After talking about eating here for months, we finally went! We had a great table outside. We didn't really notice the street noise. The patio was pretty full so the main sound was other people enjoying themselves and the crickets. It was also Sunday about 7pm so the traffic could have been light. We both really enjoyed our meals and the friendly service. I had the prawns (scampi style) and my B had the cordon blue chicken. The starters were portioned out well, not to much. The soup was a delicate potato leek followed up by a baby greens salad with a light vinaigrette. Both of our choices were excellent. Although i still wish i would have gone for the fish special, the sole. Wine list is very reasonable and then have a decent "by the glass" selection (mostly foreign-to be expected). We'll be back for sure. read more

Food great, service mediocre. It's been about 6 years since I was last here. I recall a very jolly, fun place with lots of character. Thinks certainly have changed. First if all I've got to say the food was great..beautifully prepared, good portions, very tasteful. However, the service was poor unfortunately. Order was served incompletely - forgot the starter. Water was delivered in large bottles which were slammed down unexpectedly throughout the meal - memo to staff, ask if guests would like more water, it's meant to be an enjoyable experience, not watering livestock! Overall an unpleasant experience, totally let down by front of house staff. Won't be back anytime soon. read more

This restaurant is a hidden gem with delicious food and great service. My fiancé and I had the Sunday special, which is 5 courses. The first course is pâté, which neither of us eat, so the waiter brought out this amazing artichoke covered in lemon sauce. It was the best artichoke dish I've ever had. Second course was the soup which was potato leek. Usually this type of soup is made with a cream base, but this version was a perfect blend of potatoes and leeks without all the extra cream. Very tasty. Then we had salads, where I ordered mine with Caesar dressing, which had the perfect amount of dressing. For my entree, I had the poached salmon and my fiancé had the chicken. Both were cooked to perfection. Lastly, I had the butternut pecan ice cream and my fiancé had the rice pudding. Both were yummy and a perfect way to end the meal. We are looking forward to having our rehearsal dinner here. read more

Service was nice and friendly. The food quality is consistent, but nothing special. Not fancy, not the place to go for the ​ambiance​.

I really love that place and will strongly recommend it to anyone appreciating old fashion French food (escargot, langue de boeuf, ...).. The chef is Vietnamese but don't worry it's excellent. The owner, Roger is a very friendly basque. Service is nice, quick and friendly. The price is very affordable and starts at $22 per person. The wine list is also very good. You can eventually speak French, English or Spanish. The room is not very big but nice and there is lovely terrace to have a lovely dinner outside. read more

I've eaten here twice and both times, the service is always friendly -- sometimes rushed maybe but the food is not good. Our meal included bland, vaguely tomato-y soup, a pretty sad salad and microwaved white bread served with those lovely wrapped butter packets. The antipasto plate featured salami straight out of the package (they didn't bother to separate the pieces) and a scary pate that neither I nor my friend dared touch, never mind eat. The salmon I had was pretty good, but it was slathered in a fluorescent yellow sauce that tasted like...well, yellow sauce (butter, maybe cream, maybe I couldn't tell you), and was served with bland converted rice (Uncle Ben's?) and some watery, tasteless vegetables that appeared to have once populated a freezer bin -- a travesty in San Rafael, where the local farmer's market on Sundays is just a few blocks away from this place. Even Costco's produce is better than this, but judging from the dearth of good restaurants in the area, I guess the locals like it that way. If you're jonesing for 1950s Euro- Americana housed in an old school chalet with an outdoor terrace and could care less about food, this is the place. It's charming, but I wish the food was better. read more

We went here for my husband's birthday....Not sure if they didn't see the note on the open table reservation or didn't hear us, but we didn't get a special dessert or anything :( oh well. We started with the Pinot Noir which was tasty and not heavy. We had the pate appetizer which I enjoyed. You get a small salad and soups (I got excellent french onion and he got the watercrest) Our waiter was excellent. We both ordered the steak (pepper style) This was an excellent dish and just the right amount. We both got a choc. mousse for dessert - Excellent. Was quiet and we didn't feel rushed. Didn't appreciate the dog right next to us with the lady but not the restaurants fault. lol read more

Been there once. The wood panelling is really something (bad). The place was busy and has quite a following. Apparently, I won't be a follower. My party ended up just getting hors derves and leaving. We couldn't wait to get to a place that would be interesting. Many folks speak well of it, so maybe my standards are just higher. Or maybe becuase I've never had a tradition of my grandparents taking me there, so I'm not enamured by the nostalga. read more

Visited last night after years passing. Delicious as always. Best filet of sole I ever had. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining and then the lights come on. Just magical. Been visiting since 1979. Make a visit! Best pate! read more

Le Chalet Basque - French Near Me - San Rafael, California

Great little quaint place. Love the French Onion Soup. Great old world atmosphere. I sat at the bar as my lunch companion stood me up; the bartender was attentive and friendly A bit far east on San Pedro Rd - just when you think you went too far - there it is! read more

Nick F's review is right on time. This place is worth it in culinary value alone, and the value being from another era is a plus in my book. People who can appreciate that will dig Le Chalet Basque. Service was great. The one thing i would change is to swap the industrial dinnerware for some vintage Frenchy stuff, but that should tell you that this place is cooler than I am. Old school and 100% proper. read more

I coming to this restaurant for over 15 years and the food is just amazing and the service is even better and of course they have a full bar My recommendations are to try the paella a and fog legs! read more

Good service and well priced. I love basque food, and this was nothing short of amazing. If you've never been you should definitely try the sweetbreads and some of the other small plates offered on the menu. Kinda an older crowd but for good food I can deal. read more

Thank you Patrick and Alejandro for giving my wife and I a memorable 15th year anniversary dinner. We have enjoyed your pleasantness and attention to your patrons. read more

Way off the beaten path in the down scale Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael. I've been here twice for company meetings. I think the food is really mediocre. Everything tastes overcooked and bland. Soups are watery. Place is a converted house and feels like it was done on a low budget. Owners are nice. I've eaten Basque cuisine in 6 places around California & Reno, NV. I'm not a real fan of this regional cuisine that is distinct from French or Spanish. Still, this place is the worst of the 6 I've tried. read more

Good value! Okay food, not excellent! We ordered the lamb shank. Very tender, fell off the bone. The flavor was okay. The salad came with the meal. They were the typical Costco mixed greens. The soup also came with your entree. Potato and leek soup! Okay again, not great! I give this place three stars for value and okay good and service. read more

Meh. The food is good but just not great. You can tell what they are aiming for but they kinda miss the mark. You won't be disappointed but you won't be coming back. I suppose for San Rafael, one could rate it 4 stars, but in any big city this would be just another average attempt at French food. The place looks kinda dumpy. You know, 60's decor that looks like it hasn't been touched up since...the 60's. The lights aren't dim. Most patrons are over 60 and inevitably there will be a screaming baby somewhere in the room. The waiters are friendly. read more

The last owners were French and, in French tradition, would take the entire month of August off for holiday. They were open this August, and I've been told that Chalet Basque may have changed ownership. I had the lamb shank, my partner had prawns. Both were "OK". Better than you'd get at a chain restaurant, not bad in any particular way, but nothing that really knocks your socks off. If someone suggested that we go there again I wouldn't resist, but not somethign I'd go out of my way for either. read more

I've been a fan of Basque food, but haven't been able to find a good family restaurant ever since Des Alpes closed on Broadway, in San Francisco. Louis' Basque Corner in Reno comes close, but is too far away. We happened to be driving through Marin when my wife remembered Chalet Basque in San Rafael. I had never dined here, but was pleasantly surprised. We chose the full course, family style portions; pate, soup, salad, entree, and dessert. I had the beef tongue and my wife had the duck confit; both were pretty good. The service was friendly . A pretty good neighborhood restaurant, but a little far to drive from SF. read more

I love this place. I think the reviews of this place during "buisness meetings" by someone who doesn't "really like this regional food" should be tossed out the window. All your doing is talking and not really eating so odds are you let your food go cold. Why would you go eat food, you didn't enjoy, only to write a bad review on a place? I do not like sushi but that doesn't mean I will be writing bad reviews on every sushi place I go to with my girlfriend. I love this place. The family owned feel is here. If you want GREAT food with FRIENDLY servers and staff, then come here. Sure it doesn't have Italian leather chairs, but I'm not paying to sit on leather, I'm paying to eat great food. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL GET! I'd give this place 6 stars if I could. Don't read any other reviews. Go here, you will like it! read more

First dining experience: Service = sweet, warm, wonderful Food = perfectly prepared (beef, salmon, rabbit, chocolate mousse; rice pudding was a fail, so skip that) Ambiance = kind of like eating at your fabulous grandma's house with all her friends; it was sweet. Wine list = concise, to the point, reasonably priced Will definitely be back! read more

I just love these kind of places. They are what they are, and they honor what they have been by keeping the flag flying high. If you are looking for flaws, sure enough you will find them, but the overall experience for me and my bride was great! We had THE Best waitress by the name of LInda. If we could describe what we wanted, she could make it happen. What is there not to like? The best thing we had were the sweetbreads. The only suggestion I could make to the chef on the other things we had, lamb shank and tripe, is to go back to the old fashioned cast iron braseing technique. I only hope time is on our side at these places. We should start a preservation society for classic places like this. Because if they go, they will be missed for a style of hospitality that is deep and trued by time and has not been reproduced in my experience of new openings. Thanks for a great evening where we were celebrating the end of our 2015 harvest. (And what a vintage it was... Ahh! ) read more

If my wife would let me, I'd probably eat here most nights. I've had most of the things on the menu, and haven't been disappointed. I, for one, really like their soups, with Tuesday's pea with curry a favorite. But, as much as I like the food, I go for the people. The staff are wonderful and it feels like family to me. As to the speed of service, I got home from an overseas trip about a week ago, and went into Chalet Basque, pretty much from the airport -- I asked to be served quickly so that I could go home to bed. Soup, salad, sand dabs, dessert, and a glass of wine -- 25 minutes. I like to spend an hour or two typically, but they responded to my needs perfectly. I always make a reservation, because it can be very crowded, particularly on weekend evenings, if you want to sit outside and listen to music. So glad to have this place nearby. read more

Delightful and charming dining experience! It was our first visit here and will be back. The pate, soup, salad and main courses were delicious. My petrale sole was cooked to perfection with an excellent light, lemony-herby sauce. Husband's scampi was excellent with tomatoey-garlicky sauce. Wine selection was great and I can't wait to go back and sit at the bar! Service was very friendly and knowledgeable. I loved the ambiance. When in Marin, go!! read more

Wow! Would never have found this without Yelp. Most of the other reviews were very accurate. Wonderfully different menu and great service. Eating outside in beautiful weather was a bonus! Check this place out! read more

I'll say that I've not been to the Basque region before and not eaten in the homes of those folk. The great wine list is a non-plus for me being a non-drinker. It has a very country club feel to it. I'm sure that if you took a date here they would be impressed. That said : it was good but not great. I personally found everything a bit bland. I had the lamb steak which was dry, dry lamb is a bad thing. I'd be willing to give them another shot, but I can't see this as a regular place. Personally my dates are more impressed that I know where the food is that will give you an orgasm or at least a transcendent spiritual experience. read more

I loved everything about this restaurant. The location...tucked away in a neighborhood...the food: watercress soup, crunchy and tasty salad, grilled to perfection NY steak with bernaise sauce...was delicious and hearty...the atmosphere: comfortable...romantic :) the service: VERY good, friendly, attentive...I liked the fact that many of the customers were repeat customers, varied in age, very family oriented. I want to go back when the weather is warmer so we can sit outside... So, if you are looking for trendy, fusion, cuisine-y...this will not be your spot. Good, home-y food, warm service and casual atmosphere...then it's right on. read more

This place is amazing. Great fine dining experience, diverse and flavorful dishes, fantastic (and when I say fantastic, I mean for real real) service, and a beautiful communal homegrown ambiance. The escargot, frog legs, pate.... Man... Entrees are on point, side dishes are are hella good. Linda is my favorite server on the planet. She is witty, attentive, initiative, and well-informed. She is more of a treat than the delicious, foods and drinks. I just moved back to Marin after living in the east bay and this is the best reasonably priced authentic foreign food in the north bay. Hands down. Everything about it is perfect. The beverage list is over the top. Go here. Eat food. Enjoy libations. Be well. read more

My husband and I just returned from chalet basque tonight, to celebrate my birthday and my recooperation from my hip replacement surgery. We also had tickets to a play in Mill Valley, after our dinner, (which we went to without eating dinner!).What a big disappointment! My husband called one day before to let them know he wanted the chicken cordon blue. The person said no problem and it would be noted on our reservation. We waited for over an hour tonight; got an inferior waiter who never checked on us. After waiting over an hour and 20 minutes without our main courses which were the chicken and the fish of the day, I tracked down Patrick,who was is the bar area, sitting cozily with a woman and didn't seem to want to get out of his seat. I explained all of this and his only response was that he would compensate our drinks, nothing more. Came home and checked our bill and he shorted us on what be said and now we have "leftovers" in our refrigerator. One customer heard our plight and actually said she was so sorry that this happened, as she witnessed the whole thing. My husband had been going to this place for over 40 years, and is so upset. Worst experience ever in San Rafael. read more

This is the Denny's of French food and since the French are all about great food, there's really nothing French about the place. Nothing we ate was good, the pate was disgusting, the salad consisted of a few sad greens on a plate. I imagine they stay in business because there are so few other restaurants in that area. Either that or people like the Denny's version of French food. I'll pass, thank you. read more

Well, I love Roger. My family spent every birthday at Guernica in Sausalito when he cooked there, and when he went back to Le Chalet Basque, we followed. I LOVE his mustardseed chicken. And he makes these amazing little potatoes. And the most fantastic French onion soup. He used to try and set me up with his son; let me tell you, if his son cooks anything like Roger, I'm sold. The restaurant is WAY out of the way in a residential neighborhood, and apparently it's been there for a really long time and managed to survive, which is a testament to its deliciousness. read more

Our first visit and we fell in love with this place. The atmosphere is lovely and relaxing. The food was divine. All 4 of us had the special of the night which was a veal chop. Dinner includes soup and salad. We also shared an appetizer of escargot which was very tasty. Our waitress was wonderful with a delightful sense of humor, she really added to the evening. Not sure about their wine list as corkage is only $12 a bottle so we brought our own wine. We'll be going back! read more

First time visitor and had high hopes for my dining experience. I ordered the steamed clams in garlic wine sauce. There was tons of garlic in the dish, but a) it looked like the kind you spoon out of a jar, fairly large chunks and not fresh and b) it was raw -- not sauteed. So the whole dish had a very raw garlicky taste, which is good in some recipes but not in this. I didn't send it back because I didn't want to hold up my group, which was already frustrated because of the next issue..... Be forewarned: every Thursday a large group of friends has lunch at Le Chalet Basque. They bring wine, lots of wine. They start out loud and they get louder the more they drink. Our group started out in one room and had to leave when this loud group showed up. We moved to a table in the room where the bar is located and ate there. A lovely couple was dining in this room, noticed us move, and commented on the noise in the other room and that this was why they sat in the bar area. After lunch we wanted dessert and coffee and just as we were preparing to order, the noisy, wine-infused group relocated to the bar to play a dice game. As we got up to search for a table in another area again (in a now bustling facility), one of the noisemakers said quite proudly, "This is what we do." Really? You're proud that you disrupt other patrons...every week..... patrons who are spending good money for a meal and a visit....and you're proud that they can't carry on a conversation because you have the right to be disruptive? This group should do takeout, drink to their hearts' content, and play their dice game as noisy as they please in the comfort of someone's home. And why does the management allow it? Are they so desperate for business (they don't appear to be) that they let this group do whatever they please? I would venture to guess that if a rowdy group of teens came in or people of color that they wouldn't be so forgiving. Also, very good bread comes to the table cold. How hard is it to warm it quickly? And when we asked for more bread and water from the server it never came; we had to stop the busboy and ask him for bread and water. Lastly, we told other staff we were changing tables after our lunch because we couldn't spot our server. Apparently, staff didn't think it was important to tell the server, who was a bit panicked that we had left without paying the bill until she found us. So, IF you go, don't go on a Thursday at lunch time. And don't order the steamed clams, unless you make it clear up front that you want fresh garlic and that you want it sauteed -- two things you shouldn't have to point out. read more

Had a variety of appetizers. They were all decent. Nothing really stood out, but all seemed solid. The pate was too pork-y for my taste (needed more liver and brandy). The escargot was from a can, and the prawns were right on the edge (not quite over cooked. but edging). The best part was the chorizo on the charcuterie plate...so smoky and nice! However, overall...Could it be better? Yes. Wait staff was fine, cordial, and attentive. Bartender was great. Get the French Onion Soup! They nail it. read more

Just got back from one of the BEST restaurants that I've experianced in a long time. Party of four for my daughter's birthday. All the staff glowed with a warming welcome. Each ordered different items and all were delightfully marvelous; only equal by our waiter who was attentive and inspiring. As a native San Franciscan I've been to quite a few good restaurants and Le Chalet Basque is equal to the tops. This was my first time and I shall return. read more

For the late spring, summer and early fall - a very cute place, especially if you eat outdoors. We were served by a sweet waitress. The food was good homestyle food... felt really down home European. I enjoyed eating on the patio where it was sunny and warm. I give it three stars rather than four because I don't think I would like to eat inside, as the ambiance is darker, close, older decor, and kind of plain. Prices do not correlate with that ambiance in my perspective. read more

I entertained friends here last night and both the food and service were excellent. Chalet Basque serves full dinners; the soup was a curried split pea soup and very good. Salad wasn't imaginative--just greens and a tomato wedge--but the ingredients were fresh and the dressing was tasty. Two guests had lamb stew they said was extremely good, and another guest had a lamb shank, also excellent. I had fish--rock cod with a combination Béarnaise--tomato sauce, and it was 5 star superb. The fish portion was generous, perfectly cooked, and the sauce was a prize winner. Dinners are served with fresh bread including garlic bread--a nice touch--and dessert. I had mango sherbet which was flavorful and refreshing. Our house red wine was good. Service was cordial and attentive, and prices are quite reasonable for an overall superb dining experience. read more

The French onion soup was delicious and not too salty like most places. My fiance liked his pate. The chicken cordon bleu has an amazing croutons crust. The potato gratin was yummy. My rack of lamb was very red for "medium". Overall I thought it was a great value since entrees all come with a soup and salad and you can add pate and dessert for $5. read more

I have this love hate relationship with Yelp. Only because I am a General Manager at a Juice Bar in Mill Valley and I have found that more people tend to make posts about negative experiences rather than good ones. With that said, I decided to take the time to rant about the AMAZING experience I had with my boyfriend here.I did go on Yelp to find this place, but I picked it because it seemed to be a little hole in the wall place in the middle of no where, so I was intrigued. When I entered we were immediately greeted with a warm smile by Fernando. He showed us to a fine dining room; my boyfriend and I were not dressed for the occasion and there was just one big room with tables, so we decided to sit in the bar. Shortly after being sat Fernando came back and took drink orders for us. Once we were ready to order entrees we had a couple questions about the menu so we waited to pick our meals until we got more information. Once we asked our server about this we were sold right away. Our server was very knowledgeable about the restaurants dishes. I was amazed to be honest. I come from 15 years in the restaurant business so I like to think I know a little something about food. But no, this man blew Katie Lee out of the water with his knowledge about food. This man had impeccable timing with every single dish that came out from appetizers all the way to our dessert. He kept my drink full and also made sure my boy friend had his beer as well. The food came out and it was amazing. My steak was cooked to perfection and so was the duck that we got as well. I give this place a huge thumbs up and I say give this place a try.I will say its more of a fine dining place. For those people who have a love hate relationship with yelp, try and just give a place a try for yourself, not every place you visit is for everyone but it might fit you just right. read more

Great location--even better food. Service was excellent: we had a group of 13 plus we needed a high chair accomodation. They had our table ready to go and no errors throughout the night. Everyone in the party loved the food (It was 3 courses of fine dining, let me tell you). Overall would recommend to anyone traveling through the area. read more