The promenade along the Napa River, with Angele's riverside terrace, Morimoto's waterfront dining room and the Historic Napa Mill anchoring the pedestrian path.
Angele on Main Street has a riverside terrace. The cooking is French country brasserie: proper onion soup, steak frites and a Burgundy-and-Napa wine list.
Signature: French onion soup, Lyonnaise salad, Steak frites
Order: French onion soup and the daily fish special.
Tip: The riverside patio is the most pleasant outdoor table in downtown Napa on a warm evening.
Morimoto Napa delivers modern Japanese cooking with American scale in a glass riverfront building, drawing on the Iron Chef's Japanese-American idiom.
Signature: Tuna tartare, Wagyu gyoza, Chef's tasting menu
Tip: The full sushi bar counter is the best seat in the house for watching the kitchen in action.
At lunch, Angele is the best riverside terrace in downtown Napa, with French onion soup and moules frites. The wine list makes a weekday lunch easy to extend.
Signature: French onion soup, Moules frites, Lyonnaise salad
Order: French onion soup and moules frites on the riverside terrace.
Tip: Sunday brunch 10:00-14:30 is the most relaxed format at Angele, with a shorter menu and easier table availability.
Sweetie Pies operates from an 1886 Italianate building on Main Street, producing seasonal fruit pies that change with the Napa Valley harvest each season.
Signature: Seasonal fruit pies, Morning pastries, Croissants
Tip: The pie selection changes with the season. Summer visits are best for peach and cherry; autumn for apple and pear.
Napa Palisades is the casual outdoor saloon on Soscol Avenue with a focused whiskey and beer programme and a riverfront patio for the local residential crowd.
Signature: Whiskey selection, Draft beers, Outdoor riverfront patio
Tip: The outdoor patio is the draw: arrive by sunset for the best riverfront atmosphere without the premium of the hotel rooftop bars.
Angele's weekend brunch on the riverside terrace serves Eggs Benedict, croque madame and a wine-and-mimosa programme. The most civilised brunch spot in Napa.
Signature: Eggs Benedict with French ham, Croque madame, Mimosas
Order: Croque madame on the riverside terrace.
Tip: Book ahead for Saturday and Sunday from 10:00. The riverside terrace fills by 11:00 on sunny mornings.