Guest House Grill — Restaurant in Atascadero

We had just finished a day of wine tasting and were looking for a place with a patio for our dog. My wife found this place and we are glad she did! While they weren't really prepared to serve anyone on the outside patio due to the recent storms, they immediately went to work and set up a table next to the fire pit and lit the fire for us. The service really went above and beyond since we were the only people outside, yet the waiter checked in on us regularly. They even brought out a water bowl for our dog. We started off with a Kentucky Mule and an Orange Fashion to sit by the fire. Both cocktails were very good and presented well. We split an order of the Artichoke which is grilled and it was great. The artichoke was cooked perfectly so that we were able to eat almost all of the leaves entirely. The nice char on the artichoke combined with the seasoning really put it over the top.

For our entrees we ordered the Hoisin & Ginger Glazed Duck Breast and the Chicken Fried Steak. The waiter said they usually prepare the duck as medium rare and that often a lot of people feel it is too rare, well we stuck with their preparation of medium rare. The duck was just a bit pink in the middle of the breast, but so very tender. The hoisin ginger sauce is a really nice touch, just a bit of sweetness with a nice ginger bite. Much better than the traditional orange sauce you normally see with duck. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the green beans were cooked and seasoned just right. The chicken fried steak was great, I was very impressed by it. This is really a big step up from what you find at your traditional diner. The meat of course was tender, the breading was light and crispy and has some great seasoning in it. The gravy they covered the steak made me think of a bacon and potato chowder, was delicious and not too heavy. I got scalloped potatoes for my side and was pleasantly surprised by the presentation of it. I wasn't expecting them to look like a slice of lasagna, but it sure did! The potatoes were sliced thinly and layered with cheese. It was great and easy to eat compared to how I usually see scalloped potatoes. Overall we were very impressed with this restaurant and the experience. To have the staff take such good care of us like that was great. I have to say we'll...

We made a reservation for dinner at Guesthouse Grill this past Friday night. It was a nice night so we opted to sit outside on the patio. The atmosphere was lovely but the service was incredibly slow. It took just under 15 minutes to meet our server who came by to tell us she’d be back with water. When we told her we’d be ready to place our entire order she looked surprised and told us she’d be back. She came back 5 minutes later… without water. We placed our food and drink order and we didn’t see her again until she returned with our calamari appetizer, iced tea and Coke. Before we could get 1/4 into our calamari, she showed back up with our clam chowder. We ate our appetizer and soup. The calamari was excellent. However the chowder was barely warm and mostly potatoes. We then waited a good 30 minutes before our entrees arrived. My bf ordered the bacon wrapped filet mignon and I ordered the apple walnut salad with steak. My bf ordered his steak medium rare and it came out perfect. He enjoyed his meal. I ordered my steak medium since it would be served over my salad. What I received was somewhere between rare and medium rare. There was a pool of blood in my salad. I immediately took the steak off the salad and placed it on my appetizer dish. I ate two slices but it was so hard to chew it was like chewing on a piece of rubber. I tried eating the portions of the salad that weren’t sitting in a bath of blood, but I couldn’t get more than a few bites in. My bf finished his entire meal and we finished our beverages, not once receiving a check in from our server. When she finally arrived, we let her know we were ready for the check. She looked surprised to see that I didn’t eat much of the salad and that the majority of my steak was sitting on another plate. She sent the manager over who was incredibly kind and apologetic. She took the steak off the bill and comped half the cost of my salad. That was a kind gesture as we didn’t ask for a bill adjustment I just wanted to get out of there. We spent way too much of our evening at a restaurant where our experience was mediocre at best. Next time we are visiting the area, we will not be paying Guesthouse Grill...

Unfortunately I have to update my previous review with a bad experience. My wife and I went today for our yearly Thanksgiving eve lunch. We were basically the only ones there but yet it took a long time to get our drinks, the waitress never brought our waters and instead of bringing us the 2 burgers we ordered, we received 1 burger and a share plate. The young man that brought us the waitresses mistake, was apologetic and said he'd get another one out in "5 minutes". 15 minutes later, my wife had already finished her lunch as she wanted to eat while it was still hot. By then, I was fed up ( no pun intended) and told him to just wrap it up to go and bring the check. Then the waitresses came out and apologized saying it was her fault and, while friendly, didn't offer to comp our meal or at least our drinks for basically ruining our lunch experience. It was one year ago today that we had been there and was a tradition with my wife and I. She at least loved her burger and I'll be eating mine for dinner. We understand mistakes happen, but I've never had a wait person take an order for two, and bring out one. This is rectified by just offering some sort of compensation along with an apology. If that had happened, I wouldn't be updating my previous 5 star review below:

Best food you can get in North county! We love the guesthouse and it's true- you get what you pay for! Food is top notch as well as customer service. My wife loves the Crusted Ahi and was raving about the 3 course for $30 deal they had in January and was wishing they would continue offering that. I love their burgers and Spinach & Gorg Ravioli and any salad there is awesome. Look forward to trying...