Gardens of Avila Restaurant — Restaurant in Grover Beach

Food & service can vary. Food can range from meh to really good. They can cook so good food & do use Sous Vide prep...which is used in fine dinning places. On some nights they do have some entertainment, which helps one unwind. Sometimes there is a wait, so not really for people on the go. The bartender is super-nice & they do offer a nice wine & drink selection. Prices are fair for the area's hotel restaurants & their burger is simple, but tasty. Their Clam Chowder is worth a try & is far better than the one everyone mistakenly thinks is so great in SLO. Entree's range from the teens to $30ish. Atmosphere is peaceful, but there is no view. It is rather tiny inside, but there is a bar & a patio area. For locals, they offer a welcomed discount. For visitors or those who stay here, it is one of the better hotel restaurants & is ideal if you happen to stay here or nearby. One perk is that it is easy to dine here & then relax in the hot tubs. Yet another idea, is to get a day pass at nearby Avila Beach Fitness Club, work-out/ play tennis/ swim/ etc./ then eat here. Overall, it is generally a better choice than in Avila...

We visited the Gardens of Avila Restaurant for my fiancée’s birthday dinner, hoping for a special experience—but unfortunately, it fell short.

While the staff was friendly, they didn’t seem very informed about the menu. When we asked about popular dishes or specials, our server simply said, “The menu is small. I serve all of the dishes.” I also asked for a wine pairing with my entrée—especially important considering we’re in wine country—but the server had no recommendations.

The wait for our food was over an hour (1 hour and 5 minutes), which really took away from the evening. When the food finally arrived, it lacked flavor and attention to detail. The mashed potatoes, for example, were closer to soup in consistency.

To top it off, the bill came out to nearly $150 before tip, which felt excessive for such a disappointing experience. We were really hoping for a memorable and enjoyable night out, but sadly, Gardens of Avila...

We stayed at the accompanying hotel so we had three meals from here. Breakfast crab cake Benedict was good a little heavy on the bread side but was good for soaking up yolk. 1st dinner shrimp pasta and fried chicken. Won't or the fried chicken again. Not crispy at all and was soggy with loose skin. The pasta with shrimp was good and the shrimp were cooked nicely and spices hit to give a kick. 2nd dinner started with seafood bisque and smoked salmon crustinis mains short rib and a chicken Caesar salad. Smoked Salmon appetizer came with 3 huge pieces. These where nice I wish they had capers or more of the pickled onions. Bisque was creamy and flavorful with nice bites of seafood. The short rib was huge and tender. Needs more seasoning or a stronger sauce but that's my opinion. And finally the salad, it was a nice light citrusy leaning dressing but fit well. Hope you enjoy your selections...