10 Best Restaurants in Naramata (and Okanagan Winery Restaurants)

Naramata is a bit of a lovely secret.

Surrounded by rolling vineyards set at the foot of steep sandy cliffs, with a glistening lake at its doorstep, it looks like it could have been plucked from a storybook.

So we’re torn.

We don’t really want to tell you too much about this charming little village in British Columbia – and the great restaurants in Naramata. Because we don’t want too many people to visit.

But the whole Naramata Bench – a thin ribbon of vineyards stretching 10 miles (15 km) from Penticton to Naramata village – is such an idyllic place for a Canadian wine holiday, that we can’t help rhapsodizing about it!

On a recent trip tasting wines in the Okanagan Valley (yet again!), we stayed in Naramata.

And eating out at the lovely restaurants in Naramata – often part of the wineries – was a treat.

Beyond Naramata, there are also wonderful Okanagan winery restaurants elsewhere in the valley – and we’ll get to those after first dishing on the Naramata winery restaurants and dining spots.

Best restaurants in Naramata

The restaurants in Naramata focus on locally sourced products.

The Okanagan is a hotbed for locally grown tomatoes, greens, crisp apples, juicy peaches, plump purple cherries and pretty well most other fruits and vegetables. Organic beef and prosciutto is de rigueur.

The Naramata winery restaurants, in particular, specialize in farm-to-table dining.

With the weather being so balmy, we wanted to dine outside. Most Naramata restaurants have patios, often with views of Lake Okanagan.

Here, then, are the best restaurants in Naramata, open for dinner, with outside dining.

1) Serendipity Winery Bistro

Serendipity is a small boutique winery, passionately run by a mother-and-daughter team.

Its bistro has an outside courtyard patio, with wrought iron tables and chairs overlooking its vineyards.

As it has a roof, heaters and retractable side screens, you can still sit “outside” even if it rains or the weather is cool.

You can see the chef cooking inside a small open kitchen at one side of the courtyard.

The menu features several “share plates,” and there’s typically a daily special as well.

Judy (the owner and mom) is a lover of food-and-wine pairings, and she offered to bring us one plate at a time, which could be shared among four people. With each plate, we received a different paired wine.

We ordered five plates in all. For each plate, we received the equivalent of half a glass of wine each (just the right amount); all wines were Serendipity wines.

2) Hillside Bistro

The 72-foot cedar tower is what you notice as you drive up to the Hillside Winery.

Apart from being a head-scratching talking point, it actually serves as a natural ventilation shaft to help keep the wines cool in the cellar below.

The restaurant itself has a spacious indoor section, as well as a large outdoor terrace overlooking the winery’s flower gardens and vineyards below.

At night, the terrace is romantically lit by small golden lamps set at each table.

If on the fresh sheet, go for the Salt Spring Island mussels.

For our dinner, they had been caught fresh that morning and trucked in – and they were the biggest, plumpest, juiciest mussels we’ve ever eaten.

We ordered a pound of them, cradled in a bowl of Thai curry sauce.

The mushroom walnut pate with roasted shallot crackers and apricot honey was a hit with us too, as was the fresh pasta and the garden salad with goat cheese, apple slices, pumpkin seeds and apple dressing.

Chef Evan Robertson is the executive chef overseeing the Hillside Bistro.

He’s honed his skills at several well-known Canadian restaurants, including the foodie-focused dining room at Villa Eyrie on Vancouver Island.

3) Restaurant at the Naramata Inn

One of the finest restaurants in Naramata is the boutique Naramata Inn’s dining room – simply called the Restaurant.

Reincarnated and opened in 2020, the Restaurant’s kitchen (led by top Canadian chef Ned Bell) turns out creative seasonal dishes with ingredients sourced from local growers.

We started with the succulent scallops to share, then followed that with roasted duck with a juniper jus (for George) and gnocchi (for Janice).

The gracious heritage inn is over 100 years old.

Sitting out on the covered heated porch at the front of the inn for a leisurely dinner takes you back to the unhurried days of yesteryear.

4) Restaurant at Poplar Grove

Another of the best winery restaurants in Naramata is the modernist glass-enclosed Restaurant at Poplar Grove.

(Located on the Naramata Bench, it’s actually in the Penticton area – and is one of the top Penticton restaurants.)

The views from the extensive patio are as enticing as the food, which is creative and beautifully presented.

The lamb is a stand-out dish at this Penticton restaurant.

The menu changes. But if featured, also try the polenta cubes plus the Wagyu beef tartare with crispy egg yolk, chilli and capers.

5) Naramata Pub

6) Other Naramata restaurants: Lake Breeze

The Patio at Lake Breeze must also be mentioned in our list of the best Naramata restaurants with outdoor patios.

Indeed, it’s one of the top Okanagan winery restaurants in the whole valley.

Serving multi-course, farm-to-table plates, its elegant patio is set in a lush garden.

Four other best winery restaurants in Okanagan

While based in Naramata, you’ll want to know some of the other top winery restaurants in the Okanagan to pop into for lunch or dinner when out and about exploring the Okanagan Valley.

Here are four of the best with alfresco dining:

7) Sonora Room, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery

The fine dining Sonora Room at the Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is renowned for its duck confit with carrot-and-brown-butter puree, mushroom bourguignon and, frankly, anything they make.

The winery’s premium wines are top-notch too.

8) Old Vines, Quail’s Gate

One of the original Okanagan winery restaurants, the Old Vines restaurant has built a reputation for serving spot-on food in a beautiful setting.

Rather than ordering a glass or bottle of wine, you can get red or white flights of Quail’s Gate wines, so you can try a bit of wine tasting with your meal.

9) Terrafina, Hester Creek

The Tuscan-style Terrafina restaurant offers a vineyard dining experience outside on its patio.

The menu focuses on thin-crust pizzas (try the peach-and-proscuitto!) and pasta.

10) Terrace Restaurant, Mission Hill

You can never go wrong dining at the Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate.

You’d think you would have to choose between exceptional cuisine or breathtaking vineyard and lake views. But, no, you get both here.

Expect a multi-course set menu, where garnishes range from seasonal mushrooms to wild lilies, all foraged nearby.

Things to do in Naramata

So, what is there to do in Naramata (other than eating)? Wine tasting, of course!

As well, from spring to fall, you can walk or bicycle along the picturesque Kettle Valley Trail.

This decommissioned railway trail offers miles and miles of almost flat bicycling and walking. (It’s 2.2% grade going downhill from Naramata to Penticton.)

In summer, the beaches are great for hanging out. Manitou Beach Park, right in Naramata, is a sweet beach.

You can also rent SUP boards from Sun N’ Sup and go stand-up paddleboarding.

Where to stay in Naramata

The Village Motel

This small, sweet, spickety clean family-run motel is smack-dab in the heart of tiny Naramata village.

It’s like the old California-style motels, with a handful of rooms built around a central garden courtyard.

(It’s nothing like the modern version of today’s utilitarian motels, with cars parked outside the rooms. You park your car on a small gravel lot in front of the motel.)

Rooms come kitted out with white walls, white bedding and kitchenettes. Guests love to sit outside in the garden with their coffee in the mornings or a glass of wine in the evenings.

The affordable price point can’t be beat.

The Naramata Inn

Sandy Beach Lodge

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Photo credits: 13, 15, 16 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | Other restaurant and hotel photos courtesy the respective businesses | 24 Sun N’ Sup

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