Retired Yelp co-founder, San Anselmo dad Nish Nadaraja was on the founding team at Yelp, advised numerous consumer tech startups, worked with plenty of retail and hospitality clients and served on the boards of both the United Way Bay Area and the Commonwealth Club. When he moved from San Francisco to Marin in 2020, he brought his professional talent and penchant for in-spot sleuthing to the North Bay, connecting with local personalities in Marin for his weekly interview column for the Pacific Sun and as an arts commissioner for his adopted town of San Anselmo. Now “mostly” retired, he spends his days playing pickleball and enjoying time with his wife, teenage daughter, new baby and Pablo the dog.
eat
My go-to restaurant in San Anselmo is Cucina. They have great happy hour appetizers and their calzone is one of the best. Their smashburger is the best burger north of the Golden Gate Bridge. For breakfast, there’s the Miracle Mile Café in San Rafael. It’s great for outdoors, especially if you have a dog. We also like to walk towards Fairfax, where celebrity chef Ryan Scott has a Boutique Food Trailer. It’s decadent comfort food, which is the way it should be for breakfast and brunch. We also love Creekside Pizza, where we order the “Perfect Storm” for that perfect mix of toppings.
stay
AC Hotel just opened in downtown San Rafael. You can walk down to all the restaurants and they have a great outdoor rooftop bar. In West Marin, there’s The Marconi Lodge near Tomales Bay. Our plan is oysters and wine in the afternoon at Tony’s, check in to the lodge and have a late supper at their restaurant Mable’s. Sounds like a good idea to me!
play
Since I have a newborn, I love just walking around downtown San Anselmo. In the summer, four or five blocks of San Anselmo Avenue closes to traffic on Fridays and Saturdays for Live on the Avenue. There are typically two bands playing. Restaurants are always busy. Some of the galleries are open. It’s a great place to be in peak summer.
We also love the short drive up to Sonoma. We like Cline Cellars and Anaba Wines, which has their own pickleball court. Kivelstadt Cellars has a great lunch and dinner menu. We love places where we can just sneak away on a Friday and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
drink
The bar at Guesthouse in Kentfield is always bustling and The Corner Bar has become a regular spot for us in Mill Valley. I also like Mijo, which just opened up in Corte Madera. I tend to judge a place by how they mix a martini, which has to be with gin. (No vodka for me!)
