My date and I were full from a great meal in Sausalito, but being too early to call it a night, we decided to head here for wine and desserts. Our server was clearly annoyed at our lack of ordering between 8:30 and 9pm. The restaurant was full and we didn't take up much space at a stool at a community table, but we disappointed the waiter nonetheless. The wine and profiteroles were good and the dessert wine also decent, but our server brought us down. This is San Rafael. We're a pretty down to earth, easy-going city. Perhaps our server was happier in France. read more

Very disappointed with this place after a few tries. The onion soup is quite good, as is the ravioli, but the meals have been very inconsistent. I have had medium rare be interpreted as a purple (cool) steak with slight searing and the wine reduction is simply bland. My wife and I were here recently, and upon realizing we hadn't been served for quite a while (apparently our waiter was also the owner) we observed him messing with a bottle of wine with a stuck cork for a good 15 minutes. He served the wine, cork bits and all, through a strainer to the guests who ordered it. Must have been some bottle of wine! Afterward we were promptly ignored for a further 10-15 minutes by which time we were fed up and left. Might be teething issues for a new place, might be something else, but we won't be going back. read more

How soon can I get back here for another dinner? So much more to try! The escargot beignet app was off-the-hook delicious. I had never put "escargot" and "beignet" together, either in my mind, or in reality, but Wow. Ravioli entree similarly plate-licking orgasmic. A cheese plate between courses that required the owner to intervene because it wasn't on the menu, only in the petit deli next door, but the creamiest semi-aged goat ever (Tome D'Adrienne -- thanks, Janis!). I'd take half a star off for the pedestrian salmon entree, but honestly, I'm so *frisson*ed to get actual French bistro food in San Friggin Rafael that I'll quietly overlook it and choose otherwise next time. Which will be soon, oui? Have I already said I'm coming back soon? UPDATE 7/17: I'm coming back down to earth after more recent visits. The above dishes continue to impress, but the mussels in white wine were unimpressive, as were the frog legs. "Le blush is off la rose!" 4 stars maximum. read more

First French restaurant in San Rafael with an amazing wine list, cheese selection, variety of French goods in the store next door with delicious food plates. The manager was great and took us around the restaurant, he made us feel very special. read more

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I was curious to try the new French Restaurant in San Rafael. Had a 6:15 reservation on a Thursday and 15 minutes later it was packed! Husband and I shared a Gem Lettuce salad - very good but a (minor) complaint. It was served in small bowls so it was difficult to cut the leaves, and that was a necessity. We shared the grilled flat iron steak with green pepper sauce and frites and a spice crusted salmon. Both were cooked as requested. When the steak and frites was placed before my husband he inhaled deeply, then pretty much inhaled the frites. Since we were sharing I had to remind him to please save me a few. The steak had a lot of flavor and the sauce, oh, the sauce - yum. The salmon is similar to the way I cook it but, um, better especially since I didn't have to cook it. There was a nice (not too) spicy crust and the asparagus were delicious. We also had a really nice Tempranillo from Paso Robles. Can't recall the name of the winery. We also had an order of profiterole and it was a great way to end the meal. Welcome to San Rafael, Le Comptoir, I think we're going to get along really well. read more

Britt causes merry mayhem with cheese a great night a lovely place with great staff ,the best restaurant in MARIN county by far read more

Le Comptoir - French Near Me - San Rafael, California

Let's just say very disappointed. Service was confused and did not know the menu or the specials that evening. Food average. Everything seemed prepared ahead of time and thrown together. read more

I'm so glad there's a restaurant of this quality in San Rafael. Every dish our table of four had was very good and the service was impeccable. The setting is casual yet trendy, with red accent colors behind the wine bar. The high ceilings and use of wood do make the noise level somewhat loud when the restaurant is full. I particularly enjoyed the escargot, heirloom tomato, and liver pate appetizers. I had the grilled flat iron steak. I ordered it medium rare, but the steak I received I would have called rare, which luckily was fine with me also. The fries were delicious and the flavors of the steak very good. One of my table mates had the duck breast special with fresh peaches, which was delicious, definitely the standout dish of the night. I will be back to try future specials. read more

It was mediocre. The meat was tough. I asked for medium and it came out blue. I sent it back and it came out still blue.

This was probably one of the most memorable and delicious meals that I have had in Marin. I have always thought that Marin really is lacking in the dining scene. Le Camptoir is a fabulous surprise and will surely become a staple for us. We tried the beef cheeks bourguignon (incredible), pork tenderloin with cabbage, haricots verts, and frites. Accompanied by a delicious rose, this was a fabulous and very reasonably priced meal. We will be back very soon! read more

Frustrated that this restaurant has so much going for it but for the execution of the food. The chicken was dry and over cooked the mussles were slammed with an over abundance of raw garlic. Yet the ambiance was pleasant and the wait staff was impressive. Someone really needs to check the food at the pass before it goes out to the table. This restaurant is close but without maintaining control of the final product I don't see myself going again. read more

I've been to Le Comptoir approx. nine times since it opened in April 2016. Of these nine dinners, eight were superior (the ninth didn't measure up only because I asked that the sauce be held due to a food allergy - I probably should have ordered another entree). The hors d'oeuvres and entrees are generally excellent, the wines are fine and the desserts delicious. read more

I went here with my son. The atmosphere was casual but elegant. The service was attentive. He had a burger and I had the roast chicken. The mushroom sauce with the roast chicken is amazing. We both had left overs. I made two more meals out of the leftovers so the portions are large. For dessert we had sorbet. We enjoyed our meal and will likes be back. read more

Excellent, great atmosphere and the limited menu was right on. Excellent wine, the waiter from Venezuela was professional and very personal Will return when in town read more

Went to dinner on Saturday evening. I don't have much nice to say. My party of four ordered 4 different entrees, pork tenderloins, lamb, rotisserie chicken and hanger steak. Chicken was BEYOND dry with no aujus and the potatoes were hours old. Steak was overly sauced with a bordelaise that was tasteless and watery. The lamb was really rare even though it was ordered medium over an entire plate of green beans. The pork tenderloin was not sliced, it was hacked and overly smothered in some tomato thing, it was to be served with corn that barely made an appearance. read more

Let me start off by saying this is by far the WORST experience I've ever had at any restaurant. Having grown up and worked in the industry it was a disgrace to the dinning experience and if I could give negative stars I would. Last night my friend and I went out for dinner here and from the beginning it was a bad experience. We were sat and given menus by the hostess and then were left sitting to wait for 20 minutes before our server even greeted us. Note, we were his only table. The restaurant only had one other table, a party of 5 or 6, and they had paid and we're leaving when we were seated. So it was really just the two of us. When our sever finally came over to our table we ordered several dishes and not being very picky told him we didn't need it in any particular order he could do what was easiest for him. The food itself was rather good. Until the escargot came. We each took a bite and agreed that the flavor wasn't right, so we politely sent it back and told our server " the flavor just isn't right can you take it back to the kitchen, everything else is perfect." The hostess, who I'm also assuming is the manager quickly came over and snapped " what was wrong with the escargot!?" We looked at each other in shock and calmly explained it was the flavor that wasn't right to us. She didn't acknowledge what we said, instead she quickly turned and walked away. We waited a while at our table after finishing eating with our server paying little to no attention to us we sat for another 20 minutes just wanting our leftovers boxed up and our check. We finally got our check and noticed they charged us for the escargot. My friend politely pointed it out to the hostess who replied saying " I'm not taking something off your bill just because you didn't like it. Are you not going to pay it. Is this going to be a problem?" I looked at the hostess and told her it was fine we'd pay for the escargot on the bill, but that the situation was handled poorly. She walked away not wanting to listen. We paid and we're still waiting for our boxed leftovers to come back to the table. When we finally received our leftovers we left and both agreed to never go back. Then today my friend texted me letting me know that when she opened her leftovers today it was mixed in with the escargot we had set back to the kitchen. Meaning they had it sit in the kitchen after we'd sent it back and waited until we got the rest of our food to go just to mix it in with our leftover food. I hope the owner reads this. Like I said in the beginning, the whole ordeal was a disgrace to the dinning experience! We will never come back! read more

Due to the pandemic, it had been a while since we dined at Le Comptoir. It was always a favorite of ours in San Rafael, especially since moving from San Francisco to the burbs a few years ago. Last night, we just happened to pop in to our old haunt, and we are SO happy we did! The hostess has been replaced by Stefan, the owner/operator; the waitress has been replaced by Stefan; the menus are replaced by Stefan describing what fresh concoctions he has for the day, either a la carte or tasting menu....so you get the idea, you feel like you are in his home and he is taking care of your every need. Even down to the wine, thanks to his extensive collection of French varietals in the adjacent shop, he is ready to surprise you with a glass of red or white you didn't know of but now love. For dinner we ordered a la carte: the green salade, wild trout tartare, halibut on a parsnip puree, and the hanger steak avec fingerlings et aioli. Everything was served, seasoned, and cooked to perfection; I closed my eyes with every bite, savoring the moment! The intoxicating smell of creme brulee wafted through the dining room and it was too tempting to not indulge....the perfect ending to a perfect meal. I cannot wait to go back. Probably weekly. A bientot! read more

Quite disappointing. Food "so so", service "they tried but not trained (properly in my opinion)"... The waiter would reach across the table rather than walk behind and serve correctly. I didn't want to smell his smelly armpit as he reached across the table to serve my wife. The person who poured the wine turned the bottle upside down to get the last drop. Crazy... all of the sediment goes in the glass. Basic basic basic... at $56 a bottle I'm sure he meant well but.... (the wine should have been $25 a bottle, a very ho hum "vin d'table" (in my opinion)). Very overpriced for what we had (in my opinion). There are so many excellent restaurants in San Rafael and the Bay Area. Sorry "Thumbs down" (in my opinion). Legal disclaimer (as businesses are trying to sue "Yelpers" who give honest opinions and don't give 10 out of 10... ).This is my humble opinion only and does not reflect the opinion of anyone else. read more

This is one of the best restaurants in San Rafael. Highly recommend them for their delicious food and friendly service. The atmosphere has a certain rustic charm. From the menu, I especially recommend the French onion soup gratinée and the raviolis. Their rotisserie options are also great and prepared right in front of you. Make sure to ask about portion sizes though, they're quite generous in some cases. The owner and all the staff are very friendly and helpful. read more

This review is for the adorable French grocery store there. I came for the limonade sodas and stayed for the cheese and baguettes (cutely wrapped in paper)! I'm a big fan of bleu cheeses and the nice lady there gave me a mini cheese tasting. I came home with a couple of new favorites! Will be back for the unusual selection of compotes and jams. They have some floral ones - rose and violets - that caught my eye! I also want to take another look at the boxed cookies. My pantry needs more cookies. I'm not a real grownup so their huge shelf of fancy wines was overlooked but if you're into that sort of thing definitely check it out. It looks impressive. read more

Date night at new French Marin restaurant was fun! Best parts: Food (mussels were yummy), Service (friendly and good wine recommendations) So-so parts: they screwed up on our reservation and we weren't able to sit at a lower table and had to sit on the stools which ended up being fun. It was a cold rainy night and at the stools, I was cold because the section is surrounded by windows. Really nice staff. Incredible food and wine. Modern and chic but chilly (temperature) environment. read more

Stumbled into this French restaurant a few days ago while walking down on 4th street. So pleasantly surprised with the ambiance, delicious food and beverages.must try!!! It took me a while to remember the name so I can recommend it to friends read more

This is a great elegant restaurant for a date-night or special occasion. They have a great selection of delicious foods with a large wine list, and my personal favorites include a good white wine with their rotisary chicken. PLUS their deserts are ammmaaaazing. read more

My wife and I had a delightful experience at Le Comptoir recently. The food, atmosphere and service were all exceptional. Our waiter, Able and all the staff were attentive and fun. We shared a Little Gem Salad tossed with meyer lemon vinaigrette, croutons and shaved tome cheese which was bright and crisp. The salmon, pea shoots and quinoa were perfectly prepared. The slow braised lamb shank confit with citrus and honey served with a white bean and tomato ragout was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the flavors infused in the lamb and ragout were amazing. Sticky toffee pudding for dessert capped the evening. I met the co-owner, Stephen Bouillez. He expressed what the restaurant means to him and his staff, they want to create a venue to eat, drink and enjoy life. Joie de vivre! And that is what we experienced on our first, but by no means our last, experience at Le Comptoir. (Note: we live two and a half hours away. We will make the drive to enjoy Le Comptoir again.) read more

We went back again tonight. I still love this restaurant, but it would've been more polite of them to return my phone call when I called to see if we could get a table for the evening. My husband was about to have knee surgery which I explained so I wouldn't have wanted him to be standing around. That was a little disappointing. But the food is outstanding so I forgive you. read more

Le Comptoir - French Near Me - San Rafael, California

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We loved dining in this small, friendly restaurant near the San Rafael movie theatre. Their small menu covers the bases of food choices and most importantly, the preparation and service is SUPERB! read more

We've been here three times and I'm giving it a 4 to honor the two fives and today's 3. They no longer have the house-baked bread with the crusty crust, finished in the pizza oven, slightly charred with a soft center and a tantalizing smokiness throughout. Instead there was creditable but not memorable chunks of cold baguette slices with a chewy crust. We were also disappointed that the escargots had been taken off the menu. The waitress informed us that the menu had just recently been revised, and escargots were substituted with sweetbreads. Oh, well. As an appetizer we shared the chicken and duck liver mousse, served minimally with tiny cornichons, a few sprigs of some sort of green - maybe baby bok choy - and the slimmest, tiniest crostini. Also a couple of tiny, pickled pearl onions, and a handful of green grapes. The mousse was thick and could have used sturdier crostini - these broke while attempting to cudgel a bit of mousse - but otherwise the dish was good. My duck was perfect - spongy and sweet, resting on a farro bed with almonds, chard and "ossau iraty" cheese. This whole affair was surrounded by a moat of very sweet pomegranate gastrique. French sauces derive their sweetness from several sources. There can be caramelized vegetables like onions and shallots, fresh or cooked fruit, wine or spirits, and the breakdown of starches with heat. This sauce tasted like added sugar. It would have been great on pancakes. And to make matters worse, part of the farro had slipped while plating or carrying so that it was sopped in the sauce. The hub did not complain of his grilled flat-iron steak. It was on the rare side of medium rare, as he prefers. The frites were skinny and crisp. I didn't care for the herbed flavor. French fries are perfect with nothing but salt. Or- quelle folie Americaine- ketchup! Sorry, Frenchies. Our waitress Britt was attentive, well-informed, and friendly. We declined dessert as we were full, and no wine because driving and reading (not at the same time.) read more

After eating at this restaurant twice, I would say that the atmosphere is lively, the service is sub-par, and the food is fine. The bustling pace and fun decor were great. However, both times I was here, my server was rude and too busy to attend to our table's needs (different server each time). When one of us wanted ketchup on the side to go with his burger, the server actually scoffed and said that the chef would not allow it, then she brought the ketchup and put it on the table sneakily like she was doing us a big favor. I mean, this is suburbia and you're pronouncing the French wrong, so hold the attitude! Despite relatively early reservations each time (6pm), every step of the meal seemed to take forever. read more

Love the food, HATE the uncomfortable & cold metal chairs! Can't go back and sit on those awful things, and I'm average size. Please consider changing at least some of the chairs for those of us who are over 40 and can't handle the metal ones. read more

Oh how I wish we had a place like this in the East Bay. I've loved the sister restaurant in SF (Gamine) for a while, and this is just as good if not better. Its casual, and laid back but the food is the quality and uniqueness you'd expect from a much 'foofier' place. Its French food and wine as it should be done. Great taste and atmosphere that transports you to a side street in Nice or Paris where you can escape for an evening. read more

Last Tuesday night a friend and I went to Le Comptoir for dinner, which I've wanted to do ever since I saw it packed with people on an Art Friday. We were seriously disappointed. Instead of being seated at an empty table in the middle of the restaurant, we were seated next to another couple of diners, invading their privacy unnecessarily. We should have asked immediately to be moved. My friend ordered petrale, which she reported as lukewarm, accompanied by butternut squash puree, which she described as "ice cold." My grilled duck breast was not grilled, and undercooked even though I'd specified "medium rare." There was no chard on the dish, since it had been included in the farro pilaf rather than piled on the plate. Not much food for $26! The butter accompanying the bread had a clean, fresh taste, but the bread was flabby and undistinguished. I think it's inexcusable to have less than excellent bread in the Bay Area. I will not go to Le Comptoir again. There are so many good restaurants in San Rafael, even right there on 4th Street. I'd rather have a good pizza at Amici than mediocre "French" food at Le Comptoir. read more

We recently celebrated a family birthday and Stephan was very open to making the sauce au poivre vert creme and the frites to be picked up. He's very easy to work with and very accommodating. Everything was great and thoroughly enjoyed by all. We also picked up the spicy lamb sausage from the freezer section and that is delicious as well! Thank you, Stephan and team. The entire family is excited to have a new place to remind us of our days living in Europe. Merci beaucoup! A bientot! read more

Stephan is Awesome.. Food is great and servers too.. Pls try Bonneau Chard and Pinot My Fav with Chicken read more

Staff very friendly and welcoming; however the food has much to be desired. Endive salad had little if any dressing, although it had a nice presentation. Bone marrow had very little marrow, despite the breadcrumb and mustard crust it had zero flavor. Metal chairs were cold and uncomfortable. read more

The food was good but SO SALTY. It was disappointing because that's all I could taste. I couldn't eat the soup, had trouble eating the whole salad and did eat the veal picata because it was so good but still too salty. I rarely write reviews but wanted to forewarn anyone who needs to monitor their sodium intake. The chef needs to reevaluate his recipes. I will not return, despite the charming ambiance and good service, because of the salty food. read more

The food is good with a nice selection of wines. The host and hostess and manager are rude though, so it will be last on my list of dining choices. I gave them 3 tries.. read more

By far the best thing to happen to downtown San Rafael since the renovation of the theater 20 years ago. Great service, great wine list, great menu. The escargot is heaven and the charcuerie/cheese plate is fantastic. Love that the "gift shop" is open next door and you can even buy a bottle there and bring into the restaurant sans corkage fee. Whether for a full meal or just drinks and apps, je t'aime Le Comptoir! read more

Great addition to San Rafael! This is been our date night go to every couple weeks now. Fantastic food, excellent wine selection, and amazing staff! read more

OK this is not really about the restaurant although it is also very good. This is about the little French Store they have attached to the restaurant. Several things I like about this store, the cheese is amazing. A beautiful display of French Cheeses in a large special cooling locker with large glass windows so you can ooh and ahh at them. The next is Duck Fat. If you like to cook beef there is nothing like cooking them in Duck Fat. The last and the best is in their freezer. Inside you will find all sorts of goodies but the best is their BUTTER CROISSANTS. If you are like me you must be frustrated at the lack of good Croissants there are in Marin. Everywhere you go you have bakeries that sell what they call Croissants for $4.00 apiece. Now if they really were Croissants I might even put out the cash, but they are puffed up doe balls, no flaky crust, no buttery taste, and the shape of a blimp. At Le Comptoir you can buy a pack of Croissants frozen take them home and bake them yourself. Be sure you read the directions as we thought that they were mini Croissants but if you take the amount out of the package that you want to bake, leave them out overnight in a baking tray on baking paper, the next morning you will find that they have grown in size. Pre-heat the oven to 350, bake for 20 minutes and bang you have real French Croissants. Wonderful to finally get the real thing!!!! read more

Unbelievable! Worst French food I ever had. Tatar with not a hint of fresh fish taste- but a lot of pickle. I was thinking that in olden times the taste of rotten meat was overshadowed with spice). The mussels, an easy dish to prepare, was tainted with fatty smoked pork (which BTW I liked but was expecting mussels). Going to eat French food out should be a delightful evening out. This meal almost overshadowed the company. I would not recommend unless they obtain a true French chef. read more