Sonoma Grille

An amazing addition to Sonoma’s restaurant scene. Lunch last week was beyond expectations. Each of the eight people raved about the quality of the foods, attentive service, value. Coordination was just shy of perfect, but this restaurant is new! Noise at lunch was a bit loud.
Went back tonight for a date with my wife… Sheer perfection! Other than noise level, this may be the best dinner in Sonoma. Nikki, our server, sums it up very well: this family of restauranteurs makes working here a pleasure! This perfection shows in superb service, extraordinary cuisine, and a peaceful affection for clients. Pricing is very fair for the immense quality.
We were pleasantly surprised to find our favorite bar person is now tending bar here! That says a lot…
Wine list is very impressive, varied, fairly priced. And well served.
Steak was perfect. Nothing else I can say. Do it right and your clients will come back often.
Specials tonight included a cioppino and a braised duck breast. Wife had the cioppino and shared a bit with me… I could not believe how beautiful it is!
I’m sure the noise level will be resolved with wall hangings, ceiling tiles, carpets or something.
My only fear is that the tourists will discover Sonoma Grille and make it hard to get in on a whim!
So get here soon and often. A seven star experience!

It was just OK. Nice staff but inefficient.
The waiter was sweet but needs to know to check his customers after he brings the food to see if all is alright. My salad was missing the watermelon radish, which is why I ordered it in the first place!
Better attention to detail needed. Mussels were good, but the menu lacked interest. Desserts were boring. Noise level high. It took a full fifteen minutes to get the check and pay it.
I will not return, too many more interesting places we can go to!

As most locals, always excited to try a new restaurant in town, but very disappointed by Sonoma Grille. The first time: service friendly, but sooooo slow. Waited forever for drinks and food. Ordered salad and salmon — both very, very mediocre. Then, waited forever for bill. Went with a party four, and the acoustics in the restaurant were so bad we yelled at each other all through dinner. The second time: thought I would give the restaurant a second chance. Big mistake. Service better, but food worse. This time I ordered the halibut. It was overcooked, yet cold. The broccoli with it was inedible so chewy. The potatoes hard. All was cold! And once again, bad acoustics.

Meh is all I can say about The Sonoma Grill. The menu was bland, the service was fine, the food was marginal. We ordered the halibut. It came on a bed of broccoli and fingerling potatoes. The halibut was over cooked, the broccoli was perfect and the potatoes were so hard you had use a knife. The salad had way too much garlic. The cocktails were good. I wonder about the wine when summer comes. They store it on shelves in the window.
I was really hoping for another great Sonoma restaurant especially since they have a small private parking lot. With all the other great choices in the area, I probably won’t return.

Best meal I have had in Sonoma the filet was made to perfection, the Tomato soup yummy and the dessert so good classic crème brûlée. the place is so relaxing and beautiful inside. Annistia was amazing with drinks and service. Everyone was so nice. Such a refreshing change for Sonoma will be back

This is a great place. Food was very good. It was load so Hard to talk. But that is a problem with restaurants now. Great location right off the Main Street. We had risotto, steam clams, BBQ oysters over the top good!

We live part time in Sonoma and were excited about this new restaurant. We had a group of four and we all had different entrees. Everything was delicious and the service was great. The only (small) mixup was the waiter brought the wrong type of wine by the glass for my husband. But it was corrected immediately and the rest of the evening went well. The owner stopped by to introduce himself and to make sure we were happy with our meals. We were! :)

This restaurant was recommended as a «popular» new restaurant in Sonoma. It really was awful. The ambiance was impossibly loud, rendering it impossible to carry on a conversation (4 people). There seemed to have been no design effort whatsoever put towards modifying the acoustics. The service was mediocre, including in a long wait for our meals. Oh, and then there were the meals. Two of us had a halibut entrée which was supposed to have «whole grain mustard crust», but was actually a dribble of what looked like Trader Joe’s brand seeded mustard. The fish itself was overcooked and had the texture of a rubber ball. The «sides» were a bitter and tough broccolini and roasted potatoes, which were tasteless and tough also. It really was the proverbial «rip off» kind of experience, leaving us with a bad impression of Sonoma cuisine on our first visit to the city!

We have tried this restaurant twice and it is improving. Our first visit didn’t go very well. They brought our entrees before the ordered appetizers were served. So, we skipped them. The menu was more appealing than the actual food. The service less than adequate. But, it was fun to have something new in town.
Our second visit was much better. We had a trained waiter and that made all the difference. Food was better, but still not great. Their menu seems too aggressive for their skills.
The major complaint about both experiences was the noise level. It’s almost impossible to hear someone who is at the same table with you. If they don’t do something to soften the sound, they may not stay in business very long. And, that would be a shame.

We were excited to see Sonoma Grille open and looked forward to our first visit Saturday evening. Unfortunately, it didn’t measure up to some of the other recent additions to the Sonoma cuisine.
The wine list is a huge disappointment for Wine Country. Very, very narrow selection.
The menu was very generic, and while it had something for everyone, it was all very plain. Wild Salmon, Rack of Lamb, Seafood Linguine, Lobster Risotto. Fine, but we’ve seen these courses everywhere. They were fine, but nothing to write home about. Certainly not interesting or unusual. Definitely aimed at the mass market, not foodies.
Granted, they were busy, but the service was mediocre at best. We had to ask more than once for the wine list, and one of our orders was never served.
The acoustics are horrendous. One of the loudest restaurants I’ve been to.
Meh. There are much better restaurants within walking distance. Very disappointing.

Took the failing meritage menu and remodeled the building… Same ol same ol chewy not Maine lobster as advertised def def frozen steak was ehhhh honestly with so much invested ud think they would have upgraded the ingredients. Farm to table. Any restraunt in sonoma that focuses on local farm to table is always a success. Glen ellen starr, harvest moon, olive and vine always packed places like this arent where locals eat.

Tried them twice since the reopen. Great both times. If it isn’t right, just ask, they’ll fix it.

Visiting Sonoma? Local Sonoma? This is a welcome addition or upgrade! The happy hour (m-​f/​3 – 5) is the best in Wine Country, and their Blue Point oysters are the best in the world. I’m happy to see a more well rounded menu and great wine list, especially by the glass wines! Incredibly nice staff! (from owner to busser). I’m really looking forward to seeing ‘The Grille’ succeed.

I’m always excited to try the hot new places! We had 6:30 reservations and were promptly seated in a tiny table beside the bar. This place has a few kinks to work out. Sadly, The Sonoma Grille has a sound pollution or acoustics problem. My ears were ringing and I had a headache after dinner. It’s so loud that servers must shout specials into your ear, and place their ear near your lips to hear the order. You need to make a megaphone out of your hands or just yell directly into the ear of your dining companions to carry on a conversation. When the outdoor patio is opened up, I’d head out there. I won’t be back until I can give it another try outside.
The food was fairly priced and tasty, although it took quite a long time for our first course to arrive. Both were cold courses, so not sure why it took so long. I had the ahi tuna salad, $ 12.00 You can tell it’s made ahead and refrigerated. The tuna is cold. It would be better if made to order and if the outside of the tuna was warm. The grapefruit and avocado that accompanied it was delicious but the portion is not generous. It’s more of an appetizer than a salad. You will need 2 – 3 courses to feel full if you are hungry. I like to make the salad a main course. Anyway, I also ordered the scallops, tiny and encrusted in black poppy seeds. The poppy seeds are distracting. I don’t know how else to say it. It was plated nicely and on a bed of mashed potatoes. It was just okay, and only $ 12.00 which is certainly a fair price. My friend had the carpaccio and steamed mussels. She was happy but once again, you really must order 2 courses. Maybe if they had size options, small for people who want courses, and large for people who want just an entrée, that would be helpful. The dessert menu was typical, nothing looked special. We ordered peppermint herb tea after dinner and the server was confused saying she only had mint green tea. It was not a big deal, we just wanted some mint tea. It took her 2 visits to the table to sort that out. It arrived with teeny pots of hot water which would need refilling, but it was so noisy we decided to drink our tea and go someplace else so we could talk.
I had a really great time out with my friend, and the food was tasty, but I was disappointed that our best chance to visit was on the sidewalk outside.

I’ll give it a 3.5. I know this place is new and still has to work things out. Let’s start with the good. — I ordered the «hot date» it was delicious a little spicy passion fruit drink — I would recommend you give it a try next time you’re there. Place was packed on a Monday night– We had reservations so it was fine. We started with appetizers … Beef carpaccio had delicious flavor but the beef was sooooo thin (I know it should be thin but this was overboard) it felt like a sauce as it smeared on the plate when you tried to eat it. I thought the octopus salad was delicious — cooked perfectly. I ordered the Saffron Fettuccine with shrimp. Shrimp were delicious but pasta was bland. No flavor except for the occasional sun dried tomato bite. My husband ordered the Seafood Linguine. Menu states clams mussels prawns and calamari — unfortunate they added salmon to it and my husband is not a fan so it kind of ruined it for him. His «Chardonnay sauce» was also very bland. Both tables besides us had problems. One with incorrect bill and the other with incorrect order.
I will still give this place another chance… I think I’ll try some other appetizers and a few more of their cocktails and update me review later. Even even though I only gave this place a 3.5 I would like to say that the owner was there and he was very attentive to everyone that was there stopping by all the tables to greet everyone.

We went on a packed Friday night. My husband and I love to sit at the bar and share a meal so we were super excited to have another place in Sonoma with a decent sized bar. The bar was packed but the bartender saw that we were waiting so she helped spot a couple that were leaving soon. In fact the bartender was fantastic, great service and very friendly.
I could not help be disappointed with the décor. The floors were nice but the walls are white with mediocre art for sale. The bar had nice light fixtures but the rest of the place had tacky spot lights. Not a whole lot of effort was put into the décor which is too bad because it really takes away from the experience. You could tell they were trying to cut corners.
The menu has nothing really exciting on it, but an offering of solid dishes. We had the steamers and the flatbread and enjoyed both. The wine list is meh, hopefully they will up their game.

This pains me, as nothing could be more welcomed than a great new restaurant in town. And, fully appreciating that they’ve been open less than a month, I know that they are working out kinks. That said, to write anything other than the truth wouldn’t be right.
We were warmly greeted at the door and bypassed the main dining room in favor of the bar, where we were greeted promptly by the smiling, friendly bartender. As we were on a martini mission (previous stop Hop Monk) we both ordered vodka, dry and dirty — and they were excellent. Served in an ice cold glass and shaken just right.
Sadly, the martinis were the highlight of our visit.
We ordered three miyagi oysters on the half shell, scallops and the octopus. About the time my first martini was drained I was looking for food, and having watched the oysters being shucked, noticed that they were just sitting in the prep area. Finally I asked the bartender if that plate belonged to us (it did) and he explained they were waiting to serve that dish with the other two.
When the octopus arrived I was sorely disappointed. On the menu where the dish is described I recall no mention of the plate being a salad with small bits of octopus mixed in. In fact I double checked under the Salad portion of the menu to make sure I hadn’t ordered the wrong dish. The Gribiche (?) sauce that topped the salad just didn’t work and the pieces of octopus were cold and rubbery.
The scallop dish was just odd, as neither of us had ever seen scallops coated in poppy seeds prior to cooking. That and the scallops were over, hence rubbery as well.
When I asked for the check, and the bartender saw two full plates of food still left, he asked if everything was ok, to which I simply said «no, we didn’t like it». To his credit (and the credit of the management for empowering their folks) he simply offered to take the items off of the bill — a gesture that was truly appreciated.
Whether we’ll return to Sonoma Grille is debatable.

My friends and I were looking forward to trying this new restaurant and decided to stop in last night. It’s always a coin toss when you go to a restaurant in their first week or two of opening but the menu was exceptional so we gave it a try– Wow am I glad we did! It was surprisingly crowded for a rainy Monday night at 8:45 when we got there. We sat down and ordered appetizers; Ahi Tuna Salad, Scallops, Oysters Rockafeller, and Beef Carpaccio. Everything was exceptional and perfectly prepared; the Ahi Tuna Salad and Oysters Rockafeller really stuck out for me.
For our entrees we ordered the Lobster Risotto and the Surf & Turf. I can honestly say the Lobster was the best I’ve ever had. It was cooked to absolute perfection and I may never be able to cook it myself again because I’ve clearly been doing it wrong. The steak was perfectly prepared and had a lovely sauce. The Broccoli rabe was excellent and I enjoyed every bite of my meal. The Lobster Risotto was some of the best Risotto I’ve ever eaten — the perfecty consistency, the mushrooms were incredible and we all ate until every bite was gone.
For dessert we ordered the crème brûlée, cheesecake, and chocolate cake. While the desserts were all fine I was a little underwhelmed. It isn’t that they were bad, but compared to the rest of the meal they were only average.
The staff was extremely attentive and our waiter was great. I can’t wait to go back! I recommend this place to anyone looking for a great meal and awesome dining experience at a reasonable price. The menu has something for everyone although it is probably 70% seafood.

Loved the décor, the ambiance, the service, the menu, and the food! Interesting mix of meat, seafood and veggie options. Not huge portions at very reasonable prices. Also liked the local (North Bay) wine list.

Wow, is all I can say! From the smiling friendly host greeting us at the front door as we came in to the fond farewell all the staff and owners wished us on the way out, this was by far the most memorable dining experience I have had in a great long while. And this was only their 3^rd night open! The restaurant is housed in what used to be the old Meritage right off Sonoma Square. The new owners have opened up the space inside and created a bright, warm appealing environment to dine. There is a large beautiful bar crafted of out of a huge 20+ foot solid piece of reclaimed redwood and lovely tile work accents are visible throughout the dining room. They even remodeled the back patio and have an outside bar, still, and bathroom that look to be in the process of being brought back to life this spring! (OH, JOY!)
But the food, oh my goodness, the food!
We started with the Beef Carpaccio, thinly sliced, drizzled with an aged balsamic, topped with fresh peppery arugula and studded with salty caper-​berries was a real treat. The beef just melted in your mouth.
Next we had the Pear Salad, nicely done with poached pears, watermelon radishes, mixed lettuces and creamy blue cheese crumbles. (I think Roquefort blue, but I can’t recall exactly)
Then what stole the show (I am still thinking about it today!) was the Octopus appetizer.
I order Octopus every time I see it on a menu and well, I am often disappointed as most places over cook it and it turns chewy and rubbery. Not the Chefs at Sonoma Grille! This was one of the most memorable dishes I have ever eaten. Fork Tender Octopus over fingerling potatoes, arugula and topped with a sauce «Gribiche.» It was so good that when we heard the table next to us commenting that they almost ordered it I simply had to share some of ours with them because I think everyone needs this dish in their lives!
I did not think anything could top that but then the Oysters Rockefeller came out…
6 oysters perfectly cooked again and topped with just the right amount of seasoned spinach and salty parmesan cheese that was melted to crispy. The freshness of the seafood was so obvious as these sweet mollusks had that briny flavor that screams ocean goodness.
For our entrée we shared the Lobster Risotto at the recommendation of our ever gracious and friendly waiter. He claimed it was his favorite dish and I can certainly see why!
The risotto was the perfect marriage of marscapone, mushrooms, broth and seasoning adorned with a shelled half lobster! Risotto is tricky, sometimes chefs tend to overcook it (and that does not take much to do so) but yet again this was as lovingly prepared as the last dish with the rice being just «to tooth» as the Italians would say. The texture and flavors of the risotto with the sweet lobster were a sublime pairing.
Lastly we decided to try the classic Crème Brulee. It came out accompanied by fresh berries that off set the creamy vanilla flecked custard perfectly. Even better was the Chef had plated the custard in a nice big round shallow dish so that there was ample caramelized crust to enjoy! My boyfriend and I were fighting over the last bite even though we were both so full at this point we were about to pop!
It is also worth mentioning here that as amazing as the food was, the service was one the same level. There was a true happy vibe from out server and the family that is running this new place. You could see everyone working together, smiling, laughing with guests and the owners were there checking in with tables and offering suggestions on food and beverages too. We made friends with the tables on either side of us and had a really nice evening watching families and couples dine around us.
In all seriousness, I never write reviews on places, I will rarely go to a restaurant that is only in it’s fledgling stages of opening because I am in the Food & Beverage business myself and I understand that places need time to get their feet under them. We stumbled into Sonoma Grille on a whim and I can honestly say I am already planning my next trip back there with friends this weekend because not only do I NEED more of that Octopus in my life but I also want to try at least 15 other things on their menu! It has been a long long time since I had such a pleasant experience dining out and I look forward to becoming a regular here.
Thank you Sonoma Grille, you are exactly what The Square needed!!!