I took " mum" for a special lunch- her choice. On a Monday 11:30 the place was empty. We were greeted straight-away and sat near the real wood burning fireplace.. The crackling lent to the atmosphere...a real pub atmosphere which my Scottish "mum" enjoyed.  We started with a cup of chowder, coffee for " mum" glass of house white blend for me. The chowder, while hot and creamy, had no real flavor. Not clams, not even potato.. We were both disappointed. We ordered cod fish and chips. They were delivered crisp, hot and the cod was cooked perfectly. However, it again was bland. The tarter sauce,which came with the plate, overpowered the delicate cod. Lemon helped, but made the crust soggy....So I had another  glass of white. "Mum", who was the hostess at a very popular restaurant in Astoria years ago, shook her head when she had to ask for coffee refills and catsup for her fries. Her comment when we left, " cross it off my bucket list, I'm not coming back,,". Me either, they charged me $8 a glass for house wine....house wine!!
Review Source:We went to McMenimans again bc they were so generous to our local children one night donating half their proceeds to YoungLife! We took our cousins who were visiting and we really enjoyed our meals. We had the Portland French Dip and the guys had seafood. Both were delicious! We will keep this place as one of our favorites! The Bastianis
Review Source:My husband and I love this place, and wish it was closer to home instead of a vacation spot. Their clam chowder is hands-down, the best we've ever had. Â It's not as thick as you'd expect, like they don't add as much flour, but that only makes it better. Â And it's heavy on clams without being too fishy-they don't use as many cheap fillers (potatoes) and its just fantastic.
Expect to spend a good deal here- dinner for 2 including a beer and 2 appetizers will easily got $60, but for a vacation treat or special night, it's worth it. And I can't speak to the poor service everyone else seems to be getting. Every time we've been here, we've thought the service was great. Friendly and not fake.
Our favorites are the salmon cakes, clam chowder, hammerhead beer, and their unique burgers.
Typical McMenamins. It's a running joke in our family about the slow service at any of the McMenamins establishments, but on this evening the Sand Trap was woefully understaffed. Our family seated ourselves. Â There were two waitresses working the room where we ate, but I believe they were the only ones on staff for the entire restaurant. Â Ten minutes to order, 15 more to get my beer, and my wife's cocktail came another 15 minutes later, ( our waitress informed us that the bartender was backed up with drink orders). Â Watched three plates hit the floor and shatter as we waited for our meal. Â Fries were good, fish tacos were OK, but the clam chowder was underwhelming at best. The meal seemed pretty expensive compared to other McMenamins restaurants. Won't be returning, instead will hit Seaside Brewing Co. just a few miles south in Seaside
Review Source:When you go to a McMenamins, there are certain things that you come to expect. Â Mediocre food and service being the most constant. Â The draw to these restaurants are the super cool buildings and atmosphere. Â It's just a cool hangout place. Â The sand trap is no exception. Â Very cool, neat building & location. Real wood fireplaces & dark hipster interior.
Everyone ordered drinks and they all arrived, except mine.  My hard cider  was forgotten and brought 1/2 hour later ...AFTER a reminder. So, our food took an hour to arrive and was tepid, quickly approaching cold.  Cold fish & chips are just disappointing.  Just not right.  We were dining with another couple and their food did not arrive until we were finished with ours.  Awkward.
We didn't complain, but our server noticed the situation. Â When she brought our checks, the cold fish & chips were subtracted from the bill much to our surprise! Â She stated that she wanted us to enjoy our experience. Â Her attempt at service recovery is what upped this review from a 3 star to a 4 star. Â We very much appreciated her attentiveness even though it was late.
My bestie and I were super-dee-duper impressed.
We received a very sincere greeting and promply seated ourselves at a pub table with a beatiful view of the golf course. Our waiter (and I am ashamed I can't remember his name) was sincere and friendly, giving us probably the best service we have ever had at a McMenamins, which can be sketchy at best much of the time. He was very patient in answering our questions about the menu and made some great recommendations. We each decided to take two of his suggestions and were not disappointed. Their burger special was amazing and the rice bowl he recommended was supremely flavorful.
I may have to make this a "regular" stop at the coast from now on!
Because this is part of the McMenamins conglomerate it gets the 4 stars, but really I liked this location least of all. Maybe it's just the proximity to a golf club. Golf clubs seem to draw an odd crowd. Also, the menu at this McMenamins seemed to be priced a little higher than the others.
But we had a great bar tender/waitress who was eager to talk us through the menu and the various brews they had on tap. All in all it was quite an enjoyable night with good dinner and good brews. There's just something about the atmosphere here, it draws you in just a little less than the other McMenamins.
This is the best McMenamin's around. We have known McMenamin's for years, and they are not all the same. Most are good, but this one stands out. This one has excellent food, always. The service is quick and friendly, better than any other McMenamin's.
The veggie bowls are good, and all 3 can be vegan. There is also a couple other vegan options (burger, hummus, sometimes a special...) For a vegan, this is the best place in the area for something other than pasta. My husband likes their pizza.
When they have live music, it's really great!
Not the most exciting Mcmenamins, but it had the same charm and flare of all their locations. A large outdoor seating area was nice for our sunny trip to the area. But of course, one server for the large outdoor seating area meant slow service. They have a way of forcing you into a lazy lunch. Never ever go to this or any other Mcmenamins in a hurry.
The special bowls were delicious with generous portions, but avoid the cheese plate. It had bad cheap bread and a skimpy serving of cheese.
I really really wanted to love this place...
My fiancé and I come to Gearhart with our puppy mostly because there are less people than in Seaside. We were beyond excited that they were opening a Mcmenaims here.
We tried it one afternoon... It took awhile to get our waters, but our waitress was good, the food was expensive but good and the view of the golf course was fun and pretty.
Two months later I receive an alert from my bank that Mcmenamins is just now charging me for my visit. I've worked in restaurants long enough to know this means something dishonest is going on. My bank basically proved me right when I contacted them. I still am unclear as to why it took them Two months to charge my card. If I go back, I'll make sure I pay in cash.
This is a great place to spend a weekend now that they have opened the second floor to hotel rooms. Play a round or two of golf on a 100 year old traditional  links style course, have a drink (or three) and crash in a room that, while quirky, is comfortable.  The restaurant is superior to other McMenamin operations.  The service is excellent , the pub grub meets expectations with the added plus of much faster turnaround on orders than any other place they operate.  The views of the course from the informal dining room/bar is very pleasant.  The Menamin's say that the attitude they have with their properties is that "it's just a pub". Never meant to be fancy but fanciful. I love the microbrews and simple food like cajun tots.  The staff tends to hang around the bar which isn't appropriate. There are a lot of private conversations going on in public about personnel or business matters during the slower afternoons I would rather not hear.  Perhaps the staff confuses creating a casual atmosphere with holding their own casual conversations.  Other than that small management issue this is a good place to hide-out and relax
Review Source:I will admit it.  I am a McMenamins fan.  I have stayed at the Edgefield and Grand Lodge and  frequented the Kennedy School when I lived in the valley.  I typically have pretty low expectations at McMenamins when it comes to service and their food is pretty predictable.  I rate their other properties between 3-4 stars but this one leave a little to be desired.
I was excited when I heard they were taking over the Sand Trap but after many visits over the past few years Yelps 2 star "Meh. I've experienced better" sums them up pretty well.
I have never had awful service or food but it has been pretty underwhelming compared to their other properties. Â If it wasn't for their happy hour I doubt I would make it in at all. Â The icing on the 2 star cake came a few months ago when we went to see a concert in the downstairs showroom. Â Really one bartender and one server when it was standing room only??? Come on McMenamins bros..
Just wanted a burger and a beer. Ordered a Capt Neon without the mayo/horseradish sauce but got it anyway. Had to send it back. Hard to believe these burgers start out at 1/3 lb. Not much of a burger for $10.75 and couldn't taste the blue cheese. The chorizo soup was good.
Bar area service is unorganized chaos.
Typical McMenamins, but take special notice that they take checking your ID very seriously if you look under 35. My mom and I were beach combing when we decided to stop for a beer. We didn't have our ID's, and the server refused to give my 55 year old mother a drink. It was so odd.
The stars here balance out from the average food and slow service with a very nice outdoor patio and great proximity to the beach.
I've come here several times, as it is within a short walking distance from my family's beach house. Same cozy great ambiance as all McMenamin's, same crappy cocktails and crappy beer.... but surprise! The food is actually pretty tasty. By far superior to other McMenamins' food.... I'd say with the exception of one experience, I have very much enjoyed the fare here. Wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but hey... it IS within stumbling distance.... soo..... yeah, let's face it, I'll be back.
Review Source:Well, why do we keep going back to McMenamins? They have a formula that works for a lot of people. They have found that if you have a child-friendly space, decent beer, and music events that start at 7 in the evening, they get a lot of business. There are not enough other places that offer any competition in that market to make them improve the quality of their food or service.
Specifically at the Sand Trap? We ordered, and found one of the items on the menu was not we were were expecting. We asked the waitress, and she brought the menu back, agreed that it was ambiguously worded, and offered to comp the item. We didn't ask for that, but were happy with it. A few minutes later the manager comes over, and tells us it's our fault for not reading the menu properly. Now, I don't really care about whether we paid for that item, I didn't expect to get it free, but to have one person apologize, and then another come over and blame us is just typical of my love-hate relationship with McMenamins. I can't wait for some other restaurants to realize that the 'family with kids who want to be able to take them to music and dinner' crowd is out there.
Toughest thing about being on a diet is that "night's off" become very important. My favorite "free night" meal is beer, burger, and fries! When the burger is hot and juicy, fries are crisp and fresh, and beer is really cold, you have the makings of a classic American meal! So, here is my plea to the folks at McMenamin's/Sandtrap - "please work hard to get this right!" Cold burger; stale, limp fries; and warm beer is all wrong!
Review Source:I love the Sand Trap! Â We visit every time that we go to the Oregon Coast. Â The best place to hang out in the Sand Trap is the bar downstairs called the Pot Bunker Bar. Â It has a fireplace, which I love, and a tv with sports on to satisfy my guy :) Â Matt was our bartender the last time we went and he was awesome! Â Very friendly and he made some great drinks. Â We have always had quick and friendly service when we visit the Sand Trap.
As for the food, it is the typical McMenamins fare. Â Great happy hour specials. Â A standout for us has actually been the personal size pizzas. Â One time we had a seasonal pizza with pear and gorgonzola that was amazing and another time we had one with a rosemary cream sauce that was amazing as well! Â
As for the beer, you can't go wrong with the Hammerhead. Â But, my absolute favorite is their hard cider - seriously!
If you're looking for an inexpensive lunch don't go here. Â We've been to many Mcmenimans but this one surprised us with lunchtime food with dinnertime prices. Â I saw nothing under $10 other than salads and kid meals and when you take away burgers or sandwiches there's little left to choose from. Â We won't be back.
Review Source:What a breath of fresh air! Â A McMenamins with quick service and good food!
This is one of the McMenamin Brother's newest establishments. Â I was in Seaside for the Fourth of July Weekend and a group of six of us decided to try them out. Â We only had about 90 minutes to get there, get fed, and get back. Â We took our chances and won!
The food was standard McMenamins fare, and it was prepared as expected. Â What WASN'T expected was the prompt service!
This review is only for their service, as I have reviewed their menu in another review. Â This place is awesome! Â They had sufficient staffing to cover a very busy weekend! Â Good job!
I read the other reviews about slow service...
While I've been victim to it at other locations, Sandtrap was fast and friendly. Granted it wasn't the busy season...
I really like the atmosphere at this one. More of an intimate feel compared to other locations.
Overall, it makes a great 19th hole, a place to meet friends or something familiar if you're visiting the Oregon coast.
Same food and terrible service as other McMenamins. Food was tastey, but took over an hour to get food, had to ask waitress to take food order, then waited long time for bill on seperately checks. Funny thing is, lots of people will agree on bad service being common at all McMenamins, but people keep going. Why is this?????
Review Source:The story of the Hotel that was in that area is really sad, and there are many pictures and historical bits all around. Â Though not as kitchy as most McMenamins, the food is consistent, and if you are lucky like we were, you can sit outside and watch some hotties on the golf course while you drink your pints!
Review Source:I came here for lunch this past Saturday with a friend and her three-year-old daughter. The dining areas are lovely and cozy, with a great view of the golf course. Had the weather been nicer, it would have been fun to sit on the back patio near the fire pit.
The menu is your typical McMenamins fare, with an emphasis on seafood (to be expected given its location). My friend had the Brewer's salad and her daughter had a cheese pizza; I had the Ale-Marinated New York Steak Sandwich. The steak, the bread, and the frizzled onions were all very good, but it was difficult to eat as a sandwich.
Only a minor irritation: our waiter forgot that we had ordered a plate of fries to share, so they didn't come out until after our entrees had been served. This somewhat defeated the purpose of an appetizer. But still, it's a great casual dining spot, and I'm sure we'll go back the next time I'm in the area.
Delicious Salmon with croti bread.Real wood burning fireplace.Beautiful golf links to the back of the building.Pro-shop on lower level,next to a smaller pub area,also with real wood burning fireplace.Street level have full bar and restaurant available. Condo office to left of Fine entrance to the building.Tasty Irish beer! Full menu,serving breakfast,lunch and dinner and desserts,as there is 3 buildings across the street for those wishing to spend the night.Enjoy!
Review Source:
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