I'm teetering between 3-4 stars for my review of Samoa Cookhouse. I visited for breakfast one morning, upon the recommendation of someone I met during my vacation in the area. I like the idea of cookhouse-style seating, where you never know who you might be eating with - potentially a communal meal! I was seated at the end of a table, and the way the seating rotations worked, I never actually had anyone sitting directly next to me. The food is the same for breakfast for everyone - there is no menu. I was brought a plate with two biscuits and a bowl of what I suspect was supposed to be sausage gravy; and then later a plate of French toast, scrambled eggs, and three sausage links. Butter is available in pre-wrapped pats, maple syrup in a small serving pitcher. I was also served coffee and water (I had to ask for the water). The texture of the biscuits causes me to suspect they were pre-made. Not flaky biscuits - more bread-like. The "gravy" that was served with the biscuits had almost no flavor. The scrambled eggs were also rather bland, The French Toast is exactly what you'd expect, and the sausage links - those were tasty. I added salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce to the scrambled eggs to make them tastier; and I added butter and syrup to the French Toast. There is nothing wrong with the food. Just do not expect to come in and order off a menu. There are no menus. Service was a bit slow the day I visited. #SamoaCookhouse read more

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Think "family style diner." Breakfast would likely have been better. Just kinda meh. Everything was ok at best. We came on a fried chicken night. Nothing to write home about. All you can eat, but not worth the price in my opinion. Desert was a bit dry (apple spice cake). Family atmosphere was nice though. They didn't mention that salad dressing was an additional charge either, and they were running out of items pretty early. read more

Thanks for everything that you guys do and I still love your guys food and want to eat there again and again and again and again

This is really more about feeding your family cheap, which they do well, than anything to do with actual cuisine. While servings are generous, and prices below market, food generally tastes like it came premade and from cans. Service is as good as attitude loaded adolescents can provide. Don't hurt yourself by asking any questions about the restaurant's history or even fixed menu details. The museum is very good, parking is plentiful, and the history of the area is fascinating. read more

As the other non-white person on this place (The other is a black guy in the kitchen making the fried chicken), I approve of this place! No wonder they have been open since 1893. - The bread is home made and so soft! - Fresh salad (yeah, I'm not a salad person so I'll leave the review for salad bland) - Vegetable soup was hot and amazing (try dipping the bread in it) - fried chicken is better than KFC, taste a bit similar but a couple of notches better read more

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Great for breakfast. We didn't have the dinner or lunch. The French toast was amazing and the sausage links and eggs were good too. The staff is really friendly. Don't expect a fine dining experience. It is a cookhouse! We loved our experience. We were passing through and it was recommended and I am glad we went. Oh! You can only have what is on the menu for the day, which I thought was really interesting and fun. read more

It had been quite some time since visiting the Samoa Cookhouse and it did not disappoint. The dinners come with soup or salad, an exception in this day and age. I think the Cookhouse has been suffering recently in finding employees to work due to Covid, so they're open less hours than normal, but the food was outstanding! I was also impressed with the historical section of the restaurant, shedding light on the history of the town and restaurant. read more

Samoa Cookhouse - Entrance - American Near Me - Samoa, California

Came inside and waited 2 hours. Have gone here in the past but have never waited that long! this was in mid August and there was a HUGE tour group who took over the whole restaurant read more

The place was unique and interesting. The menu is fixed and changes weekly. The food is served family style and is all you can eat. We went for breakfast and arrived when they were switching from breakfast to lunch. We got French toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. The whole meal reminded me of my navy days, and was pretty good. We were seated right away. read more

Samoa Cookhouse is back from COVID! We were in town for Labor Day weekend and thought they were closed. On a whim we drove out just to peek at it and they opened only two days prior. Had a great dinner of grilled pork chops, peas and roasted potatoes with Lemon cake for dessert. And of course the great soup and fresh baked bread. So glad we got to eat here again. They were spacing customers far apart ... no ore family style table seating for now! Masks required and the staff were friendly and service was excellent. read more

Went first time in a few years so disappointing. Food needed seasonings. Staff was good.

This family-style serving restaurant on the Coast is a MUST! If youre driving through and youre hungry (like, really hungry!) come here for your meal. I know they serve lunch and dinner (not sure about breakfast). It's an old logging mill and they have a museum with tons of historic stuff inside (the place is huge!) My boyfriend used to work at a lumberyard so he enjoyed walking around and talking to the kids and me about some of the tools, and checking out old boots and the like. But the FOOD!!! And service... that's what youre going to go for! Our meal started with a bowl of delicious soup (and an offer of a refill when we finished it), a loaf of fresh baked bread, salads, side dishes (veggies, beans) and incredible chicken parmesan. We were there for lunch. Ham came with that meal had we stayed for dinner, for only a couple dollars more. Really, really good deal for the amount and quality of food you get. read more

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What a great lunch/dinner. We came to lunch and had the chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans and it was FANTASTIC. The chicken noodle soup was homemade and amazing and our server, Pam, always brings her best, hospitable and welcoming. We'd come back just for her service. We came here a few years ago and it was just meh, but man have they improved by leaps and bounds. It's a great fixture in Humboldt count and worth trying if you're in town. read more

This is a lumberjack style eatery. I imagine not in Covid season, that the tables fill up so you are sitting next to other guests. There's only one thing on the menu for each meal time and you can have as much as you want. We had sausage and eggs and French toast and biscuits and gravy (extra charge). It was so much fun. Huell Howser visited here also. And there's a lumber museum. read more

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Wow.. Do I feel ripped off! Have been coming here off/on for 30-years when I'm in NorCal. What junk food they served. Those dishes/meal was worth between $10 and $12.99! The bread was palatable. The chicken was bland. The ribs were pork although at the price they charge, they should have been beef. The 'chocolate cake' was so absolutely disgusting that NONE in our party got past one bite. If that was scratch, they need to switch to box. I'm gone. Never again. Don't just not waste your money, don't even waste the trip. Edit: I was told my review was "full of shit" and that Samoa is the same as always. My only response is that your palate must be thoroughly unrefined if you think Samoa has good food. read more

Samoa Cookhouse - Was recommended.... We'll see. - American Near Me - Samoa, California

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So much history can be found at this place. It use to be a place where loggers would go get their 3 meals a day and the whole place is lined with old photos and logging artifacts. Every year, once a year, my family and I would come to this place for breakfast after a long week of camping just before our return trip home and it was pretty much the best breakfast ever. Served family style and all you can eat, you get eggs, sausage, juice, pancakes, coffee, biscuits and gravy, french toast and their heavenly bread served with jam. In fact, we would always buy a loaf to take home with us. There is no choice in what you order what so ever, there is one meal for everyone and the day's menu is written on a chalkboard outside the front door as you enter. Plus everyone sits at one of the long communal tables much like the loggers had, which is fun for making some new friends. Over the years I have noticed less and less people dining at this place. I remember a line out the door as a kid and having to cruelly wait to get a seat as the smells tempted and tickled my stomach. Not sure why less and less people come to this amazing place, could be the economy, but the food is always as good as I had remembered it. Everyone should try this place at least once in their lifetime. read more

Samoa Cookhouse - American Near Me - Samoa, California

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This 124 year old restaurant is a great place for a group with large appetites. The food is very good and served in unlimited quantities. You sit at long tables and the food is served family style, with large platters and bowls of food to be passed around. Still hungry? just ask for more (and more and more, if you want). It is a fixed menu that changes daily and is different for each meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Call ahead to find out the menu. There is no ordering; everything they have for that meal is served and you take what you want. If it's not offered at that time, you can't have it. But what they do have is delicious, and there is plenty of it! This historic cookhouse has been used to feed lumber camp workers since 1890. Now that there are no lumber camps, the restaurant still operates and is open to the public. We went here for a late lunch and ate enough food that we didn't need dinner. Our lunch was a delicious soup, a salad, bread and butter, vegetables and beans, chicken with a delicious sauce, and fantastic potatoes. Coffee, hot tea, or iced tea is included, as well as dessert. All this for $13.95 each. (Kids are half price and seniors get a 10% discount). When you are done eating, take the time to explore the adjacent museum, which has lots of interesting artifacts of the lumber days. When we were there, there was a large birthday party in one of the very large banquet rooms. This place was built to feed large groups of people. read more

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I've never been to a restaurant like this, to me it is unique. There are long tables and you sit with people you don't know. I didn't mind because it wasn't crowded and I was not sitting next to a stranger but if I had to I might have been slightly uncomfortable because honestly I'm just not that friendly. Other then that, the people who worked there were so nice!! Our waitress explained the history of the cookhouse. Basically it was a place where loggers came to eat. There is no menu, you eat whatever is served. You can call and ask what they are serving for the week if you don't want to be surprised. The food all came out piping hot. We had biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausages and French toast. They bake their own bread so the French toast was awesome! I have to admit, it was the best damn French toast I have ever eaten. No joke, legit. The restaurant is also a museum, when you are stuffed full, take some time to look around and digest that yummy food! read more

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The Samoa Cookhouse is the place to go for a good old fashioned lumberjack breakfast. Everything is served family style with a set price and what they fix is what you get. Classic! Once you're done stuffing yourself, take a stroll through the logging museum in the same building. This whole place is a step back in time. Love it! read more

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This is my second time here. I come from out of town but I really enjoy coming here when I can come. The place is an old loggers restaurant. Imagine an older brick House built in the early 60s with long dining tables. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is preset per day. There is an entree and than main course. Imagine a really good home town Buffet where the food is cook out fresh. Everything is seasoned well with not too much salt. You can add salt and black pepper to your own liking. I had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy served with corn and salad. Dessert is also included. Everyone approved the food. Customer service is prompt and you don't have to wait too long. read more

Samoa Cookhouse - Chicken fried steak breast meat with ranch and Tabasco - American Near Me - Samoa, California

Way over priced 40$ for what was one order of fish and chips....3 fish and chips... Stay away read more

Yummy service is good and quick and food is yummy, very nice cook and waitress. Recommend for small dinner parties , dinner is really yummy, haven't had breakfast in a few years here but the fried chicken is so great. read more

Very unique. Must visit if you're touring North Cal. Used to be a cookhouse for a factory. Keeps the same vibe and inexpensive for the portions. Really good good and service. read more

Real history in an old lumber mill cookhouse. Fabulous meals family style. A very fun place and experience for young and old.

Waited for an hour to be seated. Service sucked. It was not busy but our waitress was pushing her cart around like a chicken with her head cut off. Slammed our plates down on table and took off. Was never greeted. Plain scrambled eggs, french toast with no butter. I would of loved some salsa and butter. Couldn't catch the waitress. Asked another waitress if we could have biscuits and gravy? $4.95 extra charge! My bf only got one cup of coffee. The food was ok but way over priced. Won't be back. read more

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Unfortunately here is another institution that is going to be gone soon because of efficient ownership. According to the employees, the Samoa Cookhouse has recently changed owners and I can tell you from experience it's not going well so far. My first indication that something was wrong was when they did not post their weekly menu on their Facebook page. When you go to the Samoa Cookhouse website and you click on menu it immediately tells you to go to their Facebook page that their weekly menu is posted every Thursday for the following week. Last Thursday it was not posted for this week so I called them and said what's the menu? It's not posted on Facebook... The woman on the phone said yes they had new owners and they had not gotten the password yet for the Facebook site to post the menu. OK no big deal. We went for dinner on Wednesday night and everything went well. I will say the wait staff and employees are extremely nice and accommodating. We decided to go back tonight for ribs. What a disaster! Tonight on the menu was barbecued pork ribs, corn on the cob and potato salad. Along with their soup and salad which comes with every meal. Dinner is from 5 to 8. We arrived at approximately 6 o'clock and after eating our soup and salad we were served a very small plate of two pork ribs for the two of us. No big deal, it's all you can eat so we were not worried. After finishing the two pork ribs we asked for more. We received two more which were basically in-edible because they were all bone. Again no big deal we will just ask for more. That was the time that we were told that unfortunately they were very sorry but they had run out of pork ribs. It was 6:40 PM and technically they were open for another hour and a half. The waitress said The food portions had been off lately because of new ownership but she could bring us more corn LOL. The Samoa cookhouse is an institution in the Eureka area. I have been coming to the Samoa Cookhouse since I was a child in the 70s. I am so sad to see that it is now owned by a corporation and they are not doing a good job so far. The Danco group is the new owners and according to Google search they are pretty prolific in this area as far as property management ownership. Maybe they should stick with managing properties and get out of the restaurant business. read more

Cannot give this place a lower than 1 star, it should stay closed, do not eat here if you value your stomach.

This place has a been a family favorite for years! I love the museum, and all the historic artifacts that surround you while you enjoy their warm home made bread with butter or jelly. Yum. While menu items don't change really drastically, their fair is consistently tasty, and you are definitely well filled, and satisfied at the end of your meal. The staff is always friendly, and welcoming, and seem to pretty flexible considering all the changes going on during this pandemic. Keep up the good work!! And keep going to work! I personally am thankful that there are people out there who still want to be courteous to the public! = ) read more

Small museum attached to basic camp style eating at its best! My first eats at this family favorite happened when I was a young child. I have had the honor to bring my mother and my children back. We love the family style meals and all you can eat menu with warm biscuits & gravy or with butter and jelly. This is a must experience restaurant when traveling the California coast. We stop on the way to Oregon or on the way back to California. I always get a warm nostalgic feeling when I think of eating at Samoa cookhouse and we look forward to returning on our next trip. read more

The food is great. This place gives you a cool look at the history of the area while serving delicious food you'd expect to find at you own dinner table. read more

Good, decent, hearty food. Nothing special but a good place for a solid meal not fancy. It's got a built in museum which is cool.

Fantastic atmosphere and family style dining (long tables) since the 1890's! They used to serve lumberjacks and mill workers 100 years ago. Visit their website to see what they're serving for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week. It's great food, and you'd better bring an appetite! read more

Great cozy place for breakfast. Great food and people. We might be back for dinner!!!

5 for history and maybe 2-3 for food. I read the reviews and people are pretty harsh as if they looking for Zagat rated.

If family style eating with a set menu each day for each meal with set meal prices for each age group and an warm and inviting atmosphere, then this place is definitely meant for you. Sure the food isn't fabulous, but it's the experience more than anything that you're paying for. It's fun to go with family and friends, or a first date because it's so casual there. You'll never leave with an empty stomach! read more

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I gave it two stars instead of one only because I've been here a bunch of times where it was amazing. Yesterday, Thanksgiving, on the other hand was another story entirely. I made reservations for the 3 o'clock seating for a party of 5. We arrived early and when we got to the hostess desk she asked for the reservation name. When I told her my last name she could not find any reservation, which I made on the phone with a human. She looked and looked and finally found a reservation with only the name "Mike", no last name. She was very nice about it and assumed that that was our reservation. She seated us immediately. Then, after about 15 minutes our server greeted us. As far as I could tell he was responsible for 3 10-person tables in the restaurant....none of which were full yet, so I'm not sure what took so long. Before it sounds like I'm bashing him, I do want to say that he was extremely nice and personable. Eventually we ordered our food and drinks. We got our drinks pretty quickly. We were served our soup and salad quickly as well. Since we were a party of 5, he brought us 2 bowls of soup and 1 small bowl of salad. He also brought us a basket of bread that only had 4 slices of bread in it. The family next to us were two adults and two very small children. Their basket of bread was damn near an entire loaf. We finished our soup and salad pretty quickly considering there wasn't very much. We then waited another 45 minutes before we got our dinner....needless to say I finished all the bread because we were hungry. We intentionally did not order more salad or soup because if you have ever eaten at the cookhouse you know the dinner portions are going to be huge!.......not so much. When our waiter brought our dinner, the turkey was on a 8" plate and was about enough for 2 or 3 people....not even close for 5 people......Again, I didn't say anything at the time because I know I can always order more.......again, not so much. We all literally took a tiny portion of everything and finished within 10 minutes....I asked the waiter for another round of everything. After almost an hour, we got more food....almost the entire restaurant's 3 o'clock seating had eaten and left, only our waiter's tables were still seated. When we did get our second round of food I noticed that the potatoes and green beans were completely different than the first round. The second serving were made with red potatoes and we found several chunks of uncooked potatoes, which tells me that at some point they ran out of food and had to scramble to make more, and definitely cut corners in an effort to put food out. I figured that he had to wait so long because they had to make more food, but as I watched the table next to us get service after service, I don't think that was the case. The table next to us (same waiter) had four servings of food before we got our second. The quality of food was not good. The turkey was ok, but the potatoes were under done and the stuffing (I guess that's what they called it) tasted like over spiced saw dust.....it was grainy and had big chunks of gizzards and or hearts in it.....it was disgusting. I know this review sounds harsh but I feel it's well deserved on this occasion. I've had great experiences at the Cookhouse and WAS planning on going to their fried chicken dinner tonight, but that changed. I don't know if they've had an ownership change or what, but it was very disappointing. My wife mentioned the poor service to the hostess when we were paying and she did give us a discount, which I felt was nice. read more

Blast from the past... great prices, friendly passionate staff & best fried chicken in northern california

The whole experience was sad. We have eaten there in the past when we traveled. Now we live in Oregon and drove down to Eureka Small portions, very expensive for what you get and staff busy laughing and talking. Dinner was Pork Roast, rice with gravy, vegetables, soup and some lettuce salad. It's left over from lunch so the Pork had to be covered with gravy it was so dry. I guess we will keep our memories from other visits because it is not going to be there much longer read more

This is a historical place to eat at. Every decoration is traditional! Lunch menu is fixed! It is a all u can eat style. Although everything is not fancy, food quality and service is very good!! Everything is house made. read more

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We stop by here every chance we get! I especially love this place for breakfast, as w ejust can't get enough of it!