The Best Rainy Day Date Ideas in Marin

Catch a film at Smith Rafael Film Center, a restored three-screen nonprofit theater in San Rafael. The programming covers independent features, documentaries, classics, retrospectives, and filmmaker events throughout the year.

Matinees at or before 4pm are discounted, including for seniors 60 and older.

Pair dinner with live music at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, which has been hosting shows since 1972. Rock & Rye, the restaurant on site, has a full bar for drinks or dinner before the music starts.

Buy tickets through the venue's website or Etix.com.

Make a night of dinner and live music at Rancho Nicasio, a historic roadhouse on the town square in Nicasio. Indoor dining is available seven days a week.

Dinner shows include a reservation window before the music, such as dinner from 6pm to 8pm ahead of a 7:30pm set. The bison burger is on the menu.

Settle in at Corner Bar, a cocktail lounge in downtown Mill Valley with two bars and large windows overlooking the town square. The polished room feels lively without being too loud for conversation.

Mediterranean small plates are made for sharing, including salmon tartare, a mezze plate, lamb neck, and a charcuterie board.

Playa is a Mexican restaurant and bar in downtown Mill Valley with walls of windows, blown-glass lights, and colorful tile throughout the room. The bar focuses on tequila and mezcal, with drinks like the house margarita and el Slushie.

Start with quesadilla or ceviche, then move on to tacos or pollo al carbon. Playa is closed Mondays.

Settle in for old-school Neapolitan cooking at La Ginestra, a family-run restaurant in downtown Mill Valley that has been open since 1964. Pastas and pizzas are made in house, with the menu changing with the seasons.

The adjoining Sorrento Bar pours cocktails, amari, and Italian wines.

Slide into a red leather booth at Buckeye Roadhouse, a long-running restaurant on Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley with a warm, dark-wood bar. It works just as well for cocktails and conversation as it does for a full dinner.

Start with the Oysters Bingo, then share the ribs or brick chicken. Valet parking is available.

Le Comptoir is a French-inspired bistro, rotisserie, and épicerie on Fourth Street in San Rafael, with bright red chairs and a cozy dining room. A small grocery next door gives you another reason to linger after the meal.

The menu includes onion soup gratinée and beef cheeks bourguignon. Dine in or take out, with plenty of parking nearby.

Settle into Suzette, a French bistro on Bridgeway in Sausalito with bay views and a polished dining room. Ask for a front or window table if you want to keep the water in view while staying out of the rain.

The dinner menu includes boeuf bourguignon, steak frites, croque madame, and quiche lorraine. Suzette is open daily from 8am to 8:30pm, with brunch until 4pm and dinner from 4pm.

Pull up to the bar for a Negroni at Poggio, a Northern Italian trattoria on Bridgeway in Sausalito with a lively dining room and bar. Thin-sliced vitello tonnato is one of the signature dishes.

Start with the vitello tonnato, then share a pasta like the pappardelle with duck ragu. Lunch and dinner are served daily from 12pm, until 9pm Sunday through Thursday and until 10pm Friday and Saturday.