Pick the part of town first, then the hotel. Each one says what it's like, what to eat there and how far the sights are.
The plaza and the blocks around it hold most of the best tables, the farmers' market and the hotels where you can leave the car parked.
The food: Dry Creek Kitchen, Troubadour, Bistro Lagniappe, Noble Folk and Healdsburg Bar & Grill are all a short walk away.
Sources: Sonoma Magazine, best restaurants in Healdsburg, The Infatuation
Just off the plaza, a few quieter blocks toward the Russian River with new hotels and an old inn mansion on Front Street.
The food: Folia Bar & Kitchen and Andy's Beeline rooftop at Appellation, plus the plaza restaurants a few minutes away.
Sources: Local News Matters, Hospitality Net
A resort in the hills east of downtown, a short drive from the plaza, with vineyard views and its own dining.
The food: Hazel Hill at Montage Healdsburg has a glass-walled dining room and a weekend chef's tasting; the plaza restaurants are a short drive.
Hotels and food in Hills outside town →Sources: Press Democrat, Fodor's
Chef's pick is Plaza and downtown: 20 of his places are a 15-minute walk. Chef picks hotels the way he picks restaurants: from the best lists, and what reviewers say.
Chef checks your hotel's rate every morning until free cancellation ends and emails you if it drops.
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Researched and published by Chef Amazing, from our own stories, this year’s critics and food press, and a check that each place is open. Nobody pays to be on our lists: how we pick. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we fix it.