Where the Napa River flows past the famous Oxbow District, where Robert Mondavi created Copia Gardens, the new Napa Yard Oxbow Gardens presents a one-stop shop for fun, food, and entertainment.
The amazing outdoor space is reminiscent of a European beer garden. The beer garden area offers elevated pub fare and a full bar run by the onsite craft distiller, Concordia Sprits, which creates grape-based spirits infused with botanicals and fruits from the garden. Guests rave about the sloe gin fizz made with berries from their mulberry trees. “Recently, we made limoncello with lemons from the trees in the citrus grove,” said Daniel Tellez, Director of Food and Beverage Operations.
Photo by Peter Lyons
The full-service Garden Kitchen offers a weekly, seasonal menu with ingredients sourced from their fantastic organic culinary gardens. “The gardens are part of the original project of Copia, which Robert Mondavi created,” Tellez added. “We have orchards, veggie and herb gardens, and everything you can imagine.” Along with the citrus, apple, plum, and peach groves, they also grow many vegetables–for example, they have 1000 plants of tomatoes right now, and the fried squash blossoms are a real treat in the summer. Tellez said, “We use everything we harvest; If we don’t use it on our menu, we use it to infuse it–garden-to-table and garden-to-glass.”
The fantastic products offer a contrast with the casual atmosphere. Repurposed shipping containers that were part of the Yard at Mission Rock in the parking lot of Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, now provide the kitchen, bar, and storage areas. In addition, redwood and Douglas fir salvaged from wildfires have been milled locally for tables and benches.
Napa Yard proves that casual does not equate to lacking beauty or quality. It boasts a wine shed with curated tastings and a harvest table by the river that can seat 60 people for a private dinner. Relaxing in the plum grove is beautiful during spring and summer because the trees blossom and brim with fruit. Spring brunch is amazing, and live music fills the air most weekends. A café and market are in the works for this summer. There will also be a picnic area that guests can reserve for shucking-their-own oysters. Napa Yard will offer private dining experiences, which include pig roasts and paella parties.
They can offer this wide array of food, beverage, and entertainment options partly because the space allows for it. Tellez explained, “We can accommodate over 2000. We can do family gatherings and corporate events simultaneously because we have different spaces—so you’re not closing the business to do an event—everything can happen simultaneously.”
The Napa Yard founders wanted to fill a much-needed niche in the area. “It’s a place you can go once or twice a week with the family without breaking the piggy bank; that’s important in Napa,” Tellez said as he explained the concept of the 3.5-acre property. “We needed more casual spots in the Napa Valley area. We have a dog run inside. I mean, you cannot get more casual than that!”
