10 Favorite Restaurants in Petaluma

Petaluma is awash with great restaurants, from simple sandwiches to luxurious farm-to-table experiences. It’s never easy to pick favorites, but there are some menus that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Here are our favorite Petaluma restaurants of the moment.

Street Social

With just six tables and 300 feet of dining space, Street Social feels like the most logical extension of the buzzy underground pop-ups that owners Jevon Martin and Marjorie Pier have hosted up and down the California coast for years. With just over a dozen diners in the restaurant at its busiest, it’s unavoidably intimate and makes you feel like you’ve stumbled across a secret culinary hideout. You have. But with a reservation (which are strongly suggested), anyone’s welcome.

29F Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, 707-774-6185

Lunchette

Grab and go with a conscience. We love the carefully-sourced, healthy and delicious lunch options at this tiny downtown walk-up. The smoked trout salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette, roasted beets, pickled raisins and cashews is our favorite, along with a warm grain bowl with roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Slices of fresh pizza are also available to pair with your salad.

25 Fourth St., Petaluma, 707-241-7443

Central Market

Dressed in his chef’s coat, Tony Najiola looms large over the dining room — watching every dish go out, visiting every table to ensure his patrons are happy — but he never imposes. The open kitchen, dining room and bar feel airy, with full views of the wood-fired oven and the line. But it’s the food, frequently sourced from Najiiola’s Muleheart Farm, that really does the talking here: Instead of foams and potions and powders, the food is just, well, food.

42 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 707-778-9900

Table Culture Provisions

Table Culture Provisions started quietly, popping up a night or two a week at Petaluma’s Wishbone restaurant and serving fried chicken. It caught my attention in early September as a word-of-mouth recommendation from a few locals. Then the menus and the hours expanded and started getting really interesting — a Haitian feast, classic French dishes like cassoulet, dry-aged steaks, trout en croute and upscale brunch dishes including an insane Monte Cristo. Mentions of brioche, homemade pomegranate raspberry jam and delicate crosscut potato chips with onion dip made it even more impossible to resist.

841 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707-796-3375

Pearl

Inspired by the flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa (with a little Southern French and Spanish thrown in for good measure), chef/owners Brian Leitner and Annette Yang continue to impress with their sunny interpretations of shakshuka, fresh pita, fattoush salad and braised meats including brisket and lamb.

500 First St., Petaluma, 707-559-5187

Stockhome

A neighborhood hub for unfussy family-friendly Turkish and Mediterranean street food found in the larger cities of Sweden with homey classics like Swedish meatballs, pickled herring and Swedish pancakes on the menu — all of it with a few nods to California as well. Consider it the United Nations of local dining.

220 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707-981-8511

Sake 107

Chef Eiji Ando, a Hana Japanese alum, has dedicated his life to the craft. It’s awe-inspiring to watch the flicking of his hands as he shapes the seasoned rice and fish into a single perfect bite, and perfect isn’t a word we use lightly when it comes to nigiri. This is seriously awesome sushi and izayaki in downtown Petaluma that reminds us of what great Japanese food can really taste like.

107 Petaluma Blvd N., Petaluma, 241-7580

Brewsters Beer Garden

This 350-seat outdoor beer garden in the heart of downtown Petaluma would be packed no matter what the menu looked like — it’s a great place to have a beer. But the food continues to impress, with smoked brisket, my favorite buttermilk fried chicken sando (it’s the goat cheddar) and seasonal salads. Great for a night out with friends or family.

229 Water St. North, Petaluma, 707-981-8330

The Shuckery

Raw oysters are a Sonoma County staple, and I always forget how much I love the small, unassuming Kumamotos at The Shuckery. Dedicated to the humbler oyster, this cozy cafe is a shucker’s dream. Try the Bingos, grilled oysters with Cognac, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and garlic. Plus a full bar and outdoor seating.

100 Washington St., Petaluma, 707-981-7891

Wild Goat Bistro

A waterfront classic with insanely good Neapolitan pizzas (like the four cheese fig and pig with prosciutto and fig spread), polenta fries, Early Girl Dip with heirloom tomatoes and pancetta and dinner entrees including Shepherd’s pie, and wild salmon with roasted artichokes.

6 Petaluma Blvd. North #A5, Petaluma, 707-658-1156

Written by Heather Irwin