Glen Ellen Star

Excellent service, great food, reasonable prices.
Little jewel in Glen Ellen…
Workers are young, friendly, yet very professional.
Pizza was excellent.

Fantastic!
We came in last minute and were able to snag a seat at the chef’s counter. It was so fun to see the hustle of the kitchen.
The food was so delicious.
We ordered the Brussels sprouts covered in basically bacon candy! Heavenly…
Next was the Zatar bread which is pretty good by itself but even better when used to mop up the remaining sauce from our main course!
Finally we had the lamb ragu which was melt in your mouth delicious!!! I would go back just for this.
The chef took the time to chat with us about the food and our stay. Was so nice :)

Amazing fire roasted veggies. We had the Brussel sprouts with maple bacon, crispy on the outside with just the right amount of sweet from the maple. Ravioli short rib was also fantastic! Ended with a cup of the peanut butter cup ice cream for a great dessert :) wonderful date night after a day of wine tasting.

I simply love this place for its unpretentiousness and comfort. I’ve been here twice. Once without a reservation and sat at the bar and a second time with a table reservation. There are about 5 seats at the bar for walk-​ins. My favorites include the lamb ragu and roasted cauliflower. Dessert was an apple crumble. It’s all about good honest comfort food done well.

The Food is good and definitely worth trying out. We only ordered a few appetizers, so I can only review those.
The Foie Gras was a special on the menu. Very Succulent. Braised in caramelized onions and green strawberries and resting on a thin crispy cracker. Delicious. I couldn’t get enough. The Sunchokes Tagine was also quite good. Roasted and very tender, although a little salty. The Cauliflower Tahini was nicely roasted, but the Tahini overpowered the taste of the cauliflower. Not exceptionally creative or different and I wished we ordered something different. The daily soup was nothing special and one taste was enough.
Unfortunately, the service does not match the caliber of the food. We had 3 or 4 people coming around constantly trying to clear our plates, even when the food was not finished. Not only did it seem disruptive of our experience, it also seemed they were trying to rush us out so they could turn the table quickly. My sister made a comment: «In a quality restaurant, one would never realize the servers where there.»

We found this cute restaurant from our airb&b host. I wish we didn’t eat dinner the night we visit, but we had to try this place out. Tried their roasted fish and it was amazing! I can enjoy seafood when it’s fresh and not drenched in some creamy sauce. We sat at the bar table and I just loved watching the chefs cook. If you’re looking for a cute place to eat, this is where locals go!

Delicious food and great service.

Had a date night here and we were both well underwhelmed.
This is a highly acclaimed restaurant if you look at Unilocal reviews but I won’t be back. The service was good but the food was flat out mediocre. I like the idea of cooking everything in a wood oven but it wasn’t the mechanism of heat that drew my disappointment, it was the flavor.
That’s right, flavor. Salad missing salt and acid. Beets missing the rest of the menu description. Horrid pizza (how is that possible?) with far far too much cheese and white truffle oil (don’t ask me about the shaved truffle). Lamb pasta over-​spiced with what seemed like a mole/​curry/​kitchensink and a heaping of sour cream.
With the exception of the pizza everything was edible but nothing any home cook couldn’t put together and come out as good if not better.
$ 100 smackers for poor execution.
Went to El Dorado Kitchen for dessert and drinks. Dessert menu at GES is ice cream.
Super disappointed. I assume our meal was an anomaly but I’m not risking $ 50 a person to verify.

We have visited the Glen Ellen Inn which is very close to this restaurant for several years and were finally able to get a reservation at the Glen Ellen Star. In a nutshell, the Glen Ellen Star is more «trendy» whereas the Glen Ellen is more «traditional». Having said this, we still prefer the Glen Ellen Inn partly because they have a full liquor license for those of you who want to enjoy a Cocktail before dinner. Also, the menu at the Glen Ellen Inn is more varied. Here we had the Brick Chicken which was outstanding with many flavors, the Flank steak which was prepared perfectly. Also, the appetizers and/​or entrée dishes are served easily as a full meal. We enjoyed our time here.

The brussels sprouts. Oh the brussels sprouts!
Amazing food and great ambience when it’s not packed.
We ordered several of the pizzas, obviously the brussels sprouts and brought home cups of the pumpkin and peanut butter ice cream. Everything was to die for, and we savored the ice cream for a few days.
Gourmet comfort food at it’s best. Very lucky to live in walking distance here. Can’t wait to go back and get more of the brussels!
Bravo GES!

Absolutely spectacular. The roasted vegetables are a must have. We tried the roasted Brussels sprouts with brown sugar and bacon. The white pizza with guanciale, figs and arugula was delicious. But nothing could top their lamb shank special.
Highly recommend sitting at the bar if you want to be amazed by a bunch of culinary artisans cranking out amazing dishes.

Soo good! Loved sitting up at the bar being closest to the action of the kitchen. The owner and head chef really cares which means a lot. This is a gem for sure! The brick chicken was amazing. The version we experienced had a Mediterranean twang that made your tastebuds sing. Captain crunch ice cream ‘to go’ was delicious. It’s definitely comparable to Ray’s ice cream, which most Michiganders swear by.

5 stars for the fish, 4 stars for the overall experience. I’d say order one fish for each person. Our mistake was that we shared an order thinking it’s hefty, but that was a huge mistake… huge! The fish tasted sweet and tangy and just simply fresh! I’d pay this place another visit just for this dish. The rest are just «extras» for me. We also ordered the shishito peppers for appetizer — I think my partner cooks better in terms of this one. The lamb was also not that special, a little spicy and the olives made the fish more salty than I would have preferred it to be. The ice cream was also good, we ate it with the baked apple dessert.
The table attendant was also nice and attentive, service was fast.

We enjoy going to Glen Ellen Star, the food is very good. The corn with cheese on top is amazing and they always have some creative dishes on the menu. One con I’ve found is that too many dishes have crumbs on top, a little more variety would be good (beets, apple dessert). We wish they were open for lunch on the weekends, we’ve gone a few times to find it closed.
Overall, I’d recommend trying this place out.

This place is AMAZING!
Was a short drive from Sonoma for dinner and this was my favorite meal this trip. Small restaurant and it was bustling. Tables are quite close together and it’s fairly loud.
That being said, the service and food are a solid 5 stars.
The brussel sprouts starter is to die for! Seriously, even if you don’t like brussel sprouts, you will love this dish. Amazing taste and textures loaded with thick bacon pieces and a brown sugar sauce — it sounds weird, but it’s unique and I would love to make this myself at home.
My main was a daily special of a beef shortrib and I loved this as well. It was a nice cut with great flavor and properly trimmed.
We shared their baked apple cobbler to finish — warm, nice sugar and cinnamon mix, and a perfect finish to a delicious meal.
All this for only $ 50 pp (excl drinks/​tip/​tax) — I can’t recommend Glen Ellen Star enough!

Oh man, oh man… This place is a treasure. It stands to reason that a culinary experience such that this place offers would be in the small town of Glen Ellen just outside of Sonoma. Why not; there is serious money in this area as a result of all of the bay area moguls coming north to satisfy their ever expanding luxury lifestyle choices. I know this town pretty well for one who does not live here. A bit of history is due…
My first venture to Glen Ellen was in the summer of ’74. I was visiting my college friend David who was born and raised in this town (he still lives here and we were visiting him recently again which allowed us the pleasure of dinning at the Star). In those hedonistic days the town was populated by farmers, ranchers, construction tradesmen, left over hippies from the 60’s and people associated on the periphery of lower middle class life. In other words, no frills. There were one or two mediocre restaurants, and two or three biker bars (one of which had some pool tables where I lost a lot of money). Starting about 20 or so years ago things began to change. As I mentioned, Bay Area money really started to make a presence. More and more boutique wineries started in the area as well as big house construction in the hills for the weekend get away crowd with money to spend.
This brings us to today and all that it entails with regards to small town bliss combined with a sophisticated dinning experience. Sounds like a contradiction, yes? Well, not in this case. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Glen Ellen Star Restaurant.
My wife and I recently dinned here twice in one week. Read all of the other reviews if you want particular info on specific dishes. I don’t usually go there unless something is bad. I will say that all of the roasted vegetable dishes are amazing (I never had such great cauliflower, and who knew that egg plant could be so good). Lamb ragu on pasta, pizza, beef short rib, chicken on lentils, whole fish on a plate, and more… all are really excellent.
The wait staff are very good and friendly. No wanna be actors or attitude They took time to explain things and they seem to genuinely enjoy what they are doing. Why can’t more big time restaurants get people like this? The cooks, there were three of them, all worked efficiently in a small kitchen that is open to the dinning room. I estimated the kitchen to be maybe 16′ x 8′. Really amazing how they all work in such a tight space yet produce such a varied and special menu. They also seemed to take a lot of pride in what they do. I am very impressed with this place. I would recommend it highly, and please, do leave a big tip, they deserve it. Enjoy…

What an amazing spot in the cute town of Glen Ellen. A culinary masterpiece in every bite. This small restaurant provides exceptionalism. Fresh, local, organic are some of the words that may arise during your meal. Amazing and unique ingredient combinations and nightly specials based on available fresh ingredients.
The open kitchen, which is set amidst the indoor dining area, is incredibly small and only staffed by a few people. I don’t know how they do it but they do it well. Watching them work is pure entertainment. If you happen to visit this restaurant solo, you can sit at the bar for dinner and be fully entertained. The kitchen is a well-​oiled machine… quite impressive!
For the vegetarian, there are great veggie options. I was impressed by the menu which is extremely vegetarian-​friendly. Included is a list of 5 vegetable «sides» that can either be «sides» or with the selection of a few, you have a great veggie dinner. These «sides» are all cooked in the brick oven. They also have plenty of other veggie choices such as a veggie pasta option and a veggie pizza option (more than one pizza was vegetarian).
Pizza options are wonderful, unique, and ever-​changing (there is a nightly pizza special). The crust is crisp, thin, and chewy. Yummmmmm.
They also have entrée choices that range from pasta, fish, and meat.
We tried the cauliflower with tahini side, the grilled octopus special, the pizza special (white pizza with figs, walnuts, and basil leaves), and the whole branzino fish. Everything was perfection. No complaints. We complimented our dinner with a bottle of a great French Rose. We ended our dinner with a small refreshing dessert (dairy free sorbet, berry sangria) that was home-​made and all natural.
The indoor dining is small, intimate, warm, and on the louder size. If you prefer a quieter experience, they also have a nice outdoor seating area. They take reservations and are busy 7 days a week.
In my opinion, the Glen Ellen Star has the best food in Glen Ellen hands down. In addition, I would suggest that it can also be ranked as one of the best in Sonoma County. I look forward to returning soon.

Came in for my birthday. Now I see what all the fuss is about. It was our first time.
Amanda was our server. She was really great. Decanted a special bottle of wine for us we had been saving and made great recommendations
The food was delicious. And I mean delicious. If you haven’t heard the owner/​head chef is ex French laundry and just got rated as third best chef in California
I can’t wait to come back.

Glen Ellen Star is a new American restaurant off the beaten path in Wine Country. Excellent service and fantastic food.
Enjoyed the brussels sprouts covered in sweet bacon and tomato cream pie. The sesame brittle was nice and crunchy but the mole lacked flavor. The tomato cream pizza crust was perfectly thin in the middle with a chewy outside. Definitely get the egg add on.
The salted peanut butter ice cream was the perfect ending to the meal. Creamy, sweet, and salty!
Would definitely return.

Truly a star in this small town whose «downtown» consist of one tiny block. The mister treated me to a surprise birthday retreat (shhhh don’t ask me how old I turned), and we stayed in the nearby Gaige House, which was fabulous. The other perk is that, we are walking distance from this amazing restaurant!
We walked in late at night on a Friday, past 8pm I think, and to our surprise they accommodated us immediately without a reservation. We sat in the covered patio, which has more than enough heaters to keep you warm without a jacket.
Apparently they specialize in Italian cuisine, mostly pizzas. However, we weren’t feeling like pizza, so we extended our feelers a bit and tried something else. We had the chestnut ravioli, and oh my god was that dish perfect. It was hearty yet layered with all sorts of flavours, and I haven’t had anything quite like that before… Too bad they change their menus seasonally because now I want it again! Their roasted vegetable dishes were all very delicious as well, and we just couldn’t have enough and ordered more of them.
They also have homemade ice cream, which you absolutely cannot miss. The ice cream was very creamy but somehow not too much such that you will feel full quickly. Even someone who’s lactose-​sensitive like me would be willing to gulp down most of this ice cream.
True, it’s a bit out of the way even if you live in wine country, but your tastebuds will thank you after you made the detour!