Chapter & Moon

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Admitted bias: 90% of the truly superb seafood dining experiences i have enjoyed have come from less than aspirational atmospheres — i.e., i have found that there tends to be a direct correlation between great seafood and dingy dining rooms (think Bowens Island in Charleston, SC).
That said, Chapter & Moon is far from dingy, but also far from highfalutin, and the quality of the food was spectacular. I had to talk my husband into trying it because it was so out of the way and quiet, however my logic is that if it is so out of the way and still in business, then it must be good — and It Was. The Fish Pot was incredible, the charred Ling Cod sandwich excellent, and the Clam Chowder might be the best we’ve ever had (sorry Legal’s Seafood). Fair wine list, unobtrusive service (we were happy for things to take a long while), charmingly quirky mis-​matched places. Wouldn’t want to ruin the slow, casual pace of things (Sunday mid-​afternoon lunch) with our kids, though i’ll be hard pressed to thru Fort Bragg without stopping there every time. In fact, i’ll make the 3 hour drive back to Fort Bragg just for a meal at Chapter & Meal.

Five plus for the food (only complaint is that we didn’t get bread to start… maybe because both our orders had bread?). My Fish Pot was the most amazing blend of flavors! Plenty of salmon, mussels, shrimp and more. It was pricey, but worth every cent and more. Meatloaf sandwich was light, if one can say that about meatloaf. Clam chowder was rich and creamy. Only other table loved their dinners, as well. Simple tables, nice art work. Could’ve felt a bit more welcome (especially since we were the only ones there for a while!).

We wandered in after walking around our hotel, visiting the beach and harbor, etc. The harbor is rather run-​down, and it seems that a number of restaurants have embraced its old-​school maritime funkiness. We started with a wonderful clam chowder, which we made into a fondue. It was home-​made, with lots of clams and not a ton of potatoes and flour.
Our dinner was the salmon catch of the day and fish and chips. The fish used in the fish and chips was fresh and nicely cooked. The salmon was gently steamed and was quite fresh, and the veggies and such were crispy. We’d come again.

This was a funky little place with dirty little waitresses and marginal food at best. I was taken back by how filthy dirty the waitress jeans were & by the way her dirty hair was pulled up. She looked like she had been pulling weeds all day. The food may have tasted better if she was clean.

Funky ambiance, hard to find, fantastic food! We’ve been there half-​dozen times and each was an outstanding experience of a unique menu. Noyo fish pot, any of their homemade soups or breads, Cuban sandwich or a «shrimp cocktail like no other» worth returning for another treat.

I have eaten there a number of times and always great food, a real gem.

Best clam chowder we ever had !

This is a perennial favorite of mine in Fort Bragg. There is nothing impressive about this restaurant except the creative menu and the quality food. Because there is nothing all that impressive in the harbor this restaurant fits right in at least in appearance.
On the other hand, the food, menu and presentation would fit better in Mendocino. The price is reasonable given the quality of food. When it comes to ambiance Mendo Bistro comes out ahead. However, I prefer the food selection and quality at Chapter and Moon.

I have been here 3 times for breakfast only.
Every time I go I have the best breakfast ever. The food is simply perfect. It always feels like I went to Grandmas house for breakfast, the wood stove is going, and the coffee is delicious.
I take several trips to Fort Bragg yearly as we have some friends there. We usually travel with 5 to 10 people and always go here for breakfast. All my traveling friends are ALWAYS impressed.
I just got home from another trip there and cant wait to return just to have breakfast there again. I really need to go for dinner next time, it looks amazing as well.

This is a small restaurant in Noyo fishing village, off to the left as you drive toward the water. We wanted to have breakfast in Noyo and the motel recommended Chapter & Moon. Wow!!! What a GREAT place this is!
We had the omelette of the day — sausage and vegetables — which came with the most amazing hash browns: long, thin strands of potatoes lightly fried and all curled against each other into a small mountain of deliciousness. And the toast! Lord have mercy! They make their own bread there and toast it on a grill, and it was exquisite all by itself, though with a bit of homemade jam from the little blue dragon cup it was beyond words. Lots of really good coffee, first rate service, views of the fishing boats chugging out for the day, and terrific original artwork on the walls. All this for less than ten dollars each.
I would drive all the way up there just for this breakfast! An A+ place!

I’ve only been here for breakfast and it’s always to go so the rating is purely for the food. They really are true to having their take on food; you won’t have a Denny’s/ Diner style meal here.
Their bacon– natural thick cut
Their hash brown– crispy and almost nest-​like (in a good way)
Their home made jam– should be winning awards it’s so good.
Overall you get 2 eggs the way you like em with all of the above for under 10 bucks! With toast for the jam and the option to have sausage instead of bacon. A very good deal for very good food.

I went there in August on a Saturday night and the place was empty! Yet it took a good 30 minutes for them to bring our meal… just like they started making food from scratch right when we ordered. The dish itself looked good (look at the picture I posted). We ordered the clam chowder and Chapter & Moon special dish which had 3 fresh «catch of the day» with rice and vegetables. Not so sure about the quality of the food as I had food poisoning few hours later and it definitely ruined my night at Mendocino.

The first sign that we should have chosen an alternative for dinner was the fact that when we arrived, the place was completely empty. It was 6pm on a Saturday night, so I thought that was definitely weird.
We immediately realized that it was not going to be the greatest service ever. Our server seemed bored but informative, like he was trying to be helpful, but just couldn’t figure out how to do it well and be personable at the same time.
Huge homemade, dense bread slices served before meal. They were the biggest loaf slices I’ve ever seen! Unfortunately, they were not incredibly flavorful, but luckily served with butter. Heating the bread would have helped. My sister put honey on hers in hopes that it would boost the flavor a bit.
My husband ate the clam chowder. It wasn’t a thick chowder, and I didn’t think it had much flavor either. Dipping the thick bread in it didn’t improve the taste of either the bread or the chowder. Personally, I will forever compare every clam chowder I try to the stuff served at Maxwell Inn, and this thin «soup» fell many miles short.
Heard at a nearby table after other customers arrived: «Do you have fresh crab?» Server replies, «Yes — caught a little over a week ago.» We laughed at that one.
The slaw was untraditional but tasty, more asian style. Crab tacos were good, very fresh. My sister’s Waldorf salad was tasty, and her husband’s fish n chips were so-​so. The fish n chips did come with yummy sweet potato and white rose potato fries.
My husband found the salmon to be overcooked, whitefish had no flavor, ling cod tasted like it was battered with plain butter and flour — just tasteless. He did say, however, that the jasmine rice with peanuts was good. He would have preferred a McRib though.
We had to ask for our drinks to be refilled — we were forgotten after the food was served. Hubby recommends name tag for the shy girl refilling drinks so that you know what to call her when you need her attention.
The bathroom was filthy, with water all over floor and toilet seat.
I actually liked the style of food regardless of what our menfolk thought. My bread pudding for dessert was AWESOME. Soft and tangy and crispy on the outside with blueberries and an amaretto sauce. It was clearly the highlight of the evening, and changed my sister’s negative opinion about bread pudding.
The theme for this restaurant: It’s one thing to have a passion for food, but if you don’t know how to cater to your customers… All is for naught. We won’t be coming back.

I don’t see what the hype is around this restaurant. The fish and chips were good and the best dish we had. The clam chowder lacked flavor and needed salt. We also ordered the steamed clams and mussels, the clams and mussels were dry and cold. I told the waitress and she simply said «I’m sorry.» Thankfully when the bill came she removed the dish from the bill. Seriously, how can you mess up steamed clams and mussels?
In good faith I cannot recommend this restaurant.

Six of us picky eaters crashed this tiny place and were seated immediately with open arms (we’re not exactly quiet!). The wine list was small but made up of wonderful local wines perfectly suited to most dishes.
The food menu was eclectic and pleasing to everyone in our party (even my carb addict 3 year old, whom they accommodated by whipping up some awesome pancakes!) We each ordered something completely different on the menu and were raving about our own dish being the best! We had chicken and dumplings, salmon tacos, fish and chips, hamburger, and veg pasta… Omg… We truly loved it all, as everything was obviously fresh and expertly crafted. We will definitely be coming back to this little gem!

I know it was most likely a fluke. I went here with a friend whom lived in one of the houses looking over Noyo. He eats here often and likes their steaks. I had one of those pots with clams and goodies.
I had food poisoning within a few hours. I made the drive back to Willits and it was just miserable.
A year later he told me about his food poisoning experience and he would never go back. Most likely bad luck but since there are other places I like i won’t be trying them again. I stick to the Wharf for a dress up experience or Capt. Flints for a more casual and less expensive meal.
I also skip the Cliffhouse and Carine’s but for other reasons. Carine’s has had some good things in the past but I want to see the bridge.

Some may not like it… and some may rave about it. There really aren’t any «in-​betweens» with Chapter & Moon.
First off: bread. Not your average restaurant bread that’s crusty or French or anything else — this stuff it truly home-​made. The butter is the perfect consistency, not too hard and not too soft… just right for spreading. If you’re a fan of thick-​cut home-​made bread, you’ll like this stuff.
Me: fresh-​caught applewood-​smoked salmon with a sautéed vegetable medley on a bed of jasmine rice with peanuts. While I don’t normally like this «busy» a plate, this was perfectly executed. The applewood was perfect for the salmon, making it some of the very tastiest salmon I’ve had, bar none.
Wife had the jambalaya with a Gewürztraminer to round out the meal. She loved the roasted pork and just the right amount of spice that made it memorable for her.
A glass of Rosenblum Zinfandel (yeah, I know — a red wine with salmon) was my drink choice. This place had a great wine list — not a Merlot or White Zinfandel in sight, but a rather good selection of whites and reds.
Didn’t have dessert as we were both stuffed from the meal. Is this place for everyone? Probably not — the décor is VERY campy: stark walls with new-​age, abstract paintings. None of the dinner ware or plates matching. Different table cloths on each table. Not particularly friendly wait staff. Located right on an abandoned dock (or what looked like an abandoned dock) behind an RV park.
So why would anyone want to go there? The food is just about as good as I could get it in LA or San Francisco or even New York… and the wine list is the best I’ve seen so far in Fort Bragg. Would I go back? You bet.
Oh, and if you go, try the Molten Lava Chocolate Cake and let me know how it was… I’m dying to find out.

The name «Chapter and Moon» gives me an image of a children’s story, and I can’t help but review this as if I were a child:
Dinner was good. The fish and chips were crispy. The fish itself was moist. Both white potato and sweet potato made up the perfectly salted chips; I thought that was cool. The guy I was with didn’t complain about his meatloaf (why did he eat meatloaf in a restaurant that’s next to a wharf?).
The bread was soft, but cold. Why would you serve bread cold?
The server was mean looking. She was thin, gray and old, and she didn’t smile at all with her thin lips. She never even asked if our food was okay. And no one else was around because it was an early dinner, so being busy was not an excuse at all. It also took forever for our bill to arrive and to be charged. That was lame.
Overall, it was a fine experience, but I don’t know if I’d go rushing back anytime soon.

A little shack by the docks, with a nice, dramatic view of the bridge over Noyo river. The décor is quirky and kind of cute. I like the slightly nautical theme and the vintage stove. The psychadelic pictures that look like cheesy early 90’s computer renderings of fractals I could have done without, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Now, let’s move on to the food. It was OK. Just OK. Not amazing or the best anything, as the Unilocal reviews that lead me to this place say. This is the first time that I have found myself a little disappointed by Unilocal recommendations.
The bread was pretty good, with a nice grainy texture. But it was a little cold and tasted like something I could do in a bread maker. The latter’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just wouldn’t call it amazing.
I had the prawn salad. It was very attractively arranged. Nice colors and presentation, definitely. The long sticks of celery, while pretty, made it difficult to eat. Also, there was quite a bit of water at the bottom of my salad. Despite all that, it was a fairly generous portion of prawns on top of the mishmash of lettuce, arugula, gazpacho, avocado, olive, cucumber, tomato, yellow pepper, and celery. It was a bit of style over substance, though, as the flavors were not totally complementary.
The boyfriend had the cod sandwich. It was a little bland. Cod is such a subtle fish that it can get easily overpowered in a sandwich. The fries were a mix of regular and sweet potato. That was a nice touch.
Overall, I’d say come for the atmosphere and the view. The seafood was fresh enough and the presentation was pretty, but the food was just OK. I wouldn’t call this place cheap or a great deal, but it wasn’t ridiculously expensive, either. Also, the staff was pretty nice.