Brewery Profile

Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant

For much of its three-decade run, this Novato brewpub gave Rowland Plaza a recognizable beer destination and served as one of the North Bay’s familiar gathering places. A visitor walking in would have found the format of a classic brewery-restaurant rather than a small tasting counter: a broad dining room, pub atmosphere, and house-made beer served where people could settle in for more than a quick pour. Its sunny beer garden added an outdoor option that helped define the place for regulars and travelers alike. In a city that sits between the larger beer scenes of Marin, Sonoma, and the rest of the Bay Area, Moylan’s was a local anchor, remembered less as a hidden stop than as a long-running part of Novato’s craft beer history.

Travelers in this part of California often look for breweries that combine regional beer culture with an easy stop on a broader North Bay route. The appeal is not only in tasting individual beers, but in seeing how different communities built their own pub traditions around brewing. Moylan’s fit that pattern as a brewery and restaurant where the experience centered on house-crafted beer, a full pub setting, and a social dining room. Without relying on a destination-only model, it functioned as the kind of place where visitors could pause during a day in Marin or before continuing north. Its reputation as a beloved institution reflects that role: it was part of the everyday craft beer landscape, not just a name on a tap list.

The practical note for visitors is important: the taps are now silent, so Moylan’s should be treated as a historical point of interest rather than an active stop for current pours. The known setting was Rowland Plaza in Novato, with a spacious dining room and sunny beer garden during its operating years. Anyone planning a beer-focused itinerary today should confirm current businesses, hours, and available taprooms elsewhere before building a visit around the former brewery-restaurant site. For those interested in California craft beer history, however, Moylan’s remains a useful reference point: a long-running North Bay brewpub whose presence helped shape how locals and travelers experienced beer in Novato for decades.

For three decades, Moylan’s Brewery & Restaurant anchored Rowland Plaza in Novato, serving as a beloved North Bay institution. This classic pub was famous for its spacious dining room and sunny beer garden, providing the perfect backdrop for enjoying their signature, handcrafted brews. While the taps are now silent, Moylan’s legacy lives on in the history books of California craft beer.

Website available

15 Rowland Way, Novato, California, 94945-5001

Phone: 415-898-4677

Website: http://www.moylans.com

Hours: Thank you for 30 amazing years! Moylan's is now PERMANENTLY CLOSED.