Napa is one of my absolute favorite places on the planet. When I moved to San Francisco, I slowly started visiting once or twice a year, and now, try to visit as often as possible. I’ve put together a general guide to my favorite places to stay, eat, drink, and things to do other than drinking and eating (why?).
Stay
Westin Versa Napa is my favorite place to stay in Napa. The Westin is one of my favorite hotel chains (they all smell delightful!), and this location is within walking distance to Oxbow Market and Downtown Napa. They also have a great selection of rooms, so you can have an in-room kitchenette, tons of storage for the wine you are buying, and they have a ton of two room suites for when you’re planning a girls trip.
The hotel lobby has a fantastic bar and restaurant, and I highly recommend getting breakfast there at least once. They also do free wine tastings in the afternoons in the lobby, sometimes with a quick snack.
They have a great pool out back for when it’s warm enough, and we’ve spent many a day lounging outside. Additionally, there is a walking path around the hotel, so you can get in some exercise before all of your drinking.
The Westin can get pretty pricey depending on the time of year, so we recently stayed for a weekend at the Napa Valley Marriott Resort & Spa. It’s a bit more outdated than the Westin, and not walking distance to downtown, but still a great option with great amenities. They too have a wine tasting daily, a great bar, and a great pool. Additionally, the property has some majestic redwoods, and the view out of our window felt like we were in the middle of the forest, which was lovely for a relaxing weekend away.
Eat
Model Bakery is my favorite for breakfast. It’s gained a TON of popularity after Oprah added their english muffins to her Favorite Things list. It’s located in the Oxbow Market right next to the Westin, and I recommend getting there early, especially on weekends, to beat the crowd and make sure they don’t run out.
I typically do one of their breakfast sandwiches on an english muffin, a coffee, and then grab a bag of english muffins on the last day to take home with me.
My absolute favorite sushi restaurant on the planet is Morimoto, and I don’t know if I’ve ever gone to Napa without making a reservation here. They have a fantastic menu – definitely don’t miss the tuna tartare (above), and the rock shrimp appetizers. For the meal, we typically order just a TON of sushi. If they have the wagyu nigiri, make sure to snag it – it’s not always on the menu, and they do it so perfectly.
If you can’t snag a reservation at Morimoto, or just want a quick fix of sushi without a full sit down meal, check out Eiko’s Fish Market in Oxbow. You can grab a seat at their small counter, or order a bunch to go. The last time we stopped in we just got some salmon as a quick snack between lunch and dinner.
Goose and Gander holds a special place in my heart, because it’s the restaurant Eric took our families too when we did a quick trip to Napa to celebrate our engagement. It’s a fantastic spot for groups, and they have a beautiful outdoor patio that is perfect in good weather. If you plan to have a large party, you can call ahead and custom design a menu that is served family style.
Bottega is my favorite Italian spot in Napa. It’s an absolutely beautiful restaurant, and the food is phenomenal. The ravioli above was INSANELY good. We went for my mother’s birthday, and they had an entire table setup for her to celebrate.
Also, how delicious and beautiful is this brussels sprout salad we got? The presentation of everything was immaculate.
If you’re in the mood for Italian, we recently discovered Il Posto, a recommendation from some friends who live in Napa. It’s outside of the downtown area, and caters more to the locals in the area than tourists. Walking in, it has a neighborhood, old-school Italian feel. The food was amazing, and the wine was super affordable compared to most restaurants in the area. Eric and I shared an arancini appetizer, one of their pizzas and a pasta, and it was perfect.
Basalt is right in the heart of Downtown Napa, and a great walk in the morning for brunch from the Westin Hotel. They have some standouts on the menu, including a breakfast sandwich on freshly made biscuits, and an avocado toast with smoked salmon. They also have incredible brunch cocktails, and everything is super instagrammable.
La Toque is my favorite Michelin starred dining in Napa, and they have a phenomenal tasting menu. They also do a lot of fun events, like their recent truffle tasting menu. And the best part, they’re located in the same building as the Westin, so you can walk back to your hotel room after your meal.
Drink
Darioush is one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa. The owner built the property to be a replica of Persepolis, complete with a beautiful flame burning at the front of the entryway. The service at their tasting is second to none, and their wine is absolutely incredible. Most places in the Napa Valley are known for their Cabs, and Darioush does Cab excellently. I also really love their Viognier, and make sure to grab quite a few every time I visit. If you can, try to do a tour of the property. They even have a natural amphitheater, that doesn’t require microphones because the acoustics are PERFECT.
Duckhorn is the winery I’ve visited the most for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a trip to Napa without making a stop here. They have hands down THE BEST Sauvignon Blanc that has ever been made. No contest. They also do a beautiful outdoor tasting on their patio, and even the inside of the tasting room is bright and beautiful. If you go, make sure to ask for my friend Chris and tell him Lauren sent you!
Red Cap is one of my new favorites, and a super unique experience. Located at the top of Howell Mountain, the vineyard is in the backyard of the owner. We arrived at his home, and were able to do a walking tour of the vineyard, and had our tasting on his back porch overlooking the vines. This is a VERY cool experience. Much of Napa is made of large wineries with organized tastings – this felt like just hanging out with a friend. And let me tell ya, the Cabs are AMAZING. For our tasting we got to try 3 different years of the same Cab, and we took home at least one of each. Highly recommend adding this to your trip.
Far Niente is also a unique experience. The property is HUGE, and the drive up alone is worth scheduling a tasting. You’ll wind up a hill through beautiful tree lined streets, and finally arrive at the vine covered building. In the entry room, we started our tasting with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and then made our way through a tour of the property. This included going into the cellars, as well as up onto their balcony for a beautiful picture overlooking the vineyards. They also gave us a quick tour of the garage, which has a HUGE collection of vintage vehicles. It felt like a museum in itself. After the tour, you’ll sit down for the full tasting, with a variety of wines across their portfolio. My favorites are the Nickel & Nickel Cabs, the En Route Pinot Noir, and of course, my favorite dessert wine, Dolce.
Cardinale is another new favorite of ours, with some of the best Cabernet. The tasting included a little tasting board with fresh ingredients from their garden. The radish was one of the freshest most flavorful things ever, and surprisingly paired so well with the wines.
Caymus is home to one of my all time favorite Cabs, as well as the Conundrum blends. They also have a beautiful outdoor tasting patio, and then a huge cellar where you can walk around, take photos, and buy merchandise. It’s a bit of more popular winery, so make sure to make reservations far in advance.
Orin Swift is a super cool spot. Their tasting room is on the main strip of St. Helena, and is very small with standing room only. Their winemaker does some fantastic wines, and also decorates all of the bottles. The majority of them are photos he has taken, and the whole place has a fun funky vibe. The wine is also delicious. Highly recommend the 8 years in the dessert blend!
Honig is a great winery if you’re looking for something a little more low-key. They have beautiful, dog-friendly, outdoor patio, and the atmosphere is very casual. Aside from typical Cabs in Napa Valley, they have a delicious Sauvignon Blanc, and a wonderful Rosé with hints of watermelon, that is perfect for a hot summer day. While you’re sitting outside, they also have postcards that you can write and send to your family members for free. Many of them have funny photos of the staff on them, and my family and friends certainly enjoy receiving them, especially when I’m writing messages after a third tasting. They also make their own honey, which you can grab inside!
For those of you who want a break from Cabs, check out the Mumm Napa tasting room. The space is absolutely gorgeous, and a tasting on their patio is perfect in warm weather. They also have a fantastic store where you can buy not only their sparkling wines, but also tons of Mumm merchandise and home decor items.
Krupp Brothers is a great spot to stop on your walk over to downtown Napa in the evening. Their tasting room is right by the bridge, and is super bright and welcoming. We were the only people there last time we visited, and had a ton of fun learning more about the history of the wines, and getting to know the gentleman doing our tasting. It’s a perfect afternoon stop!
JaM Cellars is a great spot for an evening/pre-dinner tasting. JaM is a play on the owners names, John and Michelle, as well as for the fact that their tasting room is also a live music venue. The decor inside reminds me of a recording studio, and they have fantastic music if you time your tastings right.
If you’re searching for a great place to have a cocktail as a break from your wine tasting, Mercantile Social is a great pre or post-dinner option. On the rooftop of the Andaz Napa Hotel, you can grab a cabana or sit by a fire while you enjoy a delicious cocktail (or beer, or wine if you must). It’s a beautiful spot at the end of the day, especially if you can snag being their around sundown.
Finally, if you are a beer aficionado, make sure to add a visit to Stone Brewery to your visit. Located right in downtown, they have a ton of beers on tap, and pretty phenomenal food. They get crowded very quickly, so highly recommend a reservation!
Do
I guess not everyone wants to be wine tasting ALL the time, and Napa has quite a few other fun things to do to enjoy your time, including enjoying the pool at your hotel. If you want to get out and about, below are a few non-wine alternatives.
Oakville Grocery is a bit of a hybrid. It’s a fantastic place to grab lunch while you’re out wine tasting, but also just a cool experience. They have a deli with incredible sandwiches and fantastic sides like macaroni salads, olive salads, etc.
Woodhouse Chocolate is also on the main street of St. Helena, and is a perfect stop after a wine tasting at Orin Swift. It’s a small spot, with TONS of different truffles and chocolate concoctions. I recommend getting a sampler, and adding a few extra to eat before walking around more. They also ship if you want to order more in between Napa trips!
Round Pond Olive Oil Estate is a fantastic daytime alternative to wine tasting. Round Pond offers a wine-tasting-esque olive oil tasting. They do a beautiful table setup, and allow you to try a variety of their different oils. It’s super cool how they have you taste some of the vinegars by dipping small sugar cubes into the vinegar, and then sucking on the cube to taste. We also had some super delicious snacks to showcase the oils with food, and then bought a bunch of samplers to bring home with us.
Grab coffee and walk around downtown Napa to all of the shops! There are a bunch of great little boutiques around the town, and I always like to take at least one morning to stroll around. Some of my favorites are the Napa Bookmine, and the Napa Running Company for great sports apparel.
Napa is one of my all time favorite destinations, and I’ll take just about any excuse to go back. What new wineries, restaurants, and attractions should I check out next time?! Let me know in the comments!
This was also a stop on our month-long Pacific Coast Highway road trip, so make sure to check out our full coast itinerary here as well! It’s such a quick drive to San Francisco, which makes another great destination.
