Top Marin County Restaurants

A unique North Bay restaurant group successfully combines Indian cooking with Jamaican, Mexican and other influences.

You don’t normally order the enchiladas when you’re looking for Indian food, but somehow, Avatar’s makes that feel like a great call. Owner Ashok Kumar, a consummate salesman, is a common sight in the dining room, his geniality setting the tone for service here. He’s used to the questions about why he’s serving Jamaican jerk chicken ($21.95) and will tell you all about Indians’ storied history in the island. He can easily tempt skeptics with the restaurant’s popular enchiladas ($17.95), blanketed in cheese, yogurt, tamarind and the house’s curried enchilada sauce. The Avatar’s Dream ($9.45), the only dessert on the menu, is really something special: Almond and vanilla gelato are served with chocolate and pistachios, with the whole package sitting atop sweet and sour mango and rose petal sauces. Come here with an open mind and you’ll be duly rewarded.

Credit cards accepted • Beer and wine

415-332-8083 • https://avatarsrestaurant.square.site/ • Order online

You can't get oysters any fresher than at this sustainable oyster farm on Tomales Bay.

With both a retail space and a reservation-only oyster bar at its headquarters, Hog Island Oyster Co. takes bay-to-table cuisine seriously. At the oyster bar, you can enjoy the bivalves barbecued and basted with a chipotle-bourbon butter that amps up the smokiness of the grill. A slim menu of charcuterie, cheese and fish-focused small plates can round out your meal. You can also buy fresh and sweet farmed oysters, along with condiments and picnic supplies, from the retail space and take them with you as you journey along the coast. Founded by marine biologists, the oyster company is also a major player in local conservation efforts; the beautiful, briny oysters are really just a bonus. Hog Island's outposts in San Francisco and Larkspur are also open for takeout if you're not able to get up to the farm.

Credit cards accepted • Beer and wine

415-663-9218 • https://hogislandoysters.com/

Since 1996, Insalata's has been serving farm-to-table Mediterranean cuisine in San Anselmo.

Married team Heidi and Mark Krahling created a fine dining destination with Insalata's, which combines the flavors of the Middle East with the produce-centric mindset of California cuisine. In this comfortable, white-tablecloth setting, the crowd favorite lamb burgers ($20) are made from house-made lamb merguez sausage and topped with a frilly herb salad and Manchego cheese. A selection of mezze includes an unforgettable carrot and almond muhammara spread ($9) and fresh focaccia ($6) with tangy whipped feta dusted with za'atar. The restaurant also has a brilliant takeaway counter packed with condiments, family meals, pasta salads and desserts.

Credit cards accepted • Full bar

415-457-7700 • https://insalatas.com/ • Order online

French bistro fare is paired with attractive pier views in the open air.

Marin diners clamor for the dockside seats at Sausalito’s Le Garage, a converted garage decked out in corrugated steel, where you can watch boats bob up and down in the Liberty Ship Marina as you sip on French wine. Sunsets are always spectacular from this perch. General manager Bruno Denis and executive chef Olivier Souvestre, the bistro’s two owners, keep the service and the food approachable: Servers speak French, but wear mechanic’s attire, and the adorable quiche lorraine ($16) and comforting croque madame ($19) would not seem out of place on a French countryside table.

Credit cards accepted • Full bar

415- 332-5625 • https://www.legaragesausalito.com/

An oyster farm on Tomales Bay serves its finest specimens smoked, barbecued and raw.

Hanging out on the deck at the Marshall Store is an olfactory extravaganza. Briny sea air perks up your nose, and then you catch a stinging whiff of grill smoke and charred oyster shells. Then the mouth-watering aromas of garlic butter, lime juice and chorizo fat hit you, and all of a sudden you’re ordering plate after plate of baked oysters ($24). Listening to the gentle scraping of spoons on oyster shells and the slapping of waves against the deck’s wooden pylons is a lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon on the coast. Deck seating is currently first come, first served, so get there early.

Credit cards accepted • Beer and wine

415-663-1339 • https://themarshallstore.com/

Find a wide range of rolls and seasonal nigiri at this gem in Novato.

Masa's is a rare treat of a restaurant, one where a chef with high-end experience offers his skills at an affordable price. Takatoshi Toshi, whose work earned both Sushi Ran and Kinjo Michelin stars, took up the lead role at Masa's after his mentor, Masayuki Ogawa, retired in 2017. Ingredients are selected with sustainability in mind, with the provenance of each fish listed on the menu. The chef-selected sets of nigiri (seven for $32, 12 for $60) and sashimi (10 for $36, 18 for $78) could be priced much higher considering the top-class quality of the yellowtail, McFarland trout and albacore included. From the extensive selection of rolls, the sake kawa ($12) with smoky grilled salmon skin, shiso and bonito flakes is fantastic with a pint of beer. Also try the fried Monterey Bay squid ($14), whose natural creaminess is enhanced by marination in shio koji, which further tenderizes it. The restaurant now offers both outdoor seating on the street and indoor dining.

Credit cards accepted • Beer, wine and sake

415-892-0081 • www.masanovato.com • Order online