Shoreline - Gualala

Had dinner at this restaurant last night and it was very bad. Claim chowder was so bad we sent it back after one bite. The steak was so thinly cut why bother to ask how you want it cooked. My girlfriend had the cheeseburger which was just ok.

Service was great. Food was pretty good. Although the calamari was chewy the potatoes were over roasted. Salad was huge, but good. We both enjoyed our main courses. We ordered the crab stuffed salmon the sea food scampi platter. You can't beat the view though either. There are many places to sit and enjoy the ocean view.

We didn 't have the best experience here at Sandbar, which is disappointing because we just moved to the area and really wanted this place to rock our boat. Seems like a good place for cocktails and appetizers and otherwise best avoided. Some notes: Decor is nice. View is amazing. We sat outside. They could really use heaters and I 'm rather surprised they don 't have any, but maybe it 's too exposed to the ocean elements or something. Service was very slow, maybe in part because we did sit outside and the server was preoccupied with her other tables indoors. Out of sight, out of mind. By the time I got all the components I needed for my coffee, it was cold. The server rushed and hunted around for cream and came back and when I asked for spoon, to stir it, she said she would send out silverware with the bread. That was a long wait and the guy who brought it out didn 't bring a spoon. Had to wait again. The point of the coffee was to warm me up for the cold weather. Very long waits for the appetizer (which was taken by another server to their table ahead of ours, our server said) and for the food. We had to track her down for the check because we were too cold to continue waiting outside. Bread was stale. And the garlic bread they brought out for my dish was also stale and completely inedible, even if you didn 't mind cutting the roof of your mouth apart, it tasted terrible. I mention this because, how do you mess up bread? Cioppino was one of the most flavorless dishes I 've ever had, which is disappointing for a seafood specialty restaurant. Was like they tossed frozen seafood into a tomato sauce. Calamari was pretty good. My fiance liked his steak and the sauce on it, but the serving sizes of the sides of mashed potatoes and grilled veggies actually made me laugh out loud. It was the tiniest scoop of mashed potatoes I 've ever seen and can only be described as cute and there were four tiny slices of zucchini spread out and two skinny roasted asparagus spears. For real, comical. My feeling is this is a badly managed restaurant. I 've worked in the restaurant industry for many years as a manager, server, and bartender and I know the symptoms. It 's always someone else 's job. No one helps the hostess, or helps another server, etc. Servers run around like their heads are cut off as a result and everything is disconnected. Restaurants that work together as teams run much more smoothly and there is more camaraderie and preparation for stressful, busy times because people aren 't afraid to ask for and provide help to their fellow servers. Tips shouldn 't get in the way of that, because better tips happen all around when the vibe is good, but you need a present, active leader employees respect to make that happen. The kitchen needs a major tune up and quality freshness control. Avoid this tourist trap unless you are just there for a quick easy lunch drinks with a view.

We come here 4-5 times a year and we make a point to stop in multiple times. The service is amazing, food is delectable. A few of our favorite dishes are; coconut shrimp martini, fried calamari, and our absolute favorite is Javi's pasta! You'll be hard pressed to find a better view in California.

It had been a good 10+ years since being there. Disappointed in the thin paper napkins that accompanied the white tablecloth on the tables...sat by windows that were dirty, to try to look thru at the ocean... The food was decent, however...I had halibut, husband had swordfish. Noticed a waitress cleaning up a table that someone had just used, and after dishes removed, she turned the exisiting tablecloth OVER for the next customer! My wine glass was so dirty, I didn't dare take a sip; waitress poured me another glass of wine in a nice clean glass!