Review: La Ginestra is back delivering favorites and more

Victor Martinez of La Ginestra brings bread to Sandra and Andrew Bozeman of Mill Valley.

[Jim]

Looks like they raised all the prices about $3.
It's a great place but with the new parking regulations you can expect many more businesses in Mill Valley to go out of business.

We used to see lots of current San Francisco residential parking stickers on back bumpers as we circled the Square.
Now the word will get out the it's no longer worth the trip over with the parking meters working seven days a week.

If I were a busness owner anywhere else in Marin I would be overjoyed by all the new trade sent to me by Mill Valley city "government".

[Ann]

FYI - there was no price increase this year at La Ginestra. You can still use the old to go menus to check!

[Ann]

Jim wrote:

It's a great place but with the new parking regulations you can expect many more businesses in Mill Valley to go out of business.
We used to see lots of current San Francisco residential parking stickers on back bumpers as we circled the Square.
Now the word will get out the it's no longer worth the trip over with the parking meters working seven days a week.
If I were a busness owner anywhere else in Marin I would be overjoyed by all the new trade sent to me by Mill Valley city "government".

Good point about the parking. If you don't like it - be sure to write a letter to the City of Mill Valley. They are testing this - so it can still be changed next year.

[Monkey Wang]

You wrote a restaurant review without mentioning the quality of the service or the selection and prices of beverages offered? Really? The University of Phoenix must have taught you better journalism skills than that. It's bad enough the IJ's reviews are ALWAYS positive but at least some facts could be included. FACT: La Ginestra marks up there wine far too much. Another FACT: The waiters are super nice but have all been employees for 20 years. That seems worth mentioning as it's kinda rare in the restaurant industry don't you think?

[SR Gal]

Do the parking meters end at 6 PM? I'd like to go to dinner after that, and not have to worry about the meter.

[Matt]

You're good to go, SR Gal. Meters end at 6 pm.

[Chronicle Reader]

Man I'm bum'd this news is out. What a hidden gem LaG is, always has been. As far as Sweetwater 'controversy' - there was none, the Sweetwater owners ran it in to the ground.

[Ethel Banks]

When do the parking meters start? It'd be nice if they could start after lunch so I can have lunch and not worry about them.

[food lover]

Parking meters..? How about great food, nice people, mill valley wonderful town...La Ginestra is a fantastic small town place.

[redwood man]

La Ginestra owners were largely responsible for closing Sweatwater (as pointed out above SW management contributed ((by not charging more at the door))- I agree) by tripling the rent. SW was out of code, a contributing factor. Sweatwater (whoever was responsible, whatever the reason) is the biggest lose in the history of MV. The 'new' version around the corner failed as well I guess. As a 26 year resident I refuse to step into any chi-chi shops that now clog up downtown rather live with the memories of better days gone by. The more of those shops that close the better to force down rents. The new beer bar is a step in the right direction, but they s/h $3 PBR on tap for us cheapskates.

[Amazon]

I am going! I loved this place when I lived in the apartments down the street many years ago.

[Yeah Right]

Teh Sweetwater was a complete ripoff.$25 cover to see a bad bar band!?

[crz]

Ethel Banks wrote:

When do the parking meters start? It'd be nice if they could start after lunch so I can have lunch and not worry about them.

La G is not open for lunch

[edc]

the mill valley parking meter rip off stops at 6, so go to dinner and enjoy a great place...

the sweetwater reference was gratuitous, as the real problem with sweetwater was really bad, disingenous ownership that ran a wonderful institution into the ground. despite the post address, which the i-j always gets wrong, i am local and have been for decades, and have enjoyed la ginestra for all that time...the nasty, deceptive sweetwater bunglers are another story...one of the saddest stories in recent memory

[edc]

redwood man wrote:

La Ginestra owners were largely responsible for closing Sweatwater (as pointed out above SW management contributed ((by not charging more at the door))- I agree) by tripling the rent. SW was out of code, a contributing factor. Sweatwater (whoever was responsible, whatever the reason) is the biggest lose in the history of MV. The 'new' version around the corner failed as well I guess. As a 26 year resident I refuse to step into any chi-chi shops that now clog up downtown rather live with the memories of better days gone by. The more of those shops that close the better to force down rents. The new beer bar is a step in the right direction, but they s/h $3 PBR on tap for us cheapskates.

wrong about sweetwater....very wrong....the new ownership was waaaay behind on the rent, bounced checks on people who worked there as well as music acts,(it got down to open mike only acts)... then asked for donations and put the money into another place in larkspur....a pox on them...... ginestra kept the rent artificially low for years and got stiffed for their efforts....

[edc]

Chronicle Reader wrote:

Man I'm bum'd this news is out. What a hidden gem LaG is, always has been. As far as Sweetwater 'controversy'- there was none, the Sweetwater owners ran it in to the ground.

really bad, nasty, deceptive 'new' owners ran it into the ground....all the great work and time that jeannie patterson put into the place to make it a local legend went to waste with these creeps

[steph]

Ahhh, LaG. . .grew up going there, but MillsVille has changed so much. As for the Sweetwater, that's another post altogether.

[edc]

steph wrote:

Ahhh, LaG...grew up going there, but MillsVille has changed so much. As for the Sweetwater, that's another post altogether.

''As for the Sweetwater, that's another post altogether''.... quite true, but it should never have been mentioned in the review and had to be corrected.

[steph]

edc wrote:

<quoted text>
''As for the Sweetwater, that's another post altogether''.... quite true, but it should never have been mentioned in the review and had to be corrected.

who's to say really?

[Anil Beads]

why hasn't anybody mentioned that the new sweetwater is opening in December? Pretty much a done deal at this point. Finally.