Walter Hansel Wine & Bistro

I have been somewhat of a regular here for more than a year. Two words: quality and consistency. The fare is remarkably good. Recommend the oysters in butter every time. The lamb is the best you can find in Sonoma County. The service is impeccable. On the single evening when our meal was not delivered promptly, the manager apologized and refused to give us the bill. With the right seat at the bar you can watch the kitchen staff at work, and it is a sight to see. There are so few places where this kind of old world pride still exists.
The wine list is adequate, and the waitstaff are equipped with sufficient knowledge of the vino to competently suggest pairings with any dish. I have not been disappointed. The atmosphere is not at all stuffy, and you’ll be perfectly comfortable in jeans. There is seldom a wait to get a table on the weekdays.
I cannot sing enough praise for this fine establishment. They are quite certainly one in a million.

After a long wait at the airport, I just wanted a nice, quiet and delicious dinner. Thank goodness for this delightful place. Matthew was fabulous and sincerely one of the best! Mischka gave such great suggestions on wine/​wineries in the area. The food was SO delicious. The mussels were perfect, as were the oysters. The steak I had was perfectly cooked.
I can’t wait for our next CA trip and a return visit to this fine restaurant!!!

We were traveling from Texas to Sonoma. Our flight was 8 hours late. We had to cancel our entire itinerary for that day, except our reservations at Walter Hansel Bistro.
What a tremendous experience. Warm, cozy, elegant. The food was beyond delicious from start to finish and the staff was so friendly and welcoming.
Matthew and Mischka were especially kind to 4 weary travelers.
I had the Coquille St Jacques which blew my socks off. The mussels were also a highlight, and the steak was cooked perfectly.
Walter Hansel Bistro was a true gem. I hope to return very soon!

They try hard with the service and the entertainment, but they should stick to the quality and quantity of their food. Their crab cocktail was old and it smelt. The chef relayed that it could have been the radish. It was definitely not that. While the entrees were fine, the portions were the size of appetizers.

This is an excellent place. Weekdays are more intimate and weekends a little busy. The food and service for both are awesome. The prefix menus is a great value. The best oysters I think I have ever had. The wine list is extensive and the Walter Hansel estate Pinot noir is excellent.
I highly recommend this restaurant.

We drove by this place on the way to Graton many times and finally tried it as we saw how busy it always was. The result; Excellent team service; Matthew, Hannah, Mishka and Fred the General Manager! The meal (lamb, scallops, beet salad, oyster shooters and potato leek soup) was excellent! Friendly atmosphere made you feel at home and welcome. The operetta solo was a pleasant surprise and a wonderful add. Obviously frequented by regulars and we will soon be amongst them! Terrific find!

We made a same day dinner reservation on a Saturday and actually changed the time several times (from 6:30 to 7 to 7:30 to 8!) I can’t believe they were so accommodating. And we even ended up with a very nice corner table. The service when we finally got there was fantastic. Very friendly and helpful waitress.
The food was very good, but not memorable. We had the halibut and the burger, both solid. Profiteroles were good, although they were topped with pistachios covered in chocolate which was a bit odd.
Overall the experience was great and we’d definitely be back.

A-​MAZING!!! Soup to nuts! Mathew was our server, had the Lamb, WONDERFUL! (Add more later!!!)

One of the best meals I’ve had recently.
Starting with the amuse bouche (carrot soup with Middle Eastern spices), the quality and taste remained consistently high. I had the onion soup, which was very good — nice balance of carmelized onions, Gruyère, and broth, with some sherry (?) to give it extra depth. Then I decided to be somewhat adventurous and try the duck gizzard salad. So glad I did — every ingredient was high-​quality — from the lardons to the frisée to the trumpet mushrooms from a local farm. The chocolate profiteroles with pistachios were a really nice blend of textures and flavors. Capped with a glass of Sauternes on the house, of course.
Big thumbs up — I’m definitely going again next time I’m in Santa Rosa.

Went there last night for restaurant week; three ordered the fixed price Restaurant Week Menu and two of us did not.
Overall it exceeded my expectations.
The complimentary and unexpected amuse bouche and dessert wine taste were a very nice touch.
Highly recommended.
Great service but a bit too loud for a table of five or more if you expect to be able to hear everyone at the table.

Came here with my mom on 2÷6÷16 during a road trip up to WA state from OC, CA. I ordered the salmon, my mom got the beef bourguignon. My salmon was pretty good, but just a little bit overcooked. The brussels sprouts were the highlight of this dish to be honest. I tasted my mom’s entrée and it was waaaaay better than my fish! Mom also ordered the crème brûlée for dessert and wasn’t that impressed with it. I don’t eat sweets so I couldn’t offer up my opinion on that I’m afraid.
To me, the highlight of the meal was the chef’s special appetizer that we received for free before our meal. It was pureed romanesco served warm, with various spices, in a shot glass. THIS was absolutely delicious and I could have eaten an entire bowl of it. In my opinion the place is a bit pretentious for my taste, but the food was ok and our service was very helpful and attentive.

First off, the service here is great, after that it was down hill. They try to portray themselves as a upscale eatery, however, they do not have the quality to back it up with. We had the bibb salad, which was good, and the kobe burger. The hanger steak was at least twice the price as the quality.
We had dessert after. The top to the crème brûlée was tacky and chewy, as apposed to the crispness that one would expect. The chocolate profiteroles came out unedible, we sent them back and they were taken off of our bill.
The dessert wine at the end was great, buy did not make up for the rest of the meal.
Overall, I would not revisit this establishment nor would I recommend it to any of my friends or acquaintances.

We came in last night for a nice mid week dinner.
We started off with the almond and olive plate. Which was extremely tasty.
Prior to that the brought us out a tasty cauliflower soup served up in a shot glass.
Next they brought out our lobster bisque with pastry top, I thought this was going to be better than it was. It left me suspicious, wondering how the rest of our meal would be.
Our main course came out next. My wife had ordered a beef stew thingy. And I ordered the scallop dish. I normally am not a big fan of scallops. But this dish was fantastic!
I can attest the north slope Pinot noir is very good.
Lastly, they brought us out some offerings of dessert wines complimentary…
In all I throughly enjoyed this place and I would come back again!!!

Excellent! I am raising my rating after returning. It is going from a 4 to a 5 after having a fabulous meal and hearing about the lighter dinner options that are now on the menu.
Now that it is raining outside I long to return for the Boeuf Bourguignon that was perfect on our last visit. The Pinot braised short ribs was served with glazed baby carrots, pearl onions, button mushrooms, & pomme purée.
My husband was very happy with his Fresh Herb Coated California Rack of Lamb with creamy polenta, vegetables Tian, & Asian pear chutney. After having a taste I think I may order that next time. Oh the tough decisions! The beef was so flavorful and tender and hard to resist.
We started with oysters with a Mignonette and finished the meal with Valrhona Chocolate Mousse. For me that is the perfect fresh and tasty beginning and rich flavorful end.
The wine list has a nice and varied selection. We found the Walter Hansel wines to pair well with the menu. This night we chose a Hansel North Slope 2012 Pinot Noir. It complemented our entrees enhancing both.

I really enjoyed our dining experience here. The wait staff was attentive without being overly intrusive, and that is something very hard to master in more of a fine dining establishment. The wine list was well done with fair prices, and if you ordered the owner’s wine label, it was priced even better. I appreciated that.
We ordered 3 different dishes – I had the duo of rabbit and my other 2 dining partners ordered the stuffed pork chops and rack of lamb. The dish of the night by far was the pork – so flavorful and juicy. My rabbit was OK, simply prepared, but the roulade part of the duo was overly dry. Not bad, but just not memorable. The rack of lamb was textbook – medium rare and good quality. Everything paired well with the Hansel Pinot.
I have to make a comment here – the chutneys this place does are out of this world, best I’ve ever had, so darned yummy good. There was a quince and apple chutney with the duck rillette and chutney with the rack of lamb. Both were deeply flavored and just expertly executed. If they could bottle that alone I think they could have a side business.
At the end of the meal they didn’t make a big deal of a birthday one of my companions was celebrating, they were discreet about it and comped it, which was nice. Another nice touch was complimentary Sauternes or Port with dessert – nice touch.
Looking forward to going back and trying some different things.

I will try and make this short and sweet. We were with a group of 12 trying to find a table last minute during memorial day weekend. Lucky for us Walter Hansel had a table!
Everyone at the table simply love everything about the experience. From the friendly staff to the beautifully plated food and delicious flavors, it was a night to remember. They even had a girl come out and sing a song from Mary Poppins at one point which was an unexpected surprise.
We had three bottles of wine during the meal, one of which was The Meadows Chardonnay, Walter Hansel wine which was very smooth and buttery. My favorite was the Trione red blend though. It was so good in fact that we searched for the winery and went there the next day during our adventures.

This is a difficult review to write, because this place hits the mark in so many ways, but also fails in a big way, and that big way is the taste of the food itself.
five stars for exceptional knock your socks off service! Another five for food presentation, the plating is beautiful!
We tried this place twice with basically the same opinion on both visits. The food itself misses the mark.
On our most recent visit I started with the lobster bisque, beautiful presentation with a pastry crust covering the top of the bowl. The bisque itself had an overpowering unpleasant aroma and taste of days old shellfish. One star for presentation.
Honey had the bibb lettuce salad, which was beautiful and flavorful. 4 stars for this dish. Honey had the rack of lamb, ordered medium but served rare. The lamb was veryflavorful, however the creamy polenta served with it was more like corn bread consistency and not edible. Again a beautifully presented plate. Three stars.
I had the Beef Bourguignon, also beautifully plated but lacking any depth of flavor. All the ingredients were in the dish, but it was like they were added too late in the cooking process to add any depth to the overall dish, including the sauce. 2 stars.
For dessert we had the chocolate mousse special, almost too pretty to eat, and this dish was a tastebud delight. 4 stars
Wine list has plenty of good selections with very small markups, major kudos for this! Corkage is a very reasonable 15.00 if you bring your own wine. 5 stars
In summary, wanted to love this place more than I actually do. We would not go out of our way to eat here, but might try it again if we were wine tasting in that area.

The Best Meal in the North Bay — hands down.
Inspired Food
Excellent Service (Christina)
Outstanding Wine Selection — especially by the Glass (The Proprietor has several vineyards and labels that run the whole spectrum of deliciousness).
Great Atmosphere — a young girl (H.S. age) sang a few times that night and it was beautiful.
We shared some Oysters with a special dressing and some Humanely treated Foie for apps. Uhgughahahaga — so Decadent!
Then we split a Duck Gizzard Salad — OH MY LORD WAS THIS DELICIOUS.
Never have I heard of such a thing. My BFF is an amazing cook and will eat Gizzzzzzards — but none that taste like this WOW WOW WOW. Rich and Satisfying.
Then I had the Lamb Shank and He had the Short Ribs — BOTH To Die For, rich and fall off the bone tender. Yummmmmm
My buddy brought in a bottle and I bought a bottle of Crozes Hermitage from the list. Well priced — felt like a steal, but people in Sonoma drink Sonoma wines and they have plenty of great ones.
I Particularly Loved the Walter Hansel Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County, RRV North Slope Chardonnay, and the Rose of Pinot Noir had just a kick of acidity and ripe dry cherry, strawberry with complexity.
Start with an Amouse Bouche (Am-​yewz Boosch). and Finish is a taste of some dessert wine — a port, a sauterne, or a fortified dessert wine — All Delicious.
If you’re spending the Money — This IS The Place

Ok I don’t often give a restaurant 5 stars — it has to be «i can’t live without eating here again» kind of place. And while we had a dish we didn’t adore — there are other reasons this place is 5 stars to us. It was our first time here and it was our 20^th wedding anniversary. For starters they brought us 2 glasses of champagne — on the house — to celebrate — a nice touch! The service from our waiter Jason, was perfect. He gave us great suggestions and perfect descriptions of the various dishes and specials. He was attentive throughout the meal without hovering. And our «bus girl» Amy was quite perfect too.
We had several wonderful dishes. We ordered the warm oysters but somehow got the cold ones instead — we ate them and they were grand. Then Jason realized we got the wrong ones, so brought us the warm ones too. The cold ones therefore were also «on the house’ — lucky us! We then had their signature lobster bisque which was fabulous as well.
We had a Walter Hansel chard and a Walter Hansel pinot noir with our meals. Loved them both and had never tried their wines before. We now want to visit the winery to taste them all!
Main course — husband had mussels and fries — this was the one not so perfect dish but it had Pernod in it — something he doesn’t love. So I’d say this was a case of poor ordering on our part. We did not actually order any of the main dishes suggested by Jason — silly us!
I had the duck breast — very flavorful and tender.
Dessert was crème brûlée — perfectly crusted — which is often not the case.
Once again we were treated — «on the house» to a port and a sauterne as an after dinner delight. Really — these people are way too generous.
And then when the bill came, we realized we were not charged for our wine. Jason then noticed it too and only charged us for one instead of two. Really — how generous can you get!
I am not giving them extra credit for all these «freebies» as much as saying their food and service are quite perfect and their customer service can’t be beat!!!
thanks for a lovely evening and meal — we will be back!

I don’t give reviewed restaurants 5 stars often. IMHO an eatery needs to excel to earn 5 stars. Walter Hansel Bistro does.
Located in the former Zazu restaurant by the semi-​famous chef Duskie Estes. The dining room has been brightened up with white paint and white Christmas lights strung about the ceiling. The seating lay-​out is pretty much the same, cozy. Tables are close together, get to know your neighbor diners.
The food? French inspired northern CA clean & elegant. I promised my spouse that we would keep the expense down to a reasonable roar. So we ordered the prix fixe @ $ 35 each, though it was advertised in the newspaper as $ 29.
For that price they served: Amuse bouche of creamy butternut squash soup with house made dinner rolls, bibb lettuce salad with a subtle dressing, Corvina seabass on a bed of potato gratin, & an apple galette. Portion sizes were adequate. Flavor was refined, mouth feel was silky luxurious. Plate presentation was pretty.
Service: Impeccable, timely, smart, good humored.
Wine list: some 75 bottles ranging in price from $ 23 to $ 375 dollars. The Walter Hansel branded wines are quite good, I tried 4. I’m a wine snob & these low priced treasures are worthy of your selection. By the glass there’s about 15 wines to sip. The $ 10 pinot noir was a pleasant fruit-​forward surprise.
Walter Hansel bistro food is up there in the heights with John Ash, Underwood bistro, Applewood inn. Just expect a less glorious dining room than super-​luxe John Ash.
Go! You’ll be happy that you did.