Nectar

So-​so food, much better choices than this hotel adjacent restaurant. Staff very nice.

The Hotel is great however the waitress at the restaurant was not friendly at all. Did not ask if we wanted anything else and was cold. May want to hire someone with a better attitude. Place is really pretty though.

We went there for Mother’s Day brunch, we usually go to Charlie’s but decided to try something different. Our reservations were on the latter end, 1:15, but when we called to change it to add more people, they acted like it was very difficult. We walked in and they seated us in an empty banquet room, full of empty tables, there was one other party. There were no flowers on the table or candle, no rose for mom’s nothing. It was dark with no light. The setting was horrible, especially since they had more room in the other dining area. The price was outrageous, $ 60 per an adult and they do not even give you complimentary champagne. They charge $ 5 per mimosa.
The buffet had a lot of food to offer, but the food was bland, and my mother could not even chew the NY steak it was so tough. Last time going here, absolutely a waste of our money. Live and learn…

I ate here recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday along with a group of her friends. The service we had was wonderful. I ordered a chicken sandwich and after my second bite I noticed the chicken was not only cold but pink and raw. This was supposed to be a hot grilled chicken sandwich. The birthday girl ordered a hamburger and asked that it be prepared well done. It also came raw (more like medium rare). The server was very apologetic and promptly returned the meals to the kitchen. Poor guy. It was not his fault but took responsibility for how the chef prepared the meals. Our meals were replaced and the server removed them from the bill. He also waived the two corkage fees from our check which was awesome! Sorry Nectar but people can become ill from undercooked meat.

Updating my review because I just noticed that they add an 18% tip for room service. The servers saw me doing math, figuring out a tip and never mentioned the default one. Turns out I’ve done that like a dozen times in the last few months. My bad for not noticing, but they have to know that people don’t notice the default. It just seems dishonest to let people proceed without at least mentioning it. Hey, I might even throw in an additional tip just for honesty. I usually tip well anyway, but it turns out they walked away with a 36% tip. So yes, despite having some good food, Nectar is on the shitlist now.

I had hoped that the 40 minute wait for my prefrozen burger meant that the it would actually be cooked. To my dismay, it arrived looking as red as Taylor Swift’s lips. The server returned to refill our drinks after a lengthy wait, and seemed distracted by the two other occupied tables in the entire restaurant. She was quick to remove my meal from the tab, which only made me wonder how often she has to do this if she didn’t require a manager’s approval. I wouldn’t return here, even if I am staying at the Hilton. I am thoroughly disgusted and disappointed.

4 stars for breakfast, 1 star for room service.
After a full day of wine tastings, all we wanted was food brought to our room. Although it arrived quickly, our food was very disappointing. We spent about $ 80 just to have a steak with a side of mac and cheese and a slice of cake. When it arrived, we were missing the side of mac so we had to call and have them bring it over. The steak was full of fat and poorly cooked which was really a bummer considering the price. I only took 2 bites and decided the steak was not worth finishing. The mac was fine and the cake was actually good, however I really regret ordering room service. My experience with Nectars room service was the only negative thing about my visit to the Hilton Sonoma.
The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast in the restaurant itself and we had a really wonderful experience.

I’ve gone to Nectar maybe once every couple of months for the last three years. It’s got a nice outdoor patio with a great view of Santa Rosa that’s fun to hang out at and enjoy cocktails. On most days I’d give it 3 — 4 stars. The service has generally been friendly and the food solid; nothing stellar, but good. The last couple of visits, however, have really soured me. Food was below par and service mostly a miss. Today’s visit for lunch with my mother has killed any further desire to come back.
I had a tuna melt that was good but seriously overpriced, and an extremely watered down cocktail that should embarrass any bartender who takes their craft seriously. But the kicker was the NY strip steak my mother had. She ordered it medium-​rare, as she often orders her steaks. While the potatoes, grilled asparagus and carrots that accompanied the steak were fine and the sauce on the steak was good, the cut of meat itself was barely worthy of a cheap roadhouse diner. It was extremely chewy and rubbery. Generously sized, I’ll grant that, but who wants more of something lousy?
When the chewiness was brought to the attention of our waitress (first name K), her response was to simply lecture my mother that cooking a steak medium-​rare makes it chewy. If you want it less chewy, order it medium or well done. And she said this in all seriousness. You have to wonder about the management of a restaurant that hires someone who displays such a lack of knowledge about the food they serve, and hope to hell this sort of ignorance isn’t something the chef actually believes him/​herself.
Here’s a simple lesson about meat: a good cut of meat will not be overly chewy and rubbery no matter how you cook it. In fact, meat becomes harder the more it’s cooked, thus making it MORE chewy — not the other way around! The problem clearly was that the quality and cut of the steak itself was not good, and could not be satisfactory no matter how it was cooked. If you’re going to charge $ 34 — yes, $ 34 !! — you better be selecting a choice cut from good quality beef to serve. The pet chew toy masquerading as a steak that my mother had would not pass muster at a truck stop diner. Any restaurant serving something like that for $ 34 and then try to pass off my mother’s complaint as being her fault for not choosing the right cooking method (as I said, we order medium rare all the time) is just really poor form.
My mother and I had an emotionally eventful day before we arrived, so we were not in any mood to argue with the waitress or a manager. The waitress comped me on my overpriced and overwatered cocktail — as if that somehow makes up for a lousy $ 34 meal. Granted, I could’ve complained to a manager, and on most days I would’ve, but we let it slide. The fact that there was no offer to either seriously discount the steak or offer to serve a different meal as most good restaurants that take pride in their quality WOULD DO, and that the waitress basically had a dismissive attitude, coupled with our last unimpressive visit, is message enough that Nectar is no longer a place worth coming to.
Nectar has really gone downhill, as other reviews can attest, which is a shame since the interior décor is really nice and it’s the only restaurant in the area I’m aware of with a great hilltop view.

I did go back and had a small meal at the bar with Seth, our bartender. He’s a smart guy, cool and has good wit. I tend to think the people that work at these chain hotels and restaurants are going to be less engaging because they work with/​for tourists all day. But this guy was pretty sharp once we got him talking.
We hung out at the bar and enjoyed some Happy Hour drinks, then moved on to some good wine by the glass. At first I found the ‘new’ bar to be annoying, but then when Seth showed me how you prop up the menu and it gives you light to read it without lighting up the whole room it made sense and has it’s own sense of style.
At least they have a Happy Hour — it’s limited but good. We had the egg rolls, and honey chili wings both good to snack on. I forget who made the red and white by the glass but they were very good mid-​priced wines. Not Salmon Creek or some garbage you see on the bottom shelf of your grocery.
The prices are good, the selection of wine and food is decent — kind of what you expect for a hotel property. The views are excellent! There aren’t a lot of places in Sonoma County with great views but this is one of them! This is a nice out of the way, relatively quiet place to nosh and have a nice time. Not the ultimate meal but definitely better than described by some.

Service is slow and not very welcoming. Food took 40 minutes and place was empty. Drinks were so over priced that this will be the last time visiting this restaurant. Management is doing a poor job of keeping customers eating and drinking with great views of the valley. Meals were served with cold over cooked potatoes from hours prior. I would guess we were served left overs from the continental breakfast. Sad to see a name like Hilton get 1 star. Lost our business.

My family and I had brunch here recently and the food was well below par. We arrived on a Sunday, about 10:30, 30 minutes before the brunch buffet ended.
The menu itself is very limited, and the prices are none too cheap. I browsed the buffet to get an idea of what was available —

— Pastries (unwrapped from their cellophane packages earlier that morning)
— Cereals, yogurts, fruit, oatmeal
— sausage and bacon
— scrambled eggs (i think)
— country-​style potatoes
— crepes (the bin was empty and not to be refilled)
— smoked salmon (with tomatoes, cukes, capers and red onion)
— sliced deli turkey
— assorted cheeses
In a nutshell, I ordered the buffet so I could pig out on the smoked salmon. I knew I’d eat WAY more than they would put on my plate if I’d ordered the smoked salmon plate w/​bagel, so this was my main reason for going buffet. I went back about 3 times for more salmon, capers, onion and tomato.
I tried the potatoes, a sausage and a bite of the eggs. None of them were worth ingesting the calories. The potatoes were soggy and cold. The sausage had no flavor, plenty of gristle, and was also cold. The eggs might have been egg substitute. I really don’t know.
My husband ordered the omelet off the menu and was delivered a mound of eggs (as described above) with very little cheese (one of his 2 ingredients) and unpalatable sausage. He sent it back and decided to skip brunch altogether.
My daughter ordered the fruit plate w/​banana bread and cottage cheese.
The bread was tasty, but the fruit was not so good, and the cottage cheese had a funny texture and no flavor.
Best thing on the table: smoked salmon (though, it was really nothing special; no fancy brand or anything) and the freshly brewed Starbuck’s coffee. I rarely ever drink coffee, so I’m glad I went w/​it this time.
Service was ok. Our waitress reflected the subpar quality of the food. This is not to say she was not a nice person, or attentive. But she definitely lacked a confidence when she placed the two meals on the table. She seemed to «know.»
The setting was quite lovely, though. I would be happy to go back and have a couple cocktails, sit outside, and enjoy the view.

My wife and 9 year old and I went to brunch here. We were seated immediately at a very comfortable table with a nice valley view. The din is very low and great for conversation. The buffet included basic breakfast foods plus smoked salmon for $ 18. The menu is very plain with benedict, omelettes and basic egs and toast stuff.
I think most of the customers here are Hilton Hotel guests with breakfast vouchers because they are just phoning it in here.
My wife got the buffet and enjoyed it though the salmon was the highlight for her and she felt like she got more salmon than she would have gotten ordering the salmon plate for a few dollars less. The rest of the buffet food was soggy bin food and semi stale pastries.
I ordered a sausage and jack cheese omelet with country potatos; the omelette was dry with hardly any cheese (i think the jack cheese that was there came from a wrapper); the potatos were totally soggy like they were scooped from a bin in the back; no hash browns available.
My daughter got the fruit plate with cottage cheese and banana bread. The fruit was not ripe to the point where she didn’t want to eat it and the cottage cheese was warmish and not to her liking either. The banana bread was ok; she didnt finish that either.
The 2 stars are for the great relaxing ambience and cozy comfy chairs and view. I’m afraid the breakfast food wasn’t really good in any way. What a great place to go for a sunset drink when the weather warms up; they have a very nice patio overlooking the valley below for summertime gatherings.

We were heading to wine country for the day and wanted to start off with a little food in our tummies. We did a Unilocal Nearby search and found this little place. It was really nice inside and the service was good, although for some reason, our server had a mental block on getting the orange juice order for my husband to the table and never did hook him up with the oj even though we reminded her like 4 times. lol.
the breakfast burrito my gf and I had seemed like the eggs were not «real.» They were this really weird texture and flavor and we both did not finish the meal. Also, the guys had ordered polenta with their meals and the polenta was very strange. My friend, who is a chef suggested it may have been instant or something. It was just not good.
The coffee, was great!

Not bad for a hotel bar/​restaurant (as far as the food goes), that being said, it is a little overpriced (but that is normal for wine country). You a fairly decent view should you decide to dine on the patio. The bartenders are fantastic and the service is good.

Enjoyed a wonderful breakfast buffet this morning! A totally complete spread of any choice you might need to start your day. From fresh fruit, to French toast, fruit blintzs, cereals, bacon n bangers, and scrambled eggs… brilliant! Coffee from Starbucks and a wide selection of teas n juices. Will definitely come back!

Nectar is what gives hotel restaurants a bad name.
If you enjoy overpriced food, lousy service, tiny portions and food so mediocre you can’t describe it, then Nectar is the place for you.
They even charged us for bread at the table. Can you believe that?
The salmon dish cost something like $ 27 (I forget the exact price) for lunch and the fish was so small I could eat it in two bites.
The pasta was awful.
Just avoid this place! Please!

Last day in Cali and wine country before I had to head home to Atlanta. Used a Groupon to stay at the Hilton the Nectur is attached to.
Checked in on a Monday at 5pm. Several wineries we visited were familiar with this restaurant and suggested their Happy Hour.
When we checked in we headed straight over to take advantage of one hour left of Happy Hour since we were pretty hungry and were in search of some drinks.
Seated on the patio around an awesome fire pit (on the left). The view is great but wished the bushes/​vegetation would be removed or cut lower so we could enjoy seeing the very cool vintage circular red barn and the entire view.
Ok…so on to the food/​drinks. Sweet potato fries were awesome and seasoned & fried just right. Good portion.
Calamari was lightly breaded with good sauce.
Chicken quesadilla was great as well. All these for $ 5 is a great deal. Great happy hour wine, beer and special drink prices make it a great happy hour.
Jonathan was our waiter (local guy, born & raised) did a great job taking care of us. Patio wasn’t busy at all and everything came out super fast. Especially the drinks!
Definitely recommend!

I stayed at the hotel on Saturday night, and had both dinner and breakfast there. Both times the service was excellent, and the food, especially this morning’s French toast with Challah bread was amazing. A special shout out to Lizzie (dinner) and Mike (breakfast) for their stellar customer service. I live nearby, and it was a fun and quick little getaway.
I definitely recommend Nectar. I’ll probably be back when the weather is better so I can sit on the patio and enjoy the view.

Once upon a time, Hilton used to be the crème de la crème of hotels. At that time, their in house dining was above par, I fondly remember extravagant Mother’s Day brunches and Easter lunches with food piles high as far as the eye could see. Those days of Hilton’s monopoly on Sonoma County 5 Star hospitality are over, and it’s apparent by their groupon vouchers popping up often, and their descent into «just ok» food.
Of recent, I’ve dined at Nectar three times. Once was during Sonoma County Restaurant Week 2014 ($ 15), where we had a less than mediocre quinoa and butternut squash salad, a decent steak sandwitch with glazed onion rings, and a pretty delicious bread pudding, overlooking historic roundbarn and the 101. Not thrilled but still curious, I returned with my fiancé, then boyfriend, and we had some small bites of quesadilla and happy hour beer, we were still unimpressed, yet he was staying there overnight so we returned for the included breakfast. In the morning, we picked at the Polenta and Chicken Apple sausage ($ 12), which was tepid and boring.
Regardless of this experience, for my brother’s new years birthday, he picked Nectar for his birthday breakfast simply because of its proximity to home, and the fact that it was open. We were seated after a super long wait even though we had a reservation and the place was dead. Our waitress, who honestly looked more than a little hungover took our orders, THREE times, because they kept being wrong, and then left as we blinked nervously at each other. We all shared a Belgian waffle ($ 11), which was crispy, delicate and flavorful, once we reminded our waitress twice to please bring us some butter and syrup. I had the Bagel and lox ($ 15), which was missing the onions and capers which I SPECIFICALLY asked extra of, but was otherwise ok. Mom’s Nor Cal Fritatta ($ 13) was boring but order-​accurate, and my brother’s Eggnog Challah French toast ($ 10) was the clear winner, flavorful, exciting, and unique.
Obviously not residing in its former status and glory, Nectar is average, convenient, and has great views of Sonoma county at any time of the day. If you’re looking to be wow’ed, this is not the place; but if you’re looking for «sufficient,» this it is.

I had lunch here with some work companions. The restaurant was dead. The ambiance is higher end and the restaurant is nicely appointed. Service was courteous, but not over-​attentive.
Lunch portions and prices are the same as dinner. The pastrami sandwich was served piping hot and with homemade potato chips and spicy slaw. I thought it was really good. One of my companions had the tuna melt and loved it.
Overall, I would rate this experience at 3 ½ stars, but rounding up since we really had no complaints and everyone left satisfied.