Tucked behind Rialto Cinemas near The Barlow, a small counter that once sold soups and grain bowls to go has quietly turned into one of Sebastopol's more surprising dinner destinations. The Porch Kitchen, run by chef Lisa Boisset and her husband Kevin, now serves full French bistro fare — dry-aged beef sliders, pan-seared wild salmon, salade lyonnaise — out of a space that has changed identities more than once in just a few years.
According to The Press Democrat, Boisset returned to restaurant cooking after a 15-year break to become The Porch Kitchen's executive chef, bringing training from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and stints at several Michelin-starred restaurants. She told the paper's Heather Irwin that Sebastopol needed a little bistro like this one, calling it a humble brasserie rather than anything fussy or formal. The address, 6811 Laguna Park Way, sits near The Barlow's cluster of wineries, breweries, and artisan food stalls, a location that all but guarantees foot traffic from visitors already circulating through the district, as detailed on The Porch Kitchen's website.
The space itself has lived several culinary lives. It previously housed Goatlandia Kitchen, a fully plant-based eatery run by a farm animal sanctuary nonprofit, and before that operated as Bar B Que Smokehouse Bistro — meaning the same four walls have hosted barbecue, vegan cooking, and now classical French fare in a matter of a few years, according to the Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary.
From Soup Counter to Full Table Service
Lisa and Kevin Boisset originally launched The Porch in November 2025 as a daytime grab-and-go counter built around soups, grain bowls, and French sandwiches, according to the Sebastopol Times. Customer demand for lingering in the redecorated space quickly outpaced what the owners had planned, pushing them into full table service faster than expected, the outlet reported. The daytime menu still leans on salads, sandwiches, and grain bowls, but evenings now bring out salade lyonnaise, ratatouille, roasted chicken, and crème brûlée.
The kitchen's scratch-cooking standards are strict. The Porch Kitchen roasts its own turkey, bakes its own focaccia, and makes vinaigrettes, stocks, and aiolis without commercial mayonnaise, sourcing only French ham from outside suppliers, per the same account. Boisset has said she does not want to serve food she cannot make from scratch — though the pommes frites, at $12, are a rare exception made with frozen fries rather than in-house cuts, per the Press Democrat.
What's on the Menu
Dinner prices run from a $9 four-cheese mac and cheese to a $36 pan-seared wild salmon served with potato mousseline and citrus beurre blanc. The $28 airline chicken breast comes with rosemary-garlic jus, herb-roasted potatoes, and baby carrots, while $12 beef sliders feature dry-aged burgers and caramelized onion jam. The $18 orange, fennel, and beet salad brings together pickled beets, butter lettuce, fennel, pea shoots, goat cheese, and flower petals in a citrus vinaigrette, and $14 salmon cakes made with fresh salmon trim arrive with creamy remoulade.
One standout is the $22 Melted Normandy Delight, built around Schloss washed-rind cheese from the Marin French Cheese Company — described by Localish as America's oldest continuously operating creamery, established near Petaluma in 1865 — flambéed with French cider and served with apple compote, thyme chutney, and focaccia crackers. Housemade ketchup made from charred tomatoes, warm spices, apple cider vinegar, and balsamic vinegar accompanies the pommes frites alongside garlicky aioli. The kitchen's approach draws on Larousse Gastronomique and the techniques of Auguste Escoffier, per the Press Democrat's reporting.
Wine, Happy Hour and a Jazz Drummer Behind the Bar
Kevin Boisset, a jazz drummer by trade, serves as the restaurant's sommelier and host. The wine list mixes affordable bottles from France with selections from Sonoma Coast and Dry Creek Valley wineries. Happy hour runs Wednesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with dinner service following Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; lunch runs Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are recommended, and the restaurant can be reached at 707-494-0996.
The Boissets built their culinary partnership well before opening the bistro. Lisa met Kevin in Paris in 2009, and the pair later founded their catering company, The Cook & The Drummer, in 2011 after relocating to Northern California. That business, which continues alongside the restaurant, gave Boisset a steady foothold in event catering during the years she stepped away from restaurant kitchens.
Part of a Growing French Food Corner
The Porch Kitchen sits directly beside Patisserie Angelica, a long-established Parisian-style bakery on Laguna Park Way known for French pastries, custom wedding cakes, and West County High Tea service, according to Patisserie Angelica. The pairing puts two French-leaning food businesses within steps of each other in a corner of downtown Sebastopol already anchored by The Barlow's food and beverage scene.
The opening adds to a busy stretch for Sebastopol's independent food businesses. Hoodline recently reported that a new bagel shop on Main Street sold out within hours of opening, while a family-oriented spot at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church has also drawn strong turnout this year. Not every new venture has had it easy, though — Hoodline also reported in May that A&M BBQ on South Main Street ran into city zoning enforcement over neighborhood wood-smoke complaints, a reminder that Sebastopol's commercial kitchens still operate under close municipal watch even as new concepts keep finding eager audiences.
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