7 Restaurants with Top-Rated California Cuisine

When looking for top-rated California Cuisine, Petaluma offers a wide range of scrumptious choices. With its agricultural bounty, many of Petaluma’s fine dining establishments base their gourmet cuisine on locally sourced ingredients for a delicious farm-to-table experience. In this article, we highlight several standouts that help make Petaluma a foodie destination.

1) Luma Bar & Eatery

At Luma Bar & Eatery, the menu rotates often, with an eclectic variety of California fusion dishes, which can be enjoyed inside or on the patio with a view of the river. You can count on this eatery for always including vegan and gluten-free options. Hand-rolled gnocchi, vegetable-rich sweet tahini salad, and flatbreads keep people coming back. Creatively crafted cocktails and mocktails round out the experience, making Luma an excellent spot for happy hour or a night out with friends.

2) Central Market

Locals love to hang with friends over wood-fired pizza, fine wine, craft cocktails or beer at Central Market. It also draws visitors to Petaluma with its mouthwatering dishes like slow cooked Angus short ribs and seared wild sea scallops & winter squash risotto. Starters include something for every palette, with bites like spicy lamb cabbage rolls, Liberty Farm BBQ duck wings, and ocean trout crudo.

3) Seared

Carnivores and seafood lovers return again and again to Seared for Chef Joe O’Donnell’s award-winning take on sustainable surf and turf. Seared’s happy hour runs from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm with nibbles chosen based on the currently available produce. That’s why you won’t see their happy hour menu online. This Petaluma restaurant even boasts a wide selection of barrel aged cocktails.

4) Brigitte Bistro

For French cuisine, Brigitte Bistro, Chef Nick Ronan serves up scallops, beef bourguignon, duck confit and other traditional French fare with mouth-watering sauces in a cozy milieu on the boulevard just north of downtown. Learn more about the bistro and chef in this Sonoma Magazine article.  

5) The Shuckery

Oysters take center stage at The Shuckery. In fact, this downtown seafood restaurant, which makes sustainability a priority, was voted Best Restaurant for Oysters in Sonoma County two years running. The Shuckery, with its convenient location just off the boulevard on Washington, makes a great spot for happy hour with its well-earned reputation for creative and delicious craft cocktails and its extensive, expertly curated wine list.

6) Risibisi

Awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for twelve consecutive years and Zagat’s Best Restaurant in Petaluma, Risibisi has nearly as many types of bread to compliment your meal as it does pasta dishes. In addition, foodies may also choose from filet mignon, salmon, chicken, and more.   

7) Sake 107

Sake 107 blends traditional Japanese cuisine, featuring fresh fish from Japan, with local farm-to-table ingredients. Plus, sake lovers will be hard-pressed to find a wider selection of sake in the North Bay. Its Japanese tapas (izakaya) menu includes several gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.   

Learn Why Petaluma is a Foodie Destination

Petaluma has long been considered a foodie paradise with its many top-rated California cuisine restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a innovative happy hour experience, dinner with a special someone, or a crowd-pleaser for a night out with friends, Petaluma can’t be beat. Diners can choose between French, Italian, Swedish, seafood, surf and turf, and so much more, all within easy walking distance in the heart of Petaluma.

Here are those seven restaurants again with contact information.

Luma Bar & Eatery – Craft cocktails, frequently updated menu | 50 E Washington Street | (707) 772-5037

Central Market – Woodfired pizza, California fusion | 42 Petaluma Boulevard N | (707) 778-9900

Seared – Seasonal surf and turf, barrel aged cocktails | 170 Petaluma Boulevard N | (707) 762-5997

Brigitte Bistro – Intimate bistro, authentic French cuisine | 841 Petaluma Boulevard N | (707) 981-8381

The Schuckery – Award-winning oyster bar | 100 Washington Street | (707) 981-7891

Risibisi – Michelin- and Zagat-rated Italian | 154 Petaluma Boulevard | (707) 766-7600

Sake 107 – Sushi and Sake bar | 107 Petaluma Boulevard N | (707) 241-7580

You can also find lists of all the restaurants in Petaluma, by type, at the bottom of the restaurant page.

Why not learn first-hand why Petaluma restaurants have such a positive, far-reaching reputation?