Shelter Bay Cafe is a delightful place to eat. Alone or with friends, the food is delicious. The staff are happy, making this cafe very special. read more

Looking for a good sandwich, made by a small business? Shelter Bay Cafe in Mill Valley is the place and it's owned by a wonderful husband & wife(Debbie & Rob)This place is your not typical mom & pop place, it's where your food is made with love(quality). It is a small place that serve sandwiches, salads, and now serving breakfast. Their service is fast and friendly. They are very welcoming to every customer that walks in the door. On a nice day you can sit on the patio and they bring your food to you, even when. you order to go. They are open from 9-3p Tuesday-Friday. If you're in a mood for a good sandwich, head over to the Shelter Bay Cafe. read more

See all

I've been in before to get lunch or a snack here and it's always been great. Today I stopped in and got the white bean & kale soup. This soup was amazing!! It was a generous portion and it was the best white bean & kale soup I've ever had!! They also offer sandwiches & all sorts of snacks. All I needed today was soup, but I'll be going back for sure! read more

Ok new owners and the place is great. BEST CLUB sandwich ever. She puts avocado that's chopped up so it stays in place and pickles jalapenos which put this great salty tang. So amazingly good. Their chicken salad sandwich is great too. She puts dried cranberries which is a Great additive. She also has great products she sells in the store. Spicy catsup she makes herself. Everyone I send says the same thing "it taste so fresh". I get the club sandwich twice a week. I have had at least 20 and I can't believe I'm not bored of it. It so damn good!!! read more

This place has made such a turnaround! It was previously run by other proprietors and wasn't very good, but Debbie and her husband Rob have been operating it since early 2025. The food is wonderful now! Everything is so fresh and they have a great selection of sandwiches, salads, specials and breakfast items. Debbie even makes homemade baked goods that are delicious! Debbie and Rob are so welcoming, and the location on Shelter Bay is a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the sunshine. Don't pay any attention to the old negative reviews from before 2025. This is a completely different cafe now! read more

It's been over two years since my last visit, and unfortunately, my sandwich experience today was on par with my 2014 review. As I've mentioned before, I used to love their tri-tip sandwich. They would BBQ the meat outside and then put it on a soft roll with tomatoes, onions, pickles, mayo, and BBQ sauce. It was a carnivore's dream (food coma be damned). But something's changes at Shelter Bay Cafe, and not in a good way. My sandwich today was a complete letdown. First of all, there was barely any tri-tip in the sandwich ("Where's the beef?" came to mind). Secondly, the little meat that did come in the sandwich was overcooked and way too fatty. Multiple times, I had had to spit out chewy pieces of fat. So pretty much all that was left was a warm soft roll covered in mayo, bbq sauce, a tomato, and onions. For $8.50, you can certainly find a better sandwich in town. What happened, guys? I want to support you, but you're not doing much to help your cause. read more

Shelter Bay Cafe - Where's the beef? - Cafes Near Me - Mill Valley, California

In all fairness, I am writing a new review since a lot of the things that pushed me away from this place have been resolved. I had come here a lot over the last 5 years, since it is in the building I work in, then not was frequently when things went South. Now it is better. The owner Nick has retired, and his son in-law has taken over and has made some good changes, along with better health dept. compliance. There are interesting daily and weekly specials, and the menu has some new and delicious sandwiches. Prices for them run about $7 and up. Gotta love garlic on those specials! The greek salad is great when fresh. Can't beat the view eating outside by Richardson Bay. The staff are friendly and funny, and Esteban is one of the hardest workers I have ever come across! Big plus is that they now have yogurt for us on the go! Wish they had a bit more healthy lunch choices though. It has definitely changed for the better! The banana bread rocks! read more

Mother of God, the tri tip sandwich here is phenomenal! Other reviews here mention it but don't do it justice. Sandwich itself is large, meat is plentiful and flavorful, and the other ingredients melt together for the perfect flavor. BF and I ordered one of these along with an unremarkable pita sandwich and fought over the tri tip. I may or may not have gone back to order another one to go "for my dad"- by which of course I mean that I did, and we inhaled another half before we even got home. Not even ashamed. Service was fast and friendly, barbecue pit is right by the front door and outdoor seating is nice and breezy. Took our food out to the water to eat, great weekday lunch. Definitely planning on coming back, as BF has found work in the area. read more

I used to like this place a lot more! I work upstairs and would call to place my order for pick up. They always said give us about 10 minutes.. I quickly learned this really meant 15 or more. When we would have client meetings during the lunch hour, we would order numerous sandwiches, I would call the order in ahead of time, run down with the company card, and all was great. I loved the hot sandwiches, chicken caesar salads, salad wraps, and falafel wrap. Just recently they no longer take orders over the phone.. I just don't have time in my day to go down stairs to wait 20+ minutes for a sandwich, or have the time to make two trips: one to place my order and then come back in 15+ minutes for pick up. If you only have 30 minutes for lunch, this place is out of the question. Also... they no longer take credit cards. For us, this pretty much means we cannot use them for client lunches.. Our corporate office appreciates reimbursements for non-cash purchases. The food is good, you just better have time and cash! read more

Another great lunch with hot and delis homemade turkey and vegetable soup and a fresh made tuna sandwich. The owner pays special attention to the quality of the food. The chocolate -chip homemade cookie is to die for! Stop and try it. You can't find a better, quick lunch that is very reasonable. Don't see something you like on the menu? If they have the ingredients they'll make it for you. Happing Eating ~ read more

Really disappointed in this place. Came in for a late lunch. To eat: Chinese chicken salad, lettuce looked a few days old, the dressing was great. BBQ tri-tip sandwich: I'm not sure what that was. It didn't look like or taste like tri-tip and it was loaded with Mayo. Pros: Nice outside eating area. read more

This cafe is on the water, hidden from the freeway. The wrap was great, the service quick, inside and outside dining. For this location, maybe opening a little eariler and offering waffles and coffee would be a great additon. OK, I eat here once a week. That is not a weak experience. read more

Sam is the man. Shawarma and tri tip sando is the food. Ron Swanson would love this place. read more

I would give this place 3.5 stars but having just eaten here, the previous reviews seem very out of place with the experience I had, so I'm starring this up. It was sparkling clean, everyone seemed not only friendly, but happy to be working there. The Mediterranean wrap I had was a wonderfully inventive - a fresh melding of falafel, hummus, lentils, rice, cucumbers and tomatoes. And I believe there was some tahini in it as well. Peaceful and lovely interlude by the small Shelter Bay. I felt refreshed and healthy for the rest of the day, and beyond! read more

Love the healthy choices they have. Wonderful falafal and hummus. Great med salad. Really wonderful people. Great location--you can take the delicious food and eat out on the deck looking at the water and Mt. Tam. Love to stop on a bike ride around the water or grab something to go that is good, healthy and wonderful to eat! Highly suggest stopping--you will be hooked. (very affordable too) read more

While the cafe was never 5 star, I'm amazed how it's changed. It was better but now it is ok at best. The ingredients changed and they don't offer the "personal" service that they use to. We had some team members who would place special orders and Sam and the team would always know who they were for and how the individual wanted them done. This was lost when there was a change in ownership. They stopped carrying the ingredients so we couldn't even make the requests. There seems to be a lot of turn over with the staff too. This doesn't help. I really want to leave a positive, 5 star review for this local business. Unfortunately it isn't possible the way it's currently run. read more

This place is a pleasure. pretty View, delicious food and an awesome staff! Try the mediterranean platter, you will be so happy you did.

I just had their Hot Chicken Jack sandwich, my daughter had the Pesto Chicken Panini. They were so delicious and we now have a new favorite deli. read more

Hidden spot I always forget about. Lunch is a bit crowde with Tam HS kids but was worth waiting.

This place is very conveniently located by my work so I go there often for lunch. I have some minor complaints but I get the impression that it is a small family run establishment and they are doing the best they can with what they've got. They make great food, are situated in a nice location and they are always very friendly. The only annoyance is that sometimes they take a while to prepare the food which most of the time is not a problem since I save time by not having to drive there and I know the reason is that they make all of the food fresh (you can see them frying the falafels for instance). Also if you call in your order they will have it ready when you get there. All in all I am a fan of the place and enjoy giving them my money in exchange for their delicious mediterranean fare. read more

Great Baklava and sandwich selection. Outdoor seating near the waterfront is a bonus too

Great place for breakfast and lunch! The staff are super friendly and accommodating especially when you like to hold this and add that like I do :) One of the best items for breakfast is the blueberry muffins which are made from scratch every day and they rival Muffin Mania in San Rafael and if you are a Muffin Mania fan, you know that's a tall order! Breakfast burritos are always a hit too. For lunch I'm all over the place but so far my favorite is the albacore tuna sandwich. Even though I work here in the same building, I could choose to eat elsewhere but I typically choose SBC for its great food, reasonable prices, and great customer service. read more

Stopped in for a quick breakfast. Not a lot to choose from, but the bagel sandwich was on point. Would definitely like to come back to try one of the sandwiches they offer. Today's special was a cubano read more

The on the water location is great (for those that don't work in the building right there everyday), and for me it's just a great straight-up deli. No surprises, just good food, quick friendly service, and you're supporting a local small business. I have to try the wraps, though, I'm hooked on the chicken club and the Friday cheese steak specials. Also, they have an espresso machine and can be much quicker than Cable Car or the Strawberry Starbucks during the morning prime-time. Quicker as in there's no one there... read more

This used to be my lunch break spot. It's been a while since I havnt been here as I've been relocated to San Rafael, but the other day, I decided to swing by for a good ole sandwich. The old owner( Sam) who was super cool by the way is no longer there which was disappointing, as I always enjoying my chats with him. Esteban, his trusty sidekick still was there, and after atleast 4 months of not coming in, he asked if I wanted the usual, I said yes, and he made it exactly how I used to get it. Tasted as good as ever. Love this place! read more

Will not be going back. Used to be a fav of mine. Really disappointed when I opened my sandwich I took to go and there was mostly bread, a sprig of lettuce and hardly any thing else but a lot of mayo. read more

I just had the best pastrami sandwich ever at Shelter Bay Cafe! Please add this to your regular menu...it was served on a toasted rye with the best cole slaw EVER! read more

Shelter Bay Cafe is the ideal restaurant for lunch, with a variety of delicious choices of food readily available. Their sandwiches are truly unparalleled, with The Gobbler, Tri-Tip, and Chicken Pesto as menu highlights. The staff is friendly, the cookies and brownies are warm and delicious, and the prices are manageable. Best sandwiches in Marin! read more

Get the Gobbler! This place is awesome. I went five days a week when I was in high school and was never disappointed. They make awesome sandwiches for a reasonable price and in a short time. Go there! read more

Stumbled upon this little gem while doing business in the professional center. I ordered the Mediterranean plate and got a cup of coffee to go. The plate consisted of a lentil rice, falafel, hummus, dolmas and Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, olive and a little feta) and came with a side of pita bread. Each item was amazing by itself and together made up the perfect lunch. I will go back whenever I have the chance. Just perfect. DELICIOUS. read more

As far as cafe's go, this place is the best. I travel through South Marin for work every week or two and make a point of stopping here. Try the lasagna or the tri-tip sandwich. Best they come. The place is on the water, but really you come here for the food. Be sure to tell the owner (Samir) you're a giants' fan and he'll treat you well. Awesome place for lunch! read more

Sorry to say the quality has gone down. When Sam left I believe he took his recipes with him. The Tri Tip was loaded with flavor. The other sandwiches (Club, Chicken Jack) were just as good. I still order for lunch, however I have found the sandwiches to be a bit dry, brown lettuce, over ripe tomatos, and the wraps are smaller and they are more like a taco. What happened to the Friday Philli Cheese? I liked the daily specials. 4 months ago, I was sending everyone here to eat, now I go because its close. What happened to this Gold Mine? I hope they get it together. I will say Estifan is a hard working guy. He should be running this place not the other guy, whats his name? Exactly!!!! read more