Tarla Mediterranean Bar + Grill — Restaurant in Napa

Memorable food, open air cozy, memorable Napa afternoon

A celebrated food (and wine!) mecca, Napa Valley may offer more first-class eating, within a compact locality, than anywhere else in California, perhaps America. The town of Napa itself boasts dozens of top restaurants but only one specializes in its own special fusion of Greek-Turkish cuisine, Tarla Mediterranean Bar and Grill. Think blending the best of two of the world's great cuisines.

Our exceptional lunch experience last month clarified why, in this hotbed of foodie havens, Tarla has rightly earned its celebrated, ten-year+ reputation Yes, the service is very attentive, the outdoor seating a model of ease, but what sets this eatery apart are: 1) the delicacy of fresh, mouth-watering dishes, and 2) the culinary mastery of the executive chef/manager.

Food first: we started with the Greek Dip Trio of hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki with oven-fresh pita and olives. Everything was smooth and creamy, yet with savory seasoning that embarrasses routine restaurant efforts. Then came my Beef and Lamb Gyro Bowl, starring tender, delicately seasoned meats, with tasty rice and fresh salad. My wife (a former caterer) had a perfectly-balanced Barley Kale Salad with salmon, delighted with the blended sweet/tart balance: wine-poached dried fruit and apple textured by the barley, fresh kale and perfectly-cooked salmon. Our friend loved both her Grilled Vegetable Sandwich and appetizers, thrilled to find a winner in her backyard. If our dishes typify the special fusion of Turkish and Greek food, bring it on.

Second is the innovative palate and exceptional training of chef Kadriye Bashpehlivan, who this day welcomed her guests at the door. She also freely chatted after twice dropping by. Originally from Turkey, until an earthquake disrupted her family’s life, she honed her talents at Napa’s famed Culinary Institute, then returned to Turkey to refine her plate and range before taking over Tarla. Her international grounding, plus excellent professional training, surfaces in every dish we enjoyed.

Fresh local ingredients are essential, but only when cooked with the mastery of a chef who understands how to balance the spirited vivacity of Greek and Turkish cuisines. One senses here are finished offerings by a chef blending innovation with genuine, grounded legacies, a fusion of culinary cousins. We won’t come again to Napa without tasting the other menu delights, recalling a memorable lunch on a memorable,...

I have been here many times and usually always get the same thing because I just love it but every time I keep coming back the customer service just keeps getting worse. I went on April 9th which was Easter for brunch around 10:30 am, it wasn't very busy and they seemed to be well staffed. We did arrive a few minutes late but I called ahead to notify. We ordered the apricot french toast and coffee. There was miscommunication regarding how many of each but we wanted 2 french toasts and one coffee at the moment. They came out with one order of french toast 30-40 minutes later and then coffee, very cold. I had to ask for extra syrup, warmer coffee, more cream, more water, etc. constantly and wait a while for everything. The order of french toast was hard as if it had been sitting out for a while, I wonder if that's why they took forever to bring it out. We informed them of this issue and that we had asked for two orders so they said they would make another order and remake the bad french toast while adjusting our bill. We asked for another coffee, and again it was cold. I had to look for staff to get more coffee, it was just not a relaxing or enjoyable experience since we had to keep telling them the issue and it never got better. Eventually, I just got up to pay since no one wanted to assist really. When I paid nothing had been removed, I found that lousy and rude. I paid it all and left. All I was given was a complimentary appetizer card with the purchase of an entree by Minerva G. after she said she would adjust the bill. We were running late and just disappointed so we left but it's sad because their food...

Tarla boasts an extensive selection of food and drinks and a line of tables going down the sidewalk, but when we went for brunch at 12:30 on a Sunday, they were already out of two items that we wanted (octopus salad and fried calamari) and promptly ran out of the third (zucchini fritters) after we ordered (the table next to us tried and failed).

That said, we really enjoyed our food! The zucchini fritters were freshly made and delightful--if you're going to eat something fried, it might as well have some vegetable content. I thoroughly enjoyed my crab benedict with spinach, and my fiancee liked the beef and lamb gyro plate, despite the sting of disappointment over not having the octopus. The side potatoes were shockingly fantastic, well made and well seasoned. In a futile attempt to slow the expansion of my waistline, I usually try not to overload on carbs, but these potatoes were so good I just gave up and shoveled them in.

The Black Manhattan cocktail was decent, but I advise that you stay away from the Tarla Sangria. It was sadly diluted, and what little flavor could be detected was just not good. I couldn't finish even half of it.

Service was excellent, and we really appreciated our energetic and informative server, who did a great job despite having to run up and down the sidewalk to get to her tables.

Overall, this was a great spot for an outdoor Mediterranean brunch, provided you arrive early enough to order what you want before...