The ambiance was great and a lot of choices for drinks, more so than food. I got the lamb and it was alright. I was expecting something delicious and flavorful but lacked flavor. The steak was cooked perfectly to our liking but it lacked some flavor. Overall take my review with a grain of salt and use it for your food. You'll need it trust me. Try it for yourself I could be wrong. read more

Shocked and sorry I've never taken the time to give a review here before. Last night reminded me why we love this spot so much. The ambiance is dreamy, our service was awesome and the food was really fantastic from start to finish. Shout out to chef Mike Bayless and his team. We had deviled eggs, the cheese board, halved artichokes, pork chops and agnolotti. I would recommend every one. Also the craft cocktails were beautiful and delicious per usual. We also love brunch here and highly recommend the avocado Benedict. read more

Ive been wanting to give Campground a try and this past Saturday night was that opportunity. We had reservations at 6 and the place was already packed when we arrived, it had just opened at 5. A confusion at the hostess station with some diners caused a momentary glitch but we were greeted and seated within a few minutes. The rustic interior with dark wood tones and dim lighting is comfortable albeit a bit loud when busy, the room sits around an open kitchen with glass walls and an open front, giving diners a glimpse into the evenings preparations. A small menu but it covers all the proteins and offers a good variety of options. Our server brought us a bottle of water and after a moment of conversation with her, we started with an appetizer, the grill Pacific oysters with red chimichurri and queso fresco, and order of four served on a bed of course salt. Smoky rich flavor, plump oysters and the red chimichurri sauce it all cooked in was delicious, roasted peppery smoky grilled flavor with the queso on top. Our server returned and we ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa valley, a solid choice for our grilled meals and fair price point by comparison. The menu offers small plates, salads, "campground dinners" (complete meals sides included) and "from the wood fire grill" (Ala carte with a selection of optional side dishes available) a single page on a clipboard- reminiscent of a "summer camp" simple and efficient. As our bottle of Cab arrived, we decided to order and opted for the Wedge salad a nice sized wedge of butterhead lettuce covered with grated egg, sun dried cherry tomatoes, Point Reyes blue cheese, fried pork skin and a buttermilk herb dressing. A delicious hearty salad, full of flavor and textures - the combination of the sweet cherry tomatoes with the salty crunchy pork skin and rich blue cheese with creamy buttermilk was a solid choice with good flavor profiles. For dinner we opted for the Ala carte menu, my wife went with the herb and preserved-lemon encrusted rack of Lamb with mustard and oregano. Ala carte side of the wild mushroom risotto. The rack of lamb was two nicely sized portions of chops with three ribs each, grilled beautifully and cooked medium rare, my wife loves lamb and said it was very good. My sampling was very flavorful, the slower cooked open fire grilling made for a very tender, juicy and rich smoky flavored lamb. The wild mushroom risotto was also very good, creamy risotto with large chunks of mushroom throughout. A nice sided portion and enough to share. Myself, the usda prime coal-seared 16 Oz Ribeye with green chimichurri. Ala carte side of the fire roasted street corn. The Ribeye was grilled very well and again the slower cook over open wood fire made for an exceptionally tender and juicy steak. Nicely grilled outside and a nice medium rare to rare cook on the steak. Nice prime cut, with good marbling throughout and trimmed very well before grilling. A solid steak. The fire roasted street corn was also a nice side with my steak, the combination of the grilled corn with the herbs and butter rich topping was delicious, only drawback wish the portion had been a little bigger, two small halves of corn. Dinner settling, we shifted towards something sweet. Dessert was a good finish to the evening, a nice selection of dessert wines, we went for a young Tawny port each, a very nice glass. Then one each a S'more pie and a chocolate peanut butter lava cake. The S'more pie was okay but not really a pie, more like a chocolate bar (very hard) with a gram crust and marshmallow topping, again okay but not great or what we were expecting, by it's name. On the other hand, the Chocolate Peanut butter lava cake was fresh out of the oven and sheer chocolate peanut butter nirvana, covered with crushed peanuts and a caramel drizzle. This is slow Northern California casual dining, dinner was 2 1/2 hours. Worth a visit and a meal, reservations are a must especially on the weekends. A very good meal, not spectacular, but the service is solid and the staff friendly, the food is fresh and flavorful. We will return. For the neighborhood a good addition to the restaurant scene. 4 Stars - worth a visit 00600 read more

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We were traveling in the area and were quite surprised to find this gem. We hail from San Diego and the style of this restaurant felt like something we find at home. The food was excellent! We had the salmon, ribeye, and halibut special. My husband loves bourbon and the selection was quite impressive. Our waitress generously gave us a free dessert and side because they ran out of salmon. I had switched to their nightly special. I'd highly recommend!! read more

Ambiance is great Service is excellent Just ordered my favorite chilaquiles and WOW have they dumbed down this dish. I have a photo of the last time I got it: beautiful, full plate, rich with color and variety. Not what I got today--something half full, bland and without any color--except the avocado. And, they've replaced the red pepper/pickled onions from before and the bounty of sausage with more chips. Whoever is in the kitchen today has delivered a sub par dish. I'll be back the next time I come to town and hope things improve. read more

I haven't been disappointed here yet! Everything is good and so are the drinks. Service was good and friendly, drinks took a while because they forgot but they were so nice and made up with it with exceptional service. read more

A huge shout out to our server tonight. My rack of lamb came out less than edible and he took full responsibility about finding a solution. It's never an easy moment to bring up a meal that you ordered not coming out right. A medium/medium rare rack of lamb came out so under done that I could not even cut it. I did not catch his name, but our server took such great care of us and helped us come up with a solution. What he did not know, was that I had already spent $100+ at breakfast with bartender Lizzy. Thank you campground for the outstanding hospitality and making the experience so wonderful, even if I left with one less entree than expected. It means a lot to be able to voice that my meal did not come as expected, and be respected and heard. We will return next time we are in town. Brunch photos for some esthetic. Cheers read more

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This must have been an "off" day for the Campground - the kitchen staff was not working on all cylinders. Maybe a cook didn't show up? An inexperienced cook? It's too bad that the staff wasn't ready for a full house for Mother's Day brunch. Our waitress was very attentive and apologetic. The six of us waited an hour and a half for our meal and then it was delivered one or two plates at a time with about 5 minutes between delivery of plates, most of the meals cold and three out of three egg orders wrong or severely under cooked. The dishes were not worth the pricey tab. Luckily we enjoyed our time with our family members and the waitress promptly filled our drink orders. We were returning customers but won't be returning any time soon. read more

Restaurant opens at 5:00, walked in at 5:20 to a full bar and empty dining room. We were told party of 2 couldn't be seated without a reservation because the first couple hours are very busy but we were welcome to find a seat at the bar. Empty dining room, full bar. I would have understood if it was even halfway full since we didn't have a reservation but it was empty. Hope to try again another time with a reservation though! Looked like somewhere I would want to eat. Hoping it works out next time. read more

I don't get the intrigue with Campground. Boring food. Boring servers. Uninspired interior lifted from a late 1990s Restoration Hardware catalog. There is nothing about this place that says Arcata or Humboldt County. I live in Arcata and not passing thru like so many others. Thought I'd give Campground another shot. Eli, the bartender, took my order and then promptly forgot. Too many gummies perhaps? No worries. His co-pilot checked in to see if I was being helped. Nope. Nonstop chatter. Make it stop. Too many Yerba Mates perhaps? Ok cocktail. Ordinary wedge salad ($19!) and Poke bowl ($24) of potato chips and pineapple chunks with a few pieces of hamachi. Like I said, boring. Next time I'll just run over to Safeway and buy a head of lettuce, jar of blue cheese dressing, cherry tomatoes, pancetta, can of pineapple, bag of Hawaiian chips, and call it a night. read more

Omgomgomgomg 10/5 stars for this jem! Sat at the bar and had excellent friendly service. Started with a specialty gin ginger and bay leaf cocktail with grilled oysters - the chimichurri and umami sauces were so yummy. The grilled duck breast was amazing and cooked to perfection. Plenty of choices on the menu from steaks to lamb and a special stuffed chicken wings that sounded delicious. Atmosphere was hip and intimate. Salt Fish is the sister restaurant that is on my list for when I return to the area. Been traveling for a week and this has been my best dining experience hands down. read more

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Went there tonight. 8/2/2024 food was amazing. I've been several times since they opened. They had some trouble when first opening with food quality. Tonight the food was fantastic. The service was just the worst. Our server was Crystal, she hovered over us the entire time. We made reservations for 6pm and we were sat at a 4 top so maybe she wanted us gone for the dinner rush at 7. Regardless worst service I've ever had. We had asked another person that was refilling our water to just leave the eater there so we could have water when we wanted. She kept removing the water bottle. Some words that came out of her mouth "they let us do whatever the fuck we want." Now that being said. Best steak you'll find in town. It's just a shame to be served by a person that doesn't care when there are so many other good servers there. read more

Let me tell you how good this restaurant is. I took my leftovers home, carried them on the flight home and I'm eating them right now. I would say the flavors are even better than the first night. Do not pass this place up! read more

Campground - Papardelle pasta, artichoke dip and roasted carrots post flight to vegas - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

Was the food good? Kind of. Was it worth the price? Not at all. Everything was exceptionally plain except for the steak fries which were covered in an ungodly amount of pepper. Not sure how you can even make fries bad! The service was great and the ambiance is cute. I did enjoy my cocktail, but if I want a whiskey sour I don't need to spend $15 for the added smoke. Very underwhelming restaurant for the price. Won't be returning read more

I just finished having dinner at this restaurant. The attitude of the wait staff was was confrontational and condescending. The service was slow and the food was ok. They were slow to serve us at the table, and it was a full hour before any of our appetizers or salads came to the table. When we inquired as to what was taking so long, the reply was, we're very busy. I'll bring it to your table as soon as it's ready. The attitude of the server was that we were lucky to be there. My expensive filet mignon arrived at the table, much later, it was cold. When I let the server know, she took it back to the kitchen, only to return shortly to tell me that they put a thermometer in it, and it was not cold. They're attitude was confrontational at all times. This is an expensive restaurant and would expect much better service. When I asked for a manager, they said there wasn't one. The server, then asks what would I say to the manager, and when I started to outline my complaints, she became hostile and argumentative. This is an establishment that bills themselves as a fine restaurant, but it presents as anything but. Don't waste your money or time. I've eaten all over the world, and I've never been treated so poorly. read more

Pros: fancy Ambiance, great steak, friendly staff, fancy bar drinks. Cons: they don't give complimentary starter food. We had to pay $6 for four thin slices of local bread and balsamic vinegar and oil. There was barely any balsamic vinegar added. (Kinda expect free bread if I'm spending the amount I am on having a date) The service was slow. Everything is very expensive. The online website has pictures of kids on it. There is no kids' menu. Do not bring them. read more

Hey! I love Campground. I'm local, and I remember when there used to be bartenders there who smiled, acknowledged you, said, "I'll be right with you," learned your name and you learned theirs. They not only had "game," as every bartender should, they were personal, fun, and they cared. They took your order, they asked you how your meal was, they cleared your plate in a timely way...... ya know....... they said hello and good bye...... I mean...... that's what bartenders do. That's why people sit at bars. Well....... Campground...... here's a heads-up. It ain't happenin' Next time I'll sit in one of their gorgeous leather booths. read more

Great food, great ambiance, great service, great cocktails. The only thing I wish they'd change is that they'd start doing to-go orders again. read more

Amazing service, great food, atmosphere is awesome. I miss the steak tartare with smoked oyster aioli. Great place.

Nice ambiance, played the entire Beatles white album during brunch. Service was very nice. Food was good, could have been great with a bit more seasoning as most places in Humboldt. Lattes were outstanding. All in all, better than most other places here. read more

Great ambiance and very friendly staff. The servings are smaller than typical American restaurants but delicious and filling. The cocktails are the best part. I always order the campground for the smoke experience. Highly recommend reservations as it's generally busy but you can sometimes get in at the bar. read more

Campground - Oysters - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

Atmosphere in itself would make a great night of any meal. It was fun flipping through the drink menu and reading how to start a fire, to playing "I spy" with my table to see what we could find around; The plush owl in the midway branches being my favor. Lots of cute little details that helped this place feel like a well cared for project. Food was delicious with an excitingly unique range that helps it shine above your normal menu reading experience. Decent whiskey selection, and a mixed drink menu that challenged the desert menu. After ordering our mains we were told they come as is, with no sides. We each ordered our own sides and quickly realized some of them were a good enough portion for a light lunch on their own. Our only tragedy was that the calm and pleasant lighting paired poorly with any aspirations of taking a deserving shot of the food dishes. But I wouldn't complain in the least, the dimness added to the more 'intimate conversations around a campfire' vibe. Obviously, I'm a major fan. Will be coming again, thank you! read more

Campground - November 2019 menu - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

I can't believe this place had only 3.5 stars here! Been here every time I've been to Humboldt last 3 months. Everything is a hit- from drinks to appetizers to mains to sides! Great atmosphere as well inside! One of the best nice places in Humboldt! read more

Great atmosphere, friendly staff, awesome drinks. Campground offers some of the best steaks in the area. They also offer many other amazing dishes and sides. Also one of the few places that are open late night. read more

Campground - Rib eye with roasted veggies - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

This place was pretty good. They use wood to cook everything, so the smoky flavor really comes through. The table ordered a few steaks to share with asparagus and broccolini. The veggies were excellent. There was also fries, dessert and some wine. Everything was pretty good. The service was pretty leisurely and took a long time. It wasn't the end of the world but it got pretty late, pretty fast. I wish they would have been a little more expedient. read more

My husband and I split the artichoke and melted cheese appetizer (so good) and the steak, which was well marbeled and perfectly cooked. Fun cocktails -- the Campfire cocktail comes in a cloud of smoke that you release by sliding off the lid. A tad sweet, but a show-stopper! No kids menu, but our boys enjoyed the salmon (sauce on the side) and mac and cheese. Charmingly decorated with aspen trees, Coleman lantern chandelier, and ornate cattle skulls. read more

The hubster and I decided to have a date night dinner here before catching the avengers movie down the street. I would advise you to make a reservation at least a day in advance, because they get pretty booked up (w elearbed this the hard way during a different date night) The staff is extremely welcoming and efficient. We were anticipating a longer dinner service so we made our reservation early so that we don't miss the movie, we had plenty of time to walk off our full bellies afterwards. Now to the good part: the food. We started off our meal with the whipped bone marrow butter and grilled bread. It was delicious, I feel that the butter could have used a bit more marrow, but it was still very delicious. For our main course hubby had the 16oz ribeye and I had the 8oz wagyu flat iron steak (both medium rare of course). Both were very delicious and had that char flavor we were craving. We also shared the stuffed polenta (which was my favorite out of everything) and the gouda Mac n cheese. Both were impressive in flavor. Our only complaint about the meal was that the pasta in the Mac was a little too al dente. We informed our server who immediately ordered us another AND, wait for it.... Took it off our bill. We spend about $100 but it was a $100 meal as far as taste and quality, so we didn't bat an eye. I think this is the perfect place to make your significant other feel extra special, and leave with happy tummies. I gave them 4 stars, despite the mishap because the server took care of the problem in the best way possible and the food was delicious. read more

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Definitely need reservation. The ambiance is lovely- love all the decor. The staff were all very friendly- it seemed so busy but they took good care of us. The drinks are delicious- the bees knees is spiked honey lemonade. Very crisp and delicious. The food was really good- loved the tenderness and flavor of the steaks. Did the shrimp add on abs they were cooked to perfect tenderness too. The chimichurri was a bit sour but I liked it. The only dish I was not impressed with was the summer squash side dish- a bit bitter. Had the asparagus and it was perfectly charred. I would dine here again. read more

What a lovely venue! The food was both beautiful and delicious. The arancini had a creamy Parmesan sauce to die for. The wedge salad was exceptional with thick bacon and tangy local blue cheese and big enough for two. Shout out to the bar for creative cocktails and mocktails--who knew pomegranate and thyme went together so well? The boar pappardelle and Llano Seco pork chop were generously portioned and delectable--yum! The pan a cotta was smooth and delicate. A perfect end to a perfect evening. The service was excellent. read more

I had dinner with some guests from out of town... I always will bring them here. The service .... the atmosphere.... and food always as good as any restaurant in San Francisco. read more

3.5 stars but I'll round up. The service was great but the food felt a little under-delivered. Hubby and I split the burger - $28 - and it was flat, literally; the burger itself tasted good but definitely more of a $18-20 than the price they were holding it to as far as the toppings, bun, etc. We also got the wedge salad, refreshing and good, but nothing spectacular, and the French onion soup - one of the better French onion soups I've had. Ambience is pretty cool on first glance but looking around it could use a little boost - it reminds me of a Chili's where it started out cute and charming and then got a little tired and like it's trying too hard. read more

Had a fantastic meal at campground dining outside! I didn't order a ton bc I was full from a heavy lunch but we did the oysters, fries with Parmesan and garlic and a few others apps. Next time I am coming back for the steak. Great cocktails and awesome service. read more

Shockingly overpriced for the food you get. Unless money is no concern to you, I suggest eating at the AA or Double D's if you are into meat. The atmosphere at Campground is nice, but holy smokes is it a ripoff! read more

Upscale restaurant with very good food and great cocktails. Everyone enjoyed their meal immensely. I am not giving it a five star review based on two issues, one of which is not directly the fault of the owners or staff at this eating establishment. We had dinner around 7pm and walking a block from where we parked we passed 3 homeless people sleeping in doorways of other business that were closed for the night. We also enjoyed watching a particular foul homeless chap urinating at the entrance to the alleyway adjacent to the restaurant. Sorry, we won't be coming back unless the local authorities start dealing with all the bums around town. I understand helping folks out, but this is ridiculous. The second issue, which was very minor in nature and would not really effect our giving them a five star review was how loud the restaurant is. Now, many restaurants are loud but they also had music playing in the back ground which was hard to hear over all the other noise. We tend to enjoy a quieter place that allows us to enjoy conversation without raising our own voices. read more

This was the first time coming to Campground while visiting in Arcata. I would definitely come back to try new things on the menu, but probably just for a special occasion. It's quite fancy and pricey. If you have a big appetite and are on a budget, this is not the place for you ... The customer service was great. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly. I ate there with my partner and her mom. The ambience was very clean and rustic looking. I enjoyed it very much, it wasn't too loud or dark or bright in there either. The lighting was great. The menu has a lot of great things to choose from, very creative! The only downside is that none of the entrees come with any sides, you have to order that separate, so it is a bit pricey. We ordered a dozen of the grilled oysters, it's about $12 for 4. The red chimichurri sauce it came with was amazing. I ordered the 16oz ribeye, my partner got the New York steak, both medium rare. My partners mom got the lamb. we shared 3 sides, the beef tallow fingerling potatoes, stuffed polenta and the green beans with pickled onions and a yogurt sauce. We also got dessert, creme brûlée with blueberries and thyme, and also a grilled pineapple sorbet. My partners steaks was perfectly medium rare. My ribeye on the other hand was rare, even though I ordered it med rare, it wasn't an issue, I still ate it anyway. The lamb came undercooked as well, it was more in the rare side than it was medium, but nonetheless we did not complain. I was expecting a bigger piece of ribeye for a 16oz or at least come with the bone. The char on the meats were perfect and added great flavor. The chimichurri sauce over the ribeye was great as well. All of the sides were exquisite. The dessert, amazing. My only complaint, the plating of the main entrees could have been better, maybe use smaller plates instead of large circle ones. Smaller plates would make the dish look bigger and less empty. I am interested to taste everything else on the menu, especially the duck. read more

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We love visiting this place every time we are in town. This is the best steak I have ever had in my life. Everything we had from the drinks, to the oysters to the steak was perfect. read more

Hunter is an amazing bartender. She knows how to make the best drinks. She is super creative, very friendly, & is just an all-around wonderful person. Campground has a delicious brunch menu. I am always happy no matter what I order, but Hunter has made the experience so much more enjoyable. read more

Campground - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

The atmosphere is nice and well done. The service was slow for a not so busy night. The food was overly salted. The bourbon salmon had a nice flavor once you got past the saltiness. The queso blanco was the best part of the meal. Way over priced for what it was. read more

Fantastic food with amazing atmosphere and staff! I highly recommend the deviled eggs with candied bacon! read more

Campground - Boneless Ribeye Steak - New American Near Me - Arcata, California

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Food is great. Service usually great as well. Went in last night with my wife (our 24th anniversary, btw). Asked the hostess if there were any tables available. She asked if we had a reservation (we did not). She told us it would be anout twenty minutes. Did not take my name. We went outside to wait. Another couple went in and asked the same thing. She sat them immediately. I went in and asked if she had sat them without a reservation. She looked me right in the eye and told me she had. Weird. Food is great though. If your cool enough to get in. read more