Yountville's Restaurants Are Cooking for the Neighbors This Fall

By late summer, the Lakeside Grill at Vintner's Golf Club was losing money. Its menu had grown to dozens of dishes that were hard to prepare and expensive to serve. General Manager Jason Boldt has described the options he was left with. One was a stripped-down touch-screen kiosk with no table service. The other was closing a room where, for decades, servers had known regulars' orders by heart.

He chose neither one. The restaurant is now Birdie Yountville at the Lakeside Grill, with a new chef, a shorter menu, longer hours and servers still bringing food to the table.

Birdie isn't the only one. Over the past few months, several Yountville kitchens have reset their hours, prices and formats with repeat local diners in mind. The town still has its famous tasting menus. What's new is how much of the week now runs on a rhythm built for people who live here.

A Grill by the Lake That Opens at Eight

Chef Jimmy Martinez joined Birdie and, in under two weeks, upgraded the kitchen equipment, rewrote the menu and expanded the hours. He came up in high-volume kitchens, including time with Wolfgang Puck at Spago in Beverly Hills. He later moved his family to St. Helena, and Jude Wilmoth of Cook St. Helena recommended him to Boldt.

Birdie now opens for breakfast at 8 a.m. every day. It adds a brunch menu on weekends and runs a daily happy hour. A lobster Caesar wrap with romaine, Parmesan and garlic croutons is among the new dishes. Dinner service hasn't started yet. Boldt and Martinez say they hope to add it eventually, along with wine dinners, birthdays, reunions and weddings.

"We want to be the outlet for people to gather as a community or family at our beautiful place next to the lake." Jason Boldt, General Manager, Birdie Yountville at the Lakeside Grill

The new name is a nod to golf. It's meant to signal a change without dropping the identity regulars have known for years.

North Block Drops the Formality on Washington Street

At the north end of Washington Street, the room once called The Restaurant at North Block now goes by North Block Restaurant. The Yountville Sun's September report describes it as "returning to its neighborhood roots." The formal dining model is gone. In its place are seasonal plates, wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta and a wine list focused on California.

Chef de cuisine Antonio Natal grew up in Napa Valley, and his menu draws on his Latin and Italian heritage. The pizza dough uses the same sourdough starter as Redd Wood, the restaurant that used to occupy the space. Longtime fans of that room will recognize something on the plate. The late-summer menu included:

• Fennel sausage and potato pizza with mozzarella, Parmesan cream, rosemary and chili crisp
• Brentwood white corn caramelle filled with ricotta, served with corn cream and aged Parmesan
• Roasted half chicken with purple cauliflower purée, Sungold tomatoes and basil salmoriglio

Longtime Napa bartender Coy Estes built the cocktail list, which includes nonalcoholic options. The biggest change is the new Sunday Supper Series. It's $49 per person for three courses: an appetizer, a pizza or pasta, and dessert. The choices change every month, so the October menu won't repeat in November.

North Block serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Its "Happiest Hour" runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m. The town's August 2026 happy-hour guide lists $10 cocktails in that window.

A Discount Only Residents Can Use

Birdie and North Block shaped their changes around local diners. The Coop by Hoopes goes further and builds the benefit into the price. It's a farmstand and casual café run as a collaboration between Hoopes Vineyard and the Town of Yountville. Ingredients come from Hoopes Vineyard's Oasis Garden and the Yountville Farmstand Garden.

As of the Coop's spring 2026 update, Yountville residents get 50 percent off produce, eggs and coffee, plus 20 percent off hot food and wine by the glass. Culinary Director Amy Nguyen's menu changes with the seasons. Spring brought fresh spring rolls made with pickled Oasis Garden vegetables. Published hours differ between the Coop's own page and local coverage, so check the Coop's page at Hoopes Vineyard before you go.

The same farmstand also takes donated produce from home gardeners, which makes it a two-way exchange. Anyone growing more than they can use can reach the team at [email protected].

The Depot at One Year

Clementine moved into the historic depot at 6525 Washington St., a building previously home to Pacific Blues, Platform 8 and Coqueta. It opened on Aug. 14, 2025, under executive chef Rebecca Weitzman, as part of Estate Yountville.

A year in, the Yountville Sun's August update describes a seasonal menu that has kept several signature dishes. Clementine is open Wednesday through Monday, with three menus across the day: brunch, an afternoon intermezzo menu and dinner. The intermezzo menu covers the mid-afternoon stretch when many kitchens in town are closed between services.

A Wine Bar Built Around Coming Back

The one major opening on the fall calendar uses the same logic. Vintners Social Club by K. LAZ is taking over the former JCB Tasting Salon at Washington and Mulberry Streets. Founder Kerrin Laz describes it as a mix of a European-style private members' club and a neighborhood wine bar. It's designed as a place where members and guests "can return regularly."

Laz has deep roots in Yountville. She founded K. Laz Wine Collection in town in 2015. She also founded Inspire Napa Valley, a nonprofit that has raised more than $11 million for Alzheimer's and dementia research and local care. On pricing, her own words are the clearest: "in the region where these wines are grown, they should be enjoyed at their most reasonable prices."

The club's Sept. 2 update named its first ten founding Vintner Members. It says these wineries will host tastings, seminars and vineyard conversations throughout the year. The same update sets a goal of opening "at the end of October," with memberships running through the first anniversary of opening. No exact opening day has been announced. Updates are posted on the club's site.

A Week of Eating in Town, This October

Put together, these changes add up to a weekly loop that didn't exist a year ago:

1. Monday: Lucy's hosts Yappy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with a free item from the dog menu when you buy two drinks. Clementine is open, since it closes only on Tuesdays.
2. Tuesday: Lucy's oyster hour, 4 to 6 p.m.
3. Wednesday through Sunday: Happy hour at RO Restaurant & Lounge, 4 to 6 p.m., with $10 cocktails and Asian-inspired bites. On Fridays, live music follows from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
4. Any morning: Breakfast at Birdie, starting at 8 a.m., with brunch on weekends.
5. Sunday evening: North Block's $49 Sunday Supper, with a new menu each month.

On the Calendar Through the Holidays

The Hallowine Walk is new this year. It's a Saturday afternoon stroll down the same stretch of Washington Street where North Block, Clementine and the future Vintners Social Club sit within a few blocks of each other. By the time the tree is lit on Nov. 22, North Block's Sunday Supper will be on its third monthly menu since the September relaunch.

A town's dining scene is part of what an address offers, and the Hillary Ryan Group follows these changes as closely as any sale on Washington Street. If you'd like to talk about how Yountville's everyday rhythm fits your own plans, request a private consultation.