The owner of two of West Marin’s most popular food destinations is opening an ambitious new seafood restaurant in Point Reyes Station, the product of a major local revitalization effort of legacy businesses.
Bar Auklet opens Thursday at 11180 Highway 1 in the former longtime home of Station House Cafe. Owner Shannon Gregory also runs roadside seafood destination the Marshall Store in Marshall, named one of the country’s best restaurants by the New York Times in 2021; the popular Route One Bakery & Kitchen in Tomales; and newer taco takeout spot Out the Door.
It’s a significant opening for the tiny gateway town to Point Reyes National Seashore, which has lost notable food establishments since the pandemic, including longtime California-Italian restaurant Osteria Stellina and the popular cheese shop Cow Girl Creamery, which closed in 2022 and was later replaced by food hall West Marin Culture Shop. Named for a seabird that inhabits the Farallon Islands, Bar Auklet came to be after tech founder and West Marin native Chris Hulls purchased several local properties, including the former Station House for $1.8 million.
“We’re trying to bring a new level of food and service to Point Reyes,” Gregory said. He acknowledged the role the Station House Cafe, with an expansive patio popular with both locals and tourists, and its owner, Sheryl Cahill, have long had in Point Reyes Station. The restaurant was located in Bar Auklet’s new space for more than 30 years before a rent hike prompted its move across the street to its original location in 2023. “Sheryl created a really beautiful courtyard and it was a big part of the town,” he said…