New Sign Offers Clues About Future For Beloved Sonoma County Bar

SONOMA COUNTY, CA —A sign has appeared on a window of the dusty property at 3320 Mendocino Ave, offering a glimpse of what might fill the property once occupied by the rough and tumble Wagon Wheel.

The new tenant would be Del Valle Restaurant and Bar.

Staff confirmed that the people behind Del Valle Mexican Restaurant at 2000 Sebastopol Ave. are also behind the proposed restaurant and bar that could occupy the property vacant since June.

The saloon's last weekend drew patrons from across the country and overseas. Regulars packed the building, traded stories, ordered favorite drinks, and photographed the owners, staff, and one another.

Christine Mandoli and her husband, Mark, became co-owners 35 years ago with Debbie and Rob Bunting, and John Guglielmoni. Rob Bunting and Guglielmoni have since died.

One longtime patron said he visited five days a week. He praised the bartenders’ cocktails and described a bar that welcomed pool players, sports fans, bikers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The bar opened at 6 a.m., drawing people from nearby workplaces, the courthouse, the jail, bail bonds offices, and the hospital.

Its invitations captured the mood: “Come for one, stay for too many… let’s make some memories we barely remember.”

“Everybody has been so supportive, and all the customers have really come out to show their love,” Mandoli said as the owners prepared to close.

The property’s new owners declined to renew the bar’s lease and planned a Mexican restaurant. Patrons said a new business could not recreate the Wagon Wheel’s atmosphere.

“We’re going out with grace,” Mandoli said.

More: The Wagon Wheel's Final Call AKA ‘Come For One, Stay For Too Many’: The After Hours