Marin attraction Nick's Cove opens newly rebuilt Boat Shack
OAKLAND, Calif. - Nearly two years after being destroyed in a fire, Marin landmark Nick’s Cove on Wednesday announced the opening of the newly rebuilt Boat Shack.
Similar to the original Boat Shack — which burned down on Jan. 7, 2024 — the new establishment is a communal gathering space where visitors can socialize and enjoy food and drinks from the Nick’s Cove restaurant. The new Boat Shack features a large picture window that offers views of Tomales Bay and Hog Island, a communal dining table, and a piano, and is adorned with nautical decor.
"The entire family at Nick’s Cove is so happy to see the beloved Boat Shack back when we look out the windows of the restaurant," Wade Nakamine, the general manager of Nick’s Cove said in a press release. "It was a hole in our hearts for the last two years, and that hole has been mended. Now we can’t wait for our community to come out and make new memories in the Boat Shack."
The Boat Shack sits at the end of a 400-foot public pier, and is open to the public during business hours and operates on a casual, counter-service model. The new space is heated by a new gas stove, in contrast to the original, which featured a wood-burning stove.
That wood-burning stove was left unattended the day the original building burned down.
Nick’s Cove has been in its current location in Tomales Bay since 1931, when Nick and Francis Kojich purchased the property. The couple transported several buildings by barge from their property on the west side of the bay to the east. Some were converted into cottages for visiting fishermen and one was made into a small roadside seafood restaurant called Nick’s Cove.