Restaurant in Napa, United States
Tasting menu, terrace view, Michelin star.
The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil holds a Michelin Star and a Pearl Recommended designation for 2025, with chef Robert Curry running a seasonally sourced Californian menu on a 33-acre olive grove above the Napa Valley floor. Book the outdoor terrace at lunch for the strongest version of the experience. Booking is hard — plan three to four weeks ahead minimum.
If you have been to Auberge du Soleil once and sat inside at dinner, you have not yet seen the restaurant at its most persuasive. The outdoor terrace at lunch, looking out across the Napa Valley floor toward the Mayacamas mountains, is a different experience from the dinner room — quieter, slower, and in good weather a strong argument for making the drive from San Francisco. The 1 Michelin Star the restaurant earned in 2024 applies to both services, but the terrace at midday is the seat worth protecting. Request it when you book.
The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil earns its $$$$ price tier when the full picture is in view: a Michelin-starred kitchen under chef Robert Curry, a wine program built around Napa Valley growers, a setting on 33 acres of olive groves, and lunch hours that give you access to the same kitchen at slightly more forgiving timing. It ranked #560 on Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in North America for 2024 , a useful data point for calibrating expectations. This is a serious restaurant, not just a hotel dining room, but it rewards guests who engage with the tasting menu and the wine list. If you are coming purely for the view and a short order, the value equation is harder to justify.
Auberge du Soleil began in 1981 as a restaurant , the hotel came four years later, after guests refused to leave. That origin matters because it explains why the kitchen still drives the property rather than functioning as an amenity. Chef Robert Curry's menu is built around local sourcing, which in the Napa context means access to produce and proteins that most California kitchens would consider exceptional by default. The inspector data references dishes such as Nantucket Bay scallops in green garlic sauce, squid ink linguine with Mendocino uni over lobster claw meat, and a dessert built around orange zest, honey sponge cake, fromage blanc, cardamom cream, and rhubarb sorbet. These are not confirmed as current menu items , seasonal rotation is standard at this level , but they establish the register: ingredient-forward, technically considered, California-rooted with classical French influence.
The tasting menu format lets guests shape how the meal unfolds, which is a meaningful distinction from a fully fixed progression. For a returning visitor, this is worth leaning into: the chef's selections will reflect what is in season now, and the kitchen's sourcing relationships are a core part of what the $$$$ price is funding.
The wine list at Auberge du Soleil is constructed around Napa Valley growers, which at this address and price point should be the baseline expectation , and it is. What makes it worth paying attention to is the depth of local representation. You are not getting a token California section surrounded by French and Italian imports; you are getting a list that treats Napa as the primary text. For a guest returning after an earlier visit, the move is to ask the sommelier specifically about smaller producers and current-vintage options rather than defaulting to the familiar names. The cellar here has the range to support that conversation.
Bar program operates with the same register as the kitchen: California-sourced, seasonally aware, and not trying to compete with the cocktail bars in the city. If you are arriving early for the terrace at lunch, a glass of something local before the menu starts is the logical play. The [Napa bars guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/napa) covers dedicated cocktail options in the valley if that is a separate priority on the trip.
Booking difficulty is rated hard, which for a Michelin-starred Napa property with hotel guests competing for the same tables is expected. Plan at least three to four weeks ahead for dinner, and longer for weekend evenings or holiday periods. Lunch is the more accessible service , both for reservations and for the practical experience of arriving without fighting Napa's evening traffic. The restaurant runs lunch from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM and dinner from 5:30 PM to 9 PM daily, seven days a week.
The address is 180 Rutherford Hill Road, Rutherford. By car, the route from St. Helena runs via Highway 29 to Rutherford, then Highway 128 toward the Silverado Trail. From San Francisco International, the drive is approximately 104 km. Napa Valley Airport is roughly 35 km. There is no practical public transit option , a car or hired transport is required.
Auberge du Soleil works leading for guests who want the tasting menu format, have a genuine interest in California wine, and are willing to commit to the full experience rather than a quick dinner. It is also a strong choice for a special occasion dinner where the setting is part of the point , the 33-acre olive grove and valley views are a legitimate component of what you are paying for. If you are travelling with someone who wants a celebratory meal without the full commitment of a tasting menu, the lunch service and the à la carte options give more flexibility. See the full [Napa restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/napa) if you are building a longer itinerary around dining.
See the comparison section below for how Auberge du Soleil sits against [The French Laundry](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/the-french-laundry), [Kenzo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/kenzo), [Ad Hoc](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/ad-hoc), and others in the Napa fine dining tier.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil | $$$$ · Californian | $$$$ | Hard |
| The French Laundry | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Kenzo | Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Ad Hoc | American | $$$ | Unknown |
| Bouchon Bistro | French Bistro, French | $$$ | Unknown |
| Ciccio | Italian | $$ | Unknown |
How The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil stacks up against the competition.
Private dining is listed as an available amenity, which makes larger groups feasible with advance planning. For groups of six or more, requesting the private dining room is the practical move — terrace and main dining room tables at a $$$$ Michelin property are not configured to absorb large parties without prior arrangement. check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity and availability.
Lunch is the stronger booking for first-timers. The terrace views across the Napa Valley vineyards are the physical argument for the $$$$ price, and you only get that in daylight. Dinner tightens the atmosphere and leans into the wine program, which suits a return visit more than an introduction to the restaurant.
The venue data lists business casual as the dress expectation. At a Michelin-starred property in the $$$$ price range, that means no shorts or athleisure at dinner. Smart trousers and a collared shirt for men, or equivalent, will be appropriate across both lunch and dinner services.
The restaurant started in 1981 as the main event — the hotel came later — so the kitchen is the point, not a hotel amenity. Chef Robert Curry's menu draws on local California ingredients, and the wine list is built around Napa Valley growers, so arriving with some interest in both gives you more to work with. Book the terrace at lunch if your schedule allows it.
The French Laundry is the obvious comparison for a Michelin-level tasting menu in the region, but it is harder to book and more expensive. Kenzo offers a different format — Japanese kaiseki — at a comparable price point. If the $$$$ tier is a stretch, Ad Hoc and Bouchon Bistro are Thomas Keller properties that deliver credible food at lower price points, though neither matches the terrace setting.
Yes, with conditions. The chef's tasting menu at a 2024 Michelin-starred kitchen using local California ingredients — Nantucket Bay scallops, Mendocino uni — is a reasonable case for the $$$$ price, especially paired with the Napa-focused wine list. If you prefer à la carte control over pacing and spend, the value case weakens slightly, though the setting holds regardless of format.
Yes. The combination of a 1 Michelin Star kitchen, a 33-acre hilltop olive grove setting, outdoor terrace seating, and private dining availability makes it a practical choice for celebrations. The $$$$ price point and business casual dress code set the tone, so it fits better for couples or small groups than casual birthday dinners.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
