Mill Valley Market

So sad what has happened to this place- seems the owner doesn’t see the value in continuing to invest?

We’ve been coming here on average every week since we moved to the area 4 years ago. Easy mid-week dinners. A snack after a hike. Bringing friends and family from out of town for a wonderful patio dinner with live music. A drink after a ride with friends. I was very proud to have this in my neighborhood and bring others here. And there really aren’t many restaurants in this area so it was the most convenient place. It’s a beautiful building with a view of the park. The food was great and the service was fast and friendly.

Maybe 1.5 years ago our favorite manager left (his name was Will and he always took such good care of us and our dog- all of the sudden we didn’t see him anymore) and we noticed then that the service just tanked. The food was slower. Poorer quality. And the staff were getting more and more rude or just unfriendly. We started coming less, but still fairly frequently. Maybe went from 2x/week down to 1.

Now they have drastically cut down the menu such that they aren’t serving much in the way of cooked meals. We almost never go there anymore cause all we really would want to buy that’s worth it are sweet potato fries. I miss how it used to be!

I really don’t know what the plan is for this place- I wish they would have just cut down on their hours. They are open every day 8am- 8pm and earlier/later on weekdays…. Which is crazy to me. If they made all these changes due to finances, I would have started there and made hours 4-9pm or something. It’s especially odd that they did this right as winter started- which is the busiest time of year at Theo with skiing.

I think these changes will really affect the vibe of the Trailhead and the area. Please come back Mill Valley Market! Or maybe leave and make room for something else?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Sweet Potato Fries

6.875% “service charge tax” (in addition to 9% sales tax), and then an obligatory 15% service charge layered on top of all that, for casual counter service food?! If it costs that much to operate the business, just make your posted prices reflect that, don’t sneak it in at the end. Decent tasting food but poor value.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

My family and I live nearby and this was one of our favorite spots to go to for a low-key breakfast in a beautiful park setting. There's plenty of seating inside, and on nice days, it's always easy to find a spot on the patio to sip coffee and take in the scenery before heading out for a walk.

That being said, I will say that the menu/food has really taken a steep nosedive. It seemed like it was kind of steadily declining, but we went this weekend and we were left feeling so utterly disappointed and realized there really isn't much left at this cafe anymore.

First off, the menu has really been pared down. Neither of the two dishes we always order (the Belgian waffle and the Huevos Rancheros) are available anymore. I get that menus change over time, but now there aren't even many options. I reluctantly ordered the avocado toast.

When the food was ready, I was served some oily scrambled eggs piled high on a piece of toast with no avocado. I brought it back to the window, and the server ascribed it to the fact that the cook is new. Then they brought my tray back with 4 small slices of avocado fanned out on top of the toast and eggs, with
the avocado slices being primarily brown. Not like it had browned a little from being sliced earlier in the morning, but more like the avocado was way past its prime and nearly rotten.

The slice of toast was made from good sourdough bread, but the slice was so thick and crusty and chewy that the plastic cutlery was unable to cut it at all. The whole thing was very awkward to eat, and really flavorless as I don't think any salt was even used in preparing this. The fruit cup on the side was almost entirely cantaloupe.

To say that we left feeling disappointed is such an understatement. This was once our favorite place, and to see it go downhill like this is really disheartening. I can't really see us coming back again after our most recent experience. It just makes me feel so sad that it has come to this. Looking at people's old Google review photos of what the food used to look like is such a stark contrast to how it is now.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 2

Not sure what has happened over the years but this place has gone down hill dramatically. Used to love this great little neighborhood gem. We would walk down and have a meal a couple of days a week or grab drinks and healthy snacks with friends after a walk. The food is not what it used to be. The menu has gotten smaller and service has declined. The sandwich menu used to be great but now is sparse. We would come specifically for the egg sandwiches. Now, they are served on soggy toast, the egg rarely comes as ordered and they are completely flavorless. Even the side salad that used to be amazing doesn’t have the same freshness or great taste. I used to be excited and proud to meet friends here but no longer a great go to.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 3

Stopped in for a bite of breakfast after visiting the Eloise Butler bird sanctuary. The food and the view was amazing. I wish I lived here so I could come back every weekend. I highly recommend the beet and spinach salad as well as the vanilla latte. I'm visiting from Houston, TX where we have great food so I have high expectations.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

It’s a fun place to watch music at the park and all, but the food is just okay especially price to portion size. The service is also quite slow when it gets busy (ie sometimes 45min- 1hr wait after ordering food, plus waiting in line)

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

I bought a waffle for 7 dollars and got a mini, sad “gourmet” waffle the size of my fist. The thing was way too sweet, and felt more like a desert that came out of a package.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the atmosphere is pretty cool. It’s awesome to see all the people out biking. I came for the food, though, and I was disappointed.

Food: 1

Service: 5

Super overpriced entrees. My avocado sandwich was literally the size of my hand, and it was $12. Just bring your own food!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

The service was super slow. Only one registrar who is also the only one making coffee, and making coffee one at a time before taking order the next customer. Ordering a coffee takes forever with a short line due to the understaffed inefficiency of this place. The building itself was pretty cool.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 1

They have the best mimosas ever! The service, food, and atmosphere is everything! Exercise and get some comfort food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was a nice stop after touring Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. I'd love to stop here on a bike ride one day. They had a few vegan options that I appreciated. The Baja Bowl was flavorful yet a bit small. I really liked the sweet potato fries! I just wish they were served with a vegan aioli. Ketchup just feels wrong to have with sweet potato imo.

Vegetarian options: There are a handful of vegan options. They are clearly marked on the menu.

Dietary restrictions: Vegan and gluten free options marked on the menu

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Have low expectations for the food

Chicken Wild Rice soup. I order from Google maps when finishing a cold hike or when starving at the beginning of a winter adventure.Cant beat this $6 hearty not heavy soup.This way I avoid the trailhead line at the order window.Great option for parents waiting on the ski teams.

Parking: Two parking lots at Trailhead and 100 ft walk from the golf course parking lot off plymouth Ave and Theo pkwy.

Kid-friendliness: Hot dogs waffles and Mac n cheese

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was pretty good but a bit expensive for what you get. Food portions were but quality seemed high. There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely worth stopping if you're here for nordic anyway.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Breakfast Burrito

There is always something fun to check out at The Trailhead and when you get hungry there’s Mill Valley Market for beverages and food!

Kid-friendliness: Easy to let the kids run around in the grass while eating out on the patio.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Fried Chicken Strips