Most Napa food stories start with wine. Mine started with a Burgerdog.
I visited Silverado Resort in Napa, California, to see how one of Wine Country’s most historic resorts is updating its food scene, from old-school golf course classics to the newly opened Matchplay Kitchen + Bar.
Silverado has been part of Napa Valley since 1870, and it still has the essentials of a traditional Wine Country resort: golf, tennis, broad grounds, a spa, and dining that can carry a full weekend stay. What stood out, though, was the mix.
Matchplay feels less like a standard hotel restaurant and more like Silverado’s gathering place, where families celebrate, golfers stop in after a round, and hotel and conference guests end the night at the bar. The resort also sources some ingredients from its Chef’s Garden, with that care showing up in the cocktails, plating, and a menu that works from post-golf drinks to special nights out.
The resort’s newer direction is not limited to food. Silverado’s wellness side also got an update with a spa refresh, and the activities go beyond golf. I took a bocce class with one of Silverado’s tennis pros, and guests can also book expert instruction for golf, yoga, and pickleball. It makes the resort feel built for travelers who want a full stay, not just a tasting-room schedule.
That said, I still had my Napa wine moment at Bella Union, where the tasting spaces felt fresh, approachable, and glamorous yet comfortable, with a beautiful patio, vineyard views, and no pretense.
But the detail that made Silverado’s food story click was still the Burgerdog, which came to the resort in 1973 and remains a fixture at the course concession stands decades later. Silverado works because it embraces both the new and the old. It has the historic Napa resort feel, the golf-course snack ritual, the new restaurant, the spa, the wine, and the places where people naturally gather. My story there started with a Burgerdog, but really, it was about how a resort that dates back to 1870 is shaping what it tastes like now.
