We had a wonderful dinner at Lovina. I had the halibut and my husband had the risotto both were delicious. Bonus to come on wine Wednesday ! The dessert flourless brownie was Devine !! Highly recommend coming here. Favorite restaurant in Calistoga.
Megan Perkins
Absolutely excellent!! From the food to the service. All around great! Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Warm Duck Confit & Lacinato Kale Salad
Patricia L.
The food, ambiance, and service here is top notch. Came here on a rainy Friday night with our two pups and from the start, the staff made us feel welcoming and were thoughtful in seating us on the heated porch away from too much foot traffic because we had our two dogs. The restaurant is tip-free meaning the prices are already adjusted to make sure staff is paid fairly and with a livable wage. Prices aren't cheap but we felt it was worth it! What we ordered: - sourdough batard with kale whipped butter: bread wasn't the best we ever had when we're comparing to tartine but it was very good and the butter was well seasoned and flavored. Would definitely order again - spicy pork and beef bolognese: pasta tasted handmade and very delicate with a light meat sauce, reminiscent of the type of pasta my husband and I had in Italy. We loved this dish! Not too heavy, just the right amount of seasoning - Broccolini: perfectly cooked, slightly smoky and well seasoned - gnocchi with vodka sauce: I personally really liked this dish and thought the gnocchi had nice texture and sauce was well made but hubby felt the gnocchi could've been more pillowy - potato gratin: not amazing but a solid bechamel and light on the cheese - hot mess dessert: flourless brownie wasn't too heavy, pistachio gelato had good texture but not heavy on pistachio flavoring. Marshmallow was more cream like in texture. Probably wouldn't order this again. Overall the dishes were all well executed and well seasoned. Staff was so friendly and welcoming and the ambiance of the restaurant itself was extremely relaxing. Would love to come back again soon!
Justin Kelley
Our waitress was amazing. Chilaquiles very very good and the bolognese is the best we’ve ever had. Cinnamon roll 10/10. Go here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leisa M.
We were drawn to the gluten free and vegetarian options but this place exceeded all of our expectations! It was Meatless Monday, which offered a 3 course vegetarian meal for $49. We split the Impossible Lasagne and it was amazing! We also ordered an extra dessert called "Hot Mess" which was so tasty! We can't wait to come back again!
Giovanna H.
Super underwhelmed and honestly disappointed. We got the whipped ricotta, beet & burrata salad, bolognese. There was way too much honey on the ricotta I felt like I was just eating pure sugar, the burrata was nothing to write home about and the bolognese was off. The meat was dry and not cohesive with the sauce. I got it dirty per everyone's suggestions on yelp and it just made the pasta taste like pure truffle oil. Would not recommend to a friend
Melissa Victoria Frayer
Love coming for brunch and have come at least five times, almost always with our infant and then toddler. I love the outdoor patio, the French toast, how accommodating the restaurant is of our toddler and that there are tons of NA cocktails and beverages options. Service is always excellent and I love the food. Always feels like a treat to drive up here on a sunny day. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options too.Kid-friendliness: They have these wire toys for kids, and generally the bench seating works great for our toddler.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelsey D.
This weekend was my visit time getting the chance to finally visit Napa!! We were looking for a little but nicer of a restaurant and what a gem of a place Lovina turned out to be. From the obviously wonderful wine selection to the food, Lovina highly exceeded our expectations. The bread is phenomenal and the butter that comes with it is somehow even better. We enjoyed the fried mushrooms polenta bites for an appetizer, which wasn't what I expected as far as presentation, but regardless, phenomenal. For entrees we chose the seared wild halibut and the NY strip steak, I didn't want to stop eating either of them to say the least. To top it all off, we had phenomenal service from start to finish. From the initial greet, to our personal server, and even the waitstaff who brought our food and drinks, they were all very personable and professional. We will definitely be back the next time we come this way!
Christine D.
Expensive but not a lot more than everywhere else . Read the story and history before going . How the employees are treated and paid made us happy to support the restaurant and the food and service was very good.
JoeyM
Loved our experience. We celebrated a birthday so I opted for the half bottle of brut rosé after being seated. Everything from the starter to the salad to the yummy entrees to the chocolatey dessert (with a birthday candle) were just delightful. And the wines were also fantastic, no surprise. Will definitely return to Lovina.
Relatively decent food - but this review is more about the disingenuous service and behavior of our waitress. I appreciate that tips are included in the price of the food here and that they actually pay their staff well. We came in as a party of 7 girls and were kindly seated relatively quickly at a private dining table. Off to a good start! Our waitress was bubbly and attentive - on serving us water, she said "I'll bring you some bread and take your order". And we said sure! And boy it really was some of the most delicious bread (and butter!) I've had in a long time. The way she said this and didn't ask if we wanted to order bread obviously implied the bread was free / this is the kind of restaurant that just serves bread. She even came back and asked if we wanted a top up and of course we said yes. . We went on to order a bottle of wine, some apps and a main each. The rest of the food was okay - not bad but nothing to write home about. Big portions though. When the check came, we were shocked to see a charge of over $30 just for the bread! Honestly, we would've ended up ordering the bread anyway - but didn't like being fooled into thinking it was complimentary and then needing to pay an obscene amount for it. Unfortunate practice.
arpit gupta
We got the grilled cheese, burrittom and deviled eggs. Grilled cheese was great, burritio was nice too but eggs could have been creamier. Everything was great, until we found out that they charged us 5$ for cutting the burrito in half!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Service and food were good. My only issue was the seating. It was very cold outside so we asked to switch to an indoor table. The indoor capacity was only about 20% full but the host told us there were no tables available. They assured us the patio was heated and we would be comfortable. Within minutes of sitting down, the table next to us complained about the heaters being turned on and the staff shut them off. We were shivering and cold and were told they couldn't turn the heat back on until that party vacated their table. That made for a really bad experience overall, which made us hurry through lunch and decide not to order additional drinks. The heat didn't get turned back on until we got our check, leaving us all shivering and eager to get back to the car.
Marcia L. B.
Amazing , delightful meal. Love the wine selection and friendly staff. I support their business model: pay a living wage and Healthcare benefits. Respect.
CyndiJ
Lovina is one of my favorite restaurants in Calistoga. The food is farm-to-table fresh. I always get the polenta bites with mushrooms as an appetizer, and the sauce that comes with them is fantastic. I had the duck, mushroom, and kale salad, which was delicious and a generous portion. My friend and I shared a Fundae dessert: three scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and the yum-yum balls (chocolate balls)—a hit every time. Go, people. You will not be disappointed. The service is professional and first-rate.
We had a wonderful dinner at Lovina. I had the halibut and my husband had the risotto both were delicious. Bonus to come on wine Wednesday ! The dessert flourless brownie was Devine !! Highly recommend coming here. Favorite restaurant in Calistoga.
Absolutely excellent!! From the food to the service. All around great! Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Warm Duck Confit & Lacinato Kale Salad
The food, ambiance, and service here is top notch. Came here on a rainy Friday night with our two pups and from the start, the staff made us feel welcoming and were thoughtful in seating us on the heated porch away from too much foot traffic because we had our two dogs. The restaurant is tip-free meaning the prices are already adjusted to make sure staff is paid fairly and with a livable wage. Prices aren't cheap but we felt it was worth it! What we ordered: - sourdough batard with kale whipped butter: bread wasn't the best we ever had when we're comparing to tartine but it was very good and the butter was well seasoned and flavored. Would definitely order again - spicy pork and beef bolognese: pasta tasted handmade and very delicate with a light meat sauce, reminiscent of the type of pasta my husband and I had in Italy. We loved this dish! Not too heavy, just the right amount of seasoning - Broccolini: perfectly cooked, slightly smoky and well seasoned - gnocchi with vodka sauce: I personally really liked this dish and thought the gnocchi had nice texture and sauce was well made but hubby felt the gnocchi could've been more pillowy - potato gratin: not amazing but a solid bechamel and light on the cheese - hot mess dessert: flourless brownie wasn't too heavy, pistachio gelato had good texture but not heavy on pistachio flavoring. Marshmallow was more cream like in texture. Probably wouldn't order this again. Overall the dishes were all well executed and well seasoned. Staff was so friendly and welcoming and the ambiance of the restaurant itself was extremely relaxing. Would love to come back again soon!
Our waitress was amazing. Chilaquiles very very good and the bolognese is the best we’ve ever had. Cinnamon roll 10/10. Go here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were drawn to the gluten free and vegetarian options but this place exceeded all of our expectations! It was Meatless Monday, which offered a 3 course vegetarian meal for $49. We split the Impossible Lasagne and it was amazing! We also ordered an extra dessert called "Hot Mess" which was so tasty! We can't wait to come back again!
Super underwhelmed and honestly disappointed. We got the whipped ricotta, beet & burrata salad, bolognese. There was way too much honey on the ricotta I felt like I was just eating pure sugar, the burrata was nothing to write home about and the bolognese was off. The meat was dry and not cohesive with the sauce. I got it dirty per everyone's suggestions on yelp and it just made the pasta taste like pure truffle oil. Would not recommend to a friend
Love coming for brunch and have come at least five times, almost always with our infant and then toddler. I love the outdoor patio, the French toast, how accommodating the restaurant is of our toddler and that there are tons of NA cocktails and beverages options. Service is always excellent and I love the food. Always feels like a treat to drive up here on a sunny day. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options too.Kid-friendliness: They have these wire toys for kids, and generally the bench seating works great for our toddler.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This weekend was my visit time getting the chance to finally visit Napa!! We were looking for a little but nicer of a restaurant and what a gem of a place Lovina turned out to be. From the obviously wonderful wine selection to the food, Lovina highly exceeded our expectations. The bread is phenomenal and the butter that comes with it is somehow even better. We enjoyed the fried mushrooms polenta bites for an appetizer, which wasn't what I expected as far as presentation, but regardless, phenomenal. For entrees we chose the seared wild halibut and the NY strip steak, I didn't want to stop eating either of them to say the least. To top it all off, we had phenomenal service from start to finish. From the initial greet, to our personal server, and even the waitstaff who brought our food and drinks, they were all very personable and professional. We will definitely be back the next time we come this way!
Expensive but not a lot more than everywhere else . Read the story and history before going . How the employees are treated and paid made us happy to support the restaurant and the food and service was very good.
Loved our experience. We celebrated a birthday so I opted for the half bottle of brut rosé after being seated. Everything from the starter to the salad to the yummy entrees to the chocolatey dessert (with a birthday candle) were just delightful. And the wines were also fantastic, no surprise. Will definitely return to Lovina.
Restaurantji Recommends
Relatively decent food - but this review is more about the disingenuous service and behavior of our waitress. I appreciate that tips are included in the price of the food here and that they actually pay their staff well. We came in as a party of 7 girls and were kindly seated relatively quickly at a private dining table. Off to a good start! Our waitress was bubbly and attentive - on serving us water, she said "I'll bring you some bread and take your order". And we said sure! And boy it really was some of the most delicious bread (and butter!) I've had in a long time. The way she said this and didn't ask if we wanted to order bread obviously implied the bread was free / this is the kind of restaurant that just serves bread. She even came back and asked if we wanted a top up and of course we said yes. . We went on to order a bottle of wine, some apps and a main each. The rest of the food was okay - not bad but nothing to write home about. Big portions though. When the check came, we were shocked to see a charge of over $30 just for the bread! Honestly, we would've ended up ordering the bread anyway - but didn't like being fooled into thinking it was complimentary and then needing to pay an obscene amount for it. Unfortunate practice.
We got the grilled cheese, burrittom and deviled eggs. Grilled cheese was great, burritio was nice too but eggs could have been creamier. Everything was great, until we found out that they charged us 5$ for cutting the burrito in half!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Service and food were good. My only issue was the seating. It was very cold outside so we asked to switch to an indoor table. The indoor capacity was only about 20% full but the host told us there were no tables available. They assured us the patio was heated and we would be comfortable. Within minutes of sitting down, the table next to us complained about the heaters being turned on and the staff shut them off. We were shivering and cold and were told they couldn't turn the heat back on until that party vacated their table. That made for a really bad experience overall, which made us hurry through lunch and decide not to order additional drinks. The heat didn't get turned back on until we got our check, leaving us all shivering and eager to get back to the car.
Amazing , delightful meal. Love the wine selection and friendly staff. I support their business model: pay a living wage and Healthcare benefits. Respect.
Lovina is one of my favorite restaurants in Calistoga. The food is farm-to-table fresh. I always get the polenta bites with mushrooms as an appetizer, and the sauce that comes with them is fantastic. I had the duck, mushroom, and kale salad, which was delicious and a generous portion. My friend and I shared a Fundae dessert: three scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and the yum-yum balls (chocolate balls)—a hit every time. Go, people. You will not be disappointed. The service is professional and first-rate.