I love this place. The margaritas are strong and flavorful. The chips are very salting but as long as the margaritas keep coming who can complain. Any night of the week you will find it packed with locals. The food is good too. I love the Friday roast leg of lamb special. read more

Anyone who gave this more than 3 stars is being generous, I am giving them the 3rd star because it was opening night but seriously; greasy taco's, small plates and bad bar tending. And how is it that you can give a star rating before it opens? I speak to all People of the Ross Valley. Are you that desperate for a Bar / Restaurant combination? Get out of your SUV; Approve the BART expantion and go the San Francisco. The marinia is full of drinking and dining opertunities. Just because you open a restaurant near some of the richest people in the world doesn't mean you need to charge the prices they charge. Please, I am not above dropping $100 on my share of a meal, I only hope next time I do that, I am able to sit next to the rest of my group. read more

Excellent excellent food. I tend to avoid busy night spots, and sometimes this place really fills up so I can't speak to how it is on busy nights, there's probably gonna be times when service suffers as a result. All I can speak to is the quality of the food, which is fantastic. These folks fry their chips, which come out hot and crisp and tasty. They have three types of salsa, but you have to ask for the spicy kind (I recommend it, it's a tabasco-style smoked chili-de-arbol salsa, so good). The Salmon Tostarones with cactus are fantastic and the steak and chicken dishes are perfectly cooked. What blew me away was the Carnitas though. Tender but crisp, moist and flavorful served with fresh tortillas and tasty black beans. Simply sublime. Just bear in mind this place is popular and can get a little packed, so if you are a type who's gonna mind when service slows down because there's two hundred people in the place, you might wanna schedule your outing for a different night. read more

Really excellent carne asada tacos......I mean REALLY excellent quality meat cooked med rare etal. Guacamole and chorizo dip rock too. Best Mexican Food in Marin and well worth the price. read more

The food here is great and we've always had great service here. They've done a really good creating a safe environment while keeping the atmosphere of the restaurant. One of the best restaurants in marin county! read more

This is a wonderful restaurant and food is consistent, the bar is ideal for meeting friends and hanging out. It's perfect for family and first dates or date night, it's NOT fussy or pretentious. Very comfortable I live the vegan options and vegetarian plate it's AMAZING!!! The best in town hands down!! read more

I have a really hard time sitting down here, because everything about this place makes me want to get up and dance the friggin' merengue! I do, admittedly, have a huge love affair with Mexican food, but Marinitas brings it to a whole new level! First - the decor is like stepping onto a pirate ship on acid. I always find something new and fascinating to look at. And I don't know if the staff has to pass some sort of cuteness test to get hired or what, but they all seem to always have it going on. I've never once received sub-par service here. Now- the most important part... the MARGARITAS. Never too sweet, never too sour & SO MANY choices of tequila. I really envy the locals that are able to walk home from here. And of course - THE FOOD. Some of the best ceviche I've ever had, and the steak tacos are absolutely out of this world. I once asked the chef for the marinade recipe and he said, "just high quality steak and salt and pepper." WHAT?! I still don't believe him. They have a different special everyday of the week & my advice to you is to go on a Friday for the Sopa de Mariscos seafood soup. Its great to share as a starter. And don't forget to end with the Tres Leches cake. You will be in heaven. Promise. read more

This used to be one of our go-to restaurants in Marin for the following reasons: Delicious food: Consistently good and almost everything is gluten-free and tons of vegetarian options. Great Margaritas: Made with either agave or skinny! They also have a decent wine and beer selection and other mixed cocktails. Fun Atmosphere: TV's for sports, and lots of fun decor for kids (and adults) to admire. Good Service: consistently a pleasant experience with the friendly and attentive wait staff. ***Unfortunately, we have limited our trips to Maranitas recently, since finding out that they use almost zero organic meat or produce. This is really disappointing, especially given what they are charging for Mexican food. Maranitas is located in Marin, where there is no shortage of organic, locally raised meat or produce. read more

We've eaten at Marinitas several times and find the food to be very good, but expected considering prices. Fish tacos however don't beat the Taco Guys. The food is nicely presented, the drinks are excellent, but at the last couple of visits we found the service questionable. Two concerns: 1. Why do they clear tables like we are at Applebees? Our server cleared our table before all four of us were finished (which I've come to expect in Marin unfortunately), leaving one person with a plate full of food and 3 cleared places. But what bothered us the most was that she stood at our table stacking the plates one on top of the other, silverware sticking out every which way, ON THE TABLE, then leaned in and huffed the whole thing up. And that was after dropping a bill of over $100 at a table with only two cocktails. I expect better when I spend that kind of money. 2. And I'm wondering if there was a check average contest going on or a guacamole contest. We were served guacamole that we didn't order. Which we happily consumed, wondering whether it would show up on our check. When it did show up on our check, I mentioned that we hadn't ordered the guacamole, looking for an 'oh sorry, that was an error, let me take it off', to which I would have replied 'no, of course we will pay for it'. But what I got was a guilty look and our server scurried off to remove the item. I come from the front of house....this kind of service means staff is not being trained properly, or they just don't give a sh*t. Either way, fix it Marinitas. Your food deserves better. read more

Delicious food and great service! I love this place good for family and a great place for a girls night. The bar atmosphere is great and so are the Margarita! Yummy.... read more

Marinitas - Latin American Near Me - San Anselmo, California

This is certainly Marin style latin food with the prices to match. They have an interesting mix from Brazilian drinks to a more upscale take on Mexican cuisine. The ambiance is nice and the quality of the food is good. The downside is the quantity of food and alcohol in the drinks. Pretty much middle of the road in a region with so many good restaurants. read more

Marinitas - Latin American Near Me - San Anselmo, California

Read a lot of bad reviews of Marinitas on YELP and so was worried about how our meal may be with our two kids. Popped in at 6PM on a Sunday, with no reservation and was seated right away. It did get busier but didn't look over run. Maitre'd could do with being more friendly, may be she was having a bad day, but wait staff were great. Food we ordered was good and if as someone suggested the guacamole was no better than COSTCO i'd be visiting COSTCO more often. Margaritas are excellent. Kids menu has a nice touch, kids are provided a list of things to find in the restaurant without leaving their seat. Kept them engaged during our dinner. Worth a revisit and that would help us figure if we got lucky or some folks just don't like writing good reviews. read more

We went to Marinitas tonight - my second visit in two weeks. It exceeded my expectations once again. We had a fabulous dinner. We were indecisive and I know that can be frustrating for a restaurant - especially on a Saturday night. We were 3, then we were 8... they accomodated us in the bar at a large communal table where we indulged in multiple pitchers of the "especial" margaritas. Ashley, our server, was phenomenal. Dustin, the bartender, was once again spot on with our "especial" margaritas. This time we tried the crisy chicken tacos, the shrimp appetizers and the empanadas. Delicious. read more

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Great margaritas! Professional quick service, Delicious!

I love the atmosphere of this restaurant, with it's high ceilings, dim lighting, huge fire place, and very large dining area. Just full of class without the pretense. The margaritas and the tequilas flghts are the highlight of the place, in my opinion. The food is also very high quality and innovative, but not great of a selection...But who cares? The waitresses are all cutes and the tequila is flowing. This is a must stop if you are in the area! read more

Even though usually I'm not a fan of most authentic Mexican cuisine, Marinitas is fantastic. I cannot take a lot of spice, but there are always a few things on the menu I can enjoy. Friends who are really into spicy food love the spicy offerings. Really fresh ingredients and most of all, fantastic staff. I've always been greeted cordially by bartenders, servers, staffers alike and they are very community-oriented. While I kind of miss "Ted's," the place that was in that space for years, this "new school" eatery is a worthy successor. Visit and enjoy! read more

We came to Marinitas with a party of six and had a wonderful experience. Our server was very nice, attentive and good humored. The margaritas are good and they have an extensive selection of tequila. Their mojito however missed the mark. As for food the Saturday night special pork "tinga" is fabulous. Love, love the empanada! The fish tacos were okay; they are heavy on cabbage and light on the fish. Other stellar items are the Pescado Yucateco, little gem salad and Bistec Argentino. For dessert we tried the chocolate pot de creme and the tres leches cake. Both were good but we were not falling out of our seats. read more

Pretty decent all around. I had the Carne Asada tacos which were good - but nothing to write home about. We also had the cheese appetizer which was pretty yummy. The Margies were AMAZING but only because we ordered top shelf tequila which brought the pitchers to an overwhelming $50 a pop... Overpriced for what we got. read more

What a great spot! Yes, it was packed on a Friday night. It seems to be the hot spot in town right now. We had a cocktail in the bar area and then were seated in a lovely booth. I loved the fun, festive atmosphere. We had the shrimp appetizer (very good), the ceviche and guacamole as starters. I had the chicken enchiladas, which were delicious! After all our starters, I could only finish half. I thought the portion was very generous. Two of my friends had the lamb shank special, and another friend had a seafood entree. I can't remember which one. The lamb was tasty, and also a very generous portion. The prices seem very reasonable for the high quality of the food. I found everything very really delicious. It's funny how so many poor reviews have been posted. It certainly hasn't effected the clientele. People are flocking to Marinitas in droves. It is extremely popular. I look forward to many future visits. read more

LOVE this place for a dinner/drink night with my girlfriends. Some of the best margharitas around. The food is good especially the chicken tacos, fish tacos and the churros for dessert! The atmosphere is awesome - dim lighting, high ceilings and lots of space. The happy hour is good - $4 drinks and margharitas, but keep in mind you have to sit at the bar to get those prices. read more

Margaritas are pretty yummy... i always order the "la casa" one and tastes pretty good to me even though my mexican friend says it tastes just like lemonade! I have only had appetizers, their chile relleno is AMAZING... not a real mexican chile relleno, but a nice high end twist to it.. it has almonds and it tastes like heaven :-) read more

Finally!!! GREAT tacos. I am very conservative with my stars, but this place earned every one...GREAT service, GREAT ambiance, GREAT cocktails and above all GREAT, GREAT tacos. I had the crispy chicken tacos, they were so good, went back the next night for the carne asada tacos with the Marinitas little gem salad, again DELICIOUS!!! For those that want authenticity go elsewhere; but if you want some great flavors -- with some great cocktails, then head on over! read more

Saw this place on "Check Please". It looked interesting and the food looked good. It was an hour'S drive for us on a Sunday morning, but well worth it. After ordering a "do it yourself" Bloody Mary, at a great price, $4.00 and it was an honest drink, we ordered from the brunch menu. I had the Mexican French Toast, a very generous portion with a side of bacon, and my wife had the Huevos Rancheros, a hearty dish of tortillas, black beans, mole with two fried eggs, guacamole and salsa. Outstanding. Oops, almost forgot the chips and salsas to start. Don't overlook the chips and salsa. Both dishes were were excellent and not your typical Tex-Mex fare. The regular menu had a number of other dishes that we will go back to try. Thumbs up all around. This place earned all five stars and we will be back with friends. read more

Marinitas was always the place that I would reccomend that people from out of town should grab a bite. (I worked at a popular department store near by) but after my meal today I can't ever again. The ceviche was fishy and rubbery, my enchilada was actual rubber. I just dont know what has happened to such a gem. read more

two adults, two alcoholic cocktails, two apps, $46.00 before tip... no doubt it would have been much closer to $100 before tip had we chosen to continue to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, for our entrees to arrive, instead we passed, and headed over to good earth to finish our meals.... i'm still scratching my head over the very odd experience... a cavernous dining room with only 5 or so tables occupied at 7pm, kids under 10-years-old seemed to outnumber adults (do they have a great kiddie menu mariners take advantage of?)... yet the second time we asked our waitress about the eta of our food she apologized and added "our kitchen is really backed up"... come again? say what? the dining room was 1/5 filled at the most, it was deadsville, yet the kitchen was "backed up"? thank goodness we didn't come on a night when it was half filled or we may have never received our apps! in fairness it did seem that they were doing a decent bar business, yet i still can't square how an almost empty dining room should suffer because of it, surely this place should be able to handle both bar and dining patrons? anyway, i place some of the blame on myself - i typically look at an eatery's recent yelp reviews but i dropped the ball this time around, instead i just saw their 3.5 star rating and, as unspectacular a rating as it was, thought "what the heck, we're close, let's give it a try."... had i paid closer attention i would have seen that this place actually boasts a 2.5 star rating since november, 15 reviews, of which 10 are 2-star or worse... that's the experience we got. such a great location, such a great looking interior/exterior, plenty of front of the house staff (hostess, food runners, bussers, waitstaff, bartenders), but lousy service, an awkward and overly creative latin/mexican menu, and ridiculous prices. they should just fill the dining room with pool tables again (remember ted's?), and keep their bar operation - it would jive much better with all of the tvs and projector screens they've crammed into the joint, just make it an upscale pool hall and be done with it. read more

Went back for a 3rd time, still lovin it! The second time the service blew, but I am not gonna hate because of that, the food was awesome and it gave my friend and I time to catch up. I would have liked to get the drinks I had ordered though. 3rd time, service was great! Food was great! Atmosphere was great! I am a fan, it's different than any place we have in Marin. read more

Went back to Marinitas last night for the first time since my last horrible experience there. Service was MUCH better and attentive. Had the heirloom tomato salad which was pretty darn good, and my friend had the chicken tacos, which she loved (and she's as picky as I am). On the hole, a great dining experience last night, and our server was excellent. I will say, I'm glad we came here for "girls night out" last night, but I guess I'm still irritated about the last time we were there (ok, I hold grudges, so what?) Even though everything was great this time, I still have reservations about going there and getting rude service and crappy food. If I have to choose between Marinitas and Taco Janes, I will still pick Taco Janes all the way. read more

We had dinner here last night, a group of us. The food was actually pretty good, and so were pitchers (and pitchers and pitchers) of margaritas. if i was basing this review on food, drinks, ambiance and for me, location I would have given it a 4. But i really wasnt a fan of our service. Our waitress completely rubbed me the wrong way - and she was very awkward. Just weird. I had the carne asada tacos - very good. The steak was delicious, the tortillas were yummy and the sauteed onions made it perfect. Mmmm, and dessert! Tres leches cake, all the way! read more

Love this restaurant. They are doing such a great job during these very difficult times. I have such a respect for how wonderful the food is and quick the pick up time for it is. The hostess Catherine is such a sweet girl and is very professional in making sure your orders are completed correctly. read more

I have no idea why this place only has 3.5 stars! Marinitas is absolutely delicious! All the ingredients are fresh and everything is made to order. Even their salsas are homemade. If you ask for tabasco you won't get it in a glass bottle, you'll get their homemade tabasco. The queso fundido and camarones con chipotle are my favorite appetizers. Best Fish Tacos hands down! The crispy chicken tacos are to die for. My bf is latin and says that the crispy chicken tacos remind him of home and what his mother makes. The margaritas are fantastic- again everything is squeezed right there and made fresh daily- nothing from a plastic bottle from BevMo. When they have the seasonal Blood Orange or Prickly Pear those are my go to! When they don't have those flavors I love the Supremo Margarita! I just made my mouth water thinking about it. Be sure to try their tres leches- best I've ever had! Yummy! I guess we are going there for dinner tonight because now I won't stop thinking about it until I get my fix. read more

In a nutshell: Good atmosphere, good margaritas, no pork, no seasoning. And how nice was it to dine out in Marin and not have children around! Tuesday night at 7 and the place was packed. Short wait for a four top. Good margaritas at the bar. Someone should card the bartender, he's just a baby... The chip dips are mild. Started with the ceviche sampler. Only the adobo had any real flavor. The other two were plain. The fish taco plate was plain. The chicken enchillada plate was quite good. The bistec taco plate was cooked perfectly. The sauce was put onto the tortilla then the meat added to the tortilla meaning that you didn't get much flavor. The chile chocolate cake had nice texture but no chile taste. One of our dining companions loves it spicy and asked the very nice waitress to help out. She brought out the house made tabasco which only tasted of vinegar. So there you have it, good ambience, good drinks, mediocre food. Someone needs to let the cooks open up the spice jars. read more

Wow! I am surprised at some of the scathing reviews...place is not perfect but we had a pretty good experience last night. Food: The margeritas were good, but small. However, several of the food items were delish. We had a salad with pumpkin seeds and a lime dressing that was wonderful. We then shared the fish tacos at the servers recommendation and also had a slice of the AMAZING tres leches cake. The cake was moist, sweet and very smooth and was a great dessert to share. Service: Our server was good. She made some solid food recommendations and came around often on a busy night to check in with us. Overall: Little pricey, ask for the server's faves...and have that tres leches cake! :-) read more

Marinitas is so-so. It's not stellar, but it doesn't suck either. Do make a reservation because, as another poster pointed out, it often is "the only place with a pulse" in San Anselmo. The tables are extremely close together on the main dining floor, so if you want to be able to have a conversation, request a booth. The majority of their menu is standard south-of-the-border stuff (and yes it's silly that they charge extra for beans and rice because beans and rice are... well, cheap) but a few highlights: - Marinitas little gems salad. Super delicious and fresh way to start a meal. - Plato vegetariano. Surprisingly creative dish with a grilled corn and qeso-stuffed relleno, chipotle butternut squash, quinoa, and chard with raja crema. - Tres leche cake. Read other reviews, it's good! The guacamole and chicken with mole poblano were o.k., but the chicken was wanting a few other spices outside of salt. Service is equally o.k. The full bar is great, as most area restaurants only have wine and beer, but it does seem to have a weak pour on the cocktails. So, maybe a little over-hyped but certainly not a disappointment. read more

I can't believe I forgot to mention TACO TUESDAYS in my review!! $3 Tacos from 3-6 and 9-Close $5 Margaritas all night Music (starting at 8pm) with DJ Von all through the month of October!! read more

The fish tacos are by far the best in Marin, the prices are reasonable, and they have a nice selection of cocktails, as well as wines by the glass. Downsides are it can get quite loud on a busy night and there always seems to be a plethora of children running around unattended, or jumping on the banquette, on almost every visit. I mean, I like cute kids but sometimes you just want to have a proper dinner and not be bounced around on your booth by someone else's squirmy child. All in all though the staff is attentive and knowledgeable, they have a great selection of gluten-free, and the prices are reasonable for good quality food. I'm a fan! read more

I come here all the time with my parents and I really do like it. however i came here with my friend who is 20 ( i am 18) and we were standing at the hostess table for nearly 2 minutes while the hostess was finishing a leisurely conversation with her co worker before we were greeted. We asked for a table for two and she immediately said it would be a 45 minute wait without even checking the computer or anything. I walked outside and signed on to yelp and was able to make a reservation for 10 minutes later. Overall I am very disappointed that we were discriminated against for being young adults wanting to dine here. They missed out big time, we wanted to have a nice dinner then bring home food for the rest of my 5 person family. read more

This place is so good!!! I love that the menu has a great variety of choices and the drink menu is awesome as well! The bloody Mary's here are to perfection! Great food! great service! Can't wait to come back again! read more

it was amazing!! the staff were great and the food was amazing :D i suggest the vegan tacos!!

Couple of things in reading these other reviews: 1. If you are comparing this place to Mi Pueblo or any other Taqueria, you are missing the boat. They are not trying to compete with this type of food or experience. Yes you can get a $6 burrito from next door, but they are not carrying the rent, overhead, and reconstruction costs that Marinitas is. They also do not provide the ambience. 2. The place has been open two weeks. It will take a while to get it running smoothly - give them a break. read more

I want to like Marinitas more than I do. The location is great and Marin really needs more great restaurants with good bars. Have been 3 times for lunch, once for dinner and twice for drinks. Certainly, the core strength here is cocktails. They have been pretty uniformly good - but overpriced. I love the queso fundido, which is heart-stopping but delicious. Other starters are OK. Salads are pretty good. Entrees are a bit hit-or-miss. Loved the ceviche the first time I had it and I keep ordering it, hoping to enjoy it again but either the kitchen has slipped over time, or the quality of the fish has gone down. Overall, food is OK, just not great. Service is uneven - at times (usually lunch) it can be quite good. But service in the bar has been less-attentive. read more