Restaurants across the nation are pushing the locavore movement to the next level. They don’t just source the best regional ingredients for their kitchens—they pluck heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, and peaches from their own backyards, and are often steered by regenerative practices. When the farm and restaurant are part of a single holistic dining experience, there’s nothing more idyllic.
At a historic family-run cattle ranch in Wyoming that doubles as a popular steakhouse, diners can even indulge in a pre-dinner pony ride. In the urban sprawl of SoCal, a James Beard Award-nominated American restaurant boasts a kitchen garden that fuels its plant-forward small plates. A cornucopia of New England seafood awaits across the street from an oyster farm in Massachusetts.
Meals come with a backdrop of tomato vines and plum trees at these 13 farm-to-table restaurants. Book a table, walk the grounds, and delight in the bounty.
The Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm – Duxbury, Massachusetts
Island Creek Oysters grows and harvests oysters daily in Duxbury Bay, a body of water tucked inside the curling tentacle of the larger Cape Cod Bay. Diners could already slurp those legendary oysters at a couple of restaurants in Boston, but they’re the freshest when consumed on the farm—or right across the street. The renowned seafood company took over the historic 19th-century Winsor House and reopened it in 2021, restoring the cozy fireplaces and farmhouse tables. Dig into a New England feast of oysters, caviar, and crudo from the raw bar, or try fresh twists on fish and chips with whole branzino and clam chowder with smoked pork belly. The result is an ocean-driven spread adored by Duxbury locals.
The Hope Farm – Fairhope, Alabama
This urban farm and wine bar in a coastal Alabama town was created as a “fair hope” for a sustainable future. Cultivated mushrooms are a specialty, including uncommon varieties such as lion’s mane and nutty pioppino, along with hydroponic greens, seasonal vegetables, and fruits such as figs and satsumas. Begin your agrarian feast with mushroom toast with fontina fondue, along with a shared main course for the table—must-tries include a house-smoked pork double-chop over charred broccolini and sweet potatoes. Wash it all down with a garden-to-glass cocktail, including the margarita-inspired Lovely Rita, sweetened with roasted bell pepper and basil syrup. And there are always duck-fat caramels for dessert.
Mustards Grill – Yountville, California
Mustards has served as a Napa Valley must-stop for four decades, and chef and wine-country cuisine pioneer Cindy Pawlcyn nurtured a kitchen garden long before they were trending. Today, the two-acre gardens (fortified with compost and natural fertilizers) provide 20 percent of the restaurant’s produce throughout the year. Beets, purple potatoes, French melons, and tomatillos inspire warm-weather dishes, and diners love touring the gardens after a meal. Fan-favorite dishes include the baby back ribs, a daily-changing seafood tostada, and an “adult” grilled cheese with fontina, Manchego, and marinated piquillo peppers.
Quiessence at The Farm at South Mountain – Phoenix, Arizona
The Farm at South Mountain is sprawled on a riverbed of rich soil and exemplifies self-sustainability and local craft. Tucked near the back of the property, Quiessence—the swankiest of the farm’s three restaurants—uses just-harvested vegetables, edible flowers, eggs, and herbs from the on-site garden, including delicata squash and sugar snap peas. The chef plants the garden beds, creating a synergy between the kitchen and gardens that’s evident in daily-changing menus that might feature salads of roasted beets, potato gnocchi with beef ragu, and grilled swordfish with cauliflower and baby carrots.
The Cookhouse at TA Ranch – Buffalo, Wyoming
There’s nothing quite like sticking a fork into a medium-rare steak on a cattle ranch itself. The Madsen family are fourth-generation Wyoming ranchers who took over this historic property (that still boasts a few bullet holes from the Johnson County War) in the late 1800s. Visitors can come and ride ponies for a week, or simply make a reservation for dinner in the old Cookhouse, which serves big platters of New York strip au poivre, ribeye with bone marrow butter and chimichurri, and smoked brisket with grilled asparagus.
The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm – Lovettsville, Virginia
As one of the first farm restaurants in America, the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm also sits on one of Virginia’s original certified organic farms. Since 1986, the farm has used biodynamic methods to nurture the land and promote healthy plants, resulting in next-level ingredients for dishes such as a farm egg with smoked fish and dill and heirloom wheat pasta with cheese and peas. The atmosphere doesn’t disappoint, either—diners take in spectacular views of the Potomac River from inside a glass conservatory, gazebo, or open-air tent. Fun fact: reservations are required so the staff picks just enough food, and no more.
Ronin – Bryan, Texas
Ingredients from Ronin’s sustainable family-owned farm (including chickens and pigs) form the top-notch building blocks to the restaurant’s elegant American dishes. The restaurant’s charming origins can be traced to a wedding that husband-and-wife team Brian and Amanda Light catered in 2011. Since then, the duo has served up a Texas-inspired menu that highlights the week’s harvest, which could mean tomato and cucumber salad, farm-raised hot chicken with a beer biscuit, and cocktails crafted with blue pea flower-infused vodka and herbal bitters. Crowds also flock to the farm itself for signature full moon dinners (which kick off with tours of the property) and dessert in a candle-lit herb garden.
Poppy & Seed – Anaheim, California
Even in the urban sprawl of SoCal—a mere five minutes from the gates of Disneyland—a formidable kitchen garden blooms. Step inside Poppy & Seed’s glass greenhouse for small plates of ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms, smoked duck with fig jam and rye crepes, and grilled octopus with bean ragu and black garlic. After years of cooking in New York and LA, wife-and-husband owners Kwini and Michael Reed put down roots in Orange County. Though they just opened the restaurant in 2021, the casual oasis has already garnered a James Beard Award nomination.
SingleThread – Sonoma, California
SingleThread is one of wine country’s hottest fine-dining destinations, thanks to a 24-acre farm bursting with heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, Jimmy Nardello peppers, and more. The nearby restaurant in downtown Healdsburg folds those into a 10-course tasting menu, worthy of a whopping three MICHELIN stars. Owner and chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife and head farmer Katina Connaughton spent several years in Japan, which influenced the kaiseki-style procession of small plates and impeccable service. Make your meal even more epic by stretching it into a getaway at the attached inn, furnished with a handful of ryokan-inspired rooms.
The Elkridge Furnace Inn – Elkridge, Maryland
This historic inn on the banks of the Patapsco River dates back to 1744 and boasts handsome brick buildings and abundant grounds. Its popular restaurant features organic and heirloom vegetables from within ten miles, picks blue and pink oyster mushrooms from its very own mushroom house, and stuffs its own sausages and charcuterie. Executive chef Dan Wecker trained in France, hence the foie gras with pickles and braised rabbit leg with broccolini. It all adds up to one of the area’s finest locally rooted meals.
Three Sisters at Blackberry Mountain – Walland, Tennessee
Blackberry Mountain resort spans 5,200 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, setting half aside for nature conservation. The rest of the property includes several restaurants, including Three Sisters, which was deemed one of The New York Times’s most exciting restaurants in the country in 2021. Tables are reserved exclusively for those staying at the resort. Dinner comes in four dazzling courses, which might include a shaved broccoli salad, an ember-roasted artichoke, and a mountain trout poached in olive oil. While the wine list runs deep, it’s worth sipping a Belgian-style saison from sibling property Blackberry Farm’s own brewery.
Westwind Orchard – Accord, New York
Only in New York would a pizza party unfold on a farm. Westwind Orchard’s beloved wood-fired pies are topped with plenty of local veggies and best devoured on a picnic table in the property’s yard. Pick your own produce (raspberries, pumpkins, apples), then head to the onsite restaurant, which serves the aforementioned pizza plus pasta, caponata, and tiramisu, starring many homegrown ingredients. Sweeten the deal with unfiltered cider from the apple orchard (fermented with wild yeast), home to heirloom dessert apple trees known for their bittersweet and bittersharp varieties.
Farm House Restaurant at Fair Oaks Farms – Fair Oaks, Indiana
Fair Oaks Farms is home to one of the Midwest’s leading agritourism programs, complete with a dairy, pig farm, and apple orchard—plus dozens of immersive and educational experiences. Raising public awareness about sustainability and animal welfare are huge priorities, so the farm hosts school tours and workshops all year long, making Fair Oaks an especially family-friendly stop. A meal at the on-site restaurant is an ideal way to end a day at the farm, featuring dishes made with ingredients grown and harvested on site and other farms nearby, including artisan cheeses, five different cuts of steak, and salads rich with field greens.
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. Follow her on Instagram at @beckyduffett.
Olivia Terenzio contributed to this guide.
