What's weirder, the 25 foot tall Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox staring at you from across the street, or the $5000 worth of silk flowers decorating the ceiling of the Forest Cafe? While en route north with my sweetie to attend our own wedding, we stopped for a much needed human-fuel stop at the Forest Cafe. Having been running on empty for many miles, the cafe seemed like a welcome respite beckoning us with its half-full parking lot and visibly displayed "OPEN" sign. The place fully deserves three separate ratings for ambiance, service and food. #1, the food: Neither of us are food snobs, and let's face it folks, we were hungry and would have eaten panko-fried cardboard. Both our menu items were entirely adequate and served with the standard french fries. 3 stars. #2, the service: after our orders had been taken by a slightly gruff (but, in a non-personal way?) waitress, they were delivered in an expected amount of time though nearly dropped on to our table. I'm not sure if they were surly, or just oblivious. 2 stars. #3, the ambiance: now here's where it gets weird, the decorated ceiling. This is worth seeing, if you only order a diet cola and bliss out on the hell is going on above your head. The building, we think, was never intended to be a cafe, perhaps some type of "interpretive" center. One portion of the ceiling, perhaps 20' by 30' is entirely covered in fake flowers, at least two feet deep. It's like... it's like four florist shop inventories crammed neck and neck and turned upside down. The other half of the restaurant is an "underwater" scene make to look as though you're under some type of pond. The water-blue ceiling is decorated with floating duck bottoms, canoe paddles, fishing bobbers and lures, and never-to-be-caught wooden fish. Your four year old would love this, and remember it for the rest of their life. 4 stars, for the bizzaro factor. Oh, and across the street? TREES OF MYSTERY!!!11 (which, sadly, we didn't have time for this trip.) read more

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I stayed at the Motel Trees for the annular eclipse so I had dinner and breakfast here. We pretty much stuck with the usual menu suspects, so this review is limited to burgers and eggs. For the dinner, the missus and I both had hamburgers and they were burgerlicious. Roadside diner burgerlicious. Came with all the toppings you need to pile on. The fries were hand cut shoestrings, that, although a bit wilted, were surprisingly tasty. Not frozen at all. I ate most of the fries before I had even touched the burger. For breakfast, the missus and I had army issue bacon and eggs. Good bacon. Perfectly cooked eggs. Slightly greasy/crunchy hash browns. And fresh, warm toast. Sir, YES Sir! Both times the service was very friendly and prompt. We never had a problem with the service about anything. I have a slight feeling that they might get overwhelmed if a huge rush was to pile in all at once, but that is just speculation, not something I had observed. In fact, instruct the jury to ignore that last statement. Overall... It's the side of the road across from Trees of Mystery out in the middle of nowhere. It is worth a stop if you want a good burger and fries or just to see the wacky underlake decor and 6 foot tall stuffed bear that greets you at the door. Grab a nice local beer while you are at it. C'mon. If you stopped at Trees of Mystery, or Sea Lion Caves, or any drive-thru tree, or The Legend of Bigfoot, then you are halfway here. The only thing missing is the smell of smoldering cedar for the full effect. read more

Forest Cafe - I know... crappy photo. But it's all I had. - American Near Me - Klamath, California

Cute decor ! Good basic diner food for when your on the road or visiting the Trees of mystery. Was too full to try the cobbler but it looked really good! The staff were lovely. A great tourist stop and a local eatery. read more

Cute atmosphere, our waitress was polite, food came out fairly quickly. I enjoyed my Indian Taco and my friend liked her Bigfoot Burger. Definitely not gourmet but it was still tasty. Ignore the bad reviews and give it a try :) read more

Forest Cafe - American Near Me - Klamath, California

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Stopped in for breakfast. Great food. Great service. Dani was our waitress and she was amazing! She even took the time to write down directions to several hikes nearby. If you are in the area definately stop in. read more

We ate here after visiting Trees of Mystery. It's right across the road, so it's very convenient. The food was good and I would definitely eat here again. Considering the very limited options in this area, I was very pleased with the food. The ice tea was fantastic, I was happy I was able to get a baked potato, and our salad was very good, too. read more

If you think you're saving gas and getting exercise by walking across the highway from the Trees of Mystery for good food, think again. The establishment had an old, musty derelict building stench. Not exactly a "hello and welcome" vibe. This stink stayed with us long after we walked out. The only thing remotely interesting is the "underwater" experience in which the ceiling is covered with blue paint, duck butts, and hanging fish. A clever attempt at humor, but it never made up for much else. The service here was aloof and disorganized. We were first seated by the cook, who seemed rather annoyed that he had to serve as host - not sure what happened to the real host or hostess. It took over ten minutes for the server to come take our orders, at which point she never asked us if we wanted drinks other than water. We finally had to ask another server for drinks, at which point our original server (or the girl who was supposed to be) seemed offended at our move. When it came time to pay for our sour experience, we had to flag down one of the cooks who just happened to emerge from the kitchen to get us the check. I ordered the clam chowder soup, which was beyond terrible. The soup was literally watered-down with bits and pieces of potato and hardly any clam. I don't think any cafeteria could serve this monstrosity. In addition, slimy lettuce and overripe tomatoes made up the "salad". Horrible food for an astronomical price. I suppose that an establishment that serves as the only eatery located several miles away from the nearest town can set the price as high as they like and can treat the customers as crappy as they like with literally no competition. So as a public service to all you hungry folks who visit the Trees of Mystery, I strongly advise that you go elsewhere. Your stomach and your wallet will thank you. read more

How can I possibly recommend the Forest Cafe to anyone? How improbable are the conditions under which I can conditionally recommend it? I'm afraid I cannot answer so simply without asking more questions? Are you a Yelper who's so particularly persnickety that your friends accuse you of finding fault in everything? If you simply cannot recognize "very good" or even "pretty good" for what it's worth, perhaps you've lost all perspective about how incredibly epic-ly a restaurant can fail. Are you so spoiled by the democratization and proliferation of all things gourmet, organic, artisanal, authentic, farm-to-table, etc., etc., within your city's magical foodscape that you can't fathom how the other half (or closer to the other 99%) eats? If your benchmarks are so outta-whack, hit the reset button....Take a trip to the Forest Cafe in Klamath, CA; that'll do the trick! The Forest Cafe gets everything so amazingly wrong! The food is tepid at best and miserable at its worst. It flat-out flunks at being a cafe. I dare say that it sucks at being a forest! Even here in the middle of one of the world's most magnificent forests--directly across from one of the best surviving forest-themed roadside attractions in the USA--the Forest Cafe's forest theme fully falls flat into a sorrowful disgrace to the flora and fauna of these wondrous woods. I give this cafe a big fat F-minus. Whoever said "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude"? Was it Zig Ziglar? What if your aptitude is completely lacking? Can any amount of earnestness and positivity make up for absolute zero comprehension of what it takes to succeed? Having read the Forest Cafe's own self-descriptions, I believe that the ownership is unaware that their cafe is awful, or even slightly concerned that it might be a tad mediocre. From their own stuck-in-the-90s website: "The Forest Cafe is a unique and amazing dining experience. The dining room reflects the natural wonders and beauty of our Redwood Country. In the forest environment, a 26 foot high mural depicts the 'Monarchs of the Mist', one of the most wonderous [sic] scenes of nature in the world. The ceiling is covered by foliage giving the feeling of dining in the forest." As I gazed upon this sloping ceiling profusely festooned with fake foliage, I got the feeling of dining in a Dollar Tree. Depicting badly-proportioned two-dimensional subjects, the murals were poorly painted with murky muddling of colors, especially wherever greens and blues were close to one another. The website continues: "The relaxed atmosphere, great scenery and fine food make the Forest Cafe a unique dining experience." Fine food? By what standard? I've had comparable food at a Hometown Buffet, and even they did a better job of distributing heat evenly throughout a portion of previously-frozen hash browns. And a Hometown Buffet even pipes in better music. The Forest Cafe locked the FM dial to the most insipid smooth jazz station, which brings my blood to a boil. So, it's clear enough in their own words that Forest Cafe thinks it's great. Zero aptitude but great attitude. Does it get you any altitude? Naw, dude....It's all grossitude, ineptitude, and smooth sax platitudes! And seriously overpriced! Unless you need a shake-up of your perspectives, it's definitely advisable when visiting the fantastic Trees of Mystery theme park to plan your meals accordingly. Pack a picnic lunch, or a get a full belly elsewhere...anywhere within 15 miles in either direction. read more

Excellent lunch, had a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado on sourdough, very good and excellent service. The back of the menu has a history of the Trees of Mystery which is across the street. The dining room decor is hilarious. read more

These poor, poor servers were so harried the night we were there. I think it was the same tragic night that Thomas O. (review below) was there too on 8/19/17. There were a few large tables and a few other people in there, but you would have thought they were at Grand Central Station trying to organize 100 train trips for the day for the first time in their life. It really wasn't "busy". No matter, we needed to eat something but decided to get it to go to eat late after the place closed. They close early like at 8pm on a Friday night. For a measely $4/each we got a glass of wine and beer at the makeshift, sat there and began to crack each other up while it took the harried staff about 45 minutes to get us a sandwich. I have to say, it was really tasty, very good meats in that sandwich and a very large side salad. We both (2 adults) shared and felt full for the evening. After the drinks we were very happy after 6-8 hours in the car, fighting the Oregon Coast smoke filled wildfire air. We didn't get to try the breakfast as we left early the next morning. Considering there is nothing else around, this isn't a bad bet if you are visiting the Trees of Mystery or staying in the Motel of Trees as we were for the night. read more

Honestly, if you can skip this restaurant - at all - you really should. We spent 2.5 hours across the street (you would too if you were dragging a 4-year-old around!), and we were both *starving* by the time we left. The decor is awful. The ceiling is covered with plastic flowers and leaves, and all I could think about was how many years (decades?) it has been since they were dusted. I requested that we sit under the lake portion of the restaurant, and it took me 15 minutes before I realized what I was looking at was a bunch of duck butts and legs sticking under the water. The tables and chairs were all sticky with sediment layers of food. Ugh. As the first reviewer already stated, the service was surly. At best. Our service was neglectful as well as surly. I actually had to peek into the kitchen in order to get our check. Lastly, the food was h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. The child had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries, which she completely ate, but I did practically starve her beforehand. I ordered a french dip and a salad, but received a french dip and fries. Had I actually seen our waitress before begging for the check, I would have asked for a salad, but that didn't seem to be in the stars. The french dip was made with what seemed to be Steak-Um - that frozen meat-like substance, and the child's grilled cheese was made with neon cheese. Pack some beef jerky and Dr. Pepper for the trip. Nutritionally-bankrupt, but you won't risk ptomaine poisoning. read more

Bleh blah blech yuck! Sorry guys but it was awful. Smells funny when you walk in. That should have been our first clue. We didn't have cell reception in Klamath or we could have read about the warnings. Decor is goofy but they are trying for a theme, think Rain Forest Cafe on a budget. Waitress hates her job or life, maybe both? Also didn't mention when we ordered that their menu is wrong, just assumed we would like our food made however they decide, substitutes and what not. Guess what? Didn't work for me. I thought I'd try a bite anyhow. No Bueno. Ordered a burger hoping it would be a safe bet. Nope. Bland yet chewy with a twinge of wilted lettuce. Oh yes. Perfect blend. Never checked back on drink refills either which we needed to wash down this overpriced cafeteria food. Avoid if you can. Drive quickly in another direction. read more

After enjoying a lovely trip thru the trees of mystery I decide to stop at the forest cafe for some lunch.... Big mistake. The Clam chowder had chunks of flour, last time I checked clam chowder is supposed to have clams. The crackers that came with the soup were stale also. The burger I ordered wasn't much better... Nasty bleu cheese, disgusting avacado spread and the meat itself had a gnarly flavor and not the good gnarly flavor. I would have received a better burger at McDonalds. The fries were cold, over salted and soggy. The waitress took my order and then dropped off the food. I didn't see her again until I asked the other waitress to grab her so I could pay my bill. The fun didn't stop there, she charged the wrong ticket to my card and had to correct it. Save yourself the trouble (and money)and pack a lunch or drive the extra ten miles to Crescent City and eat there. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! read more

It's the best place to eat in Klamath because it's the only place to eat. The food was so-so. Just as good as Denny's, I guess. We had a large party (10) and were seated at a 4 1/2 foot table; not much elbow room. The waitress was the only one working the floor, that we could see. Never offered refills, never asked how we were doing. We had to flag her down for everything we needed. But, she was right there hovering over while looked for me visa to pay the bill. Drive the extra 15 minutes into Crescent City for a decent meal and service. read more

We stopped in after a fun adventure at Trees of Mystery. Wow! Youngest son had chicken strips and fries...one more strip would have been good. Hubs had the Turkey Bacon Melt with sweet potato fries...it was alright. Older son had the chili cheese fries and it was delicious...lots of beans and cheese and fries that were very flavorful. I opted for the Chef Salad and it was huge and delicious! Leaned the blue cheese dressing is made in-house. The server was so nice and made sure our cups were never empty. Nice meal after a day at the Redwoods. read more

Out of fish. How can you be out of fish this close to rivers and the ocean. The place is a dive with crappy decor. We haven't eaten yet, but from what I see on other tables the food is going to suck. It's been over half an hour since we ordered and still no sign of our waitress. Finally got our food...a burger and two sandwhiches. No offer for drink refills. Hey, the avocado is missing from the sandwhich. I flagged down the waitress.....and she ignored me! WTF? My sister flags her down and asks for the missing avocado. She literally brought out four THIN slices on a saucer. They were so thin and meager we sat staring at them with our mouths hanging open. How cheap, I mean greedy, can you get? read more

A must avoid place to eat. Horrible food and waitress was lost, I had to ask for a spoon to mix my coffee and took 15 minutes. Food took 45 minutes and was cold. All of our food was cold and the toast was ok. The Fresh Blackberries are not fresh and cold sunny side eggs. We paid 54.00 for four of us and it was disgusting. Not a place to bring kids or hungry family members. Go about 17 minutes out and go to Dennys or Jack in the Box. If you are starving get snacks at the trees of mystery before the tour and avoid . read more

Horrible service, but convenient for tourists. We walked across the highway from the "Trees of Mystery" to eat a late lunch. Even though the restaurant was *not* busy at all, our group of 7 stood around in the entryway for more than 5 minutes before anyone even said "hi" or "be right with you" to us. When we finally DID see an employee, she just started grabbing menus (we'd already gotten them ourselves) and then asked us to follow her. I helped her push 2 tables together. Although it was dead in there, it took a long time to get drinks, a longer time to get our food, and they were running behind on bussing the tables around us. I sat with an empty water glass for 20 minutes before I got a refill. When our food came out, they brought my mom fries instead of the side salad she'd ordered. When I tried to claim it (I had ordered fries), I was "corrected" by the server. Instead of arguing, we all just ate our fries. The salad bar wasn't much to look at, and the food was below average. The decor was very tacky, but it gave us something to talk about during our long wait. My dad spent so long waiting to pay the bill that I had time to run across the highway, wait in line for an ice cream cone, and STILL beat him back to the car. PROS: - convenient food and air conditioning for "Trees of Mystery" tourists CONS: - horrible service - below average food - dodging highway traffic on foot to cross the street here read more

Convenient location when traveling, and fun decor for the kids but ultimately left us disappointed with incredibly slow service. We sat at our table for 10-15 minutes before a member of the wait staff came to greet us, even though they were passing our table helping others - and it wasn't even that busy. When we were ready to pay, there were no wait staff to be seen for 5+ minutes. Food was ok, though fries were under cooked. read more

Slow, confused and quaint. Service a challenge. Owner needs to provide better training. For location, it is about what I'd expect ... except for service. read more

Since our roadside cabin didn't have breakfast or coffee filters to make coffee, my husband & I needed food asap. Forest Cafe was half a mile north so we stopped in. Service was ok, polite & courteous but not unfriendly. Decor was odd, fun & different (you're greeted by a big stuffed bear upon entering); suited my tastes just fine. What didn't suit me was the food. It was awful unless you like chewy pancakes & rubbery scrambled eggs. Would go again if I was desperate for food, which was the whole reason why we went in the first place. read more

I came here in November, on a Monday, around noon, after I had finished touring Trees of Mystery. Sign said "closed." I don't know if they were closed for winter, or just not open on Monday, or what. Didn't get to see the hours. Oh well, maybe another time. read more

The food was not that great for the price. Both the chili and the clam chowder tasted like it was from a can. My daughter ordered that Shrimp Scampi. It was over cooked 5 shrimps swimming in butter that didn't even include the pasts for $16. I would recommend you to keep driving to the next town. read more

We were skeptical to eat here due to the bad reviews. However, we were hungry and they are the only restaurant across from the Tree of Mystery. We were surprised that service was fast. I got chicken fried steak and my husband got the giant burger. Both were delicious. The waitress is friendly. Will come back again. read more

Cool environment. I liked the burger and fries. Everyone with me who ordered fish said it was some of the worst they've had. Very bad service. Waitress made a lot of mistakes with our orders which wasnt a huge deal. But then she gave us some serious attitude when we asked if we could split the check. They weren't busy or anything. Be warned the guacamole is 100% liquid. And their shake blender thing sounds like a chainsaw. But yeah. The burger was good. Update: my group said it was the waitresses first week. read more

I just ate my first meal at forest cafe its was a turkey bacon melt sandwich on grilled sour dough with a cup calm chowder it was great very delicious and the waitress was really cute!!! I will be back read more

Since this is a seasonal restaurant, in a huge tourist destination for Del Norte County, they get to start anew every year and I just tried their new menu! Couldn't be more excited for this little restaurant, their Monte Cristo was to die for. I loved their crispy chicken salad and I can never get enough sweet potato fries in my life! I recommend giving them a chance! Yum! read more

We heard from a local in Crescent City that this was a great place to eat. Located just across the street from the Trees of Mystery, this place did not disappoint. We ordered the killer shells and cheese, pancakes, eggs, country fried steak and the turkey bacon club. All of these dishes were very good, by far the best food we have had up the coast. Prices were reasonable and helped by the 10 percent discount we received from the Trees of Mystery. read more

Forest Cafe - American Near Me - Klamath, California

They did a very good job dealing with a lot of hungry people quickly. The blackberry cobbler was the best thing ever! We also enjoyed the sandwiches. Very glad we stopped here. It's right before they close part of the 101 so if you time it right, you can enjoy a nice dinner. read more

If you come in with the right expectations this place is fine. It doesn't purport to be anything more than the ONLY cafe in the entire area, so just walk in with your tastebuds in check and you'll be satisfied! The menu is classic American eatery - various sandwiches with french fries during lunchtime and burgers, steaks, pastas, veggies at night. Some pie and crumbles with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Slow, quiet, and overall a kind of strange place, but you'll also be staring at 25-foot statues of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox while you eat so what do you expect? read more

There are not a lot of restaurant choices near Klamath, but in the future I will not choose to eat here again. Located across from the trees of Mystery, and decorated in a whimsical style, I had my hopes up for some good, basic food and service. Neither of those things happened. The only positive thing to say is that it was very clean and seating was comfortable and spaciously arranged. Service was poor. Even though there were only 3 other couples in our section, it took 10 minutes before anyone asked if we had been helped and another 5 before a waitress came. We had been given our menus upon being seated. Breakfast items were limited. there were no plain eggs, a meat of some kind and potatoes. There were no omelettes. they did have things like sausage and gravy, monte cristo and chicken fried steak with sausage gravy. they had clam chowder. they had pancakes with eggs . they had hashed browns. The clam chowder tasted fantastic. it wad well filled with clams and minced veggies and bacon. A but thick. but tasty. Too bad it wad barely luke warm. a CUP wad $5. too pricey for the portion size. The chicken fried steak was heavily breaded so the meat was hidden away in an envelope of well fried breading. Gravy had flavor, but because it was served barely luke warm it soon congealed into an unappealing blob. the hash browns were crispy, a very thin layer and room temperature. Tea comes in a cup size glass carafe with a slice of lemon and honey and one tea bag the waitress was sullen and unresponsive and slow. She wad unseen for long periods of time. when i finally was able ask for a refill of tea, she came with the water--/ had to adk for another tea bag. read more

One of those "no other place to eat so I guess we'll have to eat here" kind of places. The service was excruciatingly slow and the food rather mediocre. The only redeeming aspect, apart from it being across the street from Trees of Mystery, was that it wasn't grossly overpriced read more

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Typical roadside diner. The food was good and much needed after hours on the road but nothing spectacular. It's right across from Trees of Mystery which is a fun stop. read more

Horrible. Do not get the fish and chips, it was cold and doughy. Also, do not get the burger. If you want a better frozen burger I would suggest a fast food place. The only good thing was the water. read more

Breakfast was mediocre, not bad at all, but the prices are way to high for the quality or food. Cute family fun decor. I came in on a Saturday morning. Longer than expected wait times and there were only 3 tables worth of customers. Two parties had left as we walked in and the 3 parties that remained left shortly after. By the time we left all 5 tables had not been bused. Maybe they were short handed? When I see messes like that it makes me wonder how clean the kitchen is... All in all, would come back for breakfast again. But there really aren't other options around so.. read more

Forest Cafe - Biscuits and gravy. Not too shabby! - American Near Me - Klamath, California

My kids and I had breakfast here before heading across to Trees of Mystery. The breakfast was really pretty good. The service was good, of course there were only maybe 4 tables with people. The decorating of this place was a tad odd like others have said. I love flowers and I'm fairly crafty but having a ceiling of fake ones over my head while I was eating was a tad odd. And nothing like looking at ducks butts and legs while eating too. There was a huge open area that had nothing in it.....just seemed strange and odd. You definately aren't close to anyone while you eat. read more

Um... ok, its convenient if you're visiting the trees of mystery but that's the bulk of what the 2 stars were... I had fish n chips, daughter had V-Burger, son had mac N cheese which turned out to be my favorite but he being an aficionado of mac n cheese, said it lacked flavor, with a spoon it add bacon I was sure he scored, daughter said the V-Burger was alright but mine was bland, over breaded but nothing was worse than the service.. she tried so there's that but, no napkins no flatware the tea was horrible... and I'm pretty easy to please .. unlike my 17 year old read more

Grandparents said to stop here. They like the duck feet hanging from the ceiling. We arrived at 11:15am just as lunch was starting. She ordered a gluten free burger with fries. Waitress said the gluten free bun on the menu might be out of stock - it was out of stock. Fries came with it - frozen from a bag. She didn't eat them. I ordered the fish and chips that came with slaw. Fish was average, fries were frozen from a bag, slaw was... not good. It was a slow experience. Waited for the food and for the bill. I wouldn't eat here again. read more

Forest Cafe - American Near Me - Klamath, California

Would drive for a better restaurant. Waited almost an hour-there was only one other table occupied. All of our breakfast was COLD. It wasn't even lukewarm. We were very disappointed. My niece ordered a pancake on the side-it was $7.99 for one pancake! We would never eat here again! I recommend you find somewhere else to eat! read more

This place is a disaster. Just ate one of the slowest and worst meals of my life in a dining room full of disgruntled people. Wanted to tell people arriving to save themselves. read more