Pete's 881 Club — Restaurant in San Rafael

I went to this place around midnight on Friday night because I was looking for some food and it was one of the few places around that serves food so late. I usually go to either yet wah or sol food if it's really late, but I wanted to try something new. I tried going to the flat iron grill, but after looking at their website and yelp, and finally picking something from the menu, I arrived only to find out their kitchen closes at 10pm. I wish I had found that information online, rather than walking there and spending the time, but the hours posted on the internet just say they are open until 2am, not that the kitchen closes at 10pm. anyway, I ended up going to Pete's and picking up a ribeye steak salad and some french fries to go, both of which were really good! While I was there, I asked about the poker game going on, and several really nice people explained to me what it was all about. A couple of the people I spoke with worked there, but the people sitting at the bar were also really friendly and gave me a lot of information. I was just really curious and it looked like it might be something fun to try out. everyone I spoke with very helpful and had a lot of nice things to say about the place. they all recommended coming to one of the tournaments if I wanted to learn how to play without losing a bunch of money in the process! I was very intrigued (and a bit bored lately) so today I went and actually played in the Texas Hold'em poker tournament they have there every Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

on a side note, as soon as I sat down at my assigned table, I heard someone say my name - and what a coincidence that sitting right there across from me was someone I had met & instantly made friends with several years ago (a fellow glass artist) who I had lost touch with when she moved to Vegas for a while to be a dealer at the "World Series of Poker" tournament. I was sad when she moved because we had a lot in common, particularly that we were both artists who worked with fused glass. I had forgotten all about the fact that she played and dealt poker. what a pleasant surprise! very cool to run into someone like that after so long, and in a great local neighborhood bar a couple of blocks from where I live (that I've never been to!)

back to the poker game at hand (haha). I knew next to nothing about the game, but both the manager and the dealer, as well as some of the other players at the table, all very patiently explained things to me as we went along. I even won a hand! and since it was a tournament (and not "live/cash playing"), I couldn't lose more than the $100 I spent to join in. as I had been told by the folks who recommended it to me, it was indeed a great way to learn how to play the game and limit my losses! I had a lot of fun, and spent about an hour and a half before I was out of chips. I ordered my dinner to go here again, because Friday night's meal was quite good and reasonably priced, so all in all it turned out to be a great evening!

I can't say enough about how nice everyone was here, not to mention that it was a great way to spend the evening and the food was good to boot! i'll definitely be going back next weekend to try my hand at Texas hold them poker again (and have another good meal while I'm at it!) I highly recommend you check...

We found one of the best kept dining 'secrets' in Marin county via KQED 'Midnight eats' . We read multiple reviews on Petes before taking a chance and decided to bring our 90 year old Father in Law for his belated birthday dinner. Well, we were not sure what we were in for...but we all had a BLAST! The food is delicious, the weeknight specials were recited by the super friendly female bar-back (what ELSE do you serve?), and our server was attentive and on-point. The place is laid back in an industrial area of San Rafael, NOT PRETENTIOUS, and super casual (wear jeans and a tee!). After all, you can eat at the bar or at the few tables scattered around (its dark in there like a Vegas lounge). There is one side for eating/drinking; the other is for cards/poker games. Lighting is dim, but the service is warm, friendly and neighborly. My FIL dug into the Prime Rib Special (thursdays only) and within the hour, he polished off the entire plate of food. The slab meat filled the plate along with creamed spinach, baked potato and was delicious, melt-in-your-mouth. Our compliments to the Chef and kitchen staff! My sisters in Law had 2 burgers and raved about the fries/Onion rings, and were thrilled. The meal was great and one of the BEST VALUES IN MARIN COUNTY. Dad was impressed, and it was a 90th birthday to remember. Thank you Petes and the friendly...

The bartenders were friendly and service oriented. It's definitely a huge plus to have bartenders that make you feel welcome to be there. The layout of the numerous wide-screen TVs is excellent. You can get a really great view from just about anywhere. The crowd vibe is definitely on the mellow side. The food is not good. Ordered the chicken wings. They were definitely overcooked. The quality of the chicken meat was very poor. Watched some other people eating pepperoni pizza, and the pizza looked like the low end pizza that is served in a high school cafeteria. Really enjoyed watching a great football game here. Overall, come here for drinks with friends and watch the games, play pool. Skip the food altogether, totally not worth it. I recommend...