I wanted to share my recent experience visiting Blue Barn in Novato. My wife, my sister-in-law, and I had just walked into the outdoor area when a busser immediately raised his voice at us, asking if our dogs were service animals. After we let him know they weren't, he told us we couldn't be there. There was no greeting, no explanation, just a very abrupt interaction that left us feeling uncomfortable. It felt especially odd because we've always entered through the back to enjoy the outdoor area whenever we've come to eat here in the past. Honestly, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I do feel it could have been handled with more care and professionalism. A simple greeting or a more respectful tone would have gone a long way. read more

Dogs are NOT allowed, just service animals. Irresponsible dog owners ruining an otherwise great outdoor patio by letting their dog potty where they shouldn't, attack other dogs/children I was told. -1 more for the tip prompt others have mentioned. Tip screen asks 15-20% ++ to pick up your food and bus the table yourself?! May I wash the dishes too? I have splurged on $40 lunches at Blue Barn since early Chestnut St days, the salads are REALLY good... but I'm afraid it's time to take my well-behaved senior dog for a $27 salad elsewhere. read more

Blue Barn - Service dogs only - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Blue barn is a very special place. Super creative meals. You get plenty of food, and it's always very fresh. I love the order at the counter service. Everyone that works there is so nice and helpful. The back outdoor seating is the best in Novato. What a great place to just hang out on a warm night. read more

Just like the Corte Madera location, this Blue Barn is DAMN GOOD! Plus they have a great fvckin burger at this one. Shirly and Mikey helped me out and both were very likable and helpful. Perfect. read more

I've been going to Blue Barn for over a decade between the Marina and Corte Madera outposts. This spot in Novato is the BEST for seating both indoor and outdoor. My go-to is the Kale Caesar with steak and avocado. The prices are steep and the food is delicious. This place is a staple! read more

Fantastic food, great gourmet casual vibe. Counter service. A little chilly inside when door opens but the food makes up for it.

Grilled cheese and fries were so good, especially on a diet cheat day! Service was good. Loved the outdoor seating! read more

Blue Barn - Kid's grilled cheese, yummy fries and taters, mini Caesar salad. :) - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

We were in town for a little vacation and someone recommended the Blue Barn. I am glad they did. I had the Buddha Sando (vegetarian sandwich) and my husband had the Skirt Sando. Nice open area in the restaurant, pleasant wait staff, and nice 70s music playing in the background. We would eat here again. read more

Blue Barn - Buddha Sando in forefront, with Blood Orange Cardamom Marin Kombucha. Skirt Sando and Boylan Root Beer in the back. Both were very tasty - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

I'm a salad girl. This doesn't mean I have relinquished my carnivore cave girl crown - it means I also love salad. I love a big, fresh, delicious salad so much I tend to "serial eat" salads for lunch. I love salads so big they are meant for two, because I can eat the entire thing with so much joy in my heart. That's size of the salad I received here. Well worth the money if you aren't protein dependent, you will love it. These Blue Barns are all over. There are some in the city and some in Marin. This location has a take-out window and a cute outdoor area. I loved the freshness of the food and the portions of salad. I did not like the amount of dressing. I needed more. Ok that's all. read more

Blue Barn - Skirt Steak Sandwich - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

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Such good food, such nice staff, such a nice place for the kids but needs heaters outside during winter time! I'm sure they would have more customers ! read more

I've been a loyal customer at Blue Barn in Novato for a long time. My family and I dine here regularly--about once a week or more--and we've truly appreciated having this restaurant as part of downtown Novato. The food is consistently great, and it's been a solid spot to meet up with friends. That said, my recent experiences have left me feeling increasingly frustrated, and I feel the need to share this feedback since there's no direct way to contact the restaurant. I actually tried emailing them first, as I prefer not to post negative reviews, but the email address listed for Marin locations has been shut down, and there's no other contact info on their website. Tonight, my family, including my mother-in-law, dined at Blue Barn. We had a tab of about $120, and I tipped 18%, which I think is generous given the restaurant's format (you order at the counter, bus your own table, etc.). However, the staff interaction left a lot to be desired. There was no acknowledgment, no smiles, and certainly no gratitude for us making several trips back and forth to clear our table and sort our garbage. At one point, I was even given a bit of a glare from a staff member (who was at the front when I ordered/tipped) as I was busing the table, like I was getting in this particular employee's way. To give a point of comparison, earlier in the day, I went to Trader Joe's, where tipping isn't involved at all, yet the cashier was super friendly and extremely appreciative when I bagged my own groceries. That interaction left me feeling great about my experience at TJ's where their management team and staff are awesome. In contrast, at Blue Barn, where I tipped generously and have been a loyal customer, I left feeling less than welcome and definitely unappreciated. I really hope the management will address this issue, as Blue Barn has so much potential to be a welcoming, positive place to dine. Please take a cue from TJ's. A little effort from the staff--smiling, showing some gratitude, and being customer-focused--could go a long way. I'd love to continue supporting this local business, but the service experience needs improvement to match the great food. read more

Blue Barn in the city has always been a favorite of ours, and the Novato location is even better! Still all of the same delicious, fresh, consistent food-- but they have an amazing back outdoor patio. With tons of space for the kids to run and a live music on the weekends (during the summer), this is an ideal place to grab a dinner with the family or a group of friends. You can't go wrong with any of their salads. My favorites are the spicy Tuna, Thai chicken or Beets & Greens. If you aren't sticking to that New Years resolution, don't miss the tater tot's with homemade ranch. Their sandwiches are also out of this world, especially the skirt and the rooster. I've heard amazing things about their ice cream. I'll let you know once I try it :) read more

Blue Barn - Beets and Greens - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Good sandwiches and salads. Delicious tater tots! Really nice outdoor area. Took off one star because sometimes the sandwiches are so heavy on the sauce that the bread is soggy and it's partially inedible. I now ask for the sauce on the side. read more

Excellent food. Great service. Please be mindful, they get very busy during peak hours, so either call in your order prior to arrival or just be patient. They have both indoor and outside eating. Eating outside is wonderful, their space is clean, roomy and has umbrellas for those hot sunny days. The skirt steak sandwiches are a bit light on meat but they are delicious, the bread is wonderful as well. Good selection of sandwiches, salads and drinks as well as deserts. Order at the counter, wait for the guest pager to alert you when your order is up and enjoy. Casual dress, kids and well behaved pets welcomed read more

I got the spicy tuna salad. I love ahi salads, but this "ahi tartar" in the bowl was kind of a gluten sticky giant ball that I did not like at all. The rest of the salad was great and the ambiance was fine. I don't have any issue going back to this restaurant, but I will never order the spicy tuna salad again. read more

Great food and vibes here! The Rooster sandwich was delicious and my friends salad looked amazing. Love that they have ample seating inside and a great area outside as well. Definitely recommend and will be back! read more

Ordered the Thai chicken salad, admittedly on a food delivery app, and got a salad that was not inexpensive and was mostly chopped up Romain lettuce. I ordered extra chicken which I did not receive, and the chicken that was there came to less than 1 ounce. Very expensive lettuce! read more

A solitary salad: Cobb $24.73 out the door Tip (for what?) $2.00 Total: $26.73 This includes the following- Order at the counter Get your own water and silverware Find your table Wait for the groovy hockey puck to light up. Go get your food. Take it back to your table. Salad consisting of: lots of lettuce (mostly), sliced processed chicken breast, some cherry tomatoes, one sliced hard boiled egg, some small bits of bacon, dressing, one slice of french bread, no blue cheese that I could find. Avocado? What's that? ...too expensive. THIS is the state of restaurant food in a lot of similar places. The result is INFLATION. Know what to do about it? JUST SAY NO. When we start saying no to mediocrity there will be changes. Needless to say, they don't get a second chance. $26.73!!!!! read more

What a gem! Everything tasted sooooooo fresh and delicious! Casual place, local people, family ambiance, and before I forget: many drinks and beer on tap! We'll be back again FOR SURE! read more

Blue Barn - Smores to go - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

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Had an excellent experience at Blue Barn this weekend for a late lunch in Novato. It was during the Art and Wine festival so even around 4 pm, there was a steady stream of diners coming in during those "between hours" of lunch and dinner. The staff was welcoming and they were keeping up with orders and keeping things clean. The open interior with simple wood and high ceilings was appealing. There's a spacious back patio as well. I opted for indoor dining since I'd been outside at the festival all day. The Buddha sandwich was wonderful! The combination of ingredients was interesting and complimented each other well. One of my favorite vegetarian sandwiches to date! My boyfriend got the turkey and a side of fries that he enjoyed. Food arrived quick and everything was fresh and contained high quality ingredients. At an average of $14 per sandwich it's pricey-but isn't everything these days? In this case you do get what you pay for, Great all around experience-I'd come back! read more

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This location reopened about a month ago. The salads are really good. I'm getting the fattoush with salmon added, you can choose any or no added protein for all of their salads. I'm a salad lover, and I've been trying several of them, and so far they have all been good. They seem a bit pricey, my salad was over $20 without a drink. The food is made with really great ingredients and you can count on the consistency. I've heard their side order tater tots are crazy addicting. I'm not crazy about the interior decor, it's a really fast casual design. I had been hoping they would keep the antique wooden bar from the previous business, it would have created more warmth in the space. read more

Blue Barn - Nice Take Out Window at Blue Barn Novato - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

We always order a Waldorf salad for my wife as she loves it. Tonight we got one that had pickled beets in it that dominated the taste and aren't supposed to be in there and other ingredients were missing and half the lettuce in there was yellow and not fresh. Pickup was 6:50. We tried calling about 7:30 as she did not get to it until about 7:15! They never answered the phone. We called multiple times but there was a recording saying not available. Absolute crap read more

In one word, WOW! You must try the food here! Absolutely Delish! We stopped in for lunch, our first time here. I ordered the Waldorf Salad. The Ingredients are So fresh, And so much flavor Excellent Waldorf Salad! A must try! Thank you Blue Barn! read more

Food ... salads are like 80% lettuce and 20% toppings. Proportions are way off, then they want to charge you $1 for extra dressing. Prices of salads are like $16-18. Yikes. Ambiance... the back area is lovely during certain times of the day. But it can get totally overrun with families with children running all over the place and screaming & yelling. Service ... it's pretty much self service. Order at counter, get a buzzer, pick up your own food. OVERALL I'm kind of over this place already. Salads are overpriced and really not that tasty. It just feels too expensive for what you get. read more

This place is fine. The quality of the sandwiches are good, it taste good and I understand why it's $15 for only the sandwich since the bread is bought from Berkeley daily. It's a cute place I imagine is a great hang out spot for Novato. It just isn't really my type of place. Staff is cordial, not super nice. My company pays for lunch Friday's and they got upset when we ordered for 17 people. They should be more clear about that on their website instead of being rude to customers. It's funny how much my coworkers love this place and they can't even order monthly for lunch. Feels like a wasted opportunity but I understand not being prepared for such a large order. read more

Blue Barn - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Blue Barn is my favorite restaurant in Novato! It is crazy expensive for Novato but they have great tasty salads and soups. We ordered the Winter Salad unfortunately they were out of pomegranate and we replaced with mango which was really ripe but still the salad was good. The spicy tortilla soup was off the hook good. The staff is very helpful and the outdoor dining experience is top notch with two areas. The grass area has lights and trees surrounded by wood fencing. Very elegant and tranquil to enjoy a great meal. Highly recommended. read more

Blue Barn - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

My go to after a long 2 weeks of work just wanting to sit outside with a beer and one of the best Spicy Ahi Tunas I've ever had. Although a bit pricey, the meals are tasty (except I had their Asian Chicken salad and was not impressed). Try sitting in the back where they have open spacious seating nicely guarded by fencing to keep the breeze away. What a way to unwind, feel social without being social, and a nice meal. My "bright" grandson enjoying the "grass" :) read more

Blue Barn - Spicy Ahi Tuna with Pilsner - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

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I have been waiting for the perfect time to experience this place and todays weather made it the perfect day. It's the perfect spot to sit outside on a beautiful day and sun bathe. They have inside seating as well. They outside area ,which gives a picnic feel, is outfitted with astroturfing and have tables for small and large parties. Games for the kiddies and a stage for live music on select days. The food may be expensive to some but it is typical for Marin. The size and quality of my sandwich did not disappoint. They have plenty of sandwiches and salads to choose from. Beer, wine, hard alcohol.. they have it all. I will definitely be back to try something else on the menu. read more

Blue Barn - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

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So... I had been to the Blue Barn in the Marina before so I felt I knew what to expect. The menu is either on a high up chalkboard or on a paper menu by the register. Another patron and I commented to each other that we needed glasses for both. The choices looked good but I found it's cheaper to get a standard off their menu than to pick your own ingredients and then add a protein. I ended up with the spicy ahi salad. For that price ($17), I was surprised that the ahi came in a small ice cream scoop of shredded fish instead of blackened slabs on top. The dressing was pretty bland and wasn't enough to coat the whole salad. The workers buzzing around never asked how things were otherwise I would have asked for a bit more, or another one to try. It's cavernous and bright at night which feels cold to me. A stark difference to dark Deborbas that was here before. You definitely feel like you're eating in a barn, which isn't delightful for me, personally. They're working on an outdoor patio which may be nice in the summer but I won't be back before then. read more

Blue Barn - Order at register and they bring it over... - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

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Food's great, love the space although we do miss Mary's old crepe place (and Mary for that matter). My only complaint here is the rather ineffective use of space. After you order you have to find a table, and during lunch or weekend brunch times, that can be a serious challenge. In fact, we turned away a few times just because we could not find a table to enjoy a meal at! It seems the entire center of the place is open - perhaps a couple of tables or a counter could be placed there to help accommodate the hungry diners anxious to enjoy the Blue Barn? I really enjoyed my Cobb salad, by the way! read more

Blue Barn - Menu - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Delicious food and kind staff, but honestly it's all about the Double 8 Soft Serve for us! We can't have cows milk products, but this Buffalo ice cream is beyond delicious!! Plus they have cones, sprinkles, etc.. to make it feel like a real ice cream shop. YUM read more

Blue Barn - Buffalo Ice Cream with sprinkles - YUM - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Obsessed with Blue Barn. Consistently delicious - always get the Tostada salad or Rooster sandwich. Will never get sick of BB.

Great food! Delicious Kobe beef burgers if you get there after 5 pm. Juicy and cooked to perfection. Nice and clean inside. Lovely indoor and outdoor patio space. Friendly staff. Great place to go with friends or after work for dinner! read more

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I love this place! Big tables, beautiful inside & out... and the food is amazing! It's just big portions- so prepare for leftovers or share! Even the kids meal items are big! Adult sized IMO. The chicken tenders are a bit bland, but good with their ranch dressing. Tater tots, you can't go wrong. Wish the water they offered was cold... especially on a hot day. read more

Blue Barn - Kids tenders & tater tots - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Stopped by for a quick bite today. I had the truffle sandwich with a side of tater tots and I was not disappointed at all -Agent Ochoa read more

Tried the Detox Salad today. Always leaving completely satisfied. Maybe next time I'll try the soft serve.

3 stars because the food is good and for the most part so is the staff. Recently we ate at this location on a rainy day but sat outside with our two dogs whom are very mellow and loungy. They were sleeping under the table while we ate our meal. There was one other family eating outside also with their dog and what seemed like the manager came out to tell us we could not bring our dogs back- they have a no dog policy. We've been coming here for years and love the pet friendly outdoor area...not sure what made them make this change but we will be looking for a new dog friendly salad restaurant. read more

On a hot and miserable day, we found our cool spot. It's on Grant Avenue in Novato. Best Northern Fry Chicken Sandwich packed with coleslaw and bbq sauce on the best bread ever. My date had the turkey sandwich, which he said is his favorite. Everything was on point. The air conditioning was such a welcomed feeling. Service was with a great smile, and the wait staff was so nice. Ok Novato and surrounding areas, yes you in Sonoma County make the trek and enjoy some amazing food. We will be back. Thank you for a great start to the 4th of July weekend. read more

This is the third time I've been here. All during the pandemic.. once with a group of 3 outside (I had the Rooster), once with one other person (I had the Big Blue), and now just me. Super easy system.. walk in, look at menu, order, get buzzer, wait for food. This time I ordered a Rooster sandwich to go. Only downfall was that it was freaking freezing inside.. thank god I was just ordering (no one was eating inside). They had the front door and back door open to the patio and there was such a strong wind pull. Felt bad for the employees. Brrrr. Wait wasn't too bad and I was off with my sandwich. I ate it in the car on my way back home. It was pretty darn good! I wish we had one in Solano County. read more

Blue Barn - Salad Near Me - Novato, California

Great salads, plenty of outdoor seating, friendly staff. The service and food is always consistent. Best lunch spot in Novato.