Cottage Eatery

Closed forever

The food here is amazing. Tonight I had the chicken, pork and taglianini, all amazing. 3 adults and 2 kids. The kids loved the pasta. The chicken and pork were so moist and filled with complex flavors. Also loved the chicken liver. I’m a fan of liver, but no one makes it the way they do at Cottage Eatery. The chef there is amazing. The service was great, and they made my kids feel so welcomed.
I recommend this place wholeheartedly.

We went there for the Night in Toulouse. This was my first visit — my friend and dinner partner is a huge fan and now I know why! The meal we had was very good. The only downer was the cost of the prix-​fix meal — the only option that night. I will go back, though, to experience this charming place on a regular menu evening.

The service was not great. The food sat at the counter for a bit before we got it to our table. IT was a good 10 minutes before our plates were cleared off after we ate.
The food was mediocure. The portions were generous. The side dishes that came with the main courses were fillers. not much thought
We were quite disappointed. The Wednesday nite burger was probably the best deal Although the bun was cold. Hopefully they were having a off night, but it’ll be awhile before we go back.

I ate here for the first time last Saturday night, and it was fabulous. How did I not know about this place before?
We weren’t as hungry as we should have been — I ordered the mushroom pizza, which was divine. It was weighed down with a huge pile of mushrooms, and the ricotta cheese complemented the mushrooms perfectly. They drizzled it with a truffle oil, which is what took the pizza from great to amazing. Mmmm… I’m still drooling just thinking back on it…
C thought he wasn’t too hungry, either, so he ordered a half-​portion of the… some sort of pasta with a bolognese sauce, and a side order or brussel sprouts. I usually don’t like bolognese, but I could barely keep my fork off of his plate. I don’t know what they put in there, but it was delicious. And as for the brussel sprouts — they were the only thing that I would actually feed to the dog under the table to avoid eating them when I was a kid. But whatever the chef did to these brussel sprouts… these were definitely not the brussel sprouts of my childhood! They were not just edible, but actually really good!
The waitress also brought us an amuse bouche before our meal — some sort of pureed vegetable. Again, not something I would have ever ordered if it was on the menu, but it was so wonderful, I almost asked the waitress for some more.
The service was attentive, even though they only had two servers for the whole dining room.
I’d say the only minor disappointment was that they only had 2 or 3 wines by the glass. Which turned out to be not a problem anyway, since the one I tried was great.
Unfortunately, we didn’t save room for dessert. Even though Tiburon is over an hour from where I live, I am DEFINITELY going back. And this time, I’ll be hungry enough to try appetizers and dessert, too!

This place is so delicious. Very passionate cooking, the best ingredients. Yes, it’s in Tiburon. No, I hadn’t been to Tiburon before and, yes, I went just to go to this place and, yes, it was worth it. I had bruschetta with chicken liver and apricot purée, duck eggs, artichoke, many kinds of greenish beans, lamb shank, rabbit (you heard me), handmade pasta, fine wine, delicate dessert (hey, I was hungry). It was so tasty that there’s nothing clever to say. I barely noticed the crockery, the lighting, the parking. The service I noticed — and it was unspeakably good too.

You can just tell when people are really into food and at Cottage Eatery this passion shines through in both the service and the food.
I started with a Fully Belly melon salad. This dish embraced the seasonal and local. Others at the table had the market salad and the sweet breads. They were all delicious.
The pasta with Botarga and cauliflower was a real treat and I had more than one taste from my fiancés dish. I ordered the arctic char for my main and my fiancé had the beef brisket. Both were delicious and cooked to perfection.
The wine list had a good variety of wines and it was easy to find wines that paired well with our dishes. The price points were very reasonable.
This little restaurant really puts an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients and the style of cooking emphasizes this freshness.
We took the ferry across the Bay and had an early meal so we could catch the last boat back. We really enjoyed this little outing and would recommend it to others who are looking to get out of the city.

We love the Cottage Eatery so much that we had them cater our wedding lunch. All 50 guests were gushing about how wonderful the food was. Everything from the beet ravioli to the melon salad to the grilled fish to the fried chicken to the pizza was perfect.
Our SF «food» friends were all impressed with incredible quality of the ingredients and the wonderful balance that the chef brought to each dish. The older folks from the ‘burbs just loved that it was so incredibly delicious.
The service, as always, was spot on — even with 50 people. The folks who run this restaurant have a true generosity of spirit that’s reflected in everything they do. They truly went «above and beyond» in every way possible. The space was perfect for a group that size. The weather was gorgeous, so we all spilled out into the courtyard before lunch for some wine and wedding pictures before lunch.
I can’t recommend this place enough — either for dinner or for a «buy out» meal. They’re truly incredible!

Food done right.
My wife, who’s a trained chef and spent 2 years traveling throu Italy cooking with Nonas, says this is the best kept secret, not just in Marin, but in the whole Bay Area.
The best Bolagnase sauce she has ever tasted. The owners do justice to the beat local ingredients from local farms.
Without a doubt, the most consistently fabulous food and service in this charming, yet unpretentious restaurant. If you want authentic cuisine, this is well worth the trip to Tiburon.

We just finished one of the best meals of our lives — no exaggeration! It was «Whole Hog Dinner» night, and each course was to die for. Homemade mortadella and pickled veggies, pork rillette, and boudin noir with sour cherries started us off, followed by pork terrine with peaches over dandelion greens — delicious! The slow roasted pork entrée with two homemade salsas was out of this world. Finally, the peach pie and corn ice cream sounds odd but was incredible.
We’ve eaten at Cottage Eatery five times now and each visit is better than the last. It’s all about great food, great service, and wonderful, affordable wines.

I’ve used Unilocal for a number of years to find places to eat but this is my first time writing a review. I loved the food here that much.
My wife and I went here for dinner after an afternoon of biking on Angel Island. The last ferry from the island arrived around 5:40-ish. Perfect for a 6PM dinner reservation. The place is just a block away from the ferry terminal.
My wife and I almost skipped out after looking at the menu posted outside. Nothing particular struck our fancy and the menu layout was a little confusing. After some deliberation (and remembering the good reviews on Unilocal) we decided to go in.
The food was excellent.
We started off with complimentary foccacia that came with a lentil bean paste mixed with olive oil instead of butter. Very tasty (and healthy). They also provided some kind of melon juice/​purée in a shot glass for cleansing the palette.
We started off with the Monterey sardine appetizer on toasted bread w/​mozzarela?. You could tell the fish was really fresh. No fishiness and wonderfully seasoned.
My wife had the icy char (a fish similar to salmon). The fish was moist and the skin crisp. The corn/​mushroom/​tomato/​herb side dish it came with was excellent.
I had the pork chop on the waiter’s recommendation. I’m normally leary of ordering pork chop since it usually comes out dry. Not this one! It was thick, seasoned throughly, and juicy. The baked peach that it was topped with added a slighly sweet flavor. Went really great with the slighly salty bean/​bacon/​spinach side dish.
Dessert was a slice of fresh peach pie with vanilla ice cream. Definitely NOT Marie Callenders.
My wife and I polished everything clean. And it wasn’t because of small portion sizes. In my opinion the amount of food was just right.
The menu changes daily with some menu items carrying over from the previous day. So always something new to try.
Definitely coming back!

Small, cute, homey restaurant with very good food.
We had a party of ten for dinner. We ordered off the menu. Our single server (The OWNER!) handled us like a seasoned professional. He was lively, respectful, helpful with explanations. Plates arrived quickly.
My lamb shoulder was meltingly soft and supple. Flavored with a myriad of complimentary spices that brought out the sweet meat flavor, did not mask it.
Bambie had the branzino (seabass). She was delighted with the prep and flavors as well.
We did try many of the appetizers. The arancini (breaded & fried rice balls — tastes better than it sounds!) were the best I’ve had in the USA. Actually they rivaled many arancini I’ve eaten in Sicily.
The group were not drinkers, just three of us polished off a bottle of Melville Pinot Noir ($ 32). Total bill was $ 400. Which really us a pretty decent deal for food of this caliber.
Recommended!

I was dismayed to see I was the only person eating in here last Thursday night. This place deserved to be packed! The red lentil purée and freshly made focaccia bread that they bring you when you first arrive is just delicious. The purée buttery, the bread soft and warm.
I had the sardine appetizer. Those BIG sardines, not the itty bitty ones that get stuffed in a can. They had a slight marinade to them, served with toasted bread. The layers of flavors were excellent.
Next came these house made fresh pasta little pouches of goodness, stuffed with a meat mixture. YUM.
I did save room for dessert. A warm chocolate tart.
Heaven.
Please go and support this wonderful local food establishment. The cook is creative, inventive and deserves a packed restaurant to applaud his delicious food. It’s that good!

Some of the best food in Marin County! Chef Ed Carew knows how to cook.
High standards are clearly apparent, yet the restaurant remains unpretentious, quaint, and cozy.
Tiburon is lucky to have such a wonderful restaurant.

Dainty. Meh. V-​day Review.
As I’m not a fan of prix fixe meals in general, I wasn’t too pleased that that was all Cottage Eatery had to offer even though it was Valentines Day.
Ambiance: cutesy — Craig F. is totally right in that it looks almost like a bed and breakfast place. The dim lighting and rustic paintings add a romantic touch.
Price-​wise, one would think that $ 65 for a 4 course meal was a pretty good steal, but the plates are pretty small (3 – 4 mini bites); entrée is ¾ of what you would probably expect.
Food is decent but nothing to cry for joy about. The foie gras was too hard, too cold, doesn’t melt in your mouth and make you say, «ooooooh.»
Arctic Char was cooked to perfection, (beautiful flakes!) but had too much residual oil on the skin — makes you feel a little greasy afterwards.
Dessert was standard. An unoffensive apple turnover bite with a small melting scoop of vanilla ice cream — something I could’ve made in my own kitchen. Round 2 was a rich chocolate mousse pie slice with crème fraîche — something you might see on Sandra Lee’s Semi Homemade.
All in all, little originality, little portions, and a strange server/​manager who was slightly demeaning and a touch pretentious.
Nice ambiance but probably won’t make the drive out to come again.

Great Meat Balls…
This place is unique and inviting. Family run and it shows… try the amazing pork and ricotta meatballs… AMAZing!

Cute, out of the way spot on Main Street in Tiburon. Unassuming, understated, but very good.
Italian flair. Not really fancy inside, I would say rustic but not even really that much thought into the décor. Almost seems like a nice breakfast place. I believe at least one of the servers (the woman?) was one of the owners and another server was as attentive as an owner would be. The one or two other servers in the room were robotic.
Started with the chicken meatball soup which was fantastic. Also had the charred baby octopus, which was also great. Saw the entrees going to the table next to us and we got very excited. They looked fantastic! Then I saw what I was leaning toward, the sole. The presentation was exceptional. I am so getting that! Then the table on the other side of us, they ALL got the sole. My mouth is watering. After the waiter dropped those off he came to take our order. I asked him if that table all got the sole and he said yes and that he was now out of sole. :-(. Crushed. Scrambed to find a suitable alternative and had the pork sugo. It was OK. My friend had the chicken caccitore which seemed strangely pedestrian compared to the other dishes that we saw. She liked it, though.
I can’t wait to go back to try the sole, but after reading the reviews here it looks like the menu changes daily. Will be back in any event, as it was a very good experience at a decent price.

I eat out at fancy expensive places a good amount in San Francisco. But, this was different. We had 2 waiters switching off on us. One of which we really liked she seemed warm and helpful, the guy that was serving us seemed kind of slimey. When we asked for recommendation the lady waitress did a great job had a bunch of thing to brag about and did so tastefully. When the guy came to take our order we ordered a few thing she had recommended both of which were a bit heavy and it was a hot day. So we didn’t get drinks or an appetizer which seemed offensive to him.
The food was ok. Very small portions (for $ 27 pressed pork we expected alot more). And very over priced. It was OK, but I’ve had much better for less. I will not be going back there or recommending it to people. But, it was ok.

Phenomenal food. I loved everything I had and can’t wait to go back.
Want to know how good it is? They have tripe on the menu which i disregarded as a foul concoction. But my date ordered it and loved it so much that I was persuaded to try it. Tripe here is great! Seriously I got lured into eating tripe and yes, loved it.
The staff is very friendly also! I will return here, but probably not soon enough. If you go, try the tripe.

Great little place tucked away next to the parking lot behind Ark Row — it’s «downstairs» from Main Street. We rode our bikes by earlier in the day and both remarked, «WHAT SMELLS SO GOOD?» So, we came back to find out.
Cottage eatery has a distinctly homey feel, from the downscale décor (mostly a lack of décor, frankly, aside from the baskets of fresh veggies and jars of pickled veggies) to the casual but inviting service.
The octopus appetizer is great, and we were also treated to a sweet little amuse bouche of spinach soup with crème fraîche in a shot glass. [It looked rather like some frothy Jagermeister drink gone wrong, but tasted fresh and very spinach-​y.] Sweetbreads were on the specials menu, but I opted to save that for next time.
Not fancy, just fabulous. (And it appeared to attract very few tourists, too, which is nice on the main drag in Tiburon.) I wouldn’t call it a destination restaurant, but it’s a very nice local eatery.