Take a First Look at Souvla’s First Location to Open Beyond San Francisco

Whether for a quick lunch mid-week lunch break or dinner delivered right to your front door, San Francisco-based Greek mini-chain Souvla has become one of the city’s most popular fast-casual restaurants. And as of Monday, November 6, the company will take the big leap across the bridge — not the glittery one but the big, famous red one — to open a sixth location at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur. The opening marks a major expansion for the company, this being the first Souvla restaurant to debut outside of San Francisco city limits. Founder and CEO Charles Bililies says bringing the brand to the North Bay has been a long time coming. “I would say our biggest custom complaint is that there’s not a Souvla near the person,” he says. “We get a lot of that feedback on a daily basis, which is great and that’s a complaint I’m happy to get.”

The new restaurant, located at 1805 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 14, takes over part of the massive former Marin Brewing space so this is also a notably larger Souvla than those found in the city. For the first time, Bililies also gave over the reins on the restaurant’s design, working with Matt Winter of M. Winter Design to create a bright, white space with rustic wood and terracotta accents. Bililies says he hopes the effect captures the energy of a Greek village. “It evokes this feeling like you’re on vacation on a Greek island,” he says. The space also includes a spacious and covered 60-seat outdoor patio, which will be usable across all four seasons thanks to heaters scattered throughout.

The menu will offer all the usual Souvla suspects: primarily sandwiches and salads topped with a choice of protein including chicken, lamb, pork, or roasted sweet potatoes. The company also carries Black Sheep Foods plant-based “lamb” as a vegan option. Fans know to round out their meal with an order of Greek fries smothered in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and mizithra cheese, or a portion of roasted potatoes covered in rotisserie drippings. For dessert, there’s frozen Greek yogurt topped with olive oil and flaky sea salt, sour cherry syrup, or baklava crumbles. The restaurant pours its own line of wines made in partnership with various producers in Greece.

Bililies says he and his wife have long enjoyed hopping the ferry from San Francisco to Larkspur, as a little escape from the city. Plus, Souvla joins a roster of popular restaurants opening at the retail center including Moonset, a noodle restaurant from chef Charles Phan; a second location of Loveski, the deli from chef Christopher Kostow; and Buvette du Marais from the Le Marais bakery team. Bililies says the Marin Souvla will expand the company’s delivery radius to most of the densely populated parts of the county, but he also envisions San Franciscans popping across the bridge for a meal. “We’ve obviously incredibly excited, this is a project that’s been several years in the works,” he says. “Marin Country Mart is becoming Marin County’s premier culinary destination.”

Souvla Marin (2257 Larkspur Landing Circle) opens on Monday, November 6. It will be open for lunch and dinner from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, along with delivery in the majority of Marin County.