We drove up to Point Reyes on a Saturday morning and took the scenic route to the farm. We were…read morehappily greeted by all the cows along the way and welcomed in for our cheese tasting reservation. The atmosphere was lively and felt similar to a winery. We got to taste a variety of high-quality cheeses and especially loved the TomaTruffle, which we ended up buying to take home. After the tasting, we walked around the gift shop where they sold many local goods like jams, honey, and handmade gifts. We would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves cheese or wants to enjoy a scenic drive and explore the farm.

Really sad and dreary place, and then comes the ambivalent service. Made to feel like you are a…read moreburden to the people. No welcome and mostly ignored. Made to feel bad for asking questions. Not thanked for purchasing. Definitely not worth the stop. Go to Marin Cheese for a 180 degree experience!!! They know how to treat people!

I stop here every time I'm in the area. If you're here on Saturdays you'll be lucky to catch the…read morefarmers market they have in the back lot! Even if it's not a Saturday, there is always fresh fruit to buy out front. Inside, there's Point Reyes clothing, market foods and a little toy section. There's chocolate/candy available and goodies from the Brickhouse Maiden bakery which is phenomenal and worth going too. The coffee shop here and the cookies are also incredible , but it's cash only. It can get busy at times w all the bikers.

Love this little market! So many cute items and snacks! They have a fun selection of cards too!…read more Staff are always friendly and love the asthetic. Come check it out!!

First of all, Palace Market has some of the most entertaining one-star reviews I've ever seen from…read moreany grocery store. Nearly all of them are complaints about COVID protocol being enforced back in 2020. Three of them are from the same one person. One of the non-COVID related complaints was about the fact that the rotisserie chicken costs more than it does at Costco. As a former Costco employee who actually was "the rotisserie chicken girl," I found this hilarious. Everyone (apparently not everyone) knows that Costco chickens are sold below cost, as a doorbuster. They are intentionally placed in the back of the store, in a location which forces the consumer to walk past all of the promotional items on their way to and fro. You help subsidize the low cost with your annual membership fee. Furthermore, let's just say that if you knew everything that I know about rotisserie chickens, you would probably stop buying them from the store altogether, and invest in your own rotisserie chicken oven kit. These $28 chickens are meant for doctors/rich people who want an organic, free-range, non-injected local chicken that was cooked in an exceptionally clean oven, all by itself, with expensive spices and seasonings-- but don't have the time or expertise to cook them themselves. There are also some added fees for profit and the fair treatment of workers. If you want a Costco chicken, like, go to Costco. Lmao. That being said, yes, a lot of the items in this store are what I would refer to as "prohibitively expensive." Never in my life would I pay $60 for one pound of coffee. But, lucky for me, they also carry $10 coffee bags, which I can afford. Never in my life would I pay $30 for one block of cheese-- but they also carry $7 blocks of cheese. At some point, you have to realize, you get what you pay for. Palace Market is primarily geared towards the local clientele (insanely rich people) and tourists. Generally speaking, this is reflected in the cleanliness, availability of staff to help you (versus a skeleton staff who suffers if one person calls in sick), high-quality local products, great merchandising, great lighting, and community values. While the coffee and hot deli items are a lot pricier than they would be in, for example, Sacramento-- they also taste better. This past weekend, after walking around the farmer's market in the sun, I became desperately hungry enough to pay $14 for one of their hot Cubano sandwiches, and it was amazing. After taking my first bite, I literally said, "Oh my God, that's one of the best sandwich bites I've ever had in my life." Yes, shopping here is a splurge. You get what you pay for. If you're privileged enough to be able to afford to shop at Palace Market, you'll typically get exceptionally high-quality products with exceptional service. For the rest of us peasants, they have enough sales and po'boy items for us to just dip in for a taste.

Really creamy We…read morestopped by here after a nice afternoon hike at point reyes to try their buffalo milk soft serve. it was pleasantly creamy. The flavor is otherwise similar to classic vanilla and chocolate soft serve. Sprinkles are free :P Def worth a try!

This is an absolute local gem. On weekends it can be a complete tourist nightmare. The staff are…read moregenerally pleasant, kind, and helpful. Their patience is tested weekly by folks expecting instant gratification. If you go, please bring a spirit of kindness and cooperation because these guys serve up the best quality local fare for a decent price. From salads, soups, killer burritos, burgers, falafel, sandwiches, fish n chips, sushi, Thai food, etc. every dish is delicious. For sit down check out the super casual Tap Room next door. No matter what, PLEASE be kind and tip generously. We love these guys and want them around for years to come.

Spent the day at point Reyes national park. Finished the day if hikes with sandwiches sides and…read moresoft drinks before driving home. Sandwiches were great, the costumer service was exactly what you want in a deli. Friendly, helpful and quick! The store was well curated with extra add ons I was very tempted but the long drive made me resist over eating. We did get shrimp salad and tortilla chips... shrimp tostadas? Absolutely we do and I highly recommend. Great spot for a quick casual lunch highly recommend and will definitely go back the next trip to point Reyes.

Sip, savor, and enjoy the incredible flavors of the cheese Trail…read more The California Cheese Trail features 46 artisan cheesemakers in 24 counties who welcome visitors to their farms, cheesemaking facilities and retail shops, offer farm tours, cheesemaking classes and events. Before you embark on a cheese adventure, download the latest Cheese Trail Map, and pick 3-4 stops. These are my favorite three cheese makers. But honestly - I love all the cheese! Every cheese shop offered wonderful service. - - Marin French Cheese Co. offers classic, delectable cheeses, local wines and ample lunch options which you can enjoy in their beautiful picnic area. Nicasio Valley Cheese offers a delightful variety of handcrafted cheeses and local wines. Wm Cofield Cheesemakers offers a beautiful selection of handcrafted artisanal cheeses, local wines, and perfect charcuterie lunch boards.

The Cheese Trail has been a fantastic gift to send during the holidays. The Grilled Cheese, Please!…read moreAnd Cows & More Cows have been the favorite hits. It comes with a kooky cow tea towel that makes the experience complete! The cheeses are fresh from the farm and feel like a unique gift of love rather than a box of something I can pick up from Costco. Plus, it felt good to support small businesses who were hit hard with Covid. You can put your mind at cheese. Thanks for the smooth ordering and delivery Cheese Trail. Nothing gets feta than this!

I arrived in Point Reyes Station little early this morning, so since the Side Street Kitchen opens…read moreat 9am I started the day there. I mean, a girl has got to eat! This place is fun. With its colorful interior mural and its bright colors. The food is always good, and it was no exception this morning. I tried something different and I'm glad I did. It was the Wild Mushroom Scramble with an arugula and watercress salad and tender potatoes. Joy Joy Joy this girl was happy.

BEST. ROTISSERIE CHICKEN. EVER…read more And despite ordering at the counter and dining outside, the service was the best I've had from any establishment in recent years. It's actually too bad, because we would have definitely tipped higher if we didn't already pay and settle after ordering at the counter. 4 stars because we also had the pork belly eggs benedict and tri tip sandwich. Both were just good, nothing to write home about. Pork belly was very tender, but the egg yolk was completely solid, not at all runny as a you'd expect in a benedict. Perhaps it was just a bad one off. But that chicken! SO flavorful. Still thinking about it days later.

The "Pioneer" digestive enzymes Eden sells and recommended for my post-food poisoning (binge) and…read moreindigestion TOTALLY healed it in 1 day! (she has also sold me some salve she herself makes and given me great free consultations!) (re: review below, I got great results from ear candles!--)

This is a fun little herbal shop in Point Reyes Station. The selection of herbals and botanicals…read moreis incredible with a ridiculous number of herbal teas and extracts and every kind of organic, homeopathic cure for what ails you. Being totally clueless to what helps what, the owner Eden is incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and very patient in answering any questions you may have. They've also got some nifty little stuffed animals and books about herbs too, so you can learn yourself all about herbs. Now, I'm not a huge herbalist, but my date is and was digging the whole experience. Right after we left the store, Eden chased after us because we forgot to buy the tea bags for the herbal tea, she made an extra $3, I was out another $3, and my date was happy. One could call that some superior customer service right there.

Great walk on the dairy farm with Sammy learning about their sustainability. Newborn calves…read moreeverywhere, but the 'extra' was talking to Danny, the horticulturist who entertained our inquisition as he tried to work....beautiful groundswork!

Most of us know that happy California cows make better cheese, but until I visited the Robert…read moreGiacomini Dairy in nearby Point Reyes, I had no idea those same happy cows made the pungent smelling moldy looking cheese known as blue cheese. Mostly because of its odor and yes, I'm admit those funky blue and green veins bothered me as well, blue cheese had always been the one cheese I had stayed away from. That is until this opportunity to tour the dairy and cheese plant came about. So armed with packets of Lactaid this lactose intolerant individual decided this would be my chance to finally toss aside my fear of blue cheese and confront it face to face once and for all. On our itinerary was a tour of the cheese plant, the farm, a visit with the happy cows, a cheese tasting followed by lunch featuring what else, grilled cheese sandwiches. The Robert Giacomini Dairy sits high on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful Tomales Bay. I was a bit nervous sitting in our big luxurious tour bus as it maneuvered its way up a steep, narrow and winding road to the visitors center at this huge 714 acre farm, but at the same time I was excited seeing literally hundreds of cows grazing on the hills beside the road. The new visitors center completed in 2010 is called The Fork. Once inside the building we were greeted by members of the Giacomini family. We were led out to The Fork's beautiful patio to assemble and admire our beautiful surroundings. We donned protective plastic covers to slip over our shoes as to not track anything harmful into the cheese plant. Robert Giacomini and one of his four daughters, Jill, introduced themselves and gave us an overview of the dairy farm and cheese plant. After a brief welcome we were led into the Tasting Room where we viewed a short video showing the main steps in the production and aging of the farm's signature blue cheese which is sold under the brand name, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. The Robert Giacomini Dairy has been in operation here since 1959, but in 2000, the family decided to add a signature product to their dairy line. Their first blue cheese was born in August of that year, and to date they are the only blue cheese maker in California. It takes about a gallon of milk to make a pound of cheese. Combining fresh raw milk with cultures, enzymes, kosher salt and mold the resulting curds are formed into wheels weighing about 6-1/2 pounds each. Each wheel is conditioned by hand and aged in a temperature controlled room for up to 6 months. Once inside the actual cheese plant we viewed production workers behind huge glass windows going through the final process of packaging and labeling the blue cheese in entire wheels and wedges. All the work is done by hand. We exited the cheese plant to learn more about the farm. Most of the 300 cows on this farm are Holsteins. The female cows are often impregnated in order to produce more milk. The cows at the Giacomini Dairy average 9 gallons of milk per day with some producing as much as 16 gallons. They are milked twice a day at 2 AM and 2 PM with each session lasting about 4 to 6 minutes. A healthy cow on this farm can produce milk for up to 5 years. Milking is discontinued on pregnant cows about 60 days prior to the day it will give birth. At that time those cows are given a special diet and are paid regular visits by veterinarians. Milk not used in the production of cheese is sold directly to commercial dairy, Clover Stornetta Farms. We walked out to meet the cows then learned about their diets which consists of 100 percent organic feed. The farm, by the way, is certified organic and kosher. They recycle their water, produce their own methane gas and even produce their own electricity using cow manure to keep operations costs lower. After meeting with all the momma cows we were led out to the nursery to meet with the shy baby calves some as young as one day old. Meanwhile back at The Fork, our cheese tasting was set to begin. We sat down to ice water, tart lemonade and a plate of five cheeses created by the family farm. On our plates were the Original Blue, a Mozzarella created on the previous day, the Toma, a mild white cheese, The Mountain available only to farm visitors, and the New Blue which is less pungent than the Original Blue. While I'll admit the odor wasn't very appealing I found myself liking the two blue cheeses very much. My favorite, however, was the Toma. For somebody who takes part in lots of farm tours this tour was easily one of my favorites. Thank you to the Giacomini Family and their farm staff for their hospitality. I'm no longer afraid of blue cheese thanks to you. I've posted a pictorial history of my visit in the photos section. To learn more about events at The Fork, please visit www.theforkatpointreyes.com.

The best date ever. Took my cooler, shucker, lemon, mignonette sauce, some mango and avocado for a…read moreside. Drove over to South Beach and ate 50 of the freshest oysters ever. Delicious Can't wait to go back.

My boyfriend and I stopped by on a Saturday to pick up three dozen oysters, and it was absolutely…read moreworth the trip! We got Kumamoto, Pacific, and medium oysters--all super fresh and reasonably priced at under $3 per oyster. Some were sweet, others had a nice salty brininess, and every single one was delicious. A quick tip: bring your own cooler (or you can purchase one there). They also sell shucking knives and gloves if you need them. Since picnicking isn't allowed on-site, we took ours down the street to a nearby public beach and enjoyed them with a gorgeous view of the bay. For the price, quality, and experience, this spot is a gem. Definitely worth it--we'll be back for more!