I've been to Willi's three times in recent months, once in the evening for a weekend dinner (while staying at the nearby Hilton Sonoma Wine Country), and twice mid-afternoon on my way driving north/south to the Sonoma coast. I wish there were a place just like this near me here in silicon valley. I definitely plan on making it a destination eating stop on our next trip north next month.

Willi's offers gourmet tapas-sized bites which you can pair with 2-ounze, 5-ounze or larger portions of several dozen different quality wines they offer and can counsel you on. I really like the idea of being able to try several different food items shared between two people, each properly paired, creative and well-presented (2 dishes are plenty for one person unless he's really big, or even just one of the richer dishes is fine if you want a light lunch or snack). Examples I had are Ahi tuna tartare with lemon, chilies and pine nuts; beet and goat cheese ravioli with chard, parsnips, hazelnuts, and white truffle essence (filling); a scrumptious mac and 4-cheese with onions; and even roasted bone marrow with crisps and fig jam! Desserts (also offered with dessert wine pairings) are outstanding (e.g., lemon panna cotta)

I also really appreciate being able to get gourmet food at weird hours, like 2 or 3 in the afternoon which is when I've been driving in that area heading north or south and ready for food (they are closed Tuesdays). There is even pleasant patio seating for a nice day, or a comfortable bar at which you can also get food, that works nicely for solo diners too. Very few gourmet places are open for anything except sandwiches or burgers that time of day.

Our evening experience had a different feel from the daytime stops, more crowded, louder, service a little slower, but still very nice overall. It's not cheap: we spent about $30-40 per person, including wine pairings, could easily spend more, with most tapas running between 9 and 11 dollars a piece. But it's worth it and not outrageous compared with other area offerings, considering quality and originality of food and style.

It also offers very easy access on/off Highway 101 in north Santa Rosa (but you have to know it's there to find it, can't see it from the freeway just driving by)

We had dinner at Willis Wine Bar on November 4. The atmosphere is very casual.

This restaurant is tapas style. However they have a slightly different twist. At a tapas restaurant they usually let you casually order one or two items at a time. That way if you are hungry or full, you can choose to order more or not. At this restaurant they ask you to order all of your choices at once. Then they bring them out one at a time. So you really have no idea how many plates to order.

The food is very good.
[--]
The “Five Spice Pork Belly Pot Stickers” and “Dungeness Crab "Tacos"” are both excellent.
“Willi's Truffled French Fries with Truffle Aioli & Parmesan” is good for a while. But with most French fries they can drain on you. Because of the salt in them. It might be best to share with 4 people. And not 2 people.
The “Grilled American Kobe Skirt Steak” is a little fatty, and I would recommend skipping.

The biggest down point about this restaurant is the wait staff. We had a girl with short dark hair. Watch out if you have her. She never came over to ask how the food was. Come over to refill our drinks. I had to waive her over to order a second French press of coffee for my girlfriend. Not a very good waitress.

Overall the food is very good. The price was very good. But ask to avoid this specific waitress. People deserve better when they go out to eat on vacation.

Willi's is definitely a hidden treasure in Santa Rosa. We recently enjoyed tapas and wine selections for dinner. The menu features local produce that is creatively prepared. We followed the servers recommendation and ordered two plates each to share. The extensive wine list is available either by the bottle or in 2 or 5 ounce pours. These smaller "tasting portions" allow you to select the appropriate wine for each tapas plate which we really appreciated.

Our server was very polished and professional and just attentive enough to make things move along smoothly. We were seated outside in the tent and although the evening was cool we were very comfortable. The inside rooms also look quite charming.

We will definitely be back to try more tapas the next time we're in the Santa Rosa area.

So my feelings regarding Willi's Wine Bar were unsatisfactory and I was willing to keep my thoughts to myself, until I recently received a call from them saying that I missed my reservation. I called to let them know that I was at their restaurant the week before for my birthday.

While I was on the phone, I decided to tell the host that I was very disappointed with the service and the experience and his comment was, "Well, sorry about that." I repeated my comment that I was unhappy, and he repeated "Sorry" with the same insincerity as the first time. I felt that he could have offered more than that if he really wanted to keep the concept of repeat business in mind. I spent $900 for 10 people and I think I deserve a little more than, "Well, sorry about that."

To give you some background, this restaurant is tapas style and we were informed of this when we were seated. Since we had a large group with different food and eating preferences, we asked the server if we could order what we wanted for each couple.

She told us in the introduction that people typically pick one item off the menu and then she would order two or three of them to share. Well in my party we all ordered three to four items and then the server ordered three to four of each item as well! She didn't pay attention to our request and we had way too much food!

Speaking of the server, she came to our table to introduce herself and then disappeared for 45 minutes. Then when she came back, she took our drink orders and disappeared for another 20 minutes. Each time we saw her, we asked if she could take our order. We were starving! When she finally took our order, well, you know what happened then.

At the end of our meal, she added an extra $80 onto my credit card on top of the check and gratuity which we spent another 30 minutes correcting.

Lastly to add to the overall experience, we were sat outside with a heat lamp in February. Since our table was against the far side of the tent, there wasn't much heat. We expressed how cold it was and the busboys tried to turn up the lamp but it was on the highest setting. The thing that bothers me is that we didn't know that the restaurant had blankets until we saw them as we were leaving the restaurant.

Like I said, I would have kept my feelings to myself, but after I see how they treat their customers, I will definitely never go back!