winery with a full gourmet deli onsite!
Of the handful of wineries with food options V. Sattui stands out. With a full gourmet deli and bottle sales it’s a standalone lunch spot, versus a wine and food pairing. Of course you can do a tasting flight and if you have a Priority Wine Pass the tastings, normally $45 to $55 per person, are Two for One.
V. SATTUI WINERY | St. Helena | No outside food allowed
local’s favorite happy hours in Napa
Let’s wrap up that wine tasting early and catch some Happy Hour savings!
👍 Highly Recommended 🔥 Top Pick 🤑 Cheap Eats
Bounty Hunter Napa
👍 BBQ Sampler for $18, a late lunch or early dinner snack!
This is a serious (and seriously good) BBQ place, famous for their beer can chicken and dozens of wines by the glass. It’s all good but can be pricey - unless you come during Happy Hour when a BBQ sampler with 2 smoked ribs, chicken and pulled pork is just $18, four wings are just $10, and there’s a buffalo chicken sandwich, cheese and sausage plate, even a loaded baked potato filled with cheese and BBQ. Yes, happy hour ends early but it’s well worth it if you can squeeze it in.
Bounty Hunter Napa | Downtown Napa | Happy Hour M-F, 2:30 - 5
Celadon Napa
$10 burger at Happy Hour!
Popular with locals and visitors alike, Celadon Napa gets down to business at Happy Hour with a $10 smashburger, $10 plate of tacos, $8 chicken bao buns, among other delights. Add to it $8 cocktails, $7 glasses of wine and $4 beers and Celadon Napa gets my Happy Hour stamp of approval. Great food outside of Happy Hour, a top notch Napa restaurant.
Celadon Napa | Downtown Napa | Happy Hour M-F, 5 - 6:30
Eikos Sushi
Late night Happy Hour?
Napa’s favorite sushi spot offers two happy hour slots, Monday through Friday from 4 to 5:30 and Friday and Saturday from 9pm to 10pm. While the standard menu has just about everything you’d expect the happy hour slims down with appetizers, wings, and standard sushi and hand rolls. Still, there’s enough to satisfy your sushi craving and quality is always top notch.
Eikos | Downtown Napa | Happy Hour M-F, 4-5:30 and late night 9pm to 10pm
Top Pick for a happy hour from Napa Local dave
Dave’s Order: Poke Roll filled with Hawaiian spicy tuna and crunchy cucumber for $11 and an order of Korean Fried Chicken Wings with gochujang sauce for $11, perfect for sharing, from Eikos Sushi.
Contact Dave if you would like more info on his driving and tour services.
Hog Island Oyster Co.
🔥 Ultra fresh seafood and $2.50 happy hour oysters!
Hog Island is a bay area institution and if you have the time a road trip to the coast to their oyster farm is pretty sweet. But second best is their location inside the Oxbow Public Market where Mon-Thurs from 4-6 is happy hour and their oysters drop to $2.50 each. Add some Grilled oysters, fish tacos, add a glass of happy hour sparkling for $10 and you’re living the dream.
Hog Island Oyster Co. | Downtown Napa, Oxbow Public Market | Happy Hour M-Th, 4-6.
Tarla
Mediterranean and Greek cuisine
Modern and trendy decor and authentic flavors from the Mediterranean, Tarla’s bistro-like ambiance keeps things lively. Locals love their fresh approach and their Happy Hour at the bar features appetizers like Spanakopita for $13 and a trio of Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tzatziki with warm pita for dipping for $11. Drink specials as well, including $6 draft beers and $8 Sangria and cocktails.
Tarla | Downtown Napa | Happy Hour Mon-Thur from 3-6 in the bar |. No corkage fee on Tues
TORC
Deviled eggs just got a major upgrade
Modern, trendy and vibrant, TORC is one of the most popular restaurants in Napa. It’s fine dining with a twist. Hushed elegance is replaced by lively music, tablecloths are removed and stone walls exposed. And then there’s the food, upscaled and re-envisioned comfort food. Dip your toes into TORC with their happy hour, Tue-Fri, 5 to 6, for $8 wines and cocktails, $5 beers, and small bites to snack on, available at the bar.
TORC Napa | Downtown Napa | Happy Hour Tue-Fri, 5-6
Top Pick for a happy hour from Napa Local jamie
Jamie’s Order: Grab a seat at the bar and get the deviled eggs with pickled onions and bacon for $8, a cucumber gimlet for another $8 from TORC.
Need a downtown AirBnB? Check if Jamie’s place is available.
