Gilwood's Cafe - American, St. Helena/Napa

1313 Main Street, St. Helena CA 94574
(707) 963-1788
Hours: Daily 7am-3pm

Parking: street parking

1320 Napa Town Center, Napa CA 94559
(707) 253-0409
Hours: Daily 7am-2:30pm

http://www.gillwoodscafe.com/

Last Visited: August 9, 2009

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$

Gilwood's, open since 1991 in St. Helena, was recommended to me by the former City Manager of Napa for its good food and quaint atmosphere.

When I arrived at Gilwoods, it was about 11:30am and the waitlist had already begun to grow. I was probably the fourth or fifth on the list and there isn't much of a waiting area within the restaurant. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day outside and their colorful menu was posted in the window, so I had plenty of time to figure out what I wanted to order.

Enter the restaurant and see the specials and pie listed on the white board behind the counter. It's brightly lit and the wood tables and chairs give the restaurant a traditional cafe feeling. Service was friendly throughout our visit.

- Club Sandwich - Chicken, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado are sandwiched on toast and served with a choice of soup, salad, french fries or fresh fruit for an extra 75 cents. With this dish, we ordered soup. A typical club sandwich -everything was fresh, toast was . Good. $12.60

- French Dip - Roast beef is sliced and placed on a roll with melted cheese and served with au jus. I can't remember the exact price - somewhere over $10. I ordered a green salad with this. The sandwich was okay. The salad was fresh made of mostly lettuce and some chopped tomatoes. I appreciated that it was served on a separate plate - great especially for people that don't want their food to touch.

Gilwoods offers homemade bread for sale, and for sandwiches, you have a choice of country wheat, sourdough, or rye. Their cheese selection includes cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, and swiss.

- French Fries - I've been ordering fries as a side more frequently when I can't decide on whether or not I want to be healthy (i.e. ordering salad) or enjoy crispy fries. I found the color of the fries to be nice and golden, but they weren't as crispy on the outside as I wanted. I would probably skip fries next time. $3.75

Overall, I found the food to be good, but the prices are a bit higher than I would like to see. For example, burgers are $9.40 and the least expensive items seem to be the desserts for around $4 for a slice of pie or cake. Considering the wait on a weekend morning and good, but not exceptionally generous portions, I would say Gilwood's is a good stop if you are already in the area or if you are with guests in the Napa or St. Helena region. For me, having to drive more than half an hour to this destination, I would say there are many other options to consider.