Cook Tavern

Great lunch at Cook tavern. Cool place in the great downtown area of St. Helena. Our group enjoyed the roasted pork special of the day, the house burger, fish and chips and the Cobb Salad. Good starter is the nachos — just right for two people but worked for four. Service was excellent and it was hopping on a Friday for late lunch. Enjoyed it!

The food is amazing – try the pan-​fried chicken and add garlic fries. Cocktails are a mug with master mixologist Eduardo.

Wish they would start taking reservations… waiting an hour on a Wednesday night = ugh! We tried to make a reservation but they don’t take them ~ Please start taking reservations!!!

Yes this place is great! Local favorite and just the right food. Vibe was chill and fun. Piccata is like a schnitzel which I love and steak frites were just what we wanted. We will be back.

Amazing Cubano! May be the best I’ve ever had! Service was also great but I only gave 4 stars because this restaurant didn’t have ranch. Who doesn’t have ranch? My friend had the wings and doesn’t like blue cheese dressing. All she said that was missing was the ranch… BYOR!

Been here twice and loved it both times. Great service and awesome food. Nice friendly ambiance with big screen TVs all around. Fish tacos special were amazing.

If you happen to wander into Cook Tavern, you may notice just what a strong aesthetic it has. However, their drinks are right up to par with the ambiance of the place. I have been here several times, and eaten things off the brunch and dinner menu. If you are there for brunch try the chilaquiles. The rich enchilada sauce makes them super unique. Later in the day the menu gravitates toward high class bar food. They have some pretty interesting things on the menu, but my favorite is the tacos. They won’t let you forget to pair a delish drink with whatever food you choose. Or if you are not hungry at all this place is awesome just to go and have drinks with the friends. The bar tender did an amazing job suggesting wines as well.

Their chilaquiles are to die for. My husband had a smoked salmon special that was absolutely amazing!

Bad services ever. Bad attitude services. Food was suck. Not recommend this place. If I can give o star I would. Bad experience for my first time. Pls don’t come here. Go to another place would make you happier.

Went there around 1045 on a Saturday. There was only one other table filled. It took more than 20 minutes to get our food. It was very tasty although could have been hotter in temperature. We weren’t blown away so much that we’ll never go anywhere else. There are tons of amazing eating establishments in the area. This one will have to step it up a bit to get our loyalty… Try the chilaquiles. They were delicious.

Enjoyed an excellent, casual lunch here in February. We walked down to main street, baby in tow, and were happy to find Cook Tavern pretty quiet — it was a good two hours after the lunch rush, and it was sleepy but not dead.
My baseline is a gentle craving for fish and chips, so when I see them on the menu where I know they will be done well, I am required by law and my body to order them. So glad that’s my rule, because there were other things I wanted in this menu, but they were so good. Perfectly battered and fried, delicious flavor, just crunchy enough and warm and flaky inside! After all the wine we’d had, I was also happy to order something that is pretty much statutorily required to be served with a pint.
Wonderful service and a server who asked me questions about the baby rather than appear even remotely annoyed. We all enjoyed our meal, our afternoon together, and this cozy little joint wth affordable prices.

Just had a Sunday Brunch at this fine establishment. It was about 1:30pm so it wasn’t very busy and I got seated right away. I ordered the Chilaquiles with a side of regular fries. Chilaquiles was quite tasty with the egg on top and the fries are possibly the best in the valley. Hopefully I’ll be back sooner rather than later!

Very slow service despite the restaurant being half empty. The portions were very small for the price and the food was mediocre. We ordered nachos (+ chicken) since they ran out of the duck confit early in the day. What we got felt like a tiny plate with a few shreds of chicken and hardly any cheese. We also ordered the chicken wings which were pretty flavorless.
The ambiance is nice and definitely drew us in but my group of five was disappointed with the food and service. However, NO CORKAGE FEE on the first bottle is awesome and we were able to enjoy a bottle we bought earlier that day.

We called to see if they had lunch availability on short notice and got right in. We brought our own wine and the wine service was great, very attentive. We ordered the seafood cocktail and it was very tasty with a avocado salsa. The mac n cheese was hot and bubbly and the serving is large. We ordered the fried chicken and it was perfectly crunchy and tasted freshly brined and seasoned. Second time we have been here and we shall return.

Cooks Tavern for St Patrick’s Day… we have high hopes, so don’t let us down. It just doesn’t seem right going to the Sherpa (no offense) on the 17^th of March.
It’s always good to look forward to something as special as this. TBC
Phish.~~~~~

Hubby, baby, & I came for a weekday lunch. Nice, bright space with plenty of available tables. Excellent cocktail list. Like, seriously yummy. I wish I’d been able to indulge in others, as well, but the Francophile Sparkler comes highly recommended. Great nachos. Mussels were good but would’ve liked more broth to dip the fries in. Hubby loved the fried pickles. Staff were attentive & friendly.
We will definitely stop by again when in the area. I’d like to put a dent in that cocktail list ;)
*As someone with celiac disease, it was easy for me to order gluten-​free.

Popped in for Sunday brunch. Cool vibe with Napa Valley charm. Loved the 70s rock music playing while the bartender mixes craft cocktails. Order the «Cook Madame»… Delicious!

I showed up here with no particular plans to eat, but the bartender was friendly, and the steak with arugula and delicious fries won me over. The drinks and food were reasonably priced (for Napa valley), the food was delicious and had some character (always a plus), and the atmosphere was acceptable (it feels like a nice bar).
A lot of locals go here, which is a good sign. Of the four groups/​individuals who sat near me while I was there, all were local, and three worked in the wine industry. Overall, friendly service, friendly people, and tasty food at a reasonable price. Nicely done!

Food was good, albeit portions were a little on the small side for the price. $ 10 for two small house made corn dogs and $ 14 for three smoked bacon meatballs. Still, they did taste good.
Service was good and the décor is very hipster. Looks like they decorated off of Pinterest ideas. Would I eat here again? Maybe.

We stopped into Cook Tavern for lunch and were not disappointed. The space is cozy and the servers were great. We enjoyed the tomato soup with tiny sandwiches, mac and cheese and the nachos with smoked duck. Everything was fantastic, and Cook is a great place for lunch!

Excellent place. The food, the presentation, the ambiance, and the service was impeccable. I had the burger and garlic Parmesan fries. It was fantastic. If you want top notch Gourmet food in a casual yet classy environment, you need to eat at Cook Tavern.

Had a very nice bday dinner here for my gf’s sister. Food was good but when we only left a 25 dollar tip it wasn’t enough and waiter got very disturbed and came back to our table to ask us if everything was OK then we told him everything was very good he shook his head and walked away we were shocked and left very unhappy that our tip wasn’t good enough…

Walked in to a wide open restaurant. Asked them to put a football game on, even though there was 6 tv’s they put us in the corner and told us they couldn’t put our game on any other tv. Bar has measured pours, only one shot for a bloody. This was the unfriendliest place in all of Napa county. Every other place we went, the staff was totally friendly.

Great place in perfect downtown St. Helena. Lots of great pub fare. Irish nachos, Mac and cheese and the burger all very good! Friendly and efficient service. Not a huge place, very casual comfortable. Great except from everything wine!

Drove almost two hours just to eat at this Napa restaurant off Main Street today for my mother’s birthday. Located right next to the original Cook’s restaurant, this tavern had «a burger to die for» according to my mother and we simply had to eat there for her birthday lunch. Found easy, accessible parking on the same block and waited about 15 – 20 minutes for a table around 2:00 PM. The tavern was full of customers and the noise level was rather loud, but it’s a bar so quite understandable. I ordered the burger as did most of my other family members, also the steak frites. Everything arrived to our table about 20 minutes after ordering. The food was delicious. The service was about average; actually one of the wait staff spilled a small jar of simple syrup all over the table, wiped it up with a napkin, then walked away not saying one word the entire time (weird) and did not replace the syrup. Overall, the food was good but I did not care for the atmosphere.

Simply amazing food, service and ambiance. Good as it gets — a must try!

Tonight was my first time here and I will Absolutely go back! Went with my husband and our daughter and we ordered a few things to share. The duck tacos were amazing as were the Poutine, French fries, fried pickles, and fried chicken wings! The vibe was great as well. Nice and relaxed. Our waiter was super friendly as well. No negatives as far as I’m concerned and I am very picky. A MUST TRY!

This unassuming little spot has big flavor and something for everyone. The bar next door, Cook Tavern, makes a killer Old Fashioned. But back to the restaurant…
We had the calamari, which locals told us are the best. I would say they were above average, but not the best I’ve ever had. The breeding flaked off a little much and the flavor was a little bland. We also had one of the salads, which was fresh and delicious. Then came the hangar steak for me, and they nailed it. Perfectly cooked and dressed with a Chimichurri sauce. I paired it with a glass of Larkin cab. My husband had the pasta with a spicy sausage gravy. It was full-​throttle and he loved it.
We finished off the meal with the gelato and it was perfect! Best dessert of the trip.
Definitely try Cook the next time you’re in St. Helena and sit at the bar for a relaxing and casual, but delicious meal; just skip the calamari.

No wait tonight for 4. Burger and fries were deelish! Service was excellent as well. Good impression for our out of town guests. We’ll be back!

You know when you eat at a place that gets it right, everytime…
That’s Cook Tavern.
The food is great, normal/​everyday food that they do amazing. Chicken wings are amazing — the perfect amount of salt to make your beer even that much better.
Poutin — I wanted to bathe in it. The jus (gravy) he uses is amazing, better than any poutin gravy I have ever eaten. Their fries are what make it though — perfectly cripsy and seasoned.
I had the pleasure of meeting the owners the night my wife and I were there. Two of the nicest people in the world who went out of their way to make sure our meal was perfect.
Amazing food. Great atmosphere. Very nice owners.
5 stars

I throughly enjoyed my time here for lunch this past Thursday, the food was delicious, there was a great atmosphere and the service was fantastic.
I love all the restaurants now a days that offer small plates options so you can share a few things. I also like when there’s not a huge selection so it makes the decision process easier and I feel the Chef has a focus on making each dish to perfection. The actual restaurant is trendy, casual yet dressy at the same time. There’s a bar area with stools and the restaurant area has both high and low tables.
First off I ordered a diet coke and it came in the cutest little bottle, they say diet cokes fans are the most dedicated soda drinkers and I definitely loved the presentation of this soda. We started with the Spanish spicy Chill Peanuts which doesn’t sound like a big exciting dish but they were delicious. They had been toasted and had a good little kick to them. We also ordered the Shashito peppers that weren’t on the menu but we’re one of the specials that day and they were fabulous. The server said they were «flash» grilled in oil and then sprinkled with rock salt, they were quite amazing. I couldn’t decide between the shrimp with mustard greens or the beet salad. I love beets and I love shrimp but because we’d ordered appetizers I went with the lighter salad and it was really yummy. I have a thing for arugula right now or as some people call it, «rocket» salad so this combined with the beets really hit the spot for me. The gal I was with had a sandwich and she enjoyed that also.
If I’m back in the Napa area I’d like to come here in the evening so I can enjoy a better beverage than a soda, they had wine, a lot of beers on tap and hand crafted cocktails. They also had some entrees that looked really delicious, I had come during lunchtime, still had a few hours of work ahead of me so a full entrée and a glass of wine would have put a stop to all of that :).
Overall, great spot, trendy vibe, good service, delicious food and what appears to be a great beverage menu. The owner himself also asked how everything was for his, he did seem to know the gal I was with but still that shows they really have a passion for making sure their customers really have an enjoyable experience.

Hello Nachos! Seriously wonderful nachos which are my go to. All the other dishes I have tried have been quite nice as well.

Fried pickles — she loved but I thought they tasted like fried pickles.
cubano — I loved it. Pork and ham and cheese! She took a bite and thought it was too much.
Beet salad — she loved it.
Drinks — awesome
Ambience was great.

Really enjoyed our first visit — would agree with another reviewer that the nachos needs a little something — like a protein option — as is, they’re fine but not fantastic (home made chips, sour cream, tomatillo salsa verde, salsa rosa, jack cheese (only about ½ of it melted) and pickled jalapeños). The cocktails were fresh and delicious — my husband enjoyed his NY Sour and I had a vodka Chupacabra which had just the right amount of heat and citrus …
The service at the bar was friendly; the bartender is clearly knowledgeable, but we had a bit of a difficult time ordering a second round and then getting our check (even after service had calmed down a bit).
The poutine our bar neighbors were eating looked and smelled amazing — they told us they really enjoyed them. I generally like my fries really crispy so I don’t like anything on them that will mush them up – so poutine is out for me, but I suggest trying them if you’re not a texture freak like me.
Another neighbor enjoyed what looked like a quite good hamburger. And, another neighbor the fried chicken wings — which looked amazing (not greasy and very crispy).
I was told that the fish and fries is actually a fried whole branzino (bones and all) — which, while fancy, isn’t what I want in my fish and chips … boneless fish please …
At lunch on another day, we found the female bartender to be very friendly and nice but not super «on it» from a service perspective. I ordered the mozzarella sandwich and tomato soup — both were good, but the soup comes in a large serving and there was only a small fist sized piece of bread with melted cheese cut into three even smaller pieces. The bartender remarked at what a small portion of sandwich I had been given (I agreed) but the manager told me that that’s how they serve it (the bartender inquired of her own volition as she had had that dish before and had been given quite a bit larger of a sandwich portion). It all tasted fine (even good) but they need to either serve less soup or double the number of sandwich pieces — it’s proportionally out of whack as is.
At that same lunch, my husband’s burger was served medium when he has asked for it medium rare, and came with way too much of the diced onion spread — he said it was way out of balance — too sweet.
I like the atmosphere with the exposed brick walls — I can do without the tvs but I get the atmosphere they’re going for. It gets quite loud with all of the hard surfaces. They also still don’t have purse hooks at the bar (as of 1÷6÷15) — something that I would have thought they would have had from the outset (small details like this one make a difference).
The kitchen closes at 10 pm but drinks flow beyond …
I am a fan, and we will be back, often. Looking forward to trying more food items!

Cook Tavern opened just over a week ago and it has a lot of promise. Located next to their superb sister restaurant in St. Helena, we were excited to see a more pubbish type of place open up in town. That said, there are some kinks to be worked out.
Our first visit was for a quick drink at the bar. The drink offerings are superb – great, inventive cocktails and interesting beer/​wine lists guarantee something for everyone. I got a Kumquat-​whiskey beverage that was expertly mixed and was a perfect balance between citrusy and herbal.
Our second visit was a bit less than ideal. We came for a late lunch. The host situation was a bit spotty with us waiting for a table and then it being given away to another couple who arrived after us. The situation was rectified, but without much acknowledgment from the manager, who was quite aloof. We ordered fried pickles, nachos, and sauteed salmon. The pickles were great, but for $ 6, the portion was really inadequate and was probably only a single gherkin, sliced. My husband got the nachos, which he described as «serviceable» but were quite boring: chips, cheese, salsa, and guac – needed something else. I had the salmon which was really quite delicious. It was expertly cooked and the accompanying vegetables in a citrus vinaigrette were exquisite.
Drinks were great again – I had a gin cocktail with bee pollen – yum! However, when it was time for a second round, my husband’s order was taken but mine was not; even when the drink was delivered, my attempts to order a second drink were unsuccessful. By the time I was asked for my order, my meal was halfway finished and it wasn’t worth ordering anything at that point. We were asked if we wanted dessert but there are only 2 available – root beer floats and vanilla ice cream with pistachios. Hrmm.
I’d go back again but probably just for a drink at the bar.

Absolutely fantastic. Portions were good, meals were all cooked to perfection.
Definitely recommend the meatballs to start, burger or wings to eat and slap a bag of fries for the table.