The Waterfront has been one of our favorite places for lunch for years but we had an unpleasant experience last week. Celebrating a special time we ordered the top choices on the blackboard' grilled fresh salmon and fresh halibut @ $16.95 and $17.95. First we had no personal service from our waitperson. The helper brought water. No bread and butter for 15 minutes until we asked the helper for some and she had to tell the waitress. No salad. Then...lunch arrived, the fish, nothing else on the plate..except..the missing salad dish. So we received a piece of fish accompanied on the plate with a dish of salad. The salmon was very rare. The halibut was tasteless. The waitress was missing until she slipped the check on the table as she passed by. We had lunch at Gill's By the Bay today. Just couldn't go back to The Waterfront. read more

This is a quaint little throw back to the good ol' days of Eureka. Sitting on the water's edge, Cafe Waterfront evokes an older feel in service, that's a good thing. Lots of great seafood and wonderful breakfasts combined with good service and a great location (right next to a large public pier), you'd think I should be giving it a better rating. And if I had reviewed this place 10 years ago, I probably would have. But Eureka is suffering from a growing glut of homelessness. Lots of travelers, stragglers and pit bull blends on leashes (and not) make this once picturesque location slightly less inviting. It's on the edge of old town Eureka, which is constantly under renovation, bringing back some wonderful historic buildings. I've been here a few times now, always enjoyed the restaurant, but have slowly begun to dislike the neighbourhood. Eureka is starting to suffer from the same ailment as downtown Portland, OR and Bellingham, WA, a larger influx of transients than the city knows what to do with.That never seems to end well. But this is a review of Cafe Waterfront, not of how our country treats the homeless. So let me end by highly recommending this restaurant, just tread lightly on your way in and out of it. read more

Not bad, good wine in the afternoon. A tuna melt on a muffin and hubby had a good burger. We always liked this place.

First of all, I'd like to thank Cafe Waterfront for giving me severe food poisoning and ruining my vacation. I made this Yelp just for you. We walked into the restaurant, got greeted, and were promptly ignored. The host brought us our drinks, which grew quite unappealing as they slowly watered down during the wait. Thirty minutes later, when our waitress finally arrived, we learned quickly enough that she had a bit of an attitude. There were roughly ten people in the restaurant at the time, which gave her absolutely no excuse for lagging. Instead of apologizing for the wait, she took our orders in a fashion that came across as impatient. We ordered the fish and chips and a dozen raw oysters. Upon asking about the type of oysters, our waitress had absolutely no idea, and neither did any of the staff she took ten minutes asking. We thanked her for asking, and assumed they were Pacific. We sat there for an hour. Literally, without any exaggeration, a whole sixty minutes. We got our fish and chips, and were told to wait on the oysters. The fish was absolutely awful. It was tough and bland, not being saved even by a large amount of malt vinegar and the tartar sauce that came with it. The fries were cooked well enough, but seemed to be lacking salt. Upon picking up the salt shaker, I was disgusted by the grime around the top and on the inside of the shaker itself. We did not finish the fries. We waited for thirty minutes, our drinks not being refilled and diminishing to melted ice. We called over the waitress, agitated and craving some fresh oysters. As she was informing us about the chef just learning to shuck oysters, I watched as two men lugged a bag of shipped oysters out of the FREEZER. Thankfully, after our exchange, the oysters arrived in about ten minutes or so. The twelve oysters were WARM. I ate six of them, not wanting to wait another thirty minutes. MY mistake. Please, if you do go here, DO NOT GET THE OYSTERS. read more

Cute little place in downtown Eureka! I went here during Mother's Day and got a free mimosa (even though I'm not a mother teehee). My boyfriend and I got the blueberry pancakes combo. It was pretty good, you can never go wrong with pancakes. Live music, rustic atmosphere, love it! Not sure if I'd come back again though. read more

Biggest disappointment is we can't bring this place back to Reno with us! This is the best meal we've had on our trip down the coast. Great food and service!! read more

Ive never taken the time to write a review before. I have to admit that i felt hurt and unvalued as a customer when i walked into this restaurant. Let me start off by saying my husband and i go there several times a month and always get good service from a nice female waitress. When we have called ahead of time we were told that they serve breakfast until 11:30. We walked in at 11:01 a couple that walked in behind us got seated first. We got seated at 11:03 and was then told that its too late for breakfast and they only serve breakfast until 11:00 on weekdays. All the other days weve been there was between 11:15 to 11:30. My husband asked me if i wanted to stay and i told him i was craving breakfast (as im nine months pregnant) so the male waiter then asked us if we were going to eat somewhere else. Im never going back and will post this review in a local paper. read more

Nice atmosphere ... not really on the waterfront though. Pricey menu. The clam chowder was good, but felt like the staff was disappointed that I didn't order more. read more

I really like this place. Good location by the bay and the servers are nice. It's my go-to spot for fish n' chips (the best I've had in Humboldt). read more

After bad experiences at local restaurants, we had a wonderful time at Cafe Waterfront. The food was great (don't miss the mussels, clams, and oysters), the service was fine, and the decor was fascinating along with the view. I'd go back in a hot New York minute!!! read more

It was late and dark and Sara, from the Best western , recommended this place. We had beer batter halibut tacos, clam chowder and great cocktails. Nice atmosphere. A little higher priced, but the food was good!! Thanks Sara!! read more

I was disappointed in the fish and chips. My wife had Caesar salad (menu spelled it caesar). She was not pleased with the chicken. I did enjoy the chili; and Edie did enjoy the clam chowder. With the glass of wine our meal was overpriced. Oh, the chips were so so as well. I'm no gourmand nut I do know well made fish and chips! read more

Great food that makes up for the slightly slow service. Outstanding local oysters, fish, salad. Maybe the finest restaurant in Eureka.

One ham sandwich and the love is gone. After moving to Eureka from the Northwest a few months back I cast about looking for places to call my own. On first encounter I thought the Waterfront could be such a place - a first-glance assessment based mostly on a superficial resemblance to the Silverwater Cafe in Port Townsend (q.v.). We went for breakfast, and although the food on offer was not particularly distinguished, I liked the atmosphere and unlike other reviewers I had no problem with the wait staff. A second breakfast visit confirmed our generally positive first impression. But then we went for lunch. Imagine if you will a sandwich from the deli cooler at 7-11. Sealed in a plastic package and costing maybe two bucks, it inspires no expectations of good ingredients, freshness or even tastiness. You buy it because you're hungry and need fuel, and for no other reason. Now imagine sitting down in a nice cafe with a water view, hungry, tastebuds a-tingle in expectation of a satisfying Saturday lunch in a nice environment. Scanning the menu you see a ham sandwich that looks like it could be just the ticket. At a place like this you might expect a hot sandwich with good, thick-cut ham, maybe even locally-produced free-range steroid-free organic artisanal etc. etc. ham, on good local bread (Brio?) with good local cheese (Loleta? Cypress Grove?), maybe a dollop of honey mustard. Imagine now that instead of the luscious lunch item of your imagination, your waitron sets before you the aforementioned 7-11 product: stone cold, soft industrial "wheat" bread, pale, thin-sliced lunchmeat ham, generic-tasting cheddar and a schmear of "Dijon style" mustard. The kind of thing you could assemble yourself at home in two minutes from fifty cents' worth of Safeway ingredients. Except here they slap on a damn silly name (the "Patrick's Point") and charge eight bucks for it. Deeply disappointing. I had to struggle to keep it from ruining my day. The miz had the oyster sandwich, something the Waterfront is supposedly known for. She thought it was OK but nothing special. I would say to the owners that if even your oyster sandwich is boring, then you need to work on your thing, baby. I give the place 3 stars because their breakfast, though certainly not spectacular, is definitely OK, plus it has a nice homey atmosphere, a good downtown location and acceptable service. But I won't be returning for lunch, and I think that even for breakfast I'll be looking elsewhere next time. read more

Great location! That's about the most this place has to offer though. The service is so painstakingly slow and they really don't seem too interested in being there. There's a great view and it's close to the bay so it's a lovely spot to eat and go for a walk. The food is pretty good, but very overpriced in my opinion. It's a tourist trap. read more

Had a great time at this place a couple weeks ago- beautiful view, quaint little setting, and decent atmosphere. LOVED the bottle of wine we got (my boyfriend took a picture to send home he loved it so much), went perfectly with our dozen oysters. Yum! read more

Awful food! Both our seafood dinners were drenched in oil and tasted like an entire salt shaker poured over each. Service was mediocre.

Went here with my wife and mom at 7:30 on a Sunday. The restaurant was mostly empty, with a few tables of patrons. The best part was the food- each of us loved our plates of grilled fish or steak, with perfectly cooked veggies. The worst part was that partway through our rapidly paced meal the restaurant closed and they started blaring Wham and Cher and cleaning up loudly. I get that people need to get their work done, but does it need to be to the complete disregard of their remaining patrons who are having $35 meals? Our server made a few jokes about the music and noise, but it really ruined the experience. It bums me out that we spent so much money at an establishment that couldn't wait to get us out of there. read more

Stale, reheated fries and the waitress seemed like she'd never seen a non-white person before. She spoke to me slowly and enunciated every syllable, even though I spoke perfect English back at her. I know Humboldt is mostly white folks but this was really silly. read more

We really wanted to like this place and had an enthusiastic attitude and desire for the clam chowder. The hostess greeted us promptly and got us started with some Bloody Marys - great start for a Sunday lunch. However, after waiting for 15 min. to be noticed by a server, we started asking questions. Tried hard to get some eye contact from anyone, and I finally flagged down the hostess and asked her if I could inquire about some things on the menu. No - I was told that we would need to wait for the server. About 5 min. later, a server walked right past our table and I said hi - and she kept walking, saying hi in passing. 5 min. later (25 min in with no offer of food yet), we asked for our check and were told, once again, that our server would be there soon. Then she finally stopped and said with an attitude, "I'm right here." Rude. Sorry to have bothered you. Great Bloody Mary though. Hence the one star. read more

Had a fine dinner here on our way to Oregon. The grilled lung cod was a highlight. Very friendly and attentive staff.

I really like the location and the comfortable interior of Cafe Waterfront. Unfortunately, it stops there. I order pork loin and applesauce but arrived with no applesauce. Find out they're out. Would have been nice to know up front. Saw our indifferent waitress once and then a struggle to get any response. Other food was OK but not memorable. If the service was better, this place could easily make 5 stars given its location. But, as with many Eureka restaurants, it seems table service has fallen by the wayside. read more

Charming art deco interior. Wonderful view of the bay. The seafood stew was fresh and lemony. The burger was cooked medium and was still juicy. The waitstaff needed better training, their timing was off (bring bread WITH the salad, not after, took 5 minutes for ice water when it wasn't busy). Bayfront is pricy. $3.50 for minute maid oj, $40 for lunch. Over-all, I will eat here again because of the view and the food. read more

Best bloody Mary's and if you catch the season just right I highly recommend the crab omelette!! Fun atmosphere and overall great place!

Terrible place. Waited an hour and they brought the wrong food. Instead of being apologic the waitress shut down. McDonald's would have been better and I hate McDonalds! read more

One of our favorite places. Visit here each time I'm on the coast. Had coffee cake and it was amazing. Biscuits and gravy were also excellent. read more

Good food!! I had a burger and we ordered grilled cheese for my son. They were very accommodating and had no problem adding avocado to his sandwich and also bring out some fruit and some fries to keep him happy while we waited for our food. Although they were packed, the staff was very nice and the service was prompt. read more

This place is right by the bay in downtown Eureka. An excellent location and the restaurant itself is beautiful! However, the atmosphere is cold and uncomfortable. Not all of the waitstaff are rude, but the ones that are, are extremely so, seemingly taking after the management. The first time I went here I ended up ordering clam chowder to go, as I had people to feed at home who could not go out. The clam chowder was rich and buttery (just the way I like it) and for each bowl we were GIVEN 4 slices of hearty sourdough bread. The next time, we ate in. Ordered clam chowder again. After the waitress took our order we did not hear from her again for 40 minutes. 40 minuted for soup! When I finally was able to catch her to ask what was taking so long, she told us there were other tables ahead of us. A few minutes later a table that came in after us was served, not soup, but full meals! When I asked her if she could at least get us some bread, she finally brought out our soup, but no bread. I asked again for bread, which she brought about ten minutes later, only 1 slice per bowl, and then charged us $1.50 for it. We went for clam chowder again a couple nights ago, but decided we did not want to deal with any more rude waitstaff, so we ordered to go. As the manager (I assume) walked by us while we were ordering, she told our waitress to charge us $2 for 2 slices of bread each!! I refused to pay for what we had gotten for free the first time, and what should obviously come with a bowl of clam chowder. So no bread. When we got the soup home, it was not chowder, but watery, grainy potato soup! So I figure that first good experience must have just been a fluke. We won't be returning! read more

My husband and I heard great things about this restaurant and more importantly about their fresh seafood. The food was okay nothing special. We both left more disappointed than anything. Again, food wasn't terrible but it was just okay. read more

consistently good food and friendly service; with a wonderful view of the waterfront and the horse and carriage clopping by. The crab is great! Don't miss Sunday Brunch with live jazz music and the Benedicts! read more

Loved everything about this place. The Deco/Nouveau interior is hypnotizing. We had oysters and fish. They carry 4 Monks malted vinegar! I've been searching all of Humboldt for a seafood spot with 4 Monks. Excellent service, lovely views, great food. Worth the price tag. read more

Good place for breakfast and lunch. This is our go-to spot. Consistent food, good service and drinks. Plus great view of the bay!

Had dinner on a Saturday night. We got there around 6 pm and the crowd thinned by 6:30. I was worried that maybe the food wasn't good. We (3 of us) were very happy with our food. I shared a seafood platter with my sister that had fried oysters, scallops, cod, shrimp and clams. It was very good. The wait staff was very nice. They seem to all help each other out. We would definitely go back to eat here. I think they're much busy during the spring and summer. read more

My family & I had an amazing breakfast here this morning. The service, ambiance, and decor are too notch. We all had some version of omelet and they all were amazing, especially my crab and sun dried tomato & feta cheese omelet. Highly recommend. read more

Location is great and then it starts to go down hill. They have you enter in a very congested area next to the kitchen instead of the main double doors. After being seated our appetizers came out fast and then things got slow. Or I should say stopped. Food was no longer leaving the kitchen. There were ten occupied tables and we could see eight orders up in the kitchen. After 45 minutes of being told our order was next we asked for our bill for what we had eaten and we left. The owner whined "what am I going to do with your dinners that are about ready to come out?" Did he really want me to answer that? read more

Great atmosphere. Good soup. Good prices. Great service. Would definitely go again. Amazing and interesting decorations. Interesting history. read more

Extremely rude wait staff. Unnecessary charges 1.00 for extra plate or 3.00 to split a plate!!! Wow we as a family like to order different things to try each other's. But will say food was 4 star quality everything except the personalities were wonderful!! read more

All I have to say is Amaaaaaazing. We split the clam chowder which was the BEST I've ever had!!! Oh my goodness! We also ordered the Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Omlette and added mushrooms. It came with a fluffy, house-made biscuit and potatoes that were to die for. Literally everything we ate was just so rich, perfectly seasoned and delicious. Joanne was a wonderful server and the host was very sweet. I wish we could take this cafe back with us to Ashland. Super cute, open and airy inside! read more

Every single bit of food was great and service was reaxed and friendly. A bit pricy compared to what were used to, average 20 dollar entres, but totally worth it. Definately get the calamari, it was amazeballs! read more

We were staying in Eureka in the middle of a west coast road trip. The food was good and the service top notch. To be honest, there aren't a lot of great restaurant options in Eureka. However, of all the options this one was the best. The restaurant has a nice open room with a long bar, and huge picture windows toward the water; so lots of light. It has a nice, hometown feel to it as the servers are very gracious and they have the specials on a white board in the dining room. They erase the specials as they run out throughout the night. (I snagged the last piece of salmon, much to the chagrin of the guy next to me.) As mentioned above, the feel of this place is very welcoming and the food is solid. Not fantastic, but solid. Overall a good experience. read more