A regional list spotlighting the most notable new restaurants in Sonoma County. It highlights openings that successfully contribute to Sonoma’s evolving food and wine culture.
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Sonoma, United States
Enclos earned two Michelin stars in its first full year on Sonoma's East Napa Street, placing contemporary Californian cooking at the top of the town's dining tier. Chef Brian Limoges and Wine Director Ian Cobb run a tight, focused operation with a 320-label list strong in California and France. For serious dining in Wine Country, this is the address that matters in 2025.
Healdsburg, United States
Named one of Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants of 2025, Folia arrives in Healdsburg at a moment when the town's dining scene is broadening beyond its established fine-dining anchors. Located at 101 Dovetail Lane, the restaurant enters a competitive field that includes both Michelin-decorated tasting counters and relaxed wine-country bistros, staking its own position in that range.
Santa Rosa, United States
Named one of Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants of 2025, Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar has quickly registered as a serious entry in Santa Rosa's dining scene. Located on Montgomery Drive, it pairs wood-fired or artisan pizza with a wine program positioned squarely within Sonoma County's producer-rich backyard. For a city that sits at the intersection of California agriculture and wine country, the format fits with precision.
Sonoma, United States
Waterhawk Lake Club arrived on Rohnert Park's Roberts Lake waterfront and earned a spot on Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants list for 2025 before most locals had found it. The lake-club format positions it differently from Sonoma's wine-country dining corridor, trading vineyard views for open water and a setting that draws a loyal crowd back on rotation.
Petaluma, United States
Bijou arrived on Petaluma's Kentucky Street in 2025 carrying two of the year's most competitive regional endorsements: Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants and the San Francisco Chronicle's Best New Bay Area Restaurants list. That double recognition places it inside a small cohort of new openings that earned cross-market notice simultaneously. For Sonoma County dining, it is a signal worth tracking.
Healdsburg, United States
Named one of Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants of 2025, Bistro Lagniappe brings a Louisiana-inflected sensibility to Healdsburg's Avenue dining corridor. The name itself signals intent: lagniappe, the New Orleans tradition of giving a little something extra, frames a kitchen philosophy rooted in Southern generosity within a wine-country setting. It sits in a Healdsburg dining scene that runs from three-Michelin-star precision to casual wine-bar plates.
Sonoma, United States
Named one of Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants of 2025, Stella sits on Sonoma Highway in Kenwood at the edge of wine country's working corridor. The recognition places it among a small cohort of newer openings drawing serious attention in a county where established names have long dominated dinner reservations. Booking ahead is advisable given its early-recognition status.
Sonoma, United States
Named one of Sonoma Magazine's Best New Restaurants of 2025, Poppy sits in Glen Ellen on Arnold Drive — a stretch of the Valley of the Moon where produce-driven cooking and wine country informality set the tone for the whole corridor. The recognition lands it in the company of the most-watched newcomers in the county, at a moment when Sonoma's dining scene is drawing sharper national attention.
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Overview
Sonoma Magazine's 2025 Best New Restaurants list recognizes 8 recent openings across four Wine Country cities: Sonoma, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma. The list spans multiple dining formats, from pizza and bistro concepts to wine-country dining rooms, reflecting the region's continued restaurant expansion beyond its traditional fine-dining centers.
This annual list from Sonoma Magazine identifies the most noteworthy restaurant debuts in California's Wine Country region. The 2025 edition features 8 establishments distributed across four cities, with Sonoma claiming three spots (Enclos, Waterhawk Lake Club, Stella, and Poppy), Healdsburg taking two (Bistro Lagniappe and Folia), and Santa Rosa and Petaluma each contributing one (Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar and Bijou, respectively). The selection shows geographic spread beyond Healdsburg, traditionally the region's restaurant epicenter, and includes diverse formats from neighborhood wine bars to lakeside clubs. The magazine's picks provide a snapshot of where Wine Country dining dollars are flowing in new directions.
Sonoma Magazine released its 2025 Best New Restaurants list with 8 picks spanning the county's main dining towns. The lineup runs from Sonoma's Waterhawk Lake Club to Petaluma's Bijou, covering bistros, pizzerias, and wine-country concepts that opened recently enough to qualify. Unlike comprehensive dining guides, this list focuses exclusively on debuts—the restaurants new enough to signal where the region's hospitality scene is headed. If you're tracking Wine Country openings or planning visits around recent additions, these 8 spots represent the magazine's editorial take on what's worth attention.
The 2025 edition distributes recognition across four Sonoma County cities rather than concentrating in any single town. Sonoma itself claims four restaurants (Enclos, Waterhawk Lake Club, Stella, and Poppy), while Healdsburg—often the county's dining spotlight—accounts for two (Bistro Lagniappe and Folia). Santa Rosa and Petaluma each contribute one venue, Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar and Bijou respectively.
The list format suggests Sonoma Magazine is tracking new openings across price points and dining styles. Names like Bistro Lagniappe and Rosso Pizzeria indicate casual-leaning concepts alongside what appear to be full-service wine-country restaurants. Waterhawk Lake Club's name implies a membership or resort component, distinct from the neighborhood bistro and pizzeria entries. This mix reflects Wine Country's broadening restaurant landscape beyond white-tablecloth destination dining.
For diners using this list, the geographic spread matters. Sonoma and Healdsburg sit about 20 minutes apart, while Santa Rosa and Petaluma expand the range to the county's population centers. The list functions as a touring map for people visiting multiple Wine Country towns rather than a single-destination guide.
