The Best Bite
In the Neighborhood
Piner Cafe is locally owned and operated by Chrissy (Schilling) Cronquist and her husband Jeff Cronquist, who has a fabulous reputation in Sonoma County for the best home-cooked food. Chrissy started her first restaurant with buying Sequoia Burgers in Sebastopol back
1987, a landmark burger joint in Sebastopol since 1962. Under Chris Schilling’s ownership Sequoia Burgers got known for the best burgers in Sonoma County. It was an extremely busy place with the best home cut fries and messiest, best burgers you could get your mouth around. People would come from miles around for her great burgers or make sure it was a stop between wine tasting or antiquing in Sonoma County.
Fast forward a few years to 1997, Chrissy sold Sequoia Burgers and bought Parkside Cafe on Santa Rosa Avenue in Santa Rosa in 1998. She offered both breakfast and lunch with the same home-cooked goodness that had people flocking to Sequoia Burgers for years for burgers and fries. Mouth watering sandwiches, salads, desserts, and sumptuous amounts of food with selection ranging from Eggs Benedict to Stuffed Waffles. Eating breakfast or lunch at the Parkside Cafe was a feast and meant you could skip a meal for the day. Such caring detail had people coming from all over the North Bay to have breakfast or lunch when they were in the Wine Country.
Chris Schilling operated the Parkside Cafe in Santa Rosa for five years before selling it to another restauranteur and buying the Piner Cafe. For a number of years Chris operated two restaurants in Sonoma County the Healdsburger she bought in 2008 and sold in 2011 and the Piner Cafe. The Healdsburger gave her a second chance to produce those amazing home-cut fries that everyone loves and burgers in every variety that was a must stop while wine tasting in the Healdsburg area or a good place to relax on a Friday or Saturday night.
The Piner Cafe has been serving it’s wonderful home cooked locally bought food since 2003. Get there early on any weekend morning because there is usually a wait for a table. They serve mouth watering breakfasts, lunches with sandwiches that are as tall as your fist. Always ask about the specials, there are new ones every day on a hand written menu. If you want the Chili Rellenos casserole be sure to get there early because it always sells out, it’s a favorite of locals.
Northwood Restaurant Bistro–Enjoy the Beauty of the Russian River
In 2014 Chrissy Schilling bought the Northwood Restaurant Bistro, which had once been a local and regional favorite but had fallen on hard times. Chrissy in her amazing style has reinvigorated this wonderful local find into a golfer’s haven, the place for great local food along the Russian River, the place to listen to great live music on Friday nights, and show us your talent on Saturday nights with karaoke.
Anytime of the year Northwood Restaurant Bistro is a great place to meet friends for dinner, lounge on our patio with drinks after golf, or let us host your next event. The Northwood Restaurant is known for their great catering menu for birthdays, anniversaries, religious celebrations, bridal showers, bachelor parties, and a gorgeous setting to choose for your Sonoma County wedding venue or Sonoma County wedding reception site. We are only a phone call away for your next Sonoma County event.
Real Food, Family Atmosphere.
From Our Hearts
To Your Plate
Read our Rave Reviews to see why the Piner Cafe is packed with locals (lines out the door) that come regularly for a great meal and people as far away as New York and other countries outside the US because they have heard it is a place not to be missed for a great home-cooked in Sonoma County.
Our outdoor patio is a great place to read your Sunday paper, drink a bottomless cup of coffee, and while away a Saturday or Sunday morning. You can also call the Piner Cafe for take-out to serve our home-cooked meals at home or for a picnic. Take a look at our menus to see the amazing variety of food available.
