Pescadero Seafood & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in New Trier Township

Pescadero has to get it's service act together. First, not taking reservations is cute, but it just doesn't work if you can't manage your tables during busy times. We arrive last night as a walk-in (Sunday) at 6 and are told around 30 min wait for 4 people and a high chair. After an hour we check in a couple times to get the status as we see a couple four tops outside empty and we could easily fit a high chair there. I inquire and am told it's held for the next party of 4 in front of us. They sit down and I recognize that they came in after us. The other table gets seated for a party of 3. Again, after us. The host who is trying to orchestrate all of this looks like she's in high school.

Another table that can seat 4 plus a high chair gets seated as a table for one plus a dog. This guy just rolled up on his bike with his dog and got seated. We start complaining and the older host is nice but clearly has no idea what's going on or how to solve. She gets the manger who tell us he's sorry but he didn't know what was going on as he was expediting. Cool, but you're the manager, don't make excuses or tell us why you don't know anything, figure it out and have a resolution. He tells us he has to talk to the host stand when I tell him a table of 5 just paid so can we get that table next. At that point we're fed up as no one has an answer and keeps saying they need to talk to someone else. The manager flags us down and says we can sit at that table as soon as they get up. We take the table but should have left.

We sit down and the manager does not come over at any point during the meal except to deliver an appetizer that came out 30 mins after we ordered it and after the other apps came out. The kitchen is clearly super slammed and cannot keep up during busy times. I don't know if the restaurant is just short staffed or too small to keep up, but every food item came out one at a time with 10-25 mins between each item. We get our first app, which was really the food for our 6 and 2.5 year old who are on the verge of melting down at almost 8pm. We ask if the fries are coming - something that should be cooked constantly throughout the night and be ready at any moment - the runner doesn't know where the fries are and goes to check. 10 minutes later, here comes the fries. 15 minutes later, the hush puppies I ordered and forgot about came out. Then the first entree comes out about 5 minutes later. 15 minutes later another entree comes out. 10 minutes later the final entree comes out. Ridiculous. We ordered the kids right away when we sat down but it took 30 minutes for one item and everything else was all over the place.

At no point in time did the server communicate the delay or apologize. The manager came over to deliver the hush puppies and asked if everything was ok and we said we're frustrated about the food coming out and he mumbled something, looked bewildered and disappeared. Never apologized for the seating mishap or the food timing.

We get the bill quickly after eating and not one thing was comped. You would think after all this the manager would have comped a round of drinks, an app...something. Just poor service and attentiveness all around. My wife said under her breath something about nothing being comped and I said let's just forget it, we won't be back. The server must have heard us say that and talked to the manager as all 5 of our drinks were comped after I gave my card. We did appreciate that gesture, but it shouldn't have taken us saying something under our breath to get action taken. We were not looking for something free, just some recognition.

In regards to the food, it was just decent. Fish tacos were super bland, but the mussels and ceviche were good. No kids items but the mac and cheese was fine enough. Fries were ok but the parmesan dusting was pointless. Hush puppies were ok but nothing to write home about. The best part of the experience was the sunset trawler cocktail. Now that was a great drink. We might come back for another shot once this place gets more experience or on...

We were sat at a 4 top that had a steel structural beam separating my date and I. I had to look around the beam to talk to her: while at first amusing, it grew annoying very quickly. I get the restaurant wants to maximize floor planning, but if my party of 4 is going to spend around $350 for a meal, I’d rather not strain my neck to engage in conversation.

So aside from the seating inconvenience, we ordered a bottle of Vueve (for just under an 100% markup, actually not too bad of a price), a dozen Kumamoto oysters, grilled octopus, fish n chips, clam chowder, and the lobster sliders. Oysters were freshly shucked, and were great. A tiny spoon might be a good idea if you’re serving oysters with a mignonette sauce, and expect the diners to dress the oysters themselves. It’s the little things, man!

The clam chowder was okay, albeit a little watery for my liking. The octopus was perfectly cooked, but the flavor was unimpressive. The dish comes with 4 “pieces” of octopus, and a mountain of greens. Consider it a salad with octopus. For presentation purposes, I would lose the full Italian garden. The fish and chips were great, although I had to ask someone repeatedly to bring me malt vinegar (not too big of a deal, the restaurant was slammed). We ordered 5 lobster sliders (they come in orders of 3 and 5), because we each wanted to try one. When we only received 3, I told the person who brought us the dish, and watched him tell the BOH staff. They seemed almost annoyed with me and kept staring and pointing in our direction. No worries, might just be paranoid. In any case, the sliders were underwhelming.

Our server was great. We really enjoyed her help. The bussers, on the other hand, reminded me of eating at a suburban upmarket restaurant. I may or may...

A Mixed Experience at a Long-Time Favorite

We’re frequent visitors to Pescadaro, primarily for their consistently excellent oysters and creative cocktails and wine selection - both of which continue to impress. The service, as always, was outstanding.

That said, I was disappointed during our most recent visit. I completely understand that menus evolve with the seasons or in an effort to stay innovative, but it felt like many of the classics we’ve loved over time had either changed significantly or disappeared altogether.

One example was the octopus dish, which has long been a favorite of mine. I specifically asked for it to be charred, as I enjoy that crisp texture, and made it clear it was going to be my main course. What arrived was a far cry from what I’d come to expect. Instead of a beautifully presented whole tentacle with fennel and potatoes on a plate, I was served sliced pieces in a bowl, swimming in oil. The octopus was rubbery, lacked any char, and the overall presentation felt sloppy—not at all in line with the price or previous standard.

To the bartender’s credit, he noticed my disappointment and did what he could to make things right. I truly appreciated his effort, but of course, he’s not the one preparing the food. Unfortunately, I only have room for so much food in one sitting, and the dish I’d most looked forward to just didn’t deliver.

Pescadaro, I hope you’ll consider not fixing what isn’t broken. Seasonal changes are great, but perhaps give patrons the option to order fan favorites in their original preparation. Some dishes just don’t need a...