Norma's Seafood & Steak — Restaurant in Seaside

My total score for this restaurant is 18/50. However, given specific circumstances that occurred while there AND after, I'm going to give them a 1 star. A bad experience will always outweigh everything else. I hope the management recognizes this and changes their restaurant policies. Here is my review:

Service: 1/10 The service wasn't horrible for all of us. But, I can say that the service was really bad for some of us, and when issues occurred, they didn't handle it, nor were they willing to be gracious. My friends food WAS unsatisfactory. All the rest of us (5 adults) agreed. When he asked to have it sent back, they said they couldn't and wouldn't get him something else because there was "nothing wrong with it." Then, despite him only taking 1 bite AND them having taken his meal away, they charged him the full price and refused to work with him. He was never offered to speak to the manager, and after calling later, things were still unsettled. The service issues don't fall on the employees as much as it falls on the poor management.

Quality: 1/10 I obviously can't say that this is the worst place in the world for food, but our food was really low quality (across the board). The salad I got looked like it came straight out of a bag from Safeway. The grilled cheese looked very cheap, and another food item a friend of mine purchased was not what he expected nor was it good. (I attached his photo in the review) I would honestly avoid this restaurant. Food is a big selling point for a restaurant, obviously, and this place doesn't have anything that would draw me back.

Environment: 4/10 There are aspects that throw me into a seafood restaurant, but it seems old and dated side from it. From the dishware to the seating area, it isn't what I'd be hoping for when visiting a seafood restaurant (especially at that price).

Uniqueness: 6/10 It's not that the place is basic, but this isn't the most unique seafood restaurant you could visit. For a place so close to the ocean in such a tourist based town, I would expect to see something more unique and fancy.

Cleanliness: 6/10 Honestly, it's not disgusting. It could be worse, but it certainly isn't the type of place that makes me feel clean. I can't complain too much, but it isn't a place I would think of as the ideal "clean" standard. All around...

We enjoyed the atmosphere, it was very cute and reminded us of another place and time. Came highly recommended and we WANTED to love it, but sadly that wasn't the case. Waitresses were incredibly sweet, but not particularly observant or attentive. The food was not at all what we expected for the price. We all had different seafood options, top of the line. My daughters sole was pink (I can't figure that one out) and rubbery. My husband had the combo fish and chips, 8 pieces 2 each of the fish they serve. We could identify the salmon obviously and it was tasty. But the other 3 fish were unidentifiable and certainly not albacore that one was supposed to be. It was either cod or halibut. My thought was halibut for the flakiness but it was also stringy and tough so maybe not. The fries were terrible. I had the captains platter (grilled) And the white fish was again unidentifiable. The salmon was cooked well and the calamari, but everything else was extremely over done and not seasoned at all. The chowder was interesting. That's the best I can offer. It was not like anything I had had before and while that was intriguing, it wasn't necessarily good. But it wasn't "bad"... it was interesting. Our daughter is pescatarian, so we are not strangers to seafood. We were hoping for an enjoyable dinner to end our day and with the total bill at over $100, for less than enjoyable food, it was a pretty disappointing end. Also, with 30 min to close, the made it very clear they were trying to get out of...

Wonderful 5+ star experience!! I popped in around 5:30 to see how long a wait it might be, since my mom uses a motorized wheelchair and I had my toddler. Maitre d’ and other staff at the front offered to prep an accessible table right away while I went back to help mom park her wheelchair van. It means SO much to me when restaurants are welcoming and accommodating to my quirky little party and its needs!! Our waitress was kept busy with a very large party near us, but still managed to give us great service, and even changed up my mom’s drink glass when my mom made an offhand comment about her soda being in a plastic cup (without being asked!). Every request was taken care of with a smile (more napkins, tartar sauce, etc.). And the entire time I could see the Maitre d’ scanning the restaurant, taking care of patrons, and even grabbing some extra crackers for my little guy while we waited for our food.

Mom and I split the large combo fish & chips, and each ordered a cup of chowder. Chowder was delicious and served with a slice of fluffy homemade bread. Fish (beer battered) was excellent - I particularly enjoyed the salmon, and my mom raved about the tuna. The halibut was buttery and delicious.

We went on a Friday evening and the restaurant was busy, lots of lively conversation (which masked my noisy toddler a bit!), but wasn’t overwhelmingly loud. We had a fantastic time and will definitely be back again next time I’m in town. Thank...