I am Mexican. I am picky about authentic Mexican food. I know good rice and beans and meat. Living in Marin, I don't have tons of options to experience all of this. Marinitas has good food (not authentic) but good. It's busy and popular and loud. I had a date night their that was fine. The server was fast and the chips were okay. The best part: DRINKS! Fun drink menu and very very good margaritas. read more

Went to Marinitas last night with high hopes and my mouth watering at the thought of Feijoada. We purposefully went there on a Monday night (their Feijoada special night) because I've been craving it since I moved back from Brasil.... ...I should have known better. Yes, the dish was perfectly fine, but NOT feijoada in any sense (or with really any flavor for that matter). Feijoada, the national Brazilian dish, is a peasants stew, where beans cook for hours with all of the wonderfully disgusting sounding parts of the pig. The dish that we were served was basically just some beef ribs, some pork, and some cooked beans on the side. I did enjoy my meal (probably mainly due to my company), but it was definitely a let down from what I was hoping for. Probably will go back for drinks and to check out some of the really yummy looking desserts (they have alfajores!), but not sure if I would really dish out the money for a whole meal there again. Also, I agree with the whole pronunciation problem. If you are working at a "pan-Latin" restaurant, learn how to pronounce the items on your menu. Every time our waitress (who was way overly trying to impress us) attempted to say the name of something, it would just trail off as she realized she didn't know how to say it. Kinda funny, but kind of sad. read more

Like so many here - I really wanted to like this place. Have always enjoyed the food at her sister restaurant and figured if someone could pull of really good, flavorful south american/Mexican it would be them. The service was quite poor. We ordered apps and drinks before our neighbors ever sat down and watched sadly as they ordered, received and completed all of the above while we sat with an empty table and a waiter who disappeared (later to reappear with our drinks and ask if we'd like to order apps). When we reminded him we had (with him) he just stared blankly at us and mumbled something. While we continued waiting for our appetizer a woman finally offered to refill our long empty drinks and mentioned she would be our waitress "now". Service was like this throughout dinner. The food was incredibly bland as others have noted. I was excited that much of the menu seemed Yucatan inspired as we frequent the area. But that inspiration doesn't translate from the menu to the plate in the slightest. Everyone should give it a shot in hopes of getting better than we did, but my disappointment in this place was enough to make me join yelp to share it. read more

Finally got to this place. I am always amazed at how people in Marin will accept and glorify mediocore - to - awful food. This just speaks to the lack of decent places to eat in Marin. Service - good - friendly and prompt (but it was mid-week) Food - Awful. Chicken tacos were SO greasy and had zero flavor. The rice was dry, dry. I guess if you drink enough you think the food here is good. I would not return. Go to the tacqueria next store and have proper Mexican food. read more

I finally decided to join Yelp just to write this review. I've been to Marinitas at least a dozen times in the last year. The service was acceptable only one of those times. I kept going back because the food is consistently good and the bartenders are pretty good, but once you get seated at a table, all bets are off. Last night was another example of bad service. Our initial order was taken, some of it actually arrived and we never saw our waitress again until she brought the bill, with an added 18% gratuity because we "were a party of 6." In fact we were a party of 5. A 6th person joined us briefly and had a beer. We flagged down another person to ask for our missing food and order drinks. Three different people arrived with repeat drinks... some we ordered, some we did not. It was ridiculous. I have had enough of the terrible service. I'm not going back. read more

The food was great, and our waitress very friendly - but when a friend joined us at our table as we were finishing our meal, the manager and hostess said we needed to move to another table - even though there was plenty of space to add another chair. There were plenty of empty chairs and open tables, but apparently we broke the rules when our friend pulled a chair up to our table. All three of us are veterans of the service industry - and we were all offended by the way management handled this. When we decided to leave, the hostess practically pulled the chair out from under our newly arrived guest as she stood up. I normally don't take the time to write reviews or comment on social media sites like this, but in this case I was compelled to say something. It seems that sometimes restaurant workers forget that the customer experience should outweigh seating maps. Lighten up, guys! read more

Marinitas is such a one-of-a-kind place. If you go for lunch the place is bright with big open windows and sunlight, the volume is low, and you can really take your time enjoying your meal and margarita. If you go in for happy hour, the bar staff is super friendly and the $25 margarita pitchers are unbeatable! If you're looking for a fast-paced lively dining experience go in for dinner! The place is always packed and bustling with people of all ages and the bar is THE place to be on a Friday or Saturday night in San Anselmo. No matter what time of day you go in, you're guaranteed a good experience! The staff is friendly and competent and the food is consistently good. The ceviche and chicken tacos are my go-to items on the menu. Definitely ask to take a look at their Tequila binder (yeah, I said BINDER), I honestly didn't even know that many tequilas existed! while I usually just stick with the Casa Margarita, because it's delicious and cheap, it's fun to try out the fancy, real Mexican Tequilas that they have too. You can't get a selection like that at your average bar! read more

you get the second star for the decor.. The food is mediocre at best. It is unfortunate that Marin County has such little desire to have quality food. read more

I agree with Michael F. on the unwelcoming feeling at the door. Why should I be asked if I've made a reservation if the dinning room is empty. I do however generally like the staff, (they have some wonderfully charming bartenders) & the food is pretty decent. This place has replaced Noonan's for me, it provides okay food, with a nice setting & a great bar. I do have to mention that the waitress I had the night before last asked us to close out our tab so she could get going... I paid the bill ($91 for two people including drinks) and then she hung out at the bar for half an hour with the rest of the staff... kind of annoying. Over all this place is good enough & I think should do well. read more

Thursday night is Marinitas night at our house. The "Carnitas - slow braised pork, black beans, house made tortillas and serrano chile salsa" cannot be beat. It is great to take out too. The carnitas easily makes the trip home in tip top shape. Plus there is plenty on the menu to keep your kids happy. read more

Pretty lame. Think Chevy's, but trying harder. Overall, pretty unimaginative, and the line cooks obviously have not figured it out yet. But even if they were on it, eh! read more

I've eaten here three times now and always enjoy the meal. If you're looking for a plate overflowing with beans and rice and swimming in cheese this is not the place for you. I've never been a fan of that kind of Mexican food anyway so I'm pleased this restaurant has opened near me. Everything is fresh tasting and well presented. Very good tortilla chips and two kinds of salsa are put on the table when you sit down. I always order a house margarita without salt and it is tasty and has just the right balance of sweet/sour and alcohol. So far the chicken tamales have been my favorite and I have also ordered the carne asada tacos which were good but a little salty for my taste. Also have had a couple of appetizers and all were good. The only thing about Marinitas I don't care for is the decor but that is just my personal taste so I would not knock any stars off for that . For any who care, I would describe the decor as eclectic curio shop/pirate den and I'm so over that look but don't get me wrong, it is a classy version. For those who have complained about the guacamole being extra..come on! Where do you NOT pay extra for quacamole, hmmm? I just wanted to add that Marinitas would have receive 5 stars from me if, on our last visit, the hostess hadn't looked me up and down and frowned when I entered. Whatever.... I don't give a sh+t what the hostess thinks of me but we sat near the front door and I saw her frown the whole time, not just at me..... not good. read more

We have been here for dinner 3 times now and have really enjoyed it every time. Yummy cocktails and fish tacos especially! And I love the homemade corn tortillas read more

Food here continues to be awesome, still no clue why the low overall rating. Taco Janes has a higher overall rating?!?!? Are you kidding me? Marinitas is the best "Mexican" food in Marin. It's worth the extra $ over a place like Janes and even Mi Pueblo next door. Love this place! read more

We decided to make a reservation for our daughter's 21st birthday. I called that day and they were able to accommodate us. ( It was a Tuesday but there were going to be 14 of us. ) We all arrived including the birthday girl and were seated at a nice table in the back. Our waitress arrived and started to take drink orders and to card the new 21 year old and her friends. She did not how ever wish her a happy birthday 'ok, maybe my expectations are too high" "maybe she was extra busy" I can let that go. We ordered food and drinks. Here is my beef. I asked when I made the reservation about bringing in a birthday cake. I was told they would charge me $2.50 per person for the cake. I said OK I didn't really want to do something that big so I re thought what I should do. "seems a little high" but I asked. So instead I brought in a tiny cake the size of a large cupcake. I brought my own candles and matches. we sang happy birthday and she and a couple of her friends ate a few bites of the cake (from the plate I provided) When the check arrived "close to $300.00" there was a charge that read 3 cake fee $7.50 I told the waitress I didn't want to pay this. She got the manager, who had taken the reservation and said I had been told about the charge ahead of time etc... I said yes I had and that I had also said I didn't want to pay that and thought ( mistakenly ) that if I had this little tiny cake that maybe they wouldn't think it necessary to charge me. I told the manager that I really didn't want to pay it at all but if she felt she had to charge me I only wanted to pay one cake fee. She said she would adjust the bill. When I received the new bill there was only one cake fee. $2.50. I guess my real problem about this is that I felt as if they were doing me a big fat favor and not the other way around. there was also a little hassle about us splitting the bill I had paid some in cash and told the waitress to put the rest on my card and that amount was to be $129.00 and when The credit card came back it was for $134.00 I did the math again and then had to ask the waitress back over to have her redo that. (I was correct by the way and I was apologetic to her for being a pain the the 'you know what") She was nice about it but when you put it all together it was not what I was hoping for and I will not be bringing in another party or eating there at all. I don't want to patronize a place where I feel like an unwelcome guest and have to pay for it to boot! read more

Had dinner here with a friend tonight first time for me and it was wonderful all around! The decor is very tastefully done and you feel like you are in historic Mexico! The staff was extremely friendly from the hostess to our waiter. I also had the pleasure of meeting the owner Heidi who is an absolute delight! She was very kind and hospitable to us and even brought us a delicious bowl of house made guacamole! My friend ordered the Taco special (lamb meat) and I ordered chicken tacos. Both dishes was beautifully done and the ingredients fresh and very tasty. I also loved my agave casa margarita on the rocks! In fact all their margaritas are made from all natural products and the taste proves it. All around a great establishment. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner!! read more

Love coming here but one of the employees who lingers and eats bananas while standing outside always makes me want to avoid the place. He is rude, stand off-ish, and is a buzz-kill. When he isn't working the place is great but he makes you feel like you are putting a damper on his day. I've had the same experience with him numerous times. He always has his earbuds in and ignores you as well. read more

Eek. Steak tacos are the most horrible things I have ever ate, the meat taste as if it was cooked at 9am and served for dinner. The person in charge looked like she may have been drinking their margaritas. Not returning here, the spot next door looks like it might be a better choice for Mexican. ... read more

We have been coming to Marinitas for years and we are never disappointed. We love the food - always fresh and a great kids menu. Great Tequila choices and Margaritas are top notch! read more

Really loved dinner tonight! Such a good value for the money. Excellent mojitos too. And the tres leche cake is like eating a fluffy sweet cloud. YUM! read more

Marinitas is one of our favorite places. The fish tacos, little gem salad and Friday night special , soap de mariscos are some of our top choices. Relaxed but fun atmosphere. Deluxe margaritas are always a hit. We love to meet or bring friends here. read more

I honestly didn't enjoy this place the first I came here about 4-5 years ago. Service was off, food bland and it was for my husbands birthday so I vowed to never come back. Then my sons class mom kept organizing mom nights here and the place started to grow on me. We have a usual order, start with the marinitas salad which has avocado and pumpkin seeds along with the queso fundido. Talk about gooey salty goodness. Then we do carnitas and fish tacos. Make sure to ask for their house made hot sauces, habanero and tabasco . Delicious. The house margaritas are fresh and pack a punch, make sure to get a pitcher. The decor is awesome and reminds me of a Wiccan shop. Stop in for happy hour too. They get busy on Fridays so either show up early or call ahead. read more

Good food. Good chips and salsa. Great guacamole. They make their own in-house sweet and sour mix so the margaritas are also excellent! Good place to watch a game, they have lots of big screens. They also have a decent amount of space, making it a good place to bring groups. There is also a large bar and they have happy hour prices after 9pm, so go ahead and order another house marg. Also half off wine bottles on Wednesday! AND they have a bloody mary bar during brunch hours on Sunday. read more

I really want to like this place and have been a few times. I went again on Thursday during happy hour and let's just say I wasn't too happy after leaving. The bar area was full and we were waiting for a table, so I tried order a drink from the bartender. He told me a server would take my order, so we had to ask a small group to share their table. The group was polite and happy to share. We finally were able to order drinks and an order of guacamole (on happy hour). The guacamole on happy hour was $4 and literally only 4 tablespoons. The waitress was slow, service was bad and food was over priced. No thanks! read more

This place was so cool! I went on Saturday afternoon for lunch with my mom and a friend and was really impressed with everything. Walking in, it was very open with high ceilings and huge street front windows. We took a table by the window and the service was quick and our waitress was very nice. My first question is always, how are the chips and salsa? Answer. They were amazing. The chips were warm and sprinkled with some spice and the salas was perfect. So good. For lunch, I got the cod tacos. Wow, they were beautiful to look at and even better to eat. A great dining experience. I will definitely be back. read more

My boyfriend and I went around 8PM last night, sat at the bar. I orderered the cucumber lemonade: cucumber vodka, elderflow liquer and fresh squeezed lemonade. DELISH. Then we got the queso fundido....AMAZING. Creamy, gooey mixture. Then the best dessert ever! Pastel de tres leches. If you are a fan of this traditional mexican desert look no further. This is the best tres leches cake I've ever had. And I've tried many. In addition to the normal recipe they use cajeta, cinnnamon, and mangos. We will absolutely come back. read more

We remembered this place on our way back from Stinson. A bit out of the way going to east bay (a bit?) but our recollection was it would be worth it. Another couple and their 14 year old joined us and we all loved it. Margaritas? We wanted more for sure , but alas the drive. The daily special was carnitas, which I ordered. So much and so good that I had them box it up for later--a great lunch the nest day. Now I want to go again but it's a trek just to go there for that, but it would be worth it. read more

Beware! No outside seating available. Both their website and the door sign say there is. The waitress said she would not seat anyone on either side of us for an hour and a half, if we decided to take a booth. Our friends had arrived a bit earlier and already had drinks and snacks in a booth so feeling pressured, we sat down and joined them. Service was prompt. But, within 15 minutes they had seated the table directly next to us and in another 15 minutes they had seated the table on the other side. This was a total disregaud for the original agreement. When we protested, she said that both the other booths had "been reserved" ahead of time. So basically, to get our business they had lied to us about keeping the space vacant while we ate. The food was just O.K. and the margaritas were nothing to rave about. In this time of COVID we need to build trust with the business community, not break it down with dishonest and dangerous service. Don't patronize Marinitas in San Anselmo if you need to eat outside to comply with COVID recommendations. read more

Marinitas is the fun go-to bar/restaurant in our small town. The food is always excellent, the margaritas delicious, and the restaurant ambience lively and creative. Be warned though: on weekends it is packed. read more

My boyfriend & I love to come here when we are in Marin. Love the ambiance & the chicken tacos are our favorite. I would have loved to Marinitas but the dinner service in the bar is pretty terrible. We have been there about 5 times & have received poor service 4 out of the 5 times. I only wish I remembered our servers name, he was on it! We were shocked at the great fast service. He checked up on us, brought us extra chips & salsa & brought our check without us asking for it. We usually sit there for about 15 minutes before anybody notices we have been trying to get their attention. We keep coming back because his brother lives in the area & we love the food. We also keep hoping they will finally get it together but we keep walking away with new strategies to have a more enjoyable experience the next time we come. Things like asking for our check when they bring the food out, as soon as they bring our drinks...we ask for another round. Ummm what is wrong with this picture here? I use to serve & always made the rounds because I knew if people ordered more drinks & I gave them great service I would make more money! The restaurant is beautiful, the food is amazing...please please please Marinitas work on your service! read more

When I find something I like on a menu I usually stick to it. I LOVE the crispy chicken tacos. Everything at Marinitas is fresh. My partner had the fish tacos and said they were good, but the filling would be much better as a salad. The margaritas are good and they have a good wine selection by the glass. The server was pleasant and friendly but could have been more attentive. She delivered our food and left the empty chip basket on the table. The soap in the bathroom smells good and doesn't dry your hands out. Even though the service could improve here it's better than Bistro vis a vis. read more

Really good food and drink. Dark and Stormy is my new favorite cocktail, and they make a good one. The carne asada they used on their taco was so moist and flavorful. My only mild complaint was the waitress asked us if we wanted chips, salsa and guac, and I thought it was complimentary. When the bill came I found out it was $6.95, so I probably wouldn't have ordered it if I had known. It would be nice if the waitress could give us a head's up next time. read more

Great margaritas, lousy ordinary food. Very disappointing, because Insalata's is so great. The resturaunt can also get very hot (and crowded.) The matree 'd was rude to us on both occasions we visited. We'll go back for their great margaritas, but nothing else. read more

I was prepared not to like this place but was pleasantly surprised. We met friends there and had some wonderful food for dinner. The noise level is seriously loud, so after awhile it was hard to hear each other. The churros were very disappointing and the tortillas are miniature and are not offered unless you ask. I will definitely go back but maybe at a time when it won't be so crowded (meaning noisy). read more

Great place! Innovative food and really outstanding decor and atmosphere. The drinks were perfect and came quickly. The food was prepared well, flavors and ingredients were clean and fresh. Busy place fun place and good service..will definitely go back! Recently tried this place for lunch and I was very disappointed, the fish tacos were very salty and the margaritas were weak. read more

I've been to Marinitas several times and simply put it is some of the best Mexican (or maybe Cal-Mex) food in the bay area. Anything with Duck Confit on the menu has been worthy of a sonnet, and other dishes like fish tacos are quite good, too. read more

Being from Texas, I've kinda had my fill of Mexican-cuisine mainstream restaurants - notoriously referred to as "Tex-Mex" back in the Lone Star State - and so it's always a delight to find a place that can rise above the crowd. Marinitas has a solid Mex-themed menu and thankfully, a full bar to go with it. The refined decor takes away any hint of authenticity, but when the food is so good and the drinks are well-made, who cares? Your protein entrees are good bets, and be sure to order guac or queso to start, otherwise you're just wasting your time. I can't say Marinitas is my first choice when I'm feeling like Mexican cuisine, but it's unlikely I'll be disappointed with anything that comes to the table. read more

Awesome margaritas and delicious Mexican-American fare.

Had a great visit!! Using fresh ingredients changes everything!!! We came in at 3pm just between lunch and dinner, the bartender took great care of us. The food was fresh and flavorful, drinks fresh and tasty can't wait to go back for the dinner menu!!! Very reasonably priced!! read more

Really good happy hour however the waiter and waitress I had were SO RUDE! We first sat in the happy hour area for drinks and the waiter didn't know the full happy hour menu and was in a big rush and was not friendly. After drinks we sat in the normal dining room and the waitress clearly did not want to be working there and didn't smile at all. She was also very unfriendly to my parents when she took our order. However, the chicken enchiladas are outstanding and so is the house margarita. Just don't have high expectations of the staff... read more