Today, while speeding through Corte Madera on Highway 101 (or is it the 101 Freeway?) it’s hard to miss Marin Joe’s. Perched on a hillside, tucked behind a chain link fence, and situated along the busy Casa Buena Drive, the restaurant stands as a landmark.
However, the scene was quite different in the 1960 photo. Back then, access to Marin Joe’s — like everything else — was vastly simpler. “There was no fence, no Casa Buena Drive,” says current co-owner Ralph Della Santina, “customers just pulled off Highway 101 whenever they felt like it; often at the last minute.”
Della Santina and his older brother Paul, who currently operate Marin Joe’s, are grand nephews of Adolph Della Santini who opened the iconic restaurant and cocktail lounge in May of 1954. “At the time, Uncle Adolph was a partner in Original Joe’s at the corner of Chestnut and Fillmore in San Francisco, “ recalls Ralph, “but he wanted his own place, so instead of having yet another ‘Original Joe’s’ in San Francisco, he built an entirely new restaurant in a far off location and called it ‘Marin Joe’s.’”
“They all thought Uncle Adolph was crazy,” adds Della Santina.
“Yet, we’re still here 70 years later, and business is great; on a good night we’ll serve around 350 dinners.” However, according to Della Santina the pandemic caused Marin Joe’s to revamp their business model and are no longer serving lunch, and offer dinner Wednesday through Sundays only, 4pm to 10pm.
As for when access to Marin Joe’s was dramatically altered, Della Santina is understandably unsure himself. “I think the Tamalpais Drive overpass was completed in late ‘61, followed by Casa Buena Drive shortly thereafter,” he says. “But I’m not sure because that was the year I was born.” Regardless, he’s confident the prominent “Marin Joe’s” sign out front remains the same one that was erected in 1954, and that few interior changes have been made over the landmark’s 70 years of existence. “The bar was shortened and the fireplace moved slightly,” Della Santina recalls, “and I think that’s it.”
However, when asked about a longtime customer Della Santina’s response is crisp: “That must be Romano ‘Skip’ Wumack,” he says, “Every time he comes in, he lets me know, ‘ I was here the day this place opened.” “And he comes in a lot.”
