Sargasso

I know I wrote a review after our last trip to Sargasso, but it’s somehow gone missing. Anyhow, I can’t recommend the restaurant anymore because of their ridiculous new policy of charging an additional 10% «service fee», which is not a gratuity for the server, but covers «back of the house, utilities and cleaning supplies» as explained to us when we inquired why our party of 2 had been hit with the extra charge. So… No matter how tasty the menu, I just can’t swallow the inflated prices PLUS service charge PLUS tax PLUS gratuity. Basically, whatever you see prices in the menu, add 36%. NOPE. Too many good places to eat in Morgantown without stupid surcharges!

This is my favorite dinner restaurant in Morgantown anytime we have a celebration. There are several choices of rooms so one can ask for a quiet corner. Not a pretentious place but at least you can dress up a bit and not feel out of place.
Food is always fresh. Only one night were we disappointed when my husband’s pork dish was a bit over cooked (main chef’s off day perhaps) but I have never been disappointed every time I order fish. Wine list is great. Service is always excellent. Yes I even like the restroom where I can open the door with a wave of a hand!

I was truly looking forward to my evening alone at this highly recommended restaurant. I made a reservation and arrived on time. I was eating alone but got all dressed up and went to enjoy a fine dining experience… or so I thought. I arrived two hours before close and there were people at the bar and two tables in the dinning room.
When I entered I was seated at a table directly across from the kitchen… which I thought was very cool. It’s open so you can watch and since I love cooking shows I was thrilled. I scanned the menu and debated between several amazing sounding items. I ordered a glass of prosecco, which was nice and ordered one of my favorites, salmon.
In the kitchen I could hear the chefs begin to complain and even argue over who would prepare my meal. Complaining that their station was clean already and other issues with being the loser in this situation. Once that was decided they Loudly discussed how depressing their lives were and family matters, all with no regard for my presence.
My wedge salad was prepped quickly and to my order but it was two small wedges instead of one large. The dressing was very thick but had a nice flavor.
I waited a bit for my salmon and when it came it looked terrible. The picture says it all. It was bland and undercooked. The risotto it was sitting on my cold and mushy, also with no flavor. The waitress came back after 5 minutes to see if I needed anything and I informed her that the food was terrible. She asked if I wanted something different or a remake. Since I was hungry and it was getting late in the dinner hours I opted for a remake. The chef who had originally made my meal was leaving. An hour before close and he was bolting. I even know he was off tomorrow. So a second chef made my food. This was as expected but my sides had been changed and whatever my salmon was sitting on was terrible and cold. The fish was nicely cooked. The check came I paid and left.
What troubled me was that the owner/​manager never came to my table. There were no apologies offered or any sibilance of regret at wasting the majority of my evening or making me sit and wait for my food. The waitress avoided my table and was not attentive. I was not looking for a free meal but an offer of a drink, desert, or appetizer while I waited would have gone a long way towards correcting the experience.
I will never eat or recommend this restaurant.

Not a fan. The menu is a mouth-​watering read, however, the execution is disappointing. Nothing to brag about. The wine list is extensive. Service is so so! The Bartender is very well informed and appeared to be a wine aficionado. Would we return for dinner? Probably not.

I give this place an A for effort and ambition. I have been there a few times over the past couple of years when I’m in Morgantown and it has always been good. I understand the executive chef recently moved on, so kudos to the sous chef who stepped up to running the kitchen during my latest visit.
Last week our table of 5 ordered two salads to split, 3 filet entrees, one shellfish pasta and one striped bass sous vide. The beef was first rate, even by steakhouse standards, the pasta was a thumbs up and striped bass was crispy on the outside and very moist inside. Side dishes were generally very good, although the combination of flavors like the bed of spinach and sauce for fish did get a little jumbled. Salads were pretty good and large enough for a little sharing.
We didn’t have dessert but the chocolate lava cakes smelled fabulous.
Service was casual but really very good.
My only criticism is with the offerings of wines by the glass, which might be the first thing you see when you are seated. The wine list is on an ipad and wines by the glass included a lot of shockingly high priced offerings. I opted for a reasonably marked-​up bottle of Meiomi Pinot Noir for the table, and then topped it off with another ½ bottle.
This restaurant is a gem in Morgantown, but they should make more of an effort to discover and offer more affordable and interesting wines by the glass. The corporate expense account set normally buys by the bottle anyway!

I am updating my review based on my excellent dining experience last night. This is one of the most elegant dining options in Morgantown. The décor is warm and inviting. It makes you feel like you are at a nice dinner party in someone’s home. The service was top notch: attentive, friendly, and quick! We were seated immediately, always had water and drink refills, and our appetizers and meals came out at the perfect time intervals. The wine list is decent and we had two fantastic glasses of Riesling and Pinot Noir (10 – 11 dollars a glass). They even have some fancier wines if you are feeling adventurous (30+ dollars a glass). The chef took care of my food allergies with ease and even prepared a special sauce to go with my fish dinner. My husband and I both opted for fish entrees. He had the special which was salmon with a soy glaze, jasmine rice, and roasted bok choy. He usually doesn’t like salmon and he devoured this. It was sweet, tangy, and filling. I had the Butterfish with cauliflower-​basmati rice. The portion was huge and the fish was so succulent. I could have eaten an entire second order! I was definitely more impressed with Sargasso this time around and I cannot wait to go back!

i only had mushroom soup and half a turkey sammich but it was good
also because mushroom
sargasso good
bathroom good too

Never been disappointed at Sargasso. Very nice, upscale restaurant for special occasions.

Dinner was incredible! We started with a Sargasso Salad which was a combination of celery, walnuts, feta cheese and dates. Sounds so strange but tasted so good!
Wife had salmon for main dish, she said that it was like butter. Best salmon she’s ever had and that’s saying a lot since she eats a lot of salmon. I had filet mignon that I did not need a knife to cut. Last but not least we split the chefs special dessert cheesecake. Now I am not normally a cheesecake fan, but this was phenomenal. It was actually smooth and light.
If you have not eaten at Sargasso before — don’t miss it.

I never thought I’d say this before moving to Morgantown, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the culinary scene in this town. With that surprise, however, has come some increased standards. Given upscale options like Vintage Room, Vintner Valley, Monmartre, and now Table 9, I was simply unimpressed with Sargasso. It has a lot of great things going for it. It has a nice venue in a central but quieter part of Morgantown. Their waitstaff is very kind and helpful, and though the décor is muted, it’s a truly inviting atmosphere. Lastly, I thought they had a strong wine list.
That said, the menu itself is very limited. My mother ordered the Rainbow Trout while I ordered the Summer Thai Bean Stew, which as the naming would suggest, is a seasonal selection. Mine had nice flavor and spice, but the portion was very small and the pork was a little tough to be honest. My mom was impressed with the Trout’s presentation, and loved the risotto, which they were kind enough to substitute instead of the normal squash side. We thought the food was beautifully set and paired nicely with the wines, but we both left a little underwhelmed.
I will likely return to Sargasso if their menu is changed slightly. Right now, the entrée list is a little restricted. There are ample appetizer, salad, and soup options, but there isn’t a dish that really stands out as exciting. I’m interested to see what other places in the area are trying to do to stay active in a tough economy. I’d like to visit Table 9 in the near future and compare their menu to Sargasso’s. I realize their totally different restaurants, but their both fusion-​upscale joints catering to a college town. A few standard, even boring menu options might widen their appeal and ideally, pad their coffers.

Evert dish looks fabulous! I order the chicken soup and sea food. Crème brelle is amazing! Very nice restaurant, even pricy.

Excellent dinner place. A real surprise at a business dinner. Fantastic fish special with wonderful light vegetables. Insane cheese cake, but the espresso was a little watery.

We came expecting a lovely graduation meal, but were really disappointed!!! The bartender did not know how to make a margarita, the food did not arrive by 55 minutes, the pork was way overcooked, no bread ever came to the table.
The one nice thing was the wait staff.
Lots of money for not much to show for it!!!

Ate with a group of three on a Friday night and everything was great. We had a nice view of the river although most tables do not. Nice cocktail menu and great and creative menu. Friendly and helpful waitress — everyone had a great meal and a great time. Desserts are homemade and really good.

Never had dinner, but a top notch lunch spot.

We ate here for lunch while on a road trip, and felt a little out of place in jeans. The lunch crowd consisted entirely of women in business casual apparel. Good appetizers though!

Its a nice place and mostly friendly staff. I had asked for a medium well steak and it came out as medium rare. I sent it back again and nothing changed. Apparently they like their food rare in motown. Our waitress for friendly but the chef seemed pretty rude. He skipped our table and went to each and every other table.

I went here for my anniversary dinner last night. We were greeted and sat fairly quickly. To start we ordered martini’s and they were made exactly as we ordered them. To start, we ordered the «Fire & Ice Sashimi» which was served over rice noodles and with a cucumber sorbet. I thought it was an intresting dish, the slices of fish could have been larger. We also ordered the asparagus tempura ($ 11) with a lobster aioli on the side. It was lightly breaded and crispy! We also ordered the langostine ceviche served with fried plantain chips. I really enjoyed this! I love ceviche and it satisfied my citrus/​spice craving.
For dinner our group ordered the 20oz NY Steak special, Filet Mignon & Osso Bucco. The steaks were all cooked exactly to our specifications which is always a plus, I cant stand overcooked meat! They were tender and juicy. I had the osso buccu which was also very tasty. The marrow was perfect! The pasta that came with it was slightly undercooked, but the meat was so good it didnt really matter.
For our dessert, we ordered the crème brûlée which was perfectly crispy and creamy! Our server, Alison was very friendly and attentive. I will be coming back and look forward to trying other items on the menu!

I went here recently for the first time — and it was excellent. I ordered «the Perfect Salmon» which was not perfect — but still very good. My friend ordered some tempura asparagus which was absolutely amazing — not heavily fried, but lightly battered (with an amazing remoulade).
It is a great location and rather small inside giving it a very intimate feel. I wonder if when it is really busy, if it is not rather loud inside.

Meh. This place is the prime example of Morgantown folk going crazy because they actually got something that all real cities have– a real restaurant. In Morgantown, the town didn’t know what to do with itself when Red Lobster opened, so it is not surprising to see why most are impressed.
The atmosphere is welcoming and refreshing. The kitchen is open and in plain view, which is also a nice start. This provides for a good start, but Sargasso ultimately fails to deliver.
The food is average, but very overpriced. In most fine dining establishments, overpriced menus are compensated for by superb service and a dining experience. This is not the case here, where you are served by unexperienced wait staff who dart from table to table and seem to be putting out fires in order to keep up with the crowd of diners.
The restaurant is quite loud, and the wait staff is unexperienced (this is understandable, since this is a college town with a population that ebbs and flows each year due to the professional sector). However, Sargassos tries to charge for a fine dining experience without following through.