About the Owners
Pier 15 is owned by well-known Bay Area restaurateurs Adriano Orsi, from historic Orsi’s San Francisco and Novato, and Michael Sanchez, of Mama’s in San Francisco’s North Beach, along with their families and several investor friends.
Adriano and Ferol Orsi met Mike and Deborah Sanchez in the early 1990s as neighbors in San Rafael’s Dominican neighborhood. The two couples discovered common ground early on: their children were already friends, both men were from famed Bay Area restaurant families, and both women were former flight attendants with experience in the San Francisco clothing business. Years of friendship, cemented by many fantastic meals, followed, and in 2006 they made the decision to go into business together, purchasing Pier 15 soon thereafter. Each couple brings its own favored mealtime to the relationship – breakfasts and brunches from the Sanchez family and lunches and dinners from the Orsis. Together they have succeeded in keeping Pier 15 a San Rafael landmark while serving the finest food the restaurant has known in its 50-year history.
About Historic Pier 15
Pier 15 in San Rafael’s historic wharf district has been home to a succession of notable eateries throughout the past 50 years and has attracted a considerable local following. In 1956, Pier 15 and the boat repair shop that occupied it were converted by Pete Lind into Pete’s Pier 15, a bar and restaurant that opened in 1957. Lind owned the establishment through the 1960s and into the 1970s. After several changes of ownership, in the 1990s the restaurant became known as Art’s Pier 15 and served simple American barroom fare, although it was better known among locals for its libations. Pier 15 has not only survived the changes of ownership through the years – it also survived a tidal wave set off by an Alaskan earthquake in the early 1960s.
Pier 15 Today
In July 2006, the restaurant was purchased by Orsi and Sanchez, who renovated it into a refined eatery that merged the previously served pub fare with more sophisticated concepts from the owners’ other successful enterprises. Breakfast and brunch are now dominated by Mama’s-inspired fare such as Mike’s signature homemade pancakes, French toast, various styles of eggs Benedict and crab omelets while dinner features a number of Orsi specialties, such as pepper steak, house-cured prosciutto and his popular heirloom tomato dishes, including chicken cacciatore, pasta puttanesca and caprese salad.
Pier 15 is located at 15 Harbor Street (at East Francisco Boulevard) in San Rafael, just off Highway 101. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner (10:00 A.M to 10:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. Saturday and Sunday) and features a full bar with classic cocktails, beer and wine. For more information, please call (415) 256-9121.
