We came here for their happy hour and had dinner a few weekends ago. We came with my sister and brother in law for our birthday. We had originally booked Bravas for tapas, but it was rainy and the guy doing our wine tasting that day said the indoors seating wasn't great vibes. We came here instead and enjoyed their very generous and pretty solid happy hour. We got some drinks and an assortment from the menu - the burger, the riclette/oil dip with bread, and fries. Everything was pretty solid. The service was also good. Was a little hard to find seating but we got lucky! Recommend for the happy hour. read more

It was an amazing experience the food was great and service was outstanding. The entire thing was fantastic. Only item was when we went upstairs to sit down to have drinks prior to dinner there was so many chairs open but the girl was very rude and not helpful and said they were booked and couldn't help us. It happened again when we went back for drinks after dinner with a smaller amount of people which it was three people the first time and four the second and she was just rude. But we called the manager who took care of us. One person can make an impact but overall amazing experience the rest of the staff was first class. read more

Atmosphere 4: we sat downstairs. country chic but with an urban vibe. Food 4: Augustus salad is a nice update of Caesar. Instead of being tossed, the dressing is dolloped using a foamer so it's lighter than the traditional. Sea bream. Delicate. Mains: rabbit had good flavor but was a bit overcooked and the confit lardons that accompanied it were a bit tough and chewy. Shame. Steelhead was wonderfully cooked but I was not a fan of the smoky, grey sauce that was smeared on the plate. I know they are trying to be adventurous but a variation on a traditional butter sauce would add rather than detract from the fish. read more

The Matheson - Check out - Wine Bars Near Me - Healdsburg, California

We had dinner at the Matheson this weekend and had a great experience. Jaden was our server. Although young, he was a very talented and professional waiter. In fact, he forgot to order one appetizer. Instead of the usual reaction to blame the kitchen, he admitted that it was his mistake that it didn't get ordered and he apologized for his mistake. Very refreshing and impressive, especially for a young person! To start, we ordered almost all of the appetizers (called Snacks on the menu), including a foie gras w/fruit compote & biscuits special and tempura myatoki (sp?) mushroom. All were very good. My favorite was the tempura mushroom...light and crispy flavorful batter. Absolutely amazing. I had the beef Filet with jidori egg for my entree. It was aggressively seasoned, which I liked, and perfectly cooked. My wife liked her burger with steak fries, and my buddy polished off his lamb dish, which I took as a good sign. This is a warm and smartly designed restaurant that I would come back to the next time I'm visiting Healdsburg. read more

Came here for Happy Hour and left as happy customers with full tummies. We ordered several apps, along with drinks (the Rufus and an Old-fashioned). To go along with our drinks, we ordered the tempura maitake mushrooms, French fries with braised short ribs, elote corn, broccolini pizza and beef empanadas. Yes, we were hungry! read more

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Greeted upon arrival and attentive service throughout the meal. Seated at table with Very uncomfortable chairs. Requested, and given a booth, which was a far better option. Food order was detained due to waitress not getting things straight but apologized for the wait with three entrees. Nothing really special to note. Four stars would be: 1) the location, 2, nicely appointed interior, with 3) three floor levels to choose from, 4) friendly staff give this rating. Food fell short on any real zing, flavor or presentation. Disappointment after hearing so much about this restaurant. Bit noisy if you are looking for a place to enjoy a nice conversation with dinner mates. read more

Sat there for 15 minutes and no one even acknowledged us . We left and 10 People thanked us? read more

It was my hubby's and my 17 year anniversary, we made reservations. Right off the bat we were greeted with a signed card from all the staff working that night. Super sweet and thoughtful. All were attentive, knowledgeable and very pleasant. Ambiance was delightful. Beautiful artwork and decor. But let me tell you our drinks and dinner were fabulous!!! Thank you for the amazing experience! read more

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This place was the definition of fine dining!! The moment we walked in we were greeted by friendly staff and while we were eating dinner there's always someone tending to us. We never had to ask for water and I don't know if he's the manager but he checked on us a few times, which I love! Everything we ate was amazing, from my husband's steak which cooked to perfection, my carbonara pasta which is the best I'd had and the salad was great!! The place is thoughtfully designed with all the details, this place is perfect for date nights. read more

I'm giving it 4 stars because out of the 3 plates we ordered one was not as good. The service was excellent, since the minute we showed up without a reservation they were able to accommodate us and the attention we received from Zaide, our waitress, was superb. In regards our plates, we enjoyed the pork chop and the steelhead and would not recommend the sardine. For dessert I had the affogato with Baileys ice cream, which I highly recommend if you need a pick me up at the end of the day, because it comes with an espresso shot. This is our second time at the restaurant and will definitely come back to try more of their plates and to enjoy the cool ambiance of the rooftop and wine selection. read more

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We always enjoy dining at The Matheson when we're in the Healdsburg area. The food is great, the service is always on point, and the atmosphere is warm and lively without being too loud, especially given the size of the space. Be sure to save room for dessert, it's definitely worth it. Also, a shout-out for their non-alcoholic drink selection. From bubbles to beers and mocktails, they offer great options to enjoy your meal with a thoughtful beverage, something not all restaurants in the area provide. read more

KenScale: 7.0/10 Visit: December 2023 Around this time last year, for my 40th birthday, my wife Jun and I traveled to the Sonoma wine country in California. We hadn't been back to the Bay Area since our unforgettable wedding in Napa Valley in 2017, so we were very thrilled to be back. Our trip, however, started off with a major issue with our flight that got delayed by more than five hours. We were supposed to arrive in the San Francisco airport, pick up our rental car and drive straight to our hotel in Santa Rosa. Due to the flight delay, we missed our window to pick up the rental car and were forced to stay overnight at the airport (I still can't forget the tiny nap room facility inside where we paid $175 just to sleep on a tiny single bed together for three hours) until the rental car office opened back up in the morning. Needless to say, our first day in Sonoma was a grueling one and we were beyond exhausted by the time we did a couple of wine tastings and were ready for dinner at The Matheson in Healdsburg. When we were planning our itinerary, I picked the restaurant, led by chef Dustin Valette who made a name for himself in the area for his eponymous restaurant Valette, thinking we would have a solid California cuisine with fresh, seasonal ingredients. We were overall underwhelmed by the experience, though. The Matheson has different menu options with a la carte options and a six-course tasting menu at $125 per person. We chose the former option and ordered several dishes to share. The two starters we ordered (the beets accompanied by whipped chevre, pistachio and charred chicory and the wagyu beef tartare with jidori egg) weren't too bad but not particularly memorable, either, to stand out from other beet or beef tartare we'd had in other restaurants before. On the other hand, the roasted half-duck was a major disappointment. Of course, Jun may have an impossibly high standard when it comes to duck dishes, but the texture of the meat was quite off and the gamey flavor was not perfectly contained. Additionally, it was hard to see how the meat would pair with salsa macha which, instead of enhancing the duck's flavor, overwhelmed it instead. We were somewhat soothed by a dessert of apple, cinnamon crumble and brown sugar miso ice cream but the damage was already done at that point. Getting a reservation at The Matheson, with its spacious dining room, won't be too difficult so long as you book a few days in advance. Not surprisingly, the restaurant has an expansive wine list (there is also a "wine wall" with many different wines on tap) with a surprisingly global range instead of focusing on California. The upscale décor of the restaurant makes it a good place to hang out with friends and family in a no-frills environment. Yes, we were not in our best conditions to properly enjoy food on that night and we only sampled a limited number of dishes, but based on our experience I would probably recommend The Matheson as a place to grab seats at the trendy bar area and sample a few small dishes to complement whatever wine you sip. read more

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I have been here a few times now and each time it is a different and good experience. This time we sat at the chiefs bar so we could see what was happening in the kitchen. Previously we have sat at the bar, in the main dining area and on the roof top 106. Only good things to say about the food and service. Definitely make a reservation if you want to be guaranteed a table. They do take walk ins for sure. read more

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Adam K did a great job with my party of four on the 4th. He was very knowledgeable about the menu, did an awesome job keeping our orders straight, delivered to the correct person, and splitting up our checks. We went for happy hour and enjoyed multiple items from the happy hour menu. It's a beautiful restaurant, tasty food and really great service. read more

We were looking for a place to eat that was open fairly late. They had reservations here. The food here was great. I even tried Turbot for the first time and it was delicious. The place was really nice inside and they have an upstairs outside area that I would like to try next time. read more

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We booked a reservation at this restaurant in advance and arrived on time, only to be told they would not be able to accommodate us. After already waiting for an hour, we were shocked when the manager told us they had given our table away to someone else who was "already waiting." No apology. No attempt to make it right. Just a dismissive, rude attitude. When we asked for clarification, the manager was shockingly unprofessional -- cutting us off, speaking condescendingly, and offering no real solution except to wait another hour. That would've been two hours total -- for a reservation we booked ahead of time! Restaurants run into hiccups sometimes, but this was pure disrespect. The way we were treated was completely unacceptable. If you value your time or want to be treated with basic courtesy, skip this place. There are far better restaurants that know how to treat their guests with professionalism. read more

Good wine and food options. Also right at the square which is terrific. So why the 2 stars? They auto charged our group of 4pp 20% tip without telling us. We didn't realize until we got home that we had inadvertently tipped them TWICE (40%) because they didn't let us know. CRIMINAL! Will not return and will tell everyone we know about this! :( read more

We've been wanting to come here for years; finally took our dad for his birthday. The atmosphere is amazing, truly beautiful. And the service is impeccable we loved our server. The food disappointed, it left all of underwhelmed. One of our main complaints was the small potions. Don't get me wrong we weren't expecting a mountain of food but we got bread service and was given a slice of focaccia that while delicious was enough for 1to 2 servings max. 2 of us got the black cod that was seriously a joke 3 medallions of cod for $42? The flavors were just ok as well. We really enjoyed the maitake mushrooms; these were exceptional. The xo noodles were ok. The sardines were good. Deserts were lovely. The question I ask myself; will you go back? Would you order the same dishes again? Yes we'll try it again; no I won't order any of the same dishes except the mushrooms. read more

Made a reservation here via OpenTable for a Monday night in January for a friends birthday. He found this spot because it was highlighted on a local KQED show highlighting their special home made pasta experience. Which was something I had to try! Their Happy Hour menu is from 4-6pm and they didn't expect it to be a busy day but it sure did get busy for a Monday night and our server to great managing all of her tables! My friends got some stuff on the happy hour menu- their pizzas, bread, a burger- margaritas and an old fashioned. I got an espresso martini and I opted for the pasta menu tasting. Which I thought was a good amount of food and portions, by my last pasta I was stuffed! And it ended with a cannoli. Since it was my friends birthday we did the churros and ice cream for dessert. Perfect place to stop by if you're in the Sonoma Valley for wine tasting or visiting around healdsburg. Great ambiance with tons of seating. There's plenty of street parking and some lots nearby. read more

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We had an impromptu meal there tonight. We had heard of how beautiful and intriguing the place looked, with 3 floors and two restaurants. I had been on a drive with my almost 90 yr mom where we got out to walk a bit in the square since there was a free jazz show. Matheson was across the street so I thought let's go take a look inside. Well suddenly my elderly mom got exhausted and felt like she had to eat now or she'd passout. Upstairs they have a really awesome looking indoor and a Mostly covered, but out door, mostly wind protected seating area with fun table/ couch like set ups for groups of friends or family, some with fire pits and with nice views of the park below. Unfortunately it was too cold for my mom out there (did i say, she is almost 90?), so we decided to check out down stairs. I did not take pics of the upstairs menu, only the downstairs where they were out of tables and sat my mom n I at the bar where we could order from full menu. I must say, I knew it would be pricey but when we saw the menu we knew( this day and age) two women who don't eat allot. That we'd be sharing instead of bringing home left overs. The cost for one burger, cut in half for us to share (that i must say, my mom and i agreed, was truly amazing, creative, home made tasting, so good... with not too salty, crunchy, fresh, homemade tasting pickles and perfectly crisp fritts, and two 1/2 glasses of white Rhone varietally based wines, was a whopping $70 including tip n tax (fyi, burger was least expensive option on the menu, besides salad or one of the pasta dishes, at $29) It was good but... it was also really fun to watch one of the Bar mixologists who worked like a mad scientist. I'd like to come back one day (after a good day in sales) and try one of her amazing looking signature concoctions. Wish i got her name! Note about wine: They have one of those novel wine dispensary pour your self vending type things where they load your card, or sign you up to charge their little card that you can get or try anything priced based on each individual bottles value. You don't get to sample anything at all, you pay in most cases, upward of $5 for a splash. It's probably better to ask for a sample at the bar with what ever they are pouring, that could possibly be without charge to see if you'll enjoy the wine. I'd be back with friends to explore the upstairs more. Note: I repeat this was an unplanned dining experience. read more

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The Matheson is proof that I need to spend more time in Healdsburg. It's a fun spot for dinner and drinks. They offer an extensive wine list (on an iPad because there's so many choices), as well as some fun cocktails. I opted for the Foolish Behavior and Chai of the Tiger. Both look identical, by the way. They were both very nice and strong. I expected the Chai of the Tiger to taste more like a sweet chai, but it was subtler. For my starter, I got the scallop crudo. It was tasty, light and came with some sort of berry sauce. I liked it a lot. I got the king salmon for my main, which our server said is one of the most popular menu items. I was originally going to pick the mariscos, but when I saw that the salmon comes with lobster bits, I was sold. The fish was moist and flavorful with a pleasant sear. I'm glad I saved room for dessert because the affogato was amazing. You get a tiny bowl of ice cream, a tiny pitcher of espresso to pour on top of the ice cream and a small peanut butter cookie sandwich with peanut butter in the middle. It was a great mix of salty and sweet, hot and cold. My husband ordered the apple pie for dessert, which came with a small scoop of ice cream. It was also tasty. read more

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Such a fun spot! Cocktails were all amazing, staff was super friendly. I can't have gluten and they were super accommodating for putting items on the side. Everything was absolutely delicious! The squash was the star and the ice cream with olive oil and chocolate read more

The Matheson - Wine Bars Near Me - Healdsburg, California

Great time on the rooftop bar and restaurant! Drinks and food were delicious. We had the Brussel sprouts and their steak - DELICIOUS!!! Amazing service and atmosphere. It was a bit cold that night so they were kind to turn on the above heaters. Definitely recommend going when you're in town! read more

Came here for a dinner of 4 with a reservation at 8pm. We arrived 10 min early and was told to wait by the bar. We ended up ordering a few cocktails. Small con was we had to notify one of the hosts that it was past 8pm and we were ready to be seated. It seemed that if we didn't, she would have forgotten about us as she seemed surprised we were ready. We got seated upstairs and had a nice waiter explaining us the menu. Overall, the food was very tasty. Please keep in mind, this is more of upscale place which will reflect on its prices. Wagyu Beef Tartare - great texture and seasoning of the beef. Wished the portion was bigger. Corn soup - pleasant surprise! It seems like it's a simple dish but it had a lot of depth to it. Super creamy and you could taste the corn. Northern Halibut - my fiancé loved the halibut but small caveat was he felt the caviar was unnecessary and didn't need to be added as it didn't feel like it add anything more to the dish. Duck - my cousin liked the dish overall but lacked a little bit of flavor in her opinion. Mariscos - I overall enjoyed it. I loved the clams and THE only prawn in it. They had so much flavor and loved the texture of both while sipping on the broth. The sole was okay but didn't taste the depth of the broth in it. The chorizo was a nice touch. I liked having the the pieces of toast. One of them was on top, so it was nicely crunchy. However, I failed to understand why the other piece of toast was sitting at the bottom of the broth. By the time I got to it, it was all soggy so that was a bummer. Sushi handrolls - wow what a nice surprise! Loved them all! They were so tasty and packed so much flavor. For desserts, we finished with the strawberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, and affogato. All were so well presented and delicious. read more

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had to cancel reservation day of (8 hours in advance) due to family emergency. they still charged $25 per person cancel fee, despite that not being conveyed when reservation was created. I don't understand how this robbery is legal read more

We made reservations about a month ahead of time and so enjoyed our meal at the Matheson! This is a very upscale restaurant, but still has a cozy vibe. All the food was incredible, but my favorite was the tempura miatake mushrooms. if you like mushrooms at all, you must order this! The veggie and brisket hash that's served with the filet mignon was original and delicious! We tried a bunch of desserts and they were all off the chart delicious. Service is very friendly and attentive. The spot is a splurge that's worth every penny! read more

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Love this rooftop bar! Perfect place to unwind at the end of the day. Nice food and friendly staff. Great location in downtown Healdsburg.

The food is amazing. We happened upon this place and on another trip we made a point to stop on the way to have dinner here again. So good! I then sent my friend there when they visited Sonoma from LA. They also loved it. The wine selection is of course amazing. They have hundreds on tap where you can buy by the ounce to try. I ended up buying 2 bottles of Devil Proof, which is still one of my favorites. read more

Overhyped bad food. The Matheson is a vibey scene, but just not a place for eating decent food. I'm from SF and frequently go on getaways in Napa / Calistoga, so would admit food standards are probably higher than average. I thought the food in healdsburg would be on par with Calistoga and after a lot of research, landed on The Matheson. The food we had at Happy Hour was terrible. So terrible that we didn't eat the food, paid, and left. I can't recall ever doing this in my life. Specifically, the burger was bad (too thick, not well seasoned, raw in the center) and just sloppy. A bit baffled by the reviews saying "best burger". The Aguachile was too salty and oddly missing the "aqua". And lastly the "curds" just weren't like cheese curds. I wish I had gone to Shake Shack. If you're used to high quality food, Matheson will be disappointing and waste of a meal and $$$. You're better off grabbing something casual and less falsely hyped. read more

We ate here to celebrate our daughter's birthday & it was great casual place. Servers were all great and friendly. Food was amazing but pricey. Ambiance was great. I always ask my daughter who ordered the ambiance? Lol. I would definitely come back to try the other things on the menu. They had great air conditioning too! read more

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Ok so my wife and I originally had reservations on a Thursday night at the rooftop 106 which is two stories up from the Matheson. We had been there before and they have great pizzas and drinks and some other items. But it was just too hot for us. We came downstairs and told the two hostesses we were leaving because of the heat for us but we knew the matheson was booked out. Kristin behind the desk grabbed us so kindly and said let me find you something here and we will make sure you get a pizza from upstairs too even though they're not on the menu. She found us a couple seats at the bar at the kitchen which was so nice. Our server Zadie took great care of us and was a great server. During the meal Kristin came and checked on us to make sure we got our pizza and that my wife was ok. Give that girl a promotion and a raise for Pete's sake. Thank you K. Ok about the Matheson. It is beautiful inside right off the square. The menu is what I would say is more fancy food but it delivers on the fancy. We had the bucatini which is f-ing delicious. The bread app my lord just perfect bread. We tried our neighbors next to us skate fish and damn that was delicious and we had a pizza from upstairs which we already knew was great and we ended with this beautiful piece of cheesecake. Tiny but hit the spot. Healdsburg is a world renowned place and you can get great food anywhere but all the servers and especially Kristin just made our evening for us. Go here. It's delicious, beautiful and you will not be disappointed with the cost to food/experience ratio. Have fun everyone! read more

Extremely slow service on New Years. They tried to squeeze in far too many guests into small time slots for their prie fix menu.

Very lively atmosphere, very friendly service, relaxing and well thought out interior. The food was very well prepared and super tasty.

So it's Sonoma restaurant week and I decided to visit the Matheson for the prefix dinner menu, 3 courses, $55. I choose them based on the menu posted on the website link specified for this particular event week. Upon seating, I was immediately disappointed when I discovered they had changed 2 of the 3 plates I came for. The soup, the Celeriac & Chestnut Soup with duck carnitas, mole negro, spiced pumpkin seeds was the only item I had planned to order, and it was delicious. My second course was going to be the Mt Lassen Steelhead Trout with whipped potato, pork belly, brassicas, smoked clam broth. They substituted a Pumpkin Curry! No thanks! Instead I had to choose the Prime Beef Bavette with potato pave, umami hollandaise, chili crunch, with. romanesco. Now the flavors were amazing and the potatoes perfect, however my meat was chewy, somehow I ended up with ends and small ones at that. My desert choice was going to be the Baba au Rhum with toffee, blood orange, cardamom chantilly but again unfortunately it wax substituted for a Almond Pear Buckle, that was ok but not what I had hoped for and was in need of an extra dollop of cream. On the flip side of my menu disappointment, my wait service from Alana was delightful, she even brought me a bonus plate of a perfectly seared scallop on a bed of delicious black rice. I had a perfect glass of Medlock Ames Cab that is to die for. My meal with tip $100. Would I do it again, well my next trip will be to the roof for the pizza, I'll leave the fine dining for the Boomers read more

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It's public enough to be private, but private enough to be public. I did the tasting menu. It was a great evening and each course had such strong flavors. The attention to detail was amazing and you can really see the kitchen cares about what goes out. I'm not smart enough to know what was good or bad; to me, it was all great and each plate left my setting spotless. Lauren was hustling in the kitchen (sorry for bugging you), but she was preparing so many different plates and really impressed me. Her focus (minus me chit chatting with her) was 100% on each dish and you could really see she cared what was produced and going out (IF MANAGEMENT SEES THIS REVIEW, YOU NEED TO GIVE HER THE RECOGNITION SHE DESERVES). Cameron, Elijah, Cadell all assisted with our table and were great. All so knowledgeable about each dish and provided great feedback about pairings and how to enjoy the different courses. Excited to visit soon and see what seasonal dishes there may be. read more

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Service was outstanding, from the moment you walk in, the greeting was excellent and the food was absolutely incredible. Just celebrated an anniversary and the waitress was very friendly, knowledgeable and delivered outstanding service. The Bone marrow and cucumber were ok but the Aguachile was great Drinks were great and the owner was pleasant. I'd return here anyday, beautiful restaurant for a beautiful city like Healdsburg read more

We went to The Matheson for our anniversary and it was an incredible dining experience. There was a card at our table signed by the entire team which was a lovely and thoughtful touch. We ordered the Sonoma Aged Duck, beef short ribs, and ceviche based on recommendations from others. These items did not disappoint. Our server was Ellen and she was a delight. She was knowledgeable and provided great wine recommendations for our appetizer and dinner selections. The ambiance and vibe was romantic and modern. Perfect for a special occasion. We will definitely come back and find a reason to celebrate. read more

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Right at the heart of downtown Healdsburg is this fancy classy upscale restaurant that was highly recommended. The entrance first floor was for dinner dining so we went to the 3rd floor called the roof 106 through a short flight of stairs or an elevator ... welcomed by a beautiful airy patio , couches and comfortable lounges and was surrounded with olive plants even... we thought of having lunch here before we'd do our wine tasting tours... But then they also had very good wine choices and cocktails so why not? I knew this was a farm to table but it was more. We practically tried everything the good waiter recommended and shared coz the 5 of us were so impressed. But personally what struck me was the Fresh Boquerones Pizza! Yummmy!!! I did not know that this restaurant won a Michelin plate 2022 award ... a plus that will definitely make me come back for a full dining experience. read more

The Matheson - Wine Bars Near Me - Healdsburg, California

The food was fantastic. Attention to detail in each component of each dish. The somm was helpful and on point. A stray comment to a backwaiter about a dish that was delivered resulted in our server offering to squeeze the dish in between our appetizer and mains. Ten out of ten, would highly recommend read more

Ambiance is great until... it takes you over two over to receive your entree and it comes out as a kids portion. Also the wine is just average. read more