Downtown San Rafael and Fourth Street
Ask anyone in Marin where to go for dinner in San Rafael and they will probably point you to Fourth Street. It is the heart of downtown, lined with restaurants, bars and shops, and it is a pleasant place to walk before or after a mixer. Mission San Rafael Arcangel sits a block off Fourth, a reminder that this is one of the older towns in the North Bay.
North of downtown, the Marin County Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is the landmark most visitors recognize from Highway 101. East toward the bay, China Camp State Park is a favorite for hikes and quiet shoreline walks. If you hit it off with someone at a mixer, Marin makes the second date easy to plan.
Pond Farm Brewing Co. Mixers
Pond Farm Brewing Co. has been the San Rafael venue for Singles Mingle. Its first 2026 date was in April, with another on the calendar for October 25. A brewery is about as relaxed as a night out gets. You can grab a pint, find a spot to stand, and drift between conversations without any pressure to stay put.
These have been general mixers, the 21 & Up format that makes up most of the calendar and is described on the singles mixers page. Most are free entry. When a mixer does have a fee, it is paid at the door, and there is never online payment. RSVP is free and asks for your name and email, with phone optional, and you'll get a confirmation email.
The mixer runs on a three hour window, so you do not have to arrive right at the start. Both San Rafael dates have been set for Sunday evenings from 6 to 9 PM, and the exact window is always on the event page.
Getting Here by SMART, Ferry or the 101
San Rafael is one of the easier North Bay towns to reach without a car. The SMART train stops downtown and runs north into Sonoma County, and south to the ferry terminal. Golden Gate Transit buses connect from San Francisco and the rest of Marin, and the San Rafael Transit Center sits right next to the SMART station.
Coming from the East Bay, the bridge on I-580 drops you a few minutes from town. From San Francisco, Highway 101 over the Golden Gate Bridge gets you here in a reasonable drive outside rush hour, and the ferry across the bay plus a short SMART ride is a fun alternative.
Looking for more dates? The San Francisco singles events page has the city's bars and breweries across the bridge, and the cities page covers every city with mixers.
