It used to be that “going to Napa,” meant visiting the world-famous valley, an agricultural corridor stretching north to Calistoga.
But with a renaissance that’s transformed its downtown core over the last decade, the city of Napa itself has rightfully evolved into a destination of its own.
Everything you want out of Wine Country is right here in town, from the vineyard estates on its northern edge to the more than 50 walkable wine tasting rooms downtown. Winter is the ideal time to visit from elsewhere in the Bay Area, when the out-of-state crowds and room rates are at their minimum. If you know where to look, you can even find wine tastings and restaurants with Napa quality but not a Napa price tag.
In our modern guide to Napa, we've carefully curated the city’s best, from its perfectly positioned downtown stay to the wineries and eateries you won’t stop talking about for days.
Where to Stay in the City of Napa
The warm lobby at Archer Napa.
Napa’s urban boutique stay, the Archer Hotel (1230 1st St.) is smack in the center of downtown where the action is literally just steps away. The luxe hotel, with its grand lobby and industrial-chic guest rooms and suites—some with expansive balconies with outdoor fireplaces—is elegantly eclectic with comforting touches that include bathrobes, slippers, and handmade salted caramels on arrival. Charlie Palmer Steak, an American steakhouse with Napa sensibility, occupies the ground floor while, on the roof, Sky & Vine and the intimate Whiskey Bar serve up cocktails and bites with panoramic views of the sparkling town and valley below.
Where to Taste Wine in Napa
A garden party tasting at St. Clair Brown.
One of the best things about the town of Napa is the combination of vineyard-growing estates on the north edge of town and producers with downtown tasting rooms. Our advice? Hit the vineyards early in the day (it’s about a 10 minute drive from the center of town to the Oak Knoll border), then ditch the car and hoof it to the walkable wineries at Napa’s core.
Vineyards
Since opening a little over a decade ago, Ashes & Diamonds Winery (4130 Howard Ln.) has developed a reputation for its light-handed and terroir-celebrating winemaking. The mid-century modern-inspired tasting room is delightful inside and out, and evokes the contemporary-meets-old-school style of their winemakers Steve Matthiasson and Diana Snowden Syesses. It’s well worth splurging on A&D’s wines + cheese tasting ($75/person) which pairs carefully selected artisan cheeses (and housemade sourdough focaccia, cultured butter, and seasonal preserves) with rich, sparkly cremants and balanced but powerful cab francs. // This summer, Materra Cunat Family Vineyards (4326 Big Ranch Rd.) opened their expansive new tasting room, 10,000 feet of space with 25-foot ceilings and a grand art gallery that will get its first rotating installation just after the holidays. The wine program here is directed by Chelsea Barrett, a third-generation Napa Valley maker, whose expertise and familiarity with the local terroir results in fantastic red blends like the blackberry-and-clove 2022 Midnight and one of the only Albarinos grown and produced in the county. // From their historic zinfandel vines, Robert Biale Vineyards (4038 Big Ranch Rd.) crafts expressive, elegant wines with world-class appeal. Explore their plush, fruity flagship, Black Chicken Zinfandel, and aromatic plum-and-mocha petite syrah with a view of the estate’s vineyards through the Valley Vista tasting ($50/person).
Downtown Napa Wineries
Housed in a National Landmark, a saloon and brothel built in 1875, Vintner’s Collective (1245 Main St.) was the first in Napa Valley to shift focus from a single winery to multiple small producers at once. By small, they mean small—every bottle on the Collective’s shelves makes less than 300 cases a year and was hand-selected for its exceptional quality. You quite literally won’t find these wines anywhere else, and the tasting room’s wine club is frequently named one of the country’s best. You can do a walk-in tasting without a reservation ($50/person) but their appointment-only seated option ($100/person), held under the gaze of the former madam’s portrait upstairs, is tailored to your own personal tastes as you go. // Fifth-generation winemaker Joe Wagner brings together a curated collection of favorite labels from Copper Cane Wines & Spirits at the recently reopened Quilt & Co. (813 Main St.). Do a tasting, lunch, or dip a bottle in signature red wax ($130/person) at their three-story tasting room, the only downtown winery with a rooftop patio. // At the women-founded St. Clair Brown Winery & Brewery (816 Vallejo St.), wine is only half the story. Winemaker Elaine St. Clair doesn’t just craft nuanced, balanced sauvignon blancs and dark-fruit syrahs grown from their Coombsville estate, she makes micro-batch beers like honey wheat ale and farmhouse saison in the downtown winery, nano-brewery, and culinary garden. // Shake things up with an out-of-the-ordinary experience at Gamling & McDuck (1420 2nd St.), a hidden gem with what may be the last free wine tasting in the entire Napa Valley.
The Best Restaurants in Napa
Chispa's tequila-centric cocktails and paired tapas.
There are more great eats downtown than you can possibly imagine, but for some of Napa’s best kept secrets, you’ll have to head a little deeper into town.
Casual Eats
There’s plenty of good stuff at Napa’s answer to SF’s Ferry Building, Oxbow Public Market, but only Moro (644 1st St.), the Moroccan street food concept from chef Mourad Lahlou, delivers the kind of meats, dips, and drizzles that’ll rev up your wine-soaked palate. Roasted lamb shoulder with cumin, grilled shrimp with preserved lemon, and more comes wrapped in pillowy flatbread, on a bed of dried fruit-jeweled couscous, or in salad form—ideal companions to chickpea bissara and eggplant zaalouk. If you’re craving something on the sweeter side, both the corn bread with harissa butter and the baklava with pistachios are fantastic. // Not-to-be-missed Mother’s Tacos (3150 A Jefferson St.) is perfectly positioned on the quick drive between the vineyards on Napa’s north side and the center of town. The Mexico City-style taqueria makes everything on site, from its hand-patted, heirloom corn tortillas to its spicy salsas. The juicy carne asada and spicy al pastor pork are favorites that work as well handheld as they do on Mother’s insane crispy waffle fries, huge mounds of deliciousness topped with cheese, pickled onion, and sauce. If you don’t go for meat, their veggie tacos, including the purple potato/sweet potato and the garlic-sauteed mushrooms leave nothing to the imagination. // Contimo Provisions (950 Randolph St.) is the local go-to for fluffy biscuits stuffed with pimento cheese and sausage at breakfast and sky-high deli sandos at lunch. Their small takeaway market offers butcher-approved housemade items like smoked ham and picnic-ready crackers, tinned fish, and more. // Since following her dreams of opening a bakery in the pandemic’s darker days, Rory Kandel’s Rory’s Bakehouse (2766 Old Sonoma Rd.) has become Napa’s go-to for sweet, comforting treats like giant, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Some of her sugar-kissed magic is available at spots around town like Loveski Deli, but it's from her new cheerful, pink walk-up window that you can pick-up the goodies of the day like fan-favorite raspberry-passionfruit scones and those aforementioned cookies warm out of the oven (check Instagram for what’s on), along with take-and-bake cookie doughs, black truffle and gruyere gougeres, and chocolate peanut butter fudge cake. If you’re around when the window is closed (it's open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 9am to 2pm), place an order online and get it delivered anywhere in the country.
Sit-Down Spots
At lively Chispa (1500 1st St., Ste. 140), tequila and its agave-spirited cousins dominate a playful cocktail program—which, incidentally, Esquire named one of America’s best for 2024—that pairs beautifully with Spanish and Latin American-leaning tapas. There’s no wrong choice from raw bar selections like the savory halibut tostada with jalapeno crema and the tangy citrus-and-sesame dressing of the cured salmon crudo; guajillo-chili spiced diabla shrimp to share; and mains like spicy octopus with peanuts and pasilla peppers. A side of melt-in-your-mouth esquites is very necessary. // Sit out on Angele’s (540 Main St.) sweet riverfront patio at lunch or dinner for a taste of the French countryside (think pate en croute, boeuf bourguignon, and PEI mussels) in Napa Valley. // For Euro-American fare like red wine-braised beef short ribs, pork belly spaghetti carbonara, and a killer burger with duck fat fries, Compline (1300 1st St., #312), a restaurant and wine bar founded by two local sommeliers, is the place to be. Check out their wine shop down a few storefronts away for a closer look at a curated collection that spans the globe.
