Guinda Commons

What a find! Our only regret is that we don’t live close enough to get there all the time (no doubt that it would be our favorite place to head to for food/​drink/​fun). The food: divine. The atmosphere: awesome. The owner and his crew: the best. Get your buns there. You will not be sorry!

I’ve been to many BBQ places all around the country, and this one ranks up there among the best. Good food, good atmosphere, friendly service. Extensive beer menu, and wine from a local winery. Worth a trip even if it’s out of your way — the place is great and the drive to it is beautiful.

Visited this place on Nov 29^th and while I’ve driven by several times on way to Clearlake, this was my first stop. Love it! Very quaint, great people, excellent beer selection, good food. The atmosphere is cozy with the fireplace lit and tv playing football game. I would recommend this place to anyone!

Unbelievable food and daunting selection of beers. Rustic homey feeling while still having greatly varied and impressive beer selection and also some solid vegetarian options. I had an interesting dish of cheese grits covered in perfectly cooked swiss chard, onions, and fried egg. Loved it.

All the other reviews are pretty much on target. I just wanted to upload some pics of the super homey atmosphere. Also, don’t go here to be alone. The owners are super friendly and, especially if the place is empty, they’re gonna want to chat! And you won’t be sorry.
Order whatever specials they have without worry. It will be good.
Every time I go here, it makes me want to move to Guinda just so I can become a regular.

So glad that we Unilocalped this place. The owner was so nice and had LOTS of beer selection. All the beers on the wall were not decoration, all what they served. We had pulled pork and fried green tomatoes. Very full of flavor!!! Would go back any time.

LOVE this comfortable, friendly bar/​restaurant. The meats are delicious, lots of savory side order options, & great beer on tap… Capay Valley is a great place to visit, with a stop here for a meal. The «front porch» at twilight is soothing and peaceful. The interior is cozy and warm, with a warm fire on winter evenings. Guinda Commons is a welcome addition to the Capay Valley ambiance.

Stopped by here for lunch. Very cool place. Just old and funky enough. Food is very good, fresh and made there. Had the smoked meatloaf and would recommend it. They have a comfortable patio area as well.

My friends and I were staying in Rumsey last Sunday night and didn’t feel like schlepping all the way to the casino for dinner, so our innkeeper suggested Guinda Commons. Boy, what a find!
We bellied up to the old wooden bar and ordered beers from their extensive selection (over 60, I think), and spent the next couple of hours chatting with the owners, Richard and Lori, as well as other locals who popped in for a beer and a bite. It’s definitely a locals hangout, but they are very welcoming to out of towners as well. The food has a southern vibe and was yummy: brisket, smoked meatloaf, fried catfish, hushpuppies, hand cut French fries (by Richard himself), cornbread, buttermilk pie, etc… sadly they were out of the grits when we were there.
This place has a great vibe… a rustic interior with a fireplace, outdoor seating, super friendly owners, and tasty food… plus live music some nights. Richard did mention they switch to summer hours at some point, so you might want to call first if you plan on swinging by after 6pm during the summer months.
We will definitely be making a trip back to Capay Valley, if only to hang out at the charming Guinda Commons!

Very relaxed place with good food and reasonable prices. We just stopped by for the first time today while out on a drive through Capay valley. The three of us shared the smoked meatloaf sandwich with three bean salad and a side of corn bread, and a smoked brisket sandwich with coleslaw and a side of pork and vegetable soup. All very good and everything tasted home made except maybe the corn bread. They have a few baked goods too so we took three molasses cookies to go. We will be back.

Perfect food and digs for afternoon tasting jaunt in Capay Valley. This area is underrated for its delectables! Beef brisket was really tasty, marinated slaw was just right and topped it off with yummy Sonoma organic cider. Definitely recommend this quaint place!

Great price. Nice staff. Indoor and outdoor seating. Wifi! Food is always good and tastes just like a home cooked meal. A great stop any time of the day.

We had a terrific meal! One of the proprietors is from Tennessee and does all the smoked meats. I had smoked meatloaf; excellent. Others in my group had smoked brisket and smoked ham. All was delicious. Portions were generous and fairly priced. I loved the 1870’s bar and the 1920’s décor, including an interesting certificate of WW I military service. The proprietor was friendly and entertaining. I’ll be back here often.

PBR on tap, great changing menu. Great interior from the 1920s. Nice patio and live music on some Sunday. A place to kick back.

The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming.
The people who work there are the nicest people you’ll ever meet.
The food was unbelievably good. This is a five star restaurant disguised as a roadside café yet the prices are shockingly low.
There are a lot of things unbelievable about this place and they’re all good.

Guinda Commons is terrific. My parents and I stopped in there after doing a short hike up road 53 (see
for details). They have a roaring fire going on in there –it’s the only heat. We had a couple of drinks and shared the brisket and fried cheese grits. They’ve got lots of food books around and the owner sat down with us and talked about food and about the Capay Valley with us.
I love that they serve beers in quart jars. It was really cozy to sit down by the fire as the sun went down and just relax. This is a true ‘pub’ as in ‘public house’. It is open and friendly, and the best part is that the food is home made with care. I will come all the way out here for no other reason than to eat a big meal.

Stopped here on a lark. Discovered my new favorite bar. On the way to Clear Lake was ahead of schedule, hadn’t eaten lunch. Pulled in and was greeted by Richard and Lori. Had a wonderful lunch and a couple of delicious beers. Played a little guitar and hung out.
Owners are charming and accommodating. Could have spent an entire afternoon here but had to get on the way. We had a great time at this unassuming stop. Bill was amazingly modest for the amount of beer, food and fun we had. Everything was perfect at Guinda Commons. Thanks for a great time! Will be back!
Cheers!

Guinda commons is a welcome bar/​café in a town without either. The smokin barbecue is authentic, fresh, juicy and unadulterated. The staff is super friendly and encourages diners to sit back and relax. Great selection of beer and they serve the fabulous capay valley sparkling viognier, an award winner from the local winery.
The entire area is full of surprises, phenomenal views, wonderful recreational opportunities and flocks of wild turkeys taking their morning walk. Wait, what? yes! And if you take a walk before you sit down for brunch at the commons you will see them!
Family friendly, prices too, the Commons is a small town gathering spot with charm to spare. Check it out!

Guinda has a restaurant. Because there is only one, it probably doesn’t need a name, especially because it’s right on SR 16. If you are visiting /​staying in the area, you will be glad Guinda Commons is there. And not just because it’s the only choice.
There is kind of a southern/​comfort vibe here. We enjoyed a couple cold ones on the porch before the sun and temperature dropped. The room is old-​timey, woody and combines some comfortable booths with a welcoming bar. The night we went there were some other vacationer visitors and a group of fly fishermen. I didn’t know there was great fly fishing in the area… but then, almost everything about this great area is kind of a well-​kept secret.
We shared a couple of sandwiches — a pulled pork and a brisket. both were very good. A good local bakery could lift them up a bit more. We tried the house special fried grits — kind of like «gritter tots» and, well, as my girth attests, mighty fine.
It was a two-​person crew, because the owners were out catering a big local roast pig shindig. No need to be jealous of the roast revelers, we were well taken care of at Guinda Commons.

This is an exceptional restaurant. They owner works hard to keep his quality high. The prices are quite reasonable. My son swears by the fried grits.
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Definitely go to this rather than waste your dollars on the marginal quality (which continues to drop) and expensive meals the Casino.