A Disappointing Return to What Was Once a Favorite It pains me to write this review, as Dutchman's Seafood House had been our cherished destination since July 2020. My wife and I chose this restaurant to celebrate our joint birthdays (that are just couple days apart), based on numerous positive previous experiences. Unfortunately, the establishment has changed dramatically, and not for the better. The evening began with concerning service issues. Despite informing our waiter about our birthday celebration, we waited over 10 minutes just to place drink orders, followed by another 20-minute wait for cocktails to arrive. The food order timing was equally problematic, with a 40-minute wait for our dishes to come. The quality of the food, which had previously been excellent, was unfortunately subpar: The local oysters were poorly shucked, with shell fragments in every single one - a serious safety concern. The way they had been thrown onto the plate showed absolutely no care. The clam chowder, once a highlight, was more reminiscent of mashed potatoes, over-thickened with flour and containing minimal clams. The mixed seafood and chips arrived swimming in butter - the top pieces were dried out while the bottom layer was soggy with garlic-butter-soaked breadcrumbs, masking any seafood flavor. I will not be surprised to guess, frozen seafood is now used for this dish. This is particularly disappointing for a waterfront restaurant in a renowned fishermen's town. Our dessert experience was equally underwhelming. Having noticed other birthday celebrations in the restaurant during previous visits, we ordered crème brûlée, which was practically thrown onto our table. Even getting our check required an unnecessary wait. The service seemed to decline noticeably once our waiter realized we weren't locals, which is unacceptable for a restaurant in a tourist destination. This marks our second consecutive disappointing experience at Dutchman's. While one subpar visit could be dismissed as an off day, two suggest a concerning pattern. Needless to say we had not received any complementary congratulation or special attention from the waitress after spending $100+ per person. The waitress even spoke to us as we were bothering her with placing more orders for cocktails. Very disappointing experience both on the personal level and food-wise. It seems the marketing strategy is now: 'These are tourists, they are here just once, so who cares. Well, we don't care for sure...' For a restaurant that was once a highlight of every Central Coast trip, this decline in both food quality and service standards is heartbreaking. Given our history with the establishment, this is especially difficult to write, but we cannot recommend what was once our favorite seafood destination. read more

The Dutchie - thick and starchy chowder - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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Fairly good experience here, for the most part. My only complaint is that both the halibut and snapper were a little dry and the service was lackluster, at best. Oysters on half shell were delish. Ambiance was nice with views overlooking the ocean and morro rock. read more

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Great management and overall execution. Food was delicious, atmosphere was comfortable and a priceless beach setting. My family was happy to eat here, which says something because generally we are disappointed elsewhere when dining out. Just thought they deserved a shout out for an excellent 10 out of 10 dining experience. read more

Great seafood with a great view. We were fortunate to be seated outside on the pier. It's an insulated glass room with outdoor heaters so it didn't get too chilly. We ordered: Cioppino Buttered clams Bay Alfredo Calamari and chips The buttered clam tasted amazing and the toasted cheesy bread they gave on the side was heaven when enjoyed with the clam broth. I honestly could've ordered one to myself. The seafood was fresh and seasoned great. It gets pretty busy and we waited about 40 minutes for 3 so put your name on the list before your hangry read more

The Dutchie - Buttered clams - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

A visit to the coast generally calls for seafood. We ordered takeout to share in our vacation rental. In general, we were all satisfied. I had the cioppino and shared a shrimp cocktail. My son enjoyed the shrimp cocktail, garlic bread, and some fried fish. My mother had the clam chowder and a bread bowl. She said this chowder did not disappoint. My husband and father both had the fish and chips. There were few complaints. I would definitely visit again. Portions were very fair and the flavors were there. read more

We Had lunch here today, 6 of us. I'm no a seafood eater but the chicken club sandwich was very good. Fresh ingredients and chicken tasted fresh. My wife ordered the fish and chips she really liked it. Servings were plentiful and cooked well. read more

We came here after finding out Giovanni's was closed already. This was the second time this has happened to us! I've been trying to go to Giovanni's for a couple of years but they're always closed when we try to go. Oh well cause we would never have found Dutchman's otherwise! There was plenty of parking available on the street and there was a lot across the way. It's super cute that you walk through this little area to the back where the restaurant is past the gift shop. The hostess immediately got up and asked us which table we'd like and we couldn't pass up having an ocean view right in front of Morro rock. It was perfect and we got to see seals, otters and kayakers right by our window. Our waitress was also very nice and hospitable. We ordered two cups of New England-Style clam chowder and the Dutchman's Platter. This was way more food than I expected and kept the two of us full. The clam chowder was delicious and hot and went perfectly with the little oyster crackers. They really fill that chowder bowl up to the brim! The Dutchman's Platter came with fries, two pieces of Alaskan cod, two large prawns, calamari and clam strips with three sauces: tartar, sweet chili and cocktail. The portion was very generous and honestly we were struggling to finish it towards the end. The food is very hot especially the fish so be careful! Our favorite sauce for everything but the fish was surprisingly the sweet chili. It had a little bit of a kick and went well with most of the items. The fish was super moist and flaky and were huge pieces that went really well with the tartar sauce. The plate is absolutely overflowing with fries. You may be tempted to order the bistro garlic fries which sounded delicious but this was plenty. The price was very reasonable for so much seafood, ambiance was good, service was good and the food was fresh and delicious. No complaints here! read more

My husband and I were here at the end of April 2022. After a long drive to the house we were going to be staying at, we needed to get some food for dinner. Obviously, Fish & Chips were on my mind. We had our dogs with us so we called again to place our order. They informed us it would take about 15-20 minutes. We ordered the Fish & Chips and clam chowder... wow everything just hit the spot. The fish were steaming hot and crispy.. a lot of fish and not overly battered. The clam chowder was also full of flavor. Just looking at the photo I took takes me back already.... yum. read more

The Dutchie - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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We went to dutchie after the dinner hour for dessert. I asked the hostess for a table without the sun shining on us. She seated us and we waited. Wait staff walked by numerous times but never said anything. After about 10 minutes we got water. We continued to wait. Wait staff kept walking by making eye contact but totally ignored us. After 25 minuted no one spoke to us but kept walking by and making eye contact. We got up and left and I told the hostess we never got to order We gave eaten here before and had excellent service. Maybe the change is for the worse. read more

While the food was relatively good, I may not be back. I ran into my server in the bathroom and they left without washing their hands. Do they really need to post a big sign in the bathroom that says "Employees Must Wash Hands." I felt so paranoid eating my food at that point. If you care to read on, I ordered the prawn pasta which was delicious in the creamy tomato sauce. The fish and chips were ok. The fish was not firm and was more on the soft mushy side. The clam chowder was thick and decent. I did not get sick but still had an icky feeling many hours later. The restaurant is located right in the main tourist area. Employees need training on restaurant hygiene practices. read more

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Food was excellent. Service was fast and friendly. They accommodated my party of one at the bar. Calamari and chips were very tasty and plentiful. Not seasoned to death, but cooked to perfection and fresh. read more

The Dutchie - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

We have often visited the shops in the building where Dutchman's is, but this trip, we decided to try the restaurant...best decision of the day! The decor is clean, fresh, simple, and beautiful. The most lovely views of Morro Rock and the bay, and the fantastic service made this visit awesome! Enjoyed the Asian Style Dutchman's Bowl & Dutchman's House Salad. Flavors were on point, textures varied...soooo happy! Also ordered & enjoyed at our table was the Grilled Rock Fish Tacos. Other awesome tidbit- when they take your name down for a table, you are notified via text when it's ready. Loved, loved,loved the entire experience & we most definitely return! read more

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Came here to try the clam chowder, which was just okay, but the cioppino was amazing. The flavor was good, and it had a good variety of seafood. This is probably the best I have had from all the places I have tried. The view of the water and Morro Rock is amazing too. read more

After a day of fishing we went to Dutchman's and had a great time! Muscles, clams and oysters oh my! Didn't get a pic of the chowder but 10/10 and the fresh halibut special was something to write home about! read more

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Beware, new ownership and quality has gone way down. Been going here for years and this last time was so disappointing. My soup was overcooked and tasted burnt. My dad wanted fish and chips and they brought out a small portion, 2 pieces, and tried to say they changed the number of pieces because the portions are larger. If those are larger portions, then you're paying $28 for three bites of fish. So sorry they have resorted to this. Oh, and it was my dad's birthday and I asked about a birthday treat. Yeah, they don't do that anymore. read more

Great ambience, service, food was pretty damn good! Came closer to closing time on a weekday but still got treated really well!

Prime view of Morro rock while you're eating. There's also a patio walkway that's open to the public that wraps around from the back. We got seated along the windows. Best view of the rock. We ordered crab cakes ($18.95), fish and chips ($16.50), and snapper (rockfish) local with the sauce from the Pacific sands dabs dish ($18.95). That was recommended by our sever and it was delicious. It's with a lemon caper sauce instead of the original lemon thyme vinaigrette sauce. Served with pilaf rice and seasonal vegetables. The best crab cakes (2). Super fresh with chunks and chunks of crab. Be careful because I bit on a piece of crab shell. The Alaskan cod was used for the fish and chips. They were giant pieces and the batter was crispy and the fish stayed moist. read more

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The food was excellent but really this review is about the service. Tyler might be the best server I have ever encountered. He was attentive, personable, knowledgeable & made great recommendations. I tried the sand dabs at Tyler's suggestion and it was delicious. If you're ever in Morro Bay, stop by this place and ask for Tyler. read more

I wanted one last tasty meal to finish off our girls trip. I found Dutchman's from Yelp. Our table had a view of Morro Bay rock. It was so pretty to have a drink and nice dinner and watch the sunset. I ordered a spicy jalapeño margarita that was pretty good. I also had a bowl of clam chowder. The texture was very different from all clam chowders I have had but it was really tasty. I also ordered the seafood cioppino. That was very tasty. I enjoyed our dinner here. read more

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Tyler our server was Wonderful. Food delicious. The Cioppono was amazing and the clam chowder too. Well be back read more

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The best meal we got when we were in Morro bay. We will definitely come back if we swing by Morro bay again. I'm going to tell everyone I know to check out this restaurant. read more

The Dutchie - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

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My fiancé & I are staying in town for the weekend & found Dutchman's at the top of the list on Yelp for restaurants in our area. We totally get why it's at the top of the list, it was an awesome find & a great restaurant. We showed up around 6:30, no reservation. We were told around a 35 minute was initially on a Friday evening, but was closer to around 15-20. We got seated & our server was super nice. We started with the crab cakes, & oh my gosh I could've eaten 4 plates of these & gone home happy! They were delicious. I ended up getting the salmon plate with potatoes instead of rice pilaf (diet restriction) & my fiancé got the halibut plate with double veggies. We each got a cup of clam chowder, mine was as is & my fiancé ordered his with crab & shrimp. The clam chowder was fantastic, again I probably could've eaten a bowl of this & been very happy but we wanted to try more items on the menu. My main course was delicious, the salmon was tender & the mashed potatoes were great. I wish the veggies were seasoned a bit more but they were still nice & tender. I like steamed veggies so it wasn't a big deal. I enjoyed the halibut a bit more than the salmon, it was even more tender & had great flavor. Our server got a kick out of how fast my fiancé ate his food lol. Over all the dinner was great, we will definitely be back! It was super foggy so we have to come back to see the view of the bay read more

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The female waitress with tattoos on her arms was serving us on Monday and she was really rude. I've ate here many times before and this was the first negative experience I had with service. She didn't check in on us during the time we were eating and stood mostly by the side talking to her coworker. It wasn't busy at all since we were there in the middle of the day. Towards the end of eating she finally came up to us, asked us how we were doing and before I could answer, she said she was sorry and left our table. She never came back, went back to standing on the side and ignored us. She didn't even give us our check, we had to ask another waitress. Will not be coming back at all to this restaurant due to the off putting service. read more

Great restaurant located in Morro Bay. This restaurant has water views and great food, not to mention its service is the best! They have free parking available across the street which is super convenient and there are many cute shops around to check out after your meal. One thing I found odd about the restaurant was the restrooms being outside. Clam chowder was hands down the favorite for everyone. Loved that they had something for everyone including my little boy. The crab and shrimp grilled cheese was something new for me and I gotta say I was impressed!! Everything goes so well together! Loved the sauce it came with, so gooood. Fried calamari was perfect as well, not too chewy and just enough crisp on the outside. I don't have to say anything about the fish because I'm sure you've read the other reviews that talk about how fresh and buttery it is :) Check it out if you're in town. Entrance is a little tricky to find but if you enter from the front of the building and walk straight forward past the shops you'll find it towards the back. read more

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The food and service was amazing! My boyfriend and I were in the area to visit Morro Bay and check it off our list of places to see in our lifetime. Our wait was about 20 minutes long, but so worth it! Who knew this place would be our dinner spot prior to our engagement?! We had THE ABSOLUTE BEST clam chowder I have ever had in my entire life. I am usually not a fan of clam chowder, but there was something special about this one. Their calamari is one of the best I've tried as well! If there's anything you should get on the menu, it's these two items! The service was amazing. I wasn't able to catch our server's name, but he was very enthusiastic and offered dishes that complimented what we ordered, he had a peppy smile and attitude which was pleasant to have. It's no wonder Morro Bay/SLO is known for their hospitality. The ambiance gave diner vibes as that was exactly what it was. It was nice being seated by the window with the view of the water with seals and the view of Morro Rock as well. I would definitely come back again for the clam chowder bowl! Don't forget to add crab for extra texture and taste. read more

The Dutchie - Clam chowder with crab meat and calamari and fries - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

Great service, amazing view, and food is always great. Dutchman's is always a great place to get good clam chowder whenever visiting. read more

The Dutchie - Kids menu - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

I love this place! They have the best clam chowder & tarter sauce! I'm usually very easy to please but I do have my pet peeves. Actually two...I hate sweet tangy blue cheese & tarter sauce. As for the blue cheese, I'm not a fan of the tangy miracle whip, synthetic tasting from a bottle dressing. As well as my tarter sauce. If it's not Dill! So five stars for having the house made tarter sauce. Thank you! Great views, even if you don't get a window seat, great service & hot delicious food! I recommend this place! It was our 28th anniversary & we chose to spend it here! read more

The Dutchie - This is their fish & prawns platter minus a few of their great fries already eaten! ( I almost forgot to take a photo! - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

First time in Morro Bay, and we tried this place. The food was great and delicious. Fish and chips was one of the best ones I tried. Definitely recommend the crab cake. If you're visiting, definitely need to dine here. read more

Good food and customer service. Great location with views of the harbor! I highly recommend.

The restraunt sits on the marina so I suggest a pre sunset reservation. A quiet and soft ambiance for dinner. The service was excellent from drinks "martinis" to check. The clam chowder was balanced with flavor and that thickness that makes a good bowl. Wife enjoyed her fried sampler but what made the dish were the "darn good"French fries, killer good. We enjoyed very much a will return when back in town. Eat good...Cheers read more

The food was very good. Clearly focused on the seafood, but the vegetables and rice pilaf were fine. The fish was absolutely delicious. The clam chowder is good but HEAVY (as expected). The service is... over enthusiastic at times. We got lucky and sat right at the windows and watched the fog settle in. It was beautiful and very cozy inside. read more

We went across the street first...a very stale server told us the wait would be 10 min. Bad energy. Slow, sad service. Saw the reviews pointed us to Dutchman's online so to Dutchman's we went... ....Amanda was so welcoming (much different than the other gal at the other spot...) and immediately we were like, 'yes! This is THE place we were supposed to be!' All because the hospitality was there right out the gate. Amanda persisted to further impress us by having our food out hot, quick and boy it was sure yummy!!! We loved our experience as a whole and thanks to Amanda, the hard service, the great food, gorgeous views....we absolutely have to recommend this establishment above all else!! We will return and tell everyone we know!!! read more

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When this was Dutchman's, it was our favorite place to eat when visiting Morro Bay. Today was the first day I've visited under the name The Dutchie. Worst experience. On the menu it stated Halibut and Chips , 3 pieces. When I was served, it was 2 pieces. I told the server the menu says 3 pieces. She went to the manager? Chef? He refused to give a third piece and said oh that changed. We decided that 2 pieces looked better than 3 and it was the same amount of fish. The 2 pieces were bites at best. Blatant false advertising. To add on my wife's cioppino was flavorless except the burnt taste. I'm saddened this restaurant has taken a turn for the worse. read more

Great fish and chips. Best claim chowder in town. Large dining room area on the water with great views of the bay. A big shout out to Rachelle who was our server. She was awesome in every way. We will definitely be back. read more

Amazing place to enjoy anything on the menu we had the halibut fish and chips definitely off the hook so delicious and perfectly cooked well worth the price see ya next time we are in town read more

Dutchman's was a nice end to a great day. I got the chowder and it was excellent. the oysters were also off the hook! It was a great date with a unique view. The service were a treat and I'd happily go back! GF option: 2 thumbs up! read more

The Dutchie - #oysters - Seafood Near Me - Morro Bay, California

So since the name changed the food also did, used to be our spot for fish and chips and clam chowder, both changed after the remodel. If we do again it will be for convenience rather than the food. read more

My family and I had dinner on Friday night at the Dutchman restaurant. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. The bartender was extremely rude when I told him that my drink wasn't good and that I would like to order something else. His name was Dustin. He threw the menu across the table. Our waitress informed me that he is very mean. I asked for the managers name and she said the owners name is Paul. I called the restaurant on Saturday morning to speak with Paul. He was dismissive and couldn't care less. He basically sounded as if he did not want to be bothered. I was told the bartenders name was Dusty and Paul quickly corrected me and said his name is Dustin. As an owner of a restaurant he really needs to learn how to do better with customer service concerns. I was highly disappointed on the way he handled the situation. It's a small beach town and I'm sure the majority of their customers are tourists. I suggest you retrain your staff on customer service skills. Again the waitress was extremely nice and even apologized for Dustin's attitude towards us. read more

we ordered food to go and i regret now that we didnt go sit and eat outdoors.. The food was super good and neatly packed!! In $39, we got: - crab cakes - 2 pcs come in 1 portion size - super heavy n loaded served with tartar sauce 4.5/5 - fish and chips - we upgraded to garlic fries -5/5 served with ranch sauce They gave curlery, napkins more sauces on the side too. Really loved the ambiance and service. Next time we r in town, ishall go dine in !! #musttry #supportlocal read more

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We enjoyed a very good lunch here. The peach and burrata salad was delicious, the ceviche was delicious and the poke nachos were on point however I was surprised and disappointed with the amount of poke in the dish. Take-out poke joints give more poke. Otherwise it's 5 stars! Service was excellent and drinks were great. read more