Sail Inn Cafe

Don’t eat the oysters… my husband did and got food poisoning! The owner was very nice, even took us upstairs to see her vaca rentals. Warned us away from the crab and salmon but said the oysters were good! Not so good…

Had a great dinner fish n chips and tacos. Very fresh food. Excellent and we will go again.

Should have known, it is spring break, every other top rated Restrauant had a 1 – 2 hour wait. Found this place and no wait. No I know why. They were out of the first 2 things we asked for. Finally, asked if they had Corona. Ended up with a skunked out Corona Light. The old saying hold true. «Nobody likes to eat a an empty Restrauant»
Should have opted for McDonalds.

I had the crab and shrimp melt. Good flavor and great fries. My wife had the ginger scallops. Very good and fantastic flavor. This is a great little place.

Clam chowder was pretty good, I had a cheese burger that was clearly just a packaged patty, the bun was the best part. My friend got «fish tacos» that had fish in it that tasted like it had been frozen. We’re across the street from the docks, putting frozen fish on your menu is a sin.

Oh, this place should not be allowed to sell food or do business. I hate to mention, but the asian lady said she lost her husband recently, and had to change up the name or something. Even though she advertised alcohol and beer all over the menus and sandwich board, they didn’t have it because there was no liquor license yet. That was the best part. It took forever to get waited on. I had to go in and ask if I ordered inside. That should have been my clue. The place was a mess inside and she ushered me back out to my table. I ordered the crab fried rice and it was mushy and inedible. My friend’s fish tacos looked just awful. Luckily I didn’t get sick. The experience took forever. Doesn’t take American Express — in a tourist town of all things. I hope she figures it out because it has a nice view of the fishing boats.

Couldn’t have been a worse experience. I’d leave no stars but Unilocal won’t allow it. Arrived with a friend who needed to use wifi for work. New owner (an Asian lady) rushes out. Our friend tried to order beer off the menu she was handed, but the owner informed her they did not have a liquor license… So, our friend ordered a coffee. We were going to order some key lime pie once we returned to pick up our friend. But the owner was coming off of some type of altercation with the buss boy — he stormed off, cursing to himself. Then the owner started moving our friend around the restaurant since she was only getting a coffee (mind you, there were no other patrons.). Once that happened we decided not to order the key lime pie. Upon returning to pick up our friend two hours later, I asked if I could use the restroom. The owner asked if I was a customer. I told her I was with our friend… «You mean the girl who sat here for 5 hours and only ordered a coffee? And you never ordered the key lime pie.» Yeah, that’s who this owner is. Chances are I would have ordered the pie if she hadn’t been fighting with her employees and moving our friend around the restaurant like some second class citizen. I work in retail and this is the exact opposite of how you treat people. Steer clear of this place. Our friend said the coffee tasted like Denny’s quality or worse. When I stepped back into the restaurant area near the kitchen I noticed plastic tubs of linens strewn around the floor and the place was in desperate need of cleaning. It’s no wonder this spot isn’t frequented…(we waited a half-​hour at Locals down the way and it well worth it).
Btw, after voicing my displeasure about her attitude and customer service, one of her employees gave me a thumbs up and thanked me for saying something. This place is a disaster — go elsewhere.

What a hidden gem. Im giving this place 5 stars for effort. The hostess/​cook/​bartender is one of the truly nicest people you’ll find in the service industry. This is a quaint little place with a decent menu, dog friendly patio, and wi-​fi, plus… they serve booze. Great location, great staff, and good food and drinks. This is the type of place good, friendly people would love.

Well this is my first one star review. Ended up here for Christmas day because nothing else was open. Maybe we ordered wrong but omg was it the worst experience ever. First things first service was slow but waitress was not even listening to what we ordered. I was trying to ask questions but she kept repeating a menu item not answering my question. That aside let’s get to the food. Side salad was pretty but did not taste like anything and I never got a dressing option and she just chose for me. It’s was disgusting bisalmic dressing. Ick. Literally though topping on salad did not taste. so water logged. Don’t really know how that happens but how do u screw up a side salad. Husband’s tuna sandwich had hard spots in his tuna steak. I’m surprised he did not get sick. My fried calimari was randomly cut large pieces that were cleaned improperly and so chewy I could hardly swallow. Plus did not come as described on menu. It’s was really aweful food plus dishes that came out had things stuck to them. I’m a pretty easy going customer so … This tells u it was terrible. Again I’m surprised I did not get sick. To top it off she did not tell us or other customers that they were not taking debit cards that day because cumputers were down. We had to find out after. Lucky we had cash.

Dropped in here around 4 o’clock on MLK day and the place was empty. Beautiful view of the harbor. Greeted with a smile and the woman gave our baby multiple toys to play with which was awesome. Local beer on tap. We got clam chowder and fish tacos, both were great. For the price, couldn’t ask for more! Even outdoor seating!

Fantastic restaurant with great food, prices, and staff! Definitely try it if you’re in the area.

Service was slow but there was only one waitress on a Sunday afternoon so it was understandable.
The food however was terrible, we were 2 entrees short and when they were brought to the table they were less than appetizing.
All in all, the service deserved the stars but the food was no where near 2 stars.

We had an absolutely fantastic dining experience here in a summer afternoon. We sat on the deck with our dog, inside there is a small dinning area. It is great food and a great value.
My wife and I split several dishes. We started with the crab and cheese ragoons. They were five dollars for a plate of at least half a dozen. Perfectly cooked and very tasty but they could have had a bit more of a crab flavor.
Next we had one of the best dishes of the day; seared tuna. It had a light sauce and like the ragoons perfectly cooked. Seared on the outside but still pink on the inside. It was local tuna too.
Next we had an order of the clams in a sweet chili and basil broth. This dish was another highlight of the meal. It was spicy, not just spiced, which is how it should be. Like several of the dishes the clams had an Asian influence, served with rice as well.
Next we had a plate of the fish and chips. Made with local cod (?) they were some of the best fish & chips we have ever had. Light and flakey, not greasy.
We finished with a plate of the tacos, which again was made with local fish, which were not outstanding but certainly very good.
Our meal was accompanied with a local IPA and red wine. They have a full bar but their wine selection was limited.
It is a casual place so I would stop short of a five star rating. But it certainly was a memorable afternoon meal.

Even though I do not like even the smell of fish I tried this place because I was so chilled from being out on the water in the rain and fog. The soup was made with chicken and was spicy and hot. It warmed me up. The fish is in the air here. The waitress/​cook was kind enough to adjust the menu and make special spring rolls.

Sail Inn Café is lovely! My fiancé and I went here on a Tuesday night around 8:30. It was empty, which I was totally ok with. The owner is a super sweet lady who treats you like she couldn’t be happier to see you. I had the fish tacos and split the BBQ oysters with my fiancé. The oysters aren’t American BBQ, so don’t expect sauce-​drenched food! They’re more Thai-​style, thrown on the grill and seasoned with roasted garlic and green onions, freakin’ awesome!
Their chowder was really good too, and they have cheap drinks. I got a bloody mary for $ 6. There are two rooms for rent upstairs from the restaurant as well. The only reason we didn’t return the next day was because we wanted to try another place. Give this place a shot!

Very friendly, slightly slow service, but what can you expect when your waitress is also your cook, and busboy? Typically kitschy seaside café.
The menu has an interesting variety of food including, fish and chips, curries, asian soups, burgers, and melts. I don’t recommend the fish and chips, but the crab melt sandwich was good, as was the clam chowder. Both were very different than what you might expect from those dishes, but in a good way.
I would try this place again, but if the dining area looks busy I would probably move on. There’s only so much one person can do at a time.

This would’ve been a 3 star, but the attention we received from the owner lady notched this one up. My review echos others, the food isn’t 5-​star restaurant worthy, although in my opinion it’s better than Mos. We came here after rejecting the 45 minute wait at the Local Ocean. I ordered a Oyster Poboy and my friends ordered fish and chips. The fish was good, and the owner said it was Alaskan cod. My oyster Poboy was good, ol though the oysters weren’t deveined. Just unsightly, didn’t affect the taste. The good was good for the price. I was expecting much worse. Then the cute little owner came out, so excited about the new customers. I told her I’d spread the word to hopefully garner her some extra business on the competitive Newport bay front.

Their restaurant business is based off those too hungry (ok, or impatient) for the 1−2hr wait from next door at Local Ocean. If they were located at the other end of the Bay strip, they might do better as it is hard to compete with the LO (bam). That being said, they may not. However, the food is better than I thought it would be (had fish tacos for lunch) and the service is nice enough. There is only one server (owner?), but she’s attentive and gets it done. The place is cute and it had a great view. It’s not amazing, but it’s not horrible. Give a clearly local joint some love and stop in for a quick snack or drink.

First — the view can’t be beat. Their little outdoor seating area comes complete with two dog dishes for pet-​friendly dining. The deck had 2 dogs and 3 children while we were there, and all but 1 yippy little dog were well behaved.
I ordered a bloody mary — and was very pleasantly surprised with a sufficiently spicy tall glass, rimmed in spicy salt, with a huge pepperoncini pepper and a celery stalk — well balanced, with just enough vodka for a sunny afternoon.
Husband had a popcorn shrimp & chips plate that turned out to be just 22 – 24 to-​the-​lb shrimp with tails on – about 16 total — a nice plate full. He said they weren’t his favorite on Bay Blvd, but not bad either. He says next time he’ll try the Hawaiian burger –
I had a plate of their stir-​fried spicy noodles with seafood & egg. The menu said they would be rice noodles, but I’m pretty sure they were just wide egg noodles. The sauce was indeed spicy and nicely flavored — with 4 of the shrimp (like husbands), sm. bay scallops (about 10) and 3 chunks of fish in the sauté, as well as a whisked-​in egg that flavored the plate nicely. There were also onions, several kinds of peppers, and broccoli in the mix. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was good enough. They hadn’t bothered to devein the shrimp… which is always a mark against IMHO.
The best part of the spicy noodle plate was the fish/​egg they’d prepared in it – the shrimp fell short.
Evidently, they were busy enough today to call in a waiter that hadn’t expected to be working, and he stumbled through his service for the people at the table next to us. He played «let me check if they have that…» at least 3 times before they could order — he really wasn’t prepared to be working, but he was peddling fast to catch up.
If you have issues with stairs/​steps, this place isn’t for you — a 4-​short is the only way up to the porch/​dining room.
Still nicely average food and service — but just barely.

Meeting my mom at The Coffee House, she called me to ask where I was. Turns out she was next door at Sail Inn which she took for the place we’d been to before. When I informed her that the coffee shop was next door, she replied «But it’s really cute here, and they have coffee and I’m looking at their menu…» A few moments later, I join her and we sit in their enclosed patio.
It is a very cute restaurant. Typical of this seaside area with nautical themed pictures and knick knacks on the walls. Our waitress was very sweet and friendly and brought our drinks right away. While my coffee came in a large mug, my mother’s latte came in a to go cup and we had to ask for another ceramic mug for her drink. I guess people don’t usually order espresso drinks to stay.
Then we perused the menu, which was very brief and not particularly compelling. We just wanted to try the seafood so we ordered fish and chips (catch of the day was ling cod) and clam strips and chips. The food also came out quickly but I could see right away that it wasn’t going to be very good. Something about the uniform shape and color of everything.
It was all incredibly hot, which is good I guess, but the breading on the fish was so thick that it was like cornbread. Soaked with oil and completely masking the taste of the fish. I literally couldn’t taste the fish. The clam strips were equally tasteless and I used the cocktail sauce, which I really didn’t like either, to give it flavor. Even the fries were unremarkable.
As we were eating, their boat pulled into the parking lot. Our waitress told us that they catch all their own fresh fish every day from the bay and the ocean. I couldn’t believe we were eating fish this very restaurant had caught. Whoever they have cooking it should be kindly replaced. Really, a waste of fresh fish. It wasn’t expensive but we we felt a little ill later in the day from the grease. It’s a shame but I won’t be back.