Sandpiper Restaurants - Pocatello — Restaurant in Pocatello

Birthday dinner and not a lot of fine dining options in Pocatello so we hit up Sandpiper. It’s been probably seven years since our last visit. TL;DR it is over priced for quality.

Big Orange is the signature cocktail so we started with that while waiting for our table. It’s slightly sweet and strong, not bad at all.

The weekend before Valentine’s Day with no reservations, we expected a little wait. We were told an hour and waited at the bar, it was closer to 30 minutes. Host and bartender were very nice and attentive. We arrived at around 630 and the place was packed. By the time we were finished around 830 they’re emptied out significantly. People eat early in Pocatello!

We weren’t offered any explanation of dishes or specials, what they were out of, or market prices on seafood. So we had lots of questions when we were able to wave down our server as she ran past. I’m not sure if they are understaffed or just inexperienced. We’ve been in much larger, busier establishments with much less frazzled employees.

You must request the bread service or you won’t get it. Apparently the oil served with the bread is olive, but it’s mostly a large pile of oily cheese on a plate. Bread is ok.

We started with clam appetizer and they were decently flavored and slightly rubbery. These should come with bread. They do not. Just request it. We also both had the house salad. It’s a salad, nothing special. Canned shrimp I think, but I could be wrong.

Entrees were the pork shank which we were told was not available initially but luckily our server corrected themselves. This was the definite highlight of the night. Large, juicy, and decently seasoned although the jalapeño mashed potatoes were bland. I got the New York steak and halibut combo with mashed potatoes. Steak was fine when I added salt. Halibut was 100% inedible. One bite sucked all the moisture out of my mouth as if I’d taken a bite of chalk. It resembled a hockey puck more than a piece of fish. This was unfortunate because the flavor was good but the execution was absolutely awful. Told the server and she apologized but offered no resolution. “Sorry your expensive birthday dinner tastes microwaved. Here’s your bill” 😂

We opted...

I rolled into Pocatello, ID early this evening after 10 hrs of driving. I finally got checked into my hotel and was looking for a place to grab a real meal, a cold beverage, and watch Monday night football.

The front desk recommended Sandpiper, and their reviews were pretty solid. But after looking through the menu I didn't get the impression this was the place I was looking for. Everything I saw that sounded good was outside of my 'grab a meal while traveling' budget.

Google assured me I had found what I was looking for and that they were open, so I headed over to 'place x'. That was a no go, Google lied and they were closed. I had passed Sandpiper on the way there, I was hungry for something not wrapped in plastic or paper, and the NFL wasn't going to stop the clock for me to figure it out. So at that point it became Sandpiper or bust.

I found two sandwiches I liked the sound of on the menu, and asked if I could get one of them made similar to the other with some substitutes etc. That was apparently a silly question and the answer was 'of course'. Then I had a work issue come up and needed to get on my laptop asap, again they were accommodating.

Made to order sandwich with choice of sides, more than a few beers, watched the game and put out a couple fires for work over a couple hours, and the tab was under $40. Funny part is, that's exactly what I was looking for in the first place!! Lesson learned, listen to the locals.

I called Sandpiper after getting settled into my hotel room to ask the name of the bartender who waited on my to make sure he got his due recognition. Everyone I talked to was super cool, but Joe deserves a fair amount of the credit for this review. He along with the rest of the staff and local patrons made this out of towner feel right at home.

If I ever end up in Pocatello again I won't waste an ounce of energy deciding where to go, whether I'm in the same situation or taking my family out to eat. I know where I'm going, I'm going to...

We love the location in Idaho falls and we were excited to give this one a shot when visiting. It was extremely busy and the seating was extremely tight and awkward, and we were less than 3 feet from 2 other tables. The appetizers and soup were delicious. For my meal I got the chicken Oscar with steamed veggies on the side. The veggies weren't great, and the main course was small and unimpressive. It felt as though we had to wait pretty long for our food, but as I mentioned, they were pretty busy.

Honestly not a terrible experience or food, but I was missing the IF location. I think my only serious complaint was the service. It may have been my imagination, but the server's manner and some of the things he said inspired a feeling of being looked down upon, as if we didn't belong there. All of his suggestions and questions were as though we were unwilling or unable to pay for the meal. It's possible that I misread things, however.

My wife and I agreed he was barely around, was short with us and borderline rude, and seemed annoyed with us (as far as I know we were not too demanding or bothersome). My best guess is he assumed we wouldnt tip well, and tried mitigate that by not spending much time on us.

When we were finishing up he asked my wife if she was done as he quickly took her unfinished meal out from In front of her and ran off, not waiting for an answer... while she admitted to me she was done, she'd have liked the option to take her meal home, as more than half was still left.

We did end up tipping him decently, if only to try to show that everyone is worth his time and effort. The bill felt very out of synch with IF, as the food and service didn't seem to match the $90 bill after tip. While We did go with the expectation of paying at least that much or more, it was a little disappointing.

Anyway, I'm willing to believe it was just a bad night, and might be worth another try...