The Windmill Restaurant — Restaurant in Soledad

Today's review from your very own foody critic and backyard chef is about The Windmill Restaurant in Soledad, Ca.

I love good food and quality service !! I am not affiliated with anyone at this restaurant and this is just my personal experience.

First off walking in here we noticed it was very clean, tables wiped down, silverware placed and ready for customers. Waitress had a smile and seated us right away and got all our drinks. It was a bit noisy from a family with a few rambunctious kids being kids, but after they left, it was very quiet and tolerable.

We haven't been here for about a year and thought we would give it a try again. During Covid, everything lacked quality, customer service and satisfaction.

Today the food was absolutely delicious, prices $$$ as all places these days were a little high, with most burgers and pasta plates starting around $15.00-$25.00. I'm good with price as long as my experience is worth the expense.

The owner (Jose) is opening another Windmill Restaurant I hear in Salinas, Ca. coming soon. The servers were very nice and very attentive, something that lacks nowadays. Waitress kept glasses full and checked on us if we needed anything.

If you're in the area, give this place a try, well worth it and you'll leave feeling satisfied and amazed that little hole in the walls still exist with great folks and food. This place does some Italian, Mexican and American plates. Huge portions. You won't be disappointed, I gave this 4 Stars for noise and prices, but I assure you, it really is 5 Stars...

While on a road trip driving from Morro Bay to San Francisco, we decided to stop for lunch in Soledad. This restaurant popped up and was a nice little find. It’s conveniently located right off the freeway, next to gas stations and practically attached to a Motel 6. I imagine that being nice and convenient for their guests.

The menu had a variety of classic American fair, including breakfast served till noon, a nice lunch menu, and dinner as well. Looks like the bar served beer and wine, not sure about cocktails.

I decided on lunch and got the BLT with avocado - always a nice surprise when the avocado is included already. The bacon was cooked perfectly and was quite a generous portion in the sandwich. I opted to get fresh fruit as a side and it was also a nice pleasant surprise when it was a variety of freshly cut whole fruit - not just a little fruit cup like I was expecting.

My husband got the French roast beef dip. It was also a generous portion and while the Au jus was a little salty for me, it was definitely a nice sandwich. He chose fries as his side, and they were actually very tasty. Again, more than I was expecting from a little road stop diner in a small town.

The interior of the restaurant, as well as the restrooms, were modern, nice and clean. It was a medium size, so it felt friendly and comfortable. I was expecting slightly lower prices, but for the convenience and the quality of food it was still...

My husband's windmill chicken sandwich was absolutely amazing! I got Bella's Pasta, which would have been amazing if it wasn't room temperature. Honestly, the experience was a 3 or 4 star rating to me, but my husband told me to do 5 stars because he loved his meal so much. The reason why I wanted to give a lower score was because our waitress disappeared. Someone else ended up bussing our table and I was waiting for a long time to order the raspberry cheesecake (which is really good). Another waitress came and asked if we needed anything and normally I would say no because someone else is waiting on us and I didn't want to add to her responsibilities, but I was still hungry and really wanted my dessert. Good thing I didn't wait because our waitress never came back. Also, while we waited to pay for the check, we ended up giving up and walking to the front to pay. I made sure to have my wallet out so they didn't think we were dining and dashing, but the moment we got close to the front a different waitress said, "Are you ready to close out?" Um... yes. For awhile now. Also, while we were dining in, another table of patrons was speaking down to the male server. This has nothing to do with the restaurant, but I felt bad for the guy and it just makes me so irritated when people treat people so crappy when they are just trying...