A Weekend in Healdsburg, CA
My honest opinion and recommendations of everywhere we went & ate in the most charming town located in Sonoma County.
Born in raised in coastal Southern California, it is extremely unusual for me to travel somewhere and think, “if we lived here, we would be just as happy as where we currently lived.” There are a few things that made me feel that way:
The town itself is incredibly charming. There is a beautiful park in the center of town called the plaza, and it’s surrounded by dozens of shops and restaurants. While there are a good number of modern new builds and multi-family residences in Healdsburg, there are also many neighborhoods filled with craftsman style homes that have been lovingly preserved. My five year old was also delighted at discovering the little fairy doors that many businesses had close to their entrances.
Somehow there were no crowds. With the exception of traffic we experienced the first evening partly relating to the accident. Someone messaged me and mentioned that there was a music festival in Napa that could have drawn some of the locals away from home.
Every single meal I ate was delicious, and every single cup of coffee I drank was extremely good. Even the local bagel shop had drip coffee that was more than halfway decent.
Lodging & Venues
Stayed at the Best Western Dry Creek Inn, which wasn’t exactly downtown, but is close enough to it. We had adjoining rooms for a little more privacy from the girls, and everyone had a blast. The hotel is a bit dated, but was good enough for a home base, and both rooms had a refrigerator.
Wedding was at Ru’s Farm, which was beautiful. The ceremony was under a huge oak tree, and the reception was in a barn onsite. They also have onsite cottages for the bridal party and couple to stay in before and after the big day.
Day after Party was at Chalk Hill Estates, a rental that included an onsite vineyard and pool. It didn’t have a ton of bathrooms but it did have a huge kitchen and comfortably hosted about forty guests at a time. It’s a little bit outside of downtown Healdsburg and surrounded by a ton of wineries if you want to go wine tasting.
Coffee
Coffee from Flying Goat Coffee, they had a tap of sparkling and still water. I ordered the iced cardamom orange blossom latte, and it was the perfect balance of espresso and sweet.
Plank Coffee another stop right across the street from the Best Western we stayed at, and has a ton of great pastry, and food options (though a little pricey), and the service was quick.
Black Oak Coffee, I ordered an iced latte here, and found it quite milky, but I think that may have been my fault since they have three size options and I should have chosen the smallest, but I chose the medium.
Quail and Condor you may have seen my post honoring my delightful visit to this bakery. They had an assortment of savory and sweet pastries as well as sourdough bread and coffee. Everything I tried was delicious, and it’s definitely worth the detour if you’re in the area.
Restaurants
Acorn Cafe: This place was one of my least favorites, but it was mainly due to the prices vs portions of the menu. I spent $100 on breakfast for my family of four, which felt quite steep. The food was good, and I could tell the ingredients were nourishing, but it did seem like we overspent by about $20-$25 for the amount of food we were served.
Spoonbar hosted the Welcome Party, and it had the perfect outdoor back patio for the event. The food and service was really good, and it’s surrounded by some hedges which provide shade, and greenery.
Carmella’s was an extremely crunchy smoothie place we went to in preparation for more indulgence later in the day. The smoothies were good, and they have some take away food that you can grab if you want something more to eat.
Mombo’s Pizza I’ve been thinking about this pizza for weeks, and would definitely try to go here again if I was in the area. They have a delicious thin crust pizza that even the New Yorkers visiting enjoyed.
Drewish Deli helped cater the morning of the wedding and also the day after the wedding. They were wonderful to work with, and we totally over ordered. I’d say one of their platters is plenty for about 20 guests.
Big John’s Market was recommended by local friends and kind of had the feeling of a local Whole Foods.
Iggy’s Organic Burger: This was a little pricey but the chicken burger and french fries I had were both delicious. They also share a space with an ice cream shop if you’re in the mood for dessert. They have parklet seating that looks out onto the plaza, and was a lovely place to enjoy dinner.
Shopping:
Plaza Gourmet Kitchen Store: There were a ton of different kitchen gadgets and items, many of which I have added to cart on Amazon but opted not to buy because I wanted to be able to see them in person. I ended up only leaving with a large tart pan, and a medium whisk. This felt less like a Crate & Barrel experience, and more like a mom and pop kitchen store.
Other notes:
Parking was usually pretty easy, and the city overall wasn’t crowded. If we had more time I would have checked out a local thrift store and spent more time at the Plaza Park, which is in the center of town and does the heavy lifting for the town’s local charm.
If you are looking for a wine country getaway that has all of the good food and coffee you would get in Napa, with slightly lower prices and less crowds, definitely give Healdsburg a try!
Cheers!
Becca