Where to Eat in Fairfax

Perched on the line between Central and West Marin, where Sir Francis Drake Boulevard leaves San Anselmo behind and starts climbing toward White’s Hill and the coast, Fairfax comfortably straddles new and old Marin. This is a town of mountain bike culture, one-of-a-kind stores and a stubborn independent streak, and its restaurants reflect that: nobody here is trying to be anywhere else. Deciding where to eat in Fairfax means choosing between a Michelin Bib Gourmand izakaya, a mechanic’s shop turned barbecue joint and a French wine bar with a patio built on wine barrels — often on the same block. Chef Scott Whitman’s Village Sake draws diners from across the county, Fradelizio’s has been the neighborhood Italian for more than 25 years, and Stillwater puts Marin’s own farms and ranches on the plate. Below, our guide to the best restaurants in Fairfax, organized by what you’re in the mood for.

Be sure to check each restaurant’s website or social pages to confirm its most current hours of operation and services. Updated August 2026.

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Browse by Cuisine:

Al Fresco | Bakeries | Bar Dining | BBQ | Breakfast/Brunch | Breweries and Taprooms | Burgers | Chinese Food | Coffee Shop | Dive Bars | Fine Dining | French Food | Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt | Juices/Teas/Smoothies | Indian Food | Italian Food | Latin American Food | Mexican Food | Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Food | Pizza | Ramen | Sandwiches | Seafood | Steakhouses | Sushi | Thai/Southeast Asian Food | Vegan & Vegetarian | Wine Bars

What Are You in the Mood For?

Heading out for a date? Getting together a group of friends? Here are some options tailored to what you’re after.

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Where to Eat in Fairfax

Bakery

For more Bakeries in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Amélie Café

Stop in for a quintessential French breakfast of coffee and a croissant at an outpost of the original San Francisco wine bar. Stay to enjoy plates of Cal-French escargot with garlic butter, salad Nicoise with pickled egg or slow-baked steelhead with persillade and radishes at lunch and dinner and an extensive French wine list. A petite streetside patio features dining atop wine barrels.

Breakfast/Brunch

For more Breakfast/Brunch in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Barefoot Cafe

Chef Tony Senehi’s all-day cafe in the heart of town is known for California-inspired dishes made from local, organic ingredients. Pear almond pancakes and eggs Benedict (ask for “the Brady” to get lox) are popular at breakfast, while a BBQ pulled pork sandwich is a hot seller at lunch. The cioppino is only available at dinner.

Brewery

For more Breweries in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Fairfax Brewing Company

A new destination for brews and bites, Fairfax Brewing Company is elevating the classic pub experience. Familiar favorites like wings, nachos and a “lights out” burger complement Asian fare like lumpia and Thai noodle salad — all waiting to balance out your pick of Pilsner, hazy IPA or any one of the other beers on tap. 

Burger

For more Burgers in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

M&G Burgers

Looking for a classic burger, fries, and shake? M&G serves up quality without the frills at their Larkspur and Fairfax locations.

Stillwater

Fairfax native Margaret Ruiz and her life and business partner, David, bring the bounty of the county to the table. Appetizers and salads feature local cheeses, oysters and produce while the cheeseburger with Stemple Creek beef and the miso-glazed black cod have dedicated followers. Try one with a Golden Valley Gimlet from the modern cocktail menu. Two patios provide ample outdoor eating space.

Coffee/Coffee Shop

For more Coffee/Coffee Shops in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

The Coffee Roastery

A community-focused coffee shop nestled in downtown Fairfax, The Coffee Roastery offers freshly roasted beans and expertly brewed coffee in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Known for its friendly service and commitment to quality, it’s a favorite local spot for coffee enthusiasts.

Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

For more Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Fairfax Scoop

Fairfax Scoop serves up organic, seasonal ice creams and is famous for its Honey Lavender Vanilla, Mexican Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet. Always quality, make sure to try one of their handmade waffle cones.

Indian

For more Indian food in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Cafe Lotus

Run by Surinder “Pal” Sroa and his son Jyoti Sroa, also founders of the award-winning Lotus Cuisine of India in San Rafael, Cafe Lotus uses organic, local ingredients and fresh spices in their authentic, home-style Northern Indian. Their quality and tasty dishes have made them a local Marin favorite.

Italian

For more Italian food in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Fradelizio’s

Locally raised chef-owner Paul Fradelizio has served inspired Northern Italian fare (homemade gnocchi, wild boar cannelloni, Monterey Bay calamari, tiramisu) for more than 25 years. A perennial neighborhood gem, the cozy space welcomes all with daily specials (fresh local fish, housemade Meyer lemon fettuccine with salmon, cioppino, a Becker Lane organic pork cannelloni) and a Napa Valley wine from the barrel program.

La Gastronomia Di Porchetta

After 15 years at Sausalito’s Osteria Divino, chef Elena Fabbri, who grew up in the restaurant business in Tuscany, decided that focaccia sandwiches with porchetta would be her niche, launching a catering company that highlighted the dish in 2017. (Her husband, Gustavo Mutul, runs Pibil, serving Mexican and Italian pork tacos and sandwiches at the San Rafael Sunday farmers’ market.) Cooked on the in-house rotisserie, pork belly is cut right at the ribs to remove the loin. It’s a one-two punch that makes Fabbri’s porchetta juicy, crispy, irresisitible. Fabbri’s full-service restaurant, which opened last spring, leans into Tuscan flavors with a complete menu of antipasti, primi and secondi. The porchetta — on a sandwich at lunch, with eggs at brunch, with Brussels sprouts and roasted squash at dinner – is destination dining-worthy.

Sorella Caffe

Run by sisters Sonia and Soyara, Sorella, which means “sister” in Italian, serves fresh Italian with a northern influence. Customer favorites include the cioppino, butternut squash ravioli and pollo alla Sorella, others insist on returning just for the garlic bread.

Mexican

For more Mexican food in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Mas Masa

Chef and owner Patrick Sheehy focuses on the ancient technique of corn nixtamalization, using organic, non-GMO blue corn to make its handmade tortillas featured in sweet potato quesadillas, recado rojo tacos and house made chips and guacamole. The beer and wine lists highlight local California microbreweries and wineries. It’s all available to enjoy on the shaded patio.

Pizza

For more Pizza in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Red Boy Pizza Fairfax

Home of the famous sourdough crust since 1969 – is a family-owned, local favorite serving up top-quality food made with the finest ingredients. More than just pizza, they offer a great selection of pastas, soups, salads and more.

Split Rock Tap & Wheel

The former Fairfax Cyclery space is one part bike shop, one part community gathering space and café serving pizzas, sandwiches and salads alongside an ever changing list of California’s freshest micro-brews from their 15 taps. The inside-outside space features dirt resistant seating so you can sit a quaff a brew after you finish your ride or while you wait for a repair.

Sandwiches

For more Sandwiches in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

The Lodge

The menu is designed to power up the many riders and hikers who swing by, featuring all-American eats like a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, spinach and salsa; share plates like a sausage board served with Lodge tots and slaw; and pour-over coffee and draft beer. A growler and can program means your favorite beer, cider or wine can be sipped in the backyard where shaded picnic tables await.

Sushi

For more Sushi in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Village Sake

Chef Scott Whitman’s izakaya is a Japanese-style community pub with a 2021 Bib Gourmand designation from Michelin and a place on the 2022 Top 25 Restaurants list from the San Francisco Chronicle. In the compact interior space and at the seven outdoor tables, you’ll find sushi and skewers, salads and small plates, plus sake and craft beer. The daily waitlist opens online at 5 p.m.

Thai/Southeast Asian

For more Thai/Southeast Asian food in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Bah Mi Ba

A takeout-only spot from the Village Sake team down the street homes in on Southeast Asian flavors. Gluten-free spring rolls and vermicelli bowls line up against Vietnamese bánh mi on a sub roll. Tradition dictates five types of pork layered with cucumber, jalapeño and cilantro, but modernists will savor a sandwich stuffed with Impossible laab or Korean fried chicken instead.

My Thai

With over 40 years of Thai Food Making experience, My Thai brings the fresh and flavorful tastes of Thailand to Mill Valley, San Rafael and Fairfax.

Wine Bar

For more Wine Bars in Marin, check out our Best of the County picks here.

Public House Marin

Located in Fairfax, Public House Marin is focused on cultivating an atmosphere where people can catch up with old friends or make new ones, while serving flavor-filled, hearty meals such as the almond parmesan crunch salad and drinks ranging from greens juice to cider, beer and wine.

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Need more details on where to eat in Fairfax? Here are a few more recommendations…

What are the best restaurants in Fairfax?

It depends on the night. Village Sake, chef Scott Whitman’s Japanese-style community pub, holds a 2021 Bib Gourmand designation from Michelin and a spot on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 25 Restaurants list. Stillwater is the choice for a sit-down dinner built on local cheeses, oysters and Stemple Creek beef, and Fradelizio’s has been the town’s Northern Italian standby for more than 25 years.

Where should I eat in Fairfax after a bike ride or a hike?

Fairfax is built for this. Split Rock Tap & Wheel is one part bike shop and one part café, with pizzas, sandwiches, 15 rotating California microbrew taps and dirt-resistant seating so you can sit down straight off the trail. The Lodge designs its menu around riders and hikers, from breakfast burritos to sausage boards, with shaded picnic tables in the backyard.

Where can I get breakfast or brunch in Fairfax?

Barefoot Cafe, chef Tony Senehi’s all-day spot in the heart of town, does California-inspired cooking with local, organic ingredients — the pear almond pancakes and eggs Benedict are the draws. Amélie also does coffee and a croissant.

Does Fairfax have good outdoor dining?

Plenty of it. Stillwater has two patios. Mas Masa serves its blue-corn tortillas and tacos on a shaded patio, and Amélie has a petite streetside patio where you dine atop wine barrels. Village Sake keeps seven outdoor tables and The Lodge has a shaded backyard.

Where can I get a drink or hear live music in Fairfax?

Amélie is a proper French wine bar, and Stillwater’s modern cocktail menu includes the Golden Valley Gimlet.

Is Fairfax good for vegetarians and vegan diners?

Yes, and it leans into it. Leaf & Sage Plant-based Cuisine, from Fairfax resident Amanda Denny, claims to be Marin’s only 100% whole-food, plant-based caterer, using no processed food or animal products, with a stand at the seasonal Fairfax Farmers’ Market. Holy Chile Mole’s truck does vegan tacos, Mas Masa’s guacamole and quesadillas are naturally meat-free and Bah Mi Ba offers Impossible laab bánh mi.

Where can I take kids in Fairfax?

M&G Burgers keeps it simple with a classic burger, fries and shake at its Fairfax and Larkspur locations. Then walk to Fairfax Scoop for organic, seasonal ice cream — the Honey Lavender Vanilla, Mexican Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet are the famous ones, and the waffle cones are handmade.

What kinds of cuisine does Fairfax have?

For a town this size, a remarkable spread. Italian is deepest, with Fradelizio’s, Sorella Caffe and La Gastronomia Di Porchetta, where Tuscan-raised chef Elena Fabbri builds a menu around rotisserie porchetta. Beyond that: Japanese at Village Sake, Vietnamese bánh mi at takeout-only Bah Mi Ba, Thai at My Thai, Northern Indian at Cafe Lotus, Mexican at Mas Masa and French at Amélie.

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