Tolay Restaurant

This is a hotel restaurant, located in the Petaluma CA, Sheraton. It’s the only full service restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. My review is based on that. If this was a free standing establishment, it would get three stars.
I come to this hotel every three months and spend three to four days. During that time, I usually eat at least one lunch and two to three dinners here. A typical dinner is the prime roast, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies.
The food is good. Not great. Not bad. Good. Portions are adequate. Prices are average. Service is friendly and quick. Décor is your basic, «hotel bland». Overall, a very decent place to dine when you don’t rent a car.
One caveat: The menu is limited and seemingly unchanging. If you come here often enough, you will know it as well as the servers.

Other than it being really slow and them short on staff it .was an overall ok experience.
Food was cold. Bread wasn’t served until we asked for it. But they did discount us for another item for the long wait.
It was ok.

Staff was mediocre. The food was not good. Maybe we should have ordered from the bar menu…

Wish we were able to give half stars or have 2 ratings, 1 for food & 1 for service.
As far as the food goes, I give it 5 stars. For Thanksgiving dinner they offered 3 courses. 1^st course was various salads & a soup. 2^nd course was the main dish with a vegetarian course, salmon, prime rib and turkey. And the 3^rd course dessert. All 3 in my party ordered 3 different salads which was good. Mine was a spinach salad with beets & goat cheese — very tasty! All 3 of went with the traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy & cranberries. The cranberries were whole berries & delicious! There was plenty of mashed potatoes & dressing with gravy. The turkey was plentiful & delicious with a nice mixture of white and dark meat. There was so much that my daughter & I both had left overs. There was also a green vegetable of green beans with onions however there wasn’t that much on any of three plates, extra small portions. Would’ve loved to have a little more. For dessert we all had pumpkin pie with whip cream that was delicious & creamy! And to top it off we enjoyed a nice bottle of La Crema chardonnay.
Now onto the service. I can’t decide if I would give it 2, 2−½, or 3 stars. We had a 4pm reservation and it took 10 minutes before someone even acknowledged that we were even sitting at the table. No water, no bread, no nothing. It wasn’t until my daughter & I commented that it sure would be nice to have some water before someone stopped & asked if they could get us anything to drink. Again this was 10 minutes that went by before anyone acknowledged us. We watched other people who were seated after us get drinks, bread and their 1^st course before we even got anything. And in the 4pm hour there wasn’t many people in the restaurant. We didn’t even get bread with our salads like other people we saw in the restaurant When our waiter finally acknowledged us l, which was 14 minutes after we were seated, I showed him that I had a 15% discount from my Unilocal app and he said to show him when we were done with our meal & he would apply the discount. I ordered a bottle of wine, or waiter brought it to the table, opened it, poured a small amount into my glass to taste, one I tasted he poured for the rest of my party (only 3 of us total). Then he was just going to leave it on the table until a bus boy walked by and asked if he wanted an ice bucket. The bus boy had to ask him twice before ge acknowledged yes to the ice bucket for the bottle of wine. I was floored that he was just going to leave it on the table, white wine should remain chilled. Fast forward to the end of our main meal, our waiter asks how everything was and if there was anything else we needed (we didn’t even get asked if we needed more bread during the course of our meal). We said we were still waiting for our dessert. He left, came back with the bill, I again showed him the app with 15% discount, he took the credit card & said he would apply the discount to the ticket. He comes back with the credit card receipt all printed out, still no dessert & no discount applied to the bill, the full amount was put on the credit card receipt. Called the waiter back over said that we still didn’t get our dessert to which he replied that he thought we said we already got it, and then I said the 15% Unilocal discount was not applied to the bill. He quickly took the bill & my phone to the gal that checked us in for our reservation. I would’ve appreciated him asking if he could borrow the phone to show her or asked me to come with him instead of taking my phone! Finally got our desserts & the corrected bill. With that said I think 2−½ stars for the service or lack there of.

Not good, nor bad. Just middle-​of-​the-​road. Good parts; close to the hotel and easy parking prices are reasonable for hotel food but high enough that I wished we went to a «real restaurant. You sit in what essentially is the lobby so it lacks privacy.
Bad parts; hotel food with a little expectation of fine cuisine. Limited menu. There are not many choices for entrées so we settled for the pasta offering. Those who ordered it raved about it another in our party took one bite and said it was not edible and sent it back to the kitchen. Prices are a little high.
I don’t think I will return as Petaluma has some fantastic places to eat.

Even if you’re staying here, don’t eat here.
Worst service I’ve ever received. Ever.
For starters, the menu on the website isn’t the same as what they actual serve. We checked out a bunch of places to eat, based on menus — and this one was appealing online — and not nearly the selection you see once you get there. We picked this place because we had a few picky eaters, and everyone Ok’d the menu because there was something on there for everyone — not the case. We EVEN called prior to make sure this menu was accurate, and they assured it was. So, based on this, I would have taken off 1 star — misinformation and false advertising.
Once we’re seated, we get out menus, order coffee and Orange Juice. There were six of us. We weren’t through the carafe of coffee in one go, and not everyone got some. We asked for more, and it was another 15 – 20 min before we received more. Extras for the coffee (cream and sugar?) was a JOKE!!! So, hope you like you’re coffee black. My Dad ordered OJ, and once our food arrived realized we still didn’t receive it — asked again and our waitress literally says «Oh I think we’re out… but I’ll double check»…So 30 – 45 min of waiting, and us having to probe she goes to check — and never came back in regards to it. Running out of OJ isn’t the end of the world. But her carelessness of not even letting us know immediately, and then NOT coming back after the fact of us asking… horrible. It wasn’t until she dropped the bill did she mention (as if she was
Doing us a favor) she «took it off, we shouldn’t have to pay for it» … DUH!!! And not even a sorry. So, due to that, and the lack of coffee service… minus another star.
Ah, and the wait for the food. Took 30 – 45 min for us to receive our food. Not a check in once from our server. Then, once our food DID come out, we all received it one at a time, not all at once. And it was about 15 – 20 min before we ALL had our food. Meaning by the time the food came for the last person, we were all sitting there waiting as our food got cold (being polite) and they drooled over ours since theirs hadn’t arrived. Again, no communication from the waitstaff or apologies. Minus another star.
And the food… my Dad (poor guy) didn’t get his toast which came with his meal. He again, asked (just as he did for his OJ) where his toast was, and she said it was on the way. Half way through his meal (which he was the last to receive his) he asked again. Once he was almost done with his meal, he finally got his toast. While eating mine,
I got a salmon with goat cheese omelet — 2
Bite in, I didn’t taste the cheese, opened it up, and there was no cheese. I asked for some, to which I get brought out a glob of cold cheese. In my opinion, the point of cheese in an omelet is for it to be put in while hot so it gets all gooey and nice. But again, the waitress didn’t seem phased by my request. So minus another star.
So, that leaves me with one star left. Obviously can’t leave less then one star. However I would if
I could due to rest of my complaints:
1) Didn’t get waters until half way through our meal, which we had to ask for multiple times
2) We sat with dirty dishes and plates on our table for 15 min before WE had to start bussing our own table to make room for a cake
3) We were celebrating and had brought in a cake, which we called about ahead of time to make sure this was okay. When we got there, we gave the cake to our hostess. When we then asked for the cake — our waitress said there was
No cake and she had no idea what we were talking about. 10 min later she tracked down our cake… and then we (not the staff) clear our table to make room… we had to ask for small plates in order to serve the cake, which again took forever.
Horrible, horrible service and food. The food had potential if it was courses correctly and served as its described on the menu.

After a long night of travel and arrival to our destination at this Sheridan hotel, the next morning we headed to the house restaurant. We ended up there about 10ish and it was a calm and relaxing time. Not many people and service was quick and friendly. We had a simple breakfast– eggs, toast, and hash browns, you know, the normal American b-​fast. Nothing exceptional but it was good :) Simple and to the point. I like how they have the breakfast on the back a-​la-​cart style. The nicest part was at the end, the waitress gave us to-​go cups for my hubby’s coffee and water for me. Very sweet!

After a very long day of travel, we checked into the Sheraton & chose to eat at hotel restaurant. We started with a roasted chicken quesadilla, that had Brie, corn, cilantro, & chipotle crema. They hit that out of the park. I had the homemade angel hair with basil, tomato, & chicken, which was delicious. My husband had the prime rib, which was cooked to perfection. A fabulous wine selection of both whites & reds, and a great beer menu. I highly recommend this restaurant even if you are not staying at the Sheraton. The wait staff was very attentive as well. Four Stars!

Total disaster. Staying at hotel decided I didn’t want to go out I was exhausted after a 5 hour drive. Took 15 minutes for anyone to greet me once seated. After that my salmon entrée came out by itself no sides. Totally weird. Bit into salmon and bottom was totally burned. Guy next to me sat for 15 minutes before being greeted too. All I kept hearing tonight was sorry all over the restaurant. Don’t understand why wait staff was so Aweful when restaurant was only a quarter full.

Weird experience here. Brought us out a menu to the hotel pool, server was really polite, but then couldn’t find him to place an order. Had to go inside to order, which wasn’t a big deal. Our food took awhile, which was weird because when I went in the place was empty. The worst part was my food itself, a French dip. It was so greasy it left a waxy feeling in my mouth. The meat wasn’t very good and the bread seemed stale. The au jus had a thick layer of fatty grease on top. The French fries that came with it were some of the best I’ve ever had though. All in all the experience wasn’t too bad and I would like to return for dinner sometime

Oh, and I should mention, three times after being given menus for wine, food, whatever, you give it thought, then choose, only to be told they don’t have it. Perhaps mention the limited stocks first to avoid the rapid choice of second best?

Slow service, and they forgot the bacon on my turkey and bacon sandwich… I didn’t have time the to allow them the chance to correct it… Even below average for a hotel restaurant…

This is located inside the Sheraton so super-​convenient if you are a guest. The service is spot on. Chef Dan comes out to meet you if he has time.
The food is OK. Some dishes better than others. The biggest problem is it seems very «banquet style» and in most cases lacked enough seasoning. Cuisine needs updating.
On the seasoning… they did bend over backwards to get mine the way I liked it without taking offense so gotta appreciate that!
I would definitely go back and try different things and just see what worked best for me.

Came here for lunch because I was staying at the hotel. The BLTA was very delicious and satisfying. My fiancé had the burger, which was delicious he said. They are the restaurant that delivers room service, so the room service is very good. The service is very friendly and quick. A solid restaurant choice.

This review is for food tasting and catering only: Chef Danny met with us and created delicious entrees and side dishes for our tasting. Everything was so great that it made it difficult to only select two entrees. The coordinator also packed up all of the left overs to take home (omg yum Chicken Piccatta). The catering was set up beautifully and the food quality was there (yay) and served hot. I would definately use their services again for catering as it was fantastic. I would also go back to Tolay for a special occasion.

This is the restaurant that is in the Sheraton hotel. We ate both dinner and breakfast here and were pleased both times.
Some friends in the area met us for dinner the night of our stay. We were seated quickly, it was a Monday night at 8 pm so don’t know if that’s saying much. Our server was prompt and took our orders and brought out food quickly.
The atmosphere is not too bad, it’s on a lower sunken level than the lobby with a view of the pool. Service was all really friendly and thanks to the 15% off Unilocal offer coupon it wasn’t too pricey for the meal, considering its hotel food. Our server checked on gluten free options for me and there was actually quite a few appetizers and entrees I could choose from.
My dad and I ordered the steak and fries. Our steaks were right on regarding the temperatures. Seasoning and flavor was great. I also ordered the spring rolls, they were ok but I wouldn’t order them again. I was super excited to see they offered gluten free bread which they brought out to me with butter. Our friends had the fish tacos and an Asian noodle dish which they were both really pleased with.
The next morning my dad and I stopped in and ordered the eggs and bacon. This time our server was not gluten free aware and really unhelpful. After my meal came out there was all this seasoning on the potatoes. I asked to see if it was gf and she was clueless but offered to bring me a plate of fruit to substitute if I wanted to just eat around them. Eggs and bacon and my gf toast were good. Coffee also a plus.
Overall I wouldn’t be opposed to eating here again if in the area. Seems to be a pretty solid place.

Came in right before 2pm. They were just about to change from lunch menu to limited day menu from 2 – 5. She let me quickly put in my order. Josh was taking over at that point. He was friendly and prompt with his service.
I had the minestrone soup and turkey club sandwich. The soup was average but hit the spot. The turkey club was stacked high and more than enough. I could only finish half! The fries were hot and perfectly crisp.
I finished off the meal with a glass of bubbly while looking out at the nice pool.

I went here after work with a few coworkers. We sat in the little bar area. There were only 4 other customers near the bar, and another 4 eating in the dining area. The older woman who was bartending was TERRIBLE. I ordered a beer and it didn’t arrive for almost 20 minutes. All the while she was chatting at the bar, making drinks for people who arrived AFTER I did, and doing seemingly everything possible to not take 10 seconds to pour me a beer.
I actually had to flag down a waitress and have her check on it for me. Even after she reminded the bartender that I needed a beer, the bartender still took another 3 minutes to get it! Serving me a beer in this situation only took her 30 seconds total: 10 to pour it, a few seconds to put it on a tray, and another several seconds to walk it to my table, put it down, and ask us if we needed anything else — BUT NO!!! Too difficult for this woman to prioritize and not make me wait 20 minutes for a 30 second beer order.
Then some of my coworkers ordered food (a salad and a calamari appetizer) and it took another 20 minutes for the food to come out. Remember — they weren’t busy AT ALL. I’ve worked in a restaurant. It takes 3 minutes to plate a salad and fry up some calamari.
Then when I drank my beer and asked for another one, it took her 10 minutes to bring it. WHY?!? We were sitting all of 6 feet from the bar. We were dumbfounded. I should have gone over to the bar and poured the beer myself. After these shenanigans, we decided not to order any more, asked for the bill, and left.
How can anyone be in the hospitality business and so obviously suck at their job?

Came here because I was at a conference and it’s right inside the Sheraton… convenience is key in between sessions.
The portions are rather small. I ordered the lasagnette and it was about the size of a silver dollar pancake. It was quite good though! The colored sauces each had a distinctively different vegetable base. And it was super pretty.
The black shrimp pasta was also rather small portioned, especially for its price. They gave you a decent amount of fish and chips, though! My friends couldn’t finish them. And they said the fish batter was not that heavily greasy either.
The crème brûlée is AMAZINGLY GOOD, but I’ve yet to try a crème brûlée I didn’t like.
Overall the service was nice and food was decent, but I wouldn’t come back because I feel like the prices aren’t worth the atmosphere, portions, and taste.

I’ve been to Tolay a number of times and tried various dishes from breakfast to dinner and here’s the nitty gritty.
For $ 29 during restaurant week it might just be the best meal in Petaluma, hands down!
Other than that here are the highlights
–Breakfast! killer breakfast everytime from the benedicts to the waffles its all good
–Sonoma County Meat and Cheese Board
–Liberty Duck Spring Rolls — i love these things and order them almost every time
–Lettuce Wraps — nice heat but great balance to the sauce
–BBQ Pork Sliders– I think these are new to the menu and oh so good its a neo classic Korean edition to the slider, I love them
–Salmon Bento Box — one of my favorite dishes for lunch
–Salads– literally all the salads are delicious try the Tolay Taco Salad with Achiote Dressing or the Steak Salad with crispy onion rings, blue cheese and a reduce balsalmic
–Brick Chicken — has a black bean and corn tamale with afew beautifully placed sauces around the plate — truly a great value for this type of dish
What I love most about Tolay is its totally unpretentious and they have one of the best happy hours around, 50% off food on the lounge menu and lots of drink specials, go try for yourself Im sure you’ll be pleased