And the winner is… Sonoma!
The votes have been cast, the ballots counted, and the Index-Tribune's 2018 People's Choice winners decided. The best food and drink, the best businesses, and the best professionals and specialists in all of Sonoma, selected by you, Reader, in a spirited poll.
The voting took a few weeks, competitors jostling for supremacy throughout, and then our staff vote-counters tallied the results. Below are the winners and runners-up for 83 distinct categories, from the best cheap eats to the best hair salon to the best wedding venue.
All of them will be celebrated at our annual gala in September, taking a deserved turn in the spotlight of community appreciation. If you're familiar with the winners, keep patronizing those folks; if not, get out there and try something new. With thousands of neighbors and friends vouching for them, you can't really go wrong, Sonoma.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS 2018
(Second place noted as 'honorable mentions')
BEST FOOD & DRINK
Best Asian Food
Bangkok9 Thai Cuisine
Honorable Mention: E-Saan Thai House
Best Bakery
Basque Boulangerie Café
Honorable Mention: Scandia Bakery
Best Bar
Swiss Hotel
Honorable Mention: Starling Bar
Best Barbecue
Tri Tip Trolley
Honorable Mention: Fremont Diner
Best Breakfast
Sunflower Caffé
Honorable Mention: Creekside Cafe
Best Café or Coffee Shop
Sunflower Caffé
Honorable Mention: Barking Dog
Best California Cuisine
El Dorado Kitchen
Honorable Mention: Harvest Moon Café
Best Cheap Eats
Mary's Pizza Shack
Honorable Mention: La Bamba Taco Truck
Best Deli Sandwich
Broadway Market
Honorable Mention: Sonoma Market
Best Drive-Thru Coffee
Dutch Bros.
Honorable Mention: Café Scooteria
Best Food Truck
La Bamba Taco Truck
Honorable Mention: Picazo Café
Best Hamburger
Picazo Café
Honorable Mention: the Girl & the Fig
Best Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt
Sweet Scoops Homemade Ice Cream
Honorable Mention: La Michoacana
Best Italian Restaurant
Della Santina's
Honorable Mention: Mamma Tanino's
Best Local Brew Pub
Hopmonk Tavern
Honorable Mention: Sonoma Springs
Best Mexican Restaurant
Taqueria La Hacienda
Honorable Mention: El Molino Central
Best New Restaurant in 2018
Salt & Stone
Honorable Mention: Mi Ranchito
Best Pizza
The Red Grape
Honorable Mention: Mary's Pizza Shack
Best Place for Lunch
The Red Grape
Honorable Mention: Picazo Cafe
Best Seafood at a Local Restaurant
Sonoma Grille
Honorable Mention: The Reel Fish Shop & Grill
Best Steak Restaurant
Saddles Steakhouse
Honorable Mention: Sonoma Grille
Best Take Out
Mary's Pizza Shack
Honorable Mention: Taste of the Himalayas
Best Tasting Room
Benziger Family Winery
Honorable Mention: Pangloss Cellars
Best Place for a Vegetarian/Organic Meal
Sunflower Caffé
Honorable Mention: Taste of the Himalayas
Best Wine List at a Restaurant
Della Santina's
Honorable Mention: El Dorado Kitchen
Best Winery
Buena Vista Winery
Honorable Mention: Benziger Family Winery
Best Winery Tour
Benziger Family Winery
Honorable Mention: Gundlach Bundschu
Best Winery with a View
Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards
Honorable Mention: Beziger Family Winery
BEST BUSINESSES
Best Antique Store
Plain Jane's
Honorable Mention: Bon Marche Thrift Store
Best Art Gallery
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Honorable Mention: Arts Guild of Sonoma
Best Auto Body Shop
Body Best Collision Center
Honorable Mention: Daniele's Classic Auto Body
Best Boutique
Bear Moon Clothing Company
Honorable Mention: The Loop
Best Carpet Cleaning Service
Imperial Carpet Cleaning
Honorable Mention: Walsh's Chem Dry
Best Day Spa
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa
Honorable Mention: Blush A Day Spa
Best Facial/Makeup
Catalina's Skin and Body
Honorable Mention: Amber Rose Advanced Skin Care
Best Financial Institution
Redwood Credit Union
Honorable Mention: Exchange Bank
Best Garden/Nursery
Sonoma Mission Gardens
Honorable Mention: Friedman's Home Improvement
Best Gift Shop
Sign of the Bear
Honorable Mention: Fat Pilgrim
Best Grocery Store
Sonoma Market
Honorable Mention: Broadway Market
Best Gym/Health Club
Parkpoint Fitness Club-Sonoma
Honorable Mention: Sonoma Fit
Best Hair Salon/Barber Shop
Catalina's Skin and Body
Honorable Mention: Personal Image
Best Home Health Care Service
Healing at Home/Sonoma Valley Hospital
Honorable Mention: Caselli's Private Home Care
Best Jewelry Store
Sonoma Silver Company
Honorable Mention: Halem & Company de Sonoma
Best Local Bank
Exchange Bank
Honorable Mention: Bank of Marin
Best Local Event
Fourth of July Parade
Honorable Mention: Farmer's Market
Best Local Farm
The Patch
Honorable Mention: Paul's Produce
Best Locally Produced Food Brands
Vella Cheese Company
Honorable Mention: Relax and Eat Bread
Best Mortgage Broker
Gary Umholz/RPM Mortgage
Honorable Mention: Sheila O'Neill/Redwood Credit Union
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