Pismo's Coastal Grill — Restaurant in Fresno

It was my mother’s 72nd BD dinner. We had dinner reservations set for three for a booth, for my mother, my 23 year old son, and myself, 50. Anyhow, we were minutes late and because of that we were treated unfairly which is putting it nicely. After the hostess sat us in the back on cold metal chairs what looked like outdoor seating. Since I had reservations for a booth, I asked the hostess if she could please sit us at a booth as I so requested on my reservation and I was told that due to my tardiness that there was no booth available. However, I requested that we be sat at a booth anyway and that we were willing to wait for one. She said that it wasn’t possible. When my waitress came over to wait on us, I told her what happened, and although she hesitated and was told ‘no’ by her supervisor, she made a choice point to sit us in a three person booth by a check out counter. However, when we were moved, another waitress was assigned to our table and by this time my son showed up. We ordered two sea bass and one snapper. I had just had the sea bass just days ago for my 50th BD while out to dinner with my 23 year old son, and was the best white fish I had ever tasted. I was very happy that I returned for my mother’s 72nd BD to ordered the sea bass again not only for me but my mother so that she could have the experience as I did. To my utter dismay, both sea basses were fishy in taste and smell. If anyone knows about sea bass, sea bass is not supposed to be fishy. The following is for your information: “ If a sea bass is "fishy," it means that it likely isn't fresh and has a strong, unpleasant fishy odor, indicating that it has been stored for too long and should not be eaten; a fresh sea bass should have a mild, clean ocean scent with no strong fishy smell.” So I immediately informed my waitress as well as the manager and only my sea bass was redone but not my mom’s. And although the store manager credited my bill with the one sea bass, he did not bother to acknowledge my mother’s. Although the second sea bass he brought out was as delicious as the one I had for my 50th birthday days ago, I still was not happy or satisfied because my mother’s sea bass was not compensated nor replaced! I was so upset by this i did not eat the rest of my meal and no longer wanted to remain in the restaurant. I immediately asked for my ticket and to go containers and left. However, since I was so upset, it had upset my mother and son to the point it caused some friction between us. What started as a personal family ordeal became a problem for others around me and I was followed by the store manager. He stormed at me outside of Pismos into the parking lot and accused me of cussing at the other dinner guests in their restaurant, which was a complete and utter lie!!!!! When I told him that it was merely a personal family matter between me and my son, he still insisted that I cussed at their customers. I then asked him to stop following me and harrassing me and still he insisted to harass me all the way to my car until he finally threatened to call the cops and proceeded to tell me that I am no longer welcome at Pismos. Anyhow, this did not end well; however, at least the cops never showed up. What a horrible experience! I did, however, call the manager over the phone, and it was obvious that he did not want to compensate in any fashion for the horrible dinner reservations at Pismos for my mother’s birthday! In fact another supervisor got on the phone to tell me that I am never allowed back at Pismos which to this day I have not been served any papers to reflect that order. At this point, I expect the owner to address this matter appropriately. If not, I do intend to take legal action for discrimination and inconsistent, poor quality of customer service and especially poor quality of very expensive and overpriced...

I am usually only a positive reviewer, but you can only get bad service so many times that you feel obligated to share your experience so others are, at the very least, prepared for it. Pismo's is a local fan-favorite by a lot of people around here. Is it possible that by some sheer act of random coincidence, that all 5 of my visits to this establishment have been riddled with poor customer service, long wait times, terrible communication, and mediocre food value? I mean, sure...it's possible. Is it likely though? I suspect not. Seems habitual at this point. In my first experience with Pismo's, I was met by a completely unconcerned hostess with zero charm. When asked if the restaurant required a reservation, I was flippantly responded to as if my question was absurd and my presence was unwanted. It was not a welcoming experience. We decided to dine anyway as we had our whole family with us. We waited over an hour for our food, which was incorrectly executed. We were graceful though, as the place was pretty busy and figured maybe it was just because it was a weekend. Our next visit was on a Tuesday. Late afternoon. Not nearly as busy. I had high hopes which were quickly shattered. On another visit, we waited nearly two hours for our food. My 3 year old granddaughter was not very pleased, as you can imagine. Another visit was met with a rude server who seemed completely uninterested in being there. Just experience after experience of disappointment. Again, I am not one to write negative reviews. We have enough negativity in the world as is, but after this last visit, I felt compelled to respond with a warning to others who may choose to visit. So, THIS time it was just a pick up order. That's it. Simple. Easy. It was an order for my office with 5 meals. I proceeded to park in the online ordering pickup stall, promptly texted the number on the sign and gave the requested information. I waited 10 minutes. No text response. No confirmation. No food. Thinking maybe I misdialed, I checked, double checked and triple checked the number only to then decide to send a follow-up. "Hi there. Just making sure the first message was received...." Again, nothing. I waited another 5 minutes or so, then opted to proceed inside. Once inside, I was once again greeted with a smiling, but unconcerned hostess. She went to check on the order, and there it was, packed and ready to go. "Sorry..... it just goes to a phone." Ok. That's perfectly fine. But, doesn't someone check that phone? Anyways, I'm just over this place. I likely will not eat here again unless someone buys my food. haha. The food itself is fine, I guess. My boss ordered a pretty basic "Bistro salad" which was $15. He added tri-tip, which brought the price up to $31. For a salad. A pretty small salad, I might add. Not to mention the tri-tip was just a big chunk of meat. Not sliced. Just a chunk of meat. A co-worker also ordered a salad. The Cesar. It was not satisfying. Portioned more like a side salad. He also added a side of chicken, which again, came as a solid breast, unsliced. For $30, you'd think they'd whip up a decent salad. All in all, this place is overpriced, overhyped, and underwhelming. Enter at...

While traveling thru the Fresno area, we found this establishment online and decided to check it out. Upon arrival, despite being alongside a shopping/outlet mall area, we were able to find great parking near the restaurant. What we like to call "rockstar" parking.

Immediately upon walking in, we were greeted and seated. Although we didn't have a drink at the bar, it looked like a fabulous place to have a drink. Bar area was large. If not seated, it can be a challenge to walk thru the crowd gathered around the bar area.

I also noticed that they took advantage of every opportunity to fit as many people possible into this establishment. Meaning some tables are ridiculously close, cramped, and looked very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we were seated. I'm one of those less than desirable areas. Even with a plethora of comfortable seating available. No worries, not being from CA, we understand there are certainly many undesirable areas than not.

Our waiter/server was at our table shortly after being seated. He is what truly made our dining experience amazing. Our server (Blake) was unbelievably professional & knowledgeable regarding the menu. Despite being fairly busy, he never had a problem with providing top-notch service. Our glasses were never empty, and we wanted for nothing with the customer service he provided.

One of our best experiences with customer service since being in CA as we have been here approximately 2 years on a work assignment throughout the state.

My husband and I are self-proclaimed foodies who travel the country for the careers we have, which allows us to eat at some pretty amazing places. We try to order various menu items on initial visits to get a genuine taste of restaurants with great reviews.

We started by ordering crispy fried calamari & Fried snapper bites. Each was served absolutely fresh and cooked to perfection! The sauces served with each were a compliment to how they each were prepared. A+++

Our main meal consisted of ordering the t-bone with lobster 🦞 tail & with my husband ordering off the specials menu. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name but it consisted of crab, scallops, mussels, lobster, shrimp and more! Both orders came out again cooked to perfection!!! Everything was cooked as we ordered & amazingly seasoned. Kudos to the 👨‍🍳 👩‍🍳 👏

Overall, great experience! We are looking forward to coming back. This time, I asked for "rockstar" seating. Nobody puts baby...