In the heart of Rohnert Park, a family-owned Vietnamese restaurant has been making waves within the Sonoma State community. The restaurant, Simmer, has a variety of dishes to choose from but after looking through the menu and getting recommendations from the waitress, I landed on the Garlic Noodles with Beef.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was instantly blown away by the atmosphere and how friendly and welcoming the staff was. I immediately sat at my chosen table with no wait for menus or drinks. It was clear that the restaurant prides itself on their customer service and I was very impressed by the way they displayed it.
It was very easy to see why the garlic noodles dish was popular just by taking one look at the presentation of the dish; it came out after five minutes of ordering and was presented on a very artistic plate with a variety of different sauces for me to choose from. “The garlic noodles are always my go-to when visiting Simmer,” said fourth-year business major Kyle Katzakian.
The food served at Simmer is top notch but the atmosphere is something that drew me to the establishment. The restaurant is the perfect blend of traditional Vietnamese aesthetics and modern design. Another thing that I found very interesting is the sauce shelf that’s to the left of the bar. The shelf contains a multitude of Sriracha and hollandaise sauces that are for decoration and use.
The seating at the restaurant provides many options including cozy booths, large tables, and bar seating. The communal style tables were very intriguing to me because it is not something that you see every day and it brought out a piece of the Vietnamese culture. “The communal seating is very cool especially when I’m with a large group of people,” said recent communications graduate Danny Serrano.
Apart from the great service and unbelievable food, I also really enjoyed the different selections of TV channels shown at the bar and around the restaurant. Since it is the NBA playoff season, it was very nice that the game was being shown on the big screen as well as other channels that were shown on other screens.
“Simmer is the perfect place for any occasion, big or small. I often go there with friends to get drinks and enjoy a great atmosphere because the location is so convenient,” said second-year business major Jenna Selvage. Simmer is located right by the Safeway, off of Commerce Blvd and is open every day of the week until 9pm. This being only my second time eating at the restaurant, I would give it a very respectable 9 out of 10 rating. Everything was very exceptional and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone that is looking to step out of their comfort zone and try something new.
