Scallops

12/2/2023

Awful, just awful. From the undercooked, rubbery, tastless scallops (5 for $30+) to the tasteless crabcakes, to the $3.50 "house" salad upgrade for a mere handful of greens with some shredded carrots with a terrible version of Italian dressing and an even worse (rancid), blue cheese dressing, please don't waste your money here. Had to walk across the hall for a Kind bar to guarantee something decent!

6/7/2023

We came here for my boyfriends birthday on a Sunday evening.  We were seated promptly. Staff was attentive but not intrusive.  We did not have to wait long after ordering for our food to be brought to the table.  We had a bay view table, which was really nice.  We started with the barbecue oysters.  They were fantastic! My boyfriend had the scallop and mushroom linguini special and I had the sautéed scallops from the regular menu.  Both were quite delicious. The sauce on the linguini was savory, the sauce on the sauce was so buttery yummy.  They were served on a bed of rice pilaf and came with an ample serving of vegetables that were cooked just right; not too firm, not soggy.  They have a desert menu, but you can order a desert from the case in the front, as well.  I skipped, but boyfriend had a peanut butter cookie.  It was a lovely drive and and wonderful meal.

6/5/2023

Don't believe all the reviews had a great experience. Scallops were good. Service was excellent price wasn't bad.

2/5/2023

Very different than my last visit a few years back. Service was very poor. The Crab Cakes breading was doughy and the flavor was oily.
The rice was awful. Way to much chicken broth or stock. Scallops were mediocre. Way over priced for the quality of food, and service.

Very disappointed in the changes. Been going there since the 1970's. What was once an upscale restaurant is no longer!!!!!

8/18/2022

Love the big portions here and fresh seafood! We had scallops tonight red snapper last night.

7/30/2022

Crabcake appetizers were full of crab and had very little filler.  They were good.   Then two of us had New England Clam Chowder.  I found it to be unexpectedly thickened with cornstarch or flour.   The things in the chowder were unrecognizable.  I've always put a pat of butter on top of chowder.  It brings out the flavors.  I didn't with this bowl of gelatinous white stuff.  It did not deserve it.  The chowder tasted unlike any New England Clam Chowder I have had in the past 79 years.  

For my entrée, I ordered scallops.  They arrived on a bed of yellow rice, next to a pile of almost raw zucchini, summer squash, and carrots.  The scallops were pasty-white looking.  I expected some buttery searing, but this was the total opposite.  I asked the server if they could be seared on both sides.  She told me they would have to start from scratch so it would take a while.  The second plate of scallops arrived looking just like the first.  I ate exactly one scallop and it was awful.  I took the rest home (with the yellow rice) where I threw it all out.  Our host had a seafood stew-looking thing in a white sauce (Pasta Pescatora?).  Fettucine was too heavy for the dish.  The seafood in the dish was bland and overpowered by the cream sauce.  He did not enjoy it.  Another person had fish and chips.  The chips were very good.   Service was excellent.  Hence one star for the chips and service.

6/30/2022

Tides on the wharf restaurant was delicious food. Server was slow as first but definitely attentive when she was with us!
Scallops with rice pilaf was my favorite although loved the linguine pescatora
.  The view was phenomenal as the sun shined ob the ocean waters.
Cocktails were not up to bar as the taste was not on point -1 star); but overall experience was great. Definitely would return back for another sitting.we came a perfect time (3-5)pm as the tables are filling up and the noise is louder.

6/23/2022

The Chilled Seafood Salad was amazing!!!Three of the five of us had the salad which included scallops, crab meat and two types of shrimp!

6/18/2022

The prices are fair for the location, but the food is more like diner cuisine. I ordered the  béarnaise grilled salmon. I received a tiny piece of dry salmon with no sauce or seasoning. It was free of any taste, so I can't describe it further. However, my family enjoyed their meals. I tasted my daughter's scallops and they were ok.  My husband enjoyed his pasta with seafood. I did taste my son's fish and chips which were also ok. The prices were quite high for the quality of food, but again the location plays a role. Their breakfast was very good. The Huevos rancheros was delicious. My family also thought the breakfast was much more tasty than dinner. If case you're a vegan, the only breakfast option is fruit. Also, the menu prices posted on their website are lower than they actually were.

11/11/2021

They were not nice! Seemed very annoyed and put out that we were there and eating. The scallops were also not cooked well.

10/7/2021

This has always been a favorite but this last visit I found the food and service has slipped.
I am thinking the Pandemic has hurt this place with staffing.
We went early and were seated promptly. Our waitress was good but wasn't very friendly.
We ordered Manhattans up - told her meaning martini glass no ice. They came in tall glasses with ice. She said it was the only way the bartender could do. A visit to the bar after we were told not true. He made no effort to apologize or make it right.
Big difference in a Manhattan up and a drink looking like a Shirley Temple.
Between us 3 meals ordered- petrale sole and scallops were both very good. The rice served was excellent. The New York steak was flavorful but extremely fatty.  I think only half was edible, would not order that again.
The green beans served with it were excellent.
I won't give up on this place as it's special to me but it needs a slight improvement please.

9/7/2021

Seafood done well, a bit pricey...clam chowder good for this area, creamy not watery, good amount of clams, not too much potato...scallops tender and a good amount...will come back next trip to Bodega Bay

7/14/2021

NOPE.   This place was a disaster from the time we got there.  OVERPRICED TOURIST TRAP.  It was a busy Saturday but I feel like that's not an excuse for what we experienced.

We arrived to a 1 and a half hour wait, which was fine and expected since it was a Saturday.   There is a glass case next to the host/hostess area that had little deserts. Since the wait was going to be so long, we asked the hostess if we could buy something from the case.  She pointed to the woman right next to her and said "sure, she'll be right with you".  We waited in front of that case for 20 minutes with no one even acknowledging us as they came to pull items out if the case to pack for others.  We gave up.  Went to the entrance and waited to be called.

We finally got seated and I ordered the $45 bowl of cioppino with cracked crab and my boyfriend ordered the "Garlic Wine Scallops".  

My cioppino was "okay ", the broth was good but super salty, there was NO fish (usual cioppino had WONDERFUL chunks of cod that soak up the broth); only crab legs, two shrimp, 3 muscles and 3 little clams.  SO not worth $45.

The worst part was the dish my boyfriend got.  He received about 6 unseared scallops on a bed of the most mushy, most bland rice we have ever tasted and the scallops were SO UNFLAVORFUL... no salt, no sear, no garlic or wine flavor AT ALL... they were TERRIBLE.. the entire dish was terrible!   Ge dipped his scallops in my soup broth to get some kind of flavor and make their reason for dying less pathetic.

At the end, we decided we still wanted a little almond cake we saw in that front glass case but the desert menu was COMPLETELY different and had nothing from that case?   So we ordered a raspberry almond cake, even though we should have know better at this point... the cake was one of the driest cakes I've ever tasted.. we didn't finish it.  

Left there $100 down and ABSOLUTELY disappointed.   Will not be returning.

4/18/2021

Heres the low down from our visit...
45 minute wait not horrible considering the volume of traffic on a nice Sunday. Easy parking with very nice water views. Nice deli and gift shop and indoor or outdoor dining.
The food was hard to fault and we enjoyed everything. Right away they bring you a nice warm cross roll and butter with your water. Which is a very nice way to start. The chilled seafood salad was excellent. It could have used a little more seafood to justify the $31 price but we were happy with the results. The fried calamari was just average and could have been crispier and better seasoned. Clams in garlic butter we're great. Swordfish great with perfectly cooked veggies and nice sauce with a teriyaki edge. Clam chowder was pretty average and unfortunately very expensive for the portion at $17. We wanted another bowl but were put off by the price. The steak fries are excellent but the accompanying deep fried scallops were bland, inconsistently fried and greasy. Overall very nice, but somewhat pricey. Worth a visit.

8/8/2020

When we were visiting Bodega Bay we had takeout twice from here as the wait for a table outside was too long . We loved the whole crab , the garden burger , the linguine with scallops with creamy tomato sauce . The staff was so helpful . I can't wait to come back when we can enjoy the restaurant.

8/2/2020

I looked at a lot of reviews before deciding to try The Tides Wharf Restaurant.  With the COVID pandemic, each restaurant is trying to do their best and I'd say the service at The Tides was no exception.  Their COVID protocol was fantastic.  Hand sanitizer everywhere - good distance seating outside.  Just off the charts, by the book, perfect.

People were working hard to get people seated safely and promptly.  Everyone was hustling cleaning, bussing tables and getting water and menus out.  Having said that, there were some speed bumps.  Our cocktails didn't come out until our main courses were served (not sure why).  But the food was good.  Here's what we had:

I started with the half dozen oysters - blue points - not much to go wrong other than ensuring you have fresh product.  They were delicious!  Bread was nice, a light sourdough and very tasty.  It was a whole bun, vs a slice which I thought was a nice touch.

My wife had the 1/2 lb deluxe burger - medium rare with mushrooms, swiss and bacon.  The burger was a perfect medium rare.  I had the Pasta Pescatora - pasta was cooked al dente, and nice blend of fish scallops and prawns.

Some folks were complaining about the prices.  Yeah, it's a little pricey and you are paying for the view but the portion sizes were enormous - definitely two meals in one.

So I'd definitely recommend The Tides again.  It's not perfect but they are putting out a good product, lots of effort and, of course, a spectacular view.

1/5/2020

Our expectations for a lovely experience was dashed with the extremely long wait for our waiter to first arrive at our table. We did not give up hope, gave our orders and sat back and waited. And waited. And waited.  And then we waited some more. Our 2 year old child was over the moon with ants in the pants waiting, and the cheese ravioli had sat under the heat lamp a wee bit too long. Our 6 year old received an adult order of fish and chips(confused waiter, someone had to wait double for their fish and chips now). My scallops arrived last, perfectly cooked, perfect temperature. Their signature chowder was very good, like a fish stew.  Then we waited.  And waited. I needed another drink. We asked for a box for the ravioli, and our check. Then we waited.  And waited.  And waited. Our waiter walked by at least twice, and then oops remembered us. He was very kind, and was trying, but dang. Don't know if the kitchen communication was whack or what. Something obviously was not clicking. Their prices reflect a restaurant that has their profession down. Shame. Go somewhere else till they work it out. The food is good, but everything else is no bueno

3/14/2019

On vacation from Texas expecting "fresh," delicious seafood. What we got was rubbery, frozen not fresh fish.  My wife and I ordered a third entree just to try the scallops...they were small and tasted like tennis balls.  Service was decent but the place was tired and nearly empty.  Also, we could hear the kitchen employees laughing and horsing around during our entire dinner. Wish they cared about the food as much as having a good time while working.

12/8/2018

Very expensive for the food.   We had a new waitress and it took over an hour after ordering to get our salads. Then she had to come back and ask what entrees we'd ordered.  It's the first time in my life I didn't finish all the scallops.

11/25/2018

Very expensive for what you get.  I gave this three stars, and I'm still wondering why so many.  The place is very nice inside and even without a window seat, a great view.  I think this place is surviving by the tourist that visit the area.  The food I got was not quite as good as I could make myself.  I ordered a Bloody Mary from the bar.  It was really bad.  Pretty watered down mix and I think they forgot the booze.  I sent it back and the second on had a bit of booze in it, but really lacked flavor.  Was still a bit watery.  The waitress said she thinks its the mix they use.  It still cost me $8.50.  I ordered the fried clam strips as an appetizer.  They were small pieces no bigger than a pencil and no longer than 2 inches.  They were covered in a heavy dark deep fried batter.  I couldn't really taste the clams.  Won't be back to order them again.  I ordered the "fisherman's" plate for my lunch.  The broccoli was way over cooked.  Really mushy.  I guess left on the steam too much.  The fish, oysters, shrimp and scallops were cooked in a wine/garlic mix.  I have to say, even that didn't have much flavor.  I couldn't taste the scallops, but the fish and oysters were just okay.  My wife had a cold crab sandwich.  She said it was actually pretty good.  It was just crab meat and a light french roll.  Not much to go wrong with that.

I really don't think I'll be going back ever again, even though we live about a half hour away.  There are better seafood restaurants in the  Santa Rosa area.  Total for lunch for two of us was $112.00 including the two bad drinks.