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Walter Hansel Wine Bistro
"An impressive new Santa Rosa restaurant that's instantly one of our best"
Jeff Cox, renowned Wine Country food critic.
We are a small restaurant and love Open Table diners, please, please notify us as early as possible if your plans change. If you are unable to find the reservation you want, please call us directly at (707) 546-6462. Thank you.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Lobster Bisque
Maine lobster, brandy, tarragon
15 reviews
Wild Alaskan Halibut
Gratin Savoyard, Bok Choy, Passionfruit Beurre Blanc, Grilled Pineapple Salsa
13 reviews
Fresh Herb Coated California Rack of Lamb
Pasture raised Superior Farms lamb, pommes purée, garden vegetables Tian, Asian pear chutney
11 reviews
For an early evening easter dinner, we dined at Walter Hansel Wine Bistro. Seated outside, we watched the afternoon sun fade into evening, nursing our glass of red and enjoying soup starters (delish french onion and buttery lobster bisque) followed by the prime rib dinner, cooked perfectly and served with buttered haricots verts, wrapped up with a modest but delicious lemon curd parfait. Highly recommend Walter Hansel for a special evening out.
We had an amazing dinner! Fabulous service and great company!!!!
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro has never ever disappointed us in the 5+ years that we have been going there. The meals are delicious and expertly prepared. The portions are satisfying. The wait staff has always been friendly and helpful.
Wonderful small French inspired restaurant in the vineyards. Always great food and friendly service. The only place to get escargot in Sonoma County.
We are seafood lovers. The lobster bisque was delicious! Not too rich, just perfect. The halibut and seafood pasta were also perfectly cooked. The staff were friendly and helpful. We will be back for sure!
Everything was awesome accept the burger wasn’t medium abs the mushrooms weren’t seasoned well.
This is perhaps a secret that many do not know about. One of the best in this great wine area. I wish I lived closer
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro is always on our itinerary when we come to town. Great food!
The restaurant has just reopened for indoor dining, and still has patio seating. We were seated indoors. Food and Service were, as always, great. The room was a little colder than usual because the front door is open for the servers to come and go. And of course, the usual niceties of table cloths, cloth napkins, etc. are still absent due to pandemic regulations. Still, a lovely evening of food and wine for us and a couple who had never been (and enjoyed it all as well). Recommended, regardless of where you sit.
Delicious, elegant French menu. Try it all! Can't wait until we can dine inside. Expensive wine tasting $35 each.
Good food choices. All 4 of us had great food and service.
It is so great to have Walter Hansel open inside, however it seems so stark and barren due to the distancing. The food was as good as ever!!
I highly recommend that you visit Walter Hansel Wine Bistro. The French cuisine is outstanding and if you are wine lover, the Hansel Pinot Noirs are a must try.
Wait staff was wonderful. We were plenty warm enough sitting outside with the heaters. The food was crazy good!!
The Walter Hansel Bistro is always a wonderful place to dine and have fun. It’s been a favorite of my family and friends for years. The wine list is great.
So good! This is a little gem. Our service was wonderful. I got the Risotto... best risotto ever! Not your typical mixed in seafood risotto, the fish and prawns laid beautifully on top. My uncle got the lobster bisque which was the best we all have ever tasted. He also got the duck which was phenomenal! My aunt got the seabass which she also loved. At dessert time they brought us out a little port and and African liqueur, so yummy! Definitely will be back😊
We ordered the chicken cordon bleu and the salmon with risotto. Both were delicious. We tried a flight of white wine since we weren't familiar with their wines which worked out beautifully;
Good consistent food. Service was a bit slow, but we weren’t in a big hurry.
Really beautiful covered outdoor seating area! Very cozy and plenty of heaters to keep everybody warm.
Unfortunately, probably due to Restaurant Week, the service was unbearably slow. It took nearly 3 hours for three of us to get to the end of our meal, and we waited easily between 40+ minutes before we were given each following course. It was almost comical how long it took to the point where we joked that they must be making our cheesecake from scratch. Again, somewhat understandable due to Restaurant Week and probably some short staffing in the kitchen. It happens.
However, the food wasn't worth the wait and the cost. The Caesar salad tasted like nothing. I could barely detect the dressing, so I felt like I was eating crunchy water with a few anchovies on top. I got the steak frites as an entree. The steak was cooked a perfect medium rare and was super tender, but wasn't seasoned at all. The Brussels sprouts were steamed with a tiny bit of browning on them and tasteless as well. The fries ended up looking like McDonald's fries and quickly tasted like a stale version of them within a few minutes. They literally provided maybe half a tablespoon of ketchup in a little plastic container and some weird aioli that tasted exactly like eating straight up curry powder. I didn't bother asking for more because it would have taken longer than finishing my entree to receive. We also tried the king salmon risotto. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but overall the dish was bland and unmemorable.
The best part for me was probably the persimmon cheesecake, which was really good. The chocolate mousse was okay, and the pot de creme was unremarkable.
I was so excited to try this place and was ready for an upscale, memorable dinner experience. While I appreciated the cozy ambiance, I left feeling bummed that my table of three had spent about $200 before tip on bland, forgettable food and excruciatingly slow service.
Noise level couldn't be helped, next to the hwy. and under a tent. Service could use some improvement! Always had a good meal there.
We took our clients out. It was such an amazing night with great service. Food was phenomenal.
We're big fans of WHWB, so took advantage of Restaurant Week to visit. Due to COVID restrictions, dining is on the patio under a three-sided tent.
We've now dined this way three times over the past few months, and while it isn't like being inside the restaurant, it doesn't detract too much from the experience - food and service are largely unaffected. The tent has plenty of heaters, which are situated to provide a decent temperature. I wore a sweater over a shirt and was comfortable.
We each had the filet mignon option on the Restaurant Week menu, which was perfect. Service was attentive, prompt, and cheerful. The staff is happy to be working, even under the present restrictions.
If you like good food and good service, a lovely wine list, this is one of the best experiences you can have in a local restaurant at the moment.
Restaurant week. It was great!
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro is in our top 5 places to dine in Sonoma County. The food is very good and varying with the seasons. The wait staff is immensely knowledgeable and friendly. We have never had a bad experience.
The wine menu is also reasonable, with a range of varietals and price points. But, this is not going to be an inexpensive meal. The Price Fixe menu does allow for an economical option if you're interested. And, of you don't order wine or appetizers you can get out of there for a reasonable sum.
We couldn't recommend this place enough. It would be nice to be able to dine indoors again, but WHWB has gone out of their way to make their outdoor dining experience as comfortable as possible.
Cheers!
Great food, huge tent, plenty of heaters. I hope they keep the outdoor dining after COVID is over.
WHB was a great way to kick off restaurant week. We enjoy this bistro every time we visit. The food is great. Had the tomato bisque, beet salad, filet mignon, and fish with a bottle of wine and were too full to eat dessert, which we took home with us. Excellent service to match the food. Our only suggestion is to mix up the menu a bit more.
We are neighbors of Walter Hansel Bistro and frequent it often - they always make us feel welcome - whether you want a great burger or prefer a 3-course meal, you’ll always be glad you did! The food is fresh and creative and the wait staff goes above and beyond!!
Food was fabulous, they have done a nice job creating outdoor seating that is warm, well blocked from the street and comfortable.
Amazing food. We have eaten their twice and will be back for sure.
A fabulous Valentines menu, and the staff was great as ever. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will of course be back many more times this year!
The food was amazing.
Excellent service in a very nice outdoor patio, sadly the food was so lacking in flavor or spice we could not eat it. Tried to email the restaurant instead of review, but they do not post an email address. They need a chef!
Celebrated a friend's birthday, "mushroom heaters" created a nice warm tent, the food was perfect, we all will be back
Always fresh and fabulous food. One of the best in Sonoma County!
The food was drastically under-seasoned, bland, and nothing special, but the staff were nice.
Even with the outdoor seating everything was First Class as always. Will be going back soon.
Wonderful as always! Love this place!
What to say, excellent. The food, atmosphere, service are all superb. Would totally recommend it.
This is our go to spot for date night. Awesome menu. Excellent service. Excellent wine.
We’ve been to your restaurant several times this year and always enjoy the welcoming service, great food and warm atmosphere. The new tent for outside is a pleasant addition and very romantic. Also cuts down on the road noise. Appreciate your prefix menu and great wine selection. Happy holidays & see you soon.
FAQs
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (707) 546-6462.
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro is rated 4.7 stars by 1231 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.