Café Waterfront — Restaurant in Eureka

Café Waterfront in Eureka is one of those restaurants that perfectly captures the spirit of Old Town and the Humboldt Bay. Every time I walk through the doors I feel the history and charm of the building mixed with the energy of a place that has been serving locals and travelers for years. The setting is classic and inviting, with wood details, big windows, and that old town feel that makes you want to sit down, relax, and take your time. It is the kind of restaurant where you can come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and know you are going to get a memorable meal.

The food at Café Waterfront is consistently excellent. Breakfast here is legendary with plates stacked full of pancakes, omelets loaded with fresh ingredients, and perfectly cooked bacon and eggs. The eggs benedict is a favorite of mine, rich and flavorful with a hollandaise sauce that tastes homemade every time. For lunch and dinner, seafood shines as the star of the menu. Fresh oysters, fish and chips, clam chowder, and salmon dishes all stand out as some of the best in town. The chowder especially is creamy, hearty, and full of flavor, the kind of soup that warms you up on a foggy Humboldt day. The portions are generous and everything tastes like it was made with care.

The bar is another reason Café Waterfront is such a great spot. They pour strong, well balanced cocktails and always have a good selection of beer and wine to go with your meal. Sitting at the bar with a drink in hand and a plate of oysters feels like the perfect Humboldt experience.

The atmosphere makes this place even more special. There is a lively mix of locals and visitors, and the energy always feels warm and welcoming. It is the kind of place where you can have a casual breakfast one day, come back for a nice seafood dinner the next, and each visit feels just as good as the last.

Service here is always friendly and reliable. The staff know the menu, keep things moving smoothly, and add to the feeling that Café Waterfront is a restaurant that really values its guests.

For me, Café Waterfront is more than just a spot to grab a bite. It is a cornerstone of Old Town Eureka, a place that ties together history, community, and great food. Every visit feels memorable, whether you are watching the fog roll in off the bay through the windows or enjoying a meal with friends and family. It is a true Eureka classic and one of the places I always recommend when someone asks where to...

11/17/2022 We sat at the bar and the BT was the highlight of the experience although service got pretty slow as we moved through the meal. Only 2 people servicing out front and that included the bartender. He told us the grilled halibut special was a nice thick piece (29$) so we ordered it to split. Having been in the business for over 20 years, I've eaten a ton of halibut and I doubt it was halibut. It seemed more like a tail end piece of the snapper special. There was no flake to the fish at all. It was grainy. Two, small narrow pieces, maybe 1/2" thick, no grill marks, breaded, and grossly over cooked. We also ordered clam chowder. The consistency was closer to milk than a chowder, the potatoes weren't fully cooked and maybe a few small pieces of minced clams. The clam flavor profile was there however. I ordered a half dozen raw oysters and I only got 5, although the BT did take $3 off the order. All in all pretty disappointing for a $70 lunch for 2. The draft beer was cold so that was a plus. The place is very small, 9 tables and seats at the bar which is where we sat. I didn't say anything because the place was full of locals. And no one even asked us how...

My wife and I stopped by here for lunch today and were disappointed by the service. It didn't seem particularly busy, and yet the waiters were quite rude to us and did not seem interested in taking our order (especially the gentleman behind the bar).

After waiting for 20 minutes at our table, we requested assistance from one of the other waitresses, and were told in a rather severe manner to "wait our turn because other people were here first."

Unfortunately I cannot comment on the food as we decided to pay for our coffee (which was OK) and leave after waiting several more minutes for our waiter to come to our table and take our order. Our waiter (the gentleman from before) seemed thrilled that we were leaving. I'm not sure why as we were looking forward to trying the food and had not yet interacted with him up to that point.

We then walked down the street to another café located in The Vance Hotel that promptly served us and were very happy to have us there.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend Café Waterfront to anyone unless you happen to be one of the regulars that the servers are familiar with. They do not seem to take kindly to folks they are...