California road trip: Rate my itinerary (tips and tricks most welcome)

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
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Hi all,

(Note, I have been reading through the LA thread before posting this separate thread)

I am planning a 9 day road trip with my brother in September 2026.

Any recommendations or feedback, are much appreciated. We are valuing good wine lists higher than the food usually, and trying to avoid set menus.

The tentative itinerary looks something like this:

SF: 1 night
First time there, so planning to go around and see all the tourist things.
Dinner at State Bird Provisions
Lunch at Chez Panisse for the bucket list check-mark
Any other other good recommendations for wine bars and restaurants?

Napa Valley / Santa Rosa: 2 nights
Planning to stay in Santa Rosa as accommodation looks more reasonable than Napa, and closer to the wineries that we want to visit.

Restaurants that I am considering:
Willi’s Wine Bar
The Spinster Sisters
Bird & The Bottle

Anything that I am missing?

Carmel By the Sea 1 night:
At the moment, choice is between Aubergine and Chez Noir. Both set menu places so if other restaurants or wine bars in the town with good wine lists, would preferable.

Los Angeles:
Republique - Was there 4 years ago and the wine list was great. Still the case? Or any other wine-driven restaurants to consider?

Been looking at Nozawa Bar for a good Omakase. Still in the top in LA or any other places to consider?

Of course, no US trip without a proper steak house dinner. Have been considering Kali but the wine list looks a bit meager. Any places similar to Kali with better wine lists?

If any other recommendations for LA with deep wine list at somewhat reasonable prices, inputs are much appreciated.

Thank you all in advance for your tips and recommendations.

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For SF, can’t recommend the Morris enough. Especially if you’re a charcuterie guy (they make their own).

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Not sure how brutal you are with timing but 1 night in SF (not sure how much daytime you will have/when flight arrives, etc) does not leave much time to see “all the tourist things” and have lunch in Berkeley.

I love Berkeley, and spend more time there than in SF when I visit. But these are all personal decisions and if you’re really pressed for time it might not be worth the excursion, especially as Chez Panisse is not exactly a culinary revelation these days, and is more of a symbolic bucket list, as you note.

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True, but the cooking in the Cafe is still top-notch. There’s always a dish or two that makes me go “wow”. The restaurant never did much for me, even when I dined there in the 80s.

I do agree that one day doing SF > Berkeley > SF and some tourist things is biting off way more than one can chew (pun intended).

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Fair enough. You’ve been there more than me. I was just noting that there are likely to be many equivalent restaurants in SF quality-wise that would make his life easier on a tight schedule.

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Although not in Carmel, the best wine list around is at Passionfish in Pacific Grove, both for selection and pricing. Menu is geared more towards seafood.

I’d also consider Diavola in Geyserville for dinner. If you want something a little fancier, Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg is very good.

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Thanks for the tip. I am definitely a Charcuterie guy.
Wine list looks solid too.

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Thank you for the insight.
This whole trip is quite brutal with the timing.
I will arrive early noon so have full 24 hours before leaving for Berkeley.
Always wanted to try Chez Panisse and Berkeley seems nice for a post-meal stroll, so we will make it work somehow

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Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. Might need to change accommodation to Monterey instead.

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Berkeley and Chez Panisse are meritorious, but just for dinner while based in SF for only one night?? I’d either eat in SF or spend more time in Berkeley.

Not sure if it’s still called the Gourmet Ghetto, but nearby Chez Panisse, the Berkeley Cheese Board and Bakery is a great cheese store, and the bakery makes fantastic California style Pizza. And on some weekend days, they have Jazz.

Visit the Berkely Rose gardens in between. Should be absolutely splendid in September. All walking distance (some serious uphill and stairs, but mileage is short). Stunning views of the Golden Gate.

Not sure how long for the drive but given the one nighters, I’m guessing not much.. I’d probably give up Carmel by the Sea for more time in Berkeley or give up Chez Pannisse. Or give up both for 2 nights in SF which is undoubtedly have the best quotient of (Food and Wine and interesting neighborhoods)/(time spent wasted in travel and traffic).

You can take a cable car to dinner in SF. Or go by Bart to Chez Pannisse.

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Yamakase for omakase in LA if possible, and they have corkage. Stop by WHWC for a bottle of champagne for dinner.
Super lowkey and amazing.

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Thank you for the recommendation.
WHWC is Woodland Hills Wine Company? Looks a bit out of town. Do they have any stores in the city?

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Sadly no, WHWC is a rite of passage by itself. Wine House LA is a good alternative if you don’t like K&L, their bubbles selection is BONKER.

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Just me, but I would completely skip LA and save that for another trip. There’s so much to see up north and seems silly to spend that much time driving down to LA. I’d spend more time in San Francisco and definitely more time seeing the natural beauty that abounds outside the city in every direction.

I’d save Los Angeles for another trip to Southern California and I would see what I consider the better parts of Southern California on that trip. I understand why people live in Los Angeles but for a vacation it would be pretty far down my list.

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That is a lot of traveling. And it isn’t a lot of time in any of those places to get to know them at all. I would skip Southern California and save it for another time.

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Alright, must be good for people to take the trek out there.
I will give it a shot.
Thank you for the recommendation

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See your point, but it is a road trip, so time on the road is part of the trip.
Would love to spend more time in Northern California, but doing Highway 1 was a key part of the reason to go.

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FYI the 1 from Sonoma County north blows away the ride on the 1 to the south

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Maybe you love driving for driving’s sake, but once you get past San Simeon there is a pretty big drop off from the awesomeness of Big Sur and then once you get past Morro Bay it’s just regular highway and you’re still quite far from LA.

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Check out Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa - one of California’s best wine and beer selection.