Blue Heron Bistro — Restaurant in Coos Bay

German and Seafood.... probably shouldn't go together in the first place. I lived in Germany for years. Their North Sea seafood is excellent, but they're not really known for seafood in general. Which explains the clam chowder, which was awful. Almost completely tasteless. I did taste the bacon a little, but the clams were mostly non existent and the rue was actually tasteless. Didn't taste like flour, or milk, or cream, or anything. Having recently taken a Clam Chowder Tour of the Oregon Coast, it really stood out as bad. We both tried it too, because I wanted to check if I was just crazy because I couldn't taste anything! When I sent it back, the waitress said she's never had anyone not be happy with the chowder. Which was hilarious, because there's a book on every table. It's the same book, about the owner of the place. There's a chapter in the book called, "A Big Fan of the Third Reich." Being a history buff, this stopped me in my tracks as I was quickly flipping the pages. The incident itself is kind of funny, and highlights people's absolute ignorance about WWII and other cultures. But, in that book that sits on the table, is another customer's review of how bad the chowder is. (Pic included so you can read for yourself.) This was at least worth a hearty laugh, especially after what the server said.

There were multiple problems with my meal. Starting with the drinks we ordered. In which the server brought the bottle, but no glasses to pour it in. She even brought the appetizers and didn't bring glasses, so I asked for some. She laughed and said of course. Then disappeared for 20 minutes. My significant other ended up getting irritated, and flagged down another employee. And requested glasses. This other employee tracked down our server, who then brought glasses and told us the story of how she forgot and knew immediately what the other employee was talking about. All in all, it took approximately 30 minutes to get something to pour our drink into, AFTER the bottle itself was delivered to the table.

I also had to endure the server talking to a young couple, explaining what Germans do and don't drink in Germany. The only problem was, she was almost entirely wrong. Here I feel like I should note, that the first drink offered in their drink menu is Gewürztraminer, a varietal of wine that does not exist in Germany. It's actually a made up word, and when you try to order it over there, they look at you like you have three heads. You're essentially ordering "spicy dirt." The varietal is made in the US and is named that to make people think it's a German varietal. They've never even heard of it in Germany.

Finally, when it came time to pay, the final blow was delivered. It's 2023 people. You're a restaurant on the Oregon Coast. Charging 3.5% for people to use their card? Really? They even try to entice you into using cash by, "asking your server how to receive a free dessert." I get it, I'm a business owner. I hate the fees too. But cards are how most people pay these days, and to be honest, if you don't accept virtual wallet styles of pay you're rather behind. And making the customer pay your fees is, well, cheap. Anyways, I don't mind paying good money for a good experience and good food. But $116 for one meal, two appetizers, one $10 bottle of lambic and a slice of cake? And that's AFTER she removed the clam chowder from my ticket?! The amount paid was way off from the...

This place is under new management so take all previous negative reviews with a grain of salt. Definitely not the same restaurant.

The exterior of the building has a rather singular design - definitely German themed. And the menu is definitely German-based so don't come expecting to find many other food options. Although, they do have a selection of seafood dishes (I haven't tried yet), which you would expect, being in a coastal town.

If you're looking for a new flavor experience or trying to find a new favorite restaurant, this is the place. Fair warning; German food is unique. It is very flavorful, hearty (meat & potatoes-y), and some of it is - tangy, sour, or tart; but in a tasty, savory, good way. The menu covers the core of the most familiar German dishes. Being from Roseburg, and not able to visit regularly, we decided to try a a little of everything; opting for the Oktoberfest, which gave us a variety of food to sample. It came with bratwurst, sauerbraten, wiener schnitzel, red cabbage, sauerkraut, and German potato salad. I substituted the kraut with spaitzel and ordered sides of the potato pancakes and a meatball (the owner was more than accomdating with any requests). This all came with a cup of goulash or a salad; naturally we opted for the goulash.

The food came out in a timely manner and was HOT. The cup of goulash (kind of like a beef vegetable stew) was rich and flavorful and came with 3 slices of hearty bread just perfect for dunking.The brautwurst (which I grew up calling a bockwurst) was mildly seasoned and paired well with the trio of mustards provided. The sauerbraten was cooked perfectly; tender and with a refreshing zip to the gravy. The other sides - cabbage, kraut, and potato salad; we're authentic and well prepared. As for the potato pancakes and meatball, you could order a half dozen of each and turn them into a meal unto themselves - delicious. But the pas de resistance, hands down, had to be the wiener schnitzel. You couldn't get enough of this golden fried gem. It was so tender and tasty with a light, crispy, crunchy, batter. It was well seasoned and flavorful. I should have ordered a dozen to take home with us.

Unfortunately, we didn't get around to desert; as it was, we were too full to finish what we ordered. Next time we'll have to pace ourselves better. Oh, and don't forget to order a pint of one of their on-draft German beers. We had the Haegardden (??), a light, crispy brew with a slight fizz to it, that went down smooth and cleansed your palate for the next tasty bite.

Needless to say this will be a regular stop whenever we're traveling through the area again. You should...

If 0 stars were possible they would get it... Expect to spend $25 per person for mediocre food. They serve RC cola with 1 refill for $4, you get 1 bit of bread before the meal and have to pay for any more, the waitress knew nothing about the menu or the food and appeared to be a brand new server casually taking tables totaling around $300, the food portions were inconsistent from plate to plate, they put 3 sausages on my plate and 1 on the other member of my party.

Just overall wth are they doing over there?!? Even their sauerkraut was disgusting and not sour at all, hell store bought is WAY better. Truthfully go somewhere else and save your money, this was not even close to being worth the atrocious cost and poor service.

To the restaurant owner; I've been in every position in restaurants from dishwasher to District Manager, you need to take care of the guests better and provide a better experience for that cost. People are willing to pay the cost but at least give us some more bread with the meal! Go above for your guest and they'll come back again and again and again

"after note" Thank you owner for responding. Your stance leads me to the conclusion that you're an overly defensive individual who will look for the least amount of evidence in your favor and blindly follow that. With all of my experience, and having responded to hundreds of customer complaints never once would I have spoken to a guest the way you did. It's a privilege to have guests the same as it's a privilege to have a restaurant to dine at, however due to your disregarding response and one sided view of the events I won't ever be coming to dine with you again.

Prices on supplies going up is no reason to charge $25/plate for mediocre food that's inconsistent in portions. Why would I need to speak to the manager, if you're charging this much the manager should be walking around and speaking to us! Plus whoever was on your window position clearly needs to pay more attention, even McDonald's gets orders correct more than 1/5 times, kinda sad...

Lastly please don't send me the messages from a self proclaimed new server, it looks really bad that you're hiding behind a server who you just said was new.

I won't be reading any response from you, clearly you can't take any sort...