Family Dining in Marin: Best Lil' Porkhouse Corte Madera-CLOSED

It's always been a challenge to find good BBQ in the Bay Area, and we became fans of San Rafael's Best Lil' Porkhouse at first bite. We saw that they recently took over the restaurant space in Corte Madera that once housed Max's (and, if you're a Marin old-timer, the Peppermill), and decided to give this bigger and easier-to-get-to new location a try.

Unlike the San Rafael location, the Corte Madera Porkhouse is an actual sit-down affair, with no ordering at the counter required. We were shown to a comfy booth in one of the restaurant's dining rooms, which also housed the bar and a couple of big screen TVs showing the 49ers game.

The place is decorated in an eclectic Western theme, with farming implements, old advertising signs and ephemera, and cowboy movie posters on the walls. Each table has its own roll of paper towels and squeeze bottles with four(!) kinds of house-made BBQ sauces.

The Porkhouse offers platters and sandwiches, each of which are accompanied by a variety of homemade sides. Smoked meats are the real BBQ deal here, and are served with a small amount of sauce drizzled on—you can add more if you like. Sauces on the table ranged from sweet to fiery and were all tasty. Our efficient and friendly waiter offered to bring us a North Carolina-style mustard BBQ sauce that he made, which of course we accepted. It was delicious!

The sides were really outstanding, too, and elevated the food above your standard BBQ fare. My daughter's Mac-and-cheese had a nice crust and was topped with crumbled bacon. Sweet potato tots were a standout, too, and my son was wowed by his fried pickles. Both of the latter came with a ranch-dressing-like dipping sauce.

The Best Lil' Porkhouse offers "Lil' Piggy Meals" for kids 10 and under. Choose from a junior pulled pork sandwich, pigs in a blanket, chicken tenders, or a grilled cheese sandwich. Meals are served with one of the sides well as an ice cream cup or baby carrots. My kids both opted for the pulled pork sandwich and both were extremely happy with them.

I had the pulled pork topped with coleslaw, which is my favorite Porkhouse offering, and my husband tried the "Three Little Pigs" sliders so he could sample the pulled pork, brisket, and pulled chicken. All of them were excellent, but the pulled pork, made with Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork, was really the standout.

Best Lil' Porkhouse is owned by Ken and Christina Flach. Tennis fans might recognize Ken as a 1988 Olympic tennis gold medalist and two-time Wimbledon winner in men's doubles.

Best Lil' Porkhouse is located at 60 Madera Boulevard, right off Highway 101, in Corte Madera. They're open Sunday–Thursday from 11:30 am–9 pm and Friday–Saturday, 11:30 am–10 pm. Call them at (415) 927-RIBS or visit them online at www.bestlilporkhouse.com.