Downtown Santa Rosa is experiencing a renaissance—offering more reasons to spend the evening downtown than ever before.
From craft breweries and a better-than-ever mix of restaurants and eateries to cozy coffee houses, patios perfect for cocktails and several live entertainment or theater options, downtown Santa Rosa is giving locals more reasons than ever to come downtown.
Dine
From casual taproom vibes to high-end bubbles and bites, sushi, gourmet ice cream and Puerto Rican flair, downtown Santa Rosa restaurants and eateries offer plenty of options to choose from.
On Mendocino Avenue and 5th Street, El Coqui brings the flavor to homestyle Puerto Rican dishes like Pollo al Horno and stuffed plantains, while Golden Bun’s steaming pho and vermicelli plates keep Vietnamese food lovers coming back for more.
On 4th Street, Belly Left Coast Kitchen and Taproom offers casual gourmet fare made with “left coast” sourced ingredients at their rustic, characterful taproom space, bar and patio. At the other end of the same street, Kancha Champagne Bar and Tapas proffers a substantial list of sparkling wines and Champagne, sparkling wine flights, and food and bubbly pairing experiences.
In the Railroad Square and Brickyard Center area, Americana and Grossman’s Noshery and Bar are hot spots for breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch, while Haku Sushi is the place for sashimi and sushi rolls. Grossman’s patio is also popular for evening bites and drinks and caters to business takeout lunch or morning bakery orders at their New York-Jewish inspired deli.
Coming Soon
Augie’s French will open this summer in the former Bollywood Bar and Bistro space on 4th Street. Augie’s will be the eighth restaurant to join the Stark Reality Restaurant group, owned and operated by Mark and Terri Stark.
Sip
On Mendocino Avenue, Civilization Brewing serves up freshly brewed craft beer and themed nights like vintage vinyl nights and movie nights. And on 4th Street, Belly Left Coast Kitchen and Taproom pours “left coast” made wine, beer and cider.
Meanwhile, further down 4th Street, Kancha Champagne Bar and Tapas offers a high-end sparkling wine flight and food pairing experience. Just a few blocks away, Russian River Brewing Co. discharges their award winning and iconic Sonoma County beers at the always busy and buzzy taproom.
Over at 1st Street and A, Shady Oak Barrel House carves out a name for itself with its barrel-aged sour beers, music and comedy nights, as well as rotating food trucks.
For craft cocktails, Perch and Plow (downtown off of 4th Street), Grossman’s (Railroad Square), Beer Baron (downtown 4th Street) and Jackson’s (Railroad Square) are the winners.
Coming Soon
3 Disciples Brewing’s long awaited new taproom in Santa Rosa Plaza is slated to open any day now, while Toad in the Hole will reopen under new ownership and a new name, Goose and Fern, this summer.
Entertainment
Barrel Proof Lounge, on Mendocino Avenue, brings entertainment to downtown Santa Rosa with comedy shows, open mic nights, karaoke nights, live music shows and more.
The California, located in the Brickyard Center, and home to Left Edge Theatre, also offers comedy shows in addition to plays, musicals, live music and more.
On West 6th Street, the 6th Street Playhouse is a North Bay live theater company with two theaters that hosts over 200 live drama, comedy and musical performances per year.
Summer on the Square is a downtown Santa Rosa event series organized by the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber that includes weekly Friday Live Music Nights and Monday Movie Nights all summer long. These events are free of charge, encouraging attendants to support downtown restaurants and businesses.
Stay
Between Railroad Square and the downtown 4th Street area, visitors have a handful of hotels within walking distance of downtown restaurants and entertainment to choose from.
Hotel E, the newest luxury boutique hotel addition to downtown Santa Rosa, located in a historic beaux-arts building, is conveniently situated in Courtyard Square, just steps from 4th Street’s bars and restaurants.
In Railroad Square, Hotel La Rose continues to offer a charming escape set in a majestic, historic building situated at the center of the district’s food, drink and entertainment offerings. The hotel will soon be under new management, who intend to update it while ensuring that it maintains its historic character and charm.
The Courtyard by Marriott and Hyatt Regency’s locations just steps from Railroad Square’s shops, restaurants and museums remain two convenient and relatively budget-friendly options for guests who want to be centrally located in wine country and also experience downtown Santa Rosa.
I ❤️ Santa Rosa!