Trading Post Restaurant

Food was inventive, beautifully presented and delicious. Service was slow despite the fact that at our early hour, the restaurant was only 1/4 full. Perhaps slowness was due to fact that there was a party of 12 who had probably been seated 15 minutes before us. Our real disappointment was with the ambience. We had made reservations 5 days ahead for a 5:15 dinner for 4. We were shown to the end of a big communal table and I believe the hostess said "we'll put you by yourself on the end of this table." 5-10 minutes later, before we had received any food, a party of 6 was seated at the same table. Between the unavoidable greater noise of a party of 12 behind us and with a party of six adjacent to us, the noise level became unacceptable. Our party consisted of 2 couples who have only recently gotten to know one another and that is the reason, I think, that none of us spoke up and asked to be moved because there were 2 tables for 4 in the center of the room that would have been much more comfortable and private for us. It would have been thoughtful and gracious of the hostess to have invited us to change tables when she needed to seat a party of 6 at the same table. And ... if the party of 6 had also had a reservation, then she should never have set us at the communal table when there were 2 open tables for 4 in the room.

It was very good. We did have some requests to add or modify our dish and they did not accommodate. Other than that. It was wonderful

A culinary delight! The absolute perfect balance of local farm fresh ingredients, a simple yet sophisticated menu, relaxing environment, knowledgeable pleasant staff, and a darn fine kitchen! Cheers!

Very disappointing.
Booked table for 8:00 during Friday Music event. Expected it to be very busy; it was not. Seated right away and then waited 15 minutes for someone to ask about a drink or menu selection. No one asked and we finally left.

This restaurant was recommended by the staff at J Winery. The food was delicious. We shared lots of appetizers, and all were tasty. Our dinners were also top notch, when they finally came out.

The waiter, however, was the worst we have ever had, anywhere. I don’t where to begin to describe how bad the service was. We had 10 people in our party, and we had a reservation. First, the server brought only half the wine glasses. Then he complained that someone took the glasses “that he cleaned”. When one person ordered a salad as a meal, the waiter ribbed him. At that point, we thought it was a little inappropriate, but seemed good-natured. The waiter was not present for over an hour while we waited for the food to come out. We saw him behind the bar making himself drinks several times. Of the 17 items we ordered, the waiter actually delivered 3. The very nice bus boys delivered the rest. At one point, the bus boy was clearly frustrated that the server had not delivered plates for our appetizers. A number of times, we heard our server say that he was supposed to get off at 7:00, and he was still there. When it had been an hour since we ordered, we wanted to ask about the status of our meals. He obviously knew we were going to ask, because he walked by our table and simply shrugged. A little later he came out and said that the pork chops take 30 minutes. The laundry list of problems goes on and on.

We arrived at 8:15 exactly, the time of our reservation. The waiter took our order promptly. Our main courses arrived at our table at 9:55. The food was delicious. However, our server was squabbling with other staff who were covering for him.

When we asked for the check, it took a long time, and it was delivered by another staff member who said “look it over”. From behind the bar, out waiter called out “is that second bottle of red on there?” (It wasn’t.) So, we got a revised bill, and paid in full. It’s unfortunate that such a good meal was spoiled by poor service.

A real find. We have been there twice in one week. As good as any restaurant in close by and fashionable Healdsburg.

FANTASTIC food and FANTASTIC service by Chris. Highly recommend. We will definitely be back.

If I were limited to 2 words to describe the dining experience at the Trading Post, it would be "elegantly rustic." Drive just 15-20 additional minutes for a meal that will rival (or surpass) anything you can find in Healdsburg. It's difficult to recommend any single dish because the Trading Post's menu varies with the cycle of nature; the menu is built around fresh ingredients from local farmers which are then elevated by the inspired creativity of chefs Erik Johnson and Aaron Arabian. Consider, for example, the lowly and oh-so-common "tater tot." At the Trading Post, decadent squares of potato goodness are deep-fried in duck fat to a uniformly crispy amber color and served with an aioli made from champagne vinegar and creme fraiche. The salad special the evening we visited was a perfect example of the truth that we eat with our eyes. The presentation of Early Girl tomatoes, fresh peaches and shaved goat cheese dressed with elderberry vinegar and sprinkled with an aromatic but delicate rose oil was almost too beautiful to eat -- but we did, anyway. And if you're in or passing through Cloverdale Tuesday through Saturday before dinner time, the Trading Post has just recently decided to open from 7am-5pm for a "Bread and Coffee Bar" (their artisan breads are so popular they even have a Bread Club program!

We had brunch again at the Post, having invited two friends to join us. It was very crowded and we waited 10-12 minutes to be seated despite having a reservation. Water glasses were on our table but we had to request it after another 10 minutes. The limited menu has not changed in months, but fortunately there were two specials and we ordered these. The mushroom toast was splendid, but husband's chorizo frittata was only OK. I was surprised the wait staff did not suggest a mimosa, orange juice or a side of toast. When I asked for decaf coffee, I was told they do not have it! The noise was deafening especially with a singer and her guitar--too much for the space. During a previous brunch, we had pleasant live guitar music and no vocals. I want to rate it very good but it is not with these flaws. Finally, it would be a nice addition to have some form of light dessert, gelato or sorbet or ?

We have had dinner there several times and had a great experience. This review is for brunch last Sunday. Poor service, food was over cooked, our party of four felt the food was not done well. They ran out of the items we ordered so had a make a substitute. Live music was great. I would recommend, but not for brunch.

Glad to see that Trading Post put the roast chicken half back on the menu as it is a favorite. The roast chicken came with Caesar dressed greens and it was excellent. Suggest you put a Caesar salad on the menu! My hanger steak was very good as were the accompaniments.

All good, except the server forgot to bring us place settings with the entrees!

Incredible food.

We used to love Trading Post but this last time we were very disappointed. The fried chicken did not seem to have much of the sauce that it usually has that makes it so delicious and the cole slaw was warm. The appetizer menu left little to be desired. We missed the free corkage fee by 30 mins because we had to change our reservation since our friend’s flight was delayed. I asked the waitress if they would honor it because we are locals and come into the restaurant often but she just made a face and definitely did not honor it. Had she honored it, she would have seen it in her tip and we would have ordered more drinks and food but oh well! We’re always disappointed they charge a corkage fee and would like to see them do something like Catelli’s and waive the fee for the first bottle for local wines. There is a reason Catelli’s is always busy with locals! As much as we want to see TP make it, we’re not sure we’ll return after this last experience.

It was a quiet Thursday night in town. I had fried boneless chicken thighs and my husband had flat iron steak. Both were excellent. We would go back next time in town. We love Cloverdale!

Excellent food but slow service and this is not the first time. Need more than one waitress at a Sunday brunch

We stayed in Healdsburg for two weeks and this was the best meal we had anywhere between Healdsburg, Geyserville and Cloverdale. Highly recommended.

great food and wine list. everything we eat there is always great.

Once again , perfect meal at Trading Post.
Brunch is really a must have
Lovely mimosa with fresh orange juice.
had the fruit bread and homemade whipped ricotta ...amazingly simple and delicious, whole wheat croissant was not very flaky but buttery and just delicious.
My "main" was the polenta and pork belly , the polenta was very creamy and served with few pickled veggies who made the dish well balanced with the richness of the belly and polenta, other main course was the chili with black beans which was delicious as well. The portions are just the right size, the baked good delicious and service is very professional . Love this place.

The Trading Post is one of Cloverdale's most prominent destination-worthy establishments. The chef creates dishes with exquisite attention; dishes ranging from steak to salmon prepared to perfection. Salads are farm o fork fresh dressed in lively creations. Wine list, while not extensive, offers locally produced wines to complement each menu offering. (My favorite, most recently, was the Idlewild Barbera - even though I was enjoying the salmon.) The service was attentive without being over-bearing. A big environmental improvement has been the decision to divide the large dining area by creating a wall separating the bar section. Patrons can dine on either side, but the new feature makes the establishment feel more cozy and intimate.

I'm thinking that with the addition of a couple more go-to places like the Trading Post, the Plank (and even Pick's Drive-in) Cloverdale will see even more vibrancy downtown and become a place not to pass by on the freeway.

Congrats to the folks at the Trading Post on their efforts; and to current and future customers: don't miss out on the cookies and creme for dessert!

Unfortunately my friend and I weren't very hungry when we arrived because of an earlier wine tasting which included many small bites which I couldn't pass up. We split a salad and entree. The strawberry salad was OK but the lamb meatballs with polenta were excellent, especially the polenta. I've never had better. There were 3 meatballs on the plate but since we were splitting it, they were kind enough to bring us another one without us asking.

Brunch is great! Good selections.

Music delightful

Very classy ! Perfect service. Best blood orange mimosas in the county. Too die- for waffles.

Lots of changes happening at Trading Post with a remodel and the creation of a private event space and plans to expand service to include lunches. The food remains fresh and delicious. We made a special point of going this past weekend as they brought back their amazing roast chicken half just for the weekend and it was so delicious.

Trading Post is our favorite restaurant. Tonight the four of us shared two salads to start. Both were really good. The roasted strawberry salad was so good, I will order one for just myself next time. My husband and I shared the chicken dinner. Really nice.
Our server Chris was great. He explained the food choices and also the wine. We ended up with a local Pinot Noir, Carpenter. So good. As always, a really nice dinner. Thanks

Excellent farm to table restaurant. Short but eclectic wine list. Service was outstanding. Roasted Chicken was so good!

Great restaurant with delicious food! A very nice ambiance.

The Sunday brunch is exceptionally good these days, with the side of freshly baked "country bread" a perfect accompaniment. The portions are ample and all ingredients deliciously fresh. My one wish is that there was at least one more meat-free dish on the menu--the spaetzle should be available meat free as it is otherwise a uniquely combined and presented breakfast dish...it is made with the bacon already in it unfortunately. Though the grains and greens is vegetarian, I don't want a salad for breakfast. The in-person gentle guitar music was a very nice addition.

Amazing staff, food and wine selection.

The dinner of duck legs was excellent. I cannot say the same for the glass of Pinot Noir. I was very disappointed with the wine. It was sharp and had a mildly bitter taste. IT WAS NOT AT ALL GOOD.

Disappointed by the Healdsburg prices in Cloverdale. The food was good but not EXCEPTIONAL.
We were charged another few for the cooking crew, I think that should be included in the menu prices.

We love dining at the Trading Post and this time brought family. Had a great time and experience!

We went for a spur of the moment Sunday brunch and we were not disappointed. The coffee was good, and the food was amazing. Our server was attentive and helpful. The drive was definitely worth it.

We invited friends to join us for our 5th visit to the Trading Post. The pork belly tacos were a hit, along with the fresh salads, amazing homemade pasta, and delicious entrees. We shared many of the plates, which made it more fun and appetizing. We would recommend this restaurant to all our friends. Thanks for a wonderful dining experience.

Once again our waiter forgot our order so we went straight to entree without salad. Why? Because he never writes it down. And he always forgets something.

Everything was wonderful we had hamburgers we had breakfast plate I had duck all the delicious.
We will return

We had a delicious, gluten free, low carb meal. The fish entrees are always prepared perfectly. Happy!

Great tasting & healthy cuisine from local sources. Wonderful people. good vide.

Fantastic restaurant that is the cornerstone of Cloverdale dining. Chef Erik's innovative takes on American classics are as artfully composed as they are delicious. With a enduring commitment to quality and seasonality, we're always thrilled to make the trip up from Santa Rosa to Cloverdale if our journey involves a stop at the Trading Post.

We enjoyed every bite of our meal. The lamb was perfection, and the apple tart crisp and not too sweet. The service was excellent as well. We'll definitely be returning.