Charter Oak, St Helena

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

The Charter Oak

1050 Charter Oak Ave

St Helena, CA 94574

707-302-6996

The Charter Oak Website

The Charter Oak St Helena outside exterior decor

Why did we dine here? – Charter Oak was on our list of places to hit in the Napa Valley. We had a good experience at Meadowood, so why not try this spot. It made it onto the SF Chronicles Top 100 list in 2019, so we made sure we ate here soon.

The Charter Oak St Helena Inside Interior Decor

The Charter Oak is the vision of Owner, Chef Christopher Kostow of the three-Michelin starred The Restaurant at Meadowood. Christopher had a simple goal of creating a restaurant for the community and sharing the bounty of the Napa Valley with visitors. This location used to be Tra Vigne.

Insider Tip – Lunch is much less busy

Cuisine – American
Location – St Helena, Napa Wine Country
Opened – 2017

Service – Charter Oak had very good service. Clearly they are very knowledgeable. The servers could have come around more often though.
Verdict – Charter Oak is a high quality, casual restaurant with a very accessible menu and a beautiful interior. A no brainer for folks touring the Wine Country.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Maybe.

Charter Oak Signature Dishes – Burger, Chicken, raw vegetables.

Charter Oak’s Menu has lots of hearty meaty dishes along with a great selection for vegetarians. Rare at most restaurants. Too many good choices.

Website Charter Oak Menu

Charter Oak Food Picks:

The Charter Oak St Helena Grilled corn bread

charter oak bread. house cultured butter (small $5) is quality country bread. Not up to Tartine or Josey Baker, but pretty good.

grilled corn ($8) was a special and a must get. Fresh corn roasted with a bit of butter.

The Charter Oak St Helena raw vegetables from our farm

raw vegetables from our farm. fermented soy dip ($20) is a must get even for non vegetarians. The veggies are picked each day from their nearby garden. Freshness is unbelievable, as is the great soy – creme fraiche dip.

The Charter Oak St Helena Broccoli salad

salad of broccolis. puffed grains. ricotta ($24) is more proof that vegetarians are not second classic citizens here. Beautiful dish with different textures and flavors. The cheese and puff rice accented the broccoli perfectly.

The Charter Oak St Helena Cheeseburger fries

the cheeseburger and fries ($20) is a signature dish. They butcher their own meat and it shows. Two thin patties with quality cheese and buns. Fries that are way better than In and Out or nearby Gott’s. They also have this at dinner.

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
None

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)

The Charter Oak St Helena Malt Pudding

Malt Pudding ($10) was strong, bold, dark and a bit odd even though it was vegan and gluten free.

Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?

Restaurant Map:


The Charter Oak Overall Rating: (Very Good 2.5)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Excellent)
Service Rating: (Very Good)
Atmosphere Rating: (Excellent)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Full Bar
Attire:Dressy
Parking:Free Lot
Reservations:Yes

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