Fat Cats Cafe — Restaurant in California

So, if you're not a seafood person, you may want to avoid this place unless it's for their (what I've heard) great brunch. The view is spectacular! I could feel all my stresses just melt away. The Honey and I joined his cousin and wife for a weekday dinner. Everything that everyone ordered smelled and looked divine! The service was attentive and polite.

However, I'm have serious allergies to shellfish. Like Epi-Pen level allergies. But I do enjoy fish and try to eat at least one serving a week. I don't do fried foods often (perhaps 3-4 days a year) but I was really looking forward to their legendary fish and chips, substituting the chips for their (also legendary) onion rings.

I couldn't order them - see below for details.

I had the (I believe it was) grilled codfish. It left a lot to be desired - heavy-handed with the black pepper but lacking other seasoning, not grilled but seemed like it was poached, even the presentation was poor. Thankfully, their cole slaw was really wonderful!

I'm still giving them four stars as everyone else LOVED their food: the Honey got the Ahi burger which he raved about. His cousin got the Calamari Steaks fried (he said it was juicy and made to perfection), while his wife got the Fish and Chips.

Please Fat Cats - get a second fryer which you can use for fries, non-shellfish, and more! I felt robbed of...

It was a glorious day in Avila Beach out near Port San Luis With clear blue skies and warm sunshine on an October day we were all together as a family at Fat Cat’s Cafe. Although the setting is very pretty nearby and we have been here many times, it’s not the same anymore. The server he did not even know what the price of a cup of coffee it was and did not take time to go find out. The waitress was lovely and moved an umbrella so that we could have some shade. The patio is very sunny and it gets hot But the worst thing is they have a severe problem with meat wasps. In fact, one of them rolled in the syrup on my pancakes right in front of me. Only one of us reported that their food was really good and they ordered special pork tamales that day. The rest of us were fairly disappointed. With only a few exceptions, but none of that matter because we really could not enjoy ourselves because the flying, pesky insects were so bad. I could see that there were some traps for these meat wasps in various locations, but they were not doing the job. We tried not to let it ruin our day. But the young toddler with us had to be consoled because of the bees. Showing them away was not helpful and it was a real chore to eat any of our food. Meat wasps come out of nests that are underground. They are difficult to get rid of. We are unable...

Having family that has spoken well of this place, I personally had a negative experience this past Saturday (Aug. 12). My companion and I decided to drop in during lunchtime and split a plate between us. We were seated in the patio right away, but it took the server some time before he came back to take our drink order. Ten minutes later, we had our beers, and then it took an additional 15+ minutes for him to return and take our order. Mind you, the patio was not terribly crowded. There was still seating available. Our order was their special fish and chips, as well as a side of onion rings. The onion rings came out first and looked delicious. They were well battered, had a great crunch, and the onion was cooked through (so it didn't rip out with the first bite), but they had zero flavor, like they completely missed the seasoning. When the fish and chips arrived, the fish was soggy and, again, had zero seasoning. I will say that the fries were nice and crisp, like the onion rings (no salt) and ended up being the best part of the meal, next to the beers. I hope that this was just a bad day for them (it happens) and that other visitors have a far better experience. I know the business has been around since the mid-80s, and I wish them many more...