As the summer light lingers in the sky, the evening's activities, including dinner, are pushed back later into the night. Maybe the movie or concert ran longer than expected, or in the company of buddies enjoying this year's harvest, the time slipped away. Hunger pangs set in, but the options for a decent meal out quickly dwindle after 9pm. Taco McWendy's just won't do, and another pack of ramen won't either. Oh dinner, where art thou? This isn't New York or even Spain, where eateries start serving dinner at 10pm and stay open until the Sunday comes up. In an agricultural community the motto is "early to bed and early to rise," and most bucolic hamlets are asleep by nine, oblivious to late night revelers' growling bellies.

Even restaurants that advertise as being open until 10pm or later reserve the right to close whenever business is too slow. Charles Low, co-owner of Fork in San Anselmo laughed heartily when asked how late his restaurant stays open. "It was a real shock when I moved here from the city," Low chuckles. "I don't know if it's the water or the bay trees, but everybody gets really, really sleepy by nine. They say it's having kids, too."

Restaurants that cater to hungry late-night diners in their home towns are few and far between, leaving many with the impression that they have to visit San Francisco in order to find a decent meal after hours. But look no further. Following is a list of local restaurants open later than 10pm that can provide something to eat for all budgets, from coffee shops to fine-dining establishments. Many stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays, but only offer an abbreviated menu. Due to space constraints, we didn't include Denny's, Chevy's, Lyon's, Carrow's,  IHOP and other chains. You already know where those are.

If it's almost closing time, always call ahead (using our handy-dandy clip and go guide) to let the restaurant know you are on your way, so they don't lock up before your arrival. Bon appétit!

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SONOMA COUNTY

Adel's Restaurant Coffee shop. $. Breakfast served all day. Open daily until midnight. 456 College Ave., Santa Rosa. 707.578.1003.

Barndiva California. $$–$$$. Slow Food. Open Sun., Wed.–Thurs. until 11pm; Fri.–Sat., 11:30pm. 231 Center St., Healdsburg. 707.431.0100.

Black Bear Diner $. Full menu, two locations. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., midnight. 6255 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park. 707.584.8552. Same hours except Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 201 W. Napa St., Sonoma. 707.935.6800.

CoCo's American. $. Coffee shop. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 11pm; Fri.–Sat., midnight. 1501 Farmer's Lane, Santa Rosa. 707.5452626.

Flavor California. $–$$. Fresh and organic. Open Mon.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa. 707.573.9695.

Hikuni Sushi Bar & HibachiJapanese. $$$. Chefs grill at table. Daily until 10:30pm. 4100 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa. 707.539.9188.

Hopmonk Tavern Pub. $$. Upscale pub. Dinner daily until 9:30pm; bar menu, Thurs.–Sat., midnight. 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. 707.829.7300.

Humble Pie California. $$. Made from scratch at the Black Cat Bar. Open Wed.–Sun. until midnight; Fri.–Sat., 2am. 10045 Main St., Penngrove, 707.664.8779.

La HaciendaMexican. $$. Family-style Michoacán. Open until 10pm daily. 134 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale. 707.894.9365.

Mary's Pizza Shack Italian. $–$$. Local pizza chain. All locations open Sun.–Thurs. until 10:30pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. Those with full bars open until midnight. www.maryspizza.com.

McNear's Sports bar. $–$$. Big appetizers, burgers. Open daily; bar menu to midnight. 21 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.765.2121.

Odyssey RestaurantCalifornia/Mediterranean. $$$–$$$$. Fine dining. Open Tues.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 426 Emily Rose Circle, Windsor. 707.836.7600.

Risibisi Italian. $$–$$$. Upscale and urbane. Open Sun.-Thurs. until 9:30pm; Fri.–Sat., 10:30pm. 154 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707.766.7600.

Russian River Brewing Co. Brewpub. $$. Pizza and brews. Open Mon.–Thurs. until 11:15pm; Fri.–Sat., 12:15am. 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.2337.

Semolina Italian. $$–$$$. Old favorites. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 600 E. Washington St., Petaluma. 707.766.6975.

Star Restaurant Diner. $. Huge menu.Open daily until midnight. 8501 Gravenstein Hwy., Cotati. 707.795.8836.

Starlight Wine Bar Nawlins. $$. New Orleans flair. Open Tues.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. 707.823.1943.

The Girl & the FigBistro. $$$. Country French. Open for dinner daily until 10pm; short menu Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 110 W. Spain St., Sonoma. 707.938.3634.

Underwood Bar & Bistro Bistro. $$. Classy bistro menu. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; bar menu, Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 9113 Graton Road, Graton. 707.823.7023.

MARIN COUNTY

Benissimo Ristorante & Bar Italian. $$. Neighborhood-style Italian restaurant. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 18 Tamalpais Dr., Corte Madera. 415.927.2316.

Buckeye Roadhouse American. $$–$$$. Stellar. Sun. until 10pm; Mon.–Thurs., 10:30pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 15 Shoreline Hwy., Mill Valley. 415.331.2600.

Left Bank French. $$–$$$. Authentic French cuisine. Open Sun.–Mon. until 10pm; Tues.–Sat., 11pm. 507 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 415.927.3331.

Marin Brewing Co. Pub. $–$$. Excellent pub grub. Open daily until 11:45pm. 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. 415.461.4677.

Piatti Italian. $$–$$$. Seasonal Italian. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 625 Redwood Hwy., Mill Valley. 415.380.2525.

Poggio Italian. $$–$$$. Authentic Italian. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.332.7771.

Sushi Ran Japanese. $$$$. Fresh catches. Open Sun. until 10:30pm; Mon.–Sat., 11pm. 107 Caledonia St., Sausalito. 415.332.3620.

Yet Wah Chinese. $$. Yum. Open Mon. until 10pm; Tues.–Sun., midnight. 1238 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.460.9883.

NAPA COUNTY

Bistro Jeanty French. $$$. Rich, homey cuisine. Open daily until 10:30pm. 6510 Washington St., Yountville. 707.944.0103.

BouchonFrench. $$$. French classics. Open daily until 10:30pm; short menu to 12:30am. 6540 Washington St., Yountville. 707.944.8037.

Brannan's GrillCalifornia. $$–$$$. Creative cuisine. Open Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 10:30pm. 1347 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 707.942.2233.

C.C. BlueJapanese. $$–$$$. Sushi. Open Tues.–Sun. until 10pm; Thurs.–Sat., 11pm–2am. 1148 Main St., St. Helena. 707.967.9100.

Hydro Bar & Grill Grill. $$. Live music on weekends. Sun.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 1403 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 707.942.9777.

Zuzu Tapas. $$. Food of the Americas. Open Mon.–Thurs. until 10pm; Fri.–Sat., 11pm. 829 Main St., Napa. 707.224.8555.

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