Lovina — Restaurant in Calistoga

Bummed to write this. I love Calistoga and typically every place we go. Not Lovina. We went for a special occasion and left very disappointed. We were welcomed kindly and escorted to a table on the up stairs patio. We had reservations for 4 people at 5:30 and were basically the first people to come for the Saturday night dinner rush. We came with small children and were not offered a high chair and the table was as not ideal for a family with young children, near steep stairs and on a balcony. I asked for a high chair after appetizer course and was brought one promptly. The food was okay and the wait staff seemed nice. Overall, we ordered 2 appetizers, 4 cocktails, 2 entrees, and a dessert. A tab well over $250. During our entree course, the second table on the patio was sat. The patrons asked their server for the heater to be turned on. The heat lamp extended the length of the entire patio, so if the heater is on, both tables have to have the heater on. A staff person, who later on turned out to be the GM, came passed our table to turn it on, without asking our family if we had a preference. During our meal, the heater turned on, and it was extremely hot. The outside temperature in Calistoga this evening was around 65 degrees and a beautiful evening. My 4 year old and 1.5 year old both expressed that they were hot while eating their dinner. I then shut it off. The male patron from the other table came over to our table and asked for the heater to be turned on and I politely offered him my coat and if he preferred to switch tables. He accepted the offer but then did not follow through since his tables dinner was then served. At this point, our family had ordered our dessert and were waiting on it. Once our dessert arrived, the other table was brought blankets by the servers and the GM. The GM then turned her back to our table and was clearly apologizing regarding the fact that my table did not want the heater on. It was extremely uncomfortable and unprofessional. She then proceeded to come to our table and started to engage in kind talk with my 4 year old. I was very uncomfortable by this. She had clearly just been negatively talking about our table to the other table, and then tried to come be kind to my 4 year old. The server brought our dessert and said “no rush” but then brought our check and picked it back up for payment extremely promptly. While she was running out payment, another staff person came to collect payment , even though our server had already taken it. They said “no rush”, but were absolutely rushing us. We finished our dessert and paid. As we were leaving, I went to speak to the manager regarding how we were treated. The was a man in a Hawaiian shirt that identified as a manager. I asked him if he knew why i wanted to speak with him, he said no, but then in the course of our conversation he had said he did in fact know why I was upset, clearly admitting to the fact that the servers and managers already brought this conflict to everyone’s attention. The other female GM jumped in on the convo and admitted to comping the other table a salad, but at this point, still had not offered my family any compensation for mistreatment. I explained to her that I felt uncomfortable when she had turned her back and was clearly talking about our table, and then came over to make nice and was talking to my daughter. When she told me that she comped the other table a salad, I expressed to her the feeling of inequity. Why did one table get something, the other table didn’t. Who were they and who are we not? She then said she would take 50% off our bill. That was kind and all, but this whole experience ruined our special occasion evening and it really wasn’t about the money.

All of this being said, I hope they fix that heat lamp to not be 100 degrees when on. There was no, low/med/high, and that they break it into two so each table can have whatever they desire. The staff can use some professional development and unconscious bias...

Lovina is a restaurant with an identity problem. It’s unclear whether it wants to position itself as a high-end fine dining experience (as their prices strongly suggest) or as a relaxed, bohemian, hippy-style eatery (which is exactly what the jeans, tattoos, and casually indifferent attitude of our server conveyed). It cannot be both. And right now, it’s failing at both.

We are committed vegans who have eaten plant-based food across the world, many times over. We chose Lovina to celebrate my partner’s birthday during a weekend in Calistoga — and, frankly, it did not meet even basic expectations.

To be fair, I’ll start with what went right. It was thoughtful of the staff to prepare a birthday card for my partner — a small, kind gesture, and for that they earn one star. The vegan cheese plate was also very good — flavorful, nicely arranged, and well-executed. That earns them a second star.

But unfortunately, everything else was a letdown.

The appetizers were minuscule — even by the standards of fine French cuisine. As mains, we both ordered the vegan lasagna. What we were served was poorly constructed and lacked cohesion. There was barely any melted vegan cheese to hold it together. Brands like Violife melt well and can create a creamy, rich texture — but none of that was present. Instead, there were just a few visible shreds of unmelted cheese beneath the top layer of pasta. It was dry and underwhelming. For a dish that should be warm, rich, and satisfying, this missed the mark completely. That alone warrants a two-star deduction.

Service was no better. Basic attention to detail was missing throughout. There was no salt or pepper on the table, no offer of a pepper grinder, no mention of additional cheese or sauce. When I asked for ice, the server brought out a large glass and dropped it on the metal table — no napkin, no coaster, no plate. Condensation quickly pooled underneath, forming a puddle that crept under my dinner plate. The server didn’t notice, or didn’t care. Either way, unacceptable — and that’s another star off for poor service.

By that point, we were tired of asking for every small thing that should have been standard. I paid, and we left.

Lovina may have potential, but right now it’s trapped between two identities and not doing either well. Until it figures out what kind of experience it wants to offer — and matches that with thoughtful service and consistent food — I cannot recommend it.

Final...

I came into Lovina with no real expectations, since my wife had booked us a reservation the day-of when we stayed a weekend in Calistoga. It sounded like a cute farm to table type restaurant and they had pasta, so I was in!

What it turned out to be was so much more than a "little restaurant" and ended up being my favorite meal of the trip, and honestly some of the best pasta I've had in all of California.

From the start with the friendly staff (that they pay a living wage! No tipping needed!) to the end of the meal, everything was fantastic. They even gave us a card for our anniversary! The extensive drink menu, even outside the Napa wine selections, was unique and put a twist on some classic drinks. Their menu, while not extremely large, had a good balance of vegan and meat-containing options to choose from. Even the bread they offered, which came with an avocado garlic butter, was different and amazing!

We ordered two starters - a quinoa salad with a delicious vinaigrette dressing that was bright without being too sour, and a special that evening of halibut ceviche with tortilla chips. Both were great, and the portion sizes were even bigger than we expected for an appetizer. Our main meals we each got a pasta - the mushroom gnocchi with a very good, earthy flavor to the gnocchi itself was paired with a decent amount of vegetables to go with it. The other meal we got was the pork and beef bolognese, which can only be described as deliciously bright and not nearly as heavy as any other bolognese I remember having outside the east coast.

Because of the generous portion sizes, we skipped the dessert (although the flourless brownie dessert was tempting). Overall our check before tax was $170 - which is what we've paid for a single person at prix fixe spots we've been to previously. The fact that Lovina's food was comparable-if-not-better and a fraction of the price (even with drinks!) is outstanding.

I did give the atmosphere 4 stars, but it's mainly because the place was full to the brim and since it's in an older house there's not a ton of space between tables. Larger tables even shared benches with other tables to accommodate more space to eat - it's not a bad thing to have so many people but it was a little louder and I'm hoping they eventually get a larger space because they deserve it!

I'm going to recommend this place to everyone that tells me they're going to Napa, no matter how far away they...