The Matheson

Hats off to The Matheson. An understated building right off of the downtown Healdsburg square, this restaurant takes over a large portion of the block, but you would never know. We started off at their rooftop bar, Roof 106, for drinks before dinner. This is a happening place, so make sure you either have a reservation or come early, otherwise you may be waiting for a bit. For dinner, we opted for the Chef's Counter to make it extra special since we were celebrating a birthday. From beginning to end, the staff treated us with a balance of family and elegance, always there for a friendly recommendation but keeping an eye on every detail. We did the Chef's Picks, which if you can, I would HIGHLY recommend. Over five courses, we were able to watch the kitchen at work and appreciate every bite and course. In tasting menus, you worry, will it be enough food? Will I like all the courses? Will I need a hamburger at the end of this? This was the perfect balance of rich and light, full but not engorged. And we can't leave out the wine! Their 88-bottle wine wall is a sight on its own, but their selection is nothing small or short of impressive. If you have the opportunity, do the wine pairing. As big wine fans, the wines we maybe were hesitant about were perfect with the food they were paired with. Seems intuitive, but often not always the case. All in all, thank you for making this birthday celebration extra special and 'wow'ing us. We cannot wait to come back again.

- Natalie Caldwell -

We had reservations here on a Wednesday night. The restaurant wasn't too busy. We chose to sit at the kitchen bar. Service was excellent. The young man waiting on us was very nice in explaining items accurately. He checked back with us frequently and did a great job at bringing food and removing plates. The food was good...it was just a bit over salted for us. The mushrooms were very good. The breading was a little thicker than we anticipated, and the marinade used must have been the culprit for the salty flavor. The ravioli app, pear salad, churos, and sea bass were all very good and well plated but a little too salted for our taste. You can't beat the wine list. We were fortunate to be able to purchase a glass or three of vineyards we plan on visiting. The red wines were served at a great temp but the white was a little too room temp for us. We would definitely recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner out.

- Bon L. -

Great stop in Healdsburg with delicious cuisine, warm service and a cool vibe. Glad we made a reservation for Sat: most walk-in small and large groups were turned away swiftly and the bar was standing room only. We sat at the chefs counter and enjoyed seeing dishes come flying off the line to preview what we should order. Everything we had was tasty, the right temp, and served relatively promptly. Drinks were a bit slower but it was a busy time, and cocktails were balanced and unique. They have a very cool wine preservation program, which we did not take advantage of trying some hard to find wines, but will next time. Our server Nico was thorough, warm, and had great recommendations. Overall dinner met the high expectations and would definitely return.

- Andrea Ikata -

Amazing Experience at The Matheson! We recently took a short trip and ended up in Healdsburg — an absolutely stunning town. While exploring, we decided to grab a bite and found The Matheson. I can honestly say that the 2.5-hour drive was completely worth it! This is a truly exceptional restaurant — “restaurant” with a capital R. From the moment we walked in, we were surrounded with care and attention. The staff were incredibly attentive yet never intrusive, making us feel as if we were dining somewhere in Europe. The service was refined, thoughtful, and simply outstanding. Five stars just aren’t enough. The ambiance, the food, the presentation, and the overall atmosphere were all unforgettable. The prices are slightly above average, but that only highlights the restaurant’s quality even more. I wholeheartedly recommend The Matheson. A must-visit!

- ALEXANDER -

Was surprised to be seated immediately at a counter overlooking the kitchen. Love watching the food come out. Was give 46 different menus for all the different things. Ok it was like 6, but still, thats a lot! Had a few different servers help me, which was nice but also a little confusing on who my actual server was. Yvette ended up being the one to help for the rest of the meal and she was awesome! I ordered the 6 Oz filet. Beautiful presentation. Perfect cook, but was unevenly seasoned and (for me) needed the accompanying sauces. The bed of mushrooms and shishito peppers were a nice addition. Chimichurri and XO was super good. 12/10 good. The bernaise sauce, for me was meh. For dessert, I ordered the Matheson Float. I ordered mine with the rum shot, strictly for research purposes, and it was the perfect way to end the meal. Overall a fantastic meal, great service, and an inviting atmosphere. See you again soon!

- Josh Peukert -

Had a lovely experience visiting The Matheson a couple nights ago for dinner. It was late but I hadn't eaten, showed up maybe 30 minutes before they were officially closed. The staff was super cool and made me feel comfortable staying for as long as I needed. Started off with a superb whiskey sour made the right way with egg whites. Then enjoyed a super tender filet mignon, definitely one of the better steaks I've had lately. And then finally had some super fluffy churros with espresso. Will absolutely go back, and I highly recommend visiting if you find yourself in Healdsburg.

- Gabriel Munoz -

To type everything that i enjoyed about the food at this place would take way too long (i got to try my food plus some of each fish in the 5 course menu and everything tasted great), so I'm just going to say that the dungeness crab pasta was the best pasta I've ever tasted. Probably second favorite dish was the bread service. You could put that cheese on a flip flop, as they say. The servers were also very lovely and great at their jobs! Highly recommended. Next time I'm trying the burger for sure. PS - not too much of a wine drinker but the sparkling rose was really light, bubbly, and refreshing!

- Blake Wall -

Great food! Senior Valette had come to us to chat and he was really sweet - we were there for our anniversary and he wished us - appreciate the hand signed card by the staff as well Some of the dishes we loved and were perfect were - caviar toast, bone marrow bacon jam + ciabatta, tuna tartare, steak frites. Even their NA drink - Honey phosphate was just perfect! Their pappardelle was really hyped up by our server, Nico - rabbit ragu was very salty when I first got it. They did “fix” it but the ragu was very poorly made - watery, salty and did not seem well prepared overall. I have never had a watery ragu before. There were hardly any bits of rabbit in it and the pappardelle was handmade (which I appreciate) but the pasta needed to be rolled slightly thinner. Overall disappointing dish. Service is where this restaurant needs A LOT OF work!! Our server Nico needs to be more attentive and to not act like we are inconveniencing him when we called him for help - we were trying to get his attention about the salty pasta dish or the fact that all our dishes including main course had arrived but my drinks were nowhere to be seen. He did apologize and checked on us after which I appreciate. There was another woman server who rolled her eyes - There was probably some miscommunication with her and the staff - we had already done the wine tastings and she got us 4 more of the same set of wines. We informed her honestly that we had already done the tastings and she rolled her eyes and walked away with an attitude. Her name was Gaby or Cathy or something like that.

- rashmi -