Cook St. Helena

There were 6 of us for dinner tonight. Everythingt we ordered was delicious. My veal scallopini with wild mushrooms and risotto was delicious but the veal was not as tender as it should be. Other dishes we tried were the mussels, pasta bolognese), short ribs, pasta with house made sausage. For dessert we had the panna cotta and the blueberry and white peach crisp. Everything was delicious. We will definitely come back.

Really good restaurant in downtown St. Helena. There aren't many vetoes when considering eating here. - Excellent cocktail list - Diverse and food friendly wine selection - Hand-made pasta - Lots of rotating specials - Engaging and attentive staff from moment you enter It appears this is local hang-out, as staff seemed to recognize most guests. Venue isn't open on weekends, very strict regarding their closing time and overall quite quaint, so book in advance...or plan to sit at bar (or wait). They accept reservations on Open Table, so take advantage.

Stopped here for lunch while staying in St. Helena and we left full and impressed. The best pasta I have had in a long time! We started with the calamari, which was good but nothing all that special about it. I got the cavatelli and my wife got the pasta of the day which was a linguini with braised pork shoulder. The gentleman next to us offered a sample of his gnocchi while we waited for our food and they were decadent and fluffy, I would definitely order that next time! The cavatelli was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was lightly spiced and full of flavor. Rhe sausage in the sauce made for a hearty meal even though the portion didn't look that big. My wife's pasta was even better; the sauce was rich and creamy which paired well with the pork and sweet corn. You might have to wait for a table, but it is worth it.

Our daughter tipped us to make a reservation on our stay in St Helena. She was right. It was a great experience with excellent service and attention. Attached is a pic of my risotto with veal & mushrooms and my wife's eggplant Parmesan. Delicious.

The gnocchi dish is indescribable. I have gotten gnocchi all over the state and none have ever tasted as fresh and good as their gnocchi dish. Our waiter was very kind. My biggest regret is I didn't go back for dinner and I would have preferred to try more of their dishes than where I did have dinner.

The service was great. their homemade pasta was delicious with nice portions. The dessert was amazing, with hot peaches and blueberries with ice cream. The restaurant is small so It can be loud.

The place is small, but the food is delicious. We had the calamari, it was as expected. The pasta special was delicious, as was the gnocchi. We finished with the short rib and didn’t have enough room to finish it. It was a fine short rib. Our waiter was funny and helped us make hard choices on what to eat.

Great place for lunch or evening. It is busy even on weekdays. The mussels are amazing, it comes in a homemade sauce with sausage. The other picture is of the burrata, also amazing. They have a wide selection of local wines, and the service is very quick. We will be back!

There were 6 of us for dinner tonight. Everythingt we ordered was delicious. My veal scallopini with wild mushrooms and risotto was delicious but the veal was not as tender as it should be. Other dishes we tried were the mussels, pasta bolognese), short ribs, pasta with house made sausage. For dessert we had the panna cotta and the blueberry and white peach crisp. Everything was delicious. We will definitely come back.

Really good restaurant in downtown St. Helena. There aren't many vetoes when considering eating here. - Excellent cocktail list - Diverse and food friendly wine selection - Hand-made pasta - Lots of rotating specials - Engaging and attentive staff from moment you enter It appears this is local hang-out, as staff seemed to recognize most guests. Venue isn't open on weekends, very strict regarding their closing time and overall quite quaint, so book in advance...or plan to sit at bar (or wait). They accept reservations on Open Table, so take advantage.

Stopped here for lunch while staying in St. Helena and we left full and impressed. The best pasta I have had in a long time! We started with the calamari, which was good but nothing all that special about it. I got the cavatelli and my wife got the pasta of the day which was a linguini with braised pork shoulder. The gentleman next to us offered a sample of his gnocchi while we waited for our food and they were decadent and fluffy, I would definitely order that next time! The cavatelli was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was lightly spiced and full of flavor. Rhe sausage in the sauce made for a hearty meal even though the portion didn't look that big. My wife's pasta was even better; the sauce was rich and creamy which paired well with the pork and sweet corn. You might have to wait for a table, but it is worth it.

Our daughter tipped us to make a reservation on our stay in St Helena. She was right. It was a great experience with excellent service and attention. Attached is a pic of my risotto with veal & mushrooms and my wife's eggplant Parmesan. Delicious.

The gnocchi dish is indescribable. I have gotten gnocchi all over the state and none have ever tasted as fresh and good as their gnocchi dish. Our waiter was very kind. My biggest regret is I didn't go back for dinner and I would have preferred to try more of their dishes than where I did have dinner.

The service was great. their homemade pasta was delicious with nice portions. The dessert was amazing, with hot peaches and blueberries with ice cream. The restaurant is small so It can be loud.

The place is small, but the food is delicious. We had the calamari, it was as expected. The pasta special was delicious, as was the gnocchi. We finished with the short rib and didn’t have enough room to finish it. It was a fine short rib. Our waiter was funny and helped us make hard choices on what to eat.

Great place for lunch or evening. It is busy even on weekdays. The mussels are amazing, it comes in a homemade sauce with sausage. The other picture is of the burrata, also amazing. They have a wide selection of local wines, and the service is very quick. We will be back!

Food was world class - 5 stars. Also a great value, a real gem in St Helena. Our service was outstanding. A small family run restaurant with a personal touch. BYOB is a real plus.

Consistently good but tonight's dinner was exceptional. The Fazz Bolognese was prepared perfectly. The bolognese was meaty yet so light without that heavy tomato taste. We ordered polenta side - very flavorful. The gnocchi - good as a shared dish even. The pork shoulder with a nod to local Mexican dishes had a carnitas feel and was perfect. Finally the risotto was packed with seafood.

The food and service at Cook were exceptional! I would highly recommend d this restaurant. I had the seafood pasta and my companion had the eggplant. Both were delicious!

Outstanding food! I spent the summer in Napa Valley and Cook was our weekly go-to. The cavatelli with Italian sausage is to die for. This summer the vegetable of the day was often summer squash. Lastly the clam pasta was spectacular. I highly recommend.

What an absolutely lovely experience! When I arrived to see if they had availability for my mother and I, I was greeted with a heartwarming smile from Ashley. She offered two options including one that was right near the bar with a great view of the whole, beautiful ambience. we chose the burrata and the cavatelli. For a white wine, we had the Sauvignon Blanc and the white blend. Both were delicious. It was a wonderful experience. Have almost every meal here. We enjoyed a lot of laughs with Ashley. This place is fantastic!

We were over in St, Helena to see a concert and set a reservation at Cook, a restaurant we had always enjoyed but had not been to in several years. Happy to report Cook is as good as ever. Cook is small a handful of tables, a reservation is a must! The menu at Cook has several apps, pastas and a few entrees. Primarily Italian but there are also other dishes to choose from. We went the full Italian route. Started and shared the calamari which was crispy, tasty without a bit of oil. I had the fazzoletti (flat pasta sheets) Bolognese which was excellent. Wife had the Eggplant Parmigiana which was also a hit. Both were good sized portions. Cook has a nice wine list of New and Old World wine, we chose to bring our own, a tasty Nebbiolo which was great with the food. Service was friendly and laid back which made for a nice relaxing dinner. Hope to get back to Cook soon! PS: The concert featuring Petty Theft, a Tom Petty cover band was excellent!

There were 6 of us for dinner tonight. Everythingt we ordered was delicious. My veal scallopini with wild mushrooms and risotto was delicious but the veal was not as tender as it should be. Other dishes we tried were the mussels, pasta bolognese), short ribs, pasta with house made sausage. For dessert we had the panna cotta and the blueberry and white peach crisp. Everything was delicious. We will definitely come back.

Cook has been part of the Napa Valley restaurant scene for years now and it's an easy one to forget. Nestled in the heart of downtown St. Helena it's really a special spot. The space itself is narrow but charming and the food is some of the best you'll find in Napa especially if you're a pasta lover. Service wasn't exceptional, but not terrible. We also were one of the last tables at the end of the night but it took a bit for our server to come back for the check but the food more than made up for it. We'll definitely be back!

Book a reservation before coming here! When we went, it was busy. The restaurant was cozy with a casual-upscale vibe. For the appetizer, we got the bruschetta and prosciutto. The cheese was creamy and the pesto was amazing as well. We got the special pasta with Marsala sauce, mushroom varieties, and house sausage with fettuccine. It was delicious, the sauce having a smooth, slightly creamy texture and the bites of mushroom / sausage was a delight. Service was great as well. Definitely recommend trying this place out when visiting St Helena!

Really good food and excellent service. Highly recommended. We had a some nice wines by the glass, a very well done Caesar salad and tasty pasta. Everything was great!

This little gem was recommended to us and it was a perfect date night spot. So cozy and cute. We started out with the burrata and cocktails. For dinner, both entrees were delicious but the short rib risotto was really special. The wine was perfect and the service phenomenal. St Helena is the cutest little town!

This part of the city is charming. I didn't get a reservation, because I didn't know what time I was going to be here again. It looks very cozy and classy here. It was so crowded when I got here today, and didn't even know if I was going to get in. It was packed, and loud in here. I said my all time favorite Italian dish is Pesto Lasagna. Something that's similar to Lasagna in a casserole form, is this. This is made out of a plant, they know what plant it is. I don't want to talk about this plant, they know why. What is an Aubergine? I'm familiar with this ingredient roasted, baked, grilled, stir fry, in stews, fermented, noodle soup, or tempura. This is an Aubergine Parmesan. I didn't know if it was going to be available, but I'm glad it was. This is a great way to start Summer in Napa. It have Tomato Sauce and Béchamel in it. The Tomato Sauce was bright, the breading was crunchy still, the Aubergine held its texture, it absorbed a lot of the Tomato Sauce, cheese was melted through, I liked the slithers of Basil, and had a lot of flavor. I was thinking this was going to be a 4.1 stars, but I give this 4.2 stars.

Another spot in at Helena with five stars. Only open certain nights. Weekdays. The staff are all long serving and know how to give personal touch. The kitchen is open and very active. Everything is well prepared and visually impressive. The menu has a rolling set of specials. The wines are all top notch. Highly recommend getting there early to sit at bar or make reservations.

Being a long time customer since the opening of the restaurant. I always love the food and the elegant atmosphere. I felt like this was my "food escape" in Napa Valley. A cozy lunch / dinner at the bar, was my tradition. Unfortunately, lately, like everywhere with Napa Valley's restaurants, prices went up. Cook is no exception Fact: the waiter suggested the day's specials. I picked a fish risotto, it sounded delicious. The dish was good indeed but the price was "astronomical". The most expensive risotto I paid in my life. When dishes are so expensive, the waiter should share the prices before. Too bad. I won't go back. Sorry

The food as usual was phenomenal! I have never had a bad meal at Cook in the 20 years I have been dining there. I am actually this is the first review I have written. Then again, maybe not. You have to keep some secrets. This little hole in the wall with seating for maybe 20 guests is AMAZING! You must make reservations to eat there. Otherwise, you are doing yourself a disservice and probably won't be dining there as they fill up quickly and patron stay awhile! The bar isn't the reason to dine there, it's the food! A small menu with not a ton of choices to be confused by. Regardless, everything offered is made with the utmost care. The staff are busy and focused on making your experience the best. Tip, I love to sit at the bar and enjoy food service there. The specials and some of the faces change but this little gem is often overlooked and under appreciated in my book! Cheers!

I love this place. My mom and I took an afternoon drive up Cook just for the gnocchi. We've had great gnocchi is Tuscany, but the gnocchi at Cook's just might be the best we've ever had. I remember watching an episode of Triple D. Guy Fieri said if gnocchi is done right, it's light, fluffy, pillowy, and melts in your mouth. Well these jams hit all of the above. My mom even got an order to go. At lunch, they give you the option to add a protein. We both went with the sausage. It had just the right amount of spice and added the salt. The waiter was attentive and personable. I'll definitely be back. I love this place.

Came back here for lunch. Didn't have reservations and sat at the bar. Took a while to place order. Ordered pasta and taste good.

A must visit. One of the best meals I've ever had start to finish. So fresh. You can taste the passion. From our table we could see the chef grabbing fresh tomatoes to cook with. Entrees were incredible but the dessert out of this world.

This was a standout meal in every way. The pasta was made in house that morning, hand rolled on the marble bar top. The brussel sprouts roasted to perfection, crispy and tasty without being over seasoned. I ordered the amatriciana, which I've also had in Rome, and this was in a league of its own. The bolognese was also delicious, the tomatoes were so fresh. I don't want to leave out the chopped salad. I could eat it everyday. Our waitress Dee was perfect and made us feel like regulars. We're looking forward to trying EVERYTHING.

In a valley full of big names and high end restaurants, Cook still stands out as one of the best. Nothing flashy about it. Not for folks who want to brag about where they went or insta their dinnerplate (not that it's unworthy of pictures). Just excellent food, attentive service, simple but lovely interior with beautiful mercury glass pendants over the marble bar and a selection of cookbooks on the upper shelf artfully arranged by color. You often see at least one or two people dining by themselves at the bar which I think is a compliment to the clientele and the restaurant. Come quickly and clean your plate at Cook!

We really enjoyed each of our dishes at Cook! The pastas were flavorful and the cavatelli all'arrabbiata had the right amount of spice. The risotto with fish was such a wonderful pairing and very warming to my soul. I love me a good risotto. :) our toddler enjoyed their minestrone soup as well! They are only open on weekdays so I defintely recommend going if you're in Saint Helena during the week. Great service and nice ambiance!

Great place for dinner while in Napa! We stayed in St Helena so this was very close to our hotel and conveniently located. The food was great!

Really nice Italian food! Small but well thought out menu. The calamari was delicious and so was the dipping sauce that came with it. I got the spaghetti alle vongole for my entre. The portion was nice and it came was a lot of clams. The sauce was also really good and they gave you bread to soak up the remaining sauce at the end. We also had an affogato for dessert which was delicious! Would go back!

All I could say is WOW! We were in Napa for a 4-day weekend trip. We planned to come on the Friday we were in town. I was very excited to try Cook because everything looked amazing from the photos on Yelp. We ordered: Mussels Papardelle with rabbit Cavatelle Short rib Originally, we wanted to order the bolognese, but they sold out and we definitely had sad faces. Our awesome waiter suggested that we try the cavatelle instead, so we went with that. She was nice enough to bring out a side of the homemade ricotta for us to put on top of the cavatelle to have a similar experience as the bolognese (the bolognese is topped with their fresh ricotta). This pasta dish was soo good and the ricotta just made it exceptional. Let me just tell you, all of the dishes were off the charts good. They do their craft well here and you taste the love that is put into every dish. With us eager to try the bolognese, I made another reservation to dine on Monday for lunch. We ordered: Mussels Fettuccine bolognese Spaghetti with clams and shrimp Once again, we were very impressed with all of the dishes. Really just lost for words at this point because this restaurant has become my favorite spot to dine in the Napa Valley area. Service was great (and friendly) for both dining experiences. One of the staff also gave us a pro tip of asking the chef to use the bolognese sauce on top of the eggplant parm instead of the regular tomato sauce. We will definitely try that next time. We cannot wait until we can come back! It is THAT good!

Had lunch today at Cook and once again and as always it was incredible. The barrata was so yummy and the burger and Caesar salad were delicious!!! Service was great! I will tell you if you're visiting St. Helena..it's a MUST stop!!!!! I'll be back soon

We stumbled upon this lovely gem after an afternoon of wine tasting up the road. We were greeted warmly and invited to sit at the bar. We shared the eggplant Parmesan and it was fantastic: perfect for a cold rainy day. Will definitely return!

Such a great energy and ambiance, the food is amazing and the service is awesome! This is a must stop when visiting the Napa area. It's a quaint and welcoming place. Daniel the bartender was amazing. He gave us great recommendations wine pairing suggestions. The food was out of this world and we cannot wait to come back!!

Cozy romantic restaurant with great service, ambiance and incredible food. All of the food we ate was amazing- homemade pasta dishes and burrata were delicious. I normally don't order the bolognese when it's on the menu, but it is a MUST try here. Hands down the best bolognese dish I've ever had- it's made with a different kind of pasta which is thick and folded over (fazzoletti bolognese). The special pasta of the night was a fettuccine with chicken in a light sauce and was so good. I can't wait to come back to Napa and will definitely come back to Cook!

Service and the consistency of the food is as you would expect from an awesome restaurant!

Excellent menu. Food excellent. I am local and I have eaten there year after year. Reservation during season is helpful. Poor cell phone reception (thank god).

Our party of four was seated in a cute table by the window. Greeted quickly by our server and drink ordered taken and specials given. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer. Entrees were the shrimp risotto, chicken fettuccine with creamy pesto, gnocchi, and fazzoletti bolognese. The risotto and gnocchi were superb!! Highly recommend! Small place, make reservations. Great service and food.

We love visiting Cook when we are in town, the fresh pasta is great, the service is kind and quick, and the small Italian family restaurant vibe is our fav. The panna cotta is a go to dessert, their specials are always great and the wine selection lovely!

Recommended by Laura @ Spring Mountain Vineyards. Specifically, the eggplant parm, which I had and it was delicious. Hubby had the halibut/risotto special and it was also heavenly. Stephanie, our waitress. was amazing and had some great recommendations/connections for some wineries. Great evening.

it is so loud in this restaurant that it is uncomfortable to sit there. the food was mediocre as was the service. we had a dairy free person and a vegetarian among the four of us. each of us had a different meal and none of it was good enough to take home.

My bf and I found this place while on a mini weekend getaway. There were some reviews that said a reservation isn't required, which is technically true but I would still recommend it. We didn't have to wait long, but customers with reservations were given (arguably better) tables instead of bar seating, which tbh looked more comfortable and had more elbow room. Not a deal breaker, but just something to be mindful of. Food. OMG, the food is so good here! There's bread (with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, tsk) available upon request. For mains, he and I shared the gnocchi carbonara (it came highly recommended by some guests sitting nearby) and the cavatelli all'arrabbiata. Both were so good and complimented each other well since one was creamy and the other was slightly spicy. We also had a side of polenta since we don't see it often on menus. Finally, dessert was panna cotta with seasonal fruit. My only regret is that the restaurant isn't closer to where I live :( Street parking was relatively easy to come by (it was even free at that time of night). Noise level was much louder than I would have liked, so much so that it was even difficult to hear my bf sitting right next to me sometimes. Service was fine but it was difficult to get their attention most of the time (even though we were sitting at the bar), and I also noticed what felt like a different "level" of service that didn't match what other customers sitting close by were experiencing. So... five stars for the food, but four for the overall experience.

Our party was 3. The food was very good , the service from Gwen was great ! So we started with the mussels which were very good. I also had the minestrone soup omg ! So good I highly recommend. My girlfriend and aunt have the seafood pasta in spicy white wine sauce. Very good sauce. I had a spicy pasta dish which I can not remember the name. But it was very good. The bread is good as well. Oh and the blackberry & peach crisps are wonderful. Mmmm so good. I recommend this place , we will be back . Note : if you bring your children to dinner awesome. If you bring them to dinner and they yell and scream the whole time. Stop !! Ruining everyone else's meal and take them the hell home !!!!!

Was pleasantly impressed with this place. The menu is outstanding and the tastes are even better. We shared the burrata, calamari, and risotto special and each dish was very fresh and had excellent taste. The outdoor dining area is also very cozy, especially considering it was a makeshift area. I would definitely check this place out if you're in the area.

We sat at the bar. Great service, fabulous food, lovely place! Highly recommend the Caesar salad, spicy shrimp pasta and the lasagna was fantastic! Can't wait to come back!

LOVED. so soo good. I think they have weird hours where they don't open on weekends unfortunately or at least that's how it was last time I visited. The bolognese was incredible.

Amazing dinner experience. Delicious food, friendly and attentive service, local vibe. Small place, so make reservations. Highly recommend.

I give them 2 stars Because I don't think their food is good as their reviews. I'm just confused!?! The calamari she suggested was ok again not great! What the heck?!? The service was great but not excellent and their food was just ok. The big question is ... would I come back here???? Absolutely not.. I know better now after I tried this place.

The pasta here was really good, but there wasn't enough noodles! The fried calamari and linguine al vongole were delicious. Yummmmm!

Pure deliciousness!! We had a great meal after wine tasting and it was early enough that there was no wait time to be seated. Beware it's a small place and only service dogs are allowed. Sadly we were starving so I didn't take any pictures of our food as it was devoured the second it was served.

My wife and I had dinner here a couple of weeks ago. We had reservations and were seated promptly when we arrived. The small dining room was packed. I good sign! And we found out why. The food was delicious. I had a pasta dish and my wife had the eggplant parm. Both were excellent. The pasta is made in house as was their fresh and tasty red sauce. We also had Manhattans which were also good. The service was great as well.

Top 3 Italian restaurant in Napa County. I'll drive from Napa to St. Helena just to eat here. BEST EGGPLANT parm I've ever had my in life.

3.5 stars because chef owner went out of his way to accommodate. The place is very small inside. They had a small table for 2 set up in the narrow walkway sandwiched between the wall and bar seats. Not great for distancing despite the maitre d' citing infrequent foot traffic. Best seats inside was a table by the window which were occupied by 2 women who reminded the staff that distancing was necessary if we asked if we could sit at the end of the bar near her. We opted to wait an additional 30 mins for the parking lot "patio. After dinner, we noticed 2 men sitting at the end of the bar we were eyeing while the 2 women were sit sitting. They were not 6 feet apart. The ladies left together, didn't know the men either. The patio is a nicely laid out flooring with better distancing. We saw at least 8 customers traveling to the patio from the inside during our meal. I was glad we declined to accept the table inside. We shared a Caesar salad which was heavily salted and lots of cheese. It was OK, no anchovies. Hubby liked his fried petrale filets over risotto with figs. It was the best fish of the night. My spaghetti (al dente) vongole was OK. Good amount of clams. They ran out of fettuccine for the vongole. Disappointingly, we wanted to order the fried calamari but they sold out. Our wait staff was superb. She ran the back all by herself and the assistant was nice and checked our water glasses. Most folks had their masks in hand except for the 30ish couple. She had her mask on but he walked into the patio area without one, oblivious that there is a pandemic.

We had the best time at cook. The food and drinks were incredible and Ashley, our waitress, was amazing! She was knowledgeable about the menu and gave great recommendations and impeccable service! We'd go back just to see her again! Couldn't recommend this place enough.

Very delicious. Local ingredients used and some of the best homemade pasta we've had.

The help was very attentive and had a firm grasp of the menu. We started with the mussel and clam appetizer which had an amazingly great taste and aroma. For dinner I had the gnocchi and she had the pappardelle and clam special, both were very good but portions were small. I highly recommend the gnocchi if you are a fan of Gorgonzola or bleu cheese, otherwise I would stay clear. We had two 1/2 bottles of local wines, they were good but overpriced(even more so than the restaurant standard). For dessert we had the flour-less chocolate cake, it was drizzled with a salted caramel sauce that is to die for!