Spread Kitchen is located in a cozy building along Sonoma Highway in Boyes Hot Springs. [All photos by Duncan Garrett Photography]
“This is sooo good!”
This declarative was overheard at a recent visit to Spread Kitchen, the Lebanese-inspired eatery near Sonoma. It was unclear what specifically the women sitting behind us were drooling over, but the fact that it could have been any one of a number of menu items is telling.
There’s plenty to like at this unassuming restaurant in Boyes Hot Springs.
Spread has occupied the dining space at 18375 Sonoma Highway since 2022, following a brief run at the location by Sonoma Eats (and even briefer one of West Handmade Burgers before that). Owner/chef Cristina Topham launched Spread as a catering service in 2016 and, as its reputation in Sonoma Valley built momentum, she expanded to meal kits and prepared foods (and drop-off catering) during the pandemic, before opening its current brick-and-mortar location 18 months ago. 
Topham, who is of Lebanese descent, describes her menu as “Lebanese cooking with a California touch,” and its probably even more cosmopolitan than that, as Topham’s resume boasts graduating from the French Culinary School in New York City, cooking excursions through the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Mexico and line stints at Les Olivades in Paris, The Savoy in New York City and Julia’s Kitchen in Napa. If her Sonoma restaurant’s name refers to the spread of kitchens she’s experience around the world, we wouldn’t be surprised.
Our recent visit to the eatery began with two of Spread’s signature starters, the za’atar French fries ($7) and crispy Brussels with tahini vin ($10). Za’atar, a spicy blend of herbs and salt popular in the Middle East, sets the fries apart from just about any we’ve had in Sonoma County—zesty in the truest sense of the word and nicely balanced by an earthy flavored tahini-yogurt sauce. The sprouts were just as enticing—crisp and flavorful and topped with more of the tasty tahini. Topham says she once considered removing the labor-intensive Brussels from the menu, but the backlash from devoted regulars led to a genuine “back by popular demand” reversal of fortune.
The dip plates ($14 one dip; $20 for three) are also among the Spread highlights—choose among Beiruti hummus, baba ganoush, muhammara (walnut and roasted red pepper dip) and labneh (strained yogurt with mint); orders are accompanied by soft pita, veggies and house pickles. (Pressed for a favorite, our table split between the muhammar and labneh, partly because they’re amazing and partly because they’re less common on area menus.)
The inside of the bright white-and-red building on Highway 12 offers a casual single-room dining area; a sign inviting guests to “grab a menu, take a seat” serves as the maître d. If weather allows, check out the outside dining area in the back where fences are lined with hand-crafted art and ambient lighting is strewn from above. (We were seated outside and found the quirky art to nicely complement the colorful food displays.) The wall art isn’t the only thing hand-crafted at Spread—Topham says every menu item is made by hand and from scratch, and as many ingredients as possible are sourced from local farms and producers.
Spread’s succinct wine list, meanwhile, takes on a more international bent—French reds are mixed with whites from South Africa, Greece and Tunisia, and several selections from Lebanon are fittingly available. Topham was the caterer for Morrell Wines in Brooklyn, New York where she nurtured her wine-pairing chops.
Our server next brought a bowl of falafel ($1.50 each) and small plates of chicken shawarma ($7) and lamb and beef kofta ($9). The deep-fried former hit the crispy-outside-soft-inside falafel sweet spot perfectly, while the meat dishes rounded out the meal as highlights. The kofta was a particularly flavorful entry, dense and spicy; while the tender shawarma provided a mild balance, especially with a side of tahini yogurt.
Ten years ago, options for high-quality Middle Eastern cuisine were few in the North Bay—some falafel takeouts
and Mediterranean cafes that treated hummus as a side hustle were about it. But Sonoma County eaters are wakening to the culinary delights of street and traditional foods from the Middle East and North Africa—and our Mediterranean climate allows for plenty of locally sourced menu ingredients to freshen up traditional recipes or add a bit of Topham’s “California touch.”
In less than two years, Spread Kitchen has established itself as one of the North Bay’s finest Middle Eastern restaurants—a club that grows more select among increasing international-cuisine options each year.
And if you hear, “this is sooo good!” emanating from a Spread table behind you, either ask your server what they’re having, or just pick something off the menu. You’ll be good to go either way.
Spread Kitchen
18375 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma
707-934-7559
Spreadkitchensonoma.com
Open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Indoor dining; dog friendly patio, takeaway and delivery
