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192 Donahue St., Sausalito, CA 94965 (See Map Below) Phone: 415-331-6193
Neighborhood: Marin City & Pohono St. They don't take reservations here, but you can call ahead as you're driving in and "get your name on the clipboard." If you order out they will bring the food to your car in dedicated spaces out front.
Website is here. Menu for online takeout orders is here. Free parking in lot.
Open for Late Lunch (weekends only) and Dinner. Entree price range (for Dinner) at time of most recent review: $8.50-$29.
| Outback Steakhouse did not appear in the Top 10 on any of the OurSausalito.com Best Restaurants in Sausalito lists for Winter, 2013. |
Outback Steakhouse
Fast Forward SummaryTM: They're the only chain other than Starbucks to have built a restaurant successfully in Sausalito, and this Outback can be a convenient place to stop for a decent meal if you stick to the less expensive items on the menu. If you're running around with the kids, everyone is tired and hungry and you're looking for a good meal in a spot where a little noise is OK, this is a good choice.
Outback Steakhouse: The Details
This Outback is largely the same as all the others I've visited. As chain restaurants go they're better than many, but they obviously don't approach the quality of the top places in a sophisticated dining area like Sausalito. Some of their prices are reasonable, some should inspire you to go into Sausalito proper and pay the same dollars for a real quality meal.
On a recent Sunday we were on a shopping trip and didn't have time to go back down into downtown Sausalito. One editor had the Outback burger and fries, the other had the new Alice Springs Chicken Quesadillas appetizer. Neither dish cost more than $9, and both were really moist and flavorful. We got free tasty brown bread and butter. Our sodas cost $3 each, but they included free refills any time they got even half empty, and we didn't have to ask. The service was fast and pleasant. There are plenty of $3 Diet Cokes in Sausalito with no refills, plenty of places where the servers aren't as pleasant, and plenty of places that don't serve King Crab Legs at least some times during the year.
What's our point? This may not be the best restaurant in town, but it's way better than the chain-haters make it out to be.
The location is convenient, across from Best Buy right next to the northernmost Sausalito exit from 101. This is a good place to drop into if you've been running around, are on your way home and don't have the energy to cook. But you have to be selective on the menu or you'll pay more money than the food deserves.
There's a small lagoon nature preserve for migratory birds out front, sandwiched between the parking lot and the highway. Hey, some of our best friends are migratory!
On a rainy night the fact that they'll bring the takeout food out to your car at the curb is a nice service.
They do not open for lunch, although on weekends they open at the unlikely hour of 1:00 PM, right after lunch. This has always struck me as bizarre given the fact that they're a business lunch style place. Perhaps these hours of the day are spent, a la Pinky and the Brain, planning to take over the world.
Google Map Instructions: Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out, the arrow keys to scroll the map, and the SAT button to see the satellite view.
Something else that people should know about Outback Steakhouse? Is the staff at Outback really out back planning world conquest prior to 1:00 PM on weekdays? Disagree with any of our suggestions? Please leave a comment below so our readers get the full story.
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