Best seafood platter I have had in I don't know how long. friendly staff, great food, good location.

I decided to give this place a shot after not having eaten there in about a decade. Big mistake. We were a table of four and only one person liked their dish (grilled halibut). The rest of us were appalled by the quality and the prices. My seafood stew was almost a watery chili base and very bland. My partner got the breaded oysters and was convinced they were frozen. Her dad got the Fish and Chips and found them average at best. The service was adequate. Waiting time was fine. For prices hovering around $25 per dish I can think of at least a half dozen other places that blow this place out of the water. read more

What a Gem!! Awesome in everyway, food, atmosphere, servers, barkeep, and the FOOD. Not only lunch & dinner, but blow me away with breakfast biscuits to die for. Variety they say is the spice of life, and aren't we lucky to have it all in one place ~ The Waterfront Café.... Yes! read more

We two sisters were looking to dine out on an early Monday evening around the downtown/old town Eureka area and unfortunately, everything was closed (with the exception of bars--what's up with that, Eureka)? So, we decided to check out the Waterfront simply because it was still open, out of the blustery cold, and we girls were hangry! So. The waiter/waitress were very sweet and accommodating. I would say, since it was a calm evening the service is fine here. But some of our food was just meh. My burger was on point, cooked exactly how I asked. So if you are jonesin' for a burger, I'd say it's a nice place for one. My sister got beer battered calamari strips and a salad. The salad had some wilted lettuce, but we just set it aside, whatever. The calamari were soggy, and still a bit cold/frozen in the middle. I had never really consumed calamari before, so she told me not to base my opinion on that experience. But they were pretty gross, and we didn't want to be rude so we got a doggy box and called it good. read more

Excellent service. Friendly, prompt, relaxed and helpful. Food is very good, as well. Check date of other reviews which complained of poor service. Most are older, and I think the owner must have listened and taken necessary corrective action. read more

Walking into this restaurant I loved the decor and close proximity to the waterfront. This beautiful ambience makes me sad to say I will not eat at this establishment in the future. There was a mix up on one of my friend's order. The waiter handled the situation unprofessionally. This was followed by his continuous rude treatment to us throughout lunch. Truly the food was subpar but my shock still lies in how the waiter spoke directly to my friend and then under his breath as he walked away. By the end of the visit my friends and I were laughing as we wondered if this was a prank! Sadly this was just Cafe Waterfront's cry for help in needing better staff. read more

Rude staff. Never left a restaurant before but left after watch a waitress badmouth a lady to the bartender about a Bloody Mary being too hot and then her interaction with us showed she did not want to be helpful. We ordered and then thought "I don't want to tip her" so cancelled and left. Lost money for the restaurant .We went to place called Green Lily around the corner and wow what a great staff. Go there instead!! They like their job there. read more

Bucket of Clams will knock your socks off. Thoroughly enjoyed this meal, great location and service.

Consistantly good food with friendly people. When we lived on the coast, this place was a regular spot for us, and we always come back when visiting family. The best food selections are always on the "specials" board, because the chefs use fresh local ingredients to craft the entrees and sides. We like sitting at the bar...the beer is cold and the prices for wine are reasonable. Great location on the bay in a historic building. read more

Came to the establishment with an out of town guest only to be disappointed with the high cost of a poorly tasting meal. The meal didn't taste fresh compared to my guest's meal and the portion didn't deserve the price. It was very warm in the establishment with no fans being utilized. Service was good and friendly enough (no complaints there). My advice is to pick your meal choice wisely and to ask whether or not the meal choice is a fresh prepared meal or a frozen product. read more

Good ambiance and GREAT oysters. The service, however, was a bit lacking. But if you overlook that and concentrate on the food, you'll have a good time. read more

Great place by the waterfront downtown. Eureka's waterfront is under utilized but this restaurant is an excellent choice for seafood, the menu offers several alternatives. The service is good and the atmosphere is an eclectic mix of paintings and furniture. Large windows face the water in this restored building. read more

We waited a long time to sit but that was okay. Servers were friendly, especially the hostess. I ordered oyster stew and hubby had fried oysters. I watched my oyster stew sit for a long time. When I received it the butter and cream had that icky skin milk gets when it cools. We watched a table of four and a table of five who were seated after U.S. And order after us receive their meals and practically finish before we received our meals. Our waitress was sweet but did not pay attention to our tickets resulting in substandard service. read more

happy every time! great food, good prices, cool setting.

We had a great experience at Cafe Waterfront! Broiled oyster appetizer = yummy. Spicy shrimp bisque = best soup ever! Salmon special & crab salad sandwich for enters were also tasty. Good service. We would definantly go back. read more

In my opinion it's really good hard to mess up breakfast but they sure did. My french toast was burnt, the potatoes were bland and the service was AWFUL. We ordered drinks when we sat down and my boyfriend didn't get his coffee until right before the food came and only because I had to ask the waiter for it. Our waiter didn't ask how anything was or even check on us. Would not recommend this place at all. read more

After shopping downtown we wanted a snack on the waterfront. We found the side entrance to Cafe Waterfront (the front entrance is used as storage for high chairs) and slipped in to the small dining room. We were quickly seated and began to review the limited menu. They were out of Oysters on the half shell, waiter suggested the clams instead. I opted for the crab cocktail, which was good, but I am not sure if it was $15 good. I had to order bread separately, no crackers or bread were served with the crab cocktail. My companion had fish and chips, that dish was good. Wine was delicious and reasonably priced. The view was fantastic, but the service was a bit odd. We felt like something was a bit off, with both the host or busser who seated us, and the waiter. The waiter had over enthusiastic canned responses to our requests (absolutely!) and stood about 3 feet back from our table. I think the maybe the coffee they had (or something) was really good that day. read more

I have been going to waterfront for quiet some time now and each time they have been consistent with their service and food. I have tried almost everything on the menu but I have a few favorites. If you love thanksgiving dinner (turkey and cranberry combo) you have to try the Van Duzen. It's literally the best sandwich to make you feel at home, warm and all around delicious. I love all of their scrambles, they have a daily menu that changes so get ready for a variety. My favorite is the seafood scramble. The amount of seafood in the scramble will fill you up. They also have a full bar and are not shy with their liquor. ;) The atmosphere is great, staff is always nice and sometimes the owner will serve you which is humbling. This is one of my favorite breakfast spots. It's not too expensive but it's defin not cheap. You get what you pay for, fresh seafood and all around great food. read more

Classic old Eureka waterfront restaurant & bar...always fresh seafood, (great oysters)......not very a large place...sometime friendly other times not so...A couple of TV's usually have a game on...at low volume...a tourist stop for sure...but many regular locals as well...clean & cozy and right smack in the center of Old Town across from the newly built and nicely done walk and pier. A place many locals forget about when planning a night or afternoon out...wish there was some outdoor tables, there needs to be many more in Eureka/Arcata.....This was a main bustling part of Eureka in the "old' days...You'll get the feeling of the sea when enjoying a beer, wine or drink...and again the food is fresh, though sometimes slow to arrive. Staff can be pleasant to indifferent. read more

Nice atmosphere, good view of the water, tv and pretty inside nautical mural near the bar. Oh, and the food was delicious! Great top notch customer service from waitress Colleen! She recommended the dish with three different types of fish (cod, halibut and snapper) topped with a cajun sauce, with a side of wild rice and vegetables. Came with a choice of clam chowder or salad. It was all so scrumptious! Fun dinner experience. read more

Order anything but a "fresh" fish entree. Clam chowder was okay. One of us ordered a crab louie and the crab tasted like it came from a can. The special "fresh halibut" was thin, breaded and tasted like it had been frozen. They then covered it in a cream sauce that was like old tartar sauce with capers added. Most of the good reviews I read were about breakfast or some other type of entree. The prices matched fresh halibut and seafood - the food did not. read more

Good Halibut fish and chips, and the only fresh, authentic halibut I have had my last few times eating out at a restaurant. Paired our dinner with wine from Riverbend Cellars in Myers Flat which was nice. read more

Very plain food, pricey for the quality. Service was just OK. We were 5 on a very small table, so small that we had to take things (breast basket, condiments) out of it ourselves. Definitely not worth the price. read more

Terrible service. The hostess was just rude and off putting. She told us that we needed special reservations to sit at the place we wanted, then sat somebody there who didn't have any reservations. The food was awful too - Eureka isn't famous for its restaurants, but this place needs to change the oil in the big vat that everything gets deep fried in. read more

I'm a big fan of fish and chips. Halibut is in season, so I anticipated a wonderful meal. BUT NO...today's meal was the worst fish and chips I have ever had. The chips were cold and limp, the fish perhaps came out of the fryer a half hour before serving.....also barely warm and not crispy. I had a tiny paper cup of tarter sauce......not enough. My husband's THIN slice of halibut and cup of chowder was nearly adequate. DON'T GO. Overpriced. Serving dishes need to be updated...our plates had the gray scratches of too many times through the dishwasher. read more

This place is absolutely lovely. The servers are very friendly, the environment is comfortable, and the food is incredible. The best bowl of clam chowder that I've ever had in my life. Also, the local beer, Steelhead pale ale, was delicious. I also had the beer battered halibut and it was amazing. My friend had the scampi and said it was delicious. I would definitely come back here if I ever visit Eureka again. read more

Great clam chawder and oysters. Shrimp scampi below par. Server was in a hurry yet the restaurant wasn't that busy. Will skip it on our next visit to Eureka. read more

Great food, great location. Try out the locally produced oysters. Love to go there when I'm in Eureka.

The building is beautiful, and the view was nice. The food however was very underwhelming. It was something I could have made at home with much more flavor and for a fraction of the cost. Went with a friend and they were unable to give us separate tabs. read more

Yummy oysters and clams! But our fave is Sunday eggs benedict and bloody Mary! It's a treat!

I went here for lunch and really did not enjoy the food. It took 10 minutes to choose a dish. The seafood was frozen and the sandwich was Winco grade meat. Its to bad, great location the decor looks like an old hotel room... Wake up people, get a new simple menu and serve fresh food.. read more

Great seaside lunch. Nestled between the water and old town our family of three enjoyed a great weekend lunch. My husband and I both had the daily special of a grilled crab melt sandwich. It was so perfectly simple. Certain things shouldn't be complicated because the perfect combo of quality ingredients is all you need and this sandwich was just that. The sourdough bread is spot on! They didn't have a specific kid's menu but they worked up some buttered noodles and a side of fruit for our 6 year old. The beer and wine selection was good and the decor is truly beautiful with old world and sophisticated touches that made it feel both special and familiar. Lastly, the service was great. Our waitress kept tabs on us well and kept the food coming just as we ordered. The manger or owner? Was seating people. When we first arrived they were full and he told us to come back in in 10-15 mins. We wondered the boardwalk and when we got back more people were waiting but he immediately recognized us and we were seated right away. Nice to feel valued as a customer plus get a great meal. read more

The atmospher is quite nice and the building historic. The wait staff was very pleasant but the specials menu is on a board that they carry from table to table. If you are new and are trying to make up your mind as we were, the board moves away. The clams are a dinner portion at least the menu showed them as such. They were small and rubbery not much flavor. I had the oyster stew I should say a bowl of milk with two oysters in it! It was under the soup menu so I asked if it was a good size portion and was told it was. I should have asked if it was actually a stew and not a soup. But for almost $20 I assumed it would be filling. It was not. The capellini dish was good and we had two in our party that ordered it. One person liked it and the other did not. I tasted it and thought it was good. To be fair there is always personal tast but all in all I would recommend with reservation. read more

The food was absolutely amazing but the service was terrible. We arrived at 7:26 and did not leave until almost 9pm, we also had no drinks and only two plates of food. I also had to ask for a second menu as they only brought us one. They did not bring water or bread to our table for over 15 minutes, and did not take our order here for 1/2 hour. The waiter was also rude when I told her I had already asked for the check twice. I will not be coming here again even though I loved the food. read more

My husband and I started frequenting this restaurant back when we were dating and have just watched it fall apart. The food has just gone down hill with shortcuts being taken like having a "crab salad sandwich" with not a lot of crab but a lot of salad stuff. The quality of the fish they serve has changed; often mushy and not a pleasant texture in your mouth. My mother in law had the beer battered halibut and couldn't even eat it because the batter wasn't seasoned and the fish wasn't very firm. The one thing that has not changed is how good their chowder is and that is the one and only thing I'll order here (and not from the younger male waiter who criticized me for only eating my fish burger and not the bun). read more

While the food was better than average, our server was not. From letting us sit while others around us were served, it never once dawned on her to check with us. She saw us sitting there with no bread or soup. How hard is it to ladle out a few bowls? The place wasn't slammed. As it was, when dinners were finally served, she needed to be reminded that we'd ordered chowder...SMH. Maybe she was new, but if you're going to be a server, you should know something about service before you're turned loose on paying customers. Sorry, all we got was a 2-Star experience at a $$$ price. We could have complained then, but why should one have to complain? That's why there's Yelp! read more

stopped in for a late lunch at 1:30. cozy setting with mostly adequate seating space for the " traditionally" built person. we ordered oysters on the half shell, clam chowder, a salad, beer battered calamari, halibut filet served with wild rice and salad, a beer, a glass of wine and a martini. total was $95. service was attentive and unrushed. very polite. restaurant was clean as were bathrooms. portion size was worth the money. food temperature was hot too. food was fresh, prepared in an upfront way. the food spoke for itself. batter on calamari was crisp and fish was not soggy at all. fries were generic but well prepared. salad was romaine, frisée, red leaf, kidney beans, chick pea, red cabbage, and some chopped garlic. creamy italian was okay. halibut was moist and delicately seasoned with lemon and dill. read more

The food at the Waterfront is solid. I have eaten there at least a dozen times and have never had a bad meal. The huge problem is getting the opportunity to order your meal and an even bigger hurdle is getting the meal. Twice in the past I have walked out after waiting 15 minutes for a server after being seated. Yesterday was the worst. Coffee arrived after 10 minute. After 20 minutes not even a hint from the server that just maybe we might want to order food. She just looked at us like we were lost. Even after flagging her down she ignored us. One server for a 20 table venue, not too smart. I don't blame our server, she was all by herself and management set her up to fail. That being said she might want to be a little more aware of her surroundings or move to a new profession. Management and ownership own this problem. Providing timely service is not rocket science. They have a great menue. They charge higher then the market average. Given these factors they should quit being cheap, higher some qualified help and give the consumer a chance to eat before having to walk out because of pure managerial ignorance. read more

Everything here was just fine except the food. And the food wasn't bad, it was "eh, I've had better". I had one of the specials of the day fried halibut fish and chips. It was a good portion but the fish was tasteless. And at $26 for fish (even though it was halibut) and chips and a cup of chowder, its just too expensive to be flavorless. Hubby had a steak sandwich. It was not cooked medium rare as he ordered, but rather a faint medium. Flavor for the steak was good. But again, it was $19. It was a better deal than my halibut. We each had the clam chowder with our meal and it was OK, nothing special. read more

Very disappointing. The food was ordinary. Condiments were served in paper cups. McDonald's fare for Larrupin' prices. Spend the same amount and have a fine dinner at Larrupin'. I think the Waterfront used to be a hot spot. Not sure what has happened. We spent too much on dinner to have the basketball game on overhead and the food to be so uninspired. read more