Sam's Place — Restaurant in Novato

A good, old fashioned, family-friendly diner.

Let's get something straight right off the bat. if your looking for an exquisite super high end bay area dining experience this is not your review.

However if you grew up in the pre-smartphone era and are used to places where the folks are personable and everyone used manners then you might have found a gem in Sam's Place.

I've lived in Novato for 7-8 years now and I just recently walked through the doors. Why have I waited so long? I was craving a hearty breakfast at 9AM on a Wednesday and this was the only place open in Novato. Finnegans and Toast doesn't open until 10 and Bacon was shut down due to renovations so I stumbled across Sam's.

When I walked in I was greeted by the sights of old pictures of Novato, a smiling waitress and a cool train on the top of the room! (Super fun!). You could tell that a lot of hot rodders either hang out here or the owner is a hot rodder.

I sat at the bar and asked a couple questions about the restaurant and menu. Our waitress is a long time Novato resident and we had a nice little chat. She pointed me to the Corned Beef Hash which is made fresh on site.

I'm glad I picked that because it was DELICIOUS!!! The taste & textures were spot on and I enjoyed every bite.

A lot of people don't like the greasy spoon, diner type of establishment. Hey, all good. However if you like a little bit of old fashioned in your life then give this...

What started as a place for us to wait out rush-hour traffic and feed our kids (loved seeing "family friendly"), was a very nice evening! When I first saw the prices, I was thinking "oh no, this price for deli food?!" but we sat out on the patio that was a very pleasant evening. We were able to chat with Sam (owner) & his wife and our kids LOVED the train running around the restaurant. My husband's Black Russian sandwich was DELICIOUS. They said they were known for Fish & Chips, which I ordered, and was fine but not to rave about. Kids meals were reasonably priced for the quantity, but we enjoyed our visit and the ambiance immensely.

Also, observed Sam be extremely patient with a patron (my guess is an adult perhaps on the spectrum) telling him many long stories, and he stood there listening intently...a skill I...

First visit...just ok. My country breakfast must have been the diet version: eggs over easy ok, country potatoes were more akin to city-fied potatoes, here is where we get really real... B 'n G (biscuits 'n gravy). These let me down like fireman on a greased pole! I've been eating B'nG since I was knee-high to a catfish and these were depressing. Gravy, especially Country gravy, should be thick and creamy with cracked pepper and bits of sausage with biscuits that are to the sky mile high! What I experienced: whomp 'em style biscuits, think of the kind that come in a cardboard tube that ya have to whomp on the table and then they pop open, no bueno. The gravy was too thin, and lacked flavour. The atmosphere was nice, Country Kitchen style that would lead one to greater expectations...