The Spinnaker - Sausalito

I wanted to take my family to Sausilito for the day and enjoy a meal at the famous Spinnaker with the fantastic view on the water. We had driven quite a ways over an 1 1/2 hours in traffic and were starving by the time we arrived.

We got our name on the wait list and were told the wait time would be 45min-1 hour but we could wait in the louge area and have drinks and appetizers. We opted to do the latter since we were all famished.

We approached the louge area and the waitress ask us to be seated. We chose a table to our liking so we could enjoy the view. One she would have to bus which she didn't appreciate.

The waitress took a while to clean the table (she was busy). She took our orders without writing anything down. She delivered our drinks 10- 15 min. later. She had forgotten my order and so my family told her I had the mussels appetizer which came with scallops as was printed on the menu. Needless to say 30 min. later the mussels arrived solo no scallops to be seen.
When this was brought to her attention she just said oh sorry and did nothing to resolve the issue. I ate the musssels which were good without complaining.

My daughter and husband ordered the Spinnaker burgers well done and they both came out medium, lots of red in the middle. They had to be sent back. Meanwhile the waitress had changed wait staff and was sitting down eating her lunch. The new waitress was very kind and friendly and did her best to serve us.

The first waitress was in a hurry, cranky and ready to get off duty. We were obviously cramping her style. She even snapped at another couple. We dd not feel welcome there by the wait staff or the hostess. It was a terrible dining experience, the worst I have ever had and I have been to a lot in my years. It's really too bad because we had an out of town guest and it was our first and last time at the Spinnaker. Cannot recommend to any one. Also another couple had a similar complaint. They said the wait staff was not used to large crowds and were very angry and cranky toward them as well. Very sad and disappointing.

The first time I dined at Spinnaker, we had 7 people in our party and ordered drinks, food and desserts. The food and service was excellent. I returned approximately 2 months later and had a completely different experience. One member of our 5 person party did not drink alcohol so the rest of us abstained to be polite. From that point on, despite ordering appetizers and dinner (several people ordered the special), we were treated horribly by our servers. Each was extremely rude and made very rare appearances at our table.

During dinner I mentioned to the manager as well as two of our servers (three different servers appeared at different times throughout our meal) that we had a birthday in our party. Unfortunately our food was very mediocre this time so we all passed on dessert. When we informed the waiter of this, our dessert menus were immediately snatched away from our hands. The waiter then brought the check and said, very snidely, happy birthday, as he set the check on the table. At the table next to us, there was a big celebration with a free dessert for the person with the birthday. When I complained to the same manager that I had spoken to earlier, I was told that we had to purchase dessert in order to get a free birthday dessert. When I mentioned that he had not told me this before, the manager then offered a free dessert. I declined as our celebration had already been ruined.

In addition, my entire party was surprised to find that despite the minimum price tag of $20 per meal, the restaurant charged for soda refills.

On both occasions we had reservations and still waited at least a half an hour to be seated.

Obviously, no member of my party will be returning to this dreadful establishment and I would advise that others not waste their money there.

I spent a great time with my friends.
For sure, we all go back there

waited for one hour. the staff were rude. When asked how much longer is the wait, angrily responded that we were already told there is no available table yet. Upon ordering, soem of us requested rice instead of potato with our order and the waitress rudely said they do not serve rice, only orzo. all orders came with rice anyway including the one who specifically requested for orzo. When asked to change that to orzo, she got mad and said the order was for rice. Food was mediocre, definite very expensive for the quality.

Had dinner with my date and enjoyed every aspect of the restaurant. We were seated by a window facing San Francisco and saw the lights come on. Million dollar view! Staff was wonderful and very informative. I truly enjoyed the Petrale with macadamia nut crust. Shared the Strawberry Zabaglione dessert......tasted awesome. I would highly recommend this place. I thought it was a tourist trap but the maitre'd told us that they have a lot of bay area regulars.

I've been back several times, only during the day. I feel like the view would be wasted at night. The service has always been prompt and friendly and all the food is well priced and delicious, esp. the shrimp sandwich. The last time I ate there, I was seated right next to a huge glass wall right on top of the water and saw seals poking their heads up during the meal. It's in a charming neighborhood, a beautiful and easy drive from SF. The restaurant is low key but elegant, they have valet but have never had trouble parking in the area.

Went to this poorly managed restaurant with my family for Easter Brunch-lunch. Requested a table in back (got seated in the front part). Our server was decent but not great!
The food was terrible, almost to the point of nasty. How can you screw up a salad and clam chowder????
The manager approached our table YELLING (I NEED THE TABLE NOW - I MOVE YOU TO THE BAR AREA AND GIVE YOU A FREE DRINK) Every single person at our table is in the restaurant business - We all got up and vowed to NEVER eat at this tourist trap ever again!!!!! The only thing nice about this place is the view (the food and management are terrible).
I congratulate this establishment in making a huge mistake of talking to us with such disrespect!

Perhaps my favorite Bay city, Sausalito can boast about this restaurant on the water. It literally sits out IN the Bay on pilings, water lapping the posts around you. We watched the sail and motor boats move across the water, enjoyed the gulls fishing for their early evening snacks just outside the glass wall near our table, and dined on excellent food. Parking was valet and easy, service was friendly and consistently attentive. Our roasted halibut and grilled mahi were perfectly seasoned and the chowder was yummy. Menu choices are plentiful and dishes are presented well. Before dinner you can browse wonderful galleries nearby and enjoy the views from the city which faces the Bay. Exciting photo ops abound.

Three of us ate here for lunch on Tues., June 12. Our server, Robert, was outstanding. We never asked for more water or bread. Our table was watched and replacements made immediately. We had one N.E. clam chowder, which was very good. The other two of us had the spicy tomato bisque seafood soup..... good, but not that good that we would order it again although it WAS loaded with scallops. We also had the Petralie Sole with macadamia crust and a fantastic sauce, and the pan-seared scallops. We both would have liked these more seasoned, but they were, nevertheless, tasty served with wonderful julienned vegetables & asparagus spears, with orzo. The other lunch was the stuffed avacado. Again, good. The atmosphere is fantastic. No matter where you sit, you have a view of the bay. I've been there months ago, and will certainly return.

was excited to try Spinnaker with a group of seven on a very special family occassion. They made us wait one hour past our reservation time, with three hungry young children. Even then, they said they could not seat us yet. We left and had to find somewhere else on a busy Saturday night. They made no apologies, acted as if they had no control, and offered no compensation for our wasted time. Absolutely horrible service. I would not take a chance on this place at anytime, let alone a special occassion. Obviously, they overbooked and valued their revenue over their customers' satisfaction. Great view if you don't mind horrible service. Worse I've seen lately.

Food was delicious! I had a lovely lunch alone at the Spinnaker. I ALWAYS order clam chowder when I'm out, and this was the BEST I've ever had. My crab cocktail was delicious, and the shrimp avocado salad was tasty, but not GREAT. The bread pudding was delectable.
The service was phenomenal! The waiter was sweet and attentive. WIthout my knowledge, my waiter ran out to the valet to make sure my car was ready before I left.

The Spinnaker offers great views and a pleasant, although somewhat ""touristy"" atmosphere. However, my husband and I were disappointed with the food. The fish dishes were unimaginative and bland. Since there are so many other great seafood restaurants in Marin, we probably will not go back.

Unless you are of white descent or exude a certain amount of money, you will be overlooked at any given time. The entire staff is rude in their physical behaviour as well as their use of vocabulary.

The view from the Spinaker is it's distinguishing feature- and it is a devastating view of the San Francisco Bay. That being said- go for the view and a drink and skip the dinner reservations or even the appetizers. The food is overpriced and overvalued and the waitstaff leave an enormous amount to be desired. On two occasionbs even the drinks were poor and I sent back a mixed drink as it tasted like water. However the view mitagates all other issues so try this for a cocktail or glass of wine and savor the old san francisco atmosphere

What a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening with your date. The staff is wonderful, friendly and professional...the food is great and the view is magnificent!

Very tasty dishes and awesome desserts.

Definitely enjoy spending time at this beautiful restaurant and savoring the food and view.

The hostess was so rude to my family on Memorial Day that I insisted we leave, even though my mother was thinking of staying - and it was my mother to whom the hostess had been the most rude! I used to work in retail and can understand having a long day at work on a busy holiday with lots of tourist traffic can really drain a person, but that's no excuse to take it out on customers who were polite, well-dressed, and hungry. :p

We've been going to this restaurant for years to celebrate birthdays and other events. The last two visits have been very disappointing. I'm sad to say that we will probably never go there again. I've never had wait staff speak to me the way the ones at this restaurant did last night. They were rude, condescending and defensive. They definitely did not give me the feeling that the 'customer is always right'. The atmosphere is dear to us, but we will sacrifice it for finding a place that values us as customers.

I was very excited to try this restaurant with my fiance on Valentine's Day. When we got there we were impressed by the views, and our great table. From there things went south. My cocktail glass had someone elses' lipstick marks on it, so the waitress took it back. The next one she brought had the same problem!! Ew. Then both my swordfish and my fiance's prawn pasta were HORRIBLE. They tasted microwaved and the presentation was that of a much cheaper restaurant. I sent my meal back without eating more than two bites. This restaurant really ruined our Valentine's Day experience. Not recommended.

The service for a private party was excellent! It was spacious with a world class view, and the staff was knowledgable and helpful. Everything was as requested and in this day, that is remarkable.

The view at this place is great. It's literally on the water with lots of boats going by. Everything else though is suspect. The best description I can think of for this place is institutional. The carpet, furnishings, linens, the waiters in their polyester vests, the entire décor, and of course the food. I felt like I was dining at a Holiday Inn or a hospital cafeteria. The prices weren't outrageous compared to other restaurants in similar locales but the quality wasn't there, so it was disappointing. The waiter was moderately friendly and professional although after he brought the food he never came back to refill drinks or ask how it was. I knew the instant I walked in and saw the cheap surroundings that this wasn't the place for me but the girlfriend wanted the view so we stayed. My eyes were happy, my tummy... not so much.