Cafe La Haye

Fantastic. Delicious. Lovely atmosphere. I can’t wait to have another opportunity to come to Sonoma to eat here again. The soup of the day, a ‘split pea’ soup was very unique. The pork chop was awesome as was the beet/​chevre salad appetizer. The risotto wasn’t as creamy or flavorful as we’d love and I like my brussels sprouts cooked til a bit softer, but since the overall meal was a 10 it’s easy to still give a full 5 stars.

THEE most amazing meal. We felt like we were on Top Chef or Chopped, where the judges freak out because the food was so good. Expensive, BUT WORTH IT. I had Cod, and it was the most delectable, fantastic fish I’ve ever eaten. The sides were SO tasty — cooked but crunchy, and seasoned perfectly. They bring out the sides on a platter and place them in the middle for you to share with your eating mate. SO FREAKING GOOD, EVERYTHING.

Great Restaurant.
Luckily, we made reservations otherwise we would not have had the chance to try this really great restaurant.
The space is small but it was comfortable and while crowded, we did not feel squeezed in. We were given a small round table right in front of the large window looking out over Napa Street. The setting is a nice mix of casual elegance. From the quote and the daily specials written on the large chalkboard above the open kitchen, to the linen and butcher paper topped tables set with china and silver and glasses. We were treated by the Maitre’d, offered drinks and bread right away, and the specials were described for our consideration. Aisling, our capable server, was friendly and professional and took most excellent care of us throughout the meal.
The menu is limited, but with a nice variety of dishes. It appears they do a few things very well. We opted for the Chicory Salad (for me) and the Pork Belly (for he) to start off. The salad was just OK, the pork belly was deemed very good. For our main course we both ordered fish. I had the Sand Dabs, my husband had the Patrale Sole. Both were excellent. Cooked to moist perfection with just a hint of breading and sauce. The mild fish was a standout and allowed to shine through. For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Silk Cake. Thank-​you Aisling for recommending we share. It was rich and creamy and decadent. I would drive to Sonoma for the cake.
They have an extensive wine menu, we settled on the Viognier which was a little on the sweet side, but paired well with the fish.
I will definitely be back next time we come to Sonoma. A lovely dining experience throughout.

Hate to rain on the parade here but my wife and I came up to Sonoma for an overnight stay on our 32^nd anniversary and wanted to go to the BEST restaurant in Sonoma. Our experience at Café La Haye left us well short of our goal.
On this night we learned how important a good server is to the dining experience. Unfortunately we learned it the ‘hard way’. We had a later reservation, and were quickly seated in a neat corner table with most of the restaurant in front of us. Good vibe, nice cozy interior. However, when our server arrived, there was a conspicuous lack of energy and little effort in engaging with us, helping us with our selections or adding to our experience at Café La Haye. Not even a ‘whereya from’ or ‘celebrating a special occasion?’ etc. The specials were read to us rather robotically, our clarifying questions were answered with minimal detail. I might suggest to Café La Haye to print out the daily specials, especially if server input is to be so uninspiring. The choices sounded like they could be quite interesting, but we ended up splitting a kale salad that was frankly, pretty average, and light in the chestnuts as promised.
For our entrees we selected a leek and radicchio risotto and were asked if we wanted shrimp included. We both agreed, only to have the server retreat and say, ‘well let me see if we still have any’. Fortunately, they did. The risotto was excellent – definitely the highlight of the evening. We could have used a small side dish had one been suggested, but that never came up, and we didn’t notice anything that immediately struck us as a good ‘match’ with risotto. We added two glasses of a zin that we recognized from the wine list after getting no help or suggestions on a wine pairing.
I might say that the supportive wait staff was very good in what they do – dishes were cleared immediately, water glasses refilled, etc.
For dessert, we had been looking forward to trying the butterscotch pudding that others have written about. Our server came with the dessert menu and gave us a few minutes. We enthusiastically ordered the pudding, only to have the server say, «oh, we’re out of that». Shouldn’t that have been announced when the menus were distributed? (kind of like knowing the status of the shrimp inventory before offering?) And with 6 or 7 tables still eating, including an eight person bachelorette party next to us, did the restaurant really underestimate the demand for it’s popular choice that badly? It was at this point we really felt unappreciated and just another table being turned by the #1 rated Sonoma restaurant. We settled on sharing an almond torte with gelato. The torte arrived shaped as a small muffin, served on a large plate with the gelato seemingly miles away. It almost seemed like the two had had a fight and weren’t talking. There was drizzled honey on the plate between them, but just kind of an odd presentation, in my opinion. Delicious taste, however. We added two cappuccinos, but were in and out in under an hour, and while the owner graciously stopped by to say hi, left feeling unappreciated and certainly disappointed. On a different day, at a different time and with a different server, perhaps we could love Café La Haye, but on this day, it was not to be.

Perfect place for a special anniversary dinner. Food was fresh and full of flavor and the service was friendly and inviting. Highlights for me were the beef carpaccio and the filet mignon with a side of the spinach ravioli. The cheesecake for dessert was the perfect ending to an already amazing meal. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting a top quality meal in a relaxed and elegant setting.

This is our favorite restaurant in Sonoma. We visited it the day we moved here and have been going back regularly. Saul and his staff are extremely welcoming and make us feel special every time we come in for dinner. We have never been disappointed with the food or service. Everything is consistently delicious. Save room for dessert and try the chocolate silk cake. Amazing!

Upscale Sonoma at its best! Cute and quaint restaurant with fantastic food and prompt service.

We had an amazing dinner at Café la Haye! It was truly spectacular food. The service was also exceptional. Get the pasta with pork shoulder dish. It was sooooo yummy!!!

The best fine-​dining in Sonoma. There are plenty of great restaurants off the square, but this one has always been the most consistent, honest, and outright delicious.
I’ve never had a disappointing meal here, and have always been surprised by the quality of the food. Sure, I’ve had a dish or two that didn’t amaze me, but overall the dining experience is awesome.
If you haven’t been here yet, you are missing out on one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.

What a surprise. Expected a good meal, but got a fabulous one instead.
Nice place, not over the top. Warmly greeted ad seated very quickly.
Menu is limited with a few specials. The kitchen. Is open, so as I passed I asked one of the chefs,” what’s good tonight? Without hesitation he said the «pork chop».So that was what I ordered.
Now, pork is a lower end of the meat chain, but this chop was unbelievable, incredibly moist and flavorful. Lightly breaded with an aioli sauce.Great.A side dish of gnocchi was the best I have ever had. and for a New Yorker who has had great Italian food, that’s something.
Wife had special sole dish which was excellent.
Very good wine list and reasonable priced.

Came here for a birthday dinner, selected the location based on the wine list. Do not let the short and sweet menu fool you, everything is fantastic and the daily specials are fresh and delicious. In the party we had a sampling of everything– fish, pork, steak, vegetarian– and everyone was happy. I had the special marinated skirt steak with collard greens and white cheddar gnocchi. As a southerner I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the collards were, the steak was perfectly cooked although I did not taste the marinade. The pork chop was amazing, if I were to return I would have to order that from the regular menu as the single bite I tasted left me wanting more. The almond cake for dessert I think was the best of the offerings. And, of course, superb wine list!
I very much enjoyed the interaction with all members of the staff, all helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable

I had high hopes for this place, as it came very highly recommended. Maybe my expectations were a little too high. The service was alright, we never really felt like we were wanted there, to be honest we wanted to walk out the moment we sat down but because of the recommendation, we gave it a try. The soup that day was delicious, but so plain. There wasn’t even a garnish. It was just this yellow thin soup. Tasty, but not impressive. Then we ordered the chicken and a side of the cauliflower. The cauliflower came on the side of the plate, plain. Without any of the accompaniments that the menu suggested. So we thought maybe the waitress forgot our side order. When we asked her about it she said that was the side order on our plate? When I pointed out that t was plain cauliflower without anything that the menu suggested, she went back to ask the kitchen. By this time we had almost finished eating because it was taking so long. She came out with the vinaigrette and almonds that were supposed to be on the cauliflower in a ramekin, and said, «here you go, I’m sorry about that» and that was it, and basically ran away. Mind you, at this point I had maybe one piece of cauliflower left on the plate. The chicken was cooked good, but also tasted like it was missing, maybe some seasoning? We decided to skip trying anything more and finished up with fried chicken from the farmers market instead! (Which had more flavor and juiciness than the one here) and just as a side note (you would think they would remove the side dish from the bill since it was very obviously messed up… nope! And no further apologies or follow up after she ran away)

The staff is friendly and helpful. I started with the potato leek soup, which was very good. My main entrée was Salmon on pilaf. The waitress warned me that the default was medium rare and I went with that. I wish that I had ordered it medium since the thick part of the steak was raw in the middle.
The desserts were delicious. We had the raspberry sorbet, the chocolate silk cake (my favorite!) and the cheesecake.

Can’t say enough great things about this setting. We were so happy that we chose this restaurant following our engagement photos at a nearby winery. When we arrived, the owner was there and he warmly greeted us and seated us at a two top table. Our server (blonde with super pretty eyes) greeted us. Warm but not overly friendly she took our drink orders and came back to retrieve our food options. We ordered, a beet salad, scallops, quail, a side of corn in a puff pastry, a Greek salad, and ended with two desserts. All devoured All so delicious. The owner (Sol) came by several times to ask us how everything was. Being in hospitality, we felt that he genuinely truly cared about his guests. So important as it comes across genuine and not robotic. We would highly recommend making reservations and coming here during your next Sonoma visit. We are clients for life!
Thank you guys!

Fourth night in Sonoma. Best meal all week. We started with the polenta appetizer. It was great. Then the butter lettuce Greek salad which was also outstanding. I had the braised pork chop with a chorizo butter and my wife had the favrolile pasta with pork. Both, were excellent.
The service was very good as the server was very attentive. Now my favorite Sonoma dining place.

Great food and great service! Highly recommend!
We had several different dishes and each were flavorful and had a beautiful presentation. AND, the service was awesome! We will be back!

This was my first visit with a friend of mine. We were looking into downtown Sonoma for places to eat for dinner and researched through Unilocal and word of mouth. This restaurant had good reviews and recommended by our hotel concierge.
We made a 715p reservation on 9÷26÷14 because if you don’t it would be impossible to get in since the restaurant has a small space and seatings.
I like how you can see thru the kitchen and see how they make the food.
The food was incredible. The wine selections was many. For appetizers we ordered, beef carpaccio and crab cakes. The beef carpaccio had fried green tomato garlic aoli, pepperonito and shaved regganio and it was delicious, melts in your mouth. It was even my friends first time eating that and liked it. Crab cakes with cucumber salad was also good but a little on spicy side. For entrees, my friend ordered there chicken with potato and mushroom while I ordered their petrale sole which is a fish. Both entrees we really enjoyed.
The manager was very attentive and customer service was great.
I would recommend this place.

We were in town for a quick weekend away and after reading all of the phenomenal reviews, knew we had to try out Café La Haye. We showed up at our reservation time but they were running late. The staff was so friendly though that they offered us a free glass of wine while we waited.
It’s a very small place where you can see into the kitchen which I always enjoy.
We started off with the Burrata arugula and heirloom tomato and it was good but probably the least favorite of what we ordered. My wife had the quail with corn bread chive stuffing and a huckleberry a jus with roasted spinach. That sentence alone makes my mouth water. It was very flavorful. I got the filet with savory bread pudding and green beans with garlic butter. The filet was cooked perfectly.
We couldn’t pass up dessert and got the butterscotch pudding (out of this world!) and chocolate silk pie. Do not pass up the desserts.
Excellent service at a wonderful restaurant in a quaint town.

My wife and i celebrated our anniversary in Sonoma and were fortunate enough to have dinner here. Highly recommend reservations, small cozy restaurant.
I really enjoyed sitting at the bar, if you are a foodie and appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into fine dining, you must sit at the bar.
from the bar you can see all the food preparation and watch the chef at work, the chef is from PA, nicest guy and everyone i came in contact with was so sincere and friendly.
the food was great, i appreciate the half bottle of bubbly as a choice (instead of a regular bottle), excellent wine list, great service, i only wish the restaurant was a bit bigger but the location is perfect and the food was memorable.

Café La Hayes is a classic that has been around for some time. It’s reputation is well deserved so their is not too much to add. The food is so fresh and the flavors to pure that it’s subtlety may be lost on some people expecting a big wow. But, it really is fantastic. I may have given four and a half stars if I could have for an overlooked pork chop. It still tasted great.
If you’re looking for a quintessential wine country restaurant, this is a pretty good bet.