Jack in the Box

So I've heard plenty about this place and wanted to check it out because honestly the places around…read moretown in Novato that are Mexican food just don't really cut it. Don't get me wrong. They're fine, but just not true Mexican food.. I'm really glad that I did and I was not disappointed. The weight staff was on top of everything took our drink orders right away offered appetizers. We ordered the guacamole and I got to tell you the guacamole was to die for it did not taste processed or anything. I probably could've eaten the whole bowl because it was that good and the serving was huge! My husband ordered the chicken enchiladas with a green sauce, which she did offer two other options for sauce and he opted for the green sauce cause he thought it wouldn't be that spicy, but it was a tad bit spicy for him. It comes with a rice and beans your choice of whether you want black beans or pinto beans and of course he chose black beans because he loves black beans. The rice is not your typical side of rice that you normally get at a Mexican restaurant it has so much flavor in it and it was very light and fluffy. I ordered the Carne Asada tacos with pinto beans. And again it was very tasty. I could not finish my second taco just because I was filling up on all the guacamole and a beer before hand so I ended up taking my food home. The flavors in my tacos were so good and it was not dry steak. It was so moist and tender. You could probably cut it with a fork! The flavors were just perfectly matched and not too spicy. We will definitely go back there again and try a few more things off the menu. They are open fairly late so that's a plus. It's definitely a must try place so hope to see you there soon! Before I go, let's talk about the decor. It is so nicely decorated in there. It makes you wanna stay a little bit longer just because it makes it so nice and comfy. They redid the place much to a heritage. Definitely gonna go back!

For a restaurant that's been open for four years, I'm surprised our experience revealed so many…read moreopportunities to smooth out the kinks. The owner, manager, or a staff member might benefit from a walkthrough to experience the restaurant from a patron's point of view. I'm not going to list everything because I'd rather not complain. For instance, the ladies' restroom has no light when you first enter, so it's quite dark. A very loud whine also continued the entire time I was in the restroom, which was extremely unnerving. Upon our arrival, the hostess was efficient but not personable. Perhaps she was overworked, but only a handful of patrons were dining before 5 p.m. The restaurant offers several rooms to choose from. To the left of the huge cow in the reception area sits a lovely bar. A separate room accommodates a large party or meeting, while a spacious indoor dining room and an outdoor patio with a large tree offer additional options. Large paintings and various sizes of statues featuring Día de los Muertos themes are delightful to view--almost like visiting a museum. We chose the covered outdoor patio on a lovely summer early evening with pleasant weather. Only one other table was occupied. Oddly, a random thwack repeatedly came from the canvas wall covering near us, which distracted us as we talked throughout our visit. We could also occasionally hear traffic zooming by, accompanied by loud Latin music or the roar of an engine. I chose the grilled fish tacos with a side salad, all beautifully plated. However, the sauce was watery and leaked considerably from the thick tacos, which appeared to be homemade. The tortillas had a peculiar bitter taste and fell apart as soon as I picked them up. My companion preferred two chicken enchiladas, but the server said the plate comes with three. I thought that was odd since most restaurants serve just two, so he simply conceded his request. The restaurant played loud, upbeat Cuban music, so don't expect soothing music to calmly accompany your meal. As we were leaving, a large gathering of workers was chatting among themselves. I was surprised that neither they nor the hostess acknowledged us or thanked us for visiting.

Tres Leches

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Other end of covered patio.

Taqueria La Fiesta

2.4(60 reviews)

0.1 mi

$18.50 for a chile rellano and enchilada plate to go. Chicken was finely diced scrap meat. Chile…read morerellano coating was cold and hard. Expensive food that was not good.

We had our first lunch here last week. Immediately I noticed the restaurant wasn't that clean, and…read morethe bathroom was dirty. The service was straight forward. We got a burrito, two different types of tacos, and a cheese taco. All were decent/fair. What was disappointing was the salsas. If they had been better, it would have made the food a lot better. Mr B is going back to try different things before he writes it off. It's one and done for me.

Counter to order the food

Very good when hungry...

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The space for seating

Cocina Antigua

4.4(123 reviews)

2.9 mi

This is a small but delightful restaurant in the fast, casual ethnic food category. There's a lot…read moreof Mexican food restaurants out there, which are great, but this restaurant specializes in central American food. If you haven't become familiar with it yet, give it a try! Their pupusa and their tamales are delicious. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to get great tasting food. I only spent $11 for example on my recent lunch there and got two items which filled me up sufficiently. I'll definitely be going back to Cocina Antigua on my rounds through Novato

Homemade tortillas, great flavors/seasoning. I've been looking for good tacos in Marin and there…read moreare only a couple of decent spots - this is definitely at the top for me so far!

Inside seating with tasteful wall hangings.

Tostada de pollo (chicken)

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Maya Palenque

3.4(257 reviews)

0.1 mi

Maya Palenque has the best fish tacos and micheladas! The tacos are fresh, flavorful, and perfectly…read morecooked, and the michelada is always delicious. Definitely one of my favorite spots.

Large freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants are a thing I've long noticed, Maya Palenque being one…read moreof several to be found as you traverse north on Highway 101. I've often wondered about such places, fantasizing that they may be great but if Maya Palenque is representative of the genre I've been missing nothing. The dishes here were nice enough in presentation. The place itself is very large and the menu quite extensive. I ordered the Taco Salad with grilled chicken and though there was nothing wrong with it, I'm someone who requires spice with my Mexican food choices. Green and red salsas were delivered to my table and - wow - I've never tasted salsas that had zero spiciness. Now I have. These added exactly nothing to the taste profile making it clear that were I desirous of any spiciness it would have to come from Tapatio or Tabasco. If you're okay with very bland Mexican fare, Maya Palenque is serving it up. My curiosity about large, freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants has been satisfied and no further exploration of the genre is required.

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Carmen's La Hacienda

4.0(487 reviews)

3.5 mi

Best burritos in Novato... so far. Things are changing, all over, as are prices and portions and…read morequality These guys are very friendly, you get a lot of food for your money, and the food is excellent. Native Californian speaking here, with 30 years in San Diego, so... (Btw, no in SoCal puts rice in burritos.)

Delicious food, filling, very flavorful but not too heavy. Chicken fajitas were wonderful…read more Very pleasant staff.

Quesadilla Suiza

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Drinkk made to order: Mezcal, Bloody Mary mix (Clamato), topped with beer and added spice in a Tajin rimmed glass

Taqueria Mi Pueblo III

3.7(533 reviews)

3.3 mi

The Padre Macho Burrito can literally feed a family of four!! It comes in an extra long bread loaf…read morepan and fills the entire pan. My husband and I split one with carnitas and we still only ate half. Delicious fillings. The staff was extremely friendly and my take out order was prepared quickly. I ordered once I had arrived there. All the salsas have quite a kick to them. We will be back.

The flavor of this food reminds me of my old neighborhood in Chicago. We dined outside near the…read moredelightful fountain. It was a warm 77 degrees. Quiet. Then a family with an honestly adorably sweet young fella dined sent to us. Very sweet. I ordered 5 street tacos: cabesa, lengua, chorizo, pollo asado, y carnitas. Exquisite. You just have to try your favorite 5 from the list of 12 possible meat choices. Awesome. My companion had the 3 (is that the new usual 2 these days) enchiladas: shredded chicken and carnitas. Excellent. Oh! And the non-alcoholic margarita is the best in the area.

The real thing

Guacamole and Agua de jamaica

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Tommy's Salsa!

3.8(343 reviews)

2.8 mi

UPDATED REVIEW:…read more What a disappointment! My family placed a lunch order for take out for Mother's Day that did not meet expectations. We knew they would be very busy today so we made sure to place the order early at 11:00. My mom only wanted a cheese enchilada but unfortunately it was about 1/3 of the size of the usual cheese enchiladas that my dad ordered. We did not order a child size enchilada! I called to voice my concerns and the lady that answered the phone was the same frazzled person I had called my order in to. She was clearly very busy and overwhelmed with the volume of Mothers Day orders they were not prepared for. She apologized and did not show any concern to make the order right. I ended up sharing my chicken quesedilla with mom, but have noted that after this experience we wont be going back to Tommy's Salsa anytime soon. Do better Tommy's Salsa by ensuring that all to go orders are properly prepared to meet customer expectations.

Worst Mexican food I've ever had. Tortilla was hard? Never seen that before. Birria was flavorless…read more Chile relleno was soggy. To top it all off, it took 30 mins more than the 20 mins they quoted me for my food to be ready. Skip this place....hand made tortillas yeah right. It tasted like I was eating a cracker.

Counter to place your order

Taco Macho

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Outside of Tommy's Salsa

Golden Gate Bistro

4.3(95 reviews)

3.3 mi

We were in town for my wife's birthday and we were looking for a new place to try, Golden Gate…read moreBistro looked promising. It's on, but off, Redwood. The food was good, their pizza was amazing. The staff were very friendly and the service was great. The inside is cool. I definitely recommend giving them a try.

Salmon cooked rare. This dish is usually fully cooked. Given all the parasite dangers with fish,…read morekitchens should fully cook fish unless customer requests otherwise. Don't assume your customer wants rare fish. Now I have to worry if the fish had parasites. Cause the middle was rare, practically raw. I should have caught this when the kitchen took only 5 minutes to cook the thick fish but I caught it at the thick park of the fish which essentially had a raw middle.

Brussel sprouts, really good

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Breakfast burrito with home style potatoes

El Rey Mexican Bar and Grill

4.0(227 reviews)

3.6 mi

Over a week ago, we were driving south to San Francisco through Novato when we decided to have…read moredinner, and Mexican food won the majority vote! We chose to try a new place, and El Rey caught our attention. We arrived around 7:30, and the restaurant wasn't busy since it was a Sunday evening. Looking at the menu, I was drawn to their ceviche. We decided to start with guacamole and chips, share a ceviche, and have a Quesadilla con Carne Asada. The guacamole was fresh and well-made, the ceviche was exceptionally delicious, and the quesadilla was very well prepared and tasty. Our server was very friendly and helpful with our questions, and we even shared a few good laughs. The service was excellent. El Rey has been a local spot in Novato for many years, family-owned and known for serving traditional Mexican dishes in a welcoming setting. It has built a reputation in the community as a reliable place for a hearty meal, and many locals have been coming here for decades. The restaurant is a standalone building in a shopping center and offers a large seating area. They also have an outdoor seating area, which I imagine would be especially nice on a warm evening. As a first-time visitor, I left impressed. The food, service, and relaxed atmosphere made for a very enjoyable stop on our drive. We would definitely come back again the next time we're in Novato.

Well, how things evolve over time. My dad was JONESING for menudo Sunday morning, and it was too…read moreearly to visit any of his usual weekend Mexican haunts. My wife called around to find that El Rey was open - and had menudo. What we didn't realize was that there was a full-on buffet-style brunch going on every Sunday from 9-2. First, the aromas were intoxicating. Second, there was a HUGE buffet line with Pozole, Menudo, rice & beans, chilaquiles, sausage or eggs with chorizo, veggies, potatoes, huevos ranchero, birria, quesabirria tacos, EVEN American brunch favorites like scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes (but why eat those when there is AMAZING Mexican buffet to choose from?). Coffee/soda also included, and desserts including fruits and custards. I figured for sure it was upwards of $30 a head for the buffet, but the bill comes and it's like $68 for the three of us! What a value! BTW, everything I had was delish. Fresh. Hot. Tasty. And the fact that 90% of the people dining at the restaurant were Latinx tells you all you need to know. Highly recommend this brunch, Novato!

So much soggy mess in these overpriced "nachos" and my Happy Hour margarita was all ice and filler.

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Sabor De Mexico

4.4(66 reviews)

2.7 mi

Great lunch - super affordable and huge portions. Had a…read moresuper chicken quesadilla and a super carne asada quesadilla - both had sour cream and guacamole inside. Still have half of each leftover. Sat outside on the patio and it was a wonderful day out there. Ordering was quick and easy - and received our food very quickly. Great experience!

I'm disappointed with my experience at this restaurant. Unfortunately, several aspects of the meal…read moreand service fell far below my expectations. The server was rude throughout the experience, and at one point spilled juice on me. When I asked for plastic utensils because the utensils provided were dirty, I was met with an attitude rather than a simple, courteous response. The food was also disappointing. The tortilla was soggy rather than crispy, and the birria consommé did not taste authentic or flavorful. The shrimp I ordered with the El Diablo sauce was unexpectedly sweet, which was not what I expected from the dish. As someone who is 100% Mexican and grew up eating Mexican food regularly, I have a good understanding of the flavors and preparation I expect from Mexican cuisine. I'm always willing to give a restaurant a fair chance, but unfortunately, both the food and the service missed the mark during my visit. I hope the restaurant takes this feedback seriously and works on improving both the quality of the food and the way customers are treated.

Covered patio

Regular carne asada burrito

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Extra room

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Vivian E.

180

106

12 years ago

I've been going to this location for YEARS! Gets my milkshake right EVERY TIME! Other jack in the boxes don't do the whip cream or cherry..they always do the whip cream and cherry!!! The food is excellent...the drive thru moves quickly! This is the best Jack in the Box in Marin county!!!! No one comes close! read more

Chris L.

10 years ago

I came in for a drink and some tacos. The service was ok. I waited about ten minutes for my three tacos. The place on the inside is old and is in need of a remold. It wasn't that clean also, in fact I decided to eat my tacos in my car because of this reason. I don't think I'll be back to this location. read more

Jessica N.

11 months ago

Hi! Not sure if anyone from Jack in the Box monitors this Yelp page, but I was wondering when the 301 Enfrente Rd, Novato, CA 94949 location is set to reopen after the remodel. Many of us in Novato are very excited for the reopening! Also, will there by any type of grand opening event? read more

Gene S.

104

11 years ago

Well what do I expect... came through about 8pm ordered a coffee and french fries. Coffee was stone cold, and tasted like water...fries were filled with grease and soggy. Of course, didn't figure that out until i was a few miles down the road and too tired to turn back. read more

Teresa L.

2 years ago

Really bad customer service by Daniella called us crazy and making racial comments. Daniella was saying that this wasn't our country and that we were disrespectful.. read more

Norma A.

6 months ago

Never had a problem at this Jack in the Box. But, it has been closed for months now, and I know they are remodeling, but when is it going to open again? Thank read more

Magnus L.

11 months ago

Looking forward to the re-opening. When you'll be open for business? Thanks, appreciate your time. read more

Michael A.

14 years ago

Nothing special. Not real clean or real dirty, just your average Fast Food Place

Rock T.

10 years ago

The service has gotten better over time and the food is always tasty.

Jack in the Box - hotdogs - Updated October 2026

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We love In n Out. I won't belabor the point about the overall excellent value & quality & service…read more This is what faster food should be about. Except for 1 thing: please train your employees to properly clean tables, if they even clean them at all. Yesterday an employee was cleaning the condiments area. Walked past 4 tables that were filthy. I had to clean them myself. Got lemons, napkins, & water. In fact, in the past I had to follow up after employees made it worse...using dirty rags successively, leaving behind residue & film. Hey, at $20/hour, I could easily work here once I retire. Back in my teens I was excellent with cleaning, as well flipping burgers at Burger King! Come on In n Out, fix this part of your overall excellent business. Dirt is dirt. Nobody likes it. Be timely in cleaning up tables.

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Gott's Roadside

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This Gott's location has been around since 2018, but I just stopped by for the first time last…read moreweek. The inside of the restaurant was huge, clean, and well-lit, with tons of seating. There was also plenty of outdoor seating, which seemed to be dog-friendly. The clerk who rang me up seemed friendly and up-beat. Unfortunately, none of their fall specials appealed to me. The specials were a mushroom Swiss burger (I don't like mushrooms), a pumpkin shake (I'm not a big fan of pumpkin), and fries topped with fried shallots (who wants a huge pile of a fried thing topped with a huge pile of another fried thing?). So, I ended up ordering the avocado tacos, to go. Per the menu description, these are: "Crispy fried avocados served in soft, blue corn tortillas with green cabbage & cilantro slaw, Cotija cheese, salsa verde, red onions, lime & chipotle mayo. 3 tacos per order." The tacos were made correctly, with the lime and red onions packaged on the side. Each taco had exactly one slice of fried avocado, which altogether, added up to slightly less than half of an average-sized avocado. To be fair, the tacos are one of the cheapest things on the menu, but, idk, thirteen dollars for half an avocado still seems a little ridiculous. I felt like they should have been called "cabbage slaw tacos with fried avocado," since they were mostly cabbage slaw. On the bright side, at least, the cabbage slaw was really good. It was as crispy and fresh and clean-tasting as it could possibly be. None of the ingredients showed even the slightest sign of spoilage. The blue corn tortillas were also pretty good, and tasted like they could have been house-made, although the menu didn't state this. The cotija cheese and chipotle mayo were good, but sparce. Personally, I don't like my tacos this dry. If I ordered them again, I would ask for extra sauce on the side. Or... I wondered how these tacos would taste with fresh avocado added. Would the contrast between the fresh and fried avocado be fire? Too bad this didn't occur to me before ordering. Maybe next time. Overall, Gott's is a bit on the pricey side for what you get, and their specials aren't the most innovative, but they do serve reliably high-quality food. Although I'm not always as impressed as I was with my first few burgers in Napa, I still thought it was pretty good. Would definitely eat here again, although I think I'll stick with the burgers next time.

I think the food is spectacular, in particular the Kim-Chi burger. I have the nagging suspicion I…read moream visiting Gott's tonight. I want to reward myself for a tough week. I do miss Fifi's, which vacated when Gott's bought the land. Their fries are fantastic.

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