The Best Restaurants in San Rafael, by the Record
The best restaurants in San Rafael, by the professional record: San Francisco Chronicle has weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Lou's comes out on top.
Los Moles and Pupuseria Blankita hold the next two places.
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A J-shaped yellow bar and a handful of stools are the entire dining room at this takeout-only shack in San Rafael, and most people just grab their box and go. The menu changes constantly, sometimes the morning of, and things sell out. The chef pulls from various Asian cuisines and California seasonality, so one week it's pork in black vinegar caramel over rice, the next it's ceviche salad. Call ahead or arrive early, and arrive with no fixed idea of what you want.
- San Francisco Chronicle #60 · Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best restaurants in Marin County: Sausalito, Novato and San Rafael
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Rank 2. Los Moles
Modern Mexican
Warm tortillas pressed at a kiosk just inside the door set the tone at this San Rafael Mexican restaurant, where the kitchen takes mole seriously enough to run seven housemade versions on the weekend buffet. The mole poblano and a red guajillo version called Mama Luisa are the ones to pace yourself toward. Cabeza de res, menudo, and pozole rojo round things out. Order a michelada; it isn't included, but it's the move.
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Rank 2. Sol Food
Puerto Rican
The pressed French bread announces itself before you even bite down, cracking loud enough to turn heads. Sol Food is a casual Puerto Rican spot in San Rafael with outposts around Marin, built around hot-pressed sandwiches that pull serious lunch crowds. The Paraíso swaps the expected cheese-steak script by folding in ripe plantains, and the Cubano is one of the few worth seeking out in the county.