I came to Sailor Jack's with my family, they have a great outdoor covered patio for bigger families and dogs, huge plus. Although it is windy outside, because its mostly covered its really not bad! They have their own servers and bussers outdoors as well so you're not neglected by service like you do with many other restaurants. For apps, we only ordered the brussels sprouts and half dozen oysters between the 6 of us and let me tell you the brussels sprout app was HUGE, enough to share between all of us. All of the entrees were huge as well, honestly enough for 2 to share one if you're not a huge eater. I particularly loved my grilled salmon dish, I thought the salmon was cooked to a perfect medium. Overall, I would come back, good food, prices are reasonable and good spacing. read more

We had: 1 calamari 4.5/5; crunchy and fres 2 fish and chips 3.5/5; a little undercooked; 3 dore fish in wine butter sauce with brocollini and pilaf 5/5. Everything was perfect; and 4 complimentary biscuits. 5/5. Someone knows how to make biscuits, light and flakey. Service was a little slow but very nice. read more

Sailor Jack's - Calamari (half eaten) - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

We stopped coming here, unfortunately. It's an awesome venue with a great view, especially from the second story. But we feel the recipes and food quality don't do the building, location and our town justice. I don't feel the owners love food - there is a lack of creativity and appreciation for local, seasonal ingredients. Such a missed opportunity for there to be a high quality seafood restaurant here in Benicia. I think Sailor Jacks needs to really evolve. read more

Today my 3 daughters and I came to eat lunch here. Everything was absolutely amazing!!!! We got quite a bit of stuff. Calamari, brussel sprouts, ahi tuna stack, salmon BLT, jacks burger, and steak sandwich. Everything was delicious! Our server was also great but I can't remember his name. I love that they served the calamari with the spicy remoulade sauce. Every other restaurant seems to serve it with cocktail sauce and I think that's disgusting. The dipping sauce for the Brussels sprouts was also amazing. read more

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Great food and location... Terrible service! The restaurants location is beautiful and enjoyable to sit in a historic building. Down town Benecia is beautiful around the holidays. I met my folks for dinner as they had heard wonderful things, but left disappointed and will not return. The food was delicious we started with a dozen oysters which were delicious and fresh. I got the Moules and Frites as an entree which I highly recommend. It was a little spicy and very garlicky but very delicious. It had just the right amount of heat with fresh mussels. My dad got the prawn pasta and my mom got the fish and chips, which they both enjoyed. The portions were also great. The negative... the service was not good. Our waiter spent the least amount of time with us possible, he also seemed distracted and disinterested. This alone would have knocked them down a bit, but it got worse. Our reservation was at 6:30, at 7:30 we were the only people left. At this time our waiter and the hostess started to shut down the whole restaurant. They started dragging around the tables and resetting every table and they were loud! It sounded purposeful to get us to leave. They were slamming the plates and cups down. Then the started pulling down all the blinds, including the two on the side of our table. This was all before we had even gotten the check. We paid the check at 7:40 and asked when they closed "7:30!" The waiter said curtly. According to Yelp that isn't true and their website only has there opening hours (which is weird). So either he lied or they close way to early to allow for proper dinner service. This place isn't cheap and to feel like if they could have kicked us out they would have is a Wild disappointment! read more

Sailor Jack's - Mussels and Fries - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

Sailor Jack's has a waterfront location in Benicia, making it a super cute place to have brunch or dinner. I've eaten here a couple times, and have been seated both inside (upstairs), and outside by the water underneath their canopy. The first time I came here, service inside wasn't the best. I came with my sister on a Monday around brunch time. There was one employee who was working the bar upstairs, with a one or two patrons that he was serving. Otherwise, my sister and I were the only ones sitting at any tables for the first 30 mins of our service. They were slow to take our order, and we waited maybe 15 mins after being sat to see our server. We ordered the spinach and artichoke dip, fish and chips, and the polenta. Spinach and artichoke dip was decently flavored, chips were fresh and crisp. The batter on the fish and chips wasn't my favorite, and was almost mushy when I got it. Could have been crispier in my opinion. The fries were just ok. My sister enjoyed her polenta, but I didn't taste it. She also got a dozen oysters, and I didn't touch that either. The second time I came here was with my husband and my in-laws. We sat outside by the water. It was fairly windy, but not too much of a bother. Our server came to us right away, we put in our drink and appetizer orders initially, and got those. And then got our main dishes shortly after. Our server was also really friendly and attentive. We were a party of 6, so we ordered a plethora of different things. We ordered calamari to share, which had good flavor and crunch. I got the clam chowder to share with my husband and he got the crab melt. The bowl of chowder was creamy and filling. And my husband said he liked the sandwich he got. Much better overall experience the second time around, but I don't think this is a restaurant I'd go out of my way to eat at. read more

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This review is specifically for their brunch. I've met up with multiple friends over the last year and never had a bad brunch experience at Sailor Jack's. I always make reservations using a link from their website, so we always have a table. I prefer the inside, near the picture windows, to the outside because I feel like the servers have a bit of a windy walk, which takes away from the brunch experience. And I hate asking for sides or extras when they do that mini hike back to the kitchen. Also, I don't like to eat in the wind, so inside it is. The food has been very good. The last time we went there, my friend ordered the Crab Benedict. She really enjoyed the benedict and said there was a ton of Dungeness crab. I had the Monte Cristo, which I always enjoy. The sandwich isn't deep fried. It's just lightly battered French toast with ham, turkey, and white cheddar cheese inside. It's a sweet, savory delight that I can turn into two meals. The hashbrowns are always nicely seasoned. And the complimentary basket of buttermilk biscuits with jam and butter always starts the meal off right. Lastly, the service has always been good. It's a busy time of day, but I've never felt rushed, and the servers are always friendly. If you have a Saturday or Sunday where you want a quality brunch experience with a great view, try Sailor Jack's. read more

Great service! Fast food delivered to table. Excellent Ahi Tuna sandwich. Spicy Bloody Mary was yummy! Nice view!

I enjoy their Monday oyster special! They are 50% off on Monday. They have a great wine selection as well.

always fun to go to Sailor Jacks - the view is great and the food is good enough. try the fish and chips

Celebrated Easter Sunday lunch here! Made reservations thru OpenTable, super easy and the time slot I wanted was available. We were seated upstairs and had a great view of the water & Carquinez bridge. Our server brought out a basket of warm biscuits not even a minute after we were seated. We ordered the mussels & garlic french fries as our appetizer, for entrees: fish/chips with a cup of clam chowder, crab melt, grilled salmon BLT & ahi tuna sandwich. Everything was delicious! Our server & staff were also very attentive. Will definitely return. read more

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9-3-25, this restaurant came highly praised from family members, we ordered takeout so that they could go out on a date, and we took care of the grandkids, I ordered the crabcake appetizer three crabcakes, my wife ordered the beet salad, and New England clam chowder, so let's talk about the crabcakes I've had crabcakes many times, this was about 50% breading 50% crab, and an aftertaste that I did not like, I was very hungry. I ate two of them and just left the third one could not finish it, I ended up making a grilled cheese at home. The clam chowder was kind of gloopy and bland, kind of disappointing. I grew up in Rhode Island, which gives me a disadvantage from having had a lot of different clam chowder. It was not that good. My wife had a beet salad, which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend it mixed greens, baby spinach, pecans, beets, goat, cheese, raspberry vinaigrette, absolutely great. One thing I found strange or interesting, as I had to pay for my order when I called it in on the phone I guess they get a lot of people that either don't show up for their order or get ripped off for that. I am sorry for the restaurant. The ambiance and view is really nice, but that's about it. I have difficulty recommending this restaurant. Maybe some of their other items are OK. Good luck. Enter the management of this restaurant. You should listen to what people are saying on your reviews. I should've looked at yelp before we ordered. read more

Went for a birthday lunch and unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. Upon arrival, we weren't greeted, and the service felt disorganized from the start. We were asked what we wanted to drink before even receiving menus. The food was a disappointment. The crab melt and crab cakes, both of which barely had any crab in them. The crab cakes had more of a cornmeal texture, resembling cornbread with a hint of crab salad, and they were served room temperature. While the calamari tasted good, it was also cold. The burger was bland and didn't stand out. To top it off, the water glasses came out with food stuck to the outside, which was off-putting. The service didn't improve much throughout the meal. It seemed like the restaurant might have been understaffed? Servers being wrong food to table, as we were rarely checked on and didn't receive refills til getting the check or the sweetener requested for iced tea. Great location and outdoor seating, the food quality and service were lacking. Hopefully, this was just an off night, but based on this experience, I won't be in a rush back. read more

Sailor Jack's - Crab cake salad - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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Good food. Good service. Good view. Decent portions. I've enjoyed all the items I've ordered. read more

Sailor Jack's - Clam with squid ink pasta (can't remember the name) - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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Great place to eat by the water! The food was great and the kids menu was exactly what we were looking for.

The food is terrible!!! Drinks are disgusting and expensive. Dinner for 2 was over $100. My beet salad was definitely canned beets. Popcorn shrimp bland. My espresso martini was premixed. The food is overpriced for being premade food. You're paying for scenery and quite frankly still not worth it!!! read more

Atmosphere, excellent, love the view! Service also good, food was lacking flavor I remembered that the calamari was great but today it was so so, also the clam chowder was good and thick, but lacked flavor‍ even the lemonade needed more flavor, it wasn't sweet or lemony... what happened ? read more

Dog friendly, nice place to chill and dine. Fresh seafood and attentive staff. Nice place unwind.

The server was great, the beer crisp and cold. On. The other hand, the crab melt was terrible. There was hardly any crab, I mean, where was it? It had some artichokes in it and hella cream. Ordering that was a mistake. The fries were a bit undercooked for me. It was cool watching the wind surfers zipping around. read more

Sailor Jack's - Crab melt (skip it). - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

Pleasantly surprised by Sailor Jack's. It's been at least 10 years since I've eaten here last. Always an amazing view. Food was good too. Warm bread and butter - always a plus. I had the Salmon BLT - innovative and well prepared. I enjoyed every bite. Portion size is generous too. My aunt had the Fish & Chips with sweet potato fries. She was raving about it. Hence, the reason she chose the restaurant for lunch. Service was good, no complaints here. I would definitely go back to try other food options on the menu. There's also a full bar with upstairs/downstairs and outdoor seating. The view is priceless! read more

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What is there not to love?!?! Historical, charming and wonderful ambience!! Weather wasn't cooperating so we sat inside but look at these views?! Great service and fantastic food! Something special about eating fish that was caught just a couple of miles away...delightful and delicious! Thank you so much for another spectacular visit! read more

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We continued our dining adventures and this time we stopped at Sailor Jack's in Benicia. This is an older restaurant right on the water. Uncle Gary brought us here and honestly it was a nice surprise. The place has that classic old-school seafood house feel, and the view of the water is definitely a plus. We started with fresh oysters and fried oysters. Both were good, but the fried oysters really stood out -- very meaty, juicy, and perfectly cooked. We also ordered the mussels with fries, which were really good. The broth was flavorful and the fries were spot on. The shrimp cocktail was solid and fresh, and we also tried the fried Brussels sprouts which were crispy and tasty. We also had the crab cake... and those were definitely not good. Way more bread than crab, which is always disappointing when you're expecting a good crab cake. But other than that, this place delivers solid comfort food and a beautiful view. Worth visiting. And remember, it's not always about the food... it's about the people you're sharing the meal with. Just kidding. It's always about the food. read more

We had been waiting to try Sailor Jack's for a while since it's always packed, so we figured it had to be good. Breakfast was still being served. Service started off strong, and the biscuits they brought out were actually really good, that part gave us high hopes. Then the actual food came... and that's where things went downhill. For a seafood restaurant, having a mid clam chowder says a lot. It was totally lacking flavor, and honestly just disappointing. There were actual clams in it, which was nice, but that was about the only highlight. We also ordered the fish and chips. The fish had no flavor, the fries were basic, and overall everything tasted bland. The drinks were good, but for the price, about $90, it just wasn't worth it. We walked out dissapointed and feeling like we wasted our money and our appetite on flavorless food. We won't be going back. read more

Great place. Great food. Great view. Very friendly staff. Highly recommend this restaurant. You will not be disappointed. There were 19 of us and they did a fantastic job. Every one of us was totally pleased. read more

I understand it was Father's Day and I anticipate that it will be busy, noisy and the kitchen will be backed up. Our server was great and when she had a moment would check up on us. BUT.... 1. Why didn't the manager assign another person in our area which is the big outdoor section, which our server was the only one working the area. 2. Our food didn't not come together. Two meals out of four came and we waited another block of time for the rest of our meals, which our server noticed were missing. 3. After a long time, we figured that our other two meals were given to someone else and our server mentioned she waited for our food to be done so she can serve it to us. HOWEVER, the kitchen failed to cook our meals correctly. My dad waited for the other meals to be served and while he waited his food got cold and part of the dish became coagulated butter. Then my wife's meal had risotto that was not fully cooked and could only eat the fish. I got the fish and chips with garlic fries. The garlic fries were fries with a little bit of garlic. Overall, the kitchen failed to cook complete dishes. I don't recommend coming here at all. Their staff are pretty good but you can tell they were understaffed that day. read more

I'm not one to write yelp reviews, but I'm currently on day 3 of having food poisoning after eating here and felt it's important to share. My friend and I split oysters, clam chowder, and French fries and both are experiencing the same symptoms. The oysters had a greenish tint when they came out (which we credited to just being a different type that we haven't tried before), but when we cut the last one open, it had reddish liquid coming out of it and just didn't look right. We told our server and he offered to replace it, but we were very disgusted at that point. The vinegar with the oysters also just wasn't right. Clam chowder also seemed canned, and had a weird consistency and flavor, so it also could have been the culprit. Seems like food poisoning is common after reading the reviews. Super unfortunate considering the view is amazing, but we absolutely will never return here. read more

Went to brunch with my family. The back area was really loud obviously it's brunch however our waitress decided to tell my children to use their inside voices, convieniently after we paid and tipper her. Meanwhile a drunk table of four are raging on with no issues. We asked fo our kids ice cream she didn't bring and was bothered by that as well. I spoke With the manager who was less than helpful and basically just acted like it was no big deal. We have been going there for years will think twice in the future. read more

Fantastic staff, great food but the owner is less than nice to his employees. A few years ago he came in and parked off a pedestrian walkway came in and unloaded on a employee for where customers could hear then turned to walk away mumbling what to bring him at the table that's always reserved for him. Please don't take this away from the employees that work so hard, there great foods great location is great also. He is a old grouch and should step down read more

Sister lunch date resulted in stopping at one of our favorite places while walking down First Street. Carrie (the owner) makes sure everything there is perfect & always makes a point to come say hi when she's available. We had the best calamari, salmon bltas & a gorgeous cocktail with amazing water views. read more

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It's really way overdue for a refresh for this place. I wish that they are more successful because it is in a prime location with the best view and water. But that's not even the restaurant's doing because that belongs to the city's landscape. With that view,, add consistently great food and great service, then they can, but not when the quality and taste is inconsistent. The place is rundown.. Sticking to the historical beach vibe surfer dude oyster shack maybe? In general, when people go out and pay for tips, they would like to be comfortable and experience something nice. Something that they can count on. That's why Bella Siena next door and One House bakery down the street are so successful. Change is good . Hope that is coming soon for this place. read more

Great old school restaurant. Feels like it has been there for 100 years. Rustic atmosphere. Great food. Good portions. Service was great. And a beautiful view of the carquenes straights. read more

Very good food, excellent service, fabulous view from the table we had (not all tables can have the perfect placement we scored, obv). read more

Sailor Jack's - The view from our table. - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

Sailor Jack's is one of the more versatile restaurants in Benicia- Great view if you eat upstairs! First off, just order the chowder. That's their staple, and it's clear why- Can't miss! I think the quality of their food overall is very good. Really good fish and chips on a regular basis. I knocked a star off, because that quality can waver on occasion. Understandably, they get busy frequently- The servers do really well in keeping up, and communicating when it's hectic. But I'd eat that clam chowder every single day of my life. read more

My husband and I spent the day in Benicia, hopped around a couple of spots and stumbled into Sailor Jack's. We found ourselves quite full from our day long adventure around town, but we couldn't resist ordering a couple of our fave dishes from the menu. I'm a huge seafood pasta gal and my hubby loves a classic fish and chips. The entrees were so good, made sure to save some leftovers to enjoy at home! Calamari and oysters were also tasty and fresh. Calamari can sometimes be a hit or a miss. Service was great at the bar, started getting busy towards 6ish on Saturday night. Good energy all around! Will definitely have to come back. read more

Sailor Jack's - Oysters & Monterey Bay Calamari - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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We drove from rocklin which is an hour 45 minutes away to have Mother's Day brunch. Ambiance ? We were seated in the gravel parking area with the improvised tent . We were a party of 10. Food : Everyone's order was so- so . Clam chowder was so thick you can taste the flour , pasta was over garlic , the yellow fin tuna sandwich was under seasoned , the good thing in the entire thing was the sweet potato fries . I ordered the crab Benedict which by description says " dungeness crab " but no way it is. First of all , my poached eggs had almost a quarter of the egg shell on it, the bread was tasting old , crab was cold , fishy and definitely from the can- which definitely is NOT dungeness . I gave the other half to my husband , he can't even swallow upon first bite . I tried , wish I spit it out as fast as my husband did so I wouldn't be traumatized by it. Service : I couldn't complain earlier bc our server didn't check on us . I told her when she was getting the bill and all she had to say was sorry . I asked her to forward the message to the manager and chef but she asked " do you want me to forward your message ? Well of course ! After all that she still didn't offer anything to offset the bad food . Not that it's important to take it off the bill , or get a new entree , but out of principle they should say or offer something and I would have said no anyway . But the experience was so bad , the table was quiet during the meal . And I'm the one who recommended it. We all ended up having to go for ice cream to fill ourselves for the bad taste and a bad experience. I gave it a 1 just bc of location per se not the actual venue bc I was promised an upstairs seating when I made the reservation and we were in the gravel parking lot . I don't have a way of saying 0. read more

Thank you so much to you and your staff at Sailor Jack's! What a beautiful night making memories at your establishment for our daughter Ashley and SIL Andrews' rehearsal dinner. This place was a special memory for our son-in-law, and holds fond memories for him. The staff was attentive and polite. Our table for 20 and your establishment was brilliantly decorated for holidays. The food was on point and enjoyable with large portions. We appreciate the extra details that you went to by providing a menu specifically for our party. It went smoothly overall, it was a five star experience. We can't thank you enough! Sincerely, MoE and Jeff Evans read more

Sailor Jack's - Table service at Sailor Jack's - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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Fantastic date night at this establishment, look over the bay from the second floor window was amazing, staff very fast and attentive, overall a great night read more

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I had brunch with some friends here a few weeks ago. The view was too beautiful to pass up. I ordered the seafood omelette and so did one of my friends. We both said the same thing. The shrimp inside lacked flavor. They could have done so much better with this dish. The shrimp isn't sautéed but instead it's boiled and then just placed inside. There's also crab inside and I kept biting on crab shells. Very disappointing meal. Another friend ordered chicken fried steak and said that it lacked flavor and needed salt. The server was awesome though and the view was very beautiful. Two stars for the view and server. read more

Sailor Jack's - Seafood Salad - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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My wife and I had our eighth anniversary dinner here. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and sat at a table downstairs with a view of the water. It's a casual atmosphere with white tablecloth. The food was outstanding! Crab cakes were delicious, and we both had the surf and turf which included fillet mignon, lobster, and prawns, along with very nicely cooked string beans and potatoes. We've eaten at some nice restaurants and this was right up there. read more

So not my first visit here however this is my favorite because of my party sat outside in the dang parking lot patio seating overlooking the Bay! Beautiful! 2 stars for just that!!! I love it! Service was good and as we sat there for hours, really, we didn't feel rushed, and I appreciated that our food was covered with foil- Thank you. Apps: Calamari; Dungeness Crab Cake; and Fried Oysters Entrees: Clam Chowder- good flavor; ok consistency; not really calm flavored but ok Crab Cake Salad Fish & Chips, subbing salad for fries Jack burger read more

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