Sandbar Restaurant

The oysters and accompanying sauce was good.
Ok, I’ll take part of the blame on this one. I ordered a burger at a seafood restaurant, but the menu looked very unappetizing. So a burger was my go to.
It was a frozen paddy clearly stamped out by a machine.
If you’re not stopping for seafood keep going 14 miles north to point arena for a few more options on HWY 1.

Three stars at best, mostly because of the food, service a staff here needs to at the very least read waiting tables for dummies. Went there for dinner with my wife after a long drive, the place has nice views, were greeted by the hostess that happened to be our server as well on a relatively slow night.
We sat down in the dinning area, got a couple of glass wines (kinda expensive for the brand), wife had crab cakes with prawns and considering there has been a ban on local crabs due to the red tide, the server had no clue were the crab they served was coming from (you would think they would know where their ingredients come from). After finding out the crab cakes were made from east coast crab, she order the dish and I order the salmon and chips (kind of like fish and chips).
The food was actually good, I was not holding my breath considering how the service started the whole experience. The only drawback was the outrageous amount of chipotle sauce over the mash and crab cakes, a small dab of the sauce on the cakes would of suffice (why spoil a good tasting crab cake with a horrendous amount of sauce). The salmon was really good as well as the seasoned fries, the chocolate mousse cake kinda sucked, too much frosting on top, had to go indian on it and scalped that rich layer off.
3 stars for the food, while it was good, it was not memorable. Service was a big Meh, still nice view of the ocean.

Stopped here on a whim while on a weekend roadtrip up the 1… came in between lunch and dinner and they were very hospitable. Sat outside and had a fantastic view of the sun setting on the ocean. Ordered the blackened chicken sandwich and the coconut shrimp martini. Both were delicious! Highly recommend making the stop!

This place surprised me. The service was excellent, polite accurate and quick. The restaurant is attractive with a nice ambiance, and that view off the deck is lovely. The food was really what impressed the most, to the agreement of everyone in our 10-​person party. I will recommend, and return!

This review is for the bar only, not the restaurant. We were on the coast to participate in the Gualala River Run 5k/​10k event. We decided to stop by to enjoy the ambiance of the coast. The restaurant wasn’t yet open at this time (around 4PM). About 6 people in the bar with ½ of the people being staff. Bar was very noisy so decided to sit out on the deck facing the Gualala River and the ocean. Beautiful view and watched a flock of pelicans. Enjoyed the view and sunshine. Here are the problems… (1) when we walked in, we were not greeted as patrons … the bartender basically asked «what do you want.» And not in a way to ask about ordering, but in a way asking why we were in the bar; (2) There were only 2 tables on the deck, one completely filled with dirty dishes. We were there about an hour and no one cleaned the table. (3) No one came out to ask if we wanted refills or food or other service. (4) When we went back into the bar to consider refills of wine, a staff person (lady) got on her cell phone video chat and was talking to someone loudly on speaker phone, no headset. My husband told her she was disturbing patrons and especially rude for staff to do so. She said she was off duty as if it was ok to disturb patrons. The bartender butted in and said he didn’t see the problem. Really!!! The lady did hang up her call telling the person she was talking to that she was «apparently» disturbing others. The bartender walked away making comments under his breath (but you could hear him) about how he didn’t see the problem (passive aggressive behavior). We chose to walk away and to do business elsewhere. Not only did this bar lose business, they are obviously getting this negative review. AND we are travel agents … you think we are going to recommend this place? NOT! Customer service is seriously lacking.

I had the clam chowder and ahi sandwich both were very tasty. Server was very friendly and attentive, great views. Overall a nice ding experience.

I had a very nice experience eating there. Service was good and the food was good but not great. My only complaint was that the outside area wasn’t the cleanest. The place we were sitting had spider webs right next to us on the railing and it looked as if our table hadn’t been wiped down before we sat there. That isn’t as big of a deal to me since I know that it is outside but it is still worth noting. I highly recommend their fish and chips, good fries and the fish was cooked to perfection.

First time to Gualala. We ordered the salmon fish and chips. Salmon was cooked well; but they leave the blood line in and there was a lot of skin on. So it had nasty flavor; I tried picking it out. Frys were good. Sitting out on the back deck was real rice with a great view. Good priced food. There are local artists photos up on the walls that I really liked. Service was excellent.

Again, wanted to love love love this place mainly due to the location. Have driven by it several times a day when we are back in Gualala on a semi annual basis to visit family. Fabo location. Fabo-​less food and ambience.
Location gives it two stars around the inlet of the river. The venue could be a crap encrusted port a potty that hasn’t been cleaned since Jesus was a cowboy and the two stars would still stand strong and proud.
Sat outside and seated @ a table which was still dirty and had a broken leg so moved to line table facing river. if it was busy would understand but there were about 5 people tops when we got there on a Sunday afternoon around 5pm to warrant table filth.
Ordered some drinks which were good given they were straight out of a bottle. For grub, calamari, and clam chowder. Aghhhhhh. Calamari should have had some downtime between freezer to fryer and clam chowder originated mainly from a can and cold with starchlike globs the size of peas throughout. By then we knew we would not order any other food and head home.
Service was good. I felt bad as server was probably in shock she was the messenger for such mediocrity.
If you happen to see this place listed in the ‘Top 10 Restaurants’ for Gualala, it’s by default as there are less than 10 restaurants in Gualala. Sandbar could be something special, but they aim for the opposite effect. If they’re trying to cater to locals, forget it. If they’re trying to cater to tourists, forget it. Sad.

2.5 stars. Not bad, but not memorable either. Nice views. OK food. Weak wine selection. Confusing service. Conveniently close to a popular hotel next door.
After a day of kayaking and beach hiking, my girlfriend and I dropped into this modernist design (lots of cement and glass) restaurant and bar for a sunset drink and appetizers. We went to the outside deck and started with cocktails (mojito, margarita) then moved on to glasses of draft craft beer and wine. The cocktails and draft craft beer were good, but I was surprised how bad the wine-​by-​glass selection was. It was mostly low-​end wines (with high mark-​ups) and almost nothing from the renowned regional wineries. Truly a major flaw.
We also ordered the raw oysters (6) which were very good and a bread & cheese dip thing (can’t remember what it’s called) that was tasty, but nothing special. The bread seemed freshly baked. We had plans for a full dinner elsewhere, but the dinner menu here didn’t excite us that much.
Besides the wine, my only minor complaint was that four different servers/​hosts attended to us. This led to unnecessary confusion about who took what orders. The restaurant wasn’t busy so maybe the staff was trying to stay busy. You can always tell when hosts and servers have had just basic training…
Finally, I’m not sure why this place doesn’t have website with its menu and (at the very least), some alluring photos of the nice view. It’s 2015. It’s basic marketing! I think this place wants to be a more upscale and classy dining and drinking place, but it’s got a ways to go.

When 4 out of 4 dishes served at our table have all been assaulted by the same cream sauce, one has to wonder if the huge bin in the kitchen that reads, «CREAM SAUCE» is fast approaching its expiration or is just THAT beloved by the «chef.» Loooook, cream sauce isn’t something to be thrown around indiscriminately. It’s very rich and it makes everything taste like «CREAM SAUCE.» (Is it being used for «culinary camouflage» or are you championing cream sauce as another all purpose condiment like ketchup, sriracha, etc? If it’s the latter, let me just say NO.)
I had the «salmon polenta caked» (huh?). It was a huge block of bland starch with a side of more starch. But thankfully, it was all blanketed by the «CREAM SAUCE,» as mentioned earlier by the author. It didn’t taste… g-​g-​good.
My wife had «Javi’s Pasta.» If I were Javi’s, I wouldn’t want this pasta named after me. Again, drowned in «CREAM SAUCE.»
My friend had the scampi. It was «recommended» by the server. «Umm err well hmm I usually get the scampi, but I take out the mussels and clams.» Sounds like an admission of guilt to me.
My other friend had the «stuffed salmon.» It wasn’t stuffed. Stuffed means there is a thing inside another thing. This dish should have been called «Salmon with also crab and then lobster on the plate as well.» Guess what? It had «CREAM SAUCE» on it. I have a sinking suspicion this Javi character is responsible for this.
Oh yeah, it had a nice view. But also, the food sucked so…

Sandbar once again rocked my socks. The craft cocktails are to die for! The bar was packed and I still received wonderful service. The young lady Sarah was extremely knowledgeable & her service is prompt and efficient. My fish and chips came with malt vinegar. .London pub style to be exact! ! Strange I just read from another review that she said she didn’t get any. Seems like some people only join Unilocal to complain! What a waste of technology. The restaurant was clean, the rest of the wait staff was always smiling & asking how everything was. Even during a rush with some difficult customers, they kept a great attitude. A++ in my book!!! We will definitely be making Sandbar a weekly stop.
Ps– the clam chowder is AMAZING!!!

I saw whales go by while I was here. This food was pretty good and the whales pushed the evening up to five stars.

Service is definitely improved on this repeat visit. The food is still pretty average but at least it is consistent and comes out in a timely fashion. The best thing about this place is still the view.

My wife and I had our Valentines dinner here and the food was delicious! I had the prosciutto wrapped prawns and she had the salmon with this to die for mango sauce.
The views are second to none. I made reservations at 5:30 and caught the sunset perfectly.
The service was great, our server checked on us but didn’t intrude and the party next to us offered to buy us dessert!
Will be returning soon and would definitely recommend it. o

You know how sometimes you go to a restaurant because you want something you’ve never had before or maybe something you can’t make yourself? Maybe your destination vacation has you craving local flavor, something unique, or even something strange and exciting. This isn’t that kind of restaurant.
On the bright side, we got seated right away when we arrived — but off the main restaurant in a room that was one half gorgeous view of the ocean, one half giant mirror. At first, the mirror seemed like it should have enabled those of us with our backs to the ocean to see, but really all we could see were the backs of other people’s heads. However, I did get to watch myself eat — which is novel.
Our water was brought right away, but if you go, savor that bit of H2O because that’s all the water you get. Also, one glass had substantial floaties in it. When we asked for their draft beer options, one was an IPA, so two of us ordered that. While we DID get IPAs, we got bottled beer as if the draft conversation never happened.
The food special for the day was a chicken dish with «Peak O’ de Gallow» which sounds morbidly terrifying, so we didn’t order it. But, being at the coast, we ordered bowls of clam chowder and some calamari. Instinct told us the room temperature chowder was probably canned as everything was very evenly cut and nothing tasted fresh. Unfortunately, the bits of label in one bowl confirmed it. Spoons were as scarce as water, it seems, as a few of them arrived 5 minutes after the soup.
The room temperature calamari also had the total uniformity of store bought food. The «tartar sauce» that came with the calamari had all the delicious flavor of warm mayonnaise. After we tasted that, we asked for some cocktail sauce. What we then got had all the delicious flavor of warm ketchup. Almost none of the calamari was eaten which didn’t seem to get noticed by the waitress, but she seemed, you know, busy.
When our sort-​of-​eating experience was done, we were brought our checks. The waitress said we should hurry, as her shift was ending and she had to get to her next job. Perhaps in an effort to keep us on track, perhaps to ensure our mathematics skills were up to par, she stood over our shoulders and watched us sign the bills, including the tip amount. She was very sweet, so it wasn’t intimidating — but it sure was awkward.
I gave it two stars instead of one because we laughed for days thinking back to how awful it was. Also, the prices were good — even considering the food was seemingly all bought at the grocery store next door.

Always stop in here, after getting groceries across the street, when I arrive in Sea Ranch. Gorgeous view, full bar, and outstanding view. The staff here is awesome too.

Seriously understaffed and under trained. Waited 52 min. for our main course. Food was ok. When I mentioned the long wait they apologized and did not charge for the glass of wine and coke.
Would not visit again.

Stopped in for dinner on 1÷29÷15; the restaurant was much busier than you would expect mid-​week in January, a good sign. We were seated immediately and greeted promptly by our waiter. My wife started with the clam chowder she judged to be excellent and she knows her chowder. My salad was crisp and fresh, flavorful greens and very tasty blue cheese dressing. Regarding entrees, my balsamic glazed scallops were terrific flavor pairing, perfectly cooked. I was particularly fond of the the sautéed veggies as they were actually worth eating, not just on the plate for color. My wife’s crab cakes were OK but not great; she was impressed by her vegetables and mashed potatoes. The berry cobbler she had for dessert was excellent. We will be back.

This place is tops! First, we showed up at 6 pm on New Years Eve without a reservation. I thought we’d have to wait for a while. Nope! The very friendly staff immediately seated us by the window with an excellent view of the sunset.
The menu is excellent. I had the tri-​tip, which was delicious. There were many excellent seafood selections as well. When my wife asked for a different sauce for the fish, they accommodated her with a smile. And the dessert was superb!
I am looking forward to coming back here again when I am next out here.