Beachcomber Restaurant

Ate here during our first trip to Crescent City 4 years ago and enjoyed it. Was looking forward to dining here again.
Passed by today, and saw that they are out of business. Everything was boarded up! BOO!!!

On our trip, we always ask the locals where is the best place to eat in town, not for tourists, but where would THEY eat if money isn’t a concern and they just want the best local food. The folks at the Curly Redwood Lodge pointed us here, as did a couple other locals, and it didn’t disappoint!
NOTE: The address is actually 1400 US Hwy 101 SOUTH, it’s on the beach on the south end of town, not the north side like this map shows! Gorgeous sunsets here on the beach too, and they have outdoor dining so you can appreciate it.
What was disappointing though was the wait to be seated, and served. And the reason why: the matron-​die and the busser BOTH failed to show up or call-​in that night, so the waitresses were having to NOT ONLY be waiters, but also had to seat people and bus tables and it was a full house that night. Despite that though, they kept their chins up and slogged through it, for which we were very appreciative because the food was so worth it. We left a very generous tip after the meal for their extra hard work and effort in the face of overwhelming hardship that night. I hope they hire some new staff that’s more reliable!
I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak for dinner, and the breading and seasoning was spot-​on delicious. All meals at this place include soup, salad, dessert and a soft drink — hence what seems like a steep price. My partner had the garlic prawns and they were also very yummy, though perhaps a bit over-​seasoned for my taste (very heavy on the garlic and butter, but I hear some folks like that!) The potatoes were great, as was the dessert (homemade bread pudding with a fantastic caramel rum sauce!) and the gravy had the perfect seasoning of pepper and white pepper and was light and creamy like a perfect chicken fried gravy should be. I would gladly eat here again on my way through Crescent City. =)

so-​so hospital food, bland and blah. out of silverware and clam chowder. only good thing was a personable waitress.

Had dinner here for the second time, my wife and I come here while camping and we must say the food is great and despite what I’ve read here we got really good service. I had the Parmesan crusted Halibut, and she had the Garlic Shrimp both were excellent and a nice sized portion.

Terrible service! I had the halibut and the fish was very good. My husband had the snapper and it was good. Baked potatoes were cold. Salad bar was out of lettuce. Sunset was gorgeous. And, did I say the service was terrible.

We actually went to this place in spite of the reviews here, as it was recommended by a local, and I am not sorry that we did,
We wanted a place right on the beach, and the Beachcomber is just off the sand, with an unobstructed sunset view. At 8:00 on a Saturday night, the place was half full and we were seated and served promptly.
The shark bites appetizer, as expected, was bite-​sized pieces of breaded and deep fried shark served with a creamy dipping sauce (pinkish and probably mayo based). I’m not a fan of fish, but even I liked it, and SO liked it a LOT.
The clam chowder was OK, nothing special; the salad bar limited but very fresh ingredients, including lettuce, beets, cucumbers, peppers, feta, broccoli, carrots and a couple of prepared salads. Everything I needed to make a delicious salad was provided. (definitely NOT the «worlds worst salad bar» as another reviewer noted)
My SO tried the Parmesan Halibut and it was really good, a reasonably sized portion served with potato, cole slaw and Texas Toast, while I ordered the chicken breast with the same sides. The chicken (three large pieces!) was fresh tasting, with a crunchy breading. There was a small cup of BBQ sauce, but the server quickly brought a bowl of ranch dressing at my request. Neither of us tried the toast or the cole slaw, since we were getting full by the time we finished the halibut/​chicken. $ 5 glasses of Pinot Grigio went down a treat.
The included dessert was bread pudding and we almost asked our server to skip it; luckily it was a perfect portion of a few bites — a sweet little finish to a fine meal.
Service was professional, quick and friendly. We’d eat here again.

Salad bar was unimpressive. Seafood was marginal. Steak was good (probably the highlight of the meal). Service was slow and horrible. Took a long time before anyone came to our table. Our waitress did not tell us about the specials, though we heard other wait staff telling their customers. Received our order (they were out of oysters… which was extremely disappointing) including a baked potato with no toppings whatsoever; ending up having to request butter and sour cream twice before it was delivered to our table. Meals are supposed to come with complimentary bread pudding, which we were neither given nor offered. Another member of the wait staff finally came to collect our check after quite a long wait. No one refilled our beverages the entire time we were there.

I’m sorry but this place was just miserable. We weren’t expecting much because we figured it was a tourist trap, but we had been on the road all day and we needed food. I saw that the entrees were all over $ 20 so I just assumed there would be some decent quality. The waitress was absolutely pissed off about her job and not pleasant at all. I would be too if I worked there. The halibut was gross. It was like frozen fish fried in old oil and covered with some cheesy bready junk. My stomach was messed up the next day from it, which is really why I feel compelled to warn everyone about this joint. After dinner we decided to hop back on our motorcycles and brave the lost coast at 9:30pm figuring the rest of the town had the same type of offerings and head 80 miles down to the next town.

Overpriced for bad food. Son had children’s menu chicken strips. They were abnormally huge pieces of chicken that looked like they were pumped full of hormones. He didn’t like them and he didn’t eat them. His fries were soggy too (The Seagull were thankful though). I had the Admiral’s Plate, which is your typical Captain’s Plate. Food was okay but there was this one oyster, it popped in my mouth and I almost threw up. I love oysters and have eaten them all ways prepared. This is the only time in my life that I couldn’t stomach one. Texas Toast on the menu should have been my indicator to leave. People are nice there but I really wanted good food too. Sorry!

12/​28/​2009 (Monday)
7:00pm
Our party of 7 arrived to a mostly full restaurant. There was a section of booth and table that would seat us, but was un-​bussed at the time. The wait for the waitstaff to turn the table wasn’t bad (but I did put them on the clock, and would have suggested we leave if the table wasn’t addressed in 10 minutes.) On the way to the table, I spied a rack of ribs that were THICK, and looked excellent. The other plates I saw looked like they held a lot of food. We were seated and promptly given menus and water.
Our orders were taken in a reasonable time-​frame, however the kitchen was out of cod, the ribs, and a variety of the prawns. That’s a lot of gaps, which tells me you need to get here early or risk a contracted menu
We were served our Clam Chowder appetizer promptly, and the people who chose salad were given plates for the salad bar at the same time. The chowder was runny, and lacking in potato and clam. It tasted good, but was still a cheap take if you ask me. The portion was small as well.
Here’s where the wait ballooned on us. It was just over 60 minutes from the time we arrived to when our entrees were served, and for a 7-​top, that tells me the kitchen is probably understaffed, and will be so long as the house is full. Also, during this wait, I was informed that they were out of Squid as well, so I had to change my order.
The food:
The parmesan halibut is coated in a breading of sorts that contains both partially hydrogenated oil, and high-​fructose corn syrup (they sell the drek by the bag, which is advertised on each table.) The end product tasted just like a Better-​Cheddar cracker. The halibut is not local, either (at least this time of year?)
The prawns, and oysters were unanimously quoted to taste fresh, but were over-​salted. Shame.
The steaks were cooked over an open pit bbq, and were nicely portioned and cooked to the correct done-​ness, but again, much too salty.
Bread Pudding:
This is noteworthy. Very tasty even for a guy that doesn’t like dessert. No extra cost.
A parting shot:
When we were leaving, we passed by a two-​top that was seated well after us eating their entrees. One had the fish tacos, which were said to not be available due to running out of cod! (We were not offered a different fish to substitute)
So the portions were good, the level of freshness good, but the seasoning was overdone on just about everything, and especially so on the Better-​Cheddar halibut. (Wish I could have had the ribs!) I’d especially go elsewhere if the restaurant is packed and you’re showing up with a larger group of people.
There’s gotta be a better Seafood joint around, but the Beachcomber was the only place I had a chance to eat at in my time in town.

This place has been more consistent and good lately… as my family in cc have said. 4 of us came for dinner and had beer and steaks. We all enjoyed our meal. Mine was cooked just as I ordered… no pink! It came with a good sort of coffee cake dessert. Regular choice of sides, no vegetable but cole slaw. Liked the garlic toast. Service was on point and attentive. Price was $ 18 – 26 per plate… but for steak comparable. Our tab was over $ 120
Had there been a vegetarian option besides fried mushrooms, I would have gone for it.
room for improvement: the salad bar was questionable… lettuce just iceberg and teetering on the line of soggy, bleh!

Overall, this was an edible place, but there are definitely things to stick to and things to avoid. If I rated one dish alone, the parmesan crusted Halibut I would rate it at a 3, but the other dishes pulls the rating down. Three of us ate there. The cod with hazelnut champagne sauce was ok. The fish was overcooked, but the sauce was ok. The salmon was horrible, having a muddy taste so I’m not sure who their supplier is, but I would question that. The parmesan crusted halibut was good, perfectly cooked and not fried, just put on the grill to give a pleasant crunchy topping with out any greasiness. I warn you there is a severe lack of vegetables! The salad «bar» is a joke, with bagged iceburg mix and only pickled things to top it with. The clam chowder was a much better choice with a nice smooth texture and not overwhelmingly clammy. If you don’t like clam chowder… sorry you are out of luck. I might eat here again but I would stick with the starred local favorites.

Crescent City doesn’t seem like a gourmand’s heaven. But we’ve found some respectable dining stops here. One of them is the Beachcomber, which is, as advertised, on the beach with a very nice view of the Pacific.
We were seated quickly and pleasantly, and our server couldn’t have been faster in meeting our minimal needs. The wine list was slim and overpriced, but the beers, including some local brews, were fine. The house specialty is Halibut with a parmesan crusting; the fish was delicious, the battered crust just so-​so. The snapper, however, was a treat, moist and perfectly cooked with light, balanced beurre blanc sauce. Dinner includes salad or soup, bread, potatoes or rice and very tasty bread pudding. All in all, a pretty good deal for $ 21 for the halibut and $ 19 for snapper. If you’re starving, they also sell a 14-​ounce rib eye with local crab for $ 39. A satisfactory experience, then, and we’d recommend a stop if you’re staying here to see the Redwoods or just passing through at mealtime. You’ll like the view, too.

wife and I did not enjoy beachcomber…
flies, lousy fish tacos, tasty fresh snapper but, overpriced at $ 20, even with the ‘free’ salad bar and rice.
fresh clam chowder and salad bar is worth a star. stick with that and you’ll be happy.
staff is friendly, nice view, but we came for the food, sorry.

This place came reasonably well recommended on Unilocal (only one review) and my folks had stopped by the night before (we’re all on the ‘Oregon Trail’ and they’re ahead of us), it was right on the ocean, and it served seafood, so it was just what were looking for. The food was alright — the kids had fish and chips (home made fish, breaded rather than battered, factory processed chips). The ‘home-​made’ clam chowder might have been, but it also had a tablespoon of butter floating on the top, so I’m not sure if it was ‘home-​adjusted’ rather than ‘home-​made’.
My husband had the steamer clams. These were good, served with butter, and again, the factory made curly fries the kids had. I had the special — pistachio-​crusted halibut cheeks with beurre blanc. The fish was ultra-​fresh, really delicious. Frankly, I don’t think the pistachio-​crusting was necessary, but I’m guessing their clientele likes that kind of thing. The beurre blanc wasn’t (it was some cream and butter sauce, ie. not the traditional beurre blanc), although it was alright. I ordered a baked potato instead of the french fries, and it came completely naked, with no accompanyments. Is it me, or does that just seem wrong?
The wine list was mediocre, with a high markup — almost 300%. Yes, it was super cheap ($ 18 – 28 a bottle) but the wine was also super cheap (Clos du Bois, Meridian). The beer was of a much higher standard, all in bottles, but clearly this is where their passion lies, as they had some Obsidian Stout, and a terrific citrus wheatbeer.
If I could give some constructive criticism to the owner/​chef, I’d suggest: MAKE your french fries (it’s not hard). Revisit your wine list (and it’s pricing), use the freshness of your ingredients as the focal piont of the dishes, not as something that needs covering up. And stop buying in your desserts! How hard is it to whip of a bread pudding, a pie, a cobbler, or a crisp?
While by SF standards this place was a two star, given the location (on the ocean) and the location (Crescent City) I’m giving it an extra star. That, plus the super nice (rather than super efficient) service, made it a great stop. I would encourage people to 1) Buy beer 2) Order fish that can be steamed or grilled 3) Order the rice pilaf instead of the french fries or the baked potato 4) Don’t order dessert!

Everybody talked about the Parmesan crusted Halibut. The people at the hotel, the newsclipings inside the restaurant, the menu. Everybody. Fine, I’ll have it! Turns out it’s halibut that’s crusted in Parmesan. The halibut was good quality, but the Parmesan made it kind of strange. Not my favorite, but it wins points for being unique. The chowder was fantastic, and I could actually believe that they make it there.
Service was great, the location is right on the beach (despite the incorrect map here), and the place is filled with all the old timey maritime crud that satisfies a man.
Add an additional star because they have one of those big brass ship speed indicator thingies. You know, the thing where you move the lever and it changes the speed to something obvious like, «full speed,» or something nonsensical like, «dead slow,» or, «flank.» Thank god I was born in the 1900’s and never had to learn these terms. Anyway, you can play with the thing and it dings when you change speeds. Yes, I’m 9 years old.