Il Davide — Restaurant in San Rafael

It is obvious to the reader that Il Davide’s food is delicious and the ambiance is lovely, so I would like to highlight the class and generosity of the people who work here.

Background: In August 2023, we had a memorable Friday-evening wedding dinner reception here. My wife and I are from San Diego, so planning happened from afar without our ever visiting the restaurant in advance. Normally the restaurant is packed on Friday nights and weekends. Their Lucca private dining room is not used for private parties on those specific days.

Our Story: Guest list started at a dozen and we had planned our reservation nearly six months in advance in the main dining room. About one month out, plans changed and our RSVPs grew to 30, then settled at 25. By then, our wedding date and the reception venue had been formally announced, so I was racked with embarrassment/anxiety about possibly losing our reception venue. When I called, Dina immediately reassured me everything would be OK. Chef/Owner David Haydon personally called me that same evening and made me feel like a cherished patron.

Chef David took into account all the food requirements of my group (i.e. Vegans, a person with nut allergies, an older person needing soft texture). Through call and correspondence, he helped me design a custom, served-food station menu that was so balanced in both flavor and color. I briefly asked if there could be champagne; he made it happen. I briefly asked if their beers included Heineken since it was the favorite of two of my guests; he explained there was another beer on their menu that was very similar, and I agreed that was quite alright with me. Nonetheless, the day of the reception, I was surprised to see some Heineken beer present. This means restaurant staff went out of their way to procure it, just to please me.

Chef David gave me a recommendation for two bakeries for our cake. I ended up going with a different one, but even that bakery’s staff said they knew Chef David personally and spoke very highly of him. Our private dining room was beautifully set with name cards I had delivered, and chairs were arranged precisely to the seating chart I drafted. The Lucca Room can seat more than 25 people; I had even agreed to allow the Restaurant to put up a partition to allow them more seating for their usual guests. Nonetheless, Chef David let me use the entire room without charging me the customary extra fee to do so. (And believe me, the restaurant was packed that night, even overflowing to curbside seating).

Our dedicated servers, Lucy and Irina, were courteous, efficient and attentive to our two families over the course of many hours, even stretching slightly past closing time. Chef David also came by at the start of service to inspect (a good manager “inspects what he expects”). Towards the end of dinner, I found out we possibly had two “surprise” guests en route. Even when those two guests never came to dinner (they met up with us later after dinner), Lucy and Irina were unphased. They slid in two more place settings and prepared two more plates, before they packed the served food station’s leftovers for us.

Culture begins with leadership. Il Davide is the preeminent restaurant in the region. The reviews speak for themselves. I also witnessed their popularity. Yet there is no hubris here. David and his team didn’t need me on that Friday. I needed them. Malcolm Forbes wrote, “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” It would have been more profitable for them to tell me “No.” Yet, their answer was always easily, “Yes.” Love is in the details. I was a stranger to them, and they treated me like family. They recognized it was a special day in our lives, and gave it such honor and respect.

Chef David Haydon and team care deeply about their food, as much as they care about their customers. This is why Il Davide is a treasure and a great ambassador for San Rafael and the greater...

First time at this restaurant, stopped in for dinner after a holiday concert at the church up the street.

When we arrived there were a number of tables available, however shortly thereafter they were maxed out and had opened up a room in the back to accommodate customers that they really didn't have the staff to handle. Apparently, they were caught unaware of this concert, although my dining partner had tipped them off about it the day before when she called to inquire about whether it was possible to get a reservation (no, not for a party of six or less). We received prompt and stellar service from Cesar throughout our meal, despite the fact that he and all of the other servers and wait people were run off their feet! For appetizers, we ordered the Calamari Fritti and a leek & mushroom Torta di Porti. Both were excellent and the calamari portions were huge! The accompanying garlic aioli and marinara sauces for the calamari both had zero taste, but the lemon wedges were sufficient. My dining partner ordered the lamb prepared two ways, lamb chops and lamb stew and accompanied by some Swiss chard and polenta, all of which was excellent! I ordered the gnocchi with short rib ragu sauce. The gnocchi were okay in terms of texture, slightly gummy, but it's very difficult to do gnocchi in a restaurant to be honest. The ragu sauce had an excellent flavor, but zero meat. And I do mean zero. I've never had a short rib sauce with no meat in it and that was a major disappointment; our waiter kindly took it off the bill without me asking him to, which I completely appreciated! We passed on dessert, but I saw a few lovely looking things go past us on their way to other tables and would love to try some of them on another visit. We both agreed that the service, particularly guven the conditions they were laboring under, was excellent.

In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant felt overrun by patrons, the management apparently not wanting to turn away paying customers. There was a party of several men that had been watching sports at the bar, and had now migrated over to a dinner table - they were loud and obnoxious - not what one expects in a fine dining restaurant. No one suggested they tone it down.

Most of the food that we tasted was flavorful, and as previously mentioned our waiter was phenomenal under very trying conditions, for those reasons we will give Il Davide another chance on a...

David Haydon catered our June 2025 wedding at the Marin Art and Garden Center, and hiring him was hands down the best decision we made in the entire wedding planning process.

The Food In terms of “most important things to us” when planning our wedding, we didn’t initially anticipate the food being something our guest would remember the most. We were wrong, it absolutely was. After our tasting with David, we realized just how special the meal would be. Throughout the night, people came up to us raving about it. A few standout comments:

“I went back for thirds of the mushroom ravioli — and I don’t even like mushrooms.” “This is the best Caesar salad I’ve had in Marin.” “What the hell is in this butterscotch pudding? I can’t stop eating it.”

From start to finish, the menu was thoughtful, beautifully executed, and genuinely memorable.

The Hospitality One of the first things David told us was that he runs his catering staff like he runs his restaurant: with white-tablecloth-level service. And he meant it. As one example: multiple staffs member were assigned solely to ensure no water glasses were empty all night. Every member of the team was warm, professional, and impressively attentive — whether someone needed a fresh fork, a full wine glass, or an off-menu drink. It was seamless and elevated the entire guest experience.

The Chef David himself is a force. He brings experience, professionalism, and heart to everything he does. Throughout the planning process, he was clear and transparent — helping us make choices that were both cost-effective and guest-friendly. On the day of, he wasn’t just calling the shots — he was in the trenches with his team, delivering plates and swapping dishes. And most importantly, David genuinely loves what he does. His passion shows in how he treats his clients, his staff, and all the other vendors.

In short: David and his team are nothing short of phenomenal. Work with him. You’ll be...