Last updated September 2026 · By Melissa DiVita, REALTOR®, Compass · DRE #01387955 · Marin native, in real estate since 2003

MICHELIN Guide restaurants in Marin (as of September 2026)

RestaurantTownDistinction
MadcapSan AnselmoOne MICHELIN star
PlayaMill ValleyBib Gourmand
Insalata’sSan AnselmoBib Gourmand
Village SakeFairfaxBib Gourmand
Sushi RanSausalitoMICHELIN Guide selection
BurmatownCorte MaderaMICHELIN Guide selection
GuesthouseKentfieldMICHELIN Guide selection
Cafe ReyesPoint Reyes StationMICHELIN Guide selection
Tony’s SeafoodMarshallMICHELIN Guide selection
Masa’s SushiNovatoMICHELIN Guide selection

Waterfront and local favorites

  • Tiburon: Sam’s Anchor Cafe, Luna Blu, The Bungalow Kitchen, Servino
  • Mill Valley: Buckeye Roadhouse (since 1937), Watershed, Piazza D’Angelo
  • Sausalito: Le Garage, Fish, Poggio, The Spinnaker
  • Larkspur: Left Bank, Picco (my Picco tips), Emporio Rulli, Hog Island Oyster Co.

New in Mill Valley: Lima Nikkei in the old El Paseo

Anyone who grew up in Marin knows El Paseo, the landmark restaurant at 17 Throckmorton Avenue. It opened in 1947 as a French restaurant and later earned a MICHELIN star. Sammy Hagar and Tyler Florence reopened it as a steakhouse in 2011, it became Paseo, a California bistro, in 2019, and that closed in December 2025. (Here’s our night at Lima Nikkei and around Mill Valley.)

The new chapter is Lima Nikkei, from founder Edwin Sandoval. Nikkei is the Peruvian-Japanese style of cooking, so think ceviche and tiradito next to maki rolls, robata-grilled anticuchos and pisco cocktails. It’s open every day from 4 p.m., which makes it an easy early dinner after a walk around downtown Mill Valley. It’s a fun addition to a town that already takes food seriously.

Tomales Bay oysters

A drive out Highway 1 to Tomales Bay for oysters is one of the great Marin weekends. Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall has a picnic area and café, Tony’s Seafood has been serving since 1948, and The Marshall Store serves oysters from its own farm right on the water.

Craft beer: what’s open now

Marin’s beer scene has changed. Several well-known breweries have closed in recent years, including Marin Brewing Co. (2022), Mill Valley Beerworks (2020) and Moylan’s in Novato (2025), and many online lists haven’t caught up. Here’s where to go now:

  • Fairfax Brewing Company, in the former Iron Springs space in Fairfax
  • Fieldwork (Corte Madera), Pond Farm and Ounces Outdoors (San Rafael), The Junction (Sausalito), Way Station (Fairfax), Creekside Pizza & Taproom (San Anselmo), HopMonk (Novato)

Farmers markets, every day of the week

Marin takes its farmers markets seriously. The Sunday market at the Civic Center, run by the Agricultural Institute of Marin since 1987, has more than 150 vendors, and Pacific Sun readers voted it the best farmers market in Marin for 2026. There’s a market somewhere in the county almost every day.

DayMarketWhere and whenSeason
SundayMarin Farmers MarketMarin Civic Center, San Rafael, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Year-round
SundaySausalitoDunphy Park, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Check the market’s site
TuesdayStrawberry VillageMill Valley, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Year-round
TuesdayDowntown NovatoSherman Ave at City Hall, 4 to 8 p.m.May to October
WednesdayCorte MaderaTown Center, noon to 5 p.m.Year-round
WednesdayFairfaxBolinas Park, 4 to 8 p.m.May to October
ThursdayMarin Farmers MarketMarin Civic Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Year-round
FridayMill Valley759 E. Blithedale Ave, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Year-round
SaturdayMarin Country MartLarkspur Landing, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Year-round
SaturdayPoint ReyesToby’s Feed Barn, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.May to September

San Rafael’s evening market on Fourth Street now runs one Friday a month in summer, alongside the 2nd Friday Art Walk. The Sunday market is also getting a permanent home at the Civic Center, under a 40-year lease signed in 2025.

Marin Country Mart

Right across from the Larkspur ferry terminal, Marin Country Mart is an open-air collection of shops and restaurants, and one of the easiest places in Marin to spend a Saturday. The farmers market runs every Saturday morning, year-round. For food, there’s Farmshop, Hog Island Oyster Co. (happy hour 4 to 6 p.m.) and Rustic Bakery, known for its breads, pastries and crackers. If you commute on the Larkspur ferry, it’s a very easy place to pick up dinner on the way home.

San Rafael: Marin’s most varied food town

San Rafael is the county seat, and it has the widest range of food in Marin, from family-run taquerias to fine dining. In Pacific Sun’s 2026 Best of Marin reader poll, San Rafael spots took a long list of top honors:

  • Il Davide (901 A St): best Italian restaurant and best chef in Marin, David Haydon, along with best service and best business lunch.
  • Emma’s: best restaurant in San Rafael, and best Chinese.
  • Sabor A México: best Mexican in San Rafael.
  • Red Rooster Brick Oven: best pizza in San Rafael.
  • Phyllis’ Giant Burgers: best burger in San Rafael.
  • Miracle Mile Cafe: best breakfast in San Rafael.
  • Saigon Village: best Vietnamese in Marin.
  • California Gold (848 B St): best cocktails, best happy hour and best craft beer in Marin.

Add the Thursday and Sunday farmers markets at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Civic Center, and San Rafael is an underrated place to live if you love to eat. See my San Rafael guide and my Marin nightlife guide.

Quick answers

Does Marin have any MICHELIN-starred restaurants? Yes. Madcap in San Anselmo has one MICHELIN star. Playa (Mill Valley), Insalata’s (San Anselmo) and Village Sake (Fairfax) hold Bib Gourmands, as of September 2026.

Where can you get oysters in Marin? On Tomales Bay: Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall, Tony’s Seafood (since 1948) and The Marshall Store. Hog Island also has a spot at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur.

What is the best farmers market in Marin? The Sunday Marin Farmers Market at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, with more than 150 vendors. Pacific Sun readers voted it the best in Marin for 2026. It also runs Thursdays.

Financing in Marin. Many Marin homes need jumbo financing: the 2026 conforming limit here is $1,249,125, so with 20% down, homes above about $1.56 million usually mean a jumbo loan. My husband Michael DiVita is a mortgage broker and owner of DiVita Home Finance, with access to 40+ wholesale lenders, and he’s a great resource for jumbo and bank-statement loans. Learn more at mycahomeloan.com.
Disclosure: Michael DiVita is my husband. You are free to choose any lender; using DiVita Home Finance is never required, and I receive no referral fee.

Sources

Hungry for Marin?

Send me a note through my contact form. I’m always happy to share my favorite spots in the towns you’re considering.

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