Vegan and vegetarian options
In Sebastopol, The Wild Poppy makes its Cosmic Nachos vegan with black bean puree, cashew crema and "cosmic" queso over fresh corn tortilla chips. Coleslaw, scallion and pepita chimichurri round out the plate; a poached egg or grilled chicken is optional. Both locations of the cafe and market serve the dish: 6780 McKinley St., Suite 160, at The Barlow, and 9890 Bodega Highway.
Viva Mexicana offers two distinct meatless approaches at 841 Gravenstein Highway S. in Sebastopol. Daiya vegan cheese accompanies refried beans, guacamole, jalapeños and pico de gallo on its vegan nachos. The vegetarian Super Duper Nachos, meanwhile, include housemade potato and yam hash browns.
Outside downtown Sonoma, Juanita Juanita offers nachos with or without meat at 19114 Arnold Drive. Both versions include beans, cheese, cotija, guacamole, salsa, jalapeños and sour cream over chips.
Mushrooms are among the optional toppings at Sonoma Eats, alongside chorizo, chicken, carne asada and birria. The base plate combines beans and cheese with onion, cilantro, salsa, crema and guacamole. Find the restaurant in the former La Hacienda space at 561 Fifth St. W. in Sonoma.
Tuna and wonton-chip variations
Two restaurants replace corn tortilla chips with wontons for their tuna nachos. At Parkside Eats in Santa Rosa, ahi tuna poke comes with cucumber, avocado and pickled onions, with Sriracha aioli as the finishing sauce. The dish is a chef favorite at the restaurant, which opened in April at 4323 Montgomery Drive. A sister restaurant to Sonoma Eats, Parkside serves American and Mexican comfort food.
Salt & Sea takes a different approach at The Barlow in Sebastopol: its spicy tuna nachos pair fresh ahi with tobiko, pineapple, avocado and crema over fried wontons. Sushi Kosho chef Jake Rand opened the fast-casual restaurant, whose other specialties include poke bowls, Japanese sandwiches and acai bowls. It is at 6760 McKinley St., Suite 130.
Birria, carnitas and barbecue
El Dorado Cantina, also called EDK Cantina, is a takeout-only option at the Eldorado Hotel, 405 First St. W. in Sonoma. Its nachos combine Chihuahua cheese and black beans with pickled carrots, pico de gallo, jalapeños and crema. Optional meats are short rib birria, carnitas, al pastor and chicken.
At Gio y Los Magos, carnitas tops a dish built on birria tortilla chips. The Roseland food truck's shareable Magic Nachos also include cheese, diced onions, cilantro, jalapeños, guacamole and sour cream. The truck is at 100 Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa.
Los Molcajetes Bar & Grill serves birria nachos with jack cheese, black beans and grilled corn. Salsa verde and chipotle aioli join pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and cilantro among the toppings. The restaurant has two Santa Rosa locations and one in Sonoma.
Barbecue meats distinguish Alicia's Crackling Nachos at Ginochio's Kitchen in Bodega Bay. Choose pulled pork, tri-tip or beef brisket, served with melted cheese, avocado, sour cream and mild chipotle sauce. The restaurant is at 1410 Bay Flat Road.
Los Arcos emphasizes a generous serving of meat on its super nachos, with carne asada recommended by Sonoma Magazine. Beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream accompany it. The Santa Rosa restaurant is at 1791 Marlow Road, Suite 6.
Brewery nachos
Beer is part of the recipe at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma. Its Brewhouse Nachos use housemade IPA beer cheese, accompanied by black beans, olives, pickled jalapeños, salsa and sour cream. Find them at 1280 N. McDowell Blvd.
Fogbelt Brewing Company's elote nachos appear on the pub menus at both its Santa Rosa and Healdsburg locations. Sweet corn and chorizo top housemade tortilla chips, along with cotija cheese, green onions, cilantro, lime crema and jalapeño queso sauce.
More tortilla-chip classics
In Rohnert Park, pupusa specialist Don Julio's Rincon Latin Grill & Pupusas also serves Locos Nachos. A choice of marinated meat joins refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream on crisp corn tortilla chips; a vegetarian version is available. The restaurant is at 217 Southwest Blvd.
El Rancho Taqueria offers another Rohnert Park option at 1451 Southwest Blvd. Popular with students from nearby Rancho Cotate High School and Sonoma State University, the strip-mall restaurant serves super nachos with a choice of meat or a vegetarian preparation. Melted cheese, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream top the crisp chips.
El Roy's Mexican Grill limits its super nachos to the Santa Rosa restaurant and drive-thru at 602 Elsa Drive. The generous portions include meat, melted cheese and refried beans, plus pico de gallo, jalapeños, guacamole and sour cream.
At downtown Santa Rosa's La Rosa Tequileria, crisp corn tortilla chips carry melted cheeses, refried beans, crema, salsa, guacamole and jalapeños. Optional additions include beef birria, carne asada, pollo asado and carnitas. The restaurant, also known for margaritas and Mexican comfort food, is at 500 Fourth St.
Taqueria Molcajetes serves large plates of super nachos at 1195 W. College Ave. in Santa Rosa, combining a choice of meat with beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños. The restaurant's recognition extends beyond the area through an appearance on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
El Gallo Negro, known for Oaxacan cooking, starts with housemade corn tortilla chips and adds jack cheese, beans, guacamole and sour cream. It has locations in Windsor and Healdsburg.
In Guerneville, the family-owned Guerneville Taco Truck serves a loaded Nachos Supreme plate at 16405 Highway 116.
The restaurant landscape behind the guide
These restaurants operate in a county where the industry has faced considerable pressure. In December 2025, Sonoma Magazine reported that higher food costs, staffing shortages, reduced foot traffic and customer resistance to rising prices were challenging local operators. More restaurants closed in 2025 than in 2024, although openings still exceeded closures for the year.
From Nacho's Especiales to ballpark food
Observed each year on November 6, National Nachos Day falls on the date of this guide. According to Calendarr, the observance traces back to a dish Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya improvised in 1943 at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. For a group of U.S. soldiers' wives whose husbands were stationed at nearby Fort Duncan, he topped fried tortilla triangles with shredded cheese and pickled jalapeños and called the dish "Nacho's Especiales."
Calendarr dates the first English-language appearance of the word "nachos" to the 1949 book "A Taste of Texas." St. Anne's Cookbook published Anaya's original recipe in 1954, after which nachos spread through Texas and the southwestern United States.
The ballpark version followed in 1976, when Ricos Products owner Frank Liberto developed shelf-stable cheese sauce to serve with prepared tortilla chips. He sold the combination at Texas Rangers games in Arlington, Texas. A September 4, 1978, Monday Night Football broadcast brought nachos to a broader national audience when sportscaster Howard Cosell discussed them.
