Rancho Nicasio

Great bar, with great tenders, and great stages. If you’re looking to catch a band in West Marin, great place to stop for a Lagunitas (all they carry on tap) and some apps, or dinner, or lunch or whatever. I jam up here many weekends with friends, and will stop in on the way up if i’m running early. We’ll also catch a few BBQ shows during the summers.

Terrible, rude, awful service.
This place seems like one of those locals only places. No idea how they are still in business.
Wouldn’t even serve my friend water unless they ordered food!

Great food and fun venue. I was surprised both at the low prices and the quality of the food!

During the summer Rancho Nicasio has an outdoor concert series. I saw Ruthie Foster in a very nice venue with good sound. She tore it up too! The food was pretty good.

The barbeque food was good but the tight set performance by Leon Russell and his three piece group was well beyond excellent. Everyone was either dancing or grooving to each and every song played! This is a great outdoor venue with alot of interesting neighborhood characters in attendance to say the least!

Enjoy Rancho Nicasio very much. The Portobello Mushroom sandwich is the best in the county.
–love the country atmosphere!

This is a cute little place but I just had to say something about the review written by «Susie M» — supposedly of Ross, according to her profile though in her perpetually deranged state she divulged that she actually lives in Nicasio. Ha!!!
Susie M apparently takes joy in ripping apart the efforts of hardworking small restaurant owners while she herself claims to be in the «hospitality» business. Maybe change that to «hostility business» — see her other reviews, clearly written by a tightwad and mean harridan– maybe if she popped out that giant stick that is up her ass she wouldn’t be living in in what must be a dump to be writing such vitriol– AND PRETENDING TO LIVE IN ROSS. HAHAHAHAHA!
Go to Rancho Nicasio — the crowd there is fun and it’s a nice break from So. Marin, tho not free of nematodes like Susie M.

This place failed all along the line. The bar smelled like cigarettes & it was a good 5min standing around in it before the host got off the phone to acknowledge us, another 5 min till we’re seated outside. Once we ordered, there was bread, but no plates to eat it over… And by the time our food arrived, the deck was dark, i could barely see my plate, which was full of disappointing lamb. There was a burger for our table, a burger devoid of form, served next to the buns with a side of fries that tasted raw… The second time it came out better. Such a disappointment. I sincerely hope that the wedding party got decent service that night, because no one else did.

Stopped here for just a beer, but the beer was really an excuse to check out the place. They carry a few Lagunitas beers on tap which is a big plus. The bartender was very friendly and that was good enough to make us want to hang around a bit longer and chat. So we ordered their sweet potato fries (was OK) and grilled artichoke (was A Okay!). There was a wedding party coming in, so we decided to head out before it got too crowded, but what we saw was enough to make us want to stop if we are passing by again.

The Rancho’s summer BBQ is a wonderful Marin tradition. I should have reviewed them before as our experience has always been better than good. Yesterday, they outdid themselves. On a very hot day, the staff, food, drinks were cool. Unannounced opening act of Mike Duke, Angela Strehli, and Annie Sampson was a wonderful bonus. And best of all Leon Russell and his band gave us a wonderful evening of classics. Looking forward to our next trip.

I really like the atmosphere at this place and the burgers are ok but that is all I have ever eaten here.
When passing by I sometimes (once a year) like to stop in for a drink at this cool old place and be on my way.
The reason I did not give it more than three stars does not reflect on the food but the attitude of some of the employees.
The woman bartender is a virtuoso at avoiding eye contact which creates a catch 22; her dour countenance demands a double.

The older grey haired man working at this place was rude beyond belief when my husband asked him a simple question. We were both taken aback and shocked by his behavior towards us that we simply got up and left. Twice today we dealt with angry workers in restaurant establishments. What’s the matter with people?!
We’ve been to this place once before and had a very nice evening of dinner and music, but never again. He soured every desire for any future travel from our area of Marin County out to Nicasio. We don’t know if he was an owner or employee, and at this point don’t care, but shame on you for being so incredibly rude to a couple with clout who will NEVER refer people to this place!!!

Leave your canines at home… Not dog friendly… Pulled in on Friday the 3^rd. I walked inside and asked the bus boy if we could sit outside with our two small dogs as to not leave them in the car. An older gentleman (and I use gentleman lightly) walks over and in a very direct tone says no dogs allowed. Well thank you sir… Use a little more tact next time… As for my wife and I… Been here twice in the past however with that response you can bet your ass we will not be back and will spread the word,

Nice place, it’s like being in the old west. I had the Nicassio Omelet with goat cheese. I really liked it. The potatoes were a little bit overcooked.
We also had the soup of the day (tomato with vegetables) it was very tasty.
The Buffalo burger was also delicious.
Very friendly staff. We will definitely come back.

So to start with, I don’t understand the complaints at all. Our service was great! The food was great, I had the ribs n would get them again. My wife had the lamb shank n it was great! Lagunitas little sumptin on tap, can’t go wrong there! Live music on a Friday night. This place rocks!!! The crowd feels loyal n they r not Unilocalers. I will be back!

I’ve attended a few musical events here. Throughly enjoyed the experience. On one occasion, also had dinner. Another two events were held outdoors and BBQ dinners were available. Nothing better than spending an afternoon listening to great music under the sun. Bring your own chair and set it up on the lawn for some events. Love the small town country vibe. Nice venue, friendly staff. They are open for Thanksgiving and serve awesome food — which is getting really popular! Get on their mailing list to stay up-​to-​date on their concerts and BBQ’s. Get your tickets and reservations in early as they sell out quickly!

I really really want to like this place. My husband and I keep going here for several different reasons. We have gone a couple of times for the music. We live in Nicasio and so drop in with friends. We have taken our visiting grandchildren. As I say, we have tried and tried.
I just can’t take it any more. Each and every time we have had to wait and wait and wait for service. The food order always has a problem when delivered. Our granddaughter even sent back her Mac and cheese. I tasted it and it did need to go back. At least they didn’t charge us. But the biggest problem is the service… or lack there of. I can put up with almost anything but bad service. I’m going to spend money. We will order nice bottles of wine. We will all eat entrees plus. We just need to have some one accommodate this. If you don’t wait on us, you loose money. And now you have completely lost our business. But they just don’t seem to care. I think they feel the music is a big enough draw folks will continue to come. And I guess they will. But with just a little bit of extra effort, it could be fun to come here. For music and food and good service.

Just left here from an Easter brunch with my family and can say I have never been so impressed by a buffet! It was quite an expansive spread, with lamb, beef, French toast, salads, fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, and a variety of your standard breakfast food. The food was kept hot and refreshed often. We were seated in a booth where we had a very picturesque view of the hills beyond while being out of the general hustle and bustle of the others enjoying the brunch. We weren’t rushed despite how busy it was and the waitress was fantastic at checking on us and making sure our drinks were filled. All in all, I am very satisfied, so much so that this meal will last me the entire day!
I have eaten here before on special occasions and had equally great experiences. I love their prime rib and my husband swears by their crab cake sandwich. The drive to Nicasio is beautiful and this place is definitely one to stop at for lunch or dinner.

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with my experience at rancho last night for Valentine’s dinner.
But here goes.
Food sub par, i paid $ for the prime rib that was mostly fat and way over salted. When we sat down we where basically ignored for almost ten minutes, when some finnaly came to our table they only brought 3 menus … For the four of us, another ten minutes and we finnaly order our appetizers. They come and still no silverware. We order and our waiter does not clear our menues the two big yellow reserved signs or ask ro refill our drinks that are all empty. When the food finnaly arrives he leaves all the appetizer plates that are empty … The food. Sub par. The service. Worst i have ever had .
I will never eat there again what a waste of money and time
Thanks for ruining valentines dinner rancho

We went on Valentine’s Day which may have been our mistake. The prices were definitely doubled what they should be. The food was really good, but the service was atrocious. Our drink order was wrong and we knew it was going to be wrong because our server didn’t even try to pay attention to what we were ordering. Not once did our server come by and ask how we were doing, and we practically had to chase after him to order dessert after waiting twenty-​five minutes.
Our experience tonight was pretty poor, but we have been to Rancho Nicasio for lunch previously and that experience was awesome. Don’t go on a crowded weekend or holiday and expect spectacular service. The food is always top notch, especially their seafood paella and apple-​cranberry cobbler.