Oenotri, the Southern Italian restaurant that has anchored downtown Napa's First Street for nearly 17 years, is set to close its doors on Nov. 14, 2026. The restaurant built its reputation on house-made salumi, handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza pulled from an imported oven, drawing praise from critics and loyal regulars alike since it first opened.
News of the closure was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, which noted the restaurant is shutting down after nearly 17 years in business. Oenotri opened in 2010 under chef-owner Tyler Rodde at 1425 First St., according to SFGATE, and the restaurant's own site confirms it has served Southern Italian cuisine in Napa Valley since that opening year.
According to the Chronicle, Oenotri's owners described the closure as a natural evolution rather than a sudden shutdown, saying they are moving on to other chapters. The restaurant was described, in a characterization attributed to its own social media, as a gathering place, a second home, family, and part of many people's stories.
A Menu Rooted in Southern Italy's Regions
Oenotri's kitchen drew its identity from several regions of Southern Italy. Its menu pulled specialties from Sicily, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia, according to a 2018 feature from the Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants project, which also noted that Rodde made his own olive oil along with 30 varieties of cured meat and pâté. That same piece placed Oenotri among the Bay Area's Top 100 restaurants in 2018.
The restaurant's offerings grew more ambitious over the years. The Press Democrat reported that Oenotri served more than 20 types of house-made salumi, handmade fresh pasta and pizzas baked in that imported wood-burning oven. Rodde, who holds the title of owner and executive chef per the same outlet, told the paper the menu changed anywhere from 10% to 30% daily depending on what came out of the restaurant's garden — a farm-to-table approach that shaped the kitchen's seasonal, garden-centric style.
Critical Acclaim That Spanned Over a Decade
Oenotri appeared on the Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants list several years running, and critic Michael Bauer was among its most consistent champions. Bauer awarded the restaurant three stars when he reviewed it soon after it opened, writing in a 2013 piece for SFGATE that Oenotri continued to set the standards for Italian food in downtown Napa. He added that each year he checked back for the annual Top 100 Restaurants feature, the restaurant only got better.
By 2018, Bauer was still singing its praises, writing that Oenotri does everything well and has something to please just about everyone — including a thin, crisp, salty-crust pizza he said was best topped with sweet marinara, mozzarella di bufala and oregano. Food & Wine magazine went further still, once calling Oenotri arguably the best new Italian restaurant in the United States, according to the Napa Valley Register.
A Changed Downtown Dining Scene
Oenotri's run also tracked a transformation of downtown Napa's restaurant landscape. Rodde told the Press Democrat that when he opened Oenotri in 2010, there were around 25 restaurants in downtown Napa; by 2023, he estimated that number had grown to about 90. The kitchen weathered changes of its own too — after co-founder Curtis Di Fede departed in 2013, Rodde continued running the kitchen on his own, per SFGATE's reporting.
Exact seating figures for the restaurant have varied in press accounts over the years: a 2010 SFGATE review described a 65-seat interior, while a 2015 Chronicle feature put the count at 74 seats, plus eight in the lounge, 60 on the patio, and a private room for 12. Either way, the space on First Street has hosted countless dinners since its earliest days — ones that, per the restaurant's own description, became part of many customers' stories before the final service arrives this month.
