We've been visiting this location pretty much since it was a First Interstate Bank, then the Hofbrau and now Sams. Sam and his crew have been doing an incredible job with the small outdoor space they have right off Center, and the service is impeccable as well. We've been there three or four times since Covid, and every time we come to find a clean table, masked servers, and great food. IF you want to place to eat out - and who doesn't, we're all going stir-crazy - come to Sam's! read more

Looking for a home cook meal. Sams has the best, not fancy good American home food. Breakfast is our favorite and we recommend to go early on Sundays. Good menus with lots of choices. Sam and his wife are very down to earth and his crew are friendly, know their customers and funny. Lots of parking, outside or inside seating and our favorite is to sit at the counter, lots of room. Fireplace on those cold days, private dining area and a really good train that runs around the whole restaurant. Sam makes a great pastrami sandwich in a couple different ways and the fish and chips are the best in town! read more

Ok, so normally I'll do a review of the food I ordered and either give it a good or bad review. But this time was different. I tried to come in for a no big deal breakfast. The entrance door read "MASK REQUIRED", which I did have on and it was properly covering my face. When I came in covered and sat at the counter area, it was either the owner or an employee who asked me what I want to drink. I ordered a coffee from him and he went to get it. When he came back and poured my coffee, he randomly ask me if I was a Democrat. I told him to excuse me and if he can say that again. He then repeated himself and then ask me why I'm wearing a blue mask. The mask I had on me was just a plan solid color light blue disposal mask, I asked him why would you ask me such a question? He then replied; "Look around here and tell me you fit in". I looked around the diner and I noticed that it was all old white people looking at me. Most of them had Maga crap on and the TV was blasting Fox news throughout the place. I then looked at him and I told him this: "first off, I'm actually a REAL AMERICAN REPUBLICAN from Arizona. Secondly, I'm a traveling LPN who came to your town because of the high count of covid cases you have here and now I see there's also an infestation of morons being spread around here". He then replied to me, "The coffee is on the house, After your done, it's best you leave and go to Starbucks". I took a quick picture and I replied back "Keep your funky coffee and enjoy being lied to from your puppet master cumspit". He then got loud at me and told me to get out, which I happily did. Trumpers are disgusting Sub-Humans who are only Making funeral homes great again. read more

Sam's Place - WHAT A JOKE & WASTE OF SPACE. - New American Near Me - Novato, California

Great portions, tasty food and lovely employees. Went with family and have breakfast , lunch and dinner choices - all are great portions (enough for left overs with the steak sandwiches) read more

This place has great classic eats, I love there breakfast and lunch and dinner and there is an option for everyone. The waitresses and waiters are all very nice and accommodating and the service is top notch for the environment. The restaurant is very relaxed and has a good vibe to it. read more

We went to Sam's place recently it was just a few of us and we were starving for breakfast. Their basics are decent but if you order anything that requires a little TLC forget it!!! I ordered a sausage gravy biscuit kinda thing on the side with my omelette. The omelette was good but the biscuit gravy thing was bland as heck. I was struck by the lovely crisco shortening aftertaste. Remember using that in your pie crust in cooking class?!!! And the country potatoes..um there's something called seasoning. I rather eat my 1 year old's gerbert puréed baby food than eat here. The bill was way overpriced too. read more

Felt like eating chicken fried steak for the New Year and heard it was very good here. Ordered it with eggs over easy, hash browns and toasts. It looks plentiful as it was served out of the kitchen and tasted really good especially the abundance of country gravy on top of the chicken fried steak. The fresh hot brewed coffee with free refills goes well with my meal. The ambience was warm and comfortable inside with light music playing throughout. Dish cable TV at the bar area for those who want to watch the parade was available. The patrons inside was having a good time as the waitress Shelly was really nice and helpful and the owner Sam was there to greet them and be merry. I would recommend the chicken fried steak here and can't wait to try other dishes as well. Cheers! read more

Sam's Place - New American Near Me - Novato, California

My wife & I have been coming here more recently for breakfast. The corned beef hash is AWESOME! You can definitely tell everything is made from scratch. Great breakfast spot with very reasonable prices. We've been here for lunch a couple times and the sandwiches we've had were good, classic, American diner food which one would expect. read more

My Special Angel and I celebrated Saint Patrick's day with the best corned beef and cabbage. The service was great. It was very busy that night. Our wait for our dinner was short. Great value and family-friendly. We definitely will return sometime soon. read more

It's a very cozy atmosphere. You feel very comfortable there. The food is comfort food mostly and is well prepared. I had the turkey dinner and it was very good. Overall it's a nice place with good food and service. I would go there again. read more

Saint Patrick's day! We're we idiots for coming here on Saint Patrick's day? Yes! But it was worth it. I adore Sams place. Been coming here a long time. I love the staff and the food here is always good. The place was packed and it took a long time to get our food but we expected a little chaos and waiting so we didn't mind. We arrived at 5:30, had food in front of us at 6:35 and were home by 7:10. Our server was so lovely. The young gal. Love her! Bless her heart - she worked so hard that day! But even with the crazy crowd, we felt taken care of. Our order ticket was misplaced temporarily and she still caught the error and had our order on the table as soon as possible. Well done sams! I love you all! read more

Great place for any meal. In my opinion everything is very good. Cheerful waitstaff, quick service.

Sam's place is OVER PRICED! When you order Home fried potatoes what you get is a half a cup of boiled potatoes! I know boiled as opposed to home fried potatoes! I ordered 2 sceambled eggs with sausage and pancakes. You get 2 small pancakes you only get one sausage. So they ask you if you want 2! The eggs are brown! I ordered home fries separately get them home and they are boiled potatoes! $30.25!!! When I call to say "these are boiled not home fries!" the waitress (the younger one) is rude as HELL And says you need to ask for them to be "Deep fried" WTH!? Never again. the waitress tells me I need to ask for my potatoes to be French fried! Rude waitress! No stars at all! read more

This is our 2nd try on Sam's Place after maybe 12 years with a new interior. It wasn't that good the first time. We ordered Steak sandwich, the Reuben and Hot chicken wings for lunch. My friend's steak sandwich, she says, lack taste of its grilled mushroom and onions and quite dry; my reuben looked like ham with some fat and didn't taste like corned beef (or pastrami) slices at all and had some hard, dried pieces of sauerkraut in it. Their Hot, crispy chicken wings, didn't taste crispy or newly fried but covered with some hot sauce; makes me think they tasted like warm leftovers. I guess the french fries where the only ones newly fried. Some orders from restaurants may be bad but for all orders, this is a disgrace. Or they may have bad cooks which the owner tolerates or allows. I wonder why it has a 3.8 review score (should be lower) when nothing seems to be freshly made, even their salad greens had brown tips on some cuts. Better spend more at other better restaurants. read more

Sam's Place - Not hot, Crispy chicken wings. - New American Near Me - Novato, California

No, this isn't related to Sam's in Tiburon. That would be like mistaking Sam Waterson for Sammy Davis Jr. Actually this place is neither like a TD Ameritrade commercial nor a Vegas act with bling. But coincidentally, it was obviously a First Interstate Bank branch since they kept their pull-handles on the front doors. I was ready to open a Roth IRA account, but lo and behold, we were in a hurry to get to Tomales Bay. Peckish after a long drive from San Francisco but with barbecued oysters in our immediate future, Jamie W. and were still in need of some breakfast after getting our potluck supplies at the Grocery Outlet (...I know, I'm a big spender). I saw Sam's in the corner of my eye. It's a wide-open place and was obviously never designed to be a diner (see photo), but here it is. The breakfast menu is standard regulation. Jamie went for the $7.95 Country Breakfast since he loves him some biscuits and gravy along with some hash browns and scrambled eggs (see photo). I ordered the eponymously named Sam's Rumble. At $8.75, it was their take on a "Joe's Special" with a lot of ground beef, a bit of spinach, some canned mushrooms, chopped onions, and mere traces of scrambled eggs. Yeah, the portions of the ingredients seemed way off (see photo). It came with hash browns and toast. The veteran, seen-it-all waitress was maximally taxed as the place started to fill up. She handled it like a pro - even though I heard her mutter, probably not for the first time - "Why does everybody have to come in at the same time?" Maybe we all have oysters to shuck, hon. FOOD - 3 stars...standard diner fare, nothing bad but nothing special either AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...where can I open a checking account? SERVICE - 3 stars...she did it the hard way TOTAL - 3 stars...a pit-stop on the way out of Novato, no more, no less read more

See all

Service was good. She was very attentive. Food wise mediocre. Bathroom was semi clean! Probably try other food they have. read more

First time here. Great service. Good burger, mediocre fish and only one piece for the price caught me off guard. Fries are boring frozen, store-bought. I'd come back but would avoid the fries and don't think I'd order the fish & chips, which is mostly fries.... read more

My wife and I happened upon Sam's Place by chance back on Thanksgiving. This restaurant is a must! We had lunch there for Thanksgiving and we went back last night. We met Sam and his lovely wife. The place is so clean and well kept. The train set up in the restaurant will have your kids watching it go around the place with such joy. The fireplace is such a warm and home like feeling. The service is fast and super friendly. I had the special last night which was the meat loaf. It was the best meatloaf I have ever had. So moist and flavorful. The mash potatoes were so light and fluffy along with the vegetables which all had a nice buttery flavor. If your looking for a family restaurant with excellent food please give Sam's Place a try. The amount of food you get and the prices can't be beat. read more

Just had a delightful breakfast here with my hubby. Love the little cable car that runs through we will be back with our granddaughter food was delicious. read more

Dont eat at this place. I couldn't eat the slop put before me. Left it. I was so disgusted that I paid bill and left. What good would it do.? Places like this always have a following. From the look of the crowd they'd eat out of the gar age behind retaurant. read more

Came here Wednesday August 1, 2018 around 12:45. I ordered some food to pick up for lunch since it's near my work ORDERED: - Turkey sandwich/club w/ fries ($15) - BBQ Sauce ($0.50) - Ranch ($0.50) - Add Avocado ($2.00) ---------------------- $20.00 PROS: - close to my work - quick order, only took 15 min - sandwich was not too bad - fries were really good - sauces tasted great - staff really nice CONS: - price was way too high. I can't afford to have lunch from here moving forward so I'll have to just come by as a treat - $2.00 for avocado seems a bit steep, especially since there wasn't much on my sandwich anyway. - Bacon in sandwich was hard as hell and I struggled to chew through it. Disappointing b/c it was a decent amount read more

Good, but not great. Definitely not the place to go if you're into healthy, or vegetarian food. More old-fashioned greasy spoon. Service is nice, and then not-nice. Seems they flip depending on the day. read more

We stopped in for breakfast today. Food very good, service was excellent. Thanks Shelley for the friendly conversation. They were busy which was nice to see. Nice little local establishment read more

What a delightful local small business. We had the private room for our group of 25 this weekend. The food was hot full of flavor and delicious. No one in the group had one complaint. And what was more amazing, was our only server. Despite being surprised at our numbers, she was pleasant and helpful to all. She really was flawless and our group really liked her. read more

My son and I both love Sam's Place. In the restaurant for its terrific service or DoorDashed with delicious, plentiful breakfasts, Sam's Place is hard to beat. My son had great large pancakes with bacon and scrambled eggs which he said were perfect. Mine was eggs over easy, linguisa, country potatoes and toast. I'm an eggs over easy person. These were done perfectly. Reminded me of the 1950s. Generous portions of everything and nicely presented. Nothing keeps me coming back like delicious breakfasts and being reminded of the 1950s. Sam's is just the right amount of everything. read more

We love Sams place. Amazing eggs, great burgers and all at a reasonable price with great services. The staff is so lovely and welcoming! They always have a big fire burning in the winter months. Marin breakfast places can be very over priced, it's easy to spend $75.00 for a family of four. Sam's place never disappoints and if you come M-F you can take advantage of the breakfast special $6.95 for a full breakfast. They serve mimosas too! read more

Sam's Place - New American Near Me - Novato, California

I decided to give this place a try while waiting for my smog check next door. It's decent food, a bit pricey for the portion size they offer. read more

We found a new favorite low key restaurant to have brunch. We happened across Sams after visiting the Novato Post Office. We wandered in and found live music playing. The sign board out front also listed Mimosas! This is a great place to have brunch. The meat is served in chunks which tells me they bake and roast their own meats. The food tastes great and I have a fondness for their milk shakes. I highly recommend Sam's if you're looking for a low key lunch. I especially enjoyed the shrimp Louie. I hadn't had one in years and thoroughly enjoyed the very large salad and would order it again. read more

Sam's Place - Live band on Sat and Sun mornings and live fireplace on cold winter days. - New American Near Me - Novato, California

See all

From the outside, the place doesn't really appeal to me, but we decided to give it a try. Walking into the restaurant, it was decorated simply and seemed like a nice place to eat. We decided to have breakfast at 2 pm. The only thing we could not order was a waffle since the equipment had been cleaned. I ordered the corned beef hash and eggs (my favorite breakfast food) and it was delicious. Most corned beef hash meals contain both onions and bell peppers (my least favorite foods), but I was able to order the corned beef with just potatoes. The food was cooked perfectly and the service was pretty good. Also, the prices are reasonable, so I will definitely come back and dine in the patio area with the dogs ! read more

Sam's Place - Bacon and eggs - New American Near Me - Novato, California

See all

The thing about Sam's it's just a little bit hit or miss. Most of the time I've had a satisfying standard diner experience - you know; mugs of coffee in those little thick brown mugs with tiny cartons of half and half, meat on bread with some potatoes, etc. The times I've had that were 'miss' were either because I got all crazy with the menu (I hear BonQuiQui in my head - 'Don't get all craaaaaazy!'), ordering something that veered from the previously-mentioned reliable formula, or because it was understaffed (they seem to put only one waitress on for the weekend breakfast hour - huh?). Here's my Golden Rule of Diners: Don't get cute. Don't order the salmon, the tacos, the mezza plate, or the linguini with clams. Stick to the burgers, sandwiches, and standard breakfast fare, and you will leave happy. Most of the time. And? The bacon here is PHENOMENAL. Flat and crispy (I order it well done, because who likes medium cooked pork? Gross), and they serve delicious Bordenave's bread, I think it's called, which is a big deal up here, I guess. But since I'm avoiding leavened bread for Lent right now, all I can think about is bread, so I guess I'm probably waxing rhapsodic about it more than usual. Anyway, go. Have a burger. Or French dip. Or omelet. Just don't get crazy. read more

Sam's Place - Weekday Special - New American Near Me - Novato, California

The first time I went to Sam's place I had the Rueben sandwich. Oh my word!! The meat was sooo tender you didn't have to even chew it!. The coleslaw was also really good! I was taken there today for dunch / linner (between lunch and dinner) and I ordered the mushroom and spinach omelet with real hash browns and sourdough bread. I was in egg heaven ! Fresh spinach and melty cheese with real mushrooms. (not out of a can or jar) which some places do. I love this place! The cable car going around the edges of the ceiling is a wonder to behold. Still a handmade work in progress I overheard. The coffee is everflowing and just right. The portions are right on point and the prices are very reasonable. This isn't a "greasy spoon" cafe as one reviewer said. The server persons are really nice and welcoming. I have now made this my go to place for tasty food and comfortable surroundings. Try Sam's Place I'm sure you will like the quality of food and people! read more

Another run of the mill low quality diner. Meats taste like wet cardboard. Fries are soggy. Very bland flavor and poor quality. read more

I am updating this to 5 stars because I heard they are fixing the place up a bit (they took down that enormous chandelier for one) and adding more items to the menu ! Now there is nice patio seating on the side and I tried their new salad special and chicken pesto sandwich.. It was delicious ! As always love this place... When you eat here, you really feel like family Previous Review: I'm a big fan of Sam's Place. This may partly be because I think it make an excellent film location for a sleepy-town shootout. Which.. kinda adds appeal to what is otherwise, really ugly diner decor. Decorations aside.. the service is awesome. Sam & Shelly are hilarious. Sam's wife is a gem. The antics from Sam's children are very entertaining when I sit at the bar. And the fact that I know all this should probably indicate this isn't your normal restaurant. These are real people, and they look at you like you are a real person. Rather than the glazed over interaction you get from most diners... like watching slaves force smiles when all they want to do is be free of you and the place they are in. (And I've worked enough restaurant gigs to know how that feels) The food is pretty good. I know it's diner food, but I'm an organic girl, so I am disappointed with the lack of healthy options. But I come here when I'm having "one of those days", I need some bacon, french toast, and coffee to cheer me up. And laughs from the staff. :) read more

Food lacks salt/flavor. Service is pretty slow. The Banana Split is pretty good. My 6year old liked it just fine

Great place. We had a wonderful breakfast. My husband had chicken fried steak, our two boys had pancakes, and I had a wonderful omelet! Service was great, we loved Shelly! We will definitely be back! Plus the nasty ladies that thought blondes are problem is racist. We are all blonde in our family. read more

Friends have been urging us to go try out this place. It felt like when I finally visited here, I was the last Novato resident to pay tribute to this establishment. Sam, the owner himself, was our server. He was a quiet and yet warm presence as he took our orders and extremely apologetic for the short staff that the restaurant was experiencing this particular morning. It also didn't help there was a large group in their conference room of elderly men who also put in their breakfast order before us. Between the short staff and the large group, our meal took much longer than anticipated, but when it arrived it was very tasty. I had their traditional breakfast with eggs overeasy and crispy bacon and hash browns. My husband, who loves flapjacks, went for a large warm stack. Everything tasted fantastic and more than made up for the wait. We were also sympathetic to Sam's plight, as this visit happened at the height of the fires going on in Sonoma and part of his staff shortage came from that emergency. He more than apologized for the slowness. I'll definitely be coming back. Perhaps to try out their lunch menu or have a slice of pie. The indoor decor is cozy and welcoming. It reminds me of a neighborhood dinner that is a cornerstone to its community. read more

I am giving 5 stars to this place only because of the lady who is working in here as a server! She is super nice and caring! She made our time and breakfast more enjoyable and I really appreciate that. I wish I could remember her name. We went there on Sunday morning and she was the only server I believe. They were almost busy and she could handle everything really good. Our breakfast was good too, but only because of the service and the nice lady, will go back! read more

Two words- eat here!!! We are out of towners and trusted the ratings on Yelp. So should you. We went for dinner and I started with a Bloody Mary (awesome) then had a tuna melt with goulash soup. My daughter had French toast for dinner with sausage links. Everything - and I mean everything - was fabulous. If you like a greasy spoon type restaurant this is it. Or even if you don't, you will like it here! Even the food came fast and the waitress was super friendly (even mid COVID). What more can you want? read more

Very skimpy on the fries the fish was fine no problem with the fish that I got coleslaw was good but very skimpy on the fries and for $55 for two dinners and two cokes a little steep if you ask me and you didn't get very many fries kind of pissed me off . read more

I ate at Sam's Place yesterday and let me tell you I had the best patty melt I have ever had! It came with the best Cole slaw that I have had in a long time! Excellent food and my friend said the same thing, he ordered the French dip and said the roast beef was fantastic we really loved the food! Gotta go check it out! read more