At a recent Yelp Elite event (shout out to the Elites out there), a fellow Elite shared her experience in Calistoga and mentioned visiting an establishment called Robert’s Tropical Table. With excitement in her eyes, she described the delicious tropical-inspired cocktails with good vibes to match. Since I had an upcoming birthday, I bookmarked the restaurant so that we would remember to visit it during our stay in Calistoga.

After arriving in Calistoga on a Friday evening, my wife and I thought that it would be appropriate to have dinner and drinks at Robert’s. Upon walking through the entrance of the restaurant, we observed a nice backyard-style layout with televisions tuned to the NBA playoffs, patrons enjoying glasses of wine, and a DJ playing smooth yacht rock tunes. A friendly employee informed us that it was open seating, so we sat ourselves along the padded seating in close proximity to the DJ. Shortly afterwards, a server came by to take our orders.

My wife ordered the short rib, garlic fries, and the Sip It Slowly cocktail; I ordered the Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Dumplings (suggested by the server), and the Jerk Old Fashioned. While we awaited our orders, the server brought us a delicious miniature size soup – which was absolutely delicious and definitely a tease! Shortly after, our drinks arrived. I found my drink to be delicious, strong, and was intrigued by the flavor that the little piece of submerged jerky provided. However, I will admit that I was a bit jealous when I snuck a couple sips of my wife’s delicious cocktail.

Up until the arrival of our meals, I was impressed. My wife found the short ribs to be just ok; additionally, her fries were lukewarm upon arrival and dry (as if they were overcooked). I have had Jamaican jerk chicken in Jamaica, so my expectations were very high. Unfortunately, the chicken was not flavorful and did not have the “kick (spice)” that I anticipated. Surprisingly, the highlight here was the dumplings (delicious!) and the Hint of Passion cocktail that I ordered (if I had a signature drink- this would be it!).

I really should have listened to my intuition when we initially observed that a majority of the other patrons were just indulging in drinks, no food. When our server brought us the bill totaling roughly $160, I couldn’t help but feel like the food was not in alignment with the price point. I wanted so badly to like this establishment, but honestly could not see myself returning for anything other than one of their cocktails.

We absolutely love Robert’s! As locals, this has become one of our go-to spots year-round whether it’s warm summer evenings or cozy winter nights sitting by the fire pits. The atmosphere is always inviting and relaxed, making it perfect for date nights or just a great night out.

Robert truly makes some of the best cocktails around. His Old Fashioned is perfectly crafted every time. Even if cocktails aren’t your thing, enjoying a glass of wine in this ambiance feels special.

We recently tried their Restaurant Month menu and wow 10/10. The food and drink pairings were absolutely delicious. My partner and I are big foodies, so when we say delicious, we mean it. The carbonara pasta was so incredible that we’ve already gone back at least two more times just to order it again (along with that amazing Old Fashioned).

This place consistently delivers great food, drinks, and atmosphere. We’ll definitely keep coming back!