Where I Eat When I Go Home (Marin County, CA)
Marin County is just north of San Francisco and across the famous, Golden Gate Bridge. When visiting the Bay Area/ San Francisco, people often forget that they can venture into Marin, explore some great small towns and have an amazing meal.
Here are my go-to spots in Marin, every time I go home.
Rustic Bakery: Rustic is a Marin County staple and the perfect place for getting a glimpse into life in Marin (you will feel like you just walked onto a “Real Housewives of Marin” episode). You are probably familiar with their crackers and cookies that are now in Whole Foods across the country. My favorite things to order from Rustic is the Chinese Chicken Salad and anything that includes their Tuna Salad.
Pizzeria Picco: Picco has some of the best pizza in Marin (in my opinion). Picco is split into two sections: (1) the sit down restaurant, which serves more than pizza. It is good, but not why I personally go to Picco and (2) the pizzeria, which only serves pizza, salad and some incredible soft serve ice cream. Don’t miss the rocket man salad, the son of a yeti pizza, the specialized pizza, vanilla soft serve with olive oil and Maldon salt and/or the swirl soft serve with the chocolate shell.
Half Day Cafe: Half Day Cafe is my favorite spot for brunch and breakfast in Marin. They have all your classics (eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns, eggs Benedict, etc) but also have some unique options like a tofu scramble, Hong Kong Breakfast (fried rice with a fried egg on top) and more. I always go for a classic breakfast of sunny side up eggs, chicken apple sausage, hash browns and swap bread for an orange current scone. AND a chai latte the size of a cereal bowl.
Sushi 69: Sushi 69 is relatively new-ish (opened in the last few years) and is located in the quaint town of San Anselmo. While this spot might look unassuming from the outside, this place will blow you away. Their sushi is fresh and buttery, the staff is fun and friendly, and their Japanese beer and sake selection is great! I love the hamachi carpaccio (yellow tail with Serrano peppers, horseradish, fish roe and garlic soy ponzu sauce), any of the nigiri or sashimi, and the grilled hamachi rib.
Marin Joe’s: Marin Joe’s is a Marin staple and has been up and running since the mid 1950’s! Joe’s is your typical swanky Italian American joint, specializing in burgers, steaks, and your Italian American staples (pastas, eggplant/veal/chicken parmigiana, Caesar salads made table-side, you name it). The burgers are one of my favorite things to order at Joe’s; the patty is juicy and well seasoned and it is served on SF sourdough instead of a bun. It is absolutely delicious!
Sol Food: Sol Food is a Marin County staple and quite frankly, phenomenon. When Sol Food first opened its doors and introduced the people of Marin to Puerto Rican food it was an immediate hit. There is constantly a line wrapped outside the building of people just waiting to get their hands on a a bistec sandwich and ponche (half mango iced tea, half limeade). Do not miss Sol Food when visiting Marin- my favorite entrees are the bistec sandwich (option to have plantain bread instead of regular bread), camerones empanizados, bistec encebollado, and pollo al horno. I also love the ponche drink and the mariquitas (plantain chips).
Comfort’s: Comfort’s has been a Marin staple for over 30 years! They specialize in pre-made food and salads and while they do have a sit down cafe with servers and everything, I would guess that the majority of their business is take-away customers. They are most famous for their Chinese Chicken Salad (packaged in Chinese food boxes) and Chicken Okasan (a soy breaded chicken, that is just out of this world). All of their food is delicious but the Chinese Chicken Salad and Chicken Okasan will always be top of my list!
R’noh Thai: R’noh has to be some of my favorite Thai food I have ever tried (note: I have never been to Thailand). This has been a staple in my family’s restaurant rotation for years. My mom owned a shoe tore next door to R’noh for a while and I remember asking her “how do you not go everyday” when they would start to make lunch and you could smell all the goodness from her store. The staff is amazing, and the food is even better. Their yellow curry (with chicken and pumpkin) is incredible and I have never been able to find or make anything similar. Don’t miss the yellow curry with chicken and pumpkin, the yum yai salad, pad see yew, shrimp wonton soup, and param curry with veggies and tofu.
Cafe Lotus: Cafe Lotus is a staple in Fairfax, serving up traditional and organic Indian food. This is honestly some of the best Indian food I have ever had. The restaurant is cozy and the staff are just the nicest. I love the chicken tikki masala, saag paneer and the lamb vindalu. Don’t forget some brown rice and garlic naan!
Taqueria Mi Pueblo: I can’t tell you how spoiled I was to grow up a 2 minute drive from Mi Pueblo. I love everything about this place. It is casual, has a salsa bar and serves amazing and authentic Mexican food. What more do you want? I love the shrimp burritos and tostadas here.
Fairfax Scoop: If you combined Marin and ice cream, it would be Scoop. Scoop is a small ice cream shop using only organic and seasonal ingredients. The strawberry ice cream is absolutely out of this world and has nice chunks of strawberries in it. Nothing artificial about this spot!