The fond memories of his uncle’s restaurant, PJ Finnegan’s in New Jersey, inspired Henry Hautau to reconstruct a Finnegan’s of his own right here in Novato. He thought that the Old Town area was reminiscent of Bergen County, N.J., where his uncle lived and worked.
It’s already been five years now since he opened what he calls a “Left Coast version of my uncle’s restaurant.”
Hautau saw the need for a place that could be multi-generational, where families could mingle and could enjoy good food at a reasonable price. Thus, was born. Naturally, Hautau brought in some East Coast memorabilia and tied it in with elements of Marin. Now he’s been creating some memories of his own, and most of these he owes to the customers whom he’s been fortunate to meet.
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Customers from other towns, and particularly Napa and Mill Valley, have expressed their desire to Hautau to have a Finnegan’s of their own. Whether it’s the live music, the trivia games, open mic nights or just random meetings at the bar, a gravitational pull had been generated at Finnegan’s that has even attracted the likes of Sean Penn on occasion.
“He sort of moves like a shadow through here," Hautau said. "He seems like a real nice guy, but he definitely knows how to get around without getting noticed, too.”
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Hautau is celebrating Finnegan’s fifth anniversary by having a drawing in which customers can to participate through the month of October. Every time you dine at Finnegan’s you’ll be able to enter your child’s name into a drawing to eat at Finnegan’s free for a whole year. You can enter as many times as you dine there during the month. Fifteen lucky kids under 12 will be drawn as winners on Nov. 1.
Happy Birthday Finnegan’s Marin! See more details here.
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