True North

I hope something else takes over this space. What San Anselmo needs is a family friendly, casual spot with a few local beers on tap and decent, reasonably priced food. A place to pop into with the kids, have something easy, a pint of California beer and get a reasonable check.
Like, for example, what was there before. Simple, simple, simple.
There are now more family friendly spots in the Marina than in San Anselmo. We don’t have enough young hipster types to support whatever was attempted here.
The constant changes in décor and menu, expensive mediocre food and unnecessarily esoteric beer list was clearly not a winning combo.
Here’s hope for the future.

Just went by and it was crowded. Buck’s demise has been greatly exaggerated.
Just talked to Buck. The place is closing for a week or 2 as he re-​models and re-​opens as a high end Asian/​California vegan fusion bistro.
Just got a sneak peak at the new menu: «Organic, local Soba noodles tossed in Mendocino Truffle oil and served with sliced San Anselmo backyard Heirloom tomatoes and shaved cashew Parmesan.» Yummy! Can’t wait…

I’m shocked, shocked this place went out of business.
We tried this place three times and gave up. What’s the point of buying Lococo’s recipe, (a successful restaurant with a forty-​year history) and then not sticking to it?
The owner was a twit. Sure, Buck was friendly to your face. I demonstrated to him in the first month why he shouldn’t use Stencil type-​face for anything but the logo on the menu, (because it really difficult to read something in all caps) but it didn’t phase him. I had to put on my glasses and use my iPhone as a flashlight to read the menu.
The interior was supposed to evoke «Portland style». I found it uninviting, unaesthetic and gave the place a bad vibe. Some may laugh at Feng Shui but it doubled the rents at Town Center in Corte Madera.
Ah, the arrogance of youth. Hope his plans to take over other eateries in San Anselmo doesn’t come to fruition. I was really sad to see Cucina close which he had taken over.

Would not go back. Ever. They have everything you would think a pub/​tavern would have (beer, TV, music, etc.) but it’s the attitude of the staff and the quality of the food that will keep me away.
The night I went they didn’t have any vegetables. None. It was a Saturday night at 6p, and they had run out of veggies. That’s ridiculous.
The bartender, who I think was the owner, described his restaurant as something completely different than anything else in Marin. And he did so by bad mouthing what traditional «marin people» like. If traditional marin people want good food, friendly staff and a family friendly environment, True North is not for you.

Imagine if someone who had never worked in a bar or restaurant decided to open a bar/​restaurant. That’s what it feels like. The vibe is weird and awkward.
The menu is super small and dishes come out randomly. So be prepared to eat before the rest of your table has food or yours will be cold. Skip the mac and cheese. It’s large rigatoni swimming in a lot of bechamel. We couldn’t even tell if there was cheese in there, which is a sin when it comes to mac and cheese. Plus the croutons on top weren’t a good match either. And there’s photos and reviews on pizza, but there’s no pizza. Additionally, one of our party ordered a burger but was never asked how they wanted it cooked, even though the table next to ours was given the choice by the same server.
The staff stands around hovering like they can’t figure out what to do. (Hint: side work, clean, look busy) It’s unnerving while you’re eating and being watched.
You’re order is taken on an iPad thing and your card is swiped on it when you’re finished. There is no option to tip on it, nor are you even offered a receipt. I guess you better bring cash to tip on the strange experience.

Service and food were both mediocre.

Hidden gem of San Anselmo. Service was phenomenal and the owner, Buck, was running orders and talking to tables about beer they have on tap. Nice guy and cool staff. Lots of interesting books and lots of games to keep you entertained. We happened to walk in on karaōke night which was a hoot. Good mix of people in there and everyone was quite friendly. Ambiance was very honest and laid back.
The fries deserve their own Unilocal page and they should be renamed «Intergalactic Fries» because they’re outta this world.
Tap room in the back has 40 beers. Only reason I went 4 stars was because they were out of my first 3 choices for IPA. Granted it was Labor Day weekend, so they had probably kicked a few barrels.
We’ll be back next time through.

Just what San Anselmo needs: a solid brew pub/​tavern with killer beers, a back tap room, tasty organic food and awesome staff. Don’t mind the entitled idiots in MErin who think their shit doesn’t stink — keep doing you. I’ve brought many friends here and keep coming back.

I’m a fan of this place. My friends and family frequent here often and love supporting a local business. I’m giving 5 stars for the food and music I’ve enjoyed at this spot.
My new fav item is the pulled pork sandwich. Yummy! And I love the house salad, it’s refreshing and the dressing is different and has a little something that makes me want more.
I love the beer selection and it’s nice that the owners decided to incorporate a few of the Bubba’s Diner menu items that the people of the town enjoyed with their own twist (they definitely didn’t have to do that and it’s nice they have).
The owners of the business keep it casual and friendly when they chat and check up on you. The owner Buck has a sense of humor and is easy to talk to.
I don’t know why people are so confused as to what this place is… It’s a new restaurant that has nothing to do with the previous tenants who occupied the space years ago. Why does everyone want it to be a pizza place that went out of business? If you move into a new house, do your new neighbors expect you to be the same type of family that lived there before? No, I would hate for people to want me to be someone that I’m not and have unfounded expectations.
Anyway, I will definitely be back, and I recommend to folks with kids or groups.

Just go! Amazing flavors and very kind folks. The caesar salad dressing is perfection and the split pea soup was so hearty.

Stoked about the new menu and seeing the word organic repeated all over the page!
I’ve had the pizza recently and I loved the sourdough tasting crust… it was just the right combo of thick n thin!
Cheers

Wow! I was going to give three stars, but after reading the owner’s responses to other people’s reviews, I don’t think I want to go back, and I’m adjusting my rating accordingly.
To the owner: you seemed like a nice person the couple times that I talked to you in the restaurant, but I am absolutely stunned that you think it’s appropriate to respond to people’s opinions in the way that you have. I worked in restaurants for a good chunk of my life, and that’s just not the way to do it, my friend. Also, you seem to be upset because people are saying subjective things instead of objective (HELLOOOO this is Unilocal,buddy. People are expressing their OPINIONS.)…
So here’s something objective: I ordered my burger medium-​rare, but it came to me totally dry and gray from top to bottom. I was able to flag down our waitress and she took it back to the kitchen. Thirty minutes later I got a burger that WAS medium-​rare (hallelujah!) but it was missing the lettuce, tomato, and cheese that it had originally come with. My friend was already done eating by the time the new burger came, so I didn’t say anything more.
Subjective for you now: everything tasted mediocre. Nothing was over-​the-​top terrible, but I’d rather drive a little farther and get a better burger down the road. It would have merited three stars, but the owner’s responses have put a bad taste in my mouth. I might have given it another shot for one of those upcoming days when I just want to watch a Giants game and drink a beer, but I guess not – I’ll watch at Marinitas instead with a nice margarita in my hand.
Other objective things that aren’t negatives/​positives but are worth noting for some people:
— We were directed by our waitress to get our own water, napkins, silverware, and condiments.
— It’s kid-​friendly (read: loud sometimes).
— They have TV’s.

I don’t know why it took me so long to try out True North.
Okay, that’s a lie… I was REALLY upset for the longest time that LoCoco’s moved out, so I avoided this place out of a weird, illogical protest. So, I finally gave it a try. I had walked the entire three miles from my job on a hot day (a big mistake), so I was dying for a cold, frosty beer (or two). Also, I hadn’t eaten yet.
I walked in, sweating, and Buck greeted me… I said, «I need a cold, dark place to enjoy a beer and a sandwich.»
Accomodated, I most certainly was — I got two hefeweizens and a shrimp po’ boy in the back bar room area. Had I not been so miserably delirious from the heat, I would have noticed sooner that they also had interesting ciders, a kolsch, and even a «mango peppercorn» mead on their menu.
They have a pretty extensive craft beer selection that I’m told is constantly rotating, not to mention that I had no idea they also served brunch and various other menu items. Very casual and easygoing place, something we don’t have a whole lot of here in Marin (let’s be honest), and they’re open until 2 am.
This is, frankly, the kind of place to let your hair down, which Marin has desperately needed.
I’ll be back, that’s for sure.

I was a little reluctant to write this review after reading some of the rude replies to other Unilocal reviews. I am not looking for a fight, just to share my experience.
I have eaten here three times now. I feel like True North is two different places, deserving two different ratings. The back taproom offers an outstanding craft beer selection. I have always had fun conversations with the bartenders and customers, and the service is attentive. I give the back room 4 stars.
The front dining room is a different experience. The service attitude is cold and reluctant… definitely uncomfortable. Our orders on two occasions came at substantially different times — 20 minutes apart one day and close to 30 minutes apart another day. I can be flexible, when I know this kind of delay is going to happen, and just plan to be there a while and enjoy the night. However we did not know this, and it resulted in one of our party having to rush through the meal to make it to their next gig. I give the front room 2 stars.
The first time I went there I had an AMAZING pizza, the crust was to die for. The second and third times, the pizza was pretty average — something seems to have changed in the recipe.
I do plan to try them again. They have done outstanding work with the beer selection and I hope the food and service will follow suit.

First, the upshots: a fantastic beer selection, and I appreciate the «divider» between main dining room and music stage, so you can still listen to the live music without yelling over your meal.
Beyond that… I wish I had higher praise for such a cute spot. «Fish tacos» were anemic and disappointing, essentially fish crumbles on tortillas. Garlic fries were good. Waitstaff possibly new and lacking proper training? Our waitress was certainly «nice,» but as one previous reviewer indicated, also quite awkward and intrusive at times. Maybe I’d give this place another chance in the distant future, but for now, I’ll pass.

Went to this restaurant with a couple girlfriends on the search for breakfast food and was disappointed by the food and the owner’s attitude.
Honestly, I just think the food wasn’t my style, but that’s not to say it was bad. I commend them for being 95% organic, a status which I’m sure is not easy to maintain.
However, when the owner walked in and started conversing with surrounding tables, he avoided our table completely until the very end of our meal when we needed our bill. I thought I was just paranoid at first and figured he was busy and would come around eventually to greet and check on us, but my friend commented on this as well before I even said anything. We really didn’t need much attention, but as the owner of a small, local business, I believe you should at least say a quick «hi» to all guests just out of common courtesy.
When the owner finally did come around to our table, all he could do was talk up his restaurant. To my friends and I, he came of very arrogant and conceited– bragging about how great of a place True North is, how much business they’ve brought to other local businesses, how they’re 95% organic, etc. It’s one thing to talk about your business endearingly, but there comes a point where you need to let the restaurant sell itself.
The worst part of this experience, and the reason why I’m writing this review, were the owner responses to past Unilocal reviews. I shared my experience with a friend this morning and she wanted to look at past Unilocal reviews of the restaurant to see what others thought. As we read them, we were not appalled by the reviews, but instead by the extremely rude owner responses.
Keep in mind, I work in a local restaurant and I know the ins and outs of the hospitality business, so I have experience dealing with difficult and unreasonable guests. However, when my friend and I read owner responses calling people derogatory names and being extremely rude and sarcastic, I would never in a million years visit this place again.
The owner is probably reading this and saying «Fine b*tch, we don’t want your business!» I would caution you against this, sir. Yes, you have some people who love your vision and your restaurant– great! But ultimately it is the unsatisfied customers who will determine the fate of your business that you’ve worked so hard to build up.
To the owner: best of luck.
To any perspective guests: rethink your choice.

The menu was all over the place, but the hamburger was a very good choice and the beer selection great. In fact, if that’s all your looking for (a good burger and lots of good beer) then I’d definitely recommend True North. However, for the more discriminating, the décor felt incoherent and, consequently, deflated our sense of the place. The waitress didn’t help. She was a little awkward. She didn’t seem comfortable, made weird jokes and gave us another empty ketchup bottle when we asked for more, rather than make the effort to problem solve. They also have a strange policy of making you walk to the bar in back to get beer samples yourself rather than bring them to your table, no explanation given. The greeter at the front door, whom I believe was the owner, is a cool guy but I can see some getting annoyed if they don’t want to engage with staff.
This place has some kinks to work out and needs to settle on an identity, and I hope it does because it could add a lot to downtown San Anselmo.

I can’t say enough great things about my experiences at True North.
Last night my boyfriend and I headed out in hopes of good pizza and great beer… Off to True North for us! We sat in the back at the bar, ordered our pizza, and starting to look at the beer menu. The bartender was very knowledgable and helpful answering questions about our choices — he was even able to recommend beers we might like based on what our first beer choice was.
The pizza was tasty, the beers were delicious, and we had a great service. Looking forward to going back soon!

Look, bars don’t like stouts. They assume customers don’t like stouts, and if you ask around, all your friends won’t like stouts and YOU don’t like stouts. I know you’re thinking who am I to tell you what you like or don’t like? I’ll tell you who I am – a guy who drank two 12% stouts at breakfast on a bright Saturday morning in San Anselmo.
This place has the most taps in Marin, is a speakeasy with a nice pool table, cool décor straight from the owner Buck’s eclectic taste, and delicious ahi pot stickers and worthwhile shrimp po’ boy sandwich. Probably best place in the town or even Marin for beer if you like stout.

Your food is anything but awesome! The pizza had too much red sauce and the thin crust was anything but thin! My kids who ordered your breakfast sandwiches said they could make them better themselves at home (and they are 100% correct). My salad was served in a metal bowl which looked like the kitchen had misplaced their mixing bowl and forgot to put my salad on a plate not to mention the chicken looked and tasted like it came out of a bag! Terrible presentation, terrible service (there was one girl waiting on the entire restaurant!). On top of all of that, they had to adjust my bill not once not twice BUT THREE times for overcharging me for my two glasses of wine and adding miscellaneous charges for things we didn’t even order!
So in the end, I spent over $ 90.00 for myself and three kids for a horrible night out! They should have paid me to sit there and order!