I independently & honestly review all of my travel recommendations. If you click on links I provide, I may receive compensation
The seaside town of Sausalito makes for a great day trip from San Francisco. With fun bars and restaurants, plus outdoor activities, it’s one of my favorite places to visit in the Bay Area.
Like everywhere else in the Bay Area, there’s also some good craft beer, although there are no breweries. Given all the light industrial areas in the northwestern parts of the city, it is a bit surprising that this is the case. Some spots look like they would be perfect. Perhaps that will be fixed someday. Until then, here are my favorite places to drink craft beer in Sausalito, including local beer bars and restaurants.
Sausalito Craft Beer Bars & Restaurants
Joinery
Joinery is a great beer hall and rotisserie located northwest of downtown Sausalito. It’s a great stopping point if you’re walking or biking along the town’s plentiful paths.
In addition to a nice, airy inside space, there’s also outdoor patio seating with views of San Francisco Bay and the Sausalito marinas.
There are around 12 taps of local Bay Area craft beer from breweries such as Henhouse, Altamont, Faction, and Fort Point, plus wine, rotisserie chicken, salads, and sandwiches.
Address: 300 Turney St, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Smitty’s
Most day trippers to Sausalito stick to Bridgeway, the main road along the coast, which is lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. However, head a block or two inland, and you’ll find plenty of other great places to eat and drink that tend to be inhabited more by locals.
Smitty’s is one such place. It’s a quintessential “off the main street” bar with a no-frills atmosphere and a good time, just like it has been since 1938.
The bar has about a dozen taps, which serve macro beers such as Guinness and local brews.
There are several pool tables, plus pinball, shuffleboard, and foosball. Or take a seat at the bar and watch sports on TV. There’s a jukebox in the corner, which was playing lots of Springsteen on a recent visit. That’s just the right vibe for a place like Smitty’s.
Address: 214 Caledonia St, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Barrel House Tavern
Located in the former ferry terminal, Barrel House Tavern is one of the largest bars and restaurants in Sausalito. It’s a bright upstairs place with a long bar and an outside patio with sweeping bay views.
The bar offers great happy hour deals from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. It also has a huge spirits selection and in-house barrel-aged Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.
The craft beer selection includes 6 taps of local beers from breweries such as Lagunitas, Henhouse, Fort Point, Drakes, and North Coast, plus a handful of bottles and cans. All draft beers are $6 during Happy Hour (as of August 2024).
Address: 660 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Bar Bocce
Bar Bocce is another Sausalito beer bar and restaurant located just off Bridgeway.
It’s best known for its outside waterfront patio, which has a firepit.
There is also a small beer selection and sourdough pizza. And a bocce court, of course.
Address: 1250 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Fish
The Bay Area has some of the best seafood in the country. Sausalito has several great seafood restaurants.
My favorite is located in an industrial part of northwestern Sausalito, far from most other dining & drinking options. However, it’s worth the journey.
Fish serves excellent, fresh, sustainably sourced seafood, and fans line up before its daily lunchtime opening. Get there early to avoid a wait and to make sure you get a table, as it can get crowded quickly, especially on nice days. I got there 10 minutes after opening on a Friday, and there was already a line.
While there are a few indoor tables, most people opt for a seaside table on Fish’s large multilevel patio.
Fish has a wide variety of seafood dishes, including a grilled catch of the day, clam chowder, salads, oysters, fish and chips, and more.
Do you have upcoming travel that you need to book? Use my travel resources page to make your bookings! There's no cost to you, and you'll be supporting my site. Thanks!
The San Francisco Bay Area is famous for its Dungeness crab, so I naturally went for the Dungeness crab roll. As one might know, such a sandwich isn’t cheap, but the one served at Fish has tons of crab meat with just a bit of butter, which really lets the delectable crab meat shine.
Pair it with a cold pint of local craft beer from one of the 12 taps, and you have one of the best meals in the Bay Area. The great 80s music playing, like The Cure, New Order, and Kate Bush, is a bonus.
Address: 350 Harbor Dr, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Farley Bar
To the south of the city of Sausalito is a former military base called Fort Baker. Once an Army outpost, today it’s home to hiking paths, scenic viewpoints, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and Cavallo Point Lodge.
Farley Bar and its sibling restaurant, Sula, are part of the Cavallo Point property. There is a big inside space, but most people flock to the outdoor veranda with tables overlooking the fort and views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Farley Bar has a large food and drink menu with several signature cocktails and a solid wine list. It also offers a local beer selection, which includes beers from breweries such as Russian River, Moonlight, Laughing Monk, Headlands, Altamont, North Coast, Original Pattern, and more.
Address: 602 Murray Cir, Sausalito, CA 94965 (map)
Website
Sausalito offers more than just craft beer. The town also has some good cocktail bars and wine bars. There are plenty of fun things to do in Sausalito. For a more educational experience, visit the Bay Model. For more nearby craft beer, head to Mill Valley.
Here are some great San Francisco tours & other things to see & do in San Francisco.
If you’re looking for a place to stay, check out these Sausalito hotels.
