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    The Burren House

    4.4 (207 reviews)
    ModerateIrish Pub, Irish
    Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

    The Burren House Photos

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    THE BURREN HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - The Burren House

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    Exterior
    Carlos F.

    Proper. Thats my whole review. From the people to the food, to the environment. It's the best. Where else can you get a Smithwicks on draft.? And the breakfast just hits all the notes. It won't disappoint.

    Julie T.

    The Burren House is a gorgeous new Irish pub in San Rafael. Everything is authentic, including the decor that is literally imported from Ireland! The ambience is warm and cozy, and when we went the pub was it was vibrant and full of people having a great time. We lovedddd the shepherd's pie and the smoked salmon brown bread. The cocktails were lovely too! We are looking forward to coming back soon.

    Berenice L.

    The food was pretty good the "house made" bread wasn't that good it was pretty stale but the beef stew was divine. The burger was a little dry barely any aioli sauce my boyfriend had to ask for mayonnaise. We went on the weekday and both had work the next day EARLY in the morning and when we didn't order any alcohol our server was a little colder towards us. It took us a few times to wave him down to come take our orders and to ask for the check. We sat inside as it started to get a bit busier the ambiance of the restaurant/pub was really fun.

    Sunday roast
    Karen N.

    We returned from two weeks in Ireland recently and I was craving Sunday roast, brown bread and all things Guinness so we decided to try The Burren House. We went on Sunday around 5 (to miss the dinner crowd). Ha! It was PACKED. Insanity. So loud and crazy. But we stuck it out and I was so glad we did. They had Sunday roast. Beef, lamb and chicken options! I had the beef and it was delicious. My husband liked his fish and chips. I'd love to come back when it's not insanely busy and loud, but I'm not sure when that would be. I loved that Sunday roast. I will try to come earlier for it next time.

    Wings and fish and chips
    Tony W.

    Really great spot that gets super busy in the evenings, be prepared to line up if you're there after 6pm without a reservation Food is teriffic, great Irish bar vibes in downtown San Rafael Had the fish and chips, wings, and Irish stew Everything was fantastic

    Combo wings
    Sonia H.

    It's my first time trying brunch here and I already know it's going to my favorite place. I tried the traditional Irish breakfast which was full of pleasant surprises! It came with ham, blood sausage, Irish sausage, mushrooms, eggs, beans, potatoes and toasts! I love every bite of this breakfast! Although it's my first time trying Irish breakfast, I already foresee many more times to come!

    Millie B.

    One Sunday night, our party of 5 dined at this Irish restaurant. The place is packed, fun and loud. I suppose that's the Irish vibe. We had a great time and feasted on burgers and sandwiches. They have a gigantic TV showing the football game which added to the liveliness of the place. Food is average and service good. They had Sunday night specials which I might try next time.

    Chicken wings. BBQ on the left, sweet chili on the right
    Corey S.

    Fun place, dark wood long and thin. Packed. We started with the wings, half bbq, half sweet chili, really good. Split the chicken blue salad and Rueben sandwich. Both delicious. Service was great. Might have been a few Guinness beers involved. Highly recommend

    Smoked salmon avocado bread
    Kim G.

    So so so good. The service, the menu, the food, the beer selection, the ambient music - absolutely love this place. The food is delicious and hearty - we have never been disappointed, quite the opposite :-)

    Half Guinness bbq and half garlic and Parmesan wings.
    Andrew S.

    One of our new local favorites on 4th street. Beautiful Irish atmosphere and great pub menu. Don't forget to order a half and half harp and Guinness and all of our food was fun and delicious. Great place to hang out and looking forward to trying happy hour!

    Wine County
    Dina H.

    The staff are kind, knowledgeable about food and drinks. It's very clean, as are the restrooms (hard to find these days). Have honest suggestions if you're not sure (they know their menu well). They are always super busy, but this is good. Get there early so you can get in for good food and the alluring ambience. I for one find Burren House, a place of fun, good conversation with people, and the staff. The traditional, Irish music is amazing during the week. And the nightlife on the weekends with the DJs and new bands coming in. I give this A+ review. Come and have fun!!

    Menu at the front entrance
    Paweena L.

    They are busy on Monday. I like the set up with booths and table here like traditional Irish bar with a hint of modern look. The services are fast and friendly. Food is good. Love my potato-leek soup. Their homemade shepherd pie is delicious. My 11 year old son heard the people in booth said the F word ... it's hard for me to teach him about bad word but he heard it here at the restaurant

    Very cute pub..I love it here..
    Kat S.

    Firstly, what an awesome pub..I really loved it..so comfortable, and welcoming.. This place has thee best food! The Fish and Chips, I cant describe to you how perfect the batter was, flaky fish..The fries are so good.. My fiance had Shepards Pie, its the best ive ever had hands down..Im for sure eating here again. Service, its been a minute and I cannot remember the young lady's name..She was so nice..She was knowledgeable on the food and drinks.. This little Pub is a 10 star top notch in my book of restaurants.. My favorites..I probably have about 5 of those. If I could give them 10 stars I would.

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    The Burren House Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Burren House

    Do they have a Sunday roast dinner?

    Does the Burren House take reservations?

    No, they do not. You just go and wait for table.

    Where's the best place to park?

    Usually plenty of street parking in the surrounding blocks, and there's a parking garage directly behind the pub.

    Can one make a reservation for 6?

    I don't think they take reservations. We had a party of 6 for brunch on a Sunday. We went on the early side,11:30, and walked right in. Don't wait to be seated. Just walk… Read more

    Do they offer takeout?

    Absolutely they do.

    How late is food service tonight?

    10pm on the night I went.

    Any bar games? Pool? Darts?

    No games. I asked about darts and they said if all goes well they will expand to the empty space to the East and have darts and pool.… Read more

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    Finnegan's Marin

    Finnegan's Marin

    3.8
    (549 reviews)
    9.5 mi
    $$

    We were in the area looking for a late dinner and were so glad to find Finnegan's Marin. Some pub…read morefood sounded really comforting after what had been a long day for us with little food in our stomachs. It was a Friday night and they had live music going on. I really liked the cozy pub atmosphere. They even have a table in the back of the restaurant with a sign saying "Worst Seat In The House," haha! Service was quick and friendly. We started off with the arugula and beet salad since we were starving, and we devoured it. We also ordered the pot roast and the bangers and mash. Both were delicious and comforting. The pot roast was fork tender and I really enjoyed the savory, tart sauce it came with. I also really enjoyed the gravy on the bangers and mash. We had a good first impression of this pub and will keep it in mind when we're in the area.

    Literally just walked out at 10:45am!It's a shame because we were excited to try this restaurant…read morefor the very first time for breakfast. From the moment we sat down and the server came to our table she was completely unpleasant and had a major attitude. Very condescending but with a smile. It was as if she didn't want us to be there and took it out on us. If I were the owners I would seriously be concerned with this server taking care of customers. Unfortunately, we weren't able to try the food, but we weren't willing to spend our money in a place where we're not welcomed. So, we walked a few minutes down the road and went to the Grazie restaurant. Amazing experience. Amazing customer service. Don't spend your money in places where you get poor service. There are too many choices out there! ***I can't reply to the owners reply (there's no option in Yelp) to my post so I'm adding my reply here. I do hope the owner sees it. What's a shame is that owners like you don't take accountability for your servers providing poor service. If you were so-called only 10 feet away then you would have noticed that we walked out and you would have noticed that your server was rude and condescending when we asked her simple questions about the menu. If you were so-called only 10 feet away and you were such a great owner then why didn't you care that we were leaving? How about you take accountability for your establishment and your employees... you know what's really sad about this... as an owner this is how you respond? What kind of owner are you? After your response , why would I ever want to discuss this face to face with you? You called me a liar. If you don't care, and you want to respond unprofessionally, well, that sounds like a you problem. I was in the food and service industry managing multiple restaurants for many years. I know how to treat customers and when I need to have a conversation with my employees for their poor behaviors. I would definitely never go to a restaurant where the owner doesn't care about their customers experience. Good luck with everything!

    Photos
    Great for Families
    Great for Families
    Roasted Brussels Sprouts
    Roasted Brussels Sprouts
    Irish Nachos

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    Irish Nachos
    The Speakeasy

    The Speakeasy

    4.2
    (238 reviews)
    6.4 mi
    $$

    Fun new beverage menu! I tried Papaya Don't Preach: papaya vodka, limoncello, prosecco, and papaya…read more(!) cotton candy (that melts when you combine it with the liquid ingredients--fun!) The staff is always so friendly and welcoming--you feel like family. We enjoy having small bday parties with themes. Good times. 6.6.26: updated menu!!

    My wife and I had the occasion to stop by The Speakeasy a few days ago. We were just looking to…read morehave kind of hors d'oeuvres and a cocktail and just hang out together, because we found ourselves with a rare four-hour window where the kids were occupied and we could just do whatever we wanted. This was a nice way to spend a few hours. The space is neat. It's as small, somewhat dark ambiance with the windows blacked out. So, you do loose your sense of time a bit inside. That's actually nice as it feels like you went somewhere/somewhen else for a while. We had a Manhattan and a Kentucky Mule, and, additionally, we had three different shareable appetizers. First thought, we ordered and devoured a really exceptional cheese plate. I know cheese plates seem a little meh sometimes, but this was really good! I would absolutely order it again. In fact, I would definitely go there just to have the cheese plate again with a drink, a glass of wine. We also had the three tacos shareable. There were three tacos that were stunningly good. Lastly a dish with some little steak medallions and a shrimp. Each of these was about two bites and the flavor and texture was excellent. All three of the shareables and the drinks were exceptional. I have to call out that, with the cheese board, came a little loaf of bread. That bread was really good all on its own. I would definitely want to eat it. I can still taste it. It was really good, but my wife, she's gluten intolerant. They offered, because she couldn't eat the bread, they offered to also bring her out some gluten-free crackers, so she got to enjoy the cheese board just the same without the bread. They gave her the crackers, and do you know, they just gave her those extra. They didn't ask for something more. They didn't do anything. They just took care of her. I really appreciate that. I have to also give a shout out to the Jessica. I don't know how she did it, but she was taking care of the whole room of tables I think. Nice. We ordred all three shareables at the same time and she thoughtfully said, 'do you mind if I course these out for you?' We said yes and she did. I don't think anybody felt like they didn't have everything they needed, so a shout out to you, Jessica, really well done. We're grateful for the service and the high quality dining experience that you gave us on a moment's notice. I hope we can visit again soon. And, especially we want to check out The Boardroom soon. NOTE: This is in a kind of older looking strip mall. Don't be concerned about that at all! It threw us off a little at first and we did wonder when we pulled in though if we were in the right place. Happily, we were!

    Photos
    Cocktails
    Cocktails
    $2 Oyster Happy Hour
    $2 Oyster Happy Hour
    Lamb

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    Lamb
    State Room

    State Room

    4.2
    (733 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    This place was such a fun surprise. The location is really accessible, with street parking…read moreavailable, which made getting there easy. I honestly didn't realize how much I'd enjoy playing pinball until coming here--there aren't many spots that have that kind of unique feature anymore, and it really added to the experience. I went for a Yelp Elite event, and it was great. The owner was there and super welcoming, and his staff were genuinely nice and attentive. We were given bracelets that gave us access to two drinks, which was a fun self-pour experience. That said, it would've been helpful to get a quick tip on pouring (like tilting your glass) beforehand--foam can sneak up on you fast , especially with so many people around. Because it was busy, we were also given a card that allowed unlimited access to the games, which was awesome and made the night even better. I definitely enjoyed my time here. The owner also mentioned that you can rent individual tables or even the whole venue for events, which is something I'd absolutely consider in the future. I'll definitely be back.

    Visited a friend in San Rafael and her first recommendation was State Room! Nothing like an ice…read morecold hazy IPA on a hot summer day. Staff was friendly and reservations were easy to make. They had huge tvs playing sports which entertained the kiddo quite a bit. Breakfast Bravas ($19): The crispy potato coins + pork + runny egg + avocado + chipotle cream = elite combo!!! Stateroom Burger ($20): Cheese is not included and is an extra $2 (???). It was stacked though and hubby could only eat half before he was stuffed! I will absolutely be back for the bottomless mimosas ($25) and I'm curious about the dirty iced chi tea ($14). My daughter also loved all the magnets on the fence in their mini play area :)

    Photos
    State Room
    The new bar
    The new bar
    Beer menu

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    Beer menu
    Farley

    Farley

    3.5
    (358 reviews)
    9.7 mi
    $$$

    We visited the Children's Museum and then decided to stop in for a little dessert on the terrace…read more We tried the Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Foster Entremet and the kid's sundae. Both were excellent. What an enjoyable experience it was to just chat outside while enjoying the vistas and fresh air.

    We stayed at the Cavallo Point lodge and enjoyed three lunches at Farley during our stay…read more They have a great menu, salads, sandwiches and some main courses. It's a bit pricey as you would expect for a hotel restaurant. They have lots of seating and when the sun comes out you can eat out on the deck, overlooking the amazing views of this wonderful place. Unfortunately for us it was just a little too chilly for outside, at least for me I was a little wimpy without my jacket. Everything we had was great. I had the salmon BLT, the Miso Caesar with grilled shrimp, and the last day I had the burger. The burger and sandwiches come with salad, if you want to get fries there is an up charge. I like salads and I'm used to the opposite so I was pleased. And the salads are generous, with radish and tomatoes and good lettuce. My husband did get the fries on the last day and they were yummy - worth the up charge for sure. The burger was his favorite - he also liked his chicken sandwich but it was a little harder to eat. Service staff is all excellent. I'd definitely come here again, even if I wasn't staying at the hotel.

    Photos
    Indoor dining
    Indoor dining
    Miso Caesar Salad with prawns
    Miso Caesar Salad with prawns
    Truly a hidden gem!

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    Truly a hidden gem!

    The Burren House - irish_pubs - Updated June 2026

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