NINEBARK

Downtown Napa is pretty hip, but nothing compares to NINEBARK! Recommended by my friend in the area, we came on a weekday afternoon for some cocktails and small plates. The space seems small, but you will soon realize that the 3^rd floor terrace is the place to be for a lovely dining experience. We were able to make an easy rezzie same day through OpenTable, but NINEBARK makes it clear on their website that if you have trouble getting a table to give them a call and they will see what they can do. Here’s the skinny:
–Drinks: TO DIE FOR. I could already tell they were going to be amazing when I saw the bartender work his magic. I had an absolutely refreshing drink to which I cannot remember the name but is featured in the photo below to the right. I would’ve loved to have had more, but the prices are a little steep.
–Small Plates/​Provisions/​Appetizers: The daily flatbread was topped with goat cheese, apricot jam and blistered shisito peppers. The minute it was described, we knew we had to order it. Perfectly cut into easy to share pieces, the mix of flavors was exquisite. We also shared orders of the poke which was small cuts of hamachi served in a tasty sauce and covered in greens. We also ordered the summer squash which was slightly smaller in sharing size, but we managed to share it with the other dishes as well.
I would love to come back here for more cocktails and try more of the delicious foods. The brunch menu looks amaze… can’t wait to try more!

Just had a drink upstairs. Great spot

Excellent food. The housemade smoked fish appetizer was very tasty with a nice variety… tuna, salmon, mahimahi and local cod. Jason at the downstairs bar was very helpful and courteous. His recommendations were spot on. Definitely a come back and visit location.

Best rooftop deck ever! Casual summery bench seating under big umbrellas with a view of downtown Napa is the perfect setting for a signature cocktail or a taste of one of Napa’s première local wines. Get the fried chicken biscuit sandwich and the the oyster Po Boy! Delicious!

I worked with Ninebark to coordinate a very important dinner for some execs out of NY. And, I truly cannot express my gratitute to Jenn and Phil and the entire staff for providing such an incredible evening of warm, friendly, professional, and unbelievably delicious dining.
It’s all in the details, and every detail was hit. From the fantastic host and sommelier. To the servers for their wonderfully attentive service. The lounge staff, and really everyone on the floor that night. And, especially to Matt for his extremely wonderful culinary expertise. I was so happy to see the looks on my attendees faces, and the ‘sounds’ as they dined… After dinner which was presented on the indoor second floor, we moved to a reserved space on the third floor outdoor veranda. The weather was perfect, as we relaxed and enjoyed the evening. The ‘boss man’ actually fell asleep in the outdoor glider… It was fantastic, and an evening not soon to be forgotten.

The layout is interesting with 3 floors (bar on the 1^st and 3^rd floors, kitchen on the 2^nd floor, indoor outdoor set up on the 3^rd floor.) We did brunch on the rooftop on a Sunday. The weather was a bit windy but nice, and they have lots of big umbrellas for shade.
The bar looks legit. Unfortunately, we were still recovering from the night before, so I had to skip out on cocktails. They had live music when we went. I guess it was someone who usually works there, but he was really talented.
Food:
— Grilled mozzarella: on thick cut toast with tomato jam. I would have liked the mozzarella a bit more melted, but the tomato jam on it was actually the highlight
— Seafood Benedict: nicely poached egg and a huge portion
— Green goddess salad: grilled broccoli and shaved smoked mozzarella were amazing. The bottom of the plate was a bit over dressed, but the flavor on this was great
Service was a little spotty, but everyone was super friendly (especially the hostess).

Dan from N.O.L.A you rock ! We had the best time drinking Negronis on the roof top. We will be back soon to try the Duck Confit !

Beautiful rooftop deck with views of downtown Napa and the rolling hills in the distant. Was here for a bachelorette brunch which location was great. But food was mediocre and service lacking from the plaided guys who seemed to forget about the 8 girls on the patio. With all the options in Napa i would probably try other places before returning.
Drinks: summer punch — tastes like a green juice with rum
Food: flatbread was amazing and a hit with the girls along with the Rosemary bread. Charcuterie is overpriced for so-​so meats just laying on a plate. Duck was the overall favorite of the entrees. The tuna tar tar felt incomplete with no bread/​carb compliment.

Matthew Lightner, a former 2 Michelin star chef (emphasis on «former»), left his magic in New York; a huge disappointment, NINEBARK, his new experiment in Napa, falls flat.
As a concept, NINEBARK is interesting: craft cocktails on the first level, small bites and drinks on the rooftop terrace, and «fine» dining on the rustic second floor. In reality, not so much. «Craft» cocktails can be had more quickly and less expensively almost anywhere and certainly without the attitude wielded by the bearded, hipster bartenders; outside dining is not in short supply in the glorious Napa Valley; and Lightner’s creations fall well short of «fine» dining.
Saved only by an interesting cured egg yolk, the baby green salad ($ 12) was drowned in black garlic ranch dressing. One almost wanted to throw the little lettuces a life preserver so that they might save themselves from drowning. Accompanied by an almost microscopic amount of grilled lobster tail, the beef tartare ($ 25) disappointed. Perhaps Lightner should take a trip down to San Francisco to dine at Michael Mina to see how beef tartare should be prepared. The green tomato gazpacho ($ 16) served only as a thin base for some fried oysters rather than a soup. The delicate sweetness of the charcoal roasted duck ($ 40) was overwhelmed by the too forward flavors of the accompanying lavender honey and lovage sabayon.
Service fared little better than Lightner’s culinary efforts. Servers seemed harried and disinterested. Used plates were not timely cleared.
In the rich culinary world of Napa Valley (and the Bay Area in general), Lighter needs to up his game or tuck his tail between his legs and slink back to New York. He certainly will not have to worry about Michelin gracing him with any stars for his efforts at NINEBARK.

First time here for an intimate 40^th birthday dinner coordinated by Mr. Kong, a colleague, to experience a newly opened restaurant with dishes prepared by 2 Michelin star chef Matthew Lightner.
Before we sat down, we had a quick tour of the restaurant and its rooftop lounge. The restroom is surprisingly small so be careful when you walk in. The ambience was just perfect — a very romantic dating spot!
We were seated at our table and greeted by a restaurant manager. We ordered our food and drinks and cheered to the birthday girl. Although the bread was a bit on the overly toasted side, we still had an amazing experience with the rest of the food.
I like some accent colors on my plate so a few food presentation missed some garnishing colors but it was very pleasing to the palettes.
After we finished our dinner, we asked to relocate upstairs for desserts. Luckily, one table became available, so we were able to enjoy the rest of the night on the beautiful rooftop setting that overlooks Third Street.
I’m excited to come back and share the experience with few group of friends.

We were seated up on the roof of the restaurant and enjoyed a beautiful Napa spring evening. While the weather was unbeatable, the food came very close. Every single dish had complex and interesting flavors. The best dishes of the evening was the steak tartare and the poached and then smoked foie gras on a skewer (!). The other dishes were also quite excellent — creamy salt cod beignet, surprisingly flavorful clam porridge, crab toast spiced with Sichuan chili and tender roasted duck breast with sweet lavender honeyed skin. The only dish that didn’t seem to come together was green tomato gazpacho with oysters. The desserts were also quite good. I love the Point Reyes Whey Soft Serve — smooth with the right level of sweetness. It’s definitely worth the drive to come eat here.

This was my return visit to NINEBARK (my original visit was in November 2015-​one month after opening). Delighted to report that I loved my dinner just as much, and if I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would be a «regular» guest. Food is creative, delicious and generous sized portions; service is very attentive and friendly; great atmosphere; delicious cocktails – loved the Napa Spring Punch! Anyone who appreciates great food should make NINEBARK a «must» when dining in Napa, and I also highly recommend NINEBARK as «destination dining” – I traveled from NYC!

********************* 1500 **********************
I had the chance to dine at Chef Matthew Lightner back when he was at the 2 Michelin Star Atera in NYC. I was looking forward to dining here and I surely did the last few times before I have time to Unilocal it.
The three floors of Ninebark each offers different thing. The first and the roof top offer the smaller menu, a few snacks, and a few dishes are the same at the-​the second-​floor dining room. Drinks on the ground floor and the third floors are also different. The wine list is nice and offers the old and new world.
I love the fresh leaves on the menu and the wall. It’s a beautiful space, high ceiling, beautiful wooden table. Even the bathroom on the ground floor, everything was delightful to look at, although they are all unisex.
The roof top only opens the weekend during the winter time, so call them to check when they open. It’s a nice spot to have an after drink and to wine down.
The cocktails were strong, and if you are unsure, the barmen can surely help to create a drink to match your palate.
The food was fantastic. Every dish came out was beautiful plated. The flavor, the temperature, and the taste were all on point.
I love the fresh fruits and veggies were display by the open kitchen. The first time I was there, I surely had the best table,

— «PICKLE Plate» fruits and vegetables from the garden — is the most beautiful dish that I have eaten in this year 2016.
— Dungeness CRAB TOAST, Sichuan chili, pickled rose, grilled citrus dashi — this was so delicious that I even ate the whole toast.
— TARTARE of aged beef, grilled lobster tail, ahi tuna, egg yolk jam, tomatoes, croutons, house garum dressing — it was very good until I got a close call with the raw lobster. It said grilled on the menu, but it was raw. The server did not asked if we were allergic to anything. Luckily I went to the bathroom to clean up and spit it out quickly took my allergy pill and was ready to use my EpiPen. One of the managers came to apologize and made a note on my OpenTable. He was very nice.
— The pork belly was also superb. I love the skin part.
— The SMOKE COD was also a nice surprise dish.
The food was 5 STARS. The service was spotty. We asked to see if I could show my BFF the rooftop and the main dining room. They don’t allow you to take the elevator up alone. The hosted had to escort us. And then she waited around, and it was the strangest thing I’ve experienced at a nice restaurant in this caliber. As if they were worried we might just crash the dining room or something.
They absolutely don’t allow you to order any food from the second-​floor dining room to the ground floor FYI.
I got to meet chef Matthew Lightner; he was sweet and so super talented. I would come back because of his amazing food. But the service, I’m a little skeptical… There’re other nice places that I got treated much better in Napa Valley.
If you haven’t been here, check out chef Matthew Lightner’s food, it’s worth a trip to Napa Valley. Reservation is a MUST if you want to dine with a full menu on the second floor.

An outstanding restaurant with outstanding food. Enjoyed everything we had from start to finish. Compliments to the chefs. Bravo!
Will definitely be back again and again and again.

Cool brick stone building with an an equally cool rooftop.
I was looking for a place to help celebrate a milestone birthday. I found this new spot in downtown Napa. I liked that it was new, I liked that it has a rooftop… I’m a sucker for ‘em. I liked that the chef is a 2 Michelin star holder and liked that the menu looked delicious. Ding-​ding! All this prompted that reservation.
That evening, we scored street metered parking a short few blocks down, around the corner. As we were walking up, there was hip hop music coming out from the front of the restaurant. Not quit the music I was expecting from such a place. I think that particular song had lyrics that made my eyebrows raise. ha! When we opened the door, we were greeted by a female hostess and a guy in a suit. I told them what time we had reservations for and that we came a little early to have some drinks first. I asked if we could go up to the rooftop which they both seemed a little confused by but pointed to the stairs.
We walked up through a bar/​dining area and I immediately caught a view of the outside. I knew I was going to like it already. Ooolala! there’s heat lamps, white cushioned benches and seats, planters nicely spread all around and had those floating light bulbs. Very cozy and inviting vibe. The building isn’t very high up but you still get a pretty sweet view of the surroundings and that evening sky. Beautiful. It was still early with plenty of seating to choice from. We zoned in on a great spot with a table for us to take in the fresh night air.
We started off with one signature cocktail, one old fashioned, and brussel sprouts for an app. The brussels were a good size serving but wasn’t unusually good, just good to keep picking at. I wasn’t too crazy about my drink but was told and after seeing those old fashioned birthday drinks disappear, it’s safe to say it was quite good. haha We were enjoying the ambiance so much that we asked if we could just stay up there. Our server said it wouldn’t be a problem and I told another staff and gave them my name so that they can square things away downstairs with the hostess. Think it confused them, since the suit from downstairs came up and took a peek at us. Which by my so-​called «no show» Open Table email, seems to also indicate that. I had to respond to Open Table and straighten that out. I wanted my points! Perhaps part of that «newly open, what are we doing» thing that they weren’t yet quickly able to sort out.
Now back to dinner. They had a special which featured a rib-​eye meal for two. Oh helllo. That had our names written on it and we were told it would be an excellent choice. and it was! When we got our dish, it was beautiful. We were both in aww of this massive serving of meat that came decorated with delicious grilled veggies. Loved it all including the baby purple potatoes that I couldn’t get enough of. When it was time to cut into the meat, I did notice it was a little more medium than medium rare. I was a tad sad. =(Took that first bite and it was excellent considering it was a tiny bit overcooked for my preference. A thick cut of meat that was very juicy and tender. The flavors were on point and not over seasoned to take away from it’s natural goodness. It was great! The whole plate was great.
Since we were celebrating a birthday, we had to order dessert. We weren’t too particularly excited about any of them but we went with the specialty chocolate cake that came recommended to pair with his old fashioned. Good, just dense. However, we asked for candles (That’s what makes it a birthday cake, right?) but they didn’t have ‘em. Luck with have it, I had one! Haha. I think ahead, what can I say. Got the candle on it, server lit it up and bday boy made a wish. =)
Even with the little glitches, I really enjoyed our time here a lot! Our dining service was great. We had different staff checking in on us and giving us suggestions. Our main guy really was on cue, letting us take our time but was good with making sure we were good on things. Even brought us blankets; added to the coziness of the evening and attentive service. As a tourist, I would definitely recommend this spot even for it’s locals that haven’t tried out Nine Bark. From the list of quickly growing new reviews, it looks like they’ve got something of a new gem in their town.
Oh yeah, they were still playing borderline questionable lyric music when we walked out. Well, as long as you «don’t see nuttin’ wrong» (get et). All is good.
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I’m impressed and pleased with everything here! This is a 4 plus star restaurant, but I’m giving 5! The Paloma vodka grapefruit soda cocktail that is bottled on site, then poured over ice into a salty rimmed tall glass is a great way to start. It was crisp and not at all too sweet. The bar tender, Jason I think, was helpful in explaining that «bottled» on site is the new thing now. My dining partner had a pleasing French Provence Rose, served by the glass. The bar tab was not included with dinner bill so I took care of it on the way out. The bartenders were grateful and offered us a free drink next time.
The dinner was one of the best I have had this year. We shared all of the dishes ordered. starting with the house smoked fish. AMAZING. Served with horseradishy tartar dip and crisp crackers. Dinner also comes with fresh thick bread with whipped butter AND fresh olive oil. The best of both worlds… I don’t eat much bread but the tastes I nibbled were worth the carbs.
Twice in my first time here, a server put something we didn’t order on our table, then realized it was meant for someone else. I got a good look at the gorgeous ganache for 2 and the salt cod beignets in this way. Once the service snafus are worked out, NINEBARK will be over the top FABULOUS.
Insider tip: chocolate ganache for 2 is out of this world if you have room for dessert. The ganache that landed at our table was intended for friends nearby — so I heard about it later.
Just booked a birthday dinner here for May.

I visited for dinner on a Friday night recently and had a really outstanding experience. The design of the restaurant was excellent, very modern and beautiful.
We had:
— Smoked Foie (rich, but compellingly delicious for a non-​Foie fan)
— Charcoal roasted Duck (perfect duck, favorite ever)
— Japanese Style Cheesecake (I thought I couldn’t handle one more bit, then this arrived)
— Many cocktails (all top notch, rivaling the best of SF)
— Burrata (I wanted a straw for the sauce)
— Grilled broccoli salad (we made orgasm faces as we ate this)
— Beef, lobster, tuna tartare (a novelty, fun to try but I would pass next time)
We had such fun with the cocktails we ran out of time and didn’t sample any wine.
Note that this place has three levels: 1^st floor is a bar with small bites, 2^nd floor is the main dining room and open kitchen, 3^rd floor is an open air patio with seating, drinks and food.

Being in Napa the bar is already pretty high for a restaurant in this price range but our dinner this evening actually exceeded my expectations. The ambiance here is fun and comfortable and the service was also above average. I found the servers very attentive but what really shined was the meal itself. The flavors ere exceptionally refined and I found myself eating slower just to savor each and every bite.
The presentation was also very good and the meal came together beautifully, from the crab toast appetizer to the petrole sole main course and the excellent dessert finish. The pricing here isn’t cheap but with the quality Of food and experience it is definitely worth it. It may be called Ninebark but based on the meal I had here tonight I’d give it a Tenbark.

Scared to write this review because of the reprocussions…
But, it would be a sin not to say how much we loved coming here for the first time :)
Everything was perfect. From the asthetics, staff and most definitely the food!
Highlights were the avocado salad the duck *utter perfection” and the Chocolate cake. Yes we had other dishes but that’s what stuck out the most.
We will definitely be back.

Came back for a second time and this was much better.
Again the service was excellent and they were very detailed oriented and everything was promptly and we didn’t feel rush at all.
Now onto the food, we started off with the Avocado Salad, which was pretty good. It is winter and not exactly Avocado season, but the salad was done well nonetheless. It’s like eating a really good version of Guacamole.
Onto the Beef Tartar, which was mixed together after the waiter instructed us to. The Tartar was quite tasty and again it was fresh. We had the Mackarel skewer, which the fish was cooked perfectly. Unlike last time, there was a lot of detail paid attention to the dish and each dish was done exquisitely.
The main dish was the duck and the Petrole Sole. Both was done well this time. Last time the duck was too salty and the fish was mushy. This time the fish was cooked perfectly along with the other seafood and the duck was cured but wasn’t so salty that it tasted like ham. It had a good duck flavor and it was tasty.
Dessert was good, chocolate cake was done right and the ice cream made it much more tasty. Japanese Cheesecake was decent and it made for a satisfying end to the night.
I am glad I came back this time, I would come back again from this experience. Whatever they had issues with when they first opened seemed to have been solved, and now we have another excellent choice in the Valley.