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Samoa Cookhouse

3.8 (691 reviews)
Open • 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

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SAMOA COOKHOUSE ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Samoa Cookhouse

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French Toast
Annie L.

The only cookhouse left on the West! I didn't know what to expect when I arrived but learned all about the fascinating history with this cookhouse from our server. This cookhouse used to feed 500 men 3x a day who worked as loggers in the area. The waitresses who served them lived upstairs. The cooks wanted to save this place from closing turned it into a cookhouse to serve the public. To this day, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner cookhouse style! Everyone gets the same meals and they rotate meals weekly. For breakfast, we had french toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages. Drinks was extra but its all you can eat. They will keep bringing the breakfast out as long as you're hungry. We shared the 3 plates and it was plenty already. Delicious, comfort breakfast. This place isn't fancy. It's like they say "Come and get it!" When the whistle blows, you come and eat. Come with an appetite, eat as much as you can! One price all you can eat. After you're stuffed, check out the museum attached to the cookhouse which has so many artifacts from over 100 years ago back in the days of the loggers. Everything from chainsaws, hand held equipment's, working boots, and the original kitchen stove, pots and pans they used at this cookhouse. Way cool! And if you want some more museum which we did! Check out the Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum once you exit the cookhouse. Excellent history just in this little corner of Samoa!

Montage of images from Samoa Cookhouse
Ed U.

I don't think I'd be ruffling too many feathers by asserting that Eureka is not a major gourmet destination. I mean you don't come to the Lost Coast for hidden culinary treasures unless you really like clam chowder...like a lot. This place didn't serve clam chowder when we showed up, and it wasn't even in Eureka but on the more desolate Samoa Peninsula across Arcata Bay. The cookhouse is a historic shingled building, and for a long time. it was devoted strictly to the meals eaten by the employees of the local lumber mill. So if you're really hungry, this is the place to go for no-frills comfort food served family-style even when you're not with your family. Jamie W. and I simply entered the building at around 5PM and was told to take any available seat at one of the long communal tables with the traditional red checkered tablecloth. There was no menu per se, just a price grid that stated adults will be charged $18.25 for dinner. OK then. The gregarious server was very helpful in guiding us through our meal. First, we got several slices of bread in a basket with a lot of butter. It was good bread, soft and warm. No artisan stuff (photo: https://bit.ly/3Na5pB9). Then we were given a choice between soup and salad. Not both. Pure 'Sophie's Choice' moment. Jamie went for the soup, a tomato vegetable and rice creation that was comforting (photo: https://bit.ly/3m6Zwc4). I arbitrarily went for the salad which was a bowl of iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing on the side. It came with toasted croutons and a three-bean salad heavy in pickling juice (photo: https://bit.ly/3apBHJG). Then came our surprise entree, a large uncut slab of BBQ Beef Ribs for each of us (photo: https://bit.ly/3x6YUJG). Before we divvied up the meat, the server came back with corn (photo: https://bit.ly/3NdwumH) and potato salad thick in mayo (photo; https://bit.ly/3akFS9O). Yep, we were on our way to being stuffed but not before getting their apple crisp with whipped cream for dessert (photo: https://bit.ly/3m4IgUv). On your way to the restroom, trust me, an inevitable journey, I took note of their historic maritime and lumber museum. And that's all I know about Samoa.At least this Samoa. FOOD - 4 stars...no-frills comfort food made for an army of lumberjacks AMBIANCE - 4 stars...also no-frills, no gypsy violinists here...definitely crowds up on Sundays SERVICE - 4.5 stars...she was great TOTAL - 4 stars..,if you're really hungry...and you don't have to be Samoan RELATED - Exploring the Lost Coast? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2A1YVjy

Best scrambled eggs in town!
Dan W.

Boy has this place come along way! Now owned by Danco Construction they have a new chef and shes awesome! I'm assuming that obviously she's from the south as she put Gumbo on the special menu during lunch and to be honest I have not had it's equal in the west coast. Her biscuits and gravy same way. Perfectly fluffy and seasoned scrambled eggs and great French toast. I Came here as a kid and was amazed. Came here as an adult 8 yrs ago and was less than impressed. Came here last month and have been back twice. Huge turnaround with the new management! And I heard they are gonna be doing picnic style southern here soon... thing family style crawfish boil.. ect. Can't wait!

Eating at the Samoan Cookhouse... a very unique and enjoyable dining experience for us!
Alden C.

Samoa Cookhouse was the best restaurant we tried out while on our trip to Eureka recently! A few things... this restaurant doesn't make Samoan food. It's the name of the area that it's in. And don't come here thinking there is a broad menu of items to browse from. Pretty much whatever they are making at the time is what you get. It's living up to the name and concept that cookhouses for lumber workers and other places like ranches for instance that had cookhouses did the same thing. You eat whatever they are making and if you don't like it then your on your own for your meal or don't have one. You also don't get your own table. You get seated at very long tables and then they seat other diners a chair ot two down from you. You can get a smaller amount of the portions coming your way and just get soup and salad but it's really worth going for a full meal. You can ask the waitress to stop if you have had enough to eat. The day we went we had fish and chips, hushpuppies, salad, soup and fresh bread and a spiced cake for dessert. Everything was fantastic with the food. The beef and vegetable soup still really sticks out in my mind. It was so good! There are some old stoves, pictures and other artifacts in another room of the area and back when cookhouses were more common place. In fact going off of a sign this is the last functioning cookhouse in the country. My parent's ranch also has a cookhouse for when there was a large ranch work force but it was much, much smaller than Samoan Cookhouse and has become more of a residence for sever decades now. Definitely check the Samoan Cookhouse out if you want a different dining experience only don't come here picky and the food allergic or sensitive may want to avoid because what they serving at the time is the menu!

S C.

The Samoa Cookhouse is a historic restaurant, It is the last lumber camp-style cookhouse in the American Pacific Northwest. We have been here before and enjoyed this place pre-COVID, but things seemed to have changed a bit post COVID. They only offered three items for breakfast: French toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages. Biscuits and gravy was provided at an extra charge, as was orange juice. It seems like they used to offer a wider menu. The French toast was amazing as they bake the bread in house daily. The service was efficient and friendly.

Wednesday morning offerings!
Lance A.

1893!? How many places have you eaten at that have been running for over a 125 years!!?? Served family style - this mornings offerings included pancakes, eggs, & sausage. Coffee, juice, and even biscuits and gravy can be added on. The photos and relics from the logging days can be seen throughout and in their mini museum of sorts! It wasn't busy as it was mid-week when we visited. Portions were so good we opted to skip lunch. We were so full! I'd love to see it on the weekends when the busy atmosphere would add to the feel like when it was packed with turn of the century loggers.

Big breakfast!
Alex L.

God bless family-style eating. A return visit to the historic Samoa Cookhouse many years later with friends and family left everyone with full bellies and smiling faces. It was absolutely what we'd hoped for and a testament to why they've survived and thrived for so many decades. We came in on a Wednesday morning with no idea what was even on the menu. It's a big old room with picnic tables and a neighboring museum inside a giant old logging warehouse. We found many of the old logging artifacts quite interesting as we perused and waited a short ten minutes for a table. The feast included sausages, eggs, biscuits and gravy (for an extra cost) and pancakes. The menu changes daily but this was exactly what we'd hoped for. I found the food basic but hearty and filling. The sausage in particular was really delicious and the biscuits and gravy are definitely worth the extra bucks! It's a it of a drive to get here, but I say make the time. This is one of many historic places that make this area wonderful!

One of the dining rooms in the Samoa Cookhouse. Now I see why it was deserted.
Terri R.

I really wanted to love dining at this historic dining hall, but as so many others have noted, the food is sub-par, despite generous all-you-can eat family service. As an example, our dinner meal was tasteless bread, a very thin vegetable soup, chopped iceberg lettuce w/ pickled beans for a salad, rice with white gravy, mixed veggies and chicken fried pork. If the chef had made any attempt to season the food, or add something creative to any one of those dishes, it might have given an impression that they cared about what was set on the table. Frankly, eating at Denny's would have been an improvement.

Meatloaf, fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes with gravy.

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1 month ago

Can't wait for it to reopen (May12, 2026) according to the info I have from Facebook. Fun place to take guests.

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1 year ago

Food is excellent, historic significance, we always visit when we visit Humboldt county

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Great place with excellent and plentiful amount of food. It was affordable when I last went.

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3 years ago

What a treat! Family style dining with great food AND history!

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Ask the Community - Samoa Cookhouse

Are they opened? When will they be opened again if not so already?

To the best of my knowledge, from their website, it appears that after being closed for over a year they may be reopening at the end of this month. I strongly urge you to go to their website, perhaps weekly to see the progress.… Read more

Do they have any outside seating so we can bring our dogs? (we're traveling..)

No.

What are their prices? Strangely, they are not on the menu at their website.

There is no outside dining. THERE IS NO PRINTED MENU. Meals here are served 'family style'. One goes… Read more

Does anyone know if the Cookhouse is still open for business?

Yes it is.

Do they have gluten free options? My gf has celiac and is really sensitive but I'm dying to take her here!!!

Most of it is pretty meat heavy and there's soup and salad every day, I would ask what they're serving that day and see if she can eat it. I don't think they can substitute anything because they cook in such large quantities… Read more

View All 8 Questions

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I was so happy to find this little spot in downtown Eureka. The space itself is super fun with…read morewonderful energy and really cool aesthetic touches. We were served right away and the hostess was very nice and located at two top for us. The wait person was lovely and immediately accommodating. The menu was interesting and inviting. I had to laugh out loud as there is an item on the menu referencing Pee-wee's Playhouse from my childhood. I even asked if it was a Gen X restaurant and sure enough the chef is of my generation. I'm including a picture so IYKYK! The waitress had shared all of the specials, and I was intrigued by the flat iron steak option. It was a flat iron steak with marsala mushroom sauce, and mushroom risotto and asparagus. It was delightful! The meat was perfectly cooked and tender with a lot of beef flavor, offset by a rich marsala mushroom sauce. It was perfectly complimented by one of the top mushroom risotto I have had in my life. It was delectable. And the grilled asparagus side paired nicely with the beef and marsala sauce. It even had a little bit of lemon on the asparagus, which is my preference for it! Overall, this is probably in the top five of all of the restaurant meals I've had in my life. My husband had the mixed beef burger with fries. He said he really enjoyed the burger, and I did steal a tiny taste, and it was perfectly cooked and had a slight gameness that gave it some depth. My husband said that the bun was very nice as well. The fries were perfectly cooked. The burger was perfectly cooked and it wasn't over juicing nor dry. Overall, a really great burger! Funniest thing we noticed was that all of the chairs that were sitting on a cement floor had been given rubber caps for each of the legs so that when you moved the chair, it didn't make a horrible sound. Literally extra 10 points for that alone! I wish this location well and look forward to stopping in the next time we are in the area.

First off to start, I'm unsure why they have bar in their name. They only have beer, cider and…read morewine. That's fine. Was just misled by their name, expecting more. I had oven roasted salmon with what was supposed to be a teriyaki glaze on top but it was more like a syrup. The mushroom risotto was good. The pizzas that we ordered were good. The price for the child's slider was crazy for the tiny thing that we received. My personal opinion otherwise are the chairs. They are cold and uncomfortable.

Shamus T Bones

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Tried the 16 oz prime rib mr with cheddar mashed potatoes…read more The potatoes were better than expected Good pairing with prime rib Prime rib was very good Properly cooked juicy and tender I liked the smoky flavor My dinner was much better than expected We liked the waiter Fixed a small mistake right away Good experience overall

My family and I were driving down the coast and were going to be in Eureka for one night. We asked…read morethe front desk lady at our motel where we could get a good steak, and without hesitation she said Shamus T Bones. We looked at the reviews here on Yelp! and were a bit worried at the low overall rating. Well, rest assured, we had a good meal and enjoyed our visit. My wife had the filet mignon, while I ordered the rib eye. I asked our waitress about upgrading to the pricier dry aged rib eye, and she surprisingly talked me out of it saying the regular rib eye was really good. She was right. The combination of the grilling and the buttery sauce was delicious. It didn't need any additional sauce, but out of curiosity I tried the house sauce that was on the table, and it was quite nice. For some reason, they have a Tesla coil (from the original Tesla, not the car company) and they fired it off while we were there. They give plenty of notice before they do as it makes a loud sound and sparks fly about the device. It was interesting. So, if you're in town and looking for a good steak, give this place a try.

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An attempt at dinner with two kids, not a good choice for food or location with kids. Very loud and…read moreoverstimulating even for adults. Limited table service and very slow. Perhaps they were busier than two ladies could handle. Ordered food with our non-alcoholic beverage to hopefully save time. Potato skins WITHOUT onions and food for the kids were requested to come first, entrees after. We waited an hour for food and nearly left, then potato skins WITH nasty green onions arrived and so did everything else. Probably a good thing everything came so my son and husband could start scarfing. My daughter passed the point of being reasonable for anything but fries, so I had to carry her around while the stuff was packed up. Just as well, my Thai salad was a horrible disappointment with chicken as dry as jerky, slimy spring lettuce, limited and bland peanut sauce. I ate 3 bites and lost my appetite. I tried eating the onion laden potato skins, but they were so flavorless that salt couldn't even perk them up. I should have had fish& chips I guess, it's the only thing I remembered they did well before they moved twice. Oh and my son and I went to the bathroom to wash our hands before dinner. The rage music coming from the kitchen was so loud that we couldn't hear each other at the sink. The sink was nearly overflowing and paper towels were haphazardly sitting on the edge of the counter instead of the dispenser. Pretty sure I dried our hands on dirty towels. I didn't bother to really complain, the staff seemed oblivious to any needs or cared to inquire when I declined a box (while stating the salad was horrible). Plus I wasn't interested in waiting for a remake, whatsoever. I couldn't wait to get out of there for my own sanity; and my kids did remarkable considering the very loud environment and long wait. We won't be back, and we remembered why we never made it a point to dine there.

Samoa Cookhouse - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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