Very disappointing return to a once outstanding restaurant. Even with a reservation it took 30 minutes to be seated because "your table is not ready" even though there were numerous tables available. The food was underwhelming to say the least (ex. Ordered rare steak and received a cold, well-done version) and the waiter was very unattentive (ex. had to ask twice for an extra plate). Also, the parking lot at night is very poorly lit making for an unsafe customer environment. I gave the Mariner 1 Star but if I could I would give it a -5 Stars. read more

You can't go home again. I think at one time Mariner's was probably a great place for dinner. Our intial expectations we high, but things went down hill quick. We were sat at a very nice table overlooking the water, placed our order and went to the salad bar. It was 7 pm and the salad bar looked like it had been out all night. Most items were either tired looking or empty. Our entree came and we had ordered steaks and asparagus. I was surprised to see boiled asparagus on one dish and grilled on another? Why not grill it all? They haven't caught on. We followed dinner with coffee and dessert but easily finished our coffee before the waitress returned with the dessert. Never got a refill on the coffee. The restaurant feels like it's being run by teenagers. I never saw what looked like an adult manager to flag down to get some help. The wait staff was obviously shorthanded. It's unfortunate, because the restaurant has a great location and with some attention to detail and some management, it could really be a special place to eat. Not to mention, I really hate spending that much money on such a disappointing experience. read more

I would be very suspicious of anyone who gives a good review of this restaurant. Service and food was sub par, what a rip off to the community and visitors. Also, what a rip off to the great location and building. read more

My wife and I visited family recently and we ate out at the Mariner. I grew up in the area so I am familiar with it and it used to be very good. This is no longer the case. Service was slow and the salad bar was completely unappetizing in view and taste. I ordered fish and my wife ordered steak, both medium rare. Both were served well done. Not to mention service took forever. Go have a drink in the Cove and check out the view but avoid dinner. read more

My salmon had been cooked for days. Salad bar was mediocre and the idea of a salad bar is gross! Service is also mediocre...run by a bunch of teenagers! They don't act old enough to serve alcohol! Don't get me started on the cocktails...weak..weak..weak!!! read more

This is a lovely restaurant on the banks of Sibley Lake in Natchitoches. I want this to be a great place to eat, so here's my honest take on the food, and hopefully, someone in the kitchen will listen. The good: Great atmosphere with outdoor dining. The boudin wontons are to die for! A hard to find LA treat! Soft shell crab was very good as well. Both the ceasar dressing and blue cheese dressings were very good, albeit a little heavy on the wedge salad dressing. The bad: The steak was mediocre from what I understand (I don't eat steak, so...). Apparently, it was well seasoned on the outside, but the 18 oz was as small as you could order, and rendered the steak interior pretty bland. A smaller selection on the steak would have been nice. The stuffed potato I'm sure was reheated...you can't do that to a potato, ruins it! It was not really edible. The highly recommended spinach artichoke dip was very bland, definitely not worth the calories.! Collard greens, bland. The black bean burger would have been good, but was served with NO dressing. BB burgers are dry by nature, so you gotta at least serve mayo/mustard or something on the side. By the time I got what I couldn't steal from another table in the way of dressing, the burger was stone cold. That said, service was pretty slow, but wait staff were super nice, and may have been overwhelmed! This place has great potential! Here's hoping they up their game on flavor! read more

This place is ridiculous I waited 1 hour for a meal and I called ahead for a reservation. If I could give it zero stars I would. Please save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else. Chargrilled oysters were subpar. read more

Our party of 4 enjoyed our dinner. The restaurant was quite busy but we were seated immediately next to the window as requested. Our waiter, Parker, took our drink orders while we looked over the menu. My uncle and his friend decided on the evening special, which was Mahi Mahi with a Mango Salsa. They said it was delicious. My husband had the filet mignon and he enjoyed every bite. I had the stuffed flounder, which was a nice size portion and very tasty. We shared bites of pecan pie to satisfy our sweet tooth and it was very good. read more

Had a wonderful meal and a beautiful view of the sun setting over the lake. Service was outstanding.

The food is good and portion sizes are great. The location is great. The only downside is that it is pricey.

We ate here on a Friday night. Very pretty view of the lake. My wife had the stuffed crab which she said was super. I had the stuffed flounder which was okay. The salad bar leaves a lot to be desired. The service was fair. The prices are a little high for the quality of the food. Still one of the nicest places to eat in Nachitoches. read more

We drove from Dallas to eat here on Saturday October 19, 2019. We walked in the lady at the front desk asked if we had reservations. I said no she stated they had three big parties for homecoming to come in. She asked could we sit outside? We said sure. They brought us the menus I wanted to get stuffed shrimp.. the waitress said it was policy that I could no get the shrimp sitting outside...I said what! I HAVE COME ALL THE WAY FROM DALLAS TO EAT HERE. WE WENT THROUGH THE MANAGER, NO EXCEPTIONS. So I had a salad bar. You can get a salad bar anywhere. Im very disappointed in this place. Just put people anywhere you want, but do not explain if you set outside you do not get to order from the full menu. This Place is taken off my list to eat at, Very unprofessional. read more

Had the Bayou Omelette, Seafood Stuffed Crepes and the best warm rolls. Loved every bite. Our server made sure we were well taken care of. Not to a great view over the lake. read more

We were able to get a window seat overlooking the bay and the ambiance was nice. Three of us ordered the Sea Bass Special and one ordered the shrimp and pasta. I would say it was OK-Not the best i have ever had. The sea bass was thin cut and a little overdone around the edges but overall a decent meal. The shrimp was cooked just right but the pasta was a little overcooked. Waiter needed a little prompting for service for water and bread. The salad bar was very good. Not really disappointed but expected a little better from the suggestions from the locals. I believe we would return. read more

The best seafood restaurant in Natchitoches. Susan W. doesn't know what she's talking about, but she's right about the magnificent salad bar, great hushpuppies and delicious fried seafood. The baked and grilled seafood entrees are wonderful too. I've been eating at Mariner's for many years, every time I travel through Natchitoches, and the staff has never been anything less than charming and friendly. The sauces are always fresh and I love the stuffed potatoes too. Contrary to Susan, I've never had anything that I thought was spoiled or didn't taste good. I always leave with the thought that I can't wait until I have to go to Natchitoches again so I can eat at Mariner's! read more

Excellent crawfish étouffée! Probably the best I've eaten so far. Stephanie, our waitress was amazingly gracious and did a great job. Did not get the awesome view as I came the weekend of the light ceremony for Christmas. I was lucky to get a seat by the bar which was viewless. The town was crazy busy. The downtown streets were closed off blocking anywhere to park. And no Uber or shuttles in this small college town. Next time I will go when it's not so busy so I can enjoy the local shops more, highly recommended! read more

What started as the 'day from hell' was mitigated somewhat by our trip to Mariners. We lost our car in Shreveport (bad accident) and were headed home to Lafayette in a rental when we both decided we were hungry. We took the Natchitoches exit but all we saw was fast food. We both happened to see the Mariners sign and made a U-turn to go check it out...and are we glad we did. Everything about this place was top-shelf. The salad bar actually had cold lettuce and the gumbo, almost as good as my wife makes. My wife had catfish and actually gave me some, albeit unwillingly, and it was delicious. Next time we go to Natchitoches, probably during the Christmas season, we plan on a return trip to see if it is as good as we thought. Can't finish without a word on the service...very attentive, but not to the point of irritation. read more

The steaks were good, they just happened to be Waaaaaay overpriced. I'd rather fire up the grill & cook it myself for a Lot cheaper.

Call before you go. Tried to eat there on a Sunday night and it's closed for a private party.

Coming from lafayette, la and going to this makes the food ok, it could use some seasoning. I guess since the general population is 70+, they dont need seasoning. You could grab a mint on the way out those are awesome! read more

A wonderful dining experience! The food, service and atmosphere were all excellent. The server was well knowledgeable of the menu and offered good suggestions. My wife and I were celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary and the fine meal made the occasion a memorable one. We will be back! read more

We went in to have lunch and the staff seemed tired. Not the attentiveness that you would expect at a $20 dollar entree starting price. We ordered the crab cakes and stuffed baked mushrooms which were very good. We are the salad bar which was small but it worked for the average person, but nothing special that would entice me to order it again. We had 4 adults and two children in our party. We ordered before others and was served after a few other tables. I ordered the filet steak medium well and crab with hollandaise sauce on an english muffin ($34.00). The steak came out almost rare. The english muffin under the steak was soaked in blood from the steak, I sent it back. Fifteen minutes later they returned with the steak. The English muffin was still the same blood soaked muffin and when I picked up the steak it had a sour odor. I asked others at the table to smell it and most agreed that it smelled bad. I sent it back. By this time everyone else had eaten dinner, and my trust in the facility as a safe place to eat was gone. I did not order anything else. The manager did remove the charges from my bill. But I did expect better service and better meal preparation. The value and quality is not there for me. read more

Great view. Mediocre service. Decent food. Salad bar wasn't as big as recent pics but the garlic cheese bread at the end was best I've had.

Best place to eat in Natchitoches, hands down. Great service, prompt, always helpful and polite. Steak and Lobster was wonderfully prepared and so great. Will be visiting Mariners again soon. read more

We were in town helping a friend's daughter move. She recommended this place and I am so glad she did. Food was great and you get very large portions for what you pay. The best chicken cordon blue I've ever had! My friends all raved both about how great the food was and how full we got. We all did sandwiches and po'boys, so we didn't really get the "sticker shock" that some have posted. One of my friends got the crawfish po'boy and it was so loaded with crawfish she couldn't finish it all. Will definitely recommend this place to friends and family and we will be going back the next time I am in town. read more

Love this restaurant! My favorite dish is the Steak Oscar, it is amazing! We normally hang out after and go to the Cove. The nightlife is fun with great atmosphere and drinks are great. read more

I have eaten hear a few times before and all was very good. This time was the exception. The Cajun seafood platter was all over fried and hush puppies were worst I have ever eaten also over cooked. The view is great, excellent salad bar and fair service. Meals overpriced as served. read more

One would think if you are called The Mariners that seafood would be your specialty! I have on two separate occasions had different plates that were not very tasty. The stuffed crab had a taste of boxed stuffing and my blackened catfish with some sort of sauce lacked flavor! The only thing my family rants about are the steaks. Why would I spend that kind of money on a steak when I can go to another establishment that "specializes" in steaks. Not impressed! The ambience is decades old; best part is the view! read more

I brought 6 friends over to eat 12-8-14. Had sea food platter gumbo was cold I mean cold sent it back 15 min. later got it was warm.Potato was so so.Wife ordered chicken alfredo did not know chicken was $3.99 extra.20.00.My seafood was ok but over cooked.Very good salad bar an cheese. Total cost for 2 people $60.92 read more

Maybe it's not fair to give one star since we never actually ate anything! We were seated promptly, served water and given menus. Twenty plus minutes later, we left. I counted ten tables of diners some with two people to four or five, one table had eight. No one bothered to take a drink order or ask us if we had any questions about the menu, etc, so we got up and walked out. No one said boo to us as we were leaving, go figure. Place looked nice and view was good. read more

I went to dinner with family tonight after a long road trip day. I was not that hungry but the family wanted to go to Mariners for dinner. When I walked in, they showed a Thursday special of a Hamburger and Fries on their billboard when you first walked in. We were seated in the dinner room. I ordered the Hamburger and was told that unless I was 10 years old or young that I would have to go to the bar to order and be served a Hamburger???. I was told by the waiter that Hamburgers are not serviced in the dining room unless I was 10 or younger. I am a senior on oxygen 24/7 with limited mobility. I asked for a exception to be made so that I could eat with my family at the same place. The waiter asked the Manager on Duty who was the owner's daughter and she stated no. She just stated that this was the rule and could not give a reason why I could not be served a hamburger in the dinner room other than this was a rule of the owner. This action was not at all customer service with total disregard for a person with a disability. I ordered a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dinner which was poor and tasted like it was very old and had been unfrozen and frozen again. It was very icy tasting. Needless to say, I would never eat at Mariner's again. My question only is Why? read more