Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant

We love this restaurant. The food is spectacular. We have selected many of the items on the menu and have never been anything but blissfully happy. The food is always amazing. I love the staff and I am always genuinely happy to see them when we arrive. They are amazing and they absolutely make the experience of dining out wonderful in every way. Congratulations on maintaining your well deserved Michelin Star. It is such a pleasure to be able to experience such quality food in an environment that is not pretentious in any way. Thank you, Terrapin Creek!

The owner was very attentive and extremely accommodating and welcoming. The food was magnificent. I had the Lamb and White Bean Cassoulet. The lamb was very tender and well seasoned. This is my second time here and I was not disappointed. Their menu changes with the season to provide food made from the freshest local ingredients. The ambiance is very warm and relaxing. Perfect for a date night or just a family dinner. However, if you plan on going, a reservation is recommended. Unless you go right at 4:30pm or 5pm when they open.

The ambiance, food and service were delightful! I was very happy with my meal of steak and risotto. I thought the steak was cooked perfectly, but my risotto was a bit undercooked for my liking. The only reason I gave this restaurant a 4 instead of a 5 was the lack of versatile selections. I unfortunately am not a fan of duck, lamb or oysters. I would have loved a vegetarian option (not on the menu that night), a chicken, or a pork option. I understand this is my issue, it just really limited what I knew I would enjoy.

Absolutely the best food and dining experience we have found in Bodega Bay. This is the 3^rd night in the area recently, and we finally made reservations at Terrapin. The Hamachi Crudo was wonderfully balanced, and I could have gone for seconds on this appetizer. The braised lamb shoulder cassoulet was phenomenal, quite possibly the best lamb dish I have ever ordered. Looking forward to dining here again next time we are in Bodega Bay!

Everything here is delicious. You can’t go wrong. Just randomly point to the menu.
For appetizer, I had the cauliflower and charred octopus salad — yummy! The oysters were also on point — pun intended. For the main course I had the duck and it was amazing! Topped it off with a chocolate cake for a very enjoyable foodie experience. Would highly recommend this place and definitely coming back here again.

I really liked my dinner this last Monday evening. We were greeted by a smiling Chef at the door and told that we could take any 2-​top seat in the restaurant. The service started awkward and was the biggest issue of the evening The hard thing about having a Michelin star are the expectations. Everyone should know that the main focus for any Michelin inspector is the food, but the service was just grumpy all night long. The way plates were removed was weird and super casual (like Dennys).
However, the food was excellent. A lot of the dishes we had were variations of some super classic fare. The butternut squash ravioli was by far the best dish we had. It melted in your mouth with huge bursts of flavor. My duck cassoulet was rich and homey, seasoned well, and really nicely executed. Nothing was terribly innovative, but that was ok. My favorite part of the night is how hot the food came out to the table. Everything was searing hot… I love that. I love knowing that dish wasn’t sitting in the window for minutes. It lets you know the kitchen has good timing.
Bodega Bay is a bit too far for us to really think about coming back again, but if we were staying up there, we would definitely be back.

Beyond fabulous! Terrapin Creek has excellent food and certainly earned the Michelin Star they clearly deserve.
This is my favorite kind of restaurant. The food is delicious, elegantly presented, and imaginative without being weird. Sometimes restaurants striving to be interesting and new present the customer with a menu that requires a food dictionary to understand.
My husband and I shared a Figs and Prosciutto Salad. Outstanding! The server split the order nicely into two generous plates. The variety of flavors in the dish made every bite an adventure.
For the main course, I had sea bass and my husband had duck breast. Both dishes were terrific! The servings were generous and the combination of ingredients imaginative.
For dessert, we ordered a raspberry/​apple crisp. It arrived fresh from the oven, was a serving generous enough for two, and smelled so heavenly that heads burned as it was carried from the kitchen to our table.
We ordered two glasses of wine to go with dinner and both were served in the appropriate type of wine glass (always a nice touch) and the pours were generous.
How many fine restaurants are also casual restaurants? There is no pretense here! Many customers were wearing the jeans and casual clothing that fit the oceanside location of the restaurant. How fabulous is a walk on the beach, a day of golf at Bodega Golf Course, a day of fishing, or an afternoon playing with the kids at the ocean, which can be followed by an elegant and delicious dinner?! The server was friendly, helpful, and cheery.
What a happy and delicious way to spend our anniversary dinner! We can guarantee, however, that we won’t wait an entire year to come back and enjoy Terrapin Creek Café & Restaurant again.

Small, friendly, delicious, charming, accommodating, excellent wine list .
We arrived at 6:30 as a group of 6. The put tables together to seat us immediately. Juliette took excellent care of us there was nothing amiss. Make this a stop when you are in town you will be amazed

My girlfriend and I ate here on a recent Saturday night to celebrate her Birthday.
Simply based on the quality of the food I would give this place 5 stars though our experience with the service staff does not warrant 5 stars. Let me explain…
Our experience was very good with Terrapin. We each had two fresh Miyagi Oysters then shared the Persimmon and Prosciutto Salad, the Maine Diver Scallops, the Duck Breast and Sea Bass. I had a couple of beers, my girlfriend a glass of wine. We had for desert the Goat Cheese Cake and Apple Tart. Overall our dining experience was phenomenal. Every dish was perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned the food and plating was immaculate. There wasn’t one off moment or off beat flavor in any dishes.
The only room for improvement that Terrapin has is in the training of service staff. I understand that they are pushing for a Michelin Star or soon to be awarded one. The service we received was not on the level with Michelin Star restaurants, while our waitress was friendly we heard the words «hold on one minute» several times and detected a heavy level of indifference from our server who also seemed to have no interest in discussing the menu with us. While service was not necessarily bad it was not a reflection of a Michelin Star restaurant.

What a lovely surprise!
Came here this past Friday night for dinner in the middle of our road trip. We had the hamachi crudo, caesar salad, fettuccine, flat iron kobe steak, chocolate cake and bread service. Everything was delicious.
I did call about an hour before and put in a reservations. I was happy that they could accommodate our side by side seating request. Small parking lot. If I was ever in that area again I would def come back to try other things on the menu.
I’m a fan.
— Miss Unilocal 2015

What can I say, Terrapin Creek just gets better and better, if that is even possible. We had a great dinner Friday night. Food, service, everything just perfect.
Started with Salad of Charred Octopus and Roasted Cauliflower with Chili Pepper Aioli, Brussels Sprouts, Arugula, Toasted Almonds. Another starter was Pan Roasted Maine Scallops with Onion Purée, Smoked Yellow Corn, Roasted Peppers, Sungold Tomatoes. Both appetizers were fresh and delicious
Entrees were Homemade Fettuccine Pasta with Gulf Shrimp, Pork Sausage, Roasted Fennel, Green Garlic & Pistachio Pesto. Rich yet light, excellent preparation. Also had the Liberty Farms Duck Breast with Shiitake Mushrooms, Fingerling Potatoes, Sautéed Cabbage, Duck Jus. Perfect medium rare and so tasty.
We were full but its tough to pass on dessert here. The German Chocolate is a delicious version and goes down very easy :).
Terrapin has a well thought out and reasonable wine list if you don’t bring your own which we did. Idlewild Carignan matched well with the food. Really nice to see the great reviews and a Michelin star the past few years, the hardworking couple who own Terrapin deserve it!

Make sure you make reservations! Park across the street because parking is nil. We came in August — prime vacation time. When they use the kitchen fan, the warm air from the attic comes in through the ceiling fixtures. They don’t have screens on windows so a fly might buzz thru. It certainly liked playing in my hubby’s hair.
The service is excellent
Salad of Octopus and Cauliflower — good
Potato Gnocchi — really good
Blacken Salmon — really good
Duck Breast — really, really good
Chocolate cake — good
Coffee — excellent
Will come again

Dined with 3 others.
Décor: Pleasantly casual, but appropriate for its rural north coast location. Nice conversational buzz, but not too loud.
Service: Our server was terrific. She responded to a few special requests with knowledgeable answers. All the servers were charming (read attractive) slightly older (read mid 30’s) women, who looked like they lived in the tiny town. Ours had an attitude which was always upbeat and just the right mix of interest and appropriate distance. Technically she was very skilled.
Food: The food was excellent. I started with 6 local oysters. It was August. (no «R» in the month). They were very good, plump, flavorful and delicious.
My dining companion and I shared two steak and duck breast dishes. Cooked perfectly to order, medium rare and rare.
Wine: The list offers mostly California wines and is modestly priced. You can spend more on label cabs if you want to, but there are plenty of attractive reds and whites for $ 40 – 60.
We found an excellent rose to start, then a zin for the red meat.
Dinner for 4 (2 bottles wine) was $ 385 out the door.

This place is small and tucked away but it sure has heart! The food is delicious using seasonal ingredients.
I loved the sauce they put on the raw oysters… light vinegarette that really brought out the flavor of Oysters.
The salmon was delicious. The mushrooms and the snap peas were all cooked perfectly. Salmon was medium with nice char on top but super juicy and tender inside. They really put a lot of love and thoughts to each piece of the dish. Really can’t ask for more!

Of all the SF Bay Michelin star holders, Terrapin Creek is the sleeper entry. Hidden away in Bodega Bay nearly 15 miles after AT&T service ceases to exist, Terrapin Bay offers beautifully crafted meals in a friendly, non-​pretentious environment.
The wine list is not extensive but it does offer a nicely curated selection of California wines leaning heavily toward Sonoma’s Dry Creek AVA. Terrapin Creek has about a dozen wines served by the glass ranging from Schramsberg bubbles to a few robust Dry Creek zins and cabs.
Local oysters are available to start your meal along with a broad selections of fresh salads, crudo and soup. I had the English pea soup with puddles of pesto infused olive oil. I offered my dining companions a sample and they found it quite delicious.
I had the house made fettuccine with a delicious garlic and pesto sauce tossed with shrimp and pork sausage. Order this!
My son had the Kobe steak and he found the truffled mashed potatoes rich and flavorful.
Do not miss the German chocolate cake for dessert. It is not the traditional version but it is way more delicious than anything you’ve had before.

Very cute, small restaurant owned by a lovely couple. I’ve been here twice and my experience is exceptional. The food hits the spot!
For starters, I highly recommend calling in and making a reservation because it gets packed. They say that they have open seating but whenever I’ve asked, it’s unavailable or filled.
My friend introduced me to this place and I fell in love with everything about this place. It’s a intimate cozy atmosphere. Their menu is small but offers enough for all types of eaters. They have steak, salmon, scallop, oyster, shrimp, lamb and duck.
Some dishes that I’ve tried: flat iron steak served with creamy mashed potato and broccolini. Blackened local king salmon served with roasted artichoke and snap peas in a butter tomato sauce. Homemade fettuccine pasta served in a green garlic pesto sauce with shrimp. All of these dishes are made to perfection, every bite melts into your mouth and triggers all of your taste buds. It’s served hot and the plate stays relatively hot to keep your food warm as you enjoy it.
A MUST: their raspberry fraiche cheesecake. The perfect finish to my meal.
I cannot put into words how amazing this restaurant is. There’s no special attire requirements for this place, but people seem to dress nicely. It’s definitely fine dining!

When did this place open? I can’t believe I haven’t discovered this gem before! If you have also missed this place, this is a must in Bodega Bay!
The liberty duck breast was perfectly cooked and presented as art! My taste buds greatly appreciated all the tasty flavors! Well done!
The salad of wild mushroom, arugula and pear… I thoroughly enjoyed! A little on the small size, but that’s what I expect from such an upscale restaurant. The white truffle in the salad was a surprisingly yummy addition. I don’t care for Bleu cheese, but if you do, this is the salad for you.
We came back the next evening and literally both my friend and I agreed that the flat iron steak with truffle potato cream is out of this world!!! But the desserts are TOO good! I have a sweet tooth, so I would drive an hour drive just for dessert! We tried so many! Lol! We couldn’t possibly finish! Crème brûlée… a sort of German chocolate cake… cheesecake with raspeberry… mmmmm. I highly recommend trying this delicious restaurant out!
I also want to sat the service was excellent! Thank you! I sincerely appreciate such attentive, educated, friendly and genuinely helpful staff. Great people, great food, gorgeous atmosphere! Can I give 10 stars? ;)

I love this place. The menu this couple puts together is genius. Only disappointment was that they didn’t have «the duck» last night. But the scallops, pork chop, & homemade pasta made up for it. Be sure to save room for the German Choc. cake …
Service was perfect.

I don’t know where to start with this review but let’s say it’s a far drive from anywhere but worth it — not only because the food/​service was good, but also because Bodega Bay is beautiful at sunset if you can brave the cold weather.
The place is in a small strip mall like area and small in size. Seasonal ingredients with fresh seafood abounds. The staff is very nice and friendly and for a Michelin star’ed place, it’s very down to earth — no need to dress up.
I don’t know if I’d make my way out here just for this place but I’ll definitely be back when I’m in the area.

We had reservations on President’s Day at 6:30pm and arrived 20 minutes early, but they seated us anyways.
We started off with the potato gnocchi with braised beef short ribs. I loved this appetizer as the gnocci just melts in your mouth and the braised short ribs were quite flavorful. I ordered the duck breast medium rare, and it surprisingly wasn’t too chewy. The duck fat made the duck breast that much tastier. The sea bass, on the other hand, was lacking in seasoning and tasted bland. Don’t get me wrong, the fish tasted very fresh, but I just didn’t like the way it was prepared.
The restaurant didn’t really have any fancy décor and the attire was casual, which I preferred. This place sells good, solid food with no frills.