The Burren in County Clare, Ireland, is described as one of nature’s most extraordinary phenomena. Sculptured from limestone, its shelves of rock, cleaved by crevices and caves, harbor an amazing array of flowers. When you enter the Burren House, an Irish pub on Fourth Street in San Rafael, you’ll be treading on that same limestone brought from Ireland. Most of the pub’s decor comes directly from “the old country.” Owner Alan Hynes, a native of Ireland now living in San Rafael, wants his pub to be as authentic as possible. This includes not taking reservations. The Burren House has become popular since its soft opening last December and more so since its grand opening in March. There’s often a cluster of people inside waiting for a place to perch and a line crowding down the foyer. Those who are used to instantly booking reservations on apps may find this irritating.

As soon as we were seated, Katlyn, our delightful server, approached our table with menus and a warm and welcoming greeting.

There are two booths with padded seats in the front window. Two tables of four to six and a table for two have muted plaid upholstered chairs. Just on the right as you enter the bar area is an elevated table with high booths and stools. Beyond is a hall extending to the kitchen and the back door that leads to the parking garage. The long bar runs down the left side of the main room with padded back stools. The area extends beyond the bar with assorted tables, a few tucked into little side areas. There are so many details to take in. The dark wood paneling makes it all very cozy. It feels like this pub has been here far longer than just a couple of months.

There’s a full range of draft and bottled beers and a long list of spirits. My friend ordered a pint of Harp ($8), an Irish lager, and I a pint of well-drawn Guinness ($9). We settled right into the Irish mode.

Some Irish Brown Bread flecked with oats came with the beer. It was served with a tiny pot of whipped butter.

If you order a day in advance, you can take home a whole loaf of this brown bread. It’s made daily at the Burren House. The combination of this bread and a pint of beer is perfection.

Of the eight appetizers, the Irish Potato Cakes ($15) seemed the most pub-like. The Soup of the Day ($9) was tempting, too, especially since it’s served with that wonderful bread, but soup is harder to share, and my friends and I all wanted to try each other’s dishes. The potato cakes were an excellent choice. Too often the potatoes are mixed with too much flour, but not these. Fluffy on the inside and full of potato flavor, the cakes were further enhanced by cheddar cheese and scallions. A small bundle of greens tossed with a creamy dressing and topped with a squiggle of balsamic reduction sat between the two pan-fried cakes.

Not exactly Irish, but we couldn’t resist the Jumbo Pub Wings ($12 to $17), available in five or 10 wings. We chose the Guinness barbecue flavor, making it feel a bit more Irish-like. Other choices were jerk dry rub, sweet chili, buffalo and garlic Parmesan. The wings were darkly coated with the sauce and served with a traditional blue cheese dip and celery sticks. Isn’t it amazing how these rarely used appendages have become one of the world’s favorite snacks? That barbecue sauce was not too sweet and wonderfully messy.

For our mains, we went full-on Irish. My friend, Ken, ordered the Fish and Chips ($28). Golden fried haddock stretched across the plate on top of the chips (fries). The fish was moist and flaky inside; its Harp beer batter was neither too thick nor too thin. The chips, hand-cut thicker than American fries, had the same intense potato flavor as the potato cakes and were crisp and golden. Small bowls of coleslaw, tartar sauce and ketchup ringed the plate.

My friend, Lesley, went for the Beef Irish Stew ($26).

A white oblong plate held a white pot with a short handle. In the pot, the rich-looking stew sat under a piped mound of parsley-sprinkled mashed potatoes.

And, happily, to the side lay a slice of that ubiquitous brown bread and whipped butter. Dipping into the potatoes and pulling up a spoonful of the stew, the liquid base was profoundly rich and studded with tender pieces of onions, carrots and celery. Of course, Lesley buttered the bread and used it to swipe up every last morsel.

We started to hear some live music. Four men sat at one of the booths in the front window. Two mics were on top of the table, and each man had an instrument. The musician in my direct view was pumping an Irish bagpipe, an Uilleann, held under his left arm and pressed with his elbow. There was also a fiddler and a mandolin player, but I couldn’t see the final man sitting next to the window. The music was lively and fun and added so much to the evening. I spoke with Des Whelan, the manager, who said they plan to have music a few times a week: traditional Irish music from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and mixed live music at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays.

I ordered the Homemade Shepherd’s Pie ($26). This is a dish many of us who grew up in the Midwest have eaten. There it was always made with beef, as it is here, although one would think with its name it would be lamb. Whelan said they chose to use beef since so many people, i.e., Americans, find the taste and flavor of lamb too strong. The shepherd’s pie was served in an oval ramekin with the potatoes piped in rings to cover the top. The hash-type filling lacked the punch of the stew and a thicker layer of potatoes would have been welcome — although it was very attractive as served. That slice of brown bread to the side lifted my spirits.

We shared the Warm Apple Crisp ($10) dessert. This, along with the rest of our meal, is an example of the imprint of Irish cuisine on America. Immigrants coming to the United States have always brought their food culture with them. So much of what is served on many tables across this country has been introduced by the Irish: simple but flavorful food. The dessert with its oat crumble top is one that I grew up eating during apple season.

This dessert and much of the rest of our meal were comfort food.

The Burren House, with its comfort food, decor and a wide range of spirits and drafts, brings a new welcoming and warm venue to San Rafael.

Ann Walker is a freelance food writer. Email her with suggestions, comments and questions at ijfoodwalker@gmail.com.