Review of "Bar Bocce" in Sausalito

One way to enjoy the glorious weather and try to prolong the long weekend feeling is to head down to “Bar Bocce” in Sausalito. Relax and soak up the spectacular view while mopping up some scrumptious food by the Bay!

Restaurant of the Week

Bar Bocce, 1250 Bridgeway, Sausalito 

Tel: 415-331-0555: view website

We used to enjoy coming to this place when it was the charming Northpoint Coffee Company and now it has been transformed from an unkept garden with rough around the edges furniture into a modern bar terrace complete with a Bocce Ball court!

Bar Bocce opened in March of this year with chef-partner Robert Price (Buckeye Roadhouse & Bungalow 44) running the kitchen and offering a seasonal American Italian inspired small plates menu with wood fire pizzas. 
We arrived on a busy July 4th lunchtime with a full terrace and an outside waiting list displayed on the chalk board that stretched 40 minutes, and 20 minutes for an inside table. We were about to sadly leave when a couple sat on one of padded seats round the fire pit let us know that the central lounge area was exempt from the waiting list and they were about to leave, result!

We settled down and soaked up the amazing view of the Bay which seemed clearer without the previous overgrown bushes. We could now fully enjoy the blue water glistering in the hot sunlight and watch people kayaking and sailing by in their yachts. Sausalito is described as the Amalfi Coast of Northern California and after being to both I totally agree, you instantly feel like you are on holiday here when you find yourself presented with such a breath taking view of the Bay with the hill side houses of Tiburon on the other side of the water. The view is actually similar to the one you also get sitting on Kayak Beach, which makes it one of favorite places to go in Marin.

The buzzy terrace was full of families, couples and groups of people, a real mix of clientele. A Dad was paddling with his kids at the water's edge and little groups of people were scattered on the small sandy beach on the other side of the Bocce Ball Court. We watched a game taking place as we sipped wine served on a chic wooden tray resting between us which felt very ‘resort-like’.

The menu is a selection of tasty appetizers, wood fired pizzas, salads and dishes such as eggplant Parmesan, meatball sliders and a rather interesting ‘Fire Roasted Hen smothered with lemon and herbs’. We shared the pork sausage pizza with fennel pollen, scallions and red onion which blew us away! The red onions were caramelized so sweetly that it complemented the fennel, sausage and some kind of crumbled blue cheese so well, we couldn’t get enough of it! It was the best pizza we had tasted in a long time (dare I say maybe even better than the Neapolitan pizza at Boca Pizzeria!) Other interesting pizza choices included; marble potato with smoked bacon and Fontana cheese, or the Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon, avocado and crème fraiche, or the “Meatballs, Need We Say More”.

For dessert we were intrigued by the “Fudgsicle or Winesicle”, but opted for the “Bocce Bliss” which was a tall sundae glass filled with ice cream, fresh raspberries, raspberry puree and crumbled meringue (based on the classic English “Eton Mess” dessert. It was absolutely wonderful and as soon as my husband started to rapidly spoon it up, I regretted sharing such a great summer pudding!

The food was awesome, the view was spectacular and the lively atmosphere enjoyable…we really didn’t want to leave and could of hung out there all afternoon, especially when we eyed up a couple next to us ordering a pitcher of white sangria with fresh fruit and mint (they recommend it by the way). But when a lady asked us if we didn’t mind her hovering close by for our seats, we know that it was time to head home as we settled our very reasonable check. But we will be back very soon to enjoy the relaxed vacation feel of ‘Bar Bocce’!  

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