A Summer On Magnolia: What's Actually New In Corte Madera And Larkspur

Magnolia Avenue has always been the spine of this stretch of Marin. Corte Madera to the south, Larkspur to the north, and a walking scale that rewards regulars over tourists. What has shifted in 2026 is the density of new arrivals along that spine and inside the two shopping anchors that bracket it. In a single summer, a Michelin-recommended San Francisco chef is opening a new restaurant on Magnolia, a longtime Larkspur Landing tenant has been replaced by a fast-casual Greek concept most locals used to drive into the city for, and Marin Country Mart is running three separate weekly programming series without a break through Labor Day.

The thesis is simple. For residents who have lived through a decade of "the same six places," the food and weekend calendar between Tamalpais Drive and Doherty is finally moving again, and the additions are not chain filler. They are chef-driven, city-tested, and clustered tightly enough to walk between in an afternoon.

The Magnolia Avenue Turnover

The most consequential opening of the summer is Feerma, a modern North African-Mediterranean restaurant taking over the Don Antonio's space on Magnolia Avenue. It is the next project from Borhen Hammami, former owner of the Michelin-recommended Moroccan restaurant Berber in San Francisco. The name draws on "firma" (farm, nourishment) and the warmth of fire, and while the buildout continues, Hammami's team has kept the corner active with the Ferma Love coffee cart, offering unique add-ons such as pistachio milk and black sesame. Construction is underway as of early 2026, with a planned opening for the full restaurant in summer 2026.

For a stretch of Magnolia that has traded largely on French bistros and Italian trattorias, a serious North African kitchen is a genuine widening of the palate. It also raises the ceiling on what a Magnolia lease can support, which matters for anyone watching what opens next door.

The rest of the avenue is holding its established weight. Perry's on Magnolia continues the Union Street original's format, warm décor with trademark blue and white checked table cloths, framed memorabilia and rich mahogany bar, known for classic American food and a bustling bar. Farmshop Marin remains the anchor at Marin Country Mart, a 6,500 sq foot space with a full-bar area seating 50, a private dining room seating 60, and an open-hearth wood-burning oven and grill. On the Corte Madera side, Flores is the restaurant to name-drop when visitors ask where to eat, a three-time Michelin Bib Gourmand winning restaurant serving unique dishes that celebrate the diversity and complexity of Mexico's 31 states, with a bar list of more than 50 rare and small-batch tequilas and mezcals.

What Larkspur Landing And The Village Just Gained

The second reason this summer reads differently is the arrival of two operators that residents previously drove elsewhere to find.

Souvla has taken over the former Marin Brewing Company footprint at Marin Country Mart. This is the chain's first location outside San Francisco, and its address is 1805 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 14, open Monday through Sunday from 11am to 9pm. Founder Charles Bililies described the move plainly, saying the team wanted an iconic destination in a part of the Bay Area where they had a loyal following but hadn't grown into yet, and calling the Mart's businesses highest-quality, well-considered and community-based. The menu carries the full city format, including lamb, pork, chicken and white sweet-potato sandwiches and salads with yogurt sauces, Greek fries, Avgolemono soup, and frozen Greek yogurt desserts.

At the other bracket of the corridor, Super Duper Burgers has opened a drive-thru in Corte Madera, bringing its handcrafted burgers, house-made buns, and classic California flavors with sustainably sourced ingredients, crispy fries, and creamy shakes. A drive-thru is a small typology shift for the Corte Madera side, where the retail footprint is otherwise dominated by the sit-down formats at Town Center and The Village. Speaking of The Village, its current dining mix runs from RH Rooftop Restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, Boca Pizzeria, Bazille inside Nordstrom, and Boudin SF, which is worth remembering when out-of-town guests want a view instead of a walk.

The short version for anyone tracking the corridor: one North African chef on Magnolia, one all-Greek menu at the Mart, one drive-thru at Redwood Highway. Three different formats, one summer.

How To Actually Use Marin Country Mart This Summer

The Mart is not a shopping trip anymore. It is a weekly schedule. Marin Country Mart runs three summer series: Movie Night on the Green on Wednesdays, Friday Night Jazz, and Folkish Festival on Sundays. On top of that, the courtyard hosts a rotating layer of standalone events. A quick read of the calendar as it stands:

• Sunday food-truck lunches. Live music while you dine, rain or shine.
• Fried Chicken Sundays at Farmshop Marin, running every Sunday through the summer.
• Sunday Pony Rides, on the calendar for families with young children.
• Mahjong at the Mart, a weekly Sunday gathering with a beginner-friendly lesson from 11 to noon led by MarinMahjong.com instructors, then open play from noon to 3.
• Saturday Farmers Market, listed alongside Movie Night at Marin Country Mart: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh on July 10.

The programming density is the story. A resident who never leaves a two-block radius on Sunday can move from a farmers market to a pony ride to fried chicken to live jazz without moving a car. That is not the case at most Marin retail centers.

Town Park, Fridays At 6

The Corte Madera Summer Concert Series has moved to Town Park and published a full lineup for July and August. Admission is free, and the format is the one worth clearing the calendar for.

The full 2026 slate was published by the Marin Dish, which framed the series as back at Town Park with lawn chairs, picnics, and small-town charm. Jackie Greene on August 23 is the name to circle. He is the closest thing this lineup has to a national touring act, and free outdoor bookings of his caliber are unusual for a town park of this size.

For readers who prefer the Larkspur side of the corridor, Piper Park runs its own Friday concerts from 6 to 8 pm with drinks and snacks available to purchase, and the Marin Art and Garden Center hosts a separate series with barbecue entrees and sides grilled fresh on site from Ray's Catering, plus beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks.

One More Weekend Anchor

The 14th Annual Downtown Larkspur Wine Stroll is on the summer calendar again, a walking tasting through Magnolia storefronts that pairs neatly with the new Feerma frontage and the older restaurant row. It is the single afternoon each year when the avenue reads like the destination it has quietly become, and the reason it works is the same reason the food additions matter: the geography is compact enough that a stroll actually strolls.

For residents who have watched the corridor for years, the takeaway is not that any one of these openings changes Marin. It is that the density is now high enough, and the operators serious enough, that a Friday-through-Sunday plan can be built entirely between Magnolia Avenue, Marin Country Mart, and Town Park without repeating a room. That was not true two summers ago.

If you are thinking about how this evolving corridor factors into a longer-term move within Marin or between San Francisco and the North Bay, the team at The Warrin Team is available for a discreet, one-on-one conversation about what current activity along Magnolia and Larkspur Landing means for value in the neighborhoods that feed into it. Request a Private Consultation at your convenience.