Great spot to get lunch! Sam is really fun to talk to and their sandwiches are always great! I personally recommend the steak sandwich!

We door dashed the food from Sam's and it was decent. My omelette had a bit of a strange taste and the potatoes where somewhat underdone but overall it was ok. What made me upset is that they didn't give me any Jam for my toast, no ketchup, no salt or pepper, and no utilities. I would've driven to their restaurant for the items, but I didn't have my car with me at the time so I was stuck eating with my hands. I'll never go here again. read more

Novato local dinner, first time in this place, it's good but pricey, very homey feeling,have to be patient for food coming, but overall pretty good and live music start at 1030 am, patrons of local novato. read more

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I feel sorry for those who had bad experiences here. I ate here with my two young kids and it felt like eating at a good friends house. Everyone in the place was friendly and food delicious. Kids ate all there pasta and chicken strips and I had a wonderful filet of sole with perfect veg and mash. Burger and chicken piccata looked good, can't wait to try one of those next time. New fan of Sam's!!! Try it if you haven't yet. read more

I tried the "Black Russian," it has corned beef, roast beef, coleslaw, and thousand island dressing on rye bread. It was AMAZING!!! Super delicious! Their clam chowder is very satisfying as well. I love that they have a toy train track with an operational train that moves along a beautiful track at the top corners of the ceiling. The atmosphere is nice and quiet. I've been there twice so far and both times it's been pretty empty. I'm not surprised it's not as busy, their food is really good, but their location isn't that great. It's very understated. It's kept me from going in there for years, but no more. I'll definitely be back for more. read more

Liked the sole and the chicken fried steak A LOT. really nice owners, great service. And the don't charge an arm & a leg! Will be back for sure. read more

I stopped for lunch to go. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, fries and a coke in a can. The total was $21 and change. I thought that was too expensive but had high hopes for a great lunch. I was wrong... the bun was a Costco cheepo sesame seed bun non toasted and dry. There was a minimal amount of pork and loaded with a very strong flavored coleslaw. Coleslaw was all I could taste. Then a small handful of ok fries with no salt or seasoning. Overall I left hungry and had a small, expensive lunch. Underwhelmed. I won't repeat. read more

Its a little hole in the wall place that offers great service and an excellent breakfast. The food is always fresh, you can tell it was made to order and not sitting around in a warmer. The owners are down to earth & personable living the American dream. Highly recommend. read more

Had the Cuban sandwich this time, it was amazing and the service is always great, love this place. The clam chowder is home made and really good as well. Highly recommend. read more

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

Good honest food with great prices. Don't feel like cooking but not in the mood for restaurant fare Sam's makes meals you would expect to get at home. Hubby and I go for the breakfast. I enjoy the omelettes! He likes eggs, bacon and muffins. You know if a place is good by the coffee served. Have never been disappointed. Lisa provides friendly attentive service. read more

Although California raised and bred, I'm a huge New Jersey diner aficionado. A Novato friend introduced me to Sam's this afternoon; WOW!! The carved meats look a step above any of my other luncheon favorites in the County. I ordered the Reuben; competitively priced, yet juicy and sumptuous; savoring each and every taste. I was hooked on SAM'S! From central Marin to 1545 S Novato Blvd in Novato for lunch: worth the drive time. There's the pot of gold or corned beef at the end of the long rainbow! You immediately become transfixed by the Naugahyde benches and the huge portrait of a forever effervescent Doris Day. I was thinking I'd found the lost tribe of Jersey diners! The moment you step in, you sense you're in for something unique and memorable, and their food certainly supports that initial impression. Phil San Rafael read more

I love the Cuban sandwich here. Check your order if you get it to go though. This is at least the third time they forgot my green salad side. I'll keep going back but am sitting here disappointed. read more

My husband and I have been going to Sam's for 15 years! They exceed our expectation every time. They have some of the best meat we have ever had! My husband loves their Ruben sandwich with corn beef and I love their French dip with roast beef. I also love their ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. The smoky ham is tasty! They haves nice patio with great ambiance for outdoor, social distance dining. The service is always fantastic! Sam and his wife are great people and make you feel like family! We will go back over and over! read more

Others may not agree, but Sam's Place is a great place to have good food in a very comfortable atmosphere. My family has been enjoying the restaurant for several years. If we are lucky sometimes we get the table next to the gas fireplace. Definitetly, not a "high end" restaurant in decor but we have never had a bad meal or bad service. Every menu item we have sampled has been great. Menu changes or additions are always accomodated within reason, sometimes with full meals. Sometimes I like to eat healthier than usual and have requested steamed mixed vegetables with grilled chicken, or double mixed veggies (mushroom,onions, spinach, carrots, bell peppers, broccolli, garlic) which are always fresh. And the staff and owners are very hard working, caring, playful people with genuine interest in the customers. read more

Very cozy American diner experience. It's not corporate or upscale, just real people, real food. There is a private room that looks like it seats 20-25 and a patio for good weather. The patio is very simple, no fancy seats. I had the best French Toast here today, a nice custard like interior and was cooked to perfection, plus real maple syrup. I uploaded a photo. What a neighborhood diner should be. read more

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One of my favorite breakfast places. Always great food and excellent service. Super fast too! Secret neighborhood gem. Don't let the location fool you! Large menu with lots of good stuff and reasonable prices. If you've been on the fence or even counted it out, give it a try! You won't be disappointed. read more

Sam's Place - Corned beef hash with country potatoes and over easy eggs (not pictured, sourdough toast) - all for $12.95 and it's excellent! - New American Near Me - Novato, California

I normally eat at lunchtime by say it to get some breakfast this morning I want to omelette with country potatoes and bacon bacon for one was hard bad to redo my iMessage the cheese with not even melted and then waitress I asked her to go she just took the plate put her hand over my food is served in the box I was annoyed about that food was terrible for $21 a pretty expensive for breakfast I could've went to Mickey D's and got me to 2 sausage egg muffins and been OK with it!!!!! Next time if you're gonna charge that much for food make sure the food is hot and the cheese is not cold dry inside the omelette and the bacon is not hard gave me about nine cut little potatoes I don't think I'll ever go back there for breakfast or actually anything else to eat If they had a 0*they would get that read more

Wish I could say this place is just like the old Hof Brau Roast Haus in Terra Linda but it doesn't come very close. The turkey tastes very gamey and unseasoned. I should have asked for gravy on the side because it was drenched in too much wet gravy all over. Didn't come with stuffing. Mashed potatoes were ok. You get a decent portion of meat but yeah I did not enjoy it at all to be honest. Reminded me of old age home cafeteria food, airplane food, or microwave TV dinners. They don't carve the turkey in front of you so I have no idea if it's fresh or what. read more

My daughter and I drive by this place at least 5 times a week, at LEAST. I can't believe we've not stopped in until now. She suggested it, and I said...sure why not. Pretty darn good! We had sandwiches for lunch, she the French Dip and I, the Ruben. I would have posted a before pic but...it looked so good, I forgot and started eating. (Sorry!) Looked like they served a decent breakfast and dinner selection too. We'll definitely stop in again now that we know how tasty it was, and the price was fair as well. read more

Went on the recommendation of a local patron on my first day in Novato, and I was happily surprised! We were a party of 6, and we ordered different entrees; all the food came fresh, with good flavor, high quality ingredients, and friendly service. Definitely recommend Sam's for good American cooking.... read more

Sam's Place - Traditional American diner food - delicious! - New American Near Me - Novato, California

I sort of have a love hate relationship with this place but lets get to this: The restaurant itself: Ran down with very low budget furnishing that in is in DIRE need of updating. Almost reminds me of an insane asylum, but don't ask how I would know about that. The food: Really not great. Typical all-American profile, but lacking in quality. He doesn't make much of anything "fresh" here, and more often than not, it's uncooked when served. My only recommendation for ordering for breakfast, where he seems to get most of his business, is the waffle/pancakes. Everything else is not that great. Had a really bad experience with the omelets here, they weren't even cooked properly and the hash browns were rather frozen. The customer service aspect of this place is failing, as he doesn't take complaints well and gets offended on a personal level. You've been warned. The employee roster: I won't comment on the chefs here because I don't know about them but for the most part, the servers are actually quite nice and enjoyable. They are very accommodating. "Service with a smile" I guess. Upbeat and perky kind of vibe. It's really not the waitresses here that are main problem with the overall restaurant. The vibe: It's very casual here, and the majority of the people who come are seniors. They have a conference room here, where businesses will meet and stay for a meal. I feel like if they had a music thing here, or a karaoke night, (which they actually did at one point, but discontinued it because it was failing) it would bring in more people here. Sam's wife is not very approachable here, and his kids are typical Marin-ite snobs. Overall: I would not recommend this place. It's just withering away at this point, I don't understand why he won't invest more work into it. Sam himself explained to me that he owns another restaurant in Terra Linda, and it's more of his main focus. The Chinese place next door makes him look horrible because they get SLAMMED. I don't really have much to say about Sam's Place, other than cheap pricing, you can find MUCH better here in Novato. read more

I have eaten at Sam's in the past and had a craving for a "real" turkey sandwich. I understand that restaurants have had a really tough year and I've come to expect much higher prices. Unfortunately, my sandwich had only one slice of turkey and it cost $14.95. In the past the turkey has been piled on. Very disappointing. read more

Found this place with the help of Groupon. We were greated and sat by the owner. The place was empty. Food was not great. I had roast beef which seemed like it was boiled perhaps but was quite tough. Mashed potatoes were powdered. After the owner sat us we weere waited on by a woman of Indian descent. The only time we saw her smile was when she dropped off the check! Venue isn't bad, it's an old bank with a fireplace and cool chandelier. Service could have been better. Poor Food was the real issue. Sorry read more

My boyfriend and I went for breakfast on a weekday and tried the 5 dollar special menu items and were soo surprised about how good it was. Sam the owner waited on us, not too friendly but filled the coffee 4 times, that's pretty much the most important part of breakfast for us. The coffee was good and fresh... we are picky... starbucks regular coffee is not good to us. The food portion was large and good... both got hash browns, eggs w/ ham, and pancakes. Seriously we were shocked about size and quality. We usually get organic eggs and eat quality food at home so this is legitimate. Obviously the price was good being the special around 5 dollars a plate.. coffee is 2.10 a cup. Total damage with 5 dollar tip was 20 bucks. We have not had any other meals here but we will be back for breakfast and it was so impressive we yelped it. read more

I was introduced to Sam's by a friend and I cannot begin to tell you what a great place this is! The food is so good! The service is wonderful, and they don't rush you. You can sit and relax. I will absolutely return again and again!!!! read more

It's an "eh" place. Good for breakfast but I didn't like lunch and wouldn't attempt dinner. Zero ambiance so don't bring a date! Great waffles and pancakes and awesome omelets! Lunch was the rubber lunch meat variety, so that's always a yuk for me. Stick to breakfast people! read more

I come to Sam's once in a while for a cheap & quick breakfast. $5.25 for 3 items, $1 per extra item. Great deal! The service is quick, food is decent, the restaurant itself isn't too bad. Overall I would rate this place 3 stars because its just good... BUT I'm giving a 1 rating because it gave me diarrhea. Not cool. And yes this place is the culprit because its the ONLY thing I ate before having the bubble guts. read more

Before covid my wife and I Would go for dinner always good staff treated us very good. During covid I suffered sickness and could not get out. On 2 occasions I called in my hour of need the owner Sam himself delivered dinner to me at home.Who does that? I say give Sam's a try, you will enjoy...Joe read more

This place was very nice, good service, and since i popped in at the last minute, just before closing, very accommodating. they had already shut down the grill but offered me what they could - a blt and a chicken fingers wrap, with yummy french fries and standard potato salad. This is my 2nd time eating here and the food is delicious. Novato needed a place like Sam's Place to fill a vacuum as a good late night eatery. read more

My wife and I love this place. The food is fresh and delicious, the outdoor patio is quiet and peaceful, and the staff is welcoming and friendly. The prices are a bargain. What's not to like! read more

Service was great, food was okay, atmosphere was terrible. The restaurant needs an upgrade, paint chipping from walls, floor coming apart. The minute I walked in I wanted to walk out but my family already sat down. Not impressed!! read more

We tried Sam's place for the first time this week and were pleasantly surprised at the large menu. They were still decorated for the holidays and we had a good time looking at the variety of items they'd used, while we waited for our food. We ordered everything from breakfast to bbq and all enjoyed our meals. The staff was friendly, the prices reasonable. Give it a try! read more

Starting out poorly. It is Sunday morning and only one waitress. Hello? It's Sunday morning! Waited 20 minutes to order even though the place is half empty (a bad sign). So far, one star. Finally, got our order in with a waitress who clearly was being taxed and had an understandably half hearted smile. Food arrived a little slow, but still a reasonable amount of time. Okay, two stars. The food? Sam's Rumble. A combo of food and flavors I love. Not so much here. Not only was it so bland I applied ketchup (do you say catsup?), but it was cold on the fringes. Back to one star. This wasn't the first time they have had my patronage, but it will be the last. There are too many other choices in the area. Do yourself a favor and choose one. PS....this is the first one star I have ever given. As a biz owner I am more tolerant of issues that can crop up in a restaurant. This restaurant clearly has one big issue and it is at the top. read more

A number of greasy spoon dinners have come and gone in Novato. Some of the ones still in business probably shouldn't be. I'd been to Sam's when it first opened. I can't remember why I didn't go back. I don't think we had bad food or a bad experience. I guess it just dropped off my radar. Every town needs a good family dinner. A comfortable place, reasonable prices, something on the menu for everyone. That's the deal at Sam's. I really enjoy their breakfast. Omelets, pancakes, etc. are all really good. We've been going here more often for dinner too. We've had the meatloaf, grilled items, spaghetti, salads; everything is solid, really good food. The service is friendly and efficient. If you're looking for a good, reasonably priced meal, that everyone in a group or family can enjoy, this is a great dinner. read more

My boyfriend and I have been coming here for months and we love it! We hope Sam's Place continues to be our "go to" place because the food is always so good, the servers are likable, and the service is incredibly quick! I also talked to one of the servers last week and heard they're updating their menu and adding Greek style foods and well as a large Thanksgiving style turkey plate with stuffing and gravy read more

We've known Sam for a long time and always appreciated his friendship and business acumen. Recently he has hired Armando, the former chef at Grazies's (now under new ownership) and he's doing some amazing things in the kitchen. I recommended that Sam add the Eggplant Parmesan (see recent photo) which was a favorite at Grazie's. He called me and said it's now on the special menu so we went down tonight and it was better than ever! Sam has also added some other new and flavorful dishes which makes this a DO NOT MISS dining stop! Friendly service, good prices and great food! read more

Sam's Place - Special tonight...eggplant pares an and veggies. Cooked to perfection by Armando (Formerly at Garzie). ***** - New American Near Me - Novato, California

4-Stars. Yelpers, if you're looking for a good breakfast or lunch (I have not been here for dinner), Sam's serves up a pretty good meal at a fair price. Sam's tries to deliver, and it shows. Yelpers, if you're in town, hungry and looking for a good eatery, Sam's is a good choice. 4-Stars. read more

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

This place has a huge menu. Everything I have ordered here is really good. The country fried steak is great, I thought there was only one patty on the plate with the delicious mashed potatoes and cream gravy, but there were two! I could not eat the whole meal because there was so much food. Everything always tastes fresh and the vegetables are never over-cooked. The prices are very reasonable. The staff there have always been attentive even when they have been very busy. read more

Great breakfast place. So happy to have found it!! Beats the heck out of all the breakfast places on Grant ave. Food Excellent and service amazing. Shelly was our waitress and she was friendly and very attentive read more

Excellent service and really good food. The breakfast is amazing!