Marvin's Restaurant

Novato, CA

On the way to work one morning, BroCo and I stopped in Novato for breakfast. Marvin's is definitely a neighborhood joint with a homey feel. People bring their newspapers, their grandkids, and hungry stomachs to this inconspicuous restaurant in downtown. The menu is quite large and intriguing, so if I ever get a chance to return, there will be plenty of options. We started off with two OJs, freshly squeezed and delicious.

BroCo and OJ

I had the corn beef hash with over easy eggs, red potatoes and rye bread ($11.95).

Marvin's Corn Beef Hash

Most corn beef hash has diced pieces of corned beef mixed with potatoes (i.e. filler), while Marvin's is straight corn beef mixed with fresh parsley and green onions, think like a good crab cake with 95% crab. It was flavorful and filling covering 60% of the plate. Combined with a generous amount of diced sautéed red potatoes with onions and rosemary, two slices of rye bread and two eggs, its a meal that makes you forget about lunch, which we did skip. My one complaint may be that my eggs were slightly overcooked. 

BroCo had bacon (4 pieces) and eggs (scrambled) with hash browns and white bread ($9.95) .

Bacon and eggs

The thick cuts of bacon were about 8 inches long, crispy, chewy with a good amount of fat on the edges. A hearty portion of hash browns and eggs also made this a lunch killer.

Overall, Marvin's serves up traditional breakfasts at good prices, large portions and a local neighborhood feel. 

Rating: 7/10

August 13, 2010

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