Best Mexican food ever - except of course in Mexico! Love the deck and the live music and all of the happening Millbillies mixed in with the Hipsters and the Twitterites. Great people-watching! It's not open yet, you say? Really. A dream? Sigh. Soon, soon.... read more

Bar masquerading as Restaurant. Finger food at best to be washed down with $17 Margaritas. Loud Loud Loud so just shout away. read more

The food is amazing and the drinks are really yum as well! Great customer service! And great salsas!

Very bad service, got point blank accused at check-in that I tried on the phone to get a reservation when there was none which was wrong as I made a normal reservation for a table of 3. Extremely offensive service by untrained hostess; sad as we have been loyal customers but will not return after this completely unprofessional fiasco read more

Our second-favorite Mexican restaurant in the area and definitely a place you can't go wrong. All the cocktails we've had have been fantastic, and the food is top-notch. Love that the menu changes and that everything tastes and looks like it's been made with the freshest ingredients. On a nice day you can't beat the patio. My tastes typically lean toward more street food style Mexican but if you want something more upscale and/or a great place to sit outside, this is definitely your spot. read more

Have had the opportunity to eat here quite a few times the food is great. The ambiance is nice and the staff are attentive.

Wonderful atmosphere sitting in the back patio on a beautiful day. The fish tacos are deliciously fresh and flavorful (we had both mahi-mahi and bahamian cod). They also have a great kids menu. Can't miss the awesome Zio Ziegler mural outside! read more

So good. Love the mango salsa, the salads and the entire presentation. It's a fancy take on traditional Mexican food and they've done it really well. Highly recommend! read more

After having been to hundreds of restaurants in the past year alone I have not had a worse experience. The hostess was pleasant, waitress seemed to be in a bad mood - but was polite. My wife ordered the whole chicken and I ordered the Halibut from the "large portion" menu. My daughter ordered the Calamari. The Halibut was the fishiest I've ever tasted, was covered with an unpleasant "sauce" which I assume is to cover up the smell. The rice beneath was completely soaked and tasted like a dirty fish tank. My daughter's Calamari looked like an appetizer, was burned and had no taste. My wife's whole chicken came with two small slices of carrot and some potatoes, the entire dish slathered in an extremely spice "chili" sauce - even the vegetables in a soup bowl. There was no escaping this nasty flavor. The three of us agreed this was the worst food we've ever had in a restaurant. My daughter was able to eat most of the fish from my plate, although she admitted that it was "very fishy" and couldn't stomach the rubberized Calamari. I was stewing on the entire situation and honestly have never complained at a restaurant - especially about all of the food served. A few moments later my daughter bites down on a piece of burned wood in the fish. This led me to speak with the waitress, whom started with the rude behavior, moments later snatching the plates from our table without saying a word. The manager stopped by, questioned why we ate the fish anyway - and comped the entire meal - not that much of it was eaten anyway. Truthfully, the very first time I have _ever_ "sent food back." I am however doubtful he would have comped the meal had my daughter not been bleeding from her tooth from the wooden stake left in the food. Astonished by the positive reviews online - I could not find any references to the dishes that I ordered so I felt my duty to let folks know. I read some reviews online indicating that if you choose "sparkling water" over "standing water" you are charged $7 extra. Huh? Additionally, they like to push the Guacamole ... without letting you know it's $11. Kind of a weird business practice. We walked away feeling awkward. Don't waste your time. read more

Place was packed (we were there on a Saturday evening) We had: - Chips & Salsa - Empanada - Oxtail in Mole Negro - Octopus Taco - S'mores Tart Thumbs-up read more

Amazing food with excellent drinks. You should sit outside and order the spicy margarita made with mescal.

Stayed at a lovely home around the corner and brought my party of 9 here for afternoon drinks and a early dinner. We were told it would be 15-20 minute wait, actually was about 40. We were seated and promptly told our table would be needed for a reservation in 1 hour from the time we were seated. Our food arrived about the same time as our drinks, and she never came back and asked if we'd like to order another round of drinks--that's why we'd gone there. Clearly the goal was not to provide our party service, but to get a clear table for the next guests. Then when we asked her to split the check, she said it was against policy. That bill has been a point of tension on our trip since. The food really wasn't much to speak of--the little hole in the wall taco shop earlier in the trip was better. I wish we'd gone somewhere else. read more

Oh yeah, Playa is open for business. My partner and I dined on opening night, Friday, July 29th. Everything and more than we imagined. Loved the decor, service (friendly waiter Eric) and of course the Oaxacan style food. We started with salsa (3 flavors) and chips. Homemade, crunchy and thick. My favorite. Loved the guacamole as well. Ordered beef cheek enchiladas and steak tacos (photo included). Delicious margarita and beers. We can't wait to go back and try the rest of the items on the menu. We dined inside but next time we will try the outdoor patio with the huge orange umbrellas as well as heaters. read more

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There are not many places that offer this combination of delightful outdoor spaces with views of trees and hills, and delicious, non/stereotype food. The guacamole actually has a spicy kick (at least the way it was made tonight), which I love but most chefs are afraid to serve. I also appreciate the exploration of different types of moles. For example, red mole enchiladas and yellow mole with the calamari. This is my first time visiting Playa and I vow to return to explore more of the menu. read more

Playa - Mexican Near Me - Mill Valley, California

***UPDATE*** Jan 25, 2018 Reduced from 4 stars to 2. I don't take pleasure from writing scathing reviews for restaurants -- or any business, really -- and it actually saddens when I am compelled to reduce what was once a good review to, well, an abysmal review. Like here. Yes, this place is still probably the closest Marin will ever get to an LA/OC-style Mexican restaurant, as I said originally. The venue, ambience, decor -- the huge outside patio -- all of it is executed flawlessly. Love it. Hence the 2 stars rather than just 1. But that's where the praise ends. This was our first time back since I left my first review a couple years ago... and... well ... ok here we go: - the service: slow, inattentive, disinterested, not particularly helpful in making decision for our group of 3 - the food: ok, so, there's no way to say this politely, and I don't believe in beating around the bush so ... it's quite possibly the worst food we've ever had at a restaurant ever, anywhere; and definitely the worst Mexican food we've ever eaten. Adjectives and phrases, in no particular order, as we uttered them to one another: "Weird flavor / strange smell" "Really heavy" "Super greasy" "Old oil" "No flavor" "Meh" "Boring" "Ok, definitely not coming back again" "I can't believe it -- how is this possible?" "Really disappointed -- the place is so awesome; why is the food so bad?!" And: why do we have to keep asking for water? And on and on. Net-net, not one of us could finish what we'd ordered; this, despite that we were enjoying the plates "communally," i.e., we were sharing all the food. And no, it wasn't because we were full -- indeed, when we left, we were still hungry. So, I don't know what the deal is. I do see that the overall rating of this place has dropped steadily since they opened, so clearly we're not the only ones with such an opinion; but what blows my mind are the still plentiful positive reviews. I can only conclude a few possibilities: - the ambience and especially the (rare-for-Marin) huge outdoor patio offsets the abysmal food quality - people just go for drinks (which are, admittedly, quite good) - people in Mill Valley don't know truly great Mexican food???? Just to give some examples of ACTUALLY great Mexican food: - The aforementioned (in my original review) Javier's in Crystal Cove down in Newport Beach is SENSATIONALLY good (and what a scene, too! Talk about ambience!) - Even Tiburon's old Guaymas is vastly superior, despite that I would never call it a great Mexican restaurant So I don't know what's going on here. I really don't. But to this restaurant's credit, I really hope they get their act together; because if their food could match the quality of the venue, it would be absolutely spectacular. Fingers crossed; but not holding my breath. ***ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW*** I think "Yay! I'm a fan," really sums up our feelings precisely. Finally, a hip, fun, LA/OC-style Mexican restaurant in little Mill Valley. :) Definitely the closest thing yet to Javier's down in Newport Beach's Crystal Cove. PROS: awesome staff, hostesses, servers, ambience, vibe, decor, bar, outdoor patio (with heatlamps!)... in a word, VERY SoCal :) The whole branzino was delicious. As others have mentioned, for a natural, unsweetened margarita, the Kill Bill is pretty damn good. CONS: Honestly? The food ... was ... so-so. The flautas were crispy, dry, somewhat devoid of flavor -- and certainly no zesty/spicy punch at all. The mole beef cheek enchilada appetizers were... tasty ... but ... not ZOMGWOW mind-blowing amazing. The whole branzino was unacceptably full of huge -- and small -- very dangerous bones. We've eaten whole branzino countless times all over the world, and this ..... this was inadequately deboned to the point of being scary. Definitely a fan, will definitely go back, looking fwd to trying the grilled octopus which was sold out when were there, as well as some other dishes. read more

Came to Playa with a friend for lunch and drinks, my first time here. We both had salads, she had the chopped, i had the octopus salad. Wow, one of the most interesting and delicious salads i've had in a long time. Grilled octopus, chopped greens, olives, light lemony dressing, Portions were not large, but fine for a light lunch. My friend loved her margarita with chipotle salt. Will definitely have to come back to try their other plates. Back patio was lovely, but most tables are communal ones, which isn't really my thing. read more

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS MEAL!!!! Pricy but worth it. Queso fundido was the best I've had.

Our waitress forgot our drinks two times and then overcharged us for our order. They tried charging us extra for other people's drinks that were next to us. Overall really long wait times, super bad service and even once we complained (which we never do) they blamed it on us... Not impressed read more

A star rating is a bit irrelevant for this review because we were never served or even greeted by a server. We arrived and were seated by an aloof hostess in the back corner of an empty space (fine by us- that's why I added a star bc during covid we prefer to keep our distance). But it was clearly an undesired and forgotten about area of the restaurant. We were alone and there were no other parties seated in our section, we waited 20 minutes and no waitstaff appeared. We ended up exiting after 20 minutes because we were clearly forgotten. If the place had been packed we would have been more patient, but this was not the case. read more

In some ways I compare Playa to the Cantina down the street as they are two of the Mill Valley sit-down Mexican-joints. It's newer and nicer here, yet also smaller and crazier. I do love the food a LOT, it's just hard to bring the kids because it's so loud and packed. I wish I could give them 5 stars as they're a really great restaurant. It's just that they're so good, they've out grown themselves already. If it's a nice, loud rich-people party you're looking for with unique Mexicish cuisine, this is the place. read more

We visited Playa on a whim while in Mill Valley and were not disappointed. I had the soup special which was a flavorful cococut jalapeno corn type soup. Portion was small but very delish. My husband had the chopped salad which was generous and yummy. The guac & chips were great also. It was pricey for sure but we thought it was worth it. read more

Ordered the carnitas platter and I've never seen so little pork on a plate! Small portions and high prices! Very disappointing!

Love this place and the fun ambiance! The chips are amazing, best I have ever had at any Mexican restaurant, super thick, salty and beyond delicious. The spicy watermelon salad is mouth watering yummy. Loved the taste of many other dishes too. This is my third time there, so I have now tried many dishes and all are superb. read more

Fun evening, great chili rellanos! We've heard complaints about noise levels, but it wasn't a problem on the night we went; it was a week night. read more

Great interior space and lovely indoor/outdoor seating options. Service is always good. Friendly and knowledgeable. However...every time I go to Playa I utter prayers to the food gods hoping the food will be good this time. It's simply not that good. Bland and overpriced across the board. The chips & salsa setup is always good. The margaritas are very tasty but nearly $20 a pop. But I've yet to have an appetizer or entree that's "wowed" me. So...if they could simply get the food right and, perhaps, lower the prices by 10% it would be a hit read more

Great food, drinks and service!! Loved opening night and our waiter Dylan! Nice patio with heat laps, they even let us bring our pup! Ambiance is trendy and fun. Love the vibe here, we will be coming back para mas! read more

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At first, everything was okay. The lady who took us to our table was nice and welcoming. The staff was also super nice but they just didn't know how to do their jobs. When we sat down at our table a guy came with a bottle of water, he spilled the water all over the table. After that, we ordered our drinks and he also spilled the drinks on the table and it went on my phone and my clothes. My drink came with hair and we asked him to go make us a new drink. He gave us my drink and we ordered our food. After we ordered, my sister realized there was also hair in her drink so she just decided not to say anything and just didn't drink her drink. It took about 30-40 minutes for our 3 tacos to arrive and there was also hair in them. Besides that the food was average but it's definitely a restaurant I would not recommend anyone going to and it's definitely a place where I am not going back. Do not go there! Also, the tables were definitely not 6 feet apart! The only thing we enjoyed about that place was the chips and salsas. (Again, the ONLY thing we enjoyed.) I paid almost $90 for disappointment. DO NOT GO THERE!!! read more

Also the waitress tried to charge us for other peoples food and drinks. Good thing we checked. And when we mentioned we didn't order all those things, shes like "yes you did". But she took it off eventually. read more

Not cheap but def delicious. I got the chicken tortilla soup which was delicious. It was thicker than most chicken tortilla soups I ever had, almost closer to a gravy type texture for sure but the flavor was on point. My friend ordered a side of guac for the table. Someone please explain to me why it was $11?! It was not large or even medium size at that. It was delicious but like is that price really necessary? read more

Great atmosphere, fresh food and most important - a good beer list!!! Piney the elder!!! The guacamole was fresh. The chips are fresh. The special of the day, crab tostadas was fresh, clean and worth the visit. In from Chicago, glad I stopped here!!! read more

Guac was good. Beef enchilada was the best dish of the night. highly recommend! Quesadilla was very plain even though we added chicken, Chicken enchilada with mango was nothing special, mushroom soup and beef tacos were just mediocre. We only ordered 5 dishes, and we paid +$100 with tip. Not worth it. This place.. either they should lower their price, or they should make batter foods. read more

We had a family dinner two weeks back and had a great time. My son loves this place now. The food arrived quick and the customer service is just awesome. Prices are affordable. read more

Bad food. Weak menu. Disappointing overall. Bar/drinks ok but that's the typical Marin patron excuse for continuing to try a marin restaurant. Too bad really..great location and back patio area. read more

Revisited. Much of what I wrote initially still applies. It is a great place for lunch. Servings are pretty generous, price reasonable, and nice decor. Would go back if in Mill Valley again. read more

Playa has a bit of a LA restaurant vibe, they food is wonderful and service fast. The bar is small but great drinks and always lively. They removed the best soup which should be a signature. The vegan mushroom soup ! Why they removed that soup puzzles everyone. It was exceptional and worthy of praise. A friend drove from South Bay to have it one day. read more

Playa is a solid spot for lunch or dinner and especially shines with their margs and tacos! The cheese dip is also a must do starter. The staff is always friendly and attentive! read more

We had heard good things about this place so decided to give it a try. The ambiance is very nice and the fixtures make it feel very up-scale. I ordered the white sangria and my partner ordered a margarita. They were each $12 and finished in about 4 sips. I'm guessing that the sangria was less than 4 ounces and the margarita less than 3. When I'm paying that much for a sangria I don't want an entire glass full of ice. Needless to say neither of us had any desire for a second round. The fish tacos were quite delicious, and the slaw on top was delicious. The shrimp tacos I had issue with. They use small bay shrimp (I'm guessing) which I don't find nearly as tender and flavorful as larger shrimp. We ordered the crazy corn as well, which was delicious, though it seemed they forgot to put in the order as we had to remind them about it after we were done with our food. It's a shame there aren't many Mexican food options in Mill Valley, and I wish this place had been a better experience. Having lived in the Mission for several years, i would choose a trip to one of a dozen taquerias over this place. read more

Love their fresh organic take on Mexican cuisine. Be sure to try the cauliflower tacos. The Tiburon Playhouse movie theater is a few doors down. Great place for dinner before a movie. read more

This happening new place in Mill Valley is fun and lively with a packed house (and bar) always. The bartenders make delish drinks with my personal favorite ..mescal. As for food the quesadilla of the day is always good and I love the braised ox tails. The tacos are not worth the price in my book. Can get just as good in the canal for $1.50 each as opposed to what playa charges for 3, so stick to their main dishes. Way more worth it!! read more

Best place on earth, great for sports too ... My cheers drinks and food are awesome, kinda like 4 different places bar, indoor restaurant, outdoor tables and fire pit! read more