Gillwoods Cafe

Highly recommend this place for breakfast in st Helena! Great spot with great food and great service! We got the French toast and the gillwoods scramble. And of course coffee. Everything was too notch. If you’re looking for a great breakfast or brunch spot in Napa valley this is definitely a great option!

We were greeted and shown great hospitality since first walking in and even sat outside and we were taken care of very well by our waitress patricia and she was FANTASTIC. food was AMAZING from the crunch of the chicken fried steak to the amazing flavor of the French toast. Will definitely go back

Genuinely the best brunch I had this trip to Napa. Unfussy but nicely decorated diner with in-house pastries and extremely well-executed breakfast food. Reasonably priced compared to others in the area. If what you want is a truly excellent scramble with fresh veggies and bacon, or a classic eggs benedict (without unnecessary toppings like caviar and patê) - this is your place. Quite a few locals grabbing breakfast as well. Great location, located in downtown St Helena right next to lots of other restaurants and shopping.

On our visit to Napa valley we decided to eat at Gillwoods. The restaurant is right off highway 29 in St Helena. The menu selection looked great. The food was mediocre. The service was ok but not friendly. The chorizo had no flavor. The Huevos rancheros sauce wasn’t hot but tasted rancid. The hash-brown comes in small bricks.

This place hit the spot. If you want a satisfying and delicious breakfast - this is the place to go. Eggs Benedict was fire and the banana pecan pancakes were amazing. Bloody Mary was 10/10.

This cafe centered in St. Helena, offered satisfying counterpoint of flavors: a fluffy, vegetable-filled omelette with a savory, substantial foundation, packed with fresh bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. This wholesome meal was perfectly paired with the artistry of craft coffee whose rich, complex notes and aromatic finish elevated the entire experience from a simple breakfast to a thoughtful culinary moment.

Perfect spot in St Helena for breakfast! Their chilaquiles were amazing and my husband ordered the steak and eggs and really loved it! Great service & a wonderful clean inviting atmosphere! Will return again when we are in the area! Definitely give this place a try!

On their website they point out that they have a best of the valley award for 2023! Their current photo gallery shows cooked dishes offered from their menu! However, they no longer serve shredded Hash Brown potatoes as shown in their menu photo gallery but rather a deep fried small block of a potato! The scrambled eggs tasted like they had been cooked in stale oil! There are other restaurants in the area with better tasting food! Their service was good but the restaurant only had two other customers!

Cozy feel restaurant; not a dinner but small and busy, so you know the food will be good. I ordered the full (3) stack blueberry pancakes and chicken apple sausage. I should have just ordered 2 because they were big! The waitress said "we don't do anything small here". Lol! The waitress was super sweet and friendly. My fiancée ordered the Napa omelet and it looked delish. Will definitely keep in my favs for the next time I'm in the area.

Great breakfast spot in the middle of town. On Main Street. Bart nondescript place. Excellent service. Quick and efficient. Typical breakfast spot old school and great ambiance. Food comes quickly and it is good... All items appear to be great. I love the eggs Benedict. English muffins are fresh and fluffy. Eggs cooked perfectly and sealed so the effect of the yolk breaking is perfect. Canadian bacon is lean and tasty Yucon potatoes are excellent. Smashed and flash fried. Crispy outside and soft inside with a little spice I highly recommend this place for breakfast!!

The breakfast was excellent, with a diverse menu and attentive, courteous staff. This spot is a good choice for both breakfast and lunch, offering great food and service.

The service and food was great, the fact they make their hashbrowns in house is awesome as they had flavor to them. Our server was VERY personable even giving me some flack(in a joking way nothing bad) about me having a mimosa and I was driving. She was great, I do wish they had a sign when you walked in that said "seat yourself" instead of the dude walking up and saying "you need to pick which side you want to sit on" Also as someone who doesn't drink coffee ever, I ordered a Chai Latte and I love that she gestured with her hands while she said the size because I was lost in the sauce. Thanks Sandra!

Tables were sticky, which made it difficult to get comfortable since you didn't want to touch the table or put your arm down on it. Food was ok, they messed up my order, I had the ABLT. The tomato soup was delicious. The host and waitress were very friendly. The restaurant is small but you can tell it's a popular spot, the entire place was packed. We came during our anniversary weekend for a quick breakfast, don't think we'll be back.

Solid 3.5 stars for Gillwoods Cafe. On a Tuesday for lunch, it was busy. Pretty average breakfast fare, can't really go wrong with breakfast or can you? The veggie skillet was sad and tiny for the price. 2 poached eggs, quinao, some onions and peppers. Flavor wise, pretty bland but it is quinao after all. The food took over 20 minutes to come out. Street parking Indoor/ outdoor seating

This is easy 5 stars. Fast and friendly service. Menu offers a lot of choices. I ordered avocado toast, it came on a huge piece of thin bread with ricotta cheese spread and two eggs on the top. All this for $13. My wife ordered eggs benedict - the same story, great taste, huge side of really tasty home fries. To top it off, the coffee was much better then one would expect from a dinner. Great service, great food, down to earth pricing.

Breakfast spot in downtown St Helena. Been coming here for years, including under prior ownership. Don't be surprised if there's a wait on weekends. Service is super friendly and laid back in the smallish dining room. Our breakfast was delicious.

Best breakfast ever. I had coffee, the Gillwood omelette, and a pancake. The hash browns are unique in that they are in long pieces like the shape of a candy bar. However, this allows them to get a really nice crisp and brown finish. The omelette was excellent as was the coffee. The pancake was great too. Service was spectacular even on a busy Sunday morning. They kept my coffee cup full

Before we left Napa, we wanted to have a more traditional breakfast and chose Gillwoods based on reviews and their established time in Napa area! The staff gave us excellent service, making sure we were fully satisfied and without rushing us out the door As we had a long weekend, we were looking for a peaceful cafe. Gillwoods cafe exceeded our expectations and will definitely come back next time we're in town

Service was great at fast. Food was awesome! Ambiance, at time I came around 11am, was nice and quiet. Will definitely come back!

Cute restaurant and friendly staff . Stopped by prior to picking up my wines at a close by winery . Seems like a lot of locals come to this spot as staff knew them. I would definitely recommend this spot for breakfast . Food and drinks came out in a timely manner .

Got the eggs Benedict and it was fairly bad, the sauce was bitter and sour instead of creamy and because I asked for no meat, it was fairly empty. We also ordered fish and chips which were ok. The portions were good but taste was mediocre at best. The service however was really good. The waitress was super kind and attentive and the food came out very quickly. Overall, I'd not go for the food but for the kind folks who will help you out.

We enjoyed Gillwoods Cafe after browsing Yelp for good breakfast/brunch spots. Located in busy downtown St. Helena. We found parking close by on a side street. There were seven of us and were seated quickly at the "community table." Food came out quickly and was delicious with good portions. Gillwoods is a friendly diner with great staff and speedy service. There is seating for 2-4 around the cafe and a couple of seats outside.

Delicious! The service was great and the food was quick and soo tasty!! We came here on a Sunday morning..heading back to Sacramento and it was such. Sweet little spot! Glad we had a last minute stop Here and one of the few places that open early on the weekends!! Will definitely go back for the chilaquiles and chicken fried steak!

My fondness for Gillwood's grows with every visit. As St. Helena residents, it's our "go to" place for a hot, home-cooked delicious breakfast...with all the fixings. I'm particularly fond of their eggs Benedict and their huevos rancheros....the house-made red sauce is especially delicious. The service is also great and friendly. You just need to get their early, especially on week-ends, to beat the rush.

Amazing service for starters. The food was delicious we had a cinnamon roll and I had the corned beef hash so delicious. Highly recommend

A real friendly place with nice servers. My California Eggs Benedict was excellent, and the hash browns very nicely cooked. I also tried the pancakes, which were good, and everyone was happy with their food.

Fantastic chicken Cesar salad ! And the fries smelled amazing. Super friendly and fun staff .

Delicious eggs Benedict. Eggs were perfectly poached medium and their house made hollandaise sauce is yummy.

We have been coming to the lovely cafe for a few years. The food was always delicious. But I found out it's under new ownership. We went in today and we met the new owner, very nice man and he seems to be a hard worker, the small cafe was packed with a 20 min wait. I had the eggs Benedict with house potatoes my husband had biscuit and gravy and house potatoes. My eggs Benedict were delicious, and his biscuits and gravy were delicious, but we both agreed on the potatoes, they weren't what they use to be. Some were crunchy and others were very soft. And they were bland. But I know this is under new ownership. We will be back and try the hash browns. I love the personal attention the new owner gave us. I think they will work out the kinks.

We were on our way from Napa to Calistoga and decided to stop by St. Helena for some shopping and to grab some breakfast. It was Saturday morning and we got there at about 11 am. We got so lucky because we were able to get seated right away, even though the place was packed. I wouldn't be surprised if there are long wait times, especially on the weekend. I think the fact that it was raining helped us to get seated quickly. So charming inside, absolutely no frills but you can tell by going in that they have that home cooked charm. I was surprised that their menu was large, quite a diner experience. I ordered the breakfast sandwich with fries. The portions were big and I just had half my sandwich and some fries at the diner since I was supposed to be eating light before going to the spa. The sandwich was delicious, simple but done right. Staff was friendly, bathroom was clean. The establishment does not have their own parking, street parking only. I highly recommend this place.

I've been a customer for years. the last three visits have been very disappointing. The menu items are not coming out like they use to. Not fresh, hash browns sitting somewhere?? under the warning lights? English muffins not cooked!! Corn Beef Hash not grilled crispy, taste like dog food. The manager when he took our plates, didn't even ask if there was a problem? Seeing that the cornbeef hash was not eaten, nor the hasbrowns, nor the English muffins. Very Disappointing after the third visit, (bringing in friends), since change in ownership. The servers are the same, kind and respectful, but the quality of food is not the same. hopefully with more time, they will get back to putting out better quality in food.

Quite simply amazing breakfast. I had the ricotta, orange, blueberry, pancake with pecans. We also had the sausage gravy biscuit with the fruit cup. Both were completely satisfying. And everyone around us was shaking their heads with their tongues out, enjoying their selections too.!!

Good food and service. Really enjoyed the laid back and friendly atmosphere. Place feels like you are stopping into you neighborhood breakfast spot. Note: They give you a ton of toast. Perhaps ask for two slices since four (which I ate) is a lot.

Seated quickly, servers were pretty friendly. The food came out decently fast too and it was so delicious!!!! Huevos Verdes - A++++ I wish I could have shared with someone because I could only eat half Short stack French toast - A!! Sweet and simple. Perfect Napa Scramble - B, good, but not enough flavor Mimosas were good too! Funny because I'm 36 and got carded twice. They're pretty strict I guess?

Right in the middle of town is this sweet cafe. The food is fresh and the people that work there make you feel at home.

My husband and I stopped here for breakfast before hitting the wineries. It was like a small town cafe with good home cooked food. I had gotten the eggs Benedict with avocado, It was so yummy! My husband got the pancakes which were probably the best I've had in a while. Definitely recommend!

Had brunch with my friend & we enjoyed ourselves! Food was amazing, we had the chilaquiles and the country fried steak. Drinks were super good and service was 10/10. It was super cozy despite it being busy outside. We will be back :)

A pretty straightforward approach to breakfast in the heart of town. Grab a seat outside for peak people watching. The food was appropriately priced for the huge portions received. Definitely can be shared.

I was pleasantly surprised with my breakfast at Gillwoods Cafe. I was looking for a place with pancakes and waffles... let me tell you, Gillwoods Cafe did not disappoint! The pancake was delicious as was the waffle. I highly recommend the ice mocha. You ever have a sip of something that just takes you to a magical place, where there is lots of sunshine and butterflies and unicorns?! That's what this mocha was like. I had to go back the next day just to get another one.

I visited the first time by myself on 10/26/24 and the food and latte were so good. Today, I came back with the family and they loved it too. The friendliness of the staff, the food and attentiveness were exceptional. We'll be back.

It took about 20 minutes to get a table which is pretty good for 11 AM on a Saturday in downtown. The staff was very friendly and responsive, and the food was delicious. The tables were a little close together, but I appreciated not having to wait too long to get food so probably worth it. I would definitely go back to Gillwoods Cafe next time I'm at Napa.

We didn't know this area and randomly chose this restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised by their high quality, amazing food! We ordered club sandwich and fish and chips. The fish was fresh and plump and covered with the best batter that I have ever tasted. The club sandwich was delicious, too! The bread was amazing! I think they use fresh, high quality ingredients, and they carefully prepare their food. We weee highly impressed by their food and will definitely return to the restaurant again.

Gillwoods was a long time favorite in Napa for breakfast, it was spacious with a large outdoor eating area and had a great healthy menu that was always flavorful. Now in St Helena, it's smaller but more charming and a more intimate setting on Main Street with a in and out door seating options. Being gluten intolerant, for me I can have pancakes and ordered the fruit plate which came with granola and yogurt, and both were excellent, the fruit was all fresh and ripe and the yogurt was of high quality. The pancake was large and I only ordered 1 as it was thick and with local honey, a hearty but sweet treat. The Chai was good and not too hot. My friend had the Chilaquiles and said it was rich, filling and spiced nicely. The seating is limited and several spots were reserved so reservations are a safe bet. One server was over eager to clear my plate when half way done but our main server was very good, patient and had a positive attitude. The food quality is still there the seating is more limited but glad they are still in the valley as a reliable hearty breakfast location. I could definitely see doing brunch here after a drive up Valley!

We stopped in here for breakfast yesterday morning, and it was great! The service was outstanding - our server checked on us consistently and we were greeted right away when we walked in. For a smaller place - there's plenty of seating (2, 4 and 6 person tables). We sat at the 6 top in the middle of the room. Onto the food - I ordered the california Benedict (English muffin, ham, tomato, avocado and lots of hollandaise sauce). It was so good - and also comes with choice of potatoes - I ordered the hash browns which were plentiful and delicious. Others at my table ordered the Napa scramble, and the berry French toast special which had lots of berries! Would like to come back and try more of the menu!

For a breakfast spot it is a 5. Amazing large semi spicey bloody mary to go with delicious fried steak woth eggs. Expect a short wait on the weekends. excellent for a casual traditional breakfast / brunch.

My love interest is very fond of the area and has her favorite spots in town. She said she been here with her sisters and wanted to bring me so I figured it wasn't just a shot in the dark. Located on the main road downtown is this relatively small Cafe. Street parking available and you kinda gotta get lucky or park on a side street. There's a back alley way as well with a few parking spots along with a nice outdoor seating arrangement for customers. The waitress was ridiculously fun with great great customer service. The food was reasonably priced, well cooked and seasoned. Nothing that stood out for me to recommend but neither of us were let down aside from gf starting from the wrong side of her omelet so the meat was near the rear. The banana pecan pancake stood out now that I recall.. unless banana is the bane of your existence, I think you should give this pancake variant a try, I'll put my name on it. The gentleman that gave us the check was really funny and nice as well, I didn't feel like I was in an uptight establishment but more so a family owned Cafe where all are welcomed. I'll definitely be in the area again and if they're open, this will be our bfast for the day. Also very clean restrooms, had to throw that in

We were in Napa Valley for 8 days and 7 nights and travelled as far south as downtown Napa and as far north as Calistoga. In all that driving for breakfast we visited many places listed on Yelp but out of every single one none had the quality of breakfast as this restaurant in St Helena on Main Street. Once we discovered it we went here for breakfast every morning even when we weren't going that far north for taste tastings. Yes it was that worth it to drive 20 miles north for a good breakfast. The breakfast restaurants we tried that had higher ratings in downtown Napa were TERRIBLE and I was in awe that people bragged about the food when the home fries were bland and the toast was cold and tasted awful. What were these people thinking? I looked thru some of the 3 star reviews here and found people rating it 3 stars while bragging how good it is and not one negative thing to say so why is it 3 stars and not 5? I guess I just don't understand some Yelp reviewers. I tell it like it is and if it's 5 stars it's the best I had in all of Napa Valley. If you want the best this is it!

Great breakfast at a reasonable price in St. Helena. What a true gem. My kido was super happy with their breakfast and my husband and I liked the omelets a lot. Service was great.

Good diner, great cinnamon rolls! It's a cute place, very diner-ish. They have really good coffee, but service can be inconsistent. To have the bus guy walk by the table and not offer to fill coffee and water is frustrating

This was a perfect breakfast spot before starting our Wine tasting adventure. Great portions, the pancake was plate sized! . Good price. Great service! Everything was yummy and came out hot. They have additional seating outside in the back so that wait wasn't long at all. We also pick this spot because it was close to a lot of the wineries.

This place looks great. Sadly, I was unable to partake as they cook with soy oil in the kitchen. The person on the phone was super helpful in answering my questions.

Unassuming little cafe on the Main Street. It was busy on a Sunday afternoon, but fortunately we didn't have to wait too long to get a table. The owner or manger seated us and was super sweet and we had someone get us drinks right away and also got refills quickly. The food itself was plentiful and well made. I tried the blintzes which were on special. I had never had them before so they were fun to try. Loved the ricotta inside and berry sauce. If I'm ever back in the area I wouldn't hesitate to go again!

Prompt and friendly service, with a good selection of breakfast foods, specialty coffees, and drinks. A cute place in small town NorCal.

The girls and I came here for brunch on Sunday. I had an americano with almond milk and sugar free vanilla with the Napa omelette with a side of fruit. The fruit was not good so I left it behind but the omelette and coffee was to die for.

Great service and breakfast! Nice location in the middle of st Helena downtown. Old time diner

I actually came here to try their sandwiches because I told myself I wasn't in the mood for breakfast, since I'd already had a whole coffee, but upon recommendation from the server - and honestly who's passing up a chorizo omelette anyways?? - I wholeheartedly settled on the omelette, but was set on trying the tomatillo salsa that was promised with the Huevos Verde - which I've never seen on another menu? - and so the server graciously provided me an entire side serving! It was AMAZING and I doused my omelette and it was absolutely next level. NOT GREASY either, which was awesome in itself. Paired w perfectly toasted and buttered sourdough and crispy hashbrowns... I ate entirely too much but held no shame and dragged it out as long as I could before being called back to my duties. HIGHLY recommend if you're looking for real food outside of the hospital while your loved one is being cared for by all those talented hands up the hill! Definitely gave me the fuel and kick I needed for my day!

Gillwoods is a great spot for a simple but delicious breakfast/brunch/lunch. The menu is just what you expect -- not complicated or effete. The service is what really makes this work. The staff know what the menu offers and they will offer great recommendations. Put Gillwoods on your list.