The Spinnaker

waited for one hour. the staff were rude. When asked how much longer is the wait, angrily responded that we were already told there is no available table yet. Upon ordering, soem of us requested rice instead of potato with our order and the waitress rudely said they do not serve rice, only orzo. all orders came with rice anyway including the one who specifically requested for orzo. When asked to change that to orzo, she got mad and said the order was for rice. Food was mediocre, definite very expensive for the quality.

Posted 08/03/08

Had dinner with my date and enjoyed every aspect of the restaurant. We were seated by a window facing San Francisco and saw the lights come on. Million dollar view! Staff was wonderful and very informative. I truly enjoyed the Petrale with macadamia nut crust. Shared the Strawberry Zabaglione dessert......tasted awesome. I would highly recommend this place. I thought it was a tourist trap but the maitre'd told us that they have a lot of bay area regulars.

Posted 04/26/08

I've been back several times, only during the day. I feel like the view would be wasted at night. The service has always been prompt and friendly and all the food is well priced and delicious, esp. the shrimp sandwich. The last time I ate there, I was seated right next to a huge glass wall right on top of the water and saw seals poking their heads up during the meal. It's in a charming neighborhood, a beautiful and easy drive from SF. The restaurant is low key but elegant, they have valet but have never had trouble parking in the area.

Posted 04/23/08

Went to this poorly managed restaurant with my family for Easter Brunch-lunch. Requested a table in back (got seated in the front part). Our server was decent but not great!
The food was terrible, almost to the point of nasty. How can you screw up a salad and clam chowder????
The manager approached our table YELLING (I NEED THE TABLE NOW - I MOVE YOU TO THE BAR AREA AND GIVE YOU A FREE DRINK) Every single person at our table is in the restaurant business - We all got up and vowed to NEVER eat at this tourist trap ever again!!!!! The only thing nice about this place is the view (the food and management are terrible).
I congratulate this establishment in making a huge mistake of talking to us with such disrespect!

Pros: view

Cons: bad food - rude service!

Posted 03/30/08

Perhaps my favorite Bay city, Sausalito can boast about this restaurant on the water. It literally sits out IN the Bay on pilings, water lapping the posts around you. We watched the sail and motor boats move across the water, enjoyed the gulls fishing for their early evening snacks just outside the glass wall near our table, and dined on excellent food. Parking was valet and easy, service was friendly and consistently attentive. Our roasted halibut and grilled mahi were perfectly seasoned and the chowder was yummy. Menu choices are plentiful and dishes are presented well. Before dinner you can browse wonderful galleries nearby and enjoy the views from the city which faces the Bay. Exciting photo ops abound.

Pros: THE VIEW! Delicious food; Good service; Wonderful ambiance; Valet parking

Cons: Hmmmmm....can't think of any!

Posted 09/21/07

Three of us ate here for lunch on Tues., June 12. Our server, Robert, was outstanding. We never asked for more water or bread. Our table was watched and replacements made immediately. We had one N.E. clam chowder, which was very good. The other two of us had the spicy tomato bisque seafood soup..... good, but not that good that we would order it again although it WAS loaded with scallops. We also had the Petralie Sole with macadamia crust and a fantastic sauce, and the pan-seared scallops. We both would have liked these more seasoned, but they were, nevertheless, tasty served with wonderful julienned vegetables & asparagus spears, with orzo. The other lunch was the stuffed avacado. Again, good. The atmosphere is fantastic. No matter where you sit, you have a view of the bay. I've been there months ago, and will certainly return.

Pros: Ambience (view) and service

Posted 06/13/07

was excited to try Spinnaker with a group of seven on a very special family occassion. They made us wait one hour past our reservation time, with three hungry young children. Even then, they said they could not seat us yet. We left and had to find somewhere else on a busy Saturday night. They made no apologies, acted as if they had no control, and offered no compensation for our wasted time. Absolutely horrible service. I would not take a chance on this place at anytime, let alone a special occassion. Obviously, they overbooked and valued their revenue over their customers' satisfaction. Great view if you don't mind horrible service. Worse I've seen lately.

Pros: None

Cons: Horrible management, did not honor rservation.

Posted 05/12/07

This place has an amazing view. Very romantic setting overlooking the water. The food was expensive though for the only slightly better than average quality.

Posted 11/19/06

Food was delicious! I had a lovely lunch alone at the Spinnaker. I ALWAYS order clam chowder when I'm out, and this was the BEST I've ever had. My crab cocktail was delicious, and the shrimp avocado salad was tasty, but not GREAT. The bread pudding was delectable.
The service was phenomenal! The waiter was sweet and attentive. WIthout my knowledge, my waiter ran out to the valet to make sure my car was ready before I left.

Pros: The food, the view, the service....fabulous!

Cons: Price was average, don't let the valet bully you into valeting, when there is tons of parking available close to the front door

Posted 11/14/06

The Spinnaker offers great views and a pleasant, although somewhat "touristy" atmosphere. However, my husband and I were disappointed with the food. The fish dishes were unimaginative and bland. Since there are so many other great seafood restaurants in Marin, we probably will not go back.

Pros: Great views

Cons: Touristy, bland food

Posted 11/12/06

Unless you are of white descent or exude a certain amount of money, you will be overlooked at any given time. The entire staff is rude in their physical behaviour as well as their use of vocabulary.

Pros: The view of the bay

Cons: staff service

Posted 10/31/06

The view from the Spinaker is it's distinguishing feature- and it is a devastating view of the San Francisco Bay. That being said- go for the view and a drink and skip the dinner reservations or even the appetizers. The food is overpriced and overvalued and the waitstaff leave an enormous amount to be desired. On two occasionbs even the drinks were poor and I sent back a mixed drink as it tasted like water. However the view mitagates all other issues so try this for a cocktail or glass of wine and savor the old san francisco atmosphere

Pros: the view and the somewhat stuffy old san francisco atmosphere

Cons: poor food and terrible service- and the somewhat stuffy old san francisco atmosphere

Posted 08/31/06

What a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening with your date. The staff is wonderful, friendly and professional...the food is great and the view is magnificent!

Very tasty dishes and awesome desserts.

Definitely enjoy spending time at this beautiful restaurant and savoring the food and view.

Pros: Service, Food and View

Posted 07/10/06

The hostess was so rude to my family on Memorial Day that I insisted we leave, even though my mother was thinking of staying - and it was my mother to whom the hostess had been the most rude! I used to work in retail and can understand having a long day at work on a busy holiday with lots of tourist traffic can really drain a person, but that's no excuse to take it out on customers who were polite, well-dressed, and hungry. :p

Pros: the view, good parking

Cons: service, hostess, atmosphere

Posted 05/29/06

We've been going to this restaurant for years to celebrate birthdays and other events. The last two visits have been very disappointing. I'm sad to say that we will probably never go there again. I've never had wait staff speak to me the way the ones at this restaurant did last night. They were rude, condescending and defensive. They definitely did not give me the feeling that the 'customer is always right'. The atmosphere is dear to us, but we will sacrifice it for finding a place that values us as customers.

Pros: view, atmosphere

Cons: cost, wait staff, rudeness

Posted 04/08/06

I was very excited to try this restaurant with my fiance on Valentine's Day. When we got there we were impressed by the views, and our great table. From there things went south. My cocktail glass had someone elses' lipstick marks on it, so the waitress took it back. The next one she brought had the same problem!! Ew. Then both my swordfish and my fiance's prawn pasta were HORRIBLE. They tasted microwaved and the presentation was that of a much cheaper restaurant. I sent my meal back without eating more than two bites. This restaurant really ruined our Valentine's Day experience. Not recommended.

Pros: View, Location, Nice staff

Cons: Bad food, Dirty Dishware

Posted 02/14/06

The service for a private party was excellent! It was spacious with a world class view, and the staff was knowledgable and helpful. Everything was as requested and in this day, that is remarkable.

Pros: Jeff the manager, service, delicious choices

Cons: ???

Posted 12/22/05

The view at this place is great. It's literally on the water with lots of boats going by. Everything else though is suspect. The best description I can think of for this place is institutional. The carpet, furnishings, linens, the waiters in their polyester vests, the entire décor, and of course the food. I felt like I was dining at a Holiday Inn or a hospital cafeteria. The prices weren't outrageous compared to other restaurants in similar locales but the quality wasn't there, so it was disappointing. The waiter was moderately friendly and professional although after he brought the food he never came back to refill drinks or ask how it was. I knew the instant I walked in and saw the cheap surroundings that this wasn't the place for me but the girlfriend wanted the view so we stayed. My eyes were happy, my tummy... not so much.

Pros: view

Cons: food, surroundings

Posted 08/21/05

We found our overall experience at the Spinnaker to be outstanding. The hostess was a bit cold but the server was exceptional--friendly and highly competent! We enjoyed every bit of our experience, from wine to appetizers (good clam chowder--a bit thin but tasty) to entrees (some excellent pasta shoices) to desserts. And of course the view cannot be beat! It is an easy ferry ride to the Spinnaker and with the unique shopping in Sausalito I would recommend this experience. We had lunch reservations but they were not very busy (weekday). I would definitely make reservations well in advance for dinner. The desserts are home-made and wonderful!

Pros: service, superb view, desserts

Cons: hostess, a bit expensive

Posted 08/05/05

THe waitresses are very rude and treat the customers in a disrespectful way. They don't quote the correct wait time

Posted 07/30/05

i found it a waste of time and money. i have been to much
better places in Sausalito. the service is terrible, and the
food mediocre.

Posted 07/04/05

The Spinnaker serves above average food with a great view of the bay. This would be a nice place to take out of town visitors so they can get a nice view of San Francisco. The staff of The Spinnaker seem like a boring bunch of people but they get the job done. And I would say that the best part of the meal was the great dessert.

Pros: Great View, Good Food

Posted 06/27/05

We arrived, we began to enjoy our visit. We had made reservations and were promptly seated. Our window seating added immeasureably to our experience. Each of our party had a taste of appetizers; garlic w/brie, calamari and crabcakes and devoured them with ahs all around. I thought the Hollandaise sauce served with the crabcakes was the best. Two of our party had NY steak, ordered it medium-well and they were uttering "mouth-watering" "tender" as they took each bite. Our crab w/penne was very rich and I am afraid the taste of crab, although sauce was filled with the "meat" was overwhelmed by the heavy sauce, thos good, it is not something I would order again.
Our grandsons were thrilled when our server expertly prepared the Caesar dressing for our salad at our table. Thank you, Spinnaker, for making our visit so pleasant and a part of our graduation memoryl.

Posted 06/11/05

I must agree, the view is great but the food really leaves a sour taste. We had to send something back to the kitchen because it was too salty and unedible. The rest of the stuff that we ordered were not good too. I had the clam chowder and bit into a lump of flour! The entrees were all too salty and the presentation of the food was mediocre at best. Certainly not worth the money and the wait! I bought my date for a Valentine's Day dinner after a day at the spa when we were both ravishing hungry and left very very disappointed!

Posted 02/20/05

Fantastic view - great food - prompt friendly service - well trained - worth the extra wait for a table on the outside wall

Pros: view, food, staff

Posted 10/17/04

They have one of the best view in Sausalito. I would suggest people go there to enjoy a glass of wine and the wonderful view. For the food, it is very american, and the view is worth more than the money you pay for. I'll give it a good value, but it is not for the food.

Pros: great view, easy parking

Posted 09/19/04

The first time that I went there, it was a great experience. Not only was there an awesome view, the food was decent, especially the seafood. It's just a great place for a date or an anniversary, in my case, an anniversary. They have free valet parking, which is great. Once again, nice view, highly recommend for dates only.

Pros: Awesome View, Free Valet Parking, Romantic

Cons: Not great with groups

Posted 07/12/03

What a great experience. Wonderful view, outstanding food... good, attentive service. Will make this a regular choice for our west coast trips.

Posted 10/22/02

Best place to be romantic, entartain family, friends

Best View in the Bay Area

Pros: Reasonable, Ample Parking, Great views

Posted 08/06/02