WOW. Just WOW. **California Gold in San Rafael** is an absolute gem, and our experience was taken…read moreto the *next level* thanks to the incredible bartender **Víctor**. From start to finish, he was beyond amazing--warm, welcoming, insanely knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about his craft. Every single drink was PERFECT. Not one miss. We enjoyed **all** the drinks, and each cocktail somehow got better than the last. On top of that, Víctor is just an awesome human being who makes you feel genuinely taken care of. The **location is beautiful**, the atmosphere is fun, vibrant, and incredibly enjoyable--one of those places where you instantly feel relaxed and excited to be there at the same time. Great vibes, great energy, great people. This place is a MUST, and Víctor is the reason we'll be coming back again and again. Do yourself a favor: sit at the bar, trust his recommendations, and enjoy an unforgettable night.

Service was terrible. Ordered a drink asked for an adjustment due to food allergies. Was told it…read morewould be well balanced. Bartender was annoyed and was rude. Had a food reaction and I asked if I could choose a replacement. They told me no and wanted me to pay for another drink. A patron offered me a replacement drink and he shouldn't have to do that. Was excited to check this place out from out of town. The entire drink was left at the bar and I left the establishment. The bartenders had terrible customer service skills.

Great foods, quality cocktails, tasty bites. Is GI would…read morerecommend anyone who's in Marin or passing through Marin to stop by and enjoy the views.

Above Fifth is the rooftop bar of the AC Hotel in San Rafael, CA. The hotel is part of the Marriott…read morehotel franchise. Yes, a franchise hotel is in downtown San Rafael. Times are a changin'. Anyways, the bar is open 4pm-11pm Wednesday-Sunday, closed on Monday - Tuesday. The hotel is about 54 feet tall so it is not particular tall, but tall enough for some awesome views of downtown, surrounding hills, and Mount Tam. The seating area ,like the hotel, has modern upscale aesthetics with relaxed vibes. The views are gorgeous. The staff are sweethearts, five star service. The drinks and tapas menu price points are of course pricey. But what was up with the stained paper menus. Eww. Anyways, the fam ordered drinks (cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks) and tapas of olives, hummus and pita, and fingerling potatoes. The olives were delicious and it was a good medley of various kinds. The fingerling potatoes were a bit boring tasting, it could use more seasonings for added zing. Not sure how the green hummus tasted, I snoozed on that one. Overall, the drinks are good, ambiance fantastic, and the food is meh. This is a type of place I would go for special occasions and not on a regular basis, my wallet cannot sustain it.

This place was such a fun surprise. The location is really accessible, with street parking…read moreavailable, which made getting there easy. I honestly didn't realize how much I'd enjoy playing pinball until coming here--there aren't many spots that have that kind of unique feature anymore, and it really added to the experience. I went for a Yelp Elite event, and it was great. The owner was there and super welcoming, and his staff were genuinely nice and attentive. We were given bracelets that gave us access to two drinks, which was a fun self-pour experience. That said, it would've been helpful to get a quick tip on pouring (like tilting your glass) beforehand--foam can sneak up on you fast , especially with so many people around. Because it was busy, we were also given a card that allowed unlimited access to the games, which was awesome and made the night even better. I definitely enjoyed my time here. The owner also mentioned that you can rent individual tables or even the whole venue for events, which is something I'd absolutely consider in the future. I'll definitely be back.

Visited a friend in San Rafael and her first recommendation was State Room! Nothing like an ice…read morecold hazy IPA on a hot summer day. Staff was friendly and reservations were easy to make. They had huge tvs playing sports which entertained the kiddo quite a bit. Breakfast Bravas ($19): The crispy potato coins + pork + runny egg + avocado + chipotle cream = elite combo!!! Stateroom Burger ($20): Cheese is not included and is an extra $2 (???). It was stacked though and hubby could only eat half before he was stuffed! I will absolutely be back for the bottomless mimosas ($25) and I'm curious about the dirty iced chi tea ($14). My daughter also loved all the magnets on the fence in their mini play area :)

Yes, love it. Crowded, friendly, and very fun people to be around. They host a lot of local bands…read moreand good music. I'll bring my friends and we'll be back again.

Finally got the chance to stop in and try ranch water. My friend and I went on a Monday night so it…read morewas pretty empty. Our bartender was Jacob was such a chill dude and really cares about the cocktails that he makes. I had told him that I had a couple Moscow mules from other places so he decided to make me his style of Moscow mule and it had the perfect balance of all the ingredients which I really enjoyed. He made my friend this fig and lavender whiskey drink which was yummy and different than anything we've tried. He was a great conversationalist and I loved the vibes of this spot. I would def come back to get some more drinks.

It's been a minute since we visited our neighborhood Italian favorite, La Toscana…read more It was a busy Thursday night, but luckily we made a reservation. Highly recommend a reservation. Juan S. was our server for the night. Very knowable about the menu and the dishes. We started with a classic Caesar salad that we shared. It was plenty enough for us. I ordered the Petrale Sole special and my husband had the Pollo Pomodoro with vodka tomato sauce. Both were excellent choices. The fish was fresh and perfectly cooked, as were the mixed veggies. My husband loved the pasta as well. For 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, 1 Caesar salad, 1 bruschetta and a cannoli for later, our bill was $152, before tip. Well worth it.

First I'd like to start off by saying, we made dinner reservations an hour and a half in advance…read morefor 8 pm on a Friday night and showed up to the restaurant at our reservation time, where we were forced to wait an extra 15 min because our table still wasn't ready-- which we would normally understand and be fine with, but we witnessed a walk-in customer come in and get seated before us. After we were finally seated and put in our order for drinks, appetizers and main dishes, we waited quite a long time to get our food served. Quality-- not sure if we ordered the wrong things or went in on an off night, but for some reason everything we ordered was underwhelming and lackluster, from the: -drinks (cucumber mojito and strawberry balsamic mocktails) -bruschetta was average -meatballs were sort of flavorless -spinach ravioli with pesto was bland -parpadelle was also bland and portion was oddly small Overall, the food and service was unsatisfactory for the price we paid for the bill. We were excited to come here to celebrate our anniversary and left the restaurant feeling super unfulfilled with our meals. Safe to say we won't be coming back to this establishment, nor will we be suggesting this restaurant to friends and family.

I was looking for a place to take a friend to dinner. Wanted to try something completely new and…read morefound the Burren house on yelp. Located in downtown San Rafael the ownership here invested heavily in this restaurant to create an authentic Irish pub. We feel comfortable the second we walked in. Due to some food, allergies it's not always easy for me to find food that restaurants other than maybe one or two dishes on a menu. I was amazed that there were nine or 10 different dishes that I would have wanted to order. I can literally come back eight more times and order something different and enjoy it each time. The food was great! The setting was authentic. And the fact they have soft serve for dessert brings us to a 5+ rating!! Our server was great. And there was a second server managing cocktails. My only complaint was we never saw the bus boy and had to ask for our place to be removed even after they served his dinner. Highly recommend the Burren House if you're north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Note, they don't take reservations. But it's worth the chance of a table. Oh and they have live music too!

Proper. Thats my…read morewhole review. From the people to the food, to the environment. It's the best. Where else can you get a Smithwicks on draft.? And the breakfast just hits all the notes. It won't disappoint.

My wife and I had the occasion to stop by The Speakeasy a few days ago. We were just looking to…read morehave kind of hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail and just hang out together, because we found ourselves with a rare four-hour window where the kids were occupied and we could just do whatever we wanted. This was a nice way to spend a few hours. The space is neat. It's as small, somewhat dark ambiance with the windows blacked out. So, you do loose your sense of time a bit inside. That's actually nice as it feels like you went somewhere/somewhen else for a while. We had a Manhattan and a Kentucky Mule, and, additionally, we had three different shareable appetizers. First thought, we ordered and devoured a really exceptional cheese plate. I know cheese plates seem a little meh sometimes, but this was really good! I would absolutely order it again. In fact, I would definitely go there just to have the cheese plate again with a drink, a glass of wine. We also had the three tacos shareable. There were three tacos that were stunningly good. Lastly a dish with some little steak medallions and a shrimp. Each of these was about two bites and the flavor and texture was excellent. All three of the shareables and the drinks were exceptional. I have to call out that, with the cheese board, came a little loaf of bread. That bread was really good all on its own. I would definitely want to eat it. I can still taste it. It was really good, but my wife, she's gluten intolerant. They offered, because she couldn't eat the bread, they offered to also bring her out some gluten-free crackers, so she got to enjoy the cheese board just the same without the bread. They gave her the crackers, and do you know, they just gave her those extra. They didn't ask for something more. They didn't do anything. They just took care of her. I really appreciate that. I have to also give a shout out to the Jessica. I don't know how she did it, but she was taking care of the whole room of tables I think. Nice. We ordred all three shareables at the same time and she thoughtfully said, 'do you mind if I course these out for you?' We said yes and she did. I don't think anybody felt like they didn't have everything they needed, so a shout out to you, Jessica, really well done. We're grateful for the service and the high quality dining experience that you gave us on a moment's notice. I hope we can visit again soon. And, especially we want to check out The Boardroom soon. NOTE: This is in a kind of older looking strip mall. Don't be concerned about that at all! It threw us off a little at first and we did wonder when we pulled in though if we were in the right place. Happily, we were!

Tucked away in a Novato strip mall but out of site from the surrounding streets, odds of chancing…read moreupon The Speakeasy are slim. Attached to The Boardroom restaurant, The Speakeasy is a real find featuring a wonderfully robust appetizer menu, a full bar, and a daily happy hour menu that applies mostly to alcohol purchases. If you're looking for wine here, the bar offers a variety, with the house wines - excellently priced at $8-$9/glass - comprised fully of Rutherford grown grapes. Somebody here knows what's up. A friend who'd talked up The Speakeasy for years is besotted by the Marsala Sautéed Chicken Livers ($11) on the bar menu. Not ever a fan of liver, I avoided sampling his until we'd collectively polished off an order of Baked Goat Cheese ($10) and a trio of Pulled Pork Tacos ($13). He'd grown full and much liver remained which is when I learned that I do like chicken liver. Or rather, I like chicken liver as prepared at The Speakeasy. All of the above pretty much had me fan-girling out over this place but then this happened: We were done, requested our check, and were told that someone that evening had picked up the tab for the entire bar, something I've not experienced in my lifetime. I already liked The Speakeasy a whole lot before learning my food and drink were free of charge. Like changed to rabid fandom when this occurred. I know that I can't expect a full repeat of this experience but even if it's just chicken livers and Cabernet, that'll be enough.

What an exquisite time we have every time we visit. This review is for when we visited in March for…read morea small birthday celebration. The food was amazing. I chose the Lamb Papardelle, which was earthy and savory with gloriously wide noodles. My companions had the grilled salmon and rigatoni. Jessica, the adjacent Speakeasy restaurant manager, made my custom cake. It was amazing. She made a gluten-free, fluffy chocolate cake with fresh raspberries between the layers--slightly sweet and tangy. Soooo delicious. She added red roses to match the roses on the tables. And they honor your celebration of birthdays and anniversaries with an adorable (Scrabble) sign on your table. And those exciting candles...feel free to check out the lovely photos. What an absolutely delightful memory we made for my birthday. The service is always accessible, attentive, welcoming, and friendly. It's a cozy space, so be sure to make reservations. The ambience is so elegant--at any point, you expect a member of the Rat Pack or some performer to be dining there. They have excellent live piano music I believe on Fridays and Saturdays.

A bit of an overdue review, but we came here to celebrate Valentine's Day with a nice dinner. They…read morehad a 3-course pre-fixed menu with several appetizer, entree, and dessert choices. We ordered the truffle risotto and lobster bisque for the appetizers, and I thought they were both very hearty. Truffle flavor was there, and the risotto texture was great! For the entrees, we had to get the steaks. They were cooked medium-rare like we requested, and the meat was very tender. I would definitely want to come back to try a few things I've seen on their menu that weren't offered during the Valentine's Day special dinner service. Service was phenomenal and super friendly, even during the busy night. The live pianist and vibes added an extra touch to the atmosphere and made it a very pleasant dinner!

Was here for a couple nights for work and was tired after a day of work and travel. Had the half…read moreharissa chicken as is with mashed potatoes. Service good, food delicious. If you stay at hotel you get free happy hour up to two drinks! Definitely will be back for work travel

Mediocre food and lackadaisical service. From the lack of a host to seat us, having to grab our…read moreown menu from the host(ess) desk, having to ask the bartender several times to get someone from the restaurant to attend to us, to finally having to find someone to give us the bill, this was a poor excuse for a restaurant. The food and menu design was un-inspired, and seemed to be built around items that could be heated quickly with minimal kitchen equipement. A fail on so many points, even for hotel food.

this place was nice and cozy. It was my first time here but I love a dimly lit bar. The drinks and…read morefood were so yummy. I had the chile Colorado beef burrito and the queso & chips. I would def come back. It's a perf bar where you just want a chill night and a drink w/ the girls.

When I first arrived it was a wine only establishment but then they enticed me with their craft…read morecocktails and "mexican" food. The cocktails are imaginative, well balanced and simply delicious. The food crafted from a NY transplant is inventive and a pleasant nod to tex mex cuisine. From the brisket burrito to the salsa and chips it makes one crave the experience that they had in TX. I applaude the creativity and am so happy to see that the tex mex, regardless of the chefs origins, are here to stay! P.S. The cocktails are in play.