Drakes Sonoma Coast

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  N Knickerbocker M�rquez
7 months ago
This restaurant was definitely the lowest point of my stay at Bodega Bay. How it has such a high star rating, does not make sense to me. I strongly recommend skipping this restaurant. The experience started off shaky. There is not enough parking for the amount of patrons this restaurant can service. We were seated by the window which had excellent views of the bay. Hence the three stars for atmosphere. My first dish was the soup of the day, New England Clam Chowder. It did taste pretty good, not the best one I have ever had but good. My husband outside of getting the wrong order at first, his baked clams were good. After glancing around the room we noticed that people were provided with bread. We never got bread nor asked if we wanted some. The main course oh the main course. The positive: the sauce for the scallops was delicious. The scallops could of been cooked better but most of the plate was edible. Now the very not so positive: The ribeye steak was suppose to be cooked medium rare and it was tartare, had no flavor and I had to send it back. A manager stopped by our table and told us a round of drinks would be on the house for the inconvenience. We were grateful. The return of the steak, which took a while, was still not cooked properly. Now it was on the rare side but at least edible. So instead of sending it back I just ate most of it. The fingerling potatoes were bland, the pickled onions did not go with the meal. The fried onions were stale. I put a lot of salt on them and it did not help. This was a $56 steak!!! Not worth it. The dessert was good. I had the Pavlova. Avoid this restaurant!!!

  Marti Briney
8 months ago
Our table was by the window, so we had a beautiful view of the bay. Scarlet, our waitress did a great job of pacing our meals so that we could thoroughly enjoy our cocktails before dinner arrived. Both dishes, the pork chop and halibut were divine. The pork chop was cooked to perfection with a lovely mango salsa and mushroom bread pudding. A unique and yummy combination. The halibut was stewed in a corn miso broth with fresh tomatoes and summer squash. Both dishes had wonderfully developed flavors.

  GraceAnne Hoss
7 months ago
Beautiful service with kind and sincere staff. Our meals were well crafted with excellence and clear talent from the chefs.Wonderful pairings within the menu between Entrees and their accompanied sides. Everything served was certainly made with passionate hands.Our view of the tides of Bodega Bay beautifully encompassed the serene atmosphere and gave a relaxing experience.Quality food and quality service.We enjoyed a blessed evening and look forward to returning for our anniversary.The Lord has been good to us, especially with their banana bread pudding dessert.

  Jessica Sandler
a week ago
We made a reservation for a party of 8. When we arrived they put us in the bar. If you know Drakes it s all about the view and dining room. The manager insisted she told us we would be in the bar which she did not. The manager was very rude. Do yourself a favor and make reservations at Terrapin or Hazel if you want decent service. We live locally in Bodega Bay and we never go to Drakes and now I will never go back. There are much better places to dine than Drakes.

  Lisa C
a year ago
More

  Anthony Lerro
2 years ago
We started with the tomato salad and the scallop crudo. Neither was great. The tomatoes seemed cold which dampened their flavor, the dish lacked salt and the sour dough croutons were totally left off the plate. The crudo just didn t taste good. Too much stuff ruined what should have been a simple dish highlighting the scallops. Orchiette was ok but also lacked salt. Salmon had a great crust to it but was overcooked and lacked flavor. Neither dessert was to our liking either. They forced a prix fixe menu which in almost every combination ended up more expensive than the individual dishes which I didn t really appreciate. I know restaurants are struggle with staffing issues so I m not going to ding them for that. Service was friendly and trying their best. If you re staying at the lodge it s obviously a convenient option but I personally would never go back for dinner again. Breakfast saved it a star since it was pretty good. Dinner was almost a total miss.

  Marianna Terhune
a month ago
We celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary at Drakes ! The food, the service and all of the staff were excellent. They were very personable and made sure every aspect of our meal was perfect.Thank you Drakes for making our 48th anniversary wonderful!

  Jessie Shinn
a month ago
We stayed at The Lodge at Bodega Bay for several days in February and had both morning and evening meals at Drakes Sonoma Coast. The restaurant was warm, welcoming and, like the Lodge, comforting and comfortable.Our breakfast seatings gave us an awesome view of the bay, flowering plants and birds flitting around. Highly recommend any of the eggs benedict, all favorites.Evening dining at Drakes was the food highlight of our trip (which included some meals in San Francisco). We had a sweet potato soup that was so incredible when we first tasted it we immediately looked at each other with some astonishment.All the dishes we tried were (can we say?) approachably sophisticated , especially the Steamed Tomales Bay clams with chorizo outstanding!The service was consistently perfect - attentive without being intrusive. Portions were generous, and we left relaxed, happy, and satiated. A truly marvelous experience!

  Tabor Gamblin
a year ago
The service and food are exceptional! We only visited for breakfast, but the atmosphere was just what the doctor ordered. We did not have reservations but that did not affect us getting amazing seats with a view. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Bodega Bay!

  Paul Southern
4 years ago
We booked a private room here for a good friend s 50th Birthday.The food was fantastic and the staff was very helpful. It was a beautiful day & evening. We watched the sun go down over the pacific from our private room and patio, and finished the night around the fire pit on the patio.

  Nicolas Pierattini
4 months ago
More

  Ben W
11 months ago
Great spot with beautiful views. They were able to seat us walk in in the lounge area and the main restaurant has some tables with incredible bay windows. Really delicious food, the standout being the mussels and the grilled Cesar salad. Our waitress was great (can t recall her name but she was from Pacifica).

  marina williams
6 months ago
More

  Janetthe Pacheco
3 years ago
We tried the muscles and clams. Absolutely delicious! Comes with fennel and sausage, clam chowder, and gnocchi and mushrooms.Beautiful view.

  Roger Peverini
a year ago
This place has high quality food usually always a good meal unfortunately they must have Gone to choice meat instead of prime had a New York not their normal quality hopefully they go back to prime. Had their Dark chocolate lava cake with a scoop of vanilla bean 10

  Ash ley
9 months ago
Is it edible? Yes. Is it good? no. Super expensive and extremely mid food. Cocktails sound good, but tasted like juice. My friend became sick after eating the Halibut so try to avoid. It is very convenient to the hotel and has nice views, but expect to wait at least an hour for food on a weekday. Staff was super attentive in first 20 minutes, and then totally disappeared.

  stephanie sinka
7 months ago
Although I wasn t able to eat at this restaurant, they went above and beyond to surprise my father for his birthday when I couldn t be there. I ordered food to be delivered to their table and ordered it ahead of time with Matthew. He was so caring and attentive to help me to surprise my dad! Hopefully one day I can come eat here but I will say the staff is very, very kind! (my father said the food was delicious)!

  Rachelle Summers
4 years ago
Awesome service and absolutely delicious crab cakes and scallops! We like to take our time while dining and the couple at the table next to us were in a hurry - the staff accommodated both styles with ease. The view of the sunset over the bay during dinner are fantastic!

  Prakash Chandrasekaran
2 years ago
More

  Adam Randall
6 months ago
Rude, slow, average, and inconsistent.We called ahead to let them know we'd have two fewer people, but when we arrived the table was still set for 8. When our server learned the size of our party, she shamed us, saying, "Okay, well you're my whole section, so (shrug)."I told her we'd be ordering plenty, and that we would make things good for her. Again the shrug. Uncomfortably, we ordered cocktails and bread to start. These items came out pretty quickly, but it was a full 45 minutes before we could order the rest.The rest ended up being 6 appetizers, 6 entrees, another round of cocktails, and a bottle of red for the table. Our middle aged server had no idea she had a table with a big budget for this dinner because we don't dress the part. It was a work retreat, and we go hard on the company card (dinner for 6 was over $1k).The food was okay. The oysters were alright (one plate baked, one raw), and the clam chorizo appetizer had a broth that was really terrific. The bread dipped in that broth was the highlight (clams and chorizo themselves were not special). Cesar salad was whatever, watermelon salad was pretty good, beet salad was really just beets (texture was good, flavor was only the strong beet flavor with no memorable accents). The first cocktail I ordered was really terrific, but the second (same drink) was rough. I don't know what happened between orders (same bartender), but all of our second round was sub-par.The hosts didn't clear the apps when they brought our entrees, and just kind of shoved them onto the table, forcing us to move and stack them ourselves. My $56 ribeye was over 20% gristle, and the fingerling potatoes on the side were unimaginative and mostly without flavor beyond salt.Once the full order was placed, our server brightened up considerably and was on hand for the most part, but it really sucks that once she judged us to be working class, she chose to shame and ignore us. I was in the service industry for 16 years before going into tech, and when working class folks save up to eat at a nice restaurant, that means a lot to them. For her to treat us like that at her age tells me this wasn't her first time behaving like this.If you're in this area and looking for a fine dining experience, try Terrapin Creek. For about $400 less, we enjoyed much better food (makes this place look like an Applebee's) with caring and attentive service. I cannot wait to write that 5 star review.Drake's, on the other hand, clearly needs to take a look in the mirror and clean house.

  Scotty Steam Clean
8 months ago
Even though we live in Sonoma county this was our first time at Drakes. The restaurant was clean and nice, service from our excellent English waiter was fantastic and everything from appetizers to entrees were great! Our only disappointment is that we haven t been eating here all along.Cheers Drakes and great job!

  Philip Musa
5 months ago
More

  TG
a year ago
Food is fresh and local. We stayed at the lodge so tried the restaurant.

  Jeremy Marshall
a year ago
Little gem of a restaurant located in a peaceful landscaped setting. Great views from the dining room and even better outdoor dining.

  Alejandro Juarez
a month ago
More

  Jessica Lane
6 months ago
More

  Christine Peters
a year ago
We come here a few times a year . Everytime is excellent! The food is amazing and the cocktails are perfect! Rita is an exceptional bartender. She remains calm and friendly while navigating the crowd. She was busy but made time to chat with us both nights. Even gave us a few bartender drink secrets... We chatted with many people at the bar and felt like friends after. Rita said she loves watching that happen. The servers in the dining room are well versed and friendly. Highly recommend Drakes

  Jose Dominguez
a year ago
The shrimp and grits were the best I have ever had. Everything was seasoned perfectly and the pork belly that came with it was to die for. I would eat this every day if I could. My wife also really liked the forged mushroom appetizer and cheese board.

  James Johnson
4 months ago
More

  Deborah Philbrick
a year ago
Walked in without a reservation as a solo diner and was really impressed by the food, but more importantly by the service. I was encouraged to sit for as long as I wanted and the server went out of his way to let me know he's wait to fire my entree a bit so I could spent more time watching the water. I love not being rushed when eating alone.