Petaluma is a town of juxtapositions: gun shops and tai chi studios, chic natural-fiber boutiques and bars hung with mounted bucks. The mix is refreshingly across-the-aisle.
What used to be a humble chicken-and-egg town has become the kind of place where you can spend a morning rummaging around great thrift stores and sampling fancy lotions at boutiques. (You will smell good in Petaluma, which is a plus, because in the summer you’ll still catch a whiff of the barnyard funk locals call the “Sonoma aroma.”)
The Sonoma County city about an hour north of SF continues to fill with transplants who are drawn to the bustling downtown and prime location equidistant to wine country, the coast, and San Francisco — as well as to what’s growing around. Surrounded by farmland, Petaluma has a food scene that’s loud and proud about what’s local and seasonal. It’s the kind of place where people use the word “regenerative.”
“There are the old joints that feed the ag community pizza-size pancakes, and that works for that crowd,” says Naomi Crawford, who owns the grab-and-go spot Lunchette. “Then there are the spots like Bijou, with its more precious brunch.”
But Petaluma is not trying to be a destination — which is part of the charm and exactly why it works as one.
Old-school, still standing
Two spots that speak clearly to Petaluma’s down-home vibe bookend the town.
To the north is Roy’s Chicago Dogs at the Yard(opens in new tab) (84 Corona Rd.), set in front of a livestock auction yard with a soundtrack of lowing cows. Inside, there’s a counter lined with rolls of paper towels and ketchup bottles. Order a cold can of RC, a basket of crinkly fries with pineapple mustard for dipping, and a Vienna beef dog lit up Chicago-style with pickles and neon-green relish. The aqua-blue walls are plastered with vintage album covers, and if it’s a slow day, owner Chris Caudill might be in the back booth noodling on his guitar.
Fifteen minutes south is Ernies Tin Bar(opens in new tab) (5100 Lakeville Hwy.). This circa 1923 relic is part auto shop, part saloon — the kind of place you sidle up to. The parking lot fills with Porsches and pickups, and the beer list leans craft. But the vibe is strictly lazy dogs and spinning ceiling fans. It’s a friendly place; cellphones are discouraged, but conversation isn’t.
Follow the river — in two ways
Though the city orients itself around the Petaluma River, which was once used to ship agricultural goods, there’s no continuous river walk. How you experience it is up to you.
While Pearl(opens in new tab) (500 1st St.) doesn’t sit directly on the riverbank, it’s just a block away in the Warehouse District. The understated brunch and lunch spot — with a tin ceiling, seafoam-green walls, and a wood-fired oven — is owned by former San Francisco restaurateur Annette Yang and her husband, chef Brian Leitner. The menu is Ottolenghi-adjacent, offering hummus and tabbouleh plates, meatball tagine, and shakshuka with griddled halloumi. But the best thing is a killer cumin-and garlic-rubbed brisket with silky eggs and pistachio tahini. Afterward, walk to the riverfront and pop into the McEvoy Ranch shop for locally made olive oils.
For a more immersive river walk, head to Petaluma River Park(opens in new tab) on the west side of town, where a pretty 1.4-mile loop traces the water. Then drive five minutes to where the river tightens into docks and storefronts. At Grand Central(opens in new tab) (226 Weller St.), you can sit at the water’s edge while enjoying a coffee and empanadas. Better yet, on weekends, try Tacos Don Pepe(opens in new tab), a pop-up that serves fantastic California-ized tacos on handmade blue-corn tortillas, including a plantain-and-sweet-potato vegan option that’s almost as good as the birria made with braised Deer Valley Daughters beef.
Two bakeries, two eras
No visit to Petaluma is complete without breakfast at Della Fattoria(opens in new tab) (139 Petaluma Blvd. N). The bakery and cafe helped put the town on the culinary map when it opened in 1995, and it still delivers loaves of its signature heavenly Meyer-lemon rosemary bread to grocery stores in San Francisco. The eclectic, farmhouse-style space is packed even on weekdays. Beneath exposed beams hung with a smattering of vintage chandeliers, locals and visitors dig into scrambles, benedicts, salads, and some of the best pastries in town.
A five-minute walk away is Stellina Pronto(opens in new tab) (23 Kentucky St.). If Della is legacy, Stellina, which opened in 2021, is the next chapter. Cyclists crowd the sidewalk out front for oversize cinnamon rolls and mushroom and goat cheese puffs. Wood-fired pizzas don’t start until 4 p.m., but the piadini, a kind of pizza sandwich (get the one stuffed with chicken parm) are blessedly available in the morning too.
This is a two-lunch town
As with everything in Petaluma, lunch splits in two directions: past and future.
For a look back, there’s Ray’s Delicatessen & Tavern(opens in new tab) (900 Western Ave.), open since 1947. The bar is dark, the walls are wood-paneled, and wadded bills are stuck to the ceiling. Yes, the sandwich menu offers veggie options like the Dimitri, with havarti, sun dried tomato, and chimichurri — we are in California, after all — but the excellent hot pastrami and a Henhouse beer feels more fitting for the vibe.
For something lighter with a side of sustainability, Lunchette(opens in new tab) (11 Kentucky St.) serves pizza, salads, and grain bowls layered with chickpeas, roasted vegetables, and tahini, as well as a cute pantry selection that includes Rancho Gordo’s “Gay Caballero” hot sauce and Hog Island sea salt flakes.
Even newer to the scene is The Local(opens in new tab) (229 N. McDowell Blvd.), a bare-bones sandwich shop that opened its second location in a strip mall last year. Owned by Chris Osborne and Raul Lopez — a chef who worked at San Francisco’s Lazy Bear and Californios — it focuses on nearby ingredients. Every month, the shop highlights a local maker; for example, Ji’s Kimchi, which is used in a chicken sandwich with cucumber and herb sauce on a housemade jalapeño-cheddar roll.
A beer town, first and forever
While it does have a great wine shop, Avinage(opens in new tab), and a quality cocktail bar, Mario & John’s(opens in new tab), Petaluma at its heart is an IPA town. And the second location of Sebastopol-born Crooked Goat Brewing(opens in new tab) (110 Howard St.) is the true local’s favorite. On a warm day, the roller doors open the space to the sunshine, pups lounge under long communal tables, and kids play board games while the adults get to drinking. To start, try your choice of 3-ounce “tasters” from the 15 beers on tap, including cult classics like Grain and Blood, a blood orange IPA, and Bee Beard, a honey ale. There are also burgers, delivered to your table from Acme Burger next door.
Pitstops for people who cook
Petaluma’s culinary cred stretches far beyond its restaurant scene. Ogle the produce at Jupiter Foods(opens in new tab) (100 Petaluma Blvd.), a tiny shop that carries Front Porch Farms’ merlot repollo Napa cabbage, lacy and veined with fuschia, and sweet Kishu mandarins. There are also country loaves from Revolution Breads(opens in new tab), dry goods including tri-color quinoa, and condiments such as a fancy cherry-blossom shoyu from Japan.
For meats and handmade charcuterie, make the five-minute drive from downtown to Canteen Meats(opens in new tab) (304 Bodega Ave.). Run by husband-and-wife team John Ginanni and Kaylyn Reyes, it offers a mind-boggling selection of salumi and salt-cured meats, including prosciutto, coppa, beef cecina, and lomo — all made and aged in-house.
Stay for dinner (and the night)
The town’s options for dinner run deep, but for an intimate meal, head to Street Social(opens in new tab) (29 F Petaluma Blvd.), tucked inside the quirky, historic Lan Mart Building. Chef Jevon Martin and his wife, Marjorie Pier, bring some cred, having previously worked at Sonoma’s Glen Ellen Star and L.A.’s Rustic Canyon. But the food is all their own, including a zesty hamachi collar with black garlic and furikake, shrimp toast with sambal jam, and steak au poivre with morels. With just a handful of tables, dining at Street Social feels like having a friend cook for you — it’s just that they happen to be a chef.
By this point, it’s clear that to truly eat your way through Petaluma, you’re going to need to spend the night. In that case, book a room at the Hotel Petaluma(opens in new tab) (205 Kentucky St.), a Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Located in a historic 1924 building, it has comfy beds and is located downtown and a quick walk from Street Social. Actually, like most of the small town, it’s a quick walk from everything.
