Drake's Beach Cafe
Categories: American (New), American (Traditional) [Edit]
1 Drakes Beach RdInverness, CA 94937 (415) 669-1297
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: None
15 Reviews for Drake's Beach Cafe
One of Drake's Beach Cafe's Favorite Reviews
What does John need to be happy?
French Fries and Beer. Throw on top of that an incredible location and some warm sun and I am in heaven. Actually, I am not sure they even serve beer.
What is even better than are the people. When my friend hurt his back they were nice enough to give me ibuprofen. These are really great people.
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Amazing food in an amazing location. The restaurant is so unassuming. For lunch, it's an order-at-the-counter cafe with great takes on American classics. I shared a braised pork shoulder sandwich that was incredibly tender and had a nice acidity to balance it's richness. Delicious clam chowder. Yummy steamer clams. (I'm not a total glutton... this was a special weekend!) I was really, really craving a beer to go along with the feast, but unfortunately I didn't see any... Maybe they don't have a liquor license?
I'm not sure if all of the food is organic, but a vast majority is. Also it all comes from local purveyors. Great quality!
Dinner is a four course, fixed price menu that changes. I can't wait to try it.
It's not the easiest place to get to, but the drive is worth it. So beautiful!! The only reason I docked a star was the no liquor license (because that would have made my meal perfect!).
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I had a friend in town this weekend and the plan was to ride our motorcycles in Marin and enjoy the day. We headed out early and found ourselves out at Drakes Beach, the weather was perfect yesterday nice breeze, clear skies, we could see the Farallons (clearly) and Sutro Tower. We were both fairly ravenous from our coffee and water breakfast since the morning and spirited ride out to Inverness. We parked the bikes and decided to have some lunch, I had been to the Cafe in previous years and had not been out there in quite awhile, still very quaint and the girls were just opening up at 11am, we ordered two salads and the garlic fries. It looked to me as if everything was fairly organic and fresh, my friend had a Cesar salad and she mentioned that earlier in the week it had come with quail. I pretty much was sold at that point, that they had changed quite a bit. There was a smoked salmon quesadilla on the menu, with a nice savory description of a grilled cheese sandwich. Looks like beer (Racer 5) and wine are served which is great since you are on the beach. We sat outside taking in the amazing weather, service was nice took about 15 minutes to get our lunch. We really were fortunate to have such a great day with the weather and the food, we just hung out at beach for about 2 hours after. Now that I see there is a 4 course dinner service, I am sure we will be going back.
Hubby decides he wants to drive up to Point Reyes Lighthouse on his day off so then off we go...road trip! I misread a road sign and we end up on Drakes Beach. Sunshiney day but hella windy (screw that I flat ironed my hair up for nothing). We park and hurry to find bathrooms, long road trip = dire need to pee.
Thinking that this place was just a lame wooden snack shack that only stocks potato chips, muffins, etc it turns out that they make some really decent food. Loved that they carried some boxed organic juices that's a super plus already. We shared their clam chower soup bowl and a plate of garlic fries. Okay, we were totally expecting "soup out of the can" type soup, but was pleasantly surprised at the fresh homemade quality of it. Nice chunks of diced potatoes and wasn't fakely thickened by flour (like some other places do) but with the potatoes in it, nice. The garlic fries we got looked over fried and dark brown, I should've taken a pic of it, just didn't look right but we ate it anyway. I did appreciate the fresh coursely rough chopped garlic with the chopped chives that were sprinkled on it. I checked out other people's plates around us and saw some pretty nicely made sandwiches and side salads. Maybe next time, but probably not for a long while. I don't think we'll get back over to this area of the coastline anytime soon. The view from the inside of this cafe was great and it was sure better being inside than getting whipped around in the wind outside. I'm impressed.
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Dinner. Little on the expensive side but oh so good. We had halibut that was caught not far from the front door. Other tables had the local rib-eye that looked yummy. The restaurant procures mostly local and organic food. It is well prepared and served at the appropriate temperature (I like that). The service is casual and friendly.
You get a four course meal for around $45. We had turnip soup, green salad, wild mushroom risotto and the main. This changes nightly. They don't sell alcohol so bring your own.
We were out there on a cold windy night with the bright moon overhead. The building is a little on the cool side so bring a sweater. I would have given them five stars except this was our first time for dinner.
I have had lunch there too. Bit on the expensive side but quite good.
Make certain to make reservations for dinner.
Best. Meal. Ever.
I was here on a Friday night for a friend's wedding rehearsal dinner. We arrived and landed in a line for appetizers. They were: homemade potato chips with a smoky, creamy chipotle sauce; yummy caprese stacks, grilled prawns with an avocado sauce, and chive dumplings with a sweet orange soy sauce. Those dumplings, like gnocchi that the jolly green giant has kissed, were sooooooo tasty.
We then sat down at the table and looked out onto the beach and ocean. The view is amazing, but I was facing the kitchen. I didn't mind, though, because it was fun to watch the chef in action. All of the food was served family style, which was great considering we were all close friends and family.
After the appetizers came the salads. There was a mixed green salad with tasty cheese (forget which, but undoubtedly local and fresh), candied pecans, and a simple vinaigrette. There was also a grilled golden beet salad that was simple, fresh and tasty.
The entrees came out one at a time. They included Opah (I think) that was lightly curried and sat on a bed of sauteed fennel (yum!), Grilled flank steak cooked perfectly with an amazing tomato-y sauce, simple fried potatoes (cubed) and trumpet mushrooms), polenta with a delightful corn/tomato salsa on top, and buttery garlicky green beans on the side. It was all great.
After the entree came the cheese plate. Five local cheese served with complimentary jellies, crackers, and good bread.
After that, we had coffee and tea and smelled the dessert being baked. It was a superb berry crumble with Straus vanilla ice cream.
The pacing of the meal was perfect and the service was friendly and attentive. While I've been told that the clam chowder is great on a breezy afternoon, I would stick to coming to the Drake's Beach Cafe for their amazing dinners. We heard that on Fridays and Saturdays they have two seatings for dinner; I would call and see if that is right. If it is, make a great weekend of it! Stay in Inverness or the Point Reyes Hostel and fill your belly!!!!
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I went here with my cousin about two years ago so my information may be a bit dated. We went out during the flooding of Napa in 2005 and amongst other places we stopped here. The view is great, especially if you love a view of the ocean when it's foggy and being pounded by rain.
I ordered a burger with fries, took a little bit of time to get the food but it was GOOD, especially given we were in the middle of nowhere in late December. If you happen to be in the area and want something tasty, this is the place.
As far as State/National Park snack bars go, this has to be one of the best. The view is great and the food choices are superb for such a spot. I ordered the smoked salmon quesedilla which was loaded with capers, and it hit the spot. It is not a destination in itself, but the perfect place to grab a bite after a bit of sunning or beach combing. There isn't anything else around, so it's an oasis on the Point.
I took some friends here for a birthday lunch after reading about the place in Sunset magazine... boy was I embarrassed! They were out of nearly everything, and so we all had a (rather gamy) hamburger for lunch. Judging by the bit in Sunset, I thought we were going to have fresh oysters, and a nice lunch outside, but it's a little "order at the counter" style place. Sure it's on a lovely beach, but it was a disappointment. They didn't have any seafood on the day we visited, which was rather shortsighted of them, given that they were just reviewed in a pretty major publication, and it was a sunny summer day. I see that there are two different yelps for this one restaurant, so I guess I'll post my review in both.
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Haven't been here in ages and it hasn't really changed. It's a great place to stop for a snack if you've forgotten to bring a picnic for a walk on the beach. Or if it's too windy and you're hungry. Not a place necessarily to drive out to specifically for lunch, but good once you're there if you're hungry.
I had some amazing seafood stew: just a little bit of spice; reminded me of one my mom used to make. And a lox quesadilla with capers, onion, and a chipotle cream cheese filling. All of it very good, but the service was more than a little lacking. But, as long as you're in no hurry and don't mind getting your food at different times, it's very good food.
We drove out to Point Reyes for my birthday but arrived too late to catch the last shuttle out to the lighthouse. Car weary and snackish we wandered over to the cafe. I was not impressed by the looks of things and was sure it would only be a few dried out muffins and some stale tea. I was sooo wrong! The clam chowder was the best I've ever had - thick and creamy with chunks of potatoes and lots of chewy clams. We hiked out to the beach and went back to the cafe again afterwards to see what else we could get. We ordered a grilled cheese sandwich that came on a funky homemade bread that was the best thing ever. All of their food is local and bought from farms and bakeries in the area. I almost want to drive all the way out there again just for the cafe....and it's a looong way out there ok?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and that's why the Drake's Beach Cafe up in Point Reyes puts me in a bit of a quandary.
Like most beachcombers, I fully expect a place located in the isolated stretch of Point Reyes National Seashore to be a tin-roof shack with an abundance of damp potato chips, warm soda bottles and puka-shell necklaces leftover from the seventies. Imagine my surprise when I saw a menu that included organic potato leek soup, Dungeness crab salads and panko-crusted oysters. But I have to admit such a valiant effort seems rather misguided to me, sort of like repainting the Mona Lisa on purple velvet or like having Placido Domingo sing hip-hop at Coachella.
I guess I do not associate a day at the beach with sand between my toes and sunburn scorching my back as the ideal time to go for fine dining. Call me a purist, but I'd rather clean up and drive somewhere else in Marin County for that experience. Fine dining is an overstatement though, since the place is still basically a crowded room that is part of the wooden structure that makes up the visitor's center. When we entered the cafe, it was already packed full of tourists, families who had grabbed all the available chairs and were yelling loudly to one another about what whales they claimed they saw that day.
When I hear toddlers screaming ad nauseam and the din of foreign languages competing in decibels, I am not in the mood for a $10.50 bowl of oyster stew with cilantro pesto and shallots and a slice of brickmaiden's bread. It sounds tasty, but so much of the experience of having a gourmet dish is being able to have it in an atmosphere conducive to enjoying it. And I have to tell you it's not going to happen here especially on a Saturday.
Perhaps my opinion would change if I sneak up there on a weekday....hmm, but they're only open Friday-to-Monday 10AM to 6PM. Gee, it's already getting complicated. As it was, service was slow and eye contact minimal from the small staff. I have to say the plate of garlic fries did not look appetizing to me, and a motorcycling couple left theirs intact. For me, I'd rather pull over up the road to the Drake's Bay Oyster Farm, where you can get a dozen of the freshest oysters for $8.
FOOD - 3.5 stars...well, it looks good
AMBIENCE - 1.5 stars...a tourist purgatory...check your patience at the door
SERVICE - 1.5 stars...distressed and slow
OVERALL - 3 stars...the owners get a gold star for the effort, but they may be swimming upstream here
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You would think that if you ordered soup and a cheese plate it wouldn't take too long for said items to reach your table. Well, you would be wrong if you were dining at Drake's Beach Cafe. Between the four of us we ordered two bowls of Clam Chowder, one cup of Clam Chowder, and one cheese plate. It took over 30 mins for the food to get to our table... and the soup was pre-made. We watched them ladle it into our bowls. Granted, the Cafe is located on the beach in Point Reyes National Park so it was calming to sit and watch the waves break. But if you're hungry, scenery can only get you so far. Once we got our food, it was warm not hot. If it is foggy and misty outside, the soup should be hot and steamy inside. The chowder itself was hearty with big chunks of clam, potato, and carrots in it, just not hot enough!
The cafe is located well into the park and most of the other customers looked of the tourist kind, which is what we were. Taking this fact into consideration and the fact that the Cafe was the only place to eat on the beach, I don't expect changes or upgrades to a repeat dining experience here.
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The is a real nice beach front cafe. The food is good and the prices weren't terrible. It's a very cozy place to grab some garlic fries and a root beer float. The view from it's patio are exquisite!
It`s funny, even though I feel as if I am addicted to sunshine, the East Bay summer`s weeks of unbroken sunny days can leave me wishing for some clouds or rain sometimes. When I start to feel like that, I just head to the coast and bask in the fog. After a healthy dose of fog, it seems like a nice hot cup of coffee and a bite to eat is just the thing to take the chill off. Luckily enough, there is just the place at Drake's Beach Cafe at Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore.
I had been there once before--before the current operators were running the place and I didn`t find it too exciting. But on my last visit, it was evident that things had changed for the better.
The light cafe menu has a lot of surprises and the management focuses on local and organic ingredients. They have a variety of salads, interesting hot chocolates, sauteed stinging nettles, tea-service for two, and a lot more. I can safely say that it was the best food I have yet to eat in a National Park (but I haven`t tried the Ahwahnee in Yosemite).
It is definately an out of the way place, but the cafe has good food, an interesting menu, and some really nice scenery to recommend it.
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