Glen Ellen isn’t exactly unknown to dedicated foodies. In the unincorporated Sonoma County enclave with a population of about 1,000, New American restaurant Glen Ellen Star has been a culinary draw for nearly 15 years. It’s been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 13 of those years. And in 2025, chef-owner Ari Weiswasser was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: California.

“People come to Glen Ellen for the Star, definitely,” said Erin Christie, who has worked down the street from the Star, at The Saloon at the Jack London Lodge, for more than two decades. “But we’ve got all these other places that each offer something different.”

The origins of Glen Ellen, long known for winemaking, can be traced to the 1870s; its namesake, Ellen Mary Stuart, was the wife of early Sonoma Valley settler Charles Vaincoeur Stuart. For culinary-minded travelers, however, the village about 50 miles north of San Francisco often gets overshadowed by Sonoma and Healdsburg, which have three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Enclos and SingleThread, respectively. 

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Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.

While I was planning a recent trip to Glen Ellen, however, my dining research yielded more new-to-us contenders than my husband and I could fit into our itinerary. Artisanal treats from a French-born pastry chef, burgers at a historic creekside spot and a weekly fried chicken special made the short list. All are situated on Arnold Drive — a two-lane road, lined with residential and commercial buildings, that runs through Glen Ellen, including its teeny downtown.

Les Pascals bakery was a must once I realized that its co-owners, husband and wife Pascal and Pascale Merle, were formerly part of the team behind one of my Carmel go-tos, Lafayette Bakery & Cafe. They met while working at Maison Lambert patisserie in Lyon, France; he was a pastry chef, she worked in the front of the house.

They landed in Carmel in 2013 and, a few years later, returned to France for personal reasons. Christine Hansson, a regular at Lafayette, learned that the couple was unsure about coming back to California and suggested they could start anew in a building she owned in Glen Ellen. “If we would look at it,” Pascal recalled, “she could build the inside to suit.”

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Meringues from Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.

Customers enjoy coffee and pastries at Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.

Strawberry macarons from Les Pascals in Glen Ellen, Calif., on Aug. 13, 2026.

In 2018, with the venue renovated and the Merles settling into Glen Ellen, Les Pascals opened, offering pastries, breads, sweets, sandwiches and more. Look for the yellow building with green trim and frequent lines out the door.

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“We want the client to have a truly authentic product and experience,” Pascal said. While he helms the kitchen, his wife is “the face of the pâtisserie,” and their 26-year-old son, Enzo, has also worked at Les Pascals since the........

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