Rutherford Grill

My friends and I were on a trip to the wine country. We had such great recommendations from everywhere we stayed, visited - all spot on. One of our must-stops was the Rutherford grill for their amazing ribs - they were perfectly marinated and grilled - we died and went to heaven. The owner from blush spa in Sonoma recommended the grilled artichoke and it was also soooo tasty! Its smack in the middle of all the wineries through Napa so its the perfect stop for lunch! more

Anyone living in the valley will agree that we are very spoiled as far as good places to eat. Rutherfotd Grill is no exception. The ribs......seriously........you can't get better ribs anywhere in the world! Marinated for twelve hours and grilled to perfection, put your knife down, you won't need it! The soups they make are always unique and change with the season. You'll never have tortilla soup like this again. Let's take a moment to discuss everyone's favorite part of the meal, DESSERT! They have some wonderful dishes that include the famous Oreo Cookie Dessert (Two saucer size oreos filled with vanilla ice cream, bathing in a pool of chocolate syrup), the Key Lime Pie that is usually only served in the summer is a breath of cool air on a hot day. But my absolute favorite is the delicious Banana Cream Pie. A generous piece of light fluffy banana cream pie covered in whip cream (made from scratch) and drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrup. There are these little clusters of the grahamcracker/nut crust melted together with chocolate, sprinkled all over. Topped with slices of bananas and served with a smile! If you run out of room, get it to go, you won't regret it! The wine list is carefully chosen to pair well with your food. Ask for a suggestion from one of the knowledgeable bartenders and they will set you up for success! Kids are welcome and they have quite a few items on the childrens menu, including a grilled cheese sandwich and a childs size portion of the rotisserie chicken. The employees are great, the locals are great, they take reservations now, there's no reason not to check this place out. But like I said, if you have the ribs you won't be able to eat them anywhere else! Great job George! Pros: great food, great drinks Cons: the fire station across the street more

You'll find Rutherford Grill right in the very middle of Napa Valley. On Hwy 29, across the street from a small fire station in the ultra small area/town of Rutherford, CA (in Napa Valley). Its owned by the Houston's chain but not anything like it. I love this place. I love the service above all. A crew and staff to die for! It is always consistent. Always busy. Always fun! My only complaint is that their wonderful outdoor patio isn't open more. They shy and run when the temperature drops below 70 degrees and close the beautiful patio. It's loud outside. It's loud inside. It's nearly always packed. The outdoor pation brings not only noise from the restaurant but from Hwy-29 and the firehouse across the street. The Napa Valey Wine Train also passes there several times day adding to the level of sound. Food is basic. Sandwiches mostly and main entrees mostly. Maybe 20 choices at best? American fare only despite a few attempts otherwise. Yet, you can always count on those items to be excellent. I love the Roast Beef Prime Rib sandwich as do so many people. This is California/Napa casual and without any sort of attitude at all. Yet trendy too! Hectic inside but in a positive way combined with energy. Prices are excellent considering portion size and freshness. The wine list is superior (they sell a local top-of-the-line Napa Valley chardonay-FRANK FAMILY-for about 30% less than almost all other restaurants) and yet pricey or pretencious. It often appears to be mostly tourist. Yet we are only 45 minutes from Napa and often dine there. I love this restaurant! You'll be pleased with its great energy and ambience but much to my regret, reservations are not offered so expect a wait but in the beautiful Napa Valley sunshine... Pros: Outdoor Patio! Staffing! Freshness! Location! Casual! Cons: There Are None more

We had a fabulous time at Rutherford Hill. The tour of the caves was a highlight. Very informative. The tour guide was very knowledgable. Beautiful views from the winery. Sits up high on a hillside. Good wines too! Cost was $15 per person, which included the tour, tastings, and a logo wine glass to keep. Pros: Great Cave Tour! Nice views, Good wine more

I often stop in for lunch with friends as I am in the area quite a lot and it seems that I order the same thing each time; the prime rib sandwich and the roasted artichoke. It is so perfect that it's hard to stray from something I enjoy so much although every plate that passes by to another table looks delicious. The only downfall has to do with the region, it seems a lot of wine tasters stop by who have been enjoying the local wineries probably a little more than they should have but the staff handles them wonderfully! Pros: Usually isn't much of a wait for drop-ins Cons: Summer months tend to bring on surly tourists. more

With so many great restaurants in Napa Valley, Rutherford Grill seems to get overlooked by many of the travel guides. Located right on 27 in Rutherford, my girlfriend and I liked this place so much that we ate here twice on a recent trip to Napa. The menu while traditionally American had many innovative choices. All four meals we had were fantastic. The steaks and fish were cooked to perfection. The sides were great and the wine list was a tour of Napa on its own. We took advantage of their no corkage fee policy, bringing in a find we had made earlier in the day. The views of the mountains were great and the outside patio was warm and inviting. I would reccomend Rutherford for anyone looking to relax and unwind after a day of tastings. Pros: Menu/Wine List Cons: Could have to wait as they do not accept reservations. Get there early more

Expect to wait for a table no matter what but it's worth it. Everything on the menu is great so here's what I recommend: For a party of two: Do yourselves a favor and order the Grilled Artichoke to share to start with. Then split both the mouth watering Chicken Sandwich (Order it "Old School") and the hacked chicken salad. Ask for an extra side of mashed potatoes to go with the sandwich because you won't want to share. Dessert? Fahggetaboudid. No room. Bottom line? Great food & a cozy atmosphere. Oh- and then afterwards, go wine tasting over at the Copolla Winery across the street and visit the "museum" upstairs. more

Terrific bar, good service, beautiful setting - and once wonderful food. But my last meal there could have been frozen and shipped in from an interstate-side chain - the ribs were greasy and actually cold. The delicious, light coleslaw had morphed into a greasy chinese-chicken salad like thing. Thought they had a bad night, but every local I've talked to agrees. So sad to see a good restaurant go downhill. Hope it comes back. This is winter, 2004 - maybe they will read this and reform! more

The Rutherford Grill, a.k.a. Houston's, is a successful version of it's bigger sister, especially for Napa Valley. Although this is probably the areas only chain restaurant, they certainly are surviving amongst the heavy hitters. This constantly busy eatery, is a sure winner when touring wineries. Yes it's Napa casual, yes it's noisy, but it's food is consistently good. Be prepared for a 30+ minute wait, but that's no problem if you head next door to the areas premiere olive-oil tasting room. For lunch, this is a simply good choice when cruising on Rutherford Road. more

We have been on wine tours before that were very informative and interesting. This one amounted to going into the cave, seeing the barrels, hearing how many there were, seeing the "dining room" in the cave, then going into the area where they store the wine in tanks, hearing how many gallons of wine there were and then getting a small sample of wine they were trying to sell. That's it -- nothing about the process, how the wine is made, or seeing how they do anything. I don't know if this is how all their tours are or if ours was different because many people were asking bizarre questions, but we were very disappointed. Pros: good wine, good service Cons: tour is poor value, expensive more

We usually come here after a day of winetasting, and every time we get consistently good food and service. It is good if you like a tastefully casual, busy atmosphere. The restaurant is centered around a nice wooden bar area with sports on t.v., so not suited for a quiet romantic evening (good for small groups, though). Chicken and pork tenderloin were good choices. Pros: Great service, Menu variety, Casual atmosphere more

Have eaten at RG 4 times in the last couple of years after doing wine-tastings and have never been dissapointed. Part of the Houstons chain, RG sticks to the basics but does it very well. The artichoke/spinach dip with nacho chips is great. The cornbread came in a large iron skillet, big enough for 6 people. The rotisserie chicken and ribs are both tasty. Service is very professional and efficient while the decor is very traditional. A satisfying stop next time you are visiting Napa Valley! more

Contrary to the website, this place does not take reservations. Tried making reservations for a party of 9 and was told no reservations excepted. Never had a chance to try the food. more

We went to Rutherford Hill during the harvest so that made our visit extra special. The tour was informative but a bit long. I guess I'm cheap but I wished it wasn't so expensive ($10-$15 for tour and tasting) while other places only charge once for a lifetime of tours and tasting. But what do I know. Otherwise, I would consider taking out of town visitors there over and over again. There are lots of picnic tables and gardens. I always have to comment about the staff...they were friendly and not pretentious. Overall, a wonderful time and I would love to go again. Pros: Beautiful scenery, Clean and convenient, Nice tour and tasting Cons: Expensive for me more

My family always goes to Rutherford Grill when visiting Napa...it's like our experience would be incomplete without it. Our favorites include the smoked salmon appetizer, roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Prices are very reasonable and we always take something home. Sometimes there's a wait, but for us it's always worth it...it's the only place where my dad is willing to wait half an hour to be seated! You can always quickly go to BV next door or the olive oil tasting place across the street while you wait. As for service, it's ok, depends who you get. If not for the service, I would consider giving them a 10. Pros: good satisfying food, has a parking lot Cons: Wait for table, so-so service more

This little restaurant is a david in a plethora of giants... it'll knock you dead! The food is so deeeelicious, from the appetizers (eg iron skillet cornbread) to the desserts (eg oreo cookies and cream), that your glands will never stop salivatin'. With all the great looking chickens on the rotissiere, one might be tempted to think that the only thing here was the great chicken dishes but it isn't the case. The vegetable plate is a find for the vegetarian but prepare to eat hearty 'cause this ain't no little french sized plate. There are so many great items, garlic mashed potatoes, wild rice salad, etc) that you're gonna have to come back again and again and again. And don't forget to take a bone home for the dog everytime, compliments of the establishment! Pros: good variety, fresh vegetables, professional servers Cons: view, noisy more