Sonoma Bistro and WineBar

My favorite is whatever the fresh seafood special happens to be. Very creative dishes, but the freshness of the seafood is allowed to shine. Talented kitchen.

OMG!!! Best Birthday Meal EVER!!! First off, my son has Aspergers, so he is VERY fussy about food being a certain way… well, he started with the Greek salad, loved the special house made dressing, tore up that salad like other kids eat cake… Then he had the Danish style Angus burger… big burger with bacon and bleu cheese! All he could say between mouthfuls was Awesome…
I had a shrimp, fish, and scallop dish that was just absolutely out if control. Though the seafood had a coating, the sweetness of the scallops shined through, as did the lovely flavour of the shrimp and the fish. It was amazing. My starter was a chopped salad that in itself could be a lovely lunch… chopped romaine, bacon, boiled egg, three cheeses, tomato, and a homestyle buttermilk dressing… very fresh, nicely done.
Desert was an insane mixture of mint and brownies and whipped cream and chocolate sauce along with a cup of coffee the aroma of which had me reaching for the coffee cup even before the insanely yummy dessert! Very full bodied coffee, but not at all bitter or overpowering.
The restaurant itself is clean, comfortable, cizy, and plays coffee house style music at lunch time which certainly adds to the cozy ambiance and just makes a person feel nice…
We love, love, love it there, another birthday coming up in June, guess where WE are going??? Mmmmmmm…

I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to even bother with this review because it’s really not me to write a poor review, but having worked in the restaurant industry for 12 years, I was especially bothered by this experience. We’ve been here a few times before for dinner and it was great so we decided to try it for our family Easter Brunch… what a mistake that was!
Our reservation was for 2 pm as we wanted a later time to make sure we could all be there, so this is the time we were offered. Little did we know that was the last seating and they’d be breaking down the buffet by 2:40. I would have never made a reservation for that time if I had known that was the case.
We arrived at 2 pm and were seated immediately. My mother and I both ordered the breakfast mimosa which (according to the menu) was champagne and Deep Eddy Grapefruit. We ordered 2 eggs benedict and hit the buffet immediately after ordering our drinks. We all filled our plates and sat down to eat. Our drinks arrived shortly thereafter. The drinks were 2 entirely different colors. My drink was just a regular mimosa, my mother’s appeared to be a regular mimosa with a splash of the Deep Eddy Grapefruit. You could barely taste Deep Eddy Grapefruit and it was mostly orange juice. I didn’t send them back, it happens, but I made sure to mention it when we ordered another round. They were better the next time, but still not what I expected. My brother had coffee and orange juice… both pretty hard to screw up.
I was pleasantly surprised with the buffet options and excited about the dessert spread… it looked amazing. They even had lamb at the carving station which I was ecstatic about. The only problem was that the slices of meat were so small we’d have to go back a few times which is what we planned to do. The rest of the food was ok (pretty standard Sunday Brunch) but nothing spectacular. I was only able to make it back once before the carving station was gone completely. By the time we went back most of the buffet was gone and they were breaking everything down and resetting the restaurant. We arrived at 2, and by 2:40 they were closing everything down. 40 minutes for a buffet. I’m usually pretty fast with meals, but this was supposed to be a nice leisurely family Easter Brunch, not a fast food restaurant or a Chinese buffet. We barely even had time to catch up and talk before we felt like we needed to finish up and leave. By the time we got back to the buffet for dessert, it was mostly gone and they had taken it back to the kitchen. We asked about the desserts and were told that all that was left was what was out. Right about that time, my mother overheard the waitstaff talking about what they were going to eat and it was clear that most of it had been taken to the back to feed the staff and they took what they wanted before the guests were even done. While I understand a nice staff meal, I was always taught that it’s more important to feed your paying customers first. I waited tables for a number of years and I understand all that goes into it, especially on a holiday and having to be away from your own family, but this just doesn’t sit well with me. Had I known this was the last seating and they were closing down the buffet before 3, I would have never made the reservation. I certainly wasn’t told that while making the reservation.
The real kick in the pants was when the bill came. Not only were we rushed, didn’t even get to have dessert, didn’t really get to enjoy our meal or catch up and chat, and were served mediocre drinks, but a 20% tip was included! This was also not communicated ahead of time, either at the time of making the reservation or by the waitress. Two things on this: #1, it’s a buffet, there isn’t a whole lot of waiting tables that goes into it. It’s basically serve some drinks and bus the table. #2 I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have tipped 20% simply based on the fact that our waitress didn’t let us know they were breaking down the buffet before 3 or even let us know they were starting to break it down at all. I typically always tip 20% or more, but this experience was nothing like what I expected from a family Easter Brunch.
There may be a time when I go for dinner again (clearly when I don’t have any expectations for a nice leisurely meal) but I will never go here for a brunch again.

A favorite local restaurant. It’s not loud like so many places. The food is consistently good and I love trying the daily specials. My husband loves the steak frites. They also have a great beer list with local and regional brews.

Sonoma is a great! We love to pop in, sit at the bar, and enjoy some appetizers while listening to live music. It’s also a great restaurant to bring family as they have a big menu. We were thrilled they warmly welcomed and accommodated our son who has a tree nut allergy. Thanks Sonoma! :)

Have to give it 5 stars. Our first time there, the atmosphere is more than Chelo’s and a little less than Siena. We ended up eating all appetizers because we couldn’t decide. So we got the bruschetta, the lamb lollipops, and the chile nachos. All were very very good. Better than good. Our server Emily was very attentive and personable. Oh, almost forgot, the banana cream pie was delish. Will go back to get through more of the appys, then move on to salads. Might be awhile before we get to main dishes as we want to try all the appys, salads, and pizzas first. Wish we found this place before now.

I love this place. Right now they offer a pumpkin shandy. delicious!
I sit at the bar and the staff is grear.
Niw.the food is top notch. meatloaf to Flippin die fir. They have specials including duck, lamb, pasta,…the portions are big. but not huge abd fresh bread out of the iven.
I cannot say one thing negative about the place. You won’t find better traditional foid at a better price. Seriously under rated and very good.
Go…make the trip. You won’t be sorry.

Food was great. Cheap dinner for two with a bottle of wine came in under 40 bucks before tip. Service was amazing. Nate double and triple checked to make sure our exclusions were correct. Dude hustled his ass off and was very friendly without being fake or intrusive. Very pleased.

The food is ok, but we only had 3 flies buzzing around our table the entire time we were there while the people next to use had 6 to 8 flies. What’s the deal? The flies in this place don’t like what I ordered? The table should be set with a fork, knife and a fly swatter.

Just had Risotto with Bacon. Was the BEST. Who knew? I could eat another entire order. Had steak topped with Crabmeat. So good. Pumpkin Shipyard beer fresh on tap. Happy happy right now.

Delicious and diverse menu (good for vegetarians too), great service, very affordable, and an easy way to have a solid dinner and good glass of wine after a trip to the beaches or exploring Newport.

I like going to sit at the wrap around bar (it’s big) and ordering food. They have pool tables and the environment is laid back. It’s a good spot to get food and hang out and the staff is always friendly.

Good food with many choices. The reasonable pricing adds to a nice atmosphere. Wonderful local beer selection. Visit Nate the bartender for a fun and friendly experience.

All i can say is wow… NOT good experience here tonight in any level. i came with my friend ordered the scallops in bacon that has a maple syrup glaze? Ok a twist but not for us. ordered with out. for it to come out with it. had to flag down the waitress to show her and get new ones. now there undercooked? Next order the «rib eye» steak dinner. It was cooked perfectly rare like i ordered. but…its not a rib eye. in fact its a NY strip steak. i asked the waitress the menue did state its a rib eye? She said yes we dont have NY strip? Let me get the manager.ok.this lady approaches the table. i explain i have a culinary arts background and question the understanding of cuts of meat? Or the possible distributor they use. she said i will get the chef. aprox 10 min goes by and out comes the owner/chef.he was in his dining room VERY loud at my table i asked him to lower his voice that there were other tables in here and im not yelling or being rude. he pulls out his phone of a picture of his two by steak hes got in the back. again i question his understanding of his knowledge of cuts of meat. i had pulled up a picture of a rib eye. clearly not the same. needless to say he was insulted and verbalized it. i was embarrassed and insulted as a customer. he offered to make something else but now im done. The waitress comes back and asked if we wanted our stuff wrapped. i decline she accepted. They took mine off the bill which i wish they didn’t because it’s points and principal to me. in the end. the bill clearly showed the scallops from the get go. never had the request if no maple syrup. not good! This dinner was a shame. i have never been treated like this by a «cook owner» in front of others that are there for dinner? Not classy at all. Number one chef… know your meat! Number 2 get sone dining room ediquit! Number three .don’t come out attacking. im low keyed. quietly would have discussed this.

First, I want to say that this place might be good as a bar, but forget the restaurant side of it.
Second, whenever I review a place on any site I always try to be fair and thorough as well as be objective.
My family went to this place for dinner tonight and the atmosphere of the room we were seated in was excellent. The problems started soon after however. First, the drinks got mixed up and I was given the wrong drink. This in of itself is not the worst thing in the world, but it shows a little inexperience on the waitresses part. Then, when I got the correct drink, it was so watered down (root beer) that it didn’t have any taste. I ended up ordering a Pepsi instead and that was ok. Next, my father got his salad… for the price it was utterly pathetic just a small quantity of poor quality greens thrown onto a plate for $ 3.99! For what he got that price is unacceptable he could have gotten a better quality salad at Mcdonalds for less. Next, the bread came out, hard as a rock all the while the waitress shows her inexperience by not knowing how to handle herself when customers are clearly having a bad experience.
Now finally the entrees, the straw that broke the camel’s back, my grandmother was given an overdone pizza that she couldn’t even eat. My mother was given a HEART of romaine instead of a ceasar salad, it was just a heart of romaine slapped onto her plate uncut. My meal was ok as was my aunts however my mother refused to eat hers and my grandmother was very upset at this point. It was the worst meal she ever had and she made it known to the waitress. The waitress went and got her manager who apparently is the owners wife. She was extremely rude and basically told my grandmother and mother «thats just how it is» and walked away. How unprofessional. She told my grandmother, a pure blooded Italian that that is how traditional ceasar salads are made… ya right my grandmother just called it lazy and wrong its like they went to the market, bought a heart of romaine and put it on the plate. That’s not the Italian way.
In conclusion, for the prices they charge you can get much better, even on the same road such as Endzone, Gillian’s etc. The people at this place don’t seem to care about the customer, so why should we care about this place? Go to Endzone or any other place on the strip. The owner’s should take this as constructive criticism as it seems the general consensus is poor and unfriendly service along with overdone food.

I had had the ribeye and it was grilled perfectly. A tender, lean cut of meat. The roasted potatoes were great too. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. No complaints about the vegetable medley as well. House Merlot was good as was the service.

After my first review, we stopped by and tried the food several more times. I must say its now a favorite of ours. We eat at the bar, I must say the bar staff is wonderful. Attentive, knowledgeable and have great suggestions. The lobster mac and short ribs are my favorites. Saturday night a band was playing called ten rid ramblers. What a talented group, very fun.

Came here for lunch and sat at the bar. I had the gyro with a Greek salad. The bar tender was knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive. The food was really great. My only complaint would be there should be more tomatoes and cucumbers on the salad. Everything was very very fresh. They have a great selection of beer and wine. I will definitely be back.

I had the lamb gyro with fries and it was delicious. The service was good and quick. My first time there and I would go back.

Stay away !!!
Food sucks and service is even worse !!!
If you want to sit at the bar for 20 minutes before anyone takes your drink order than I highly recommend this place — if not I would stop someplace else!
If that’s not bad enough you can always sit around and wait for 45 minutes for a burger that you ordered medium only so you can watch it come out looking like a hockey puck!!! I love the bruins and hockey but prefer my burger doesn’t look like a puck — so yourself a favor save a lot of money and stop at Burger King — the food will taste the same and you will have some extra money in your wallet to buy a drink to get the crappy burger taste out of your mouth !!