20 April 2023
Whenever I visit a new place, I’m eager to find restaurants that serve up the true flavors of the region. That’s not always an easy feat when SEO-optimized lists, pumped-up Yelp reviews and sales-driven picks top the online search results.
As a longtime dining editor in Sonoma County, I want to be your guide to the essential, “most Sonoma” restaurants that locals and visitors should know. My selection of best restaurants is entirely based on the impressions of someone who has dined for a living in this area for nearly 20 years. No one paid to be on this list. I don’t accept free meals or any other compensation in return for positive reviews.
In order to make this list, restaurants need to feature local ingredients on their menu, which should change with the seasons and reflect the land and waters around us. This list also highlights chefs whose skills and attitudes I respect.
Those are not the only qualifiers. Sonoma County also is home to a large Latino population who’ve brought the recipes and flavors of Latin America to this region. Latino chefs and restaurants are not only part of the local food scene, but continue to shape it in a significant way and therefore are also included on this list.
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