The Big Blue Cafe — Restaurant in Arcata

My family and I had lunch at the Big Blue Cafe. The restaurant is a bit cramped, but that lends itself well to the overall ambiance of the restaurant, which is cozy. The staff was courteous, though we did have quite a long wait between being seated and having our orders taken. That was a bit annoying, but it happens during the lunch rush.

I ordered the Breakfast Club. It was fantastic. The french toast used for the sandwhich was a good consistency. I wish that it was a tad bit crispier, considering the type of bread that was used, but the flavor was great. I appreciated that the meat in the sandwich actually had the texture of real meat. In other words, this was not your standard fare deli turkey. It was delicious, as were the other components of the sandwhich. Dipped in syrup it was a great bite. The home fries were good, though an afterthought compared to the sandwich. I think another side would pair better with it. Maybe a citrus or something not savory. The sandwich is savory enough on its own. I would order this dish again.

My wife ordered the Grilled Veggie, which is a compilation of sauteed vegetables served on a pita. The vegetables were cooked correctly and had the right balance of freshness and char. Pitas are often a bit too dry, but this one had good pliability and was the perfect vessel for carrying its contents. My wife would probably order this again.

My kids ate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. It's kind of hard to screw up, and these were good enough that my kids enjoyed them. I didn't try a bite, but they looked fine.

The bottom line is that ambiance is nice, the staff was courteous though overwhelmed by the lunch rush, and the food is very good. I will eat here again the next time...

Not bad but not great, either. Service was fine but food was 'meh' and quite overpriced given the quality.

My chicken melt was dry and bland. The chicken could really have used some seasoning and/some kind of spiced aioli. It was, however edible so I ate it after throwing a dash of salt and pepper on it.

After I ate my sandwich, I started to get work on my fries which were fried to the color of wet cardboard. They were cold. I figured the outer layer was just a little chilled from sitting while I ate my sandwich so I grabbed one from the bottom. Still cold. It's as if they just have a pile of cooked fries somewhere in the back and just grab a scoop when needed instead of actually cooking them to order. The (now) unsurprisingly bland, unsalted potato's were not helped by the incredible sogginess. Even after I lightly salt and peppered them, I could not get over the sogginess. I didn't manage to eat more than a few bland, soggy, cold fries.

Overall, the food quality and uninspired menu would have been fine twenty years ago but unfortunately this restaurant has failed to offer a dining experience consistent with the times. I don't plan on returning but that doesn't mean I'd refuse to eat here if someone were to drag me in.

Given Arcata, your breakfast options aren't super great. While the few options around differ slightly in various areas of quality or options all the places feel and taste fundamentally the same. If you want a truly good breakfast I recommend venturing into Eureka. Ugly town as it is, their options for culinary experiences...

This is an update on 9/24/22 from my 7-month earlier 2-star review. I now give them 5 stars. Food portions were generous, and was very good. Very friendly and attentive staff.

My earlier review from 7 months earlier: I have been going to whatever restaurant is in this location since I was an HSU student 30 years ago. I have ordered "Karen's potato's" many times. One buys that because they are hungry. It is basic food. My potato's came on what is probably an 8 or 9 in plate. My food-mates received their omelettes on a much larger oval plate. They had likely 40% more food, for the same $14 cost. There were more potato's as a side dish on their dish than as the main ingredient on mine. I was hungry afterwards. I let it go last time, but this is their second-time sin. I am disappointed and in a funk. I want to give them a good review. I want them to succeed. I am glad they came back after a deviating fire. I'll give them a couple months and try again only once more. I'll update this review if things change. Otherwise it's back to bagels.

My wife just reminded me about the service. We waited 20 min to order. Got our coffee after another 10. Received requested water after meals were done. No coffee refill until meals done. All restaurants have bad days, so your mileage may vary. Restrooms...