The Best Bars for a Date in Marin

Barrel House Tavern makes the most of its waterfront setting, with bay views from nearly every seat on the second floor of a landmarked former Sausalito ferry terminal. We'd start with the Negroni and take a look at the barrel-aged menu, which also includes clam chowder and tartare tacos. The waterfront room stays lively and still suits a quiet dinner for two.

Facing out onto Sausalito Bay, Bar Bocce is home to a bocce ball court and large fire pit on the patio. Settle in over a sourdough pizza or a shrimp po'boy and wine and watch the paddle boarders go by on the water.

Close out the night at the 2 AM Club in Mill Valley, the local dive known as The Deuce. Play a game of pool, sit outside or order a beer or classic cocktail such as a Manhattan or Negroni.

Enter The Speakeasy in Novato through a bookshelf beside The Board Room steakhouse, where a hidden library connects the cocktail bar to the piano dining room. The menu moves from 1920s drinks to modern cocktails, with ten beers on tap and shareable plates such as mini street tacos, escargot and maitake mushrooms. The Board Room specifically counts date nights among its occasions. The bar opens at 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

Stillwater in Fairfax gives you two patios, including a semi-enclosed one out back, plus a cocktail list with a particularly strong agave selection. We'd pair the Golden Valley Gimlet with the Stemple Creek beef cheeseburger or miso-glazed black cod; Hog Island oysters are another option. The bar is closed Mondays and opens at 4pm Friday and Saturday and 5pm on other days.

Settle in over organic or small-producer wine at Amélie Cafe and Wine Bar in Fairfax, the Marin outpost of the San Francisco wine bar. The French-heavy list comes with plates such as escargot, salade Nicoise and slow-baked steelhead. Outside, diners sit on wine barrels along the petite street-side patio.

California Gold in San Rafael serves handmade pre-Tiki cocktails at a 1906 mahogany Brunswick bar beneath a pressed-tin ceiling, with more than 400 spirits lining the shelves. We'd try the Death Proof, made with dark rum, Calvados, orange and aromatic bitters, or the Daiquiri. The bar also has 12 taps and one outdoor table. Guests must be 21 or older.

Monk's Kettle in Terra Linda is a tavern for craft beer that also runs a kitchen and a bottle shop, with a shaded patio. Pliny the Elder is on tap, while burgers, pub grub and veg-forward dishes fill out the menu. We'd pair a pint with the Mission Fried Chicken.

VIN on Fourth Street in San Rafael, formerly Vin Antico, keeps drinks and dinner in the same warm room with cocktails, wine and a menu designed for sharing. Fresh pasta and inventive cocktails give VIN its two best reasons to stay. VIN is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm to 9pm.

Hopmonk Tavern in Novato's Vintage Oaks opens from a sun-filled brewhouse into a large beer garden beneath old oak trees. Live music runs year-round in the indoor Session Room and seasonally through the outdoor Cookout Concert Series, while the taps mix house beers with guest pours.