Love Samoa Cookhouse! It's a great place to have any kind of even at or just eat out with the family! Definitely needs better later hours though or 24/7 kind of deal or something! read more

August 6, 2019 SAMOA COOK HOUSE 908 Vance Ave, Samoa, CA 95564 Attn: Restaurant General Manager Dear Sir: Last night, during our trip north in your area, my Lady and I chose your restaurant above others to dine. We arrived about 5:30pm & we were greeted at the door by a young man. We were escorted to the large dining room where we were introduced to (AMBER), our server for the evening. Not being use to 1800 cook house kind of food or service, we were a bit skeptical as what was ahead of us. Our, order was taken and I must say that it was prepared and presented perfectly. We had the MEAT LOAF SPECIAL. We shared what was served and the food was prepared by a true Chef, not just a cook. I was also very impressed when the server came to us, numerous times to make sure that our meal was to our expectations. They were and we talked a bit about the preparation method of our dishes. I think at this time, I should introduce myself. My name is Pahl M. Goff (retired) In my younger years I was the Food and Beverage Manager at the famous Arrowhead Springs Hotel, Resort & Spa. Located in the mountains above San Bernardino, CA. When I walk into your restaurant, your Server has automatically made a 30% TIP. To be honist the average TIP usually ends up being about 15%. Most restaurants with their food and service fail for the 30% TIP. (TIPS) (To Insure Prompt Service) Where that TIP goes will depend on the service I receive. You and all of your staff are representing your restaurant. Your server received a 30% gratuity. Amber will remember me as part of her TIP was in the form of a check to her. I will return to your restaurant again when in your area and bringing new customers with every visit. Thank you and special thanks to, our server for a job well done. Respectfully; Pahl M. Goff RETIRED FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER 1962 - 1972 read more

Home cooking with a true fam feel to it. The hosts and servers greet u into this community establishment where large and small parties can enjoy solid home cooking. We had soup, salad, Texas sized bread, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn and spice cake. It's ayce so order wisely. It's a filling meal for all!!! read more

The atmosphere is still the same but our chicken dinner was not good & the soup was horrible. Not even sure what it was. Salad was old & browning. Bread is great & you can buy it by the loaf. read more

Absolutely delicious home cooked food that will feed your body and soul. We had the potroast with potatoes, carrots and home made bread!!!! Super friendly service.so glad we tried this amazing treasure out. read more

We went for breakfast. They were offering French toast, sausage links, and eggs. The food was good and the service was great. Total home and comfortable place. Kids 4 and under eat free, which is unheard of these days. Would highly recommend if you want a place for great breakfast. read more

The tables are dirty. Food took an hour and a half to arrive. Food was basic. Dessert cut hours before served making it dry and nasty.

The old standby ever since the college days! Great food served Family style and don't forget the Hammond room. Named after my great great grandfather Jedediah Hammond LOL :-)! Scott Hammond, State farm insurance, Eureka, California read more

Lots of history, tons of food! You won't leave hungry!!! Homemade food cafeteria style!

Awesome find. You eat what they give you and if you want more you just ask. Great comfort food. Also great for historians. Lumber artifacts all over the place. read more

tried this place again...dont know why, I guess hoping it would be better than last time and hopefully as good as it used to be..see photos. it may look ok, but its not. the offered to take money off bill, but I don't want free stuff...my fault for going back. French toast had zero 'toast' to it, totally soggy. the scrambled egg...hehehe. just, don't know what they were...fake eggs? real eggs? our came out hard and powdery tasting with a boiled egg looking yolk...just nasty. waitress brought them back and said the cook just wants people to know they are not powdered eggs...I would have preferred EDIBLE powdered eggs than non-edible real, oh well. the sausage, although not jerky like previous visit, had some greasy ooze coming out of it. waitress said "I don't eat sausage, but it looks good to me. same sausage as we have had for over 50 years" I guess Sysco delivered back in logger days??? bottom line, I don't know how this place stays open...I guess it is tourist money wanting something historical...TOURIST...love your business, but don't waste your money here!!! as said before, we will NOT BE GOING BACK!! read more

I have been wanting to eat here forever. So I ordered fried chicken from Door Dash the portion was large for 1 order. The chicken was good and seasoned well. Sides were good but the bread and soup were delicious. We went in over the weekend it was bbq chicken and once again good portions and good food. I have no complaints and I'm picky. It's not supposed to be a 5 restaurant it's authentic. I liked it and we will definitely be back. The staff were all very nice and attentive. read more

Stopped yesterday for our 4th time passing through over the years. Each time over the years it seemed to change for the worse not the better. Yesterday while we got full the food was just barely ok from what it used to be like and on top of that we had the worst Waitress which doesn't make matters any better. I don't see us stopping back here again read more

This was a very disappointing meal for us. First they are out of bread. No soup was served. Pasta was dry and looked like it had been sitting for hours. Chicken was OK. Waitress was friendly. Food sucked!! I read more

Awesome atmosphere and great food. Served family style makes it even better. Will definitely go back when in the area.

Great food and great staff. Glad to see Samoa Cookhouse open and ramping up. Looking forward to coming back hear to break bread again. read more

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

First time here. This place is very unique. It looks like you are having a picnic indoors. Our server explained to us that they serve food like they used to, to all the lumberjacks. Everyone eats the same thing which is great! They have breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived in time for dinner, so we had soup, salad, corn, mashed potatoes and fried chicken, for dessert they ran out of the chocolate cake so we had a piece of brownie which I didn't like. (Not a big fan of brownie) overall the service was great and the food is good. Totally recommend this place if you are out in this area! Btw- when you are walking out by the register they have a small display area of what lumberjacks used back in the days. Very interesting. read more

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All you can eat was not the experience I received after receiving my first plate she came over filled the drink asked me if I wanted anymore told her I would love more and it never came I asked a second waitress to feel my drink it was a busy day but $20 for one piece of chicken ..The people next to me felt generous and gave my brother a second Piece of chicken after waiting 45 minutes my brother and I decided to leave we never even got dessert. read more

Samoa Cookhouse - American Near Me - Samoa, California

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Obviously not an extensive menu selection but the food itself was very good and a fun experience! Kids loved the chocolate dessert! The wait staff was really nice too:) Kids also loved the on-site museum with old cooking and other tools - they could "play" with the old typewriters and registers. Definitely a must go to when in the area! read more

I apparently went for the dystopian breakfast. The eggs were from a powder mix. I sausages tasted of rancid futility. The only thing that helped, was sipping some of the tar flavored Farmer Bros coffee, which made the entire breakfast a bizarre experience. Stuck with their bread and butter, maybe dinner is better? read more

This place sucks. You sit and wait for a half hour and then they tell you it will be another hour. Don't even waste your time coming out here. read more

Apparently, you may now only have either soup or salad for lunch unless you pay extra. Also, they're really strict about sharing food. Which I get like if you have one person eating a soup and salad and their friend eating a full meal at an AYCE, you don't want your customers cheating by ordering through through the one person who has the full meal. But when you have two customers who both ordered full meals, I personally don't think me having some of my friend's soup and her having some of my salad merits the waitress bearing down on us to lay down the law since ultimately, we're both going to be eating the same volume of food. @ whoever was cheating Samoa Cookhouse: nice job ruining it for the rest of us. All that aside, though, I don't think the waitress (forget her name) needed to treat us like she already assumed we were going to try to start something with her. She was telling us about cameras as if we were asking her to steal from the owner and all that instead of addressing my questions. I just came here to show my friend the whole national-parks-and-history road trip experience, not the police state experience, you know? I mean, I don't want to be that customer who's throwing a tantrum because things aren't going the way he or she thinks it should go, it's just that because I have been to Samoa Cookhouse many times over the years since I was a kid, the changes are kinda difficult to digest. Having someone raising their voice at me did not make it easier for me to understand. As someone who has been many times, usually the staff is friendly or at least polite. I'd never seen this waitress before. So I'm still giving Samoa Cookhouse an "A-OK" rating but I'm not the fan I was before. read more

This place is awesome, the food is great and the people are friendly! Even through this farce of the Planned-demic this place rocks! The people from Eureka who complained may have a personal vendetta against the restaurant because I come here all the time and never experienced anything of what they're talking about. read more

5 stars all day long! Had the fried chicken and it was some of the best I've had in a long time. The only time that might have been better was decades ago when i had some adventures in the deep swamps of South Carolina on St John's Island. But I seriously can vouch for the Southern style fried chicken. Wow. read more

I remember coming to this place as a kid and LOVING it. I went back there with my family and it was just, okay. The bread was cold, the mash potatoes were lukewarm and the soup was horrible. The fried chicken was still good and they ONLY have welch's jelly. I remember they had homemade marmalade that was so good! I will give this place one more try but disappointed in my return. read more

Wonderful historic location, good food but hardly any veggie options. The cookhouse has a rich history that's detailed on their website, and worth a read. The restaurant is a drive down the 255, and it's a fun drive until the fog takes over! They have a set menu each day of the week, with a special soup and entree. The Thai chicken soup was good, and the beef stroganoff was excellent. There's unlimited refills. However, if you are vegetarian, you are limited to bread, salad, and dessert. It's filling but certainly not as fun. They do a discounted price for the vegetarians, and the servers told me that they have veggie soups and other options sometimes. Very reasonable prices overall. The museum is spread around the dining hall and very interesting. Definitely worth a visit. read more

This was my first visit. It was a little different with the fixed menu meaning whatever day you show up with it's what they're serving and that's what you get and it's all you can eat!. We were there on a Sunday morning so that consisted of biscuits and gravy sausage French toast and eggs. All very basic but it did the job. Our waitress was there but we continually had to flag her down to get refills. read more

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Excellent place for a family dinner. It's family style service, so whatever is on the menu is what they serve. It's a bit pricy, since they serve only between say, 5-8:30 pm, but you can call ahead to ask what's on the menu. It's all you can eat, so ask for seconds and thirds. Many people do this, judging from the high percentage of rather large people there when we walked in at 6:30 pm. We had the Roast Beef and Chicken Parmesan, with green beans, potatoes, and salad, plus the pineapple cake, all included in the price. Bring your big friends and eat like champs! Well recommended, we will return. read more

Very fun place! The French toast is delicious. IT IS MADE FROM THE HOMEMADE LOAVES OF BREAD THAT ARE BAKED there on site! Could not ask for better. The history of the place is fascinating. I do suggest better eggs though - not much flavor. Coffee is good. Service is quick and very nice. Can't wait to go back some day read more

Haven't been here in decades. In college I didn't have much money for eating out. A few times I saved my Marine Corps stipend - $100 a month and my friends would go on a long bike ride to Eureka, via Freshwater and end up at Samoa Cook House. We'd lock up our bikes and eat more breakfast than most mortals. Great food, simple and hearty. Loved it. read more

This review is for the place and the experience, not the food. This place is a relic. The dining experience is unparalleled. The building is a treasure. The wait staff is full of gems and sweet kindness. The food isn't good. It's baseline sustenance harkening back to strong stereotype ideas about "country cooking". It does come in quantity. A bit of it may be palatable. Don't come here because the food is amazing. Come here because you'll have a great time! read more

Definitely a down home comfort food kind of place with quite a heritage. What they lack in finesse, they make up in generous portions. It was an interesting experience eating in an old cookhouse read more

Used to love this place but have noticed a drop in quality recently. Its still ok, but seems a bit pricey for the quality of food and drinks. The iced tea used to be fresh brewed, now its out of a soda machine and is terrible. The OJ is frozen and watery, and the portions get smaller and smaller the more food you order. Pancake syrup is very cheap and fake, and pancakes last two times have been under cooked and doe like. Service is still friendly and fantastic. The sausage and bread still rock. And they still have high quality jelly and jam. But I worry when I see cost cutting in other areas. read more

I love the concept, the value, and the food! It is all you can eat, but instead of going up to get food, the super friendly server brings the food to be eaten family style. For $14.50, we got fresh, thick, white bread, minestrone soup, and salad for starters. Ribs, corn, baked beans, potatoes for the main course. And spiced cake on pudding for dessert. Very typical traditional American food, but you can see the effort they put into the dishes. The soup had big chunks of fresh looking vegetables, and the baked beans had multiple types of beans. Food were seasoned nicely, not salty or too sweet like many typical American restaurants. The service was really nice as well! read more

Samoa Cookhouse - Delicious minestrone soup. - American Near Me - Samoa, California

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You will pay for the atmosphere and not the quality of the food. Went there on pork rib night and the food was very bland --pretty much no flavor. Similar to school cafeteria food. read more

Samoa Cookhouse is a little off the beaten track but if you are visiting Humboldt county, it's a gem that's needs to be visited. It had a museum showcasing the old logging days and beautiful redwoods/sequoias. They only serve one thing for each meal each day, family style; but you can have as much as you want. If you want comfort food this is the place to go! Highly recommend! read more

"Portion Control", "Diet", "No thanks, I'm watching my weight" These are forbidden words and phrases when you enter Samoa Cookhouse. You don't need to be a logger to eat at this legendary, family style dining establishment. Samoa Cookhouse was probably the first AYCE on the West Coast and trust me when I say you better be hungry when you stop by this place. I recommend coming here for breakfast versus the other meals. Imagine this..no seriously, have someone read this part of the review to you as you gaze into the sky. Ahem... Imagine endless amount of eggs and sausage in warm serving bowls engulfed with laughter from friends and family as they pass the butter dish around the picnic table. Fresh baked bread are like pillows of cushy dough underneath your head as you stare into clouds that resemble fluffy biscuits floating in the breeze. In this world, the all-you-can-drink OJ flows like wine. Pancakes are used as napkins to soak up sweet maple syrup dripping off your chin... Yeah, that just happened. We went on a Samoa Cookhouse dream scape...and you loved every moment of our journey. read more

I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay. I sleep all night and I work all day... The Samoa Cookhouse, is one of the last remaining original, lumber style cookhouses. It was established in 1890 and after a delicious and hearty family style meal (I prefer breakfast here), there's an interesting logging museum and lots of historical photos. This place is right out of Road Food and is well worth the stop for the unique local experience and that you won't need to eat for a week after finishing up. Unfortunately, the Lumber industry on the North Coast is a shadow of its former self and this place looks a bit lonely among this former bustling industrial center on the Somoa Peninsula. I cut down trees. I eat my lunch. I go to the lavatory. On Wednesdays I go shoppin' And have buttered scones for tea..... read more

I rarely review anything, but this was the worst dining experience we've ever had. We took our family of six expecting an experience similar to those we'd had in years past. We waited over an hour and a half to be seated when the dining room was practically empty. When we were finally seated the bread was cold and hard, we had no butter, no jam, and no water. We were eventually served salad and soup and then were completely forgotten. We left after almost three hours having never been served dinner. The couple next to us left before being served dessert. Two people warned us on their way out as we waited, but we didn't listen. Sadly, this was the last time we will eat at the Samoa cookhouse. read more

Oh my goodness...why have I not reviewed this yet? I love love love the Somoa Cookhouse. My grandfather used to take us here when I was little. I remember the long tables, the food, and sitting at tables where you don't know who half (or more) of the people are. Now that I am older, every time I get the chance to come to Eureka, I go to the Somoa Cookhouse. Part nolstalgia, yes. Part great food and a cool little museum, yes. I bring whomever I can here, so they too can experience the Somoa Cookhouse. One tip: come hungry. Very very hungry. It is that good. Oh, and no diets, at least not here. It would be a shame and a waste...just close your eyes, forget about the calories, and nom that fried chicken... read more