Giselle M.
Yelp
My first instinct is to say this place is such a hidden gem, but it's actually not hidden at all! It's literally across the parking lot from the popular Oxbow, and right there in front of the beautiful CIA at Copia building. CIA by the way doesn't stand for the Central Intelligence Agency here (that would be weird), but the Culinary Institute of America, so rest assured they know food and the culinary arts here!
A sign out front says, "Voted 'Best affordable wine country restaurant' by Eater San Francisco," and if you walk up to the order window, 2 more accolades are displayed: Best Sandwiches West Coast (Sunset Magazine) and
The heart of Napa's food scene (Ultratravel). My hubby and I browsed the menu, and immediately knew we'd have to come back the next day and try it.
So fast forward, and we were back at CIA at Copia for lunch and ordered 3 incredibly delicious, fresh and healthy items to share:
1) Grain Bowl (vegan & gluten-free) w/ quinoa, seasonal succotash, sprouts, and more
2) Mushroom Melt sandwich (vegetarian) w/ arugula pesto, and we asked for no gruyere cheese
3) Garden Wrap (vegan) w/ hummus, braised greens and seasonal veggies
For such a casual place, even the presentation of the food was attractive, and we fully enjoyed eating our lunch right there at an outdoor table near the CIA at Copia garden. Keep in mind that Lunch Box is only open M-F 11am-4pm (we didn't realize this and tried to come back the next day, which was a Saturday, only to find it closed). It really is a great place to grab an awesome quick, high quality lunch to-go or to enjoy in their peaceful outdoor setting.
Before or after your meal, you can roam around CIA at Copia, from the beautiful garden to the indoor areas, and the upstairs Culinary Arts Museum. They even have a great shop there called Marketplace at Copia that sells all sorts of wonderful things for your home and kitchen. Truly a gem in Downtown Napa!