Windows On the Water

I travel to Morro Bay twice a month for work in SLO. I prefer to stay in Morro Bay where my son lives and contribute at least ten nights a month to the local economy through lodging and restaurants. Last night my daughter joined me as we began our leisurely stroll down Embarcadero to decide where we would eat. I’ve never been to Windows on the Water so we ducked in for drinks to start, followed by some fine dining for sure! The «Host» at the stand asked if we were there for Oysters Tuesday. We said we were not, that actually we were going to start off our evening with some drinks and go from there. He announced the bar was full but could take our names to seat us in the bar when one came available. As I looked out across the vast and 98% empty dining room, I requested to be seated at a table overlooking the water. He literally looked down over his glasses and «down his nose» at us and announced, «those are reserved for people actually dining». I was so shocked by his behavior and dismissal I could hardly get the words out. My daughter nudged me and said shall we go somewhere else? I replied yes and left. Not that it should matter but I am a professional woman, working in hospitality for years and we were both well groomed and «dressed» for dinner. We promptly made our way to my favorite «The Galley» where we enjoyed sharing our Window’s experience with our favorite bartender, enjoyed our cocktails and dining experience, and happily paid our $ 200 tab. So much for «reserved for those that are dining» — huge mistake–

I stopped on for dinner while on business and had the halibut and some wine. Very relaxed atmosphere with amazing food. My only holdback from 5 stars is the price. It was $ 60 for entrée and two glasses of wine but I will say the quality of dinner and the wine are worth it.

Service was great, our private party was serviced professionally and everything was accommodated to!

We were advised to make a reservation for an earlier hour than we normally dine. good advice. second floor restaurant at the Bay edge. Incredible view.
Meghan our server was extremely helpful guiding us through the menu. If she is the typical Windows on the Water server, then great service is the norm there.
Apps– tried the abalone, farmed of course and quite good. also don’t miss the risotto appi.. a highlight. Try the clam chowder, it is not the thick kind, a thinner broth, intentionally, and the flavor was outstanding.
Flatiron steak was one of the prix fixe choices. a beautiful cut of meat, not at all what we expected. We also had the halibut on the regular menu. it was on a bed of spinach but also had a tapinade and thinly sliced avocado on top. I posted a photo separately. Really attractive presentation and delicious.
We will be back, oh yes. Morro Bay has many dining choices, push this to the front of your list.
The prix fixed menu was priced at about $ 35.

We started with their Goat Cheese Bruschetta… Wow! Outstanding! Not your typical so don’t complain if you order it without reading the description on the menu, as I saw one Unilocaler do. I then had the Arugula salad, it was good, not outstanding, some flavor was lacking. For the main course, we had the Local Halibut and the Pan Seared Diver Scallops. Both were amazing. They were prepared light healthy. The Red Quinoa & Pesto with the Cauliflower purée was notably wonderful with the Scallops.
For desert we chose the Sorbets, which were Coconut and fresh Blackberry, again, wow! Amazing! Service was great too. A must if you are near Morro Bay and want a nice modern seafood meal, on the water.

Our second visit, but he first was years ago.
Our server, Benjamin, was very attentive and his service was our pleasure. The cuisine was varied and delicious.
The view was excellent. There was live music and a choice of two rooms, one where you could enjoy the music and one where it could be avoided (the musician was talented and the music appropriate).
Enjoy

Great views, the food was good. We stumbled in on our California coast road trip. The enters we had were the Seabass and Ahi dinners. The Seabass was the better of the two.

Amazing food and great staff. Once our waiter knew what we wanted, our glasses were full for the rest of the night. He even tried to refuse a tip.

VIEWS– ⁵⁄₅
GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA– 3.5÷5 This had an interesting flavor profile. I liked the citrus with the pancetta, the sweet fig jam was tasty but there was so much of everything it was overwhelming and overly sweet, and with everything loaded on a thick piece of kalamata olive bread, it didn’t resemble bruschetta.
ARUGULA SALAD– ⁴⁄₅ fresh and balanced
HALIBUT ENTREE — ³⁄₅ fish was cooked nicely and I enjoyed the heirloom tomatoes but the slices of avocado and olive on top didn’t compliment the dish. The olives overpowering for me.
PORK OSSOBUCCO ENTREE– 2.5÷5 we were told this had been cooking all day and was «fall off the bone tender,» which it definitely was not. Flavored with thyme and served with a bunch of polenta, execution fell short for $ 34.
The service was good and the views are amazing, but for the prices the food was 3 stars.

I would give Windows 5 stars if the décor was a little more updated. That said, the service and food was exceptional. Much better than you can hope for in coastal town.
The halibut over tomatoes with wilted spinach and an olive tapenade was flavorful, fresh and delicious. The appetizer of artichoke with aioli was excellent as was the homemade ice cream for dessert.
I’m sure during summer hours the view of the harbor would make the environment much more pleasing. Overall if in Morro Bay it would be a great choice.

Artistry in every dish (and glass!) Started with appetizers, oysters, abalone and mushroom risotto. Scallops and filet Mignon were amazing! Dessert wine culminated the night.

We came back here with my parents when they were visiting from out of town. It was a Tuesday night and not very busy. The food was just as delicious as the first visit, however the service was lacking a bit. If you are at one of the most expensive places in the area, you just expect these things to be done for you: our server didn’t get us an ice bucket for our white wine, didn’t pour out our wine into the glasses, never came back to check on us and he just wasn’t friendly at all. Not sure what his deal was but it kind of ruined the experience.
Caesar salad was just ok — I wouldn’t get it again. But our entrees were all really delicious.

Deliciously good!!! Went here for our 14^th wedding anniversary and loved every minute. We ordered yummy starters including the goat cheese bruschetta with sliced pairs and homemade Fig spread… amazing. Next was the Cayucos abalone salad. Gorgeous and just as tasty! We tried the BLT salad and it did not disappoint. The mains were out of this world… I had the Filet and my hubby had the Lamb. We sat there for 3 hours enjoyed every bite listening to a live guitarist singer. They had a great list of local wines but we brought a favorite bottle of wine with us and the corkage fee was $ 15. Highly recommend this place!

Nice old-​school restaurant, many tables with great views. Go right before sunset for an absolute stunning glare. It’s like an interrogation. I almost confessed to the server that I farted.
Anyway, we really wanted the Wednesday night $ 10 sliders as an appetizer, but those were only available in the bar. So after ordering our drinks, my wife grabbed a table in the bar and I attempted to tell our server we were moving and planning to return. I had my Direct Eye Contact Look on her as she passed 3 or 4 times, and after a pair of «excuse me“s failed to connect, I just grabbed our drinks and left for the bar. (So, if that server thinks I was a jerk for just leaving, um no)
The sliders, by the way, were awesome. All three were differently dressed, the Western, the Greek, and the Parisian. We shared the first two, but the French one was all mime.
We never returned to our table, and my wife wants to return… but after sunset.

I’m a fan!
This place is very nice for the Central Coast.
Great menu, great wine list (15.00) corkage, and awesome cocktails.
We had dinner here with some friends and their young child. The wait staff was very acomadating and helpful.
Thank you Windows On the Water for being so understanding.
D

PERFECT MEAL. .. WONDERFUL VIEW!
Yes, it was one of those perfect meals in a very nice restaurant. Service and food is outstanding and the food is very fresh!
Had the crab cake like none other. It was prepared with fresh crab. It was a little pricy but the crab cake was outstanding. Then the salmon and sea food pasta came out. The sea food pasta was fantastic and outstanding. There were clams, scallops, shrimp, crab and other sea food items (can’t remember them all) in a light sauce over pasta. That dish was a hit. The salmon dinner was okay and perhaps a bit overcooked.
The service was also outstanding and the view of «The Rock» at sunset was really nice. This is a great place to enjoy a very nice meal.

Hot tip: Tuesdays is 50 cent oysters during happy hour!
They shuck um right there at the oyster bar, you can have them raw, barbecued, or fried. Have them fresh is a must! I only stayed for appetizers. The Goat Cheese Bruschetta is MONEY!!! OMG happy dance, party emoticon, high-​five goodness! I also had the Caprese Salad — very refreshing with a glass of white wine!

While pricey, Windows on the Water offers a simple, tasty menu. The salmon, with a coconut curry sauce on a lime infused rice was delightful.
The Crème Brulee had just the right amount of crack to Crème ratio.
Others in my party enjoyed the halibut and the s’more dessert is decadent.

My sister treated me to dinner at Windows on the Water when we visited Morro Bay, and it was an all around fantastic experience.
A 3 course pre fixe dinner is just over $ 30, or $ 45 with wine pairing. We each got the pre fixe, and the food was excellent: a fresh and delicious classic salad of greens with candied nuts, cheese, and pear; perfectly cooked local sand dabs (mine lightly breaded and pan fried and hers grilled to be GF friendly) with a lemon caper sauce served on a big «potato pancake» that was more like a big mashed potato patty; and a fantastic, beautifully presented tart lemon mousse in a martini glass. The first couple of wine pairings were great; the last wine was a white dessert wine so sweet I couldn’t finish it.
The view of the bay and Morro rock was lovely, and the service was friendly, polished, and attentive. Often, the better the view, the worse the food. Not so here!
They’re also very accommodating of special dietary needs– they altered the prix fixe menu to be entirely gluten free for my celiac sister, and she had no problem.
But that’s not even the best part: visit on a Monday for «martini Mondays» at the bar, with a huge range of $ 4 martinis that are strong, well prepared, and fantastic. You can get anything from a classic gin or martini to fruity vodka based concoctions to sweet desserty drinks. If I lived anywhere near Morro Bay, I would be here every Monday! The specials are available at the bar only, and are one of the best drink deals I’ve ever seen. Six stars for the martinis alone!!!

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!
Came here with my large family group of 8 people on Tuesday night — OYSTER night!
Blue points were delicious; they also had other varieties including Kumamotos (my favorite!)
TRY THEIR OYSTER SHOOTERS — you won’t be disappointed!
We had their prefixe menu and it was heavenly.
Next time we are in town (hopefully will include a Tuesday) — we will be back here!
BTW, our server Vickey was fantabulous =)