Moonraker — Restaurant in Pacifica

This is a lovely spot to cap off a day spent on the coast. The interior decor is warm, even if a little dated. My main criticism was extremely poor table management by my server team. I thought at first it may have been due to the fact that I was kind of "dressed down" for a white tablecloth restaurant. But I watched many other folks similarly attired (jeans / fleece hoodie) also be seated. I was, however, the only one top that I could see. I sought out this place because I specifically wanted the kind of service I observed the tables around me receiving. For starters, it was more than 10 minutes after being seated before my server greeted me, (on her way to other tables) and then another 5 minutes before she finally made it back. My candle was never lit (literally the only unlit one I could see in any direction). I refilled my own water glass, assuming it was expected, until I noticed the busboys refilling other patrons water. So I deliberately left mine empty, which is how it remained for the rest of my meal. I had to request bread. My appetizer arrived in a reasonable time, as did my meal. However, my finished appetizer plate was left on the table for the entire meal, and my mussel plate was left on the opposite side of the table, which I had to actually stand up to reach for after my entree was delivered. During my time there, I observed two parties seated at tables adjacent to me receive more attentive service. As for the food, the calamari appetizer was perfectly cooked and the garlic aioli was delicious. I'm not sure if the red sauce was supposed to be cocktail or marinara, but it tasted mostly like catsup. The mussles w/ frites was decent, but the sauce really overpowered the mussels - it could have used a little less mustard and a little more white wine. Unfortunately the duck fat fries were a bit undercooked for my palate, and didn't have much of that delicious duck fat crunch. Perhaps the oil temperature was a bit low? If I ever get back to this part of the country I would give them another chance, but I was sadly disappointed this time....

I used to go to this restaurant with my friends twice a month for both the happy hour specials and the regular dinner menu. In fact, I celebrated my two-year anniversary here once with a very pricy dinner (I think we each ordered four cocktails, LOL) and another friend's birthday party. Loved the clam chowder, oysters, risotto, and of course, the view.

So what went wrong? Well, one of my good friends from out of town visited, and so I just HAD to bring him to Moonraker. For whatever reason, we had an extremely pushy and rude server; the first time I ever received such negative service. I paid my bill and left a 20% tip regardless, but wanted to tell management about the problematic service that evening.

On the way out, I talked with the hostess about it, and she rolled her eyes and said that the server was known for being rude. I asked to speak to the manager because hey, I was a regular customer and spent literally thousands of dollars at Moonraker over the years (not hard to do though, haha). The manager was dismissive of my complaints, told me that he was sure I was misinterpreting the server's rudeness, said he'd never seen me before and basically said he didn't need my business. I explained to him that I knew all the servers by name (except the new guy) and told him everything I just told you, and he brushed it off and said I was looking into it too much and again reiterated that their business was doing great, with or without me.

The manager then walked off without even apologizing. The hostess apologized to me and explained that the server in question was the manager's friend. Wholly unprofessional and haven't been back. Yes, the food is good, but keep in mind that they just want your money and don't care about the customer's satisfaction or experience.

For a similar view and prices, with consistently excellent service and even better food, drive south 10 minutes to...

Let’s be honest… we all go to restaurants to spend money and enjoy our time. We arrived at the restaurant around 2 pm on Saturday and the place was 1/3 full. We asked to have a table next to a window (2 people), the host told us that all the tables are booked and these tables are only for those who reserve them. Alright, we wait for our order. While we were waiting, all these window tables were empty. I walked around the place to see if we can get better view and observed at least 5 - 7 (maybe more) available window tables. I asked (politely) our waitperson if we can change the table, ha said he will call the host. Host told us the same thing - no available tables. I did not feel like asking again as it was clear that she did not want to help us. We finish our course and payed for food with a note on the receipt.

I tried to relax, enjoy my weekend and firmly not to argue with anyone. I told the waitperson that I left a note on the receipt and was told “You don’t have to do that (complain), we cannot do anything as all tables are booked”.

I feel like this place has so much potential with such breathtaking view and due to the poor decisions and attitude cannot function with its full capacity. Maybe my honest review will change the mindset of the management that clearly needs to prioritize customers who have already arrived to the place over those who just reserved and easily can skip/cancel the reservation. I felt I need to call the host to reserve a table while being at the restaurant. I believe one family arrived while we were there.

Business stop being a business if it stops making money.

We...