Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Valley Ford

It’s kind of a boring story because it’s the same every time! Perfect! No drama, nothing cooked wrong, or cold. If you need something to get worked up over, it will only be in a positive way for how amazing, fun, and relaxed it is. Mustard‘s Grill defines what dining in the wine country should be. The head chef and owner is well known in the Napa area, heading up four different restaurants. Mustard’s being the flagship restaurant, having been there for as long as I can remember 20+ years, and never gets older or stale. It is top shelf dining with a casual, relaxed, fun atmosphere, everything that Napa is about. It’s got the longest wine list in captivity, and a staff that has been there for decades, meaning you get great answers to any question you might have. Framed awards from the likes of Michelin and a guy named James Beard line the walls. But the place is far from pretentious, or worried about who you are. It’s their ability to scrape that off everyone’s shoes on the way in, that makes it the amazing truck stop it is. Wine maker sitting to your left, tech giant to your right, and my landscaper was a few tables over. Everyone is just glad to have a table, a professional staff of servers, and thoughts of an amazing meal, forthcoming. I don’t consider a trip to Napa complete without stopping in at Mustard’s. Their signature dish of a Mongolian pork chop with braised cabbage and mustard sauce along with mashed potatoes, is out of this world! Not one of those items rates as something I’d normally order! The crabcakes were on point, everything was perfect. And when you talk to the fantastic people sitting next to you, you’ll find the exact same story. “We’ve been coming here for 15 years, blah blah blah. It’s excellent every time, blah blah blah.” You haven’t done Napa until you’ve had a meal at Mustard’s Grill. Oh, and the cookbook is fantastic as well.

Excellent service from beginning to end. Our waiter was superb. Food was heavenly as always. Always a special treat to celebrate occassions here. Disappointed though they don’t do the complimentary birthday desserts anymore. We ordered desserts but HOPR used to also do a fun little free birthday dessert for the birthday guests.

A favorite for many years ~ we continue to come because the quality and value are amazing!

The Mill had exceptional service and food. The bread with butter was insanely delicious - even better than at Glen Ellen Star. We also loved the Brussel sprouts with bacon. We will definitely return when next in town!

John and team continue to do an outstanding job pairing wines with delicious food selections. The pairings often are novel and a nice way to introduce pairings one might not typically consider. We’ll definitely be back.