D I N E W I S E WITH JASON WALSH
Slanted Door Napa I n a Napa Valley where Euro-centric menus are about as common as wine-tasting flights, the thought of contemporary Vietnamese cuisine is highly appealing. That the acclaimed Slanted Door carries the banner as one of the only Southeast Asian options in the valley is also highly appetizing. Slanted Door Napa opened at 1650 Soscal Ave. in 2023 as the third iteration of the celebrated Vietnamese restaurants of Charles Phan, whose OG Slanted Door in San Francisco’s Mission District (later at the Ferry Building) elevated the Southeast Asia cuisine to a standing on par with other international culinary favorites. Phan, who died in early 2025, had owned a home in Napa since 1998 and considered Wine Country a natural place to expand the SD brand, which has long emphasized wine and craft cocktails as an important accompaniment to its menu. The interiors by Lundberg Design feature low-key lighting, with large windows allowing for natural light in the day, while tasteful table lamps, a fireplace and arching overhead fixtures create a warm, sophisticated atmosphere during dinner. The building space surrounds a spacious courtyard where a quadrant of trees mix with intimate private tables, seemingly seated first when weather is agreeable. We sat to one side of the courtyard, with views of the kitchen and across the ample patio, which was well filled by 6 p.m. on a Saturday. Slanted Door is known for several of Phan’s signature dishes—and we started with one of the staples: crispy imperial rolls ($18). Both shrimp- and pork- filled fried rolls are featured here alongside a helping of peanut-topped vermicelli noodles and a sweet-tangy dip; cold-served spring rolls are also immensely popular (Phan once wrote of selling 80,000 rolls per year!) The green papaya salad ($16), meanwhile, is another light favorite from the starter menu (and generous enough to share), a mix of crushed peanuts, tofu, fried shallots, cucumber and Vietnamese coriander (rau ram) under a fish-sauce dressing. Slanted Door is in the space of the former Kitchen Collective, the cooking club and event center for upscale dining that closed in 2020. While such clubs have their place, the largely residential neighborhood is better served with a quality public restaurant at the corner of Soscol and Vallejo streets (especially since the closing of Bui Bistro leaves the Door as Napa’s lone Vietnamese offering). For entrees, our server recommended the duck ($58), offered solely on weekends (and even then only until they
The interior by Lundberg Design features low-key lighting.
Wall-sized windows look out to the courtyard dining area.
58 NorthBaybiz
November 2025
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