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Category: American (Traditional) [Edit]
11180 State Route OneMon-Tue., Thu-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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I wish there was a Station House Cafe in the East Bay. We ate here twice during our 4 day stay in Point Reyes.
Our first night there we started off with a dozen of their Kumamoto oysters and they were delicious and the presentation was very nice. The calamari appetizer was cooked perfect and came with a jalapeno yogurt sauce. De-LISH.
Their burgers were cooked perfect and served on a soft ciabatta bun. Everything was fresh and so so tasty.
Service was on point, my glass of Diet-Coke with lemon was never empty and the servers were friendly!
The only reason they loose a star is because their bathroom is small and dirty, not matching the rest of the restaurant's atmosphere.
I love this place.
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My boyfriend and I ordered a cheeseburger and bloody mary's (each) before our hiking trip through Point Reyes and ... well, let's just say that we didn't end up hiking after all. The burgers were so damn good that we just sat there, stunned, for a while.
I had the Neiman Ranch Angus burger with Swiss cheese and locally-grown, organic butter lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion slices. The Dijon mustard was grainy and stone-ground, just the way I like it! The garlic-dill carrot chips (raw) were delicious and flavorful without tasting too improvised; they had a nice, vinegary tang that went well with a drop of Tabasco sauce. The Bloody Mary was superbly thick without being soupy, and I loved the home-pickled green beans and pearl onions!
My boyfriend had a similar cheeseburger, but with crumbled fresh blue cheese and thick slices of bacon. Everything served here is grown- and raised locally -- even the milk in the milkshakes! He devoured his seasoned french fries, and licked his fingers after wolfing down his burger. That's a good sign, indeedy.
What I loved the most about the Station House Cafe was its attentive and well-managed wait staff. My boyfriend was a waiter in college, and he noted that the cafe employed a bus boy who artfully cleared and set-up tables for waiters and waitresses -- which would explain why everyone seemed less stressed out and more accommodating even though it was a packed house on a random Sunday! The prices were also moderate -- I'd argue CHEAPER than your standard San Francisco fare, but way better in terms of taste, wait, service, and tip-karma.
So I really wanted to love this place. I was completely starving after the long ride up from San Francisco and the hike up the 300 stairs at the Point Reyes lighthouse. Since it was a beautiful day out, we tried to sit outside, but had to quickly move inside when the bees started swarming. I got a burger, made with Niman ranch beef, and it was meh; not great, but definitely not bad. My dad devoured his pound of steamed clams like it was his last meal; so I guess they were good. The service was decent, but I found the hostess to be a bit slow; multitasking was definitely not her strong suit.
Overall, not a bad place to grab a bite to eat.
After reading all the Yelp reviews I was a little scared to try this place. Fortunately we had no issues. It was not crowded on a Saturday night, which also gave me pause. The guy who seated us did try to stick us in the corner against a wall but we just changed tables after he walked away. Our server seemed nice enough. We ordered a salad with marinated mushrooms, half a dozen Kumamoto oysters, and both got the Fish & Chips. The fish & chips were excellent-very light batter and the fish was very fresh. My oysters were also very fresh, & other than one random crunchy bit, good quality & tasty. For desert I had the lemon pot de creme, which was excellent. Mr Q had the butterscotch pudding..which I thought needed more flavor. Overall a good experience so 2 thumbs up!
Best bread pudding with caramel sauce and cream sauce. Nice outdoor seating area.
we had been doing quite a bit of walking/hiking in some pretty gray weather, so what we wanted was something hearty. the station house cafe had chili (him) and clam chowder (me), which really hit the spot for us!
the cafe itself feels pretty diner-esque, with waiters and waitresses rushing about, and a really random array of foods, but the quality of food is high. great place!
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We've been going to the Station House for over 10 years and sadly, it is only a former shell of itself. It used to be absolutely great and that's possibly before Point Reyes Station became a crowded magnet for foodies, tourists and bicylists. Now the food is average, the service staff overworked and frazzled and it often feels like a loud cafeteria. I wish I could write a better review; perhaps during the winter months the Station House Cafe would be a welcome visit.
Everything here are served organic and locally grown. Because of this, they are a little pricy by about $1.00 or $2.00 compared to other breakfast diners. Our hearty breakfast were excellent and in generous protions. We've been to Point Reyes at least 5 times and this is the first time we've eaten here. It didn't disappoint and we will come back to have more hearty and healthy organic breakfast and to support the local farms. Great services. This place is very good for kids too.
The Memorial Day weather was beautiful so a buddy and I decided to go hiking out at Point Reyes Station. Neither of us had lunch yet so we decided to grab some food at a local cafe. We actually meant to try the Cowgirl Creamery but it, like nearly all of the other cafes, was closed early. Wanting a place where we could sit and enjoy our meal, we stumbled upon the Station House Cafe which was luckily still open.
Local crusty bread was served as a starter and it's slightly chewy center was excellent. We decided to try some of the local specialties and ordered a half dozen barbecued oysters to start. The oysters were extremely fresh and I really enjoyed them with the garlic butter. The BBQ sauce didn't really add anything to the oyster so I mostly just scrapped it out.
The blue cheese burger with bacon really caught my eye so I had to have it. The meat was of such high quality that I was given the option of having it as rare as I wanted. I usually like my steak extremely rare, but even with the option, decided that medium rare would be best. The bacon was crispy and the blue cheese was nice and bitey, just how I like it. The fries were not anything special and weren't really appetizing after they got cold.
While I would have preferred to have gone to the Cowgirl Creamery for lunch, the Station House Cafe was a fair consolation. They're also part of the Marin Organics association which means that their food is grown locally and is of the highest quality and freshness. I would definitely recommend given them a try if you are in town late because everything else will like to be closed. Like us, you may be surprised, even if you don't really have a choice!
Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 8/10
People thought this was:
we decided to take a sceneic drive up to point reyes on a saturday afternoon and had lunch here. the food was good, the outdoor patio dining area was cute and quint. i had the turkey chili and their bloody mary, both delish (although the bloody mary could've been spicier but that's a personal thing). my boyfriend had the fried oysters. i kicked myself in the ass for not ordering that. so what if it's fried and it was only 11AM and you're having the first meal of the day? those things were good! oh, my turkey chili came with a big piece of corn bread that came with some whipped butter. it was light and creamy and a tiny bit sweet; perfect with the warm corn bread...i'm convinced they put crack in that butter thing because I couldn't stop eating it.
it's a drive from SF, but i'll go back for sure!
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Frankly I am so disappointed. This was one of my all time favorite restaurants. I loved their oysters and mussels...however, today they served me old oysters that smelled bad...and one even was off color. It was disgusting...so I switched to a hamburger..which was greasy and seemed to be low grade meat. Only my house salad was good. I am probably never coming back...and I have always stopped here when I visited before. If the manager would have at least apologized for the oysters served I may have reconsidered returning...oh well.
I always enjoy dining at the Station House Cafe. Indoors, outdoors, the bar...breakfast, lunch or dinner...it's all good!
My daughter and I had early lunch there yesterday. The food and service were outstanding. We ordered fresh watermelon aguas frescas to drink. YUMMY! I ordered a bowl of New England style clam chowder, which came with terrific french bread and butter. Delish. My daughter had a bagel with cream cheese, lox and the works and devoured it. She also ordered a bowl of fresh fruit, which unfortunately was awful (the fruit tasted like it had been cut up and sitting since yesterday). When we told the waitress, she apologized and took it off the tab without our even asking her! We paid $22, tip not included, and walked away very satisfied.
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You want prickly service for realz? Come to the Station House Cafe! I don't know what drama was going on during our visit, but shouldn't we as customers be blissfully unaware if there IS any drama?
I think our server may have been the owner, which makes this all even worse. I'd expect an owner or manager to model good behavior for the staff, but I didn't see that here, to disastrous results.
We waited a lot. For our orders to be taken. For our coffee drinks. For water. For the food. For the check. She'd come by brusquely, ask a question, then tell us to wait and dash off. And come back with an odd compliment about someone's outfit but not the thing we'd requested. It got absurd.
She mentioned that most of the staff were out that day, but since we were seated at a table right by a throng of them gossiping about the patrons and folding napkins, that couldn't really be it.
Unless it was the GOOD staff that wasn't there. I used the rest room after an employee and was left with all of 2 squares of TP. And she walked right by me without a warning or promise of more TP! Then there was the other employee that, in an almost empty cavernous restaurant, sat the table with 2 unruly kids right next to us. Why? Isn't it standard practice to put them far away? Or was it about saving steps for the waitstaff? (Or torturing us more?)
After all of that, I can barely remember the food... I had the cheese grits & greens, which had a nice flavor but were on the dry and crumbly side. Dining companion asked for an omelet without garlic and got an omelet with garlic. One star for the meals being organic, locally-grown meh...
I'll stick to the Pine Cone Diner the next time I want brunch, thanks.
People thought this was:
The service is wayyy to slow. From getting out orders taken...to waiting for our water...waiting for our food...refills on water. It was just slow. None the less their fresh squeezed grapefruit juice was good, calamari good and my friends Mexican omelet was good. I also ordered clam chowder which was a little bland but then again I like my chowder kind of creamy.
Maybe it would have made a difference if we were seated outside. I may go back to this place again.
Beautiful place to eat, great service. One of the best breakfast I've ever had. The french toast is to die for. I love this place, and can't wait to go back.
So this place has everything including great vegetarian food.
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It's not what it used to be, that's for sure.
We ate at The Station House twice on our trip. The first trip was alright, but at 11:10am, my grandfather couldn't get an item off of the breakfast menu, which ended at 11am. Way to please the customer. But the BLTA was pretty darn good.
Day two, I tried a turkey burger with feta and some other junk. The menu failed to mention an olive tapenade that was smothered on the burger and tasted TERRIBLE. I scraped it off and it was just okay. The garlic dill carrots are pretty tasty. My husband enjoyed the fish and chips, but their coleslaw was pretty bad. Too big apple chunks and cabbage drowning in mayo? I'll pass.
Both times, our service was pretty awful. Both times, we were one of maybe four tables sat, so congestion wasn't an issue.
Bottom line, The Station House is really hit or miss. Your meal can be amazing or cold and terrible. Same can be said of the service.
I came here for dinner on the 4th of July and it was pretty popular. I failed to make reservations (FAIL) but we still managed to get seated really quickly! They warned us 15 minutes, but it was really like 2 minutes. Our server was VERY nice to us. We ordered the osso bucco lamb w/creamy polenta (sp?) and the grilled bass and polenta and kale. (In case you didn't know polenta is a corn based product; I always get it confused with prosciutto, so I always think polenta is meat, which it is not. Maybe I just lost credibility as a foodie, but I just have a bad memory!) Anyway, the lamb was cooked perfectly (or so my dining partner says, because I don't eat lamb). The bass, unfortunately was left on the grill too long and was burned. I was sad, and didn't know what to do, so I asked the server about it and he very quickly took it away and even asked the chef to remake a new one for me "from scratch", not sure what this really meant, but it was obviously a hassle and really nice of them to do for me! I have actually never returned a dish before (unless there was something gross going on like my cricket on my In N Out fries), and the server was extremely gracious about the incident. (I felt so guilty and like an ass, but he really was so obliging and willing to make our dining experience a pleasant one). When the bass came out, it was grilled well; I particularly liked the creamy orange sauce on it and the kale. Overall, friendly service, painless experience, interesting/nice menu. Total cost $48 for 2 entrees + tip.
Oh wow, I almost forgot. At the beginning of the meal, they brought our complimentary popovers. I actually have never had a popover before, so I was so surprised when I tore off the top of the bread and it was hollow down the middle. It smells delicious, tastes delicious, was light, fluffy, and must be made with lots of egg whites or something, I couldn't figure it out. It was pretty great!
At the Point Reyes Visitors Center, we were given a listing of restaurants nearby for lunch. A quick glance at my iphone Yelp app didn't turn up anything super spectacular nearby so we put our fingers on the page and picked an eatery at random. By random, I meant that I still searched it up and made sure it had at least 3 stars. It did...although after eating here, i feel that the current 3.5 rating is a bit low for how good this place was.
The atmosphere was welcoming and we were seated promptly. The other diners seemed to be mostly locals, which is always a good sign. We ordered Clams steamed with wine/butter/garlic as a starter. Pretty decent. We even dipped the bread in the sauce (and perhaps filled ourselves with more bread than we should have). For entrees, I ordered the Vegan Carrot Soup and the Pulled Pork Sliders. The soup was delicious (although you'd really have to be into carrot to like it, I think) and the sliders were a good portion size that had tasty cole slaw in between. The pork was not dry like many pulled pork sandwiches I've had in the past. One warning is the grilled pepper that came as a side to the sliders. It's fire hot. Eat at your own risk.
The rest of my table ordered the Club Sandwich (the melons were a fantastic addition that gave the sandwich a refreshing twist), the Tuna melt (we asked for light cheese and they did just that), and the blue cheese burger. Everyone seemed satisfied with their choice. We did spent a good 10 minutes just trying to give a bite of our entrée to each person at the table (as a effort to show how good it is). Portions were large. I like they are committed to serving local/organic produce without having to charge a lot like they often do in SF. Prices here are moderate.
Service was good in general. When we were ready to get our bill, our server was at the station chatting away with another server. Took awhile for us to flag someone down, but otherwise, she was attentive and came by to check on us.
Stop by here on your way to the lighthouse or any other popular destination in your area for a good representation of what West Marin has to offer.
People thought this was:
We used to love this place but not so sure now. Very weird service and cold food was delivered to our table. Not so good. Burger was nice, oyster stew was good but chowder tasted like potato soup with too many veggies. The famous popovers? Served cold and sort of burnt. Won't be back real soon...
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Found this place randomly while driving down the coast and absolutely loved it. We sat outside on the garden patio and enjoyed a tasty breakfast complete with fresh watermelon juice and a foamy cappuccino. The only complaint would be that the waitress forgot about us once we laid our credit card down to pay, but the lunch rush had come in and I'll attribute it to an accidental oversight. Would go back in a heartbeat.
I went here on Sunday. The restaurant does not open until 5PM so we had to order in the bar. The place was crowded and the service suffered terribly. The poor guy in the bar was not getting much help, there were several employees just standing around watching this guy bust ass.
The Bar Menu was very limited, It was 4PM when we entered the place and we didn't want to hang around an hour to get a shot at the real menu. We ordered 2 burgers, one with fries the other with a side salad. The burgers were okay, but frankly they tasted exactly like Water Buffalo, that is not a bad thing, but surprising. I don't know if it was the seasoning or the actual meat that made them taste this way.
To sum things up, I will reserve judgement on this place until I actually eat in the restaurant. But I can say that I would not order from the bar again....
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Station House Café is the most upscale restaurant in Point Reyes Station. Actually, it's the only upscale restaurant in Point Reyes Station, though the term "upscale" might even be a stretch since you are more likely to see patrons in t-shirts and shorts than evening wear.
The menu is mostly American, featuring steaks, salad, local seafood, and local organic products, with the occasional nod to other cuisines, such as Italian or even Asian fusion. They have a nice wine and beer list and occasionally have live music in the bar, which adds a nice tone. The setting is attractive and they have a large outdoor seating area, but this is often chilly in the evening, even in the summer. For weekends, reservations are HIGHLY recommended.
My family has been here many times, but I have never been totally blown away by the food. I would describe it as dependably decent fare with good variety at vacation prices (i.e. Spendy!). Usually I am torn between a couple of items on the menu, which is a good thing. They do have a kid's menu too, which helps for our picky daughters.
Popovers. Did I mention popovers? Sort of a cross between cornbread and sopapillas, these puff pastries automatically come warm to every table within 5 minutes of sitting down. Open a slot with your knife, pop some butter inside, roll it around, Enjoy.
Our most recent visit here was a bit of a disappointment. The waitress arrived late and was rushed and a bit pushy, putting a damper on our relaxed mood. She didn't take drink orders right away, so I was not allowed the pleasure of lingering over a cocktail while perusing the menu. Instead drinks arrived just before dinner. At least the kids were fed quickly, and we were all happy with our choices in the end.
The dessert menu here is impressive, and we made sure to save room this time. The wife had their famous bread pudding (I thought it was a bit lacking) while I had the berry pie (killer!) and our daughters blissed-out on a large, shared dish of local, organic, vanilla bean ice cream. I stole a little, of course, as is my fatherly duty. Let's just say it didn't suck.
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After a long day and good hiking at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, my friends, Jeff and Florence, and I decided to pop into town to see about food to ward off the hunger pangs.
We were already a wee-bit cold, and the comfort food that they listed on the menu sounded...well, comforting! I settled on Grilled Cheese, and my counterparts settled on a Hamburger, and also Tuna-Cheddar Melt. Oh, and I also ordered a side-order of grilled jalapenos.
Luckily, we had drinks to keep us somewhat happy - because the wait was about 20+ minutes (and the restaurant was *not* packed). As I was starting to get ansy, the waitress arrived at our hungry table with food in-hand. She walked away.
Then, I noticed that the grilled jalapeno's weren't delivered.
Then, I took one bite of my grilled cheese...and...it was on the border between "room temperature" and "cold"!!! I'm sorry - but it's really hard to screw up grilled cheese in my book! Florence asked me what was wrong, and it turns out that she had the same issue with the food. I asked Jeff how his hamburger was, and not only was it not cooked to order, but it was also cold. Though he decided to settle, Florence and I decided to send our orders back - since we are firm believers that you should get what you pay for!
I'd say that it took a long time for the waitress to be within flag-down-distance. She was apologetic, re-made the orders, and they were much better the second go-round.
Not only did the waitress remove the two unhappy orders from the check, she also removed all our drinks. I'd have to say that she handled everything as I expected her to, and also handled us professionally, and was very sincere and nice. Had it not been for her responsiveness, this review would've been bumped down to one star!
The overall service made this experience really marginal. I ordered the grilled cheese off of the kids menu, and I dunno whether or not they changed the size of it because they saw that I was an adult, but it was made with giant pieces of sourdough that really equated to two sandwiches - the portions were too large.
They had finally delivered the jalapenos, which were charred well and kind of "made" the whole meal!
My girlfriend suggested eating here. I hadn't been here in some time but enjoyed the food in the past. The server, Lisa, was friendly, warm, and provided good service. I had the oyster po' boy, which was excellent. The lettuce was crunchy, the bread was nicely toasted, and the oysters themselves were excellent, as were the fries on the side.
My sweetie had a chocolate shake. It was delicious. She said the produce on her burger was fresh, the meat itself was excellent and cooked to her request.
I'll be back again and will recommend this place to others.
The Short: Delicious fresh local food, served with delight
The Long:
My boyfriend and I had just driven up to Point Reyes Station from San Francisco via Rt.1, and we were exhausted and famished. We ended up just going to the best looking place in Point Reyes Station - Station House Cafe.
We started with the Oysters which were presented and prepared perfectly - they were delicious and wonderful.
My dinner of pasta with muscles was perfect in every way - and my partner's seafood stew was also lovely and fresh.
The service was gracious, well mannered, and experienced.
This place was far and away the best dining experience we had while visiting Point Reyes Station.
People thought this was:
WOW! Everything on the menu cried out my name but unfortunately I only have one stomach. I guess it means I will be coming back soon.
* The highlights included:
fresh, hot popovers,
local oysters on the half shell,
creamy polenta w/ local blue cheese,
Ahi tuna with wasabi- prepared to perfection,
A nice selection of vegetarian options,
butterscotch pudding on the dessert menu,
homemade ketchup,
homemade veggie burgers,
quinoa veggies,
and the cowgirl creamery is only blocks away!
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I'm down with Jill P! BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING! Save room for it, because you'll want to moisturize with it, it was so damn good. What's up with butterscotch pudding being on an endangered dessert species list? It's the best.
Enough's been said about the popovers, yep they're guh-reat. And damn, my half crab was fresh and tasty..."suck-worthy" as my friend D puts it. All in all what a treat after a long bike ride through the hills.
Oh, and not to forget, the music is such a nice touch! A sunny day capped off w/ a New Orleans-style 3 piece jazz combo...well isn't that just the cat's meow.
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I always forget how cool Point Reyes is, so I don't venture out there too often. I'm glad I did tonight though. I met up with some friends and we ended up at the Station House Cafe for dinner which has cozy atmosphere, a nice bar, live music (in the bar) and good food. There is also an outdoor patio, which I hope to get back to when the days are warmer. I thought the crab cake was good because it was actually made of crab rather than just a bunch of bread crumbs. I did think it and the local oysters were a little heavy on the sauce, but the sea food itself was fresh.
If you would like more details please read on. Here is what we had.
DUNGENESS CRAB CAKE with romesco sauce and garlic aioli
The Crab Cake was excellent and actually made with crab rather than a on of bread crumbs, but it was swimming in a roasted red bell pepper aioli which was a bit much.
LOCAL OYSTERS barbecued or on the half shell with
mignonette or cocktail sauce. These were also a little too heavy on the sauce, but the oysters were good.
Fresh, local DUNGENESS CRAB & a touch of crisp onion rings.
My friends got this and said it was fresh and delicious.
FRESH HALIBUT CLUB with lettuce, tomato, bacon & chipotle aioli on a country potato bun. This was very good. I particularly liked the bacon, which was lean and thick.
Butterscotch Pudding & Chocolate Brownie Sundae - So good. We all shared these and everyone was pleased. The Butterscotch Pudding was creamy and not overly sweet. The sundae was made with a fresh brownie, Three Twins organic ice cream and both chocolate and caramel sauce. This dessert is probably good for serious chocolate lovers.
People thought this was:
Popovers for the table are to die for. Fluffy and huge, break them open to piping hot eggy airy insides, which you can then slather with butter.
Mostly local, organic ingredients. Good local beers on tap. Delicious fresh milkshakes. Huge, fresh, tender fried calamari app. Perfectly cooked aritchokes. Entrees were hit-or miss... Osso buco on polenta was awesome. Tamales were gummy. Mushrooms w/ polenta was salty rich. But the popovers made up for everything.
Bustling with locals and outdoorsy tourists. Totally casual...
The staff were so pleasant and sweet. I asked if the polenta was vegetarian and he said yes but came back later and said he asked the chef and was told it has beef broth in it. I said that was fine - I'll just order the Shepherds pie instead. To my surprise he brought me the polenta and said that the chef made it special without beef broth just for me. That is soooo nice. My husband had the shepherds pie - he really like it.
The only dislike about the place is the smell of fried foods that sticks to your cloths. But other than that I thought it was a gem in such a remote place. We came back for breakfast and had an equally good time.
People thought this was:
awesome fish tacos
Solid food and staff.
I believe this is also the only restaurant in the area with a full bar - try the pomegranate mojito! We waited to be seated at their charming cocktail area, complete with a break wall, some art, and an antique piano.
We were then seated near the open kitchen and enjoyed watching the endless line of delicious dishes. We ordered the Clam Chowder, Cesar Salad, Reuben Sandwich, and Fish & Chips. All were tastey and, well, solid.
Their Cole Slaw was unique, fresh, and flavorful. It only had minimal mayo and sweeten by raisins, lovely!
A solid dining experience. They also have a large outdoor patio area.
People thought this was:
I, too, used to really like this place, but had one of the worst burgers I've ever had here recently. Stale bun, barely cooked, cold, just bad, couldn't even eat it. Every other meal we had in the area was really good, but this place has really slipped. It's too bad, it used to be much better. The only thing that was good was the bread that was served before the meal.
People thought this was:
I love this place - it is comfort food at its best. You must order the barbecued oysters and the burger with Pt. Reyes blue cheese. The oyster po' boy is also amazing. And breakfast is served all day, which I totally love as well.
For the past three years my family has vacationed in Stinson Beach, but it wasn't until this year that we discovered a reinvented Station House Cafe. What a find! Too bad it took us so long to discover this lovely dining haven that's only a half hour from Stinson Beach--well worth the trip. I've dined here before, over the years and years ago. But a new owner took over a few years ago, built an amazing garden dining area with roses, flowers, a fountain and Koi pond, humming birds, and the interior is warm, sunny, fresh and gorgeously updated while retaining it's long-standing community charm.
The food was fresh and inventive (I had perfectly cooked salmon over delicious Quinoa), the service refreshing, the atmosphere relaxing. I'm not sure if they do this every weekend, but we were there on a Sunday and there was fabulous live music happening with a round of well-known musicians, apparently from the Bay Area, which was really a special treat. We thoroughly enjoyed this whole dining experience.
Post script: just returned on most recent visit, March 2009. Was delighted to be greeted by a caring staff that recognized us as if we were old friends. The scrumptious food including fresh, organic ingredients options hit the spot, the garden was even more lush with the onset of spring, making the short, gorgeous drive all the more worthwhile. Also a plus: the community feel, people watching (I admit, I love that). We love this place. A new fav mainstay.
Very "eh." Sweetie and I went here last weekend on a trip north. The best part was simply being together; the food was unmemorable. Not bad, but surprisingly not good for 1) location in No Cal and 2) commitment to local/organic, according to the menu. We had fried oysters, sole with orange sauce, tamales, and a berry dessert with cowgirl creamery cream that still wasn't stellar for what it should have been.
The waiter was excellent and attentive. Oh--and the bread, which is popovers, is a unique and nice addition. The bartender, who served us while we waited, was quite standoffish and it took several minutes to even make eye contact and acknowledge our presence.
Overall, a decent place to take care of hunger in Pt. Reyes. I'm curious what better options there might be, though.
This used to be my favorite restaurant. The patio on a sunny day is what heaven should be like, minus the screaming banchee birds. The drinks are yummy, brunch is faboo, and the creamy polenta with gorgonzola and marsala mushroom sauce is my ultimate comfort food. BUT: it's usually pretty busy, so you'll wanna come on a weekday and the food has been hit or miss lately (don't get the burger). Overall, still my favorite place to take out-of-town guests for a yummy, relaxing outdoor brunch before we hit the beach.
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Me, after hiking 13 miles and only eating a Lara bar and drinking some water = HUNGRY
Angie R., after hiking 13 miles and only eating a Lara bar and drinking some water = HUNGRY, in spite of self-imposed detox diet of plant food
My father, after hiking 13 miles and only eating probably some mixed nuts and drinking a small thing of gatorade = mildly hungry, sense of moral superiority because of his inherent machoism and mild eating disorder
For my father's 60th birthday, he decided to take all of his children on a deathmarch on the Point Reyes National Seashore (he and I had done the trial run about 6 months ago). Wisely, Jessica called "sick" and didn't show up, but the rest of us were there. I also brought Angie along to join in the suffering, but I think she liked it too. Afterwards, we planned on eating at the Station House Cafe. Not sure how my father chose it, but I was just happy he had CHOSEN a restaurant instead of, say, a convenience store and a package of corn nuts as he usually does.
I'm not entirely sure what to say about this place. The ambiance is quite nice. There's also a big backyard and patio, which was closed off for a private event when we were there. The food was decent but not great, and priced relatively moderately ($300 for 10 people with some alcohol, not bad). Lots and lots of stuff for vegetarians and maybe even vegans. They also get extra kudos from me for sourcing almost all of their ingredients locally and organically - but I guess this is par for the course in Marin, a scary place where people don't smile. Seriously. My sister was playing the "make strangers smile game" and NO ONE smiled.
Then there was the waitress. My family has me stereotyped as being bitchy to waitresses but I swear this is not true. You know how your family stereotypes you and you can never escape this stereotype no matter what you do? Yeah. That's me. I swear on baby Jebus that I did not say anything rude to her, I smiled and tried to be as polite as humanly possible, but she just was not happy about our party of 10 taking up three of her tables. I know that it's difficult to serve large parties, but we were relatively well-organized and even took the little kids outside while waiting for the food.
My main complaint was her lack of organization (forgot things), slow service (we sat for about 30 minutes between getting drinks and being able to order our food) and general bad attitude that she admittedly tried to cover up once I started being painstakingly polite to her. I guess I care so much because we had to tip her 18% - it was included since we were such a large party. Did she give us such poor service because she knew the tip was a given? Oh well.
Anyway, this place isn't bad to stop by if you're in the area, but a large group might be problematic - you'll definitely need a reservation (we had one).
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Good for families and adults.
Looking for food on Saturday night, we discovered the Station House Cafe. At first I was wary of entering, because several sets of parents were coaching their children on public behavior outside the front door. But comparing the restaurant with others in the neighborhood, we found the menu to be attractive. At 8 pm the host told us the wait would be a half hour, so we found a table in the bar. Two glasses of chardonnay for $15, and some live acoustic guitar for entertainment, made the time pass quickly.
In the main dining room, the first thing to hit our table were the popovers. WARNING: these are instantly addictive! They disappeared in minutes. We shared an order of salmon cakes, which reminded me of Cabo fish tacos. My Love ordered a Cobb salad with chicken breast, and I ordered baby back ribs. The Cobb tasted fine, and the ribs had a whiskey barbeque sauce on them that kept me in bliss all the way through. For dessert we shared a mixed berry pie, which we agreed was delicious. The check was $46.
I think every highway patrolman and sheriff's deputy in Marin County decided to turn on their radar in Point Reyes Station last night. On the one hand, it was seriously intimidating; on the other we knew we would have a safe drive back to the cottage.
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Point Reyes Station, CA
Category: Diners
Point Reyes Station, CA
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Point Reyes Station, CA
Category: Cheese Shops
Point Reyes Station, CA
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Point Reyes Station, CA
Category: Restaurants
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