Las Guitarras Restaurant — Restaurant in Novato

This place is pretty unmistakable. It looks like someone's house. More specifically, it looks like a good friend's house. A good friend with a two story place, a big patio with a fountain and a bunch of decorations. So it's exactly like walking over to a friend's house for a party.

There's something magnetic about that patio, too. For a long time, I didn't know what the inside of the building looked like because I never got beyond the patio. Las Guitarras is near downtown, so you stand a pretty good chance of walking by it, and I can pretty much guarantee you'll find yourself taking a seat in that patio just because it looks so inviting. Then you've got warm sunshine, cool breezes, hot chips and cold drinks. And THEN you get to look at the menu.

It's not an exhaustive menu, but it is a quintessential menu. You'll recognize everything that you might have seen at a taqueria, but with a dose of elegance spun into everything. The potato taquitos are a mainstay in our little group, but everything from big burritos to a humble soup and salad is spot on. Do yourself a favor and order a two item combo with all of your favorite selections because this is a spot where you're still getting two meals worth of food for the price you pay, and the leftovers will put a big smile on your face.

I highly recommend going here on a day when you have time to spare, because you'll probably find you enjoy dawdling right there on that patio...

My wife and I came to Las Guitarras at 8:10pm on a Saturday night. As we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by a man who just stared at us. I asked if we could have a table and he said ok, but that they close in two minutes. I said that on their website it stated that the restaurant was open until 9pm (the restaurant was well over half full at this time). He then asked do you want to sit inside or outside? He brought us to a table inside, dropped the menus on the table and walked away. As we look at the menu, he came back to our table, stood there saying nothing, and finally left. He came back again a few minutes later and again just stood over us saying nothing. We ordered drinks and he walked away. At this point, I said to my wife let's leave, which we did. I have never been treated like this in any restaurant before. This employee was rude and disrespectful and we will never return to...

It had been 2 yrs since I'd eaten here, but I recently found myself in the area and decided to stop by. What a massive disappointment.

The chips were cold and appeared right out of a bag. Only one salsa (used to be two) and it was bland and spiceless. I ordered Mole Poblano (chicken), something I had enjoyed here many many times in the past. It was just terrible. The "chicken breast" was actually shredded, probably to disguise it was half a breast if that. The rice was cold and barely edible, some uncooked. But the biggest disappointment was the mole sauce. Nothing more than sweet, bland, watered-down chocolate sauce. In the past it was a rich blend of spices you could tell was homemade. This garbage tasted straight out of a jar.

When I lived in Novato I eat here several times a month. Is this is an example of the food nowadays, I will never be back....