The Tavern at Lark Creek

Wonderful setting Old yellow house is perfect dining setting Salmon & trout dishes excellent and butterscotch pudding deserves its reputation

I sent an email directly to the Tavern at Lark Creek’s General several months ago and never received a reply. I am disappointed that the General Manager did not respond to my email – poor customer service. I want to stress that my experience on this one occasion was not typical and I would usually give the Tavern at Lark Creek five stars.
Here is the email I sent to the General Manager:
I recently celebrated my birthday dinner at your restaurant with a party of nine on Saturday, December 7^th. Typically, I LOVE your restaurant! It is truly one of my favorite restaurants and my husband and I go there often, but not usually with such a large group. I just wanted to give you some feedback because it was a disappointing evening.
First, we put in an order for appetizers, three orders of the mac and cheese croquettes. Our waiter came back and told us that only one order was available, and that he would bring some other apps out for the table. We assumed that we would not be charged as we would not have ordered lamb meatballs or fried veggies. If given the choice, I would have ordered a salad instead.
We all looked over the menu, and, when it came time to order, more than half of the party wanted to order the short ribs. Upon ordering, they were told that the kitchen was out of the short ribs. They were clearly disappointed. I was debating between a fish and the veggie burger, which is typically what I order. I told the waiter that I like salmon, but there was no salmon on the menu. He told me that the steelhead trout was very similar to salmon, so I ordered the steelhead trout. Besides the coloring, it was nothing like salmon. Again, disappointing.
We did have a late reservation (8:45), so I understand that the kitchen does run out of certain items, but it would have been helpful to have been told this information prior to getting our hearts set on particular items… We ordered several desserts, and all were delicious! When the bill came, we were charged for all of the appetizers that we did not order. Now, it makes me feel very cheap to have to discuss such a matter with the waiter, and we did get him to take off the charges, but it was uncomfortable for me to have to do so.
Anyways, I just wanted to offer you feedback. Again, I usually go to your restaurant with my husband or several girlfriends, and am typically very pleased with both the food and service.

Excellent brunch spot and bittersweet being the last Brunch Brigade gathering.
It’s set among some impressive Redwoods which dot most of Marin County. I walked up to the place and instantly thought how cozy it seemed with an inn-​like feel. Although much more handsome, I envisioned I was Martha Stewart about to shoot an episode at a quaint inn somewhere in Connecticut.
Upon entering I was greeted warmly by the hostess and invited to take a seat at the bar while I waited for my lovely brunchers Toni M, Alan L and Linda T. I think I waited no longer than 10 mins and in that time I enjoyed a refreshing Arnold Palmer while watching the 49ers do their thing. When the gang arrived the hostess showed us to our table which was in a rather majestic former greenhouse I’d imagine was off of the original Inn or private residence that once called this place home. I couldn’t get over how great the views were!
We were given our menus and drinks fairly quickly and then it became time to decide. Lucky for me I was surrounded by people who love sharing so this gave me an excuse to order up all the appetizers that looked too good to pass up. We decided on fresh baked pastries, Moroccan Lamb Meatballs and Macaroni & Cheese Croquettes. The fresh baked pastries were very nice, comes in a little basket with butter and a nice variety to choose from. I was quite pleased with the Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with it’s signature lamb taste with hints of spearmint, a chickpea hummus and a rich tomato sauce that would make Italians envious. Lastly, the Mac n’ Cheese Croquettes were my favorite as they had a wonderful crunch with the saltiness of the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and the not so overly gooey mac n’ cheese middle. That dish reminded me of French Toast Sticks you find and some restaurants like IHOP but of course savory.
Those dishes alone were great to start with but of course we had to move on to the mains. I chose the Tavern Burger featuring Marin Sun Farms Grass Fed Beef, Little Gem Lettuce, Grilled Onions and of course BACON! This was one of the juiciest burgers I’d ever had and played very well with the other components. I don’t recall if anyone asked to share some of my dish nor do I recall if there were sharing of the mains but I do remember the other dishes looking great!
In all, the company was great, the venue was beautiful and the food was superb! I couldn’t ask for a better end to our Brunch Brigade run!

I’ve been to the Tavern a few times, and while I’ve always enjoyed my experience, this last time was amazing. It was warm and toasty inside on such a cold night — and such a classic dining room! The service was super friendly. We had the best cocktails and the fried macaroni-​cheese thing was just killer! Going back tonight!

Sunday Alan and I met Steven G and Linda T for the final meeting of the Brunch Brigade, a monthly gathering the charming Steven has been organizing for a few years now. Alan and I have been coming here since its early days as the Lark Creek Inn, even attending a wedding many years ago, but Steven and Linda had not been here before. This was our first time in this incarnation. We met in the bar and were given a table in the dining room by the front windows looking out on the redwoods near the driveway.
As we looked over the menu we were immediately captivated by the idea of sharing three of the starters, a basket of pastries, mac n cheese croquettes and the Moroccan lamb meatballs. We ordered those, and then for our mains Alan ordered the house-​made veggie burger, Steven ordered the grass fed hamburger, Linda ordered the Classic Benedict and I ordered the Point Reyes blue cheese soufflé w/​wild arugula, strawberries and walnuts w/​a beet vinaigrette. Alan ordered coffee to drink, I ordered tea and Steven and Linda had Arnold Palmers.
The basket of pastries was a lovely assortment of muffins and scones and the meatballs were plump and tasty, but the mac n cheese croquettes were amazing, four small oblong logs stacked two high and two abreast, sprinkled lightly w/​grated Parmesan. They were delicious, a definite hit. Alan liked his veggie burger and both Steven and Linda seemed pleased w/​their dishes. My soufflé was delicate and flavorful and the arugula salad formed a wonderful counterpoint to the soufflé’s richness. The meal was varied, interesting and delicious. The historic building was beautiful and the company was excellent.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in Marin County as of late, and the Tavern at Lark Creek provides one of the lovelier backdrops I’ve encountered (and that’s saying a lot, as this area is full of lush gorgeousness). While the bar area oozes with charm (and a handsome bartender to boot), your best bet for a scenic meal lies squarely underneath a ceiling of towering redwood trees — really, it’s an alfresco experience like no other!
We chose to start our meal with the Point Reyes blue cheese soufflé (I mean c’mon… you can’t say no to local cheese!). Accented with wild arugula, strawberries, walnuts, and a fresh beet vinaigrette, every square inch was cherished and devoured.
I didn’t find the chicken cobb salad quite as inspiring (it was topped with a WHOLE bone-​in chicken breast) but once I got past the presentation (and was given a better knife), I realized the chicken was quite juicy. If I could make a suggestion, I think it would prove helpful if the menu noted that the chicken doesn’t arrive sliced (or boneless) as I think that’s probably what the majority of patrons expect. Again — the salad turned out to be quite good, but don’t think I’d order it again knowing what I know now.
I was told that I MUST order the famed butterscotch pudding so we did… I’m happy to report the flavor and texture is just beyond. I’m a bit of a pudding fanatic (rice, tapioca, bread) and I know how difficult it is to nail the texture. These guys hit it out of the ballpark! I almost wish we had ordered two as originally planned.
And if you enjoy a good brunch beverage, make sure to try The Famosa: prosecco and fresh grapefruit topped with St. Germain elderflower. I think I could sip on these all day!

Let me just say that i love their cask wine selection. Inexpensive yet quite good. They offer both red and white options.
There were four of us and we each ordered something different for dinner. Each of the entrees was quite good. I had the almond trout. It came with asparagus. Everything just melted in my mouth. No fish bones to speak of so they did a great job filleting.
Service was friendly and efficient.
Did not try desert. Have to admit that i went to the competition for a swirl creamy.

An Elegant Event In The Redwood Grove
SITREP
COMPANION REVIEWS: I enjoyed a special evening where our hosts were not just one — but two — related venues: The Tavern at Lark Creek and Yankee Pier.
THE SETUP
Both located in the beautiful community of Larkspur in Marin County, it was a casual fun evening of enjoying delicate taste bites and enjoying fine wines and champagne.
And to enhance the connection between these two venues, we were encouraged to walk balk and forth between them to our hearts content as they unveiled different bites and drinks every hour.
FOOD BITES AT THE TAVERN
The gentlemen brought treats out on platters:
* Lamb Meatballs
* Mac N’ Cheese Cubes
* Lettuce Wraps
WINES
The wines included a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Grigio. My favorite was the Chardonnay — providing just enough tart, dry refreshment to really put an end to a gorgeous evening. But the Grigio I drank more of. Just because there was more of it, and it was GOOD.
THE LOWDOWN
The Tavern at Lark Creek is a decidely beautiful place to have both indoor and outdoor events.

Dinner there last Friday night. We realized we had lucked out just as we walked in and found the half-​off July wine deal. Dining room didn’t seem significantly changed after their renovation, but the menu is much different, with a bunch of entrees in the $ 18 – 22 range.
Food highlights included the California Salmon over Forbidden Rice, the hearty tangy Calamari with Chorizo and grilled bread, the Tuna Tartare, some sort of amazingly luxurious chocolate cake, and their traditional Cesar — which may have reinvigorated our love for that classic but so-​often-​unimpressive salad. Service was warm and inviting — from the hosts and our server (Benjamin).
Cons: tough to find — the flat iron steak was maybe a touch under-​cooked and I like a true medium-​rare — and if the wine list hadn’t been half-​off I might have been unimpressed with the under $ 60 options, but it was a nice date night option.

Very friendly hostess… the place seemed packed, but the hostess chatted with us and made us feel welcome, and encouraged us to wait, saying she could probably get us a table in less than 15 minutes. She did. Our food server was very friendly too. I found the macaroni and cheese croquettes quite unique, but I would hate to see the calorie count. For the price, I would say the food was average. Ambience is very homey. The restaurant was quite packed, so I would say though it was homey, it was loud.
I’d come here again, maybe on a Tuesday or something when the place isn’t so busy. Just a tad pricey, but if you can keep the house as full as it was when we went, why lower prices???

All day today I was looking forward to my anniversary dinner at The Tavern at Lark Creek. We arrived 15 minutes early and were welcomed to our table right away.
Well, it all started great until the waiter forgot to remove our plates before the entrée arrived, then he removed all silverware and did not replace them, I had to get up and get them myself.
Furthermore, we ordered 2 burgers (I’ve had them before and they were amazing) except that this time they weren’t cooked to the right temperature. I ordered it medium rare and mine was medium and my partner ordered it medium well and it was bloody rare. At their second attempt to cook them my burger came back bloody rare and his was cooked too much to a point it was burned. I am not sure if it was the chef (Aaron Wright) trying to make a point or just that they forgot how to cook a burger. It doesn’t end there. I had to go looking for condiments, knives etc.
Years ago this was the place to eat in Larkspur, the staff was very professional and the service was excellent and now you can get better service and probably food at Denny’s. This place is not what it used to be.

This may be one of the best spots for brunch in the Bay Area. The Eggs Benedict, Macaroni & Cheese Croquettes and the burger were amazing!!! And no, that wasn’t just my order.
Service is outstanding, the cocktails delightful (Moscow Mule!) and the location beautiful. Larkspur, y’all got a gem in your backyard!

Restaurant & Burger review only (As I eat my way through the world’s endless supply of restaurants, I’ve somehow become a Burger Critic… and most of the time I don’t intended to order a burger… nothing new with this latest venture).
As the street parking along Magnolia Blvd slowly filled with cars chasing the weekend’s final meal, an early Sunday dinner, I too found myself on the prowl to sate the stomach growl, and being just a tad late to the party, I got lost in the tangled streets of Larkspur trying to avoid valet parking (I lived in LA and never used a valet once!).
Once inside the classic Marin homestead the Tavern has built itself into, I was quite immediately impressed with the ambiance and the modernization within the vintage farmhouse interior. The roof over the main dining area was completely replaced with windows/​structure, allowing for tons of natural light to pour into the old world brick and wood dining hall.
We were sat quickly, a small two-​person sideboard next to a large conglomeration of tables constructed to accommodate a late arriving party. My goal was to get out before the crowds got in. We failed.
The waiter was nice; friendly and slightly over booked, due to the arriving dinner crowds and the large party that steadily grew and annexed neighboring tables like some sort of Weimar Republic. And when the new continent’s upthrust combined with the smaller island’s recent population boom, my once quiet two-​person raft was being jostled and abused, mostly by the haranguing din of the upper crust’s jovial repartee.
In summation, it was loud. And I used to play in a punk rock band…
The menu was full of high-​end options and high-​end prices that resulted in an accord with the ²²⁄₃₀ Zagat rating it earned. The food was creatively inoffensive, to say the most (and least). And as a Hamburg-​Nerd I was satisfied but not stunned. For the menu’s proclamation of Grass-​fed, I couldn’t taste it (who can?), but I felt slightly better with myself knowing it wasn’t force fed corn and expediently vanquished for my benefit… only slightly though. The Bun was a highlight, the rest was quickly rinsed down with a Sessions, down into the depths of my quenched gut.

We love this place! It may not be as upscale as the old Lark Creek Inn (which we loved, too) but it features excellent renditions of classics American food, it has great service, the room is great and it has a great bar. It’s become one of our favorite family get-​together places in all of Marin.

I sat down at the Tavern looking forward to brunch. Every year, my family and I have a ritual New Years brunch and this year we chose the Tavern at Lark Creek (admittedly because we had a giftcard). We entered and were immediately greeted by the maitre’d — a young boy (couldn’t have been older than 13) who looked up our reservation and seated us at our table. He was excellent at his job, and it was great to see someone that young have so much poise and professionalism, but it was a little strange to begin with. I definitely am not docking The Tavern points for it, though.
I’ll start with the positives. Contrary to other Unilocal reviews, I actually found the service to be great. Our waitress was on point and didn’t need a notepad to take our order and she was great at refilling coffee. Also, the atmosphere is great. The main dining room is under this solarium (giant skylight) and has a really rustic, homey feel to it. You sit in big, wooden chairs and it really feels like you’re enjoying a meal in the country.
Sadly, I am not as enthusiastic about the food. It was strange, because after we ordered, we waited a good 10 minutes until something was brought to us. That something was ketchup and a couple of other sauces. We couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to go with as we had nothing on the table. It was a little bizarre. 5 minutes later we received warm bread. The bread was good but it seemed odd to be getting it after we’d been sitting down for so long already. My family ordered the Brandy Custard French Toast, Beet Salad, and Brown Butter Trout, and I had the Corned Beef Hash. We also got the Mac and Cheese Croquettes and some Sticky Buns on the side. I tried each of my family’s dishes and they were tasty, as were the croquettes, although I really do think I could get them at a carnival. While they were good and pretty to look at, it really was just fried mac and cheese. So they were good, not great. The sticky buns were ridiculously doughy and not very sticky. Maybe they were a little undercooked? But my main qualms were with my own dish. My Corned Beef Hash was loaded with chunks of real corned beef (not the canned stuff) which was great, but the 2 poached eggs that sad on top were ridiculously overcooked. I am an egg lover and always thought the point of poached eggs were to get a soft, runny yolk. I was able to slice mine open and the yolk was fully cooked through. I was a little miffed, but at least everything tasted OK. I was more upset when I kept eating my fully cooked poached egg and bit into a huge eggshell (pictures of the failed poached egg and eggshell to come). We alerted the waitress to this and while she was apologetic, there was no mention of bringing me another plate or any effort to rectify the situation. I finished my plate because all in all, things really did taste OK, but biting into that shell definitely left me with a metaphoric bad taste in my mouth.
I won’t be returning to the Tavern. Unfortunately we still have one gift card left, but I think we’ll be opting for Pier One or Lark Creek Steakhouse. While the atmosphere and service was great, the the words that I would choose to describe my experience here would be bizarre, confusing, and disappointing.

Arrived at 10 a.m. and was seated promptly as we were one of the first to arrive… the place is airy, relaxing and quaint.
It seems the popular place to sit is outside… and the fave beverage before 10:20 was the bloody mary… since it was still a little chilly, we sat indoors and had a coffee… coffee nothing special as its Mr Espresso which i get at work… the waitress who waited our table was very no-​nonsence and not the most personable (not once did she smile). If anything, the manager made up for this as he came to our table twice to ask how we were which was nice.
Ordered the following:
* roasted beet salad with feta, chopped cashews, arugular and balsamic vinaigrette was very light, flavorful and refreshing. — delicious!
* lamb meatball (3) with hummus and a tomato based sauce — great flavors
* fennel sausage with country potatoes, and 2 eggs and slices of white bread — basic fare
The only odd thing was when my friend asked for jam, jelly or a marmalade for his toast, the waitress looked as if we stumped her with a trick question… she then said all that was available was grape… seems odd not to have other options?
Overall our meal was delicious and would return for dinner only. Breakfast is pretty standard and nothing exceptional… it seemed looking at other tables the dish to get is the eggs benedict along with a bloody mary… maybe another time!

Update: The food improved and has stayed consistant since my first review. The service was so unpleasant last week at dinner that I don’t see myself going back very soon. The manager even took one entrée off the bill, which I thought was the right thing to do. Our server’s nonchalant attitude left much to be desired.
I have always enjoyed eating at the bar. Table service hasn’t been so great in quite sometime.

What an adorable restaurant from the outside, it was unexpectedly spacious (and still cozy) once we went in and seated in the room in the back.
Our server was quite easy going and unimposingly checked on us throughout the night — we had a great time relaxing and enjoying our wine here. We started with the macaroni & cheese croquettes — macaroni and cheese, fried and then served with a cheese dipping sauce… how can you possibly go wrong here?! They were AWESOME!
I had the lamb bolognese which smelled amazing and was delicious. Also ordered at the table, the pumkin shortrib, halibut, and the meatloaf. The meatloaf, always a comfort dish, was wrapped in bacon and then covered in sauce — this was quite a happy surprise to my friend who had ordered it. The short ribs came in a healthy portion and had good texture, but was a bit overly fatty.
Definitely a good find and seems like it would be a nice place to come for lunch, or an early dinner to enjoy the views out their many windows.

I had dinner for the first time at the Tavern this evening. Although Unilocal considers that I’m «updating» my review of the Lark Creek Inn, my perspective is that I’m writing a first-​time review of a restaurant that I hadn’t visited before.
Before driving over for dinner, I scanned the dinner menu at
– I found the web site to be uncharacteristically clear for a restaurant web site. I’m a faithful reader of the SF Chronicle’s «Inside Scoop» news feed and have always appreciated the posts coming from T.J. Jacobberger, «General Manager/​Partner» at the Tavern. You can find a recap of his recent posts at the URL
. I find that his blog gives one an inside view of the restaurant business. It seems clear to me that the Tavern strives to give its clients a good time and a fair deal while making a reasonable profit for itself. There’s no question that we’re in the hands of professionals when we walk in the door.
On to our arrival: When we showed up at the podium, two of us announced that we had a reservation for four. In the City, we would be asked to wait until all four people were present. Here, we were offered the opportunity to sit down immediately, which in fact is what we wanted to do. The woman at the podium walked us into the dining room and pointed out that there were two vacant tables of the requisite size. She asked us to choose between them! This was definitely a nice touch; in Manhattan, we’d have been fingered as non-​VIP types and shown to the least desirable table in the house.
Three negatives are worth mentioning, however: (1) It’s unreasonably loud in the room — can’t the management put in better soundproofing? (2) The tap water is awful — full of chlorine. How about some filtering here? (3) The on-​tap wines are pretty funky. I had a glass of the syrah and a taste of the sauvignon blanc, and I didn’t like either. We ordered a bottle of the Neal «Rutherford dust» zinfandel
, and it was a winner.
The food is quite good: I had a caesar salad and a wagyu burger and was happy with both. I ate no dessert but ordered a decaf macchiato as a place-​holder; it was A-​OK.
The service was cheery, though a bit uneven. There were gaps when no one came to our table. The atmosphere is obviously very festive. The room was full of people who were enjoying themselves and were happy to be there. It was impossible not to feel good.
Conclusion: I’ll be happy to return some day, though it might be awhile. Maybe there’ll be yet another new name for this establishment next time. My 4-​star rating is a tad generous; let’s say that the real rating is 3.51. I had dinner at Piccino in the City the following evening and think that Piccino is better that the Tavern. Since flour+water is better than both, Piccino gets a 4 and the Tavern something under 4.

I ate here with a large group after a wedding rehearsal. The 30+ of us were seated outdoors with a prefixed menu. Food was excellent — everything from the vegetables to the fish was fresh. The service was on the spot. Both my glass of water and wine were never empty. And the outdoor seating was perfect — peaceful, spacious, and serene.
P. S. The valet parking was convenient as it’s a tight drive when pulling up, and there’s an extra bathroom up the stairs (through the kitchen) if the downstairs one is taken.