Ideal restaurant experience. Nestled on the hill of Throckmorton and Sunnyside Avenues in downtown Mill Valley, the restaurant is in a brick complex built in the 40's and inspired by European architecture. So you get a small and intimate feel where seated outdoors (so pleasant) or indoors. They have live jazz style music playing. There's some shade in the mini courtyards outside seating but even if there's sun, they have portable patio umbrellas. Staff immediately brought out cushions and a water bowl for my fur babies; they were so sweet!! Bathrooms are clean . Oh and indoors is soooo cute. Rustic but cozy!! Happy hour is 4-6 pm at the "bar section" only, separate from the main restaurant. Go early as its first come first serve. I tried the crispy buffalo wings which was good. But the walla walla waffle chips with onion dip was phenomenal. Such deep rich flavor dip. I also tried the half dozen raw oysters; the accompanying sauce and lemon enhanced the flavor perfectly. My server Maya was so sweet and patient. She checked in at the appropriate times and frequency. Gave awesome recommendations and just had such a warm and happy demeanor. Julyssys (?) was so kind and hard working too! Overall I'm very pleased with my experience and look forward to returning!! Thank you! From Pumpernickel & Pierogi read more

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Omg how disappointing! Lighting is awful. Service was terrible. Took 20 minutes to get a drink at the table. Food was ok. Would never go back! read more

Definitely happy with the service and out come The girls loved it. Mama approved. Look forward to going back read more

My god, their new chef Sylvan is genuinely so good. He constantly changes the menu and keeps you on your toes. I have never continuously gotten hungrier throughout my meal. Their sommelier/Kevin recommended us one of the best wines I have ever had. Every bite was pure heaven and the host and waiters were extremely kind. You will be licking the plate. Ambiance is cozy, elegant, and charming. It's like a little getaway and perfect date Night, meeting with friends, or a family meal. Butternut squash ravioli: 5/5 perfectly melted in your mouth. I would describe it close to a soup dumpling. The flavors meshed perfectly and every bite was heaven. Miso cod: 5/5 perfectly light and fluffy, perfect level of umami without overpowering the miso taste. Perfectly complemented with the brocollini. Very healthy and light fish. Steak: 5/5 perfectly cooked with a 30 layer potato. Perfectly crunchy on top and soft and buttery on the inside. French onion dip: 5/5 extremely creamy and perfectly caramelizada onion dip. Potato chips were freshly baked to perfection. Best potato chip I have ever had. Crab cake: 5/5 sooo light and healthy and not overly fried like the rest of the places. The cucumber créame/slices are perfect company. Ceviche: 5/5 I loved the twist with the mango and the crunchy vegetables, the mini chips and sauce on the side were great. Desserts 5/5: I tried all 4, and all 4 will not disappoint. I will say my personal favorite was the chocolate lava cake but it is hard to chose from such a great selection. My family's opinion all varied because we could not decide. Dessert late: my entire family ordered one after we passed one around and tried it. Extremely delicious. If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Quality reminded me of a couple of Michelin stars I have been to. One in particular is PRESS. read more

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Cute happy hour spot! Great wine selections, fabulous margarita and I truly appreciate the willingness to adjust the sweetness level for those of us watching the sugar! read more

I had never been to Paseo & my daughter brought me here for my birthday. I'd walked through the charming bricks in downtown Mill Valley many times & had been curious about this place for some time. It's covered in vines & decked out in Bistro lights, ADORABLE! We sat outside to take advantage of this & I'd say that was our one mistake. Mill Valley being what it is went from comfortable with heat lamps to shiver cold. We were there an excessive amount of time though. The food was phenomenal. My daughter as I said was treating me & feeling very grown up. She had never made a reservation before & the restaurant was a surprise. But she wanted to order everything and prolong the experience. She did pretty well. We both ordered drinks, their housemade bread which is amazing, & small plates. The staff probably thought we were done at that point & came to clean up but that is when we ordered our main dishes. I got the steak while she got the cod. My steak was cooked to perfection & I loved the accompanied scalloped potatoes. Do not miss the mocha, the bread, the steak. Service was a bit slow, especially being that it was a Tuesday night but they made up for it in the end. read more

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So wanted to love this place. It's in the absolute best location. Aside from serving raw bacon which seems like a health code violation (more on that in a moment), the very expensive food was average. The flatbread dough tasted store bought with not enough salt in the dough. Tuna poke bites were fine; you could not really taste the fish though. That said, I got another order of them because my tuna burger was covered in sesame seeds and I asked for it to be done medium so they cooked it too quick and it was burnt, charred on the outside. Fries were under done so I had to send them back. As we speak my husband is feeling quite unwell after eating the hamburger, even though he sent it back because it came with RAW bacon. I mean, really, really raw. Not like Europe undercooked, but like raw. So he might be sick if they did not warm up the burger after the raw bacon was on there. The other weird thing is we asked to sit outside. They said the courtyard was full. Okay. Inside was pleasant enough, even thought it was a bit warm. After dinner we started walking toward the courtyard just to see it for maybe next time. The staff stopped us twice, asking what we were doing. We said we were going to look at the courtyard, which btw, leads to another exit on the street. They said there was a private event in the back. We asked if the courtyard was back there and they said yes. We walked toward it and it was completely empty. So we were interrogated by staff when we literally were just walking along a public part of the restaurant to see the courtyard. Did they not want us to find out they lied about it being full? I don't know what's going on here, but for these prices, they just have to do better read more

Duck breast was reasonably well cooked and pretty tasty with the sauce. Wish the skin was a bit crispier. The vegetables were a bit bitter and perhaps not really my type. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Duck breast - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Great service and fantastic food. Loved it here and would come back. I felt like we were in a secret hideaway on a rainy night. We wound our way through a bricked passageway and found the front door. We were offered seating in front of the fire though we ended up sitting next to it so we could enjoy a comfy cushioned booth. Our server was chatty, helpful and attentive. We also had our water topped off regularly. No rush to eat and everything tasted great. I'm a bread snob so I usually ask if the bread is good. I'm a novice baker at home so I'm always curious what restaurant bread turns out like. I tried the Parker rolls with two butters and they were absolutely worth it. They were portioned in tiny rolls so you could enjoy more of the butter and wouldn't fill up so much by pacing yourself. This is going to sound like the beginning of a joke or innuendo but I mean this sincerely: The rolls were hot and moist with a good crumb. The spouse had duck and I got a bite and it was sooo good. I wish I'd asked for more of hers. I had the butternut squash ravioli, which was a little sweet and had a lot of textures going on with things like pepitas. Didn't have a lot of sauce to speak of, which was actually refreshing. I enjoyed the textures without a heavy sauce. We also shared a salad. I forget what it was but it was great and we enjoyed it. For dessert, the spouse had the apple tartine. Normally I'm the one who ends up picking the dessert but I feel bad about that and the only answer is always chocolate. I didn't have room for dessert and the spouse did and this was a good choice. It had a nice crunchy layer, a perfect texture of apple and a nice little spot of ice cream to assemble into a perfect bite. And indeed I did have a bite. Thanks for the perfect experience on a quiet, rainy night. read more

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A lovely little restaurant in mill valley! We came here to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary. We had the entire back room which was such a great touch. It was an intimate atmosphere that allowed for a great time. All of the food was phenomenal. I had the salmon and it was cooked to perfection. My go to drink of the night was the spicy marg! A perfect combo of sweet and spicy. The service was great throughout the whole night. The servers were all very knowledgeable! I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

My sons and I made reservations for Paseo on Thanksgiving Day. I'll admit, I've always wanted to try it - back to when it was El Paseo. The charming cobblestone alleyway that it's tucked into has so much character! It was a prix fixe menu, priced at $95 per person. The long and short of it was that the food was solid, the service was professional, but the value felt a little lacking. We were seated in the room to the left of the entrance and the other tables in the room were a son and his elderly mother, a couple who seemed to spend most of the meal on their phones and three men who may have been family members, but they were dressed like business associates. I'm not usually sensitive to the other guests, but we were seated at a center table and the atmosphere was so quiet and subdued that it made me more aware of time passing and how everyone seemed sedate. The food quality was good. The sunchoke soup was flavorful and quite rich. The turkey was honestly one of the best, most flavorful turkey dinners I've ever tasted. Not a dry mouthful in the meal. (Amazingly and to their credit, it was just as good reheated the next day!) The pumpkin lasagna was good, though so rich I wouldn't have been able to make my way through it! And my other son was happy with the Beef Tenderloin. Our desserts were tasty as well. My only actual complaint is about the value. I realize the cost of turkey has increased and I fully grant that they knew what they were doing with their preparation of the meat. There was just... something a bit basic about everything - from the interior decor which was mostly white walls and a large mirror on one side of the room which reads "Paseo." It just didn't feel warm. The service was professional, but a bit cursory. I felt a bit bad for the server actually. It seems they either don't carry Sprite or 7Up or had run out, so they were offering guests a lemon flavored housemade beverage that didn't seem to fit the bill. Same with root beer requests which brought a recommendation to try the sarsaparilla. On the one hand, I'd like to give them another chance, perhaps on a non-holiday occasion, when I can taste their regular menu, but on the other hand, with as many choices as we have in the Bay Area, I'm not sure I'll make it back. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Thanksgiving Menu - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

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We love the ambience of this tucked away quiet restaurant -hidden for over 55 years! The food was average -our duck was just warm and had little flavor - the Caesar salad was wilted and had a disappointing dressing -the best were the scalloped potatoes - perfect. Our servers were very good and we enjoyed our night out in Mill Valley. read more

It's still a beautiful setting, but so sorry to say the food is not good right now. Maybe it's a different chef? There were a couple of good dishes, specifically the French fries, the citrus salad and the dessert, but the soup, tuna tartare, chicken, and Brussels sprouts were all somehow tasteless. Three people at the table requested salt, and we gradually realized why. I want Paseo to thrive, but the food will need to seriously improve for it to do so. read more

Amazing food. Amazing service and beautiful ambiance. Celebrated my wife's birthday today here. First time here and it was amazing! Thank you Paseo for a wonderful dinner. read more

Jewel of downtown Mill Valley! Enchanted passage way leads to this exceptional restaurant. Gorgeous, old world interior and whimsical court yards transport you to somewhere in Europe. Unique drinks and extensive wine selections can match beautifully with items on their menu. Enjoyed everything from the starter, especially the desserts were memorable! read more

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Great open space with plenty of room for our large group. Services was great, ambiance warm and welcoming. We all ordered something different and everyone enjoyed their meals. A standout for me was the Moroccan lamb skewers, tender and delicious read more

I ate at Paseo over 15 years ago when it was likely under different management. I remember enjoying it then, and I can say I definitely enjoyed it on my recent visit. It has such a charming, romantic ambiance. We sat on the patio and they had adequate heating. The service was good, the wine list is terrific and reasonably priced (plus they have special days with bottle deals), and the food is great. The Parker House rolls with two different butters are really good - all house made. The duck was phenomenal. The creme brûlée too. Can't wait to go back and try more dishes. Paseo is worth a trip to Marin for sure! read more

Phenomenal restaurant. Everything was exceptional. The ambience and staff is fabulous. Maia, was our server, she was so kind and welcoming. Highly recommend this gem of a restaurant. read more

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After following the career of the brilliant Chef Brandon, we were thrilled to hear he found his new home at Paseo. We got a reservation as soon as we could and were excited to experience the food and ambiance of the Chef's new restaurant in Mill Valley. Our dinner reservation was on a weekend close to their official opening, and we were seated promptly in the room in the back with the gorgeous copper fireplace. On first blush, the interior is warm and inviting, with an unmistakable California flair. I felt a little like I was transported to Carmel with the wonderful indoors/outdoors vibe to the courtyard and the bar across the walkway from the main restaurant. Alexandra was our server for the evening, and she was friendly, helpful, and attentive. We started with some non-alcoholic cocktails, I ordered the First Blush ($9) and he ordered the Cucumber Collins ($7). For our meals, he ordered the Market Greens Salad ($16) and the Llano Seco Pork Loin ($36), and I started with the Beet salad ($14) and the Local Rockfish ($30) for my entree. The drinks were beautifully prepared and super flavorful, and I appreciated them having a variety of fun non-alcoholic drink options. Our salads arrived and were gorgeously plated. My beet salad was absolutely packed with flavor and had a wonderful texture combo of crunchy and soft, with the salty/tart/sweet mix of beets over a cloud of local goat cheese. Hubby loved his salad as well, and we both remarked at the freshness of the pears alongside the toasty hazelnuts. The entrees were also beautiful to look at and smelled even better. My rockfish was perfectly cooked and was served with a dazzling saffron sauce. I completely admit, I asked Alexandra for a spoon, because I didn't want to lose a single drop of that sauce! Since I cook mostly plant-based at home, hubby was thrilled with his pork loin, which was cooked just the way he likes it, and was an ample portion. For dessert, we ordered the PB Mascarpone Crunch Bar ($14) and the Chocolate Indulgence ($14) and thought they were both amazing. I do have to say, the chocolate indulgence won out over the crunch bar, but they were both decadent, delicious, and beautifully made. Overall, we were really pleased with our dining experience at Paseo. Though we did not order off their cocktails or wine menu, we did note they had a great selection of local wines and mixed drinks, and their bar area was fun, vivacious, and modern. Huge kudos to Chef Brandon and the rest of the team at Paseo for hitting it out of the park with their gorgeous new restaurant home in Mill Valley! Wishing them all the best with Paseo, and we are looking forward to dining here again soon. read more

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What to order: Chocolate Lave Cake dessert TLDR; solid dishes but overpriced for standard fare I don't think any of us were blown away by our meals here, so it seemed expensive for an interchangeable experience. The venue is nice and was quiet and friendly enough to have conversations so we had a lovely time but were pretty shocked when the bill came especially since we didn't even all order alcohol. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Lamb 3-ways - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

What a charming and welcoming little brunch spot. Service is Once you go past the entrance and walk back, you will find the bar on the far right and dining entrance on the far left. With house made everything you will love every bite. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Crab Eggs Benedict - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

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I absolutely love this spot live music tonight on Thursday. Perfect place for jazzy vibes and live music. As a girl I always dreamed of getting married here read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Thursday night Jazz! - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

Great food and drink a must hit when in Mill Valley. It's an upscale vibe w/o the San Fran price tab - just loved it!

I decided to try Paseo again and it was much, much improved. Our server, Maya, was great - friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive - and set the tone for a great evening. We had the French Onion soup to start, which was perfect! So many restaurants make it super salty but it totally hit the spot. I had the NY steak, which was perfectly cooked, my sister had the scallops - so tender and flavorful, and my brother-in-law had the rigatoni, which tasted super fresh. It's still pretty expensive ($19 to add shrimp to a salad?) but with the improved service and food quality, it's worth it. We'll be back soon! read more

Went last night for our Anniversary and it was a big disappointment. Yes, the atmosphere is nice, we've been there before years ago, under different owners. Unfortunately the food was really bad -- cold and flavorless, not to mention overpriced. Won't go back. read more

We have been coming here for the last few years to celebrate our anniversary and each visit is top notch! We have been lucky enough to have Maya as our server each time and it feels like we are spending time with a friend. Maya's service is amazing and the food is delicious. We have been saving Paseo for our anniversary but have decided we need to visit more than 1 x a year because the food, service and ambience is so wonderful! We are looking forward to our next visit shortly. read more

Came on a Saturday night and was surprisingly easy to book a same day reservation online. I usually don't write reviews but the food here was too good to not leave one. Not only was every dish absolutely delicious but every item on each dish was thoughtfully and excellently crafted. We had the lamb chops, miso glazed salmon, and diver scallops. The scallops were perfectly melt in your mouth cooked, atop a decadent celery puree and even the charred fennel was not to be overlooked. The miso salmon was perfectly seasoned and probably the most tender salmon I've ever had, and I've had a lot. Make sure to get a Parker roll as well. read more

We had an absolutely wonderful experience at Paseo for our intimate wedding reception of 20 people! The food, atmosphere, and service were all incredible - and we look forward to coming back here every year for our anniversary. Huge shoutout to Kevin, Mya, Chef Sylvain, and Kip for going above and beyond to make our day perfect! Our guests arrived earlier than us for a cocktail hour, and they only had the best things to say about Kevin and his team and their amazing food. We are so grateful to the team at Paseo! Thank you for helping make our day so special that we can't shut up about it :) Pro tip: Get the chocolate fondant. I craved this days after our reception and couldn't find anything close to it! read more

I had the yellowtail for dinner, unfortunately I was very disappointed. It was way over cooked and tough, very chewy and hard to eat. The dish had barely any body to it, very sparse in the accompanying ingredients - they threw three string beans on top of the fish and covered the dish with an overly sweet raisin relish that didn't go well together. The only part of dinner I loved was the drink we ordered - Valley Fog. I highly recommend to have your dinner elsewhere and only come here to try the Valley Fog. read more

Paseo: A California Bistro - Menu - New American Near Me - Mill Valley, California

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Celebrated an anniversary with family in the private wine cellar room. Everything was lovely from start to finish. Wonderful experience.

Great attentive service. Delicious food and bustling yet quiet environment. Had appetizers and entree dishes and each was exquisite for our entire party. read more

Lovely restaurant situated in a long brick building that creates multiple dining spaces. We sat outside with our pup and the weather was perfect. We had brunch. Excellent waitstaff. We tried the pork belly Benedict and the croque madame. Both delicious. The Benedict in particular was outstanding. Good mimosa and coffee. We liked the experience but at $120 for two dishes and one drink and coffee we won't rush back. read more

Went here for a date. Perfect spot. Haven't been to such a good lunch place in a while. Food (5/5) Oaxacan Huevos Rancheros: (5/5) Egg was perfectly cooked. Probably some of the best Chorizo I've ever had. Super flavorful and crispy. Nice little kick of spice. Chicken Liver Parfait: (5/5) Punchy, flavorful dish. Very smooth with the toasted piece of bread. Must get appetizer. Miso Glazed Black Cod: (5/5) I've had a lot of miso cod, from lots of high end restaurants, but this was the best I've ever had. The miso embodied the words umami. Fish cooked just right, not overdone like most other places. Oysters were extremely fresh too. Atmosphere and service: (5/5) Water was filled literally every second I had a sip. Impeccable attention to detail and service. Eyes like hawks. read more

I LOVE this restaurant...what a culinary gem in Mill Valley. Peter and Maya sat me at a great table and they were both extremely knowledgeable with their wine list. I had both their Miyagi oysters and steak and eggs, paired with a Duckhorn Sauvy B and a nice red blend. Will definitely come back! read more

We had a quick dinner in the bar. The burger was very good as was the service.Cozy spot to meet someone for a drink and appetizers. Will try a full dinner soon. read more

Dined at Paseo recently with friends. We shared all things - and I'm glad we did because all things were delicious- my personal favorite was the Miso Salmon- it was perfection. So glad Paseo is revitalized with a beautiful menu that is fresh with a few nods to the past. Love this place for gathering with friends, or for a date night ( movie theatre is steps away) or for a special occasion! Cozy ambiance and impeccable, attentive service. I'll be back soon.... read more

Saturday night at Paseo was busy! We walked into the bar area, got lucky, snagged two seats at the bar and date night started. Our server/bartender Selvin made our experience! He shook up an amazing cocktail for my wife and made me one of the best old fashions I've ever had. The food was on point as well. The muscles were brought out steaming hot and full of flavor! And the homemade rigatoni was delicious. I definitely recommend Paseo for a date night or any night! Go to the bar and find my friend Selvin! read more

I ate here a couple weeks ago. Shelly (hopefully I didn't misspell) showed me around the massive restaurant. I came back later for an early dinner and sat at the bar. So the bar has too many hard surfaces... so it gets loud real quick. I'd advise acoustic treatments. Both the bartender and the woman she was training were utterly amazing. They were chatty but also busy. that allowed me to chat with various customers who sat by me. the first was a cool older guy who was waiting for his wife to finish an amazing chicken in their air fryer. She's a great cook and he was super interesting to chat with. I met the GM and he is amazing. He works way too much and deserves equity, but he's happy, and I found him to be great with the employees. I had the rib eye... it was inexpensive and perfect. I didn't mess much with the veggies because the steak was a much bigger cut than I was expecting. I was there for hours. I don't drink so I had some fun non-alcoholic drinks. I had an amazing desert. I even met this high end matchmaker who had been meeting a client behind me at one of the bar tables. She was amazing to chat with when she came back in. The other areas of the restaurant were pretty packed as the place is popular. They've only been open for a few months, so obviously there will be things that need to be dialed in, but given my experience there, I feel they will be successful as the people I met were extremely authentic. That's a rare thing to find in marin these days. I will be going back to chat with the bartenders again and to try that burger next! PS... I'm old enough to remember my first girlfriend (who lived up the hill overlooking mill valley) telling me she was almost hit walking home from school by Sammy Hagar in his ferrari. Late 80s read more

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This has slowly becoming my to go to spot. It's never packed and you can always find a spot without a reservation. The location is very cute and feels like you are having dinner in someone's backyard. The staff are amazing, the food is delicious. The drinks are hit or miss because I don't think they have a full blown mixologist on staff, but the GM comes up with some good drink ideas - whoever works the bar just needs to be consistent with the recipe from drink to drink. The chef is cool and comes up with some delicious dishes. The crowd tends to be a little older (~50s) as all the 30-40 go to Playa or other places. On the flip side it makes this place a gem since it's not super packed. read more

This one is very easy to review, not many words needed. OVERPRICED. PRETENTIOUS. NOT WORTH IT. We are not coming back. Good luck.