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    Forest Cafe

    2.5 (159 reviews)

    Forest Cafe Photos

    FOREST CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Touristy
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Forest Cafe

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    Shrimp Po Boy
    Jon B.

    Okay, first of all they have rebranded and it's amazing! Now, the restaurant is called The Blue Ox Cafe. The place is very clean and you can tell they put a lot of needed love into the place. The staff was amazing and very friendly. We were expecting basic diner food, and we were pleasantly surprised at enjoying some amazing food which was cooked perfectly! Also, a great local beer selection. Our family of 6 (with a lot of picky eaters) all found something they enjoyed, and we even had a delicious brownie Sunday to end the meal on point. Try this place out if you are ever going to Trees of Mystery or just passing by on the 101

    Tara B.

    They have a niche area right across the street from trees of mystery and is part of the small hotel that's also right there. It is not a place to consider a must eat at, yet if you are hungry and waiting for trees of mystery to open or staying at the hotel.. it's convenient. The breakfast menu has like 5 options and it is all classic diner food options; omelet, hashbrowns, toast, etc. The food at best is okay; the coffee is hot at least. I was expecting better tasting food with such a limited menu but it wasn't. The waitress was pleasant enough to get the job done, but didn't go beyond taking the order, dropping the food off, and checking us out. Aka not even polite chit chat.. "how's the drive?".. "beautiful morning today"..

    Chainsaw roasts beef sandwich (no tomatoes or onion).
    Lorri D.

    We didn't expect a lot as it is pretty much the only restaurant near The Trees of Mystery (go there if you haven't already!). The waitress was super friendly and only one of two for the whole place. But the service was quick and efficient despite this. I had the Chainsaw (roast beef, bacon on grilled sourdough). Omg it was soooo good and the fries were awesome! I especially loved the ceiling where it appears like you are under water. Super fun and quirky ambiance.

    Bear  by entrance
    Jillian G.

    The food was mid, overall it is overpriced. I got the clam chowder and it came in a small cup that looked like a tea cup. . The burgers tasted alright but the cheese wasn't fully melted and tasted weird. The water seems to also be sour and the bathroom sink water looked yellow.... But my servers was super kind. The lady with the blue key necklace (unsure of her name) was very attentive and asked frequently about how we were feeling or if we needed anything. There was another woman who ignored eye contact and overall rude attitude. (Unsure what her was too) Great place to stop by and get food after a long drive.

    Decorations

    First our server was awesome, very kind and attentive. The appetizers were ok with the Mac and cheese wedges were delicious as well as the fried zucchini, the mushrooms were ok and the cheese sticks were frozen in the middle, BUT they did give us new ones and even had extra in the basket. Atmosphere was wack and the air smelled a bit funky. I would trust them to deep fry food but to thoroughly cook meat.

    Undersides of ducks...lol
    Diana D.

    We must have stumbled in on a good day, I am surprised at the previous reviews. I will say that we got there when the restaurant opened. We were greeted warmly by the hostess. We ordered and picked our table. Hubby got a plain burger & fries, he said it was quite good and the fries were fresh. I ordered a bacon turkey melt & fries. My sandwich and fries were fresh & tasted great. I would not hesitate to stop again.

    Melissa M.

    I ordered a French dip sandwich, fried pickles, and a black berry cobbler for lunch. Somewhat limited menu but tasty food.

    outside of restaurant
    sherryl G.

    Convenient across from the mystery of trees. Decor is cute & quaint. Old school black bear diner. Food was good. Service friendly.

    Forest Cafe

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    Pretty average food, and a little pricey for what you get but not as bad as the other reviews said.

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Forest Cafe

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    Blue Ox Cafe - Teriyaki chicken burger

    Blue Ox Cafe

    4.1(13 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    If you are driving through the redwoods, this cafe is a decent option for basic diner food…read more The decor is traditional forest diner style. The tables are made out of cross-sections of trees. There are taxidermied animals around the place and forest scenes on the walls. There is a small bar (so have a drink with your meal!) and a lot of room for parties of all sizes. They even have some merchandise available. One of my greatest regrets from my recent trip is that I didn't grab one of the hoodies. As for food, I will start by saying that the food I saw go out to other tables really looked great. The burgers were large, the fries were cooked crispy, and the fish and chips was HUGE. Like. Enormous. If you are looking for standard diner fare, there are a lot of attractive options here. We are not always looking for standard diner fare, though, and try to get something gluten free and high protein when possible. There were not a lot of gluten free options, which was a bummer. But I did have the berry spinach salad. The spinach was fresh, the strawberries were on their way out. The candied pecans and the dressing were yummy. The biggest downside for me was that the chicken was cold. My husband pointed out that the grill lines resembled what you would see on packaged pieces of grilled chicken. The flavor was fine, but I was expecting a freshly grilled chicken breast so the straight cold meat was not optimal for me. It's on me that I didn't ask. If you are looking for gluten free options with the salad, make sure to ask about the chicken, as some frozen/packaged chicken is not gluten free. My husband had the tomato soup, which he enjoyed. The kids menu was decent as well. Overall a positive experience, especially given that there isn't a lot else around.

    We were surprised it was open as there were no cars in the parking lot. Being across the street…read morefrom a touristy spot, i was not expecting something amazing. We enjoyed the meal and the restaurant overall. I loved the tables, very creative and fun to look at. Our server was friendly and helpful with our menu questions.

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    Trinidad Bay Eatery And Gallery - Burgers

    Trinidad Bay Eatery And Gallery

    4.1(895 reviews)
    36.4 mi
    $$

    My wife and I stopped by mid week in late April for dinner. We were promptly greeted and taken to…read moreour table. The staff at Trinidad Bay Eatery were all exceptionally kind and appeared to genuinely engage with their guests. The atmosphere is exactly what one would hope for in a coastal eatery. We ordered clam chowder, fish and chips, and a chicken ciabatta sandwich. The chowder was excellent and among the top chowders I've ever enjoyed. The fish and chips were plentiful and the quality and thickness of the fish were unmatched. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her sandwich and fries with a California branded malt vinegar. We HIGHLY recommend stopping by!

    I really wanted to try this place because multiple locals recommended it. But when a restaurant…read moresays it's dog-friendly and then for two days straight there are no dog-friendly seating options available, it does make you wonder what "dog-friendly" really means. Okay, fine -- maybe dogs aren't allowed in certain areas, not a big deal. So we figured we'd just order the food to go instead. Nope. Two days in a row we were told they couldn't do takeout. At that point, it just felt like there was zero flexibility or willingness to work with customers. That's really disappointing, especially for a place with such a good reputation. Unfortunately, the lack of flexibility is what lost us.

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    Abalone Bar & Grill - Grilled Steak

    Abalone Bar & Grill

    3.2(104 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Amazing quality food! I would recommend it. The service was great too! The ambiance and vibe was on…read morepoint... not too busy.

    Came here for an early dinner, and the place had maybe three tables with people eating…read more Nevertheless, we sat for half an hour before anybody came over to take our order or give us water. The food itself was pretty good overall, although the fried fish had an actual pool of grease at the bottom of the basket. It seemed like there was only one waiter on staff, and that he would really rather be doing something else. He mostly avoided the tables, walking very slowly when it was time to take the order of the table next to us. He then slowly walked right past our table, as if we didn't exist. At no point did anyone check in on us. Our water was long gone, and there wasn't even anybody to ask to come refill it. They never gave us utensils either, so we had to eat everything with our bare hands. Eventually, the waiter sauntered over, and said "are you guys done?" I pointed out that we never got utensils, and asked for more water. He eventually returned with both, and then disappeared for another 20 minutes. Even when we told the busser that we were ready to pay the check, it took a long time for our wait or to reappear. Waiting tables isn't an easy job. I know that from experience. The food was pretty decent, so it seems like the kitchen has their act together. But the front of the house really seemed like they wanted to be *anywhere* else.

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    Forest Cafe - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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