Came here on a whim after a late lunch to grab a drink and this place makes amazing cocktails and…read morethe bartender was super nice. The cocktails were really good and I would definitely be coming back here again.

Kinda looks like an antique store thrift shop. The interior…read moreis kind of groovy. However, if you're not a 23-year-old girl with exposed cleavage, you're not gonna get a drink for about three hours- ha ha! I mean, seriously I've been there several times and it gets real frustrating trying to get a drink as a senior male. There's a nice group of regular young people there that really dig it which is nice. I'm glad they have a hip spot to hang out. However, I do think they should have more servers or at the very least more efficient service. They also have NO items that resemble food so a lot of people bring food in from nearby spots, in fact, this establishment encourages it. (Loss of revenue but most likely their license must be restricted?) I'll walk a block and visit the "FLAT IRON" any day for killer elevated bar food and the great beer offerings and I'll retire my bustier!

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.

First, the good: - The views from the roof are fabulous…read more- Some of the food is tasty, especially their hummus. The not so good: - The sofas in the cabanas and around the fire pits are uncomfortable. - It's always windy. - The portions are small. And most serious: - It's very pricey. - AND, the service is consistently lousy. (I tried it three times, with three different groups of friends. Lousy service every time.) If you want the novelty of the nice view from the roof, then OK. If you're looking for a good meal and good service, look somewhere else.

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 :)

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.

What a neat place for a drink. Atmosphere was so cheerful with a holiday vibe right now.! Topher…read moreis the man!! Fun barkeep to talk to, will keep coming back!! Come check this place out everybody:)

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.

They have the BEST food in San Rafael. When we walked in another patron told my husband, "You'll…read morenever have a bad meal here" and he was absolutely right. We enjoyed the jumbo pub wings in the jerk dry rub and sweet chili flavors, a rueben sandwich with hand cut fries, and a burren burger with hand cut fries. Our favorites were the wings and the hand cut fries, but the sandwich and burger are solid options. We visited during a world cup soccer game and the atmosphere was that of a pub or sports bar with lively cheering fans and regulars. I highly recommend trying it if you're in the area.

A nice Irish bar, and wow! the staff was actually Irish. I had a spice bag, which was breaded…read morechicken tenders (basically) with fries and sauteed onions and fresh jalapeños. It was tossed in a curry sauce and served in a paper bag (but they gave me a plate too), and a side of more curry sauce. There was a crazy amount of food in the bag. I couldn't even eat half of it before I was stuffed. I made a comment to the waitress, and she said they have big servings there. While the food was good, I did think it was way too much, which I couldn't even take with me because I was going to the movies and then taking the train home. I wish establishments like these served less food, and lowered the prices. The spice bag was $23 or $25. If you're not a big eater, or not super hungry, you might share a plate rather then get two entrees. Ask how much food you'll get.

Fun new beverage menu! I tried Papaya Don't Preach: papaya vodka, limoncello, prosecco, and papaya…read more(!) cotton candy (that melts when you combine it with the liquid ingredients--fun!) The staff is always so friendly and welcoming--you feel like family. We enjoy having small bday parties with themes. Good times. 6.6.26: updated menu!!

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.

Today we had lunch. It was excellent! I had the Reuben sandwich, my friend had the French Dip…read moresandwich. Both were seriously satisfying! The French Fries deserve mention also - they are perfection. For dessert the Butter Cake was another standout dish. Lovely ambience. Annie was our excellent server. Highly recommended!

Hmmm...I'm going to err on the side of overrating this hidden gem…read more Tucked away in a strip mall, it's very much how I imagine New Jersey Italian eateries frequented by made men. Food was decent but the emphasis was on meaty dishes, and I'm more of a fish and veggies gal. This normally would mean I'd order the eggplant parmigiana, but I went for the salmon, and it was okay... Decor is very TJ Maxx adjacent with lots of Sinatra velvet paintings. Would come back for martinis.

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.

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

Update! Very good as always, and they're open a little bit…read morelater than everybody else till 10:00 PM for us night owls they give whoooooot! Excellent service as always, nice environment and terrific elevated Bar cuisine! And it's always time for tater tots!

We came here during the Brazil and Norway game and were lucky we were able to snag the last two…read moreseats at the bar as two patrons were leaving. The service was super friendly and I appreciated how attentive and quick the servers were for such a packed and busy restaurant. I ordered the wedge salad, which was tasty, but I feel like the lettuce could have been fresher as there were a couple of wilted parts. I enjoyed the addition of the crispy onions, and it had the perfect amount of dressing. My friend ordered the burger and said it was flavorful and the Gouda paired well with it. I stole some of their fried and we both agreed they were a solid fry. All in all a nice spot to stop for lunch, or to watch a sports game with some good food and drinks.