36 Hours in Sonoma, California? Don't miss these 5 stops.
If you have business in the Bay Area on a Monday, but want to have a little fun the weekend before, we strongly suggest that you add Sonoma, California to your 'Places to Visit' list. We only had 2 nights and 1 full day in Sonoma, so we decided to bypass some of the more famous wineries (we were still able to enjoy Bartholomew Park and Buena Vista Wineries, which were great!) and enjoy the quaint city of 11,000. After 36 hours in the beautiful, charming town, we realized that Sonoma is full of wonderful restaurants, rowdy bars, and great people. This is our very fast, informal, first-timer's guide to enjoying 5 of our favorites in Sonoma: Enjoy!
1. OSO RESTURANT
On Friday at 5:00 PM, we were sitting in the Salt Lake City International Airport, ready to hop on a quick flight to Sacramento before driving 60 miles to Sonoma. As we sat in the airport, we were both stoked at the prospects of finding a new restaurant to check out in a town that we have never been to. As it turned out, OSO Sonoma proved to be our restaurant of choice for our first night in town. The modern, open-kitchen restaurant featured a great menu, fantastic drinks, and a friendly, helpful staff. Some of our favorites included the Mole Pork Shoulder Tacos (below), Brussel Sprouts, Poutine, and their Blood Orange Margarita. OSO's beautiful design and lively atmosphere provided the perfect introduction to Sonoma!
2. SUNFLOWER CAFFE
A friend who had spent some time in Sonoma strongly suggested that we have breakfast at the Sunflower Caffe on the west side of Sonoma's Historic Town Square. The Caffe's strorefront has an entrance where customers lined up to place their orders at the front station. After you place your order, you can choose to sit along the front sidewalk (next to the sleepy dog below) or in a lively outdoor area behind the caffe. The menu at Sunflower offers a wonderful variety of food, from the traditional 'American Breakfast' to an Avocado Sandwich or a Shitake Mushroom Omelet, all of which are delicious. Thanks to our friend for the recommendation; the Sunflower Caffe is a great breakfast location!
3. SONOMA'S BEST Deli/Bar/Wine Store
As aforementioned, we were able to get out to a couple of vineyards during our 1 day in Sonoma. After conversing with the locals the night before, they all shared one tip with us when visiting wine country near Sonoma: Stop at Sonoma's Best and pick up some sandwiches and sides for a picnic at the wineries. What they neglected to mention was that Sonoma's Best is much more than a delicatessen. The self-proclaimed "Modern Mercantile" not only has a fantastic deli (try the Reuben Panini or the Turkey and Manchego Cheese Sandwich), they also have an enormous collection of wines for sale, a small bar with beer on draught, and cottages available for rent. The staff, like everywhere else in Sonoma, were friendly and engaging, and the small-town vibe at Sonoma's Best almost made you feel like you were a local yourself. A MUST for anyone visiting!!
4. THE GIRL AND THE FIG
The Girl and the Fig is one of Sonoma's most well-known restaurants, and for good reason! The food is outstanding, the setting is beautiful, and the location, like most of Sonoma's great establishments, is right on the edge of the Town Square. We dined at The Girl and the Fig on our last night in Sonoma, and enjoyed dishes such as their cheese and meat selection known as 'The Works,' Steak Frites, and Chicken Thighs, which were all recommended to us by locals from the night before. Thank you locals!
5. SWISS BAR AND RESTAURANT
By now you might be wondering, where did you meet all of these locals? The answer: The Swiss Bar and Restaurant, although we stayed primarily on the Bar side. The Swiss appeared to be the local's favorite watering hole, and after catching a local band at the Speakeasy across the town square, we stopped into the Swiss for a cold beer to end our trip. We were not expecting to sit down and meet a group of friendly, fun, kick-ass Sonomans (we have an actual picture of one of them below). The people of Sonoma are like a reflection of the town itself; welcoming, inviting, and refreshingly laid back. Each of our nights ended at The Swiss, and the friends that we met there will always be a part of our memories of our first trip to California's Wine Country, if only for a day.
BUENA VISTA WINERY- Cheers Everybody!
