Napa · Restaurant · $$
Carabao
Worth the trip?
Yes.
Best as part of a Napa Valley day or night when its location and style fit the rest of the plan.
Our Take
An intimate Napa restaurant bringing Filipino flavors into a dinner format that feels noticeably different from the Valley's usual culinary playbook.
Carabao gives Napa a Filipino dinner destination at a moment when the city's restaurant scene is becoming much more globally influenced.
The 30-Second Decision
GO
Best as part of a Napa Valley day or night when its location and style fit the rest of the plan.
SKIP
If its particular style does not fit the day you are actually trying to plan.
BOOK
Order the Kare Kare and Kinilaw together
OUR RANK
#2 in Dinner Plans.
The Move
What we'd actually do.
Order the Kare Kare and Kinilaw together. The Kare Kare combines oxtail croquette, tripe and coconut peanut sauce. The Kinilaw offers a brighter contrast with citrus-cured hamachi, smoked coconut cream, pickled red onion gel and calamansi vinaigrette.
What to get: Kare Kare: Oxtail Croquette, Tripe, Coconut Peanut Sauce. Kinilaw: Chilled Citrus Cured Hamachi, Smoked Coconut Cream, Pickled Red Onion Gel, Calamansi Vinaigrette (GF).
Why We Rank It
The menu brings a culinary perspective that remains uncommon in Napa Valley.
What Makes It Different
Why Carabao?
THE HOOK
The reason it stands out
Carabao gives Napa a Filipino dinner destination at a moment when the city's restaurant scene is becoming much more globally influenced.
THE EXPERIENCE
Why we'd choose it
The menu brings a culinary perspective that remains uncommon in Napa Valley.
FOR LOCALS
Why it still matters
It adds another genuinely different option to the local dinner rotation rather than another variation on California cuisine.
DON'T MISS
What to focus on
Kare Kare: Oxtail Croquette, Tripe, Coconut Peanut Sauce. Kinilaw: Chilled Citrus Cured Hamachi, Smoked Coconut Cream, Pickled Red Onion Gel, Calamansi Vinaigrette (GF).
We'd Send You Here If...
Food matters as much as the setting
Kare Kare: Oxtail Croquette, Tripe, Coconut Peanut Sauce. Kinilaw: Chilled Citrus Cured Hamachi, Smoked Coconut Cream, Pickled Red Onion Gel, Calamansi Vinaigrette (GF).
You're going with friends
The experience works well when the point is spending time together rather than treating every stop like a formal tasting.
You want a more local angle
It adds another genuinely different option to the local dinner rotation rather than another variation on California cuisine.
Maybe Skip It If...
You want to wing it.
Carabao is better when you plan for it rather than trying to squeeze it into an already packed itinerary.
It doesn't fit the day you're building.
A great Napa recommendation is still the wrong recommendation when its pace, location or experience doesn't match what you actually want.
Know Before You Go
Our Pick
Kare Kare: Oxtail Croquette, Tripe, Coconut Peanut Sauce. Kinilaw: Chilled Citrus Cured Hamachi, Smoked Coconut Cream, Pickled Red Onion Gel, Calamansi Vinaigrette (GF).
Planning
Reservations helpful
Experience
Special occasion
Price
$$
Make Your Next Move
Keep building the day.
Compare another winery, figure out dinner or decide where the night goes next.
KEEP TASTING
More Wineries
Compare this stop with the wineries we think are most worth your time across Napa Valley.
Explore →
EAT NEXT
Plan Your Dinner
Find the restaurants we'd actually choose when it's time to trade the tasting room for dinner.
Explore →
KEEP GOING
Going Out
Head into Late Night for the bars, cocktails and late-night stops worth building the rest of the night around.
Explore →
Where We Rank It
The Basics
The practical stuff.
Area
Napa · Napa Valley
Type
Restaurant
Price
$$
Planning
Reservations helpful