Gill's By the Bay — Restaurant in Eureka

We frequently visit Gill’s for our favorite meal of the day, breakfast. We also enjoy sitting by the bay and the lovely gardens. To say we are regular customers is an understatement, and we often bring our visiting guests to Gill’s. Our family owns one of the largest sourdough and French bakeries in Los Angeles, so it would be safe to say we know a little about good management. Unfortunately yesterday Gill’s failed the test, and it was probably one of the worst and embarrassing restaurant experiences we have ever had. Upon arriving at 10:45 am for breakfast which we had been raving about to our guests, no one met or greeted us. After several minutes of waiting, I approached one of the young servers and asked if we could be seated, at which time he explained they were waiting for a party that had reservations. He said it would be anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes before we could be seated. Ok, that seemed reasonable. There were several 4 tops available outside we could have been seated at, but we watched as they took those tables and placed them in the center for their party to arrive. Those tables remained empty during the 45 minute wait we had, one table that could have easily been ours. During this wait, there were other customers that left which also left tables open to set up for the reserved party. I mean, how long does it take to push tables together for a party of 6?!! By the time we were seated we were given lunch menus, a meal I almost never eat. We were there for breakfast and I hardly think 11:30 is time to start thinking about lunch. When we told them we were there in plenty of time for breakfast we were basically told that was too bad because their grill could not handle breakfast and lunch at the same time! The reserved party entered and were also waiting for their reserved tables that had been set up for them 45 minutes early! Our disappointed friends and my husband ended up ordering the lunch, but was not the meal we had come for. I ordered a mimosa and nothing else to try and dull the extreme disappointment! in a restaurant that clearly does not keep their customers first. They were more worried about their inadequate grill and that our breakfasts would cause them to close past 3 pm. Gill’s, this is not a way to treat your regular customers! As a successful business owner, my father in law always said the customers’ needs come first! Your reply to our feedback yesterday also displayed your callous by telling us we should have arrived earlier! Well, FYI, we’ve arrived by 9:00 am many times and we still waited an hour for a table and an hour for the...

Heard about a nice place to watch the bay and enjoy some good seafood. As a server it's hard eating out because you know what is going on behind the scenes but I am here to help clear things up. Sat down and was quickly met by a nice lady who was very friendly. Indicated I was a first timer and she offered some suggestions. I ended up going with the lunch special of fish and chips and bumping it up with the seafood chowder for a total of about $19. Added in a beer. Soup came first, described as creamy with clams and shrimp (no fish). Oyster crackers on the side of course. The soup was warm, not hot with no shrimp and two barely noticeable pieces of I think clam. Fail. Next up the fish and chips arrived. Fish looked beautiful (cod) with four nice sized pieces and a good amount of fries. The fish was noticeably greasy on delivery so I let it sit while I ate the fries. The seasoned fries were sadly not hot and fresh like the fish, clearly they had been sitting. The restaurant I must add was nearly empty around 2 pm when I was there. I asked for some hot fries when it was apparent they were not edible and was given some with no problem. Definitely better, thanks. Service was very friendly but just typical OK, as after the food was dropped there was no check back to make sure it was all good (which it wasn't). I want to give this place 4 stars but the deal is that you are paying for the location. And with that I would say it is a nice place to go on occasion but will not likely make a regular stop. Kudos for the eco-friendly to-go box and all around easy nice vibe there.

3.5 stars. total approx $25, $30 with tip in other words, a bit pricey for average fare...

Overview: Seafood Cafe with views of the water

Meal/Time:  Lunch/Saturday Party Size: 2 Seated: 1137AM Ordered:  1141AM First ordered item arrived: Salad and soup out 1144AM Mains out 1157AM

Decor/Atmosphere: Fisherman diner.  Inside booths and counter seating.  Outside patio dining area.

Service/ Front of the House: Need to check in inside with the hostess.

Service/Serving Staff: Our server was FM as it was on the bill. Sweet lady.  Really made us feel  welcomed.  Awesome smile.

Food: Gumbo is good.  Shrimp and chicken is a slight kick.

Salad has chicken peas and pickled beets.  Good solid side salad.

The coleslaw is lacking flavor.

The fries are semi think cut but perfectly seasoned... Great Job.

The clam cutlet is pounded clam then breaded and pan fried.  It's heavy on the breading but its also heavy on the flavor... thumbs up.

The fish and chips are pretty good too.  Taste like beer battered .. flaky and moist white fish (cod) I think inside a golden brown shell.

Restroom: Single men's with urinal and toilet.  Clean, well lit and roomy.  Sink area is clean but there were some paper on the floor near garbage can.

Will I come back? Yes, I would like to check...