Farley Bar located at Cavallo Point, 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito.
Farley Bar marries two of the more unique elements of North Bay history—the longtime U.S. Army military base at Fort Baker, and the Sausalito homegrown newspaper comic strip Farley—a pairing that brings an alluring retro-yet-fun-loving vibe to this bistro on the north end of the Golden Gate.
Farley is the more casual of the two eateries at Cavallo Point Lodge—Sula restaurant and its drinks-and-small-plates partner Sula Lounge share the building—both of which were reintroduced at the lodge in 2022, following a re-envisioning by Wilson Ishihara Design. The Bay Area-based design firm weaved elements of the old Fort Baker into the look—olive greens, soft greys and deep-wood colors mesh with a 1920s Bauhaus décor to create what designer Yoko Ishihara described aptly as a “utilitarian beauty.”
On the chilly December evening of our recent visit, it was the utilitarian coziness that won the day.
Farley Bar is a single-room affair—padded booths line the front wall, while nearby plaid comfy chairs surround round side tables just big enough for drinks and dinner. A long stretch of fully stocked bar ends at a glowing fireplace at the far side of the room. Whether the festive season draws extra traffic to Farley’s casual, dinner-jacket ambiance it’s hard to say—but the place was buzzing that night.
From 1902 to the mid-1990s, Fort Baker was part of the West Coast defense that included Fort Point and the Presidio on the San Francisco side of the bridge—and Farley, along with the rest of Cavallo Point, utilizes that mid-20th-century vibe that, while never wallowing in nostalgia, still somehow cries for swizzle sticks and bone-dry martinis. (Several gin-soaked libations and a house Old Fashioned highlight the specialty cocktail menu, fittingly.)
We began with plates of the blue crab cake ($25) and the crispy fried sunchokes ($18), two of the more popular items on the starters menu, according to our server. The crab was served with a tangy dill remoulade that really set off the flavors of the crumbly seafood patty. The sunchokes were a real find. Also called Jerusalem artichoke, the tuber is from the root of sunflowers and when cooked takes on a consistency of steamed carrots with a slight potato flavor. Farley’s are livened by a cilantro-chili pesto and lime aioli; our server’s recommendation was well warranted.
The bar’s namesake is a tribute to the beloved comic strip that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle from the 1970s to the passing of artist Phil Frank, a longtime Sausalito resident, in 2007. Framed samples of the strip are given prominent wall space in the building foyer. While the unassuming Frank may have seemed more at home at a hole-in-the-wall like Smitty’s on Caledonia, the Cavallo Point honor is a nice touch (and an opportunity to remind the lodge’s many SF visitors that the city-set strip was actually a Marin product).
Next arrived our entrees—the short-rib pot pie and New York steak. The pot pie ($38) is served hot-from-the-pot in a shallow casserole dish—and it’s loaded with goodies: corn, squash, peas and potatoes in a savory red-wine gravy. The cuts of short rib were tender and rich. Take note: the flaky pastry crust topping the proceedings is a highlight of the dish—not only a tasty compliment to the filling but also just right for sopping up spare gravy. The steak ($45) also earned top marks at our table. Served with mixed vegetable and a side of wedge potatoes, the beef was cooked perfectly to order (medium in our case) and rendered all the more sumptuous by an accompanying red-wine demi-glace.
Rounding out the meal, we shared a sticky toffee pudding ($13), whose buttery sauce mixed deliciously with the orange-zest ice cream atop—one of several dessert menu options that blend sweet fruit flavors with creamy confection.
In its namesake comic strip, the characters were regulars of the Fog City Dumpster, a lowbrow sendup of the similarly named diner frequented by San Francisco movers and shakers during Phil Frank’s heyday. Unlike the cartoon eatery, Farley Bar glows with warm charm and topnotch cuisine. The place was still a full house when we left—lively chatter, corks popping. Mr. Frank would’ve been proud.
Farley Bar
At Cavallo Point, 601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker, Sausalito
415-339-4751
Menu at eatatfarley.com
Breakfast, Monday to Friday, 7 to 11 a.m.
Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lunch, Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dinner, daily 5 to 10 p.m.
