My experience was much better than the reviews I have read. We went for, a late lunch and the food was great. The Anti-pasta plate which had ham, prosciutto, shaved eggplant, salami, artichoke hearts, mozzarella/tomato/basil, sliced cheese, a variety of olives and peppers. It was one of the best appetizers I have had. the portions on all the dishes were generous.  My friend ordered the Pork ribs - this dish came with thinly sliced potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. the best pork ribs I have ever tasted . We also ordered a chicken dish. It was cooked perfectly and came with the best green beans I have had in a long time.  The service was a little slow but very good - although they were between lunch and dinner crowds.  I look forward to going back again even if just for those ribs. they were addictive.
Review Source:First off, this review is for drinks and music only (we didn't have dinner). Beer and wine only. Wine was decent, service was decent, place is very fun, in a funky kind of way. I loved dancing to a GREAT band (more on that later) and looking out the window to see trees outside swaying to the breeze. It's a sizable place, and has a dance floor, bar on two sides, some great jazz-related artwork on the walls, and a variety of sizes and types of tables around the place. There is a great outdoor area as well, but it was a windy night and no one was out there.
The entertainment that night was the West African HighLife Band, fronted by Baba Ken Okulolo. They are simply amazing, and any place that is willing to book bands like this deserves a lot of kudos. It ain't easy running a place that has live music, especially not near the hub of touristy action (this is far north of that in Sausalito). This band is fantastic! Second time I've seen them, and if you are feeling depressed or unhappy in any way, this is the band to see. Pure joyful sound. SUCH great playing. Each performer is stellar and fun to watch and listen to, but the way they play together is beyond great, it is magic. I hope they come back soon.
My friend had a dessert, the panna cotta, which was mediocre. We enjoyed the red wines, a cab and a merlot, both of which were good, but the cab was the best.
Can't say enough about the vibe (funky, fun, variety of types of people), and the dance floor. Hope to try the food some time soon.
We absolutely LOVED IT!!!! Â Entertaining friends from out of town, and we could not be happier. Rachel, who normally bartends, Â was our server. How lucky we were. She was kind, and authentic. She steered us away from average, and towards excellence. I felt as though I was over to her house for dinner. Thanks for giving us a special evening that we will remember.
In addition: live music tonight was awesome!  NormAly it an 8 dollar cover, we were comped because we were eating  dinner. The dance floor was hopping!
I am taking the time to write this review, because we often do not acknowledge people for  kindness, but are quick to complain. I want everyone to come and judge for themselves. I think you will agree that they are scratching their heads over the bad reviews.
You will too.
This place is hilarious, and if you know it well, you can appreciate the good and bad reviews all listed here. I just spent several minutes of my lunch break today reading off some of the one star reviews to my coworkers and we were all cracking up--this restaurant is like the gift that keeps on giving.
After working in the area for some time now, I have to say that the SeaHorse is definitely uniquely Sausalito. I give it three stars for people-watching value only as I've never enjoyed the food here (a solid "meh" rating) and the wine has been some of the worst of my life.
So why an "A-OK" review? It's hard to explain the experiences that I've had here. They've all been pretty awful but also completely entertaining. There have been multiple times that I've walked in and had to wait a few minutes for a single staff member to appear. One of said times there was a woman in flowy yoga pants twirling on the dance floor while an older gentleman watched. I think it was a dance lesson, but I can't be sure.
The only time I had lunch here my friends and I all got sandwiches. I got some kind of turkey panini, and no joke, the turkey tasted like it was Oscar Meyer or something. Just plain old processed deli meat from a shrink-wrapped package. That same lunch, our water was brought to us, and it tasted like coffee. Imagine a teaspoon of coffee was mixed into your water glass. I've never experienced anything like it in my life.
The other times have all been for beer/wine. If you come in the evenings, you get to take advantage of the people-watching I'm talking about. As someone that grew up in Marin and now lives in the city, I feel like this is an atmosphere that I don't normally get to experience. My memories at restaurants in Marin are largely dominated by pre-21 experiences, and my post-21 experiences have mostly been in LA and SF, so coming to the SeaHorse and seeing a bunch of 50-plusers getting a little tipsy and a little loose on the dance floor is awesome.
Expect to see a fun mix of leathery boat people and coifed older professionals. If you're a woman under the age of thirty, expect to be approached by several males of the aforementioned demographics upon your arrival. If you're a guy under the age of forty, the same will go for you except it will be by some done-up cougars. If that's not your cup of tea, make sure to come with a friend of the opposite sex, and make sure they don't leave your side. The last time I was here, my friend got up to go to the bathroom, and within a minute, a nice, drunken, white-haired gentleman came up to me and said verbatim, "You are very beautiful and very sexy--would your friend mind if I took his seat?" I was able to keep the seat vacant until he got back from the bathroom, but we actually kept talking to the guy for the next hour or so. Turns out he's a substitute teacher that used to work in finance that now lives on his sail boat and drives a Maserati... But mid-life crises like that are a dime a dozen here.
These are the kinds of stories you pick up at the SeaHorse. I could keep going down the page listing more off, but I should probably just stop here and let you experience it for yourself.
I came here to eat when I was first looking at moving north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The paninis I had for lunch with my wife were great - the bread (can't remember the name) was amazing. I've never tried this place at night, but when I mentioned eating here to my coworkers they all said they thought the place was just a bar.
On the downside the ATM hasn't worked here in the last six weeks.
Edit: Just recently found out they allow patrons to smoke on the back patio - fantastic!
We originally were going to eat at Fish but the line was long and we were short time and on cash. So we decided to try this neighboring restaurant. Oh man I should have looked at yelp before I placed my order.
So today being a sunny day we opted to sit outside for lunch. As we were waiting the sun became blazing hot and there was children with us all of whom became uncomfortable and couldn't stand the heat. We asked to move the umbrella but the waiter said no because in the past there was some accidents. So then we saw a table that was in the shade but it did not fit my party. So, we asked when another group leaves if we could move there...they said ok. So we waited, and then they filled the table we were waiting for. So we ended up staying in our original table in the sun and the kids would move to the small corner of shade we had. That already started to get us "heated".
Then....
The staff took forever to get our order, have our food ready, etc.
Then.....
They messed up our order, they forgot an appetizer and a drink.
Then....
when we received our drinks we they gave us a cup with glass, my cousin poured his drink into the glass and before he drank he spotted a dead spider and mini bugs in the his glass (it came from the dirty glass, since his drink was canned). We then mentioned it to the waiter to replace the glass and drink but he forgot to do anything about it until we asked him again until the very end.
Then....
The food arrived, which was decent. I thought my order of the special crab risotto was ok but my family did not enjoy their orders and thought the prices did not match the food quality.
Overall horrible slow and unresponsive service with overpriced average food. We should have just waited in the long line for Fish.
Stopped by mid afternoon on 2.17.13. Â Was immediately seated on the deck, and then waited. Â Waited. Â Maybe 10-12 minutes before someone brought bread? Â Then waited a bit longer for menus.
Just ordered the gnocchi and a salad. Â Both were good. Â Nothing to rave about, nice portion size. Â Gnocchi was piping hot, Beverly salad was good as well. Â Service was pleasant enough, but took a while for check too. Â I'm assuming there was just the one server for the entire deck? Â Did not specifically look, but if so...she had a lot of tables to manage.
Want to come back for the music some night as well as check out the salsa Sundays. Â Have heard the place is packed. Â Would probably plan to eat elsewhere?? Â Maybe??
The Seahorse is a great slice of Sausalito; Â live music, great food, come-on, what more do you need? The casual atmosphere served as a perfect place to host family from out of town. There we were, basking in the warm Sausalito sun, out on the front deck watching boats make their way in and out of the harbor.
Review Source:I have been going to the Seahorse for quite awhile as a musician, because my band plays there regularly. Never really been on Yelp before until my daughter told me about it, because the restaurant she works at is among the top rated ones.
Hearing about Mauro Dosolini's story, the owner of the Seahorse, I feel like something is wrong on his ranking on Yelp. I very much admire him for his great achievement and hard working. It takes a lot to own a restaurant, and deal with so many things on many fronts.
As a musician point of view, we always get free food, we get paid and we understand what to expect after booking a show at the Seahorse.
The Seahorse is the most romantic place, and community oriented, very much in tune with the local artists, and has booked local bands more then any other venue in the entire bay area. You get a private parking for free, just a few walk, you are on the waterfront of the bay...
Thank you Mauro for supporting local artists and for bringing the best music and bands for less then what it would have normally cost in other well renown venues.
You are an inspiration and people should get to know you more before judging you.
Yes you might not be the best person in the world, but what you brought in Sausalito is very much appreciated! This man needs help and it will benefit all!
Wow, after reading the other reviews, I'm relieved I wasn't served a bowl of lighter fluid and an offer to go outside and brawl.
We came here after the Art Festival on Monday after we found out FISH was on their limited in-between lunch and dinner menu. Â We really wanted the whole fish for two. Â We strolled over to Seahorse, who was having their own little art show. Â It was cute, but wrapping up. Â We sat on the patio out front which was awesome. Â The place is really cool, fun decor, eclectic crowd, live music. Â We got in before the cover- I wouldn't have paid a cover.
Service was on the slower side, but friendly. Â We were in no hurry. Â The bread was delicious and hot. Â We ordered the clams and mussels starter (not to sound terrible but I cannot believe how many posters spelled mussels incorrectly, sorry, just a random observation) and they were really good! Â The broth was good, all shellfish were open and tasted fresh. Â I feel badly for all of those who got the lighter fluid taste/smell. Â Had I read that before going, I would not have ordered them. Â I guess it's the luck of the draw?
Anyway, as an entree we split the whole bass for two. Â It came with sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Â Everything was tasty. Â The fish was fresh and cooked well. Â The only complaint is that it really wasn't a "for 2" portion. Â The fish was on the small side. Â I'm comparing it to the portion size at FISH, but I believe they charge like $10 more there too so, to be fair, there's that.
If we come again, it will likely just be to drink and party. Â The atmosphere and location are really fun. Â Then again, so is Smitty's, and they have shuffleboard.
Sea-NO-Horse Now!!
I made the mistake of spending more than a brief moment of my trip to San Francisco at this place. Â The service was horrible for starters. Ordered a beer and the waiter poured 3/4 of it, then ran away with the bottle- wasting precious resources(serious no-no!!) Â I couldn't even catch him to say, "whoa there", he was so quick...which is odd since it took him 10 minutes to take our order!
I wish that would have been the worst, but sadly, it is not...
My friends had ordered the muscles and said they tasted a little like Butane or some kind of gas. Â I tasted the broth, and before I even got it in my mouth, I could smell the distinct odor of natural gas/butane. Â The taste was even stronger- and proof of the contamination. Â When we sent it back the owner of the restaurant came out. Â We explained exactly what was wrong and the owner refused to believe a word of it. Â We were told we'd still be charged for them. Â We tried to agree to the charge so he'd leave us alone and he said we had to leave!! Â Then he tried to start a fight (a literal fight) with a friend. Â There is obviously something wrong in the kitchen, but even if there wasn't, that's no way to treat anyone- let alone your customers. Â The owner is the most ridiculous and rude person I've ever met...and that's saying a lot. Â
I hope anyone reading this takes heed and vows never to visit the SeaHorse.
I was truly & utterly appalled by a recent visit to Seahorse. Our table was harassed, insulted & ultimately kicked out for sending back a dish. While being kicked out, a friend told us that they had had to send back an off plate of seafood earlier in the evening as well. Once we were outside, another customer said her dish tasted like lighter fluid and that the owner had berated her for daring to come to his Italian restaurant if she was allergic to olive oil. I only hope potential diners read these review and boycott the Seahorse. May it be out of business by the end of the year.
Review Source:It's hard to put into words how horrible of an experience we had at the Seahorse. The chef, Mauro Dosolini, is so rude and ridiculous it's hard to imagine he is still in business. We went to the Seahorse to listen to a friend sing & he picked a fight with our table for not liking his food. It didn't taste good & potentially was not fresh. He was so insulted that he yelled at us & kicked us out of his restaurant. Absolutely Absurd!!! The worst part is...I have met him many times before as a Sausalito local. He was so enraged & busy instigating a fight, he didn't realize that we have met several times and he knows some of my friends and family members quite well. He is just not a nice or stable person.
If you have to go there because a friend happens to be playing music, order a drink, avoid food and by all means don't step on the toes of an angry little Italian Man with small man syndrome.
All in All, super SAD experience  :(
This place has SO MUCH POTENTIAL and they are missing the mark by a landslide. Â I had brunch here... I was enticed by the deck with the view of the harbor...
I don't remember the service being bad, maybe a bit slow, but nothing bad.
I was looking forward to 'fresh squeezed juice' that I saw on the menu so I asked what kind of juice and they said all they had was Minute Maid OJ.... (EW)
I had an omelet, served with some home fries. Â I really wanted some ketchup and to my surprise, they didn't have any. Â It's not that they ran out, it's that THEY DON'T HAVE IT IN THE RESTAURANT. Â
I noticed it was beer and wine only and figured they would have pitchers of sangria, working wtih such a restricted license, but they didn't. Â
It's a weird place.
On the bright side, the interior is designed very well, and it's an amazing place to have a party. There's a stage and fireplace and a back deck area as well as a deck in front. Â I think businesses with outdoor spaces are key, and when they are not used it just kills me.
I fantasize about Restaurant Impossible coming in and helping them.
Goodness- I just got the salmon pasta today and it was terrible. I really couldn't eat more than a few bites before wanting to abandon the entire dish. The salmon was extremely salty and not the fresh, tender meat that I expected it to be, and the pasta was very average. The pasta sauce, which was supposed to be thick and creamy, was WATERY and TASTELESS. And while the portion size is very large, it doesn't matter because you are not even going to want to eat all of  it anyways. What a huge disappointment, especially since its not cheap either. I will, however, give this restaurant two stars because my dining companion enjoyed her eggplant panini.
Review Source:The seahorse seemed like a good alternative to its neighbor, fish, which I'd tried in the past. Unfortunately, after sitting down, we realized it was only crowded due to Salsa dancing on Sunday evenings.
The food was incredibly mediocre. Â Nothing we were served was bad, but at the price point, it was certainly sub par. Â We split mussels and gnocchi for the table, while I had the bass, and others ordered the lasagna and a bird.
There are far too many better options for me to go back to SeaHorse for dinner. If you're in the area and haven't tried Fish, so yourself a favor and walk next door.
Asked to sit on the patio. They said they would be right with us. Delivered food to other customers. Waited for 30 minutes with no water, bread or acknowledgment from service staff. Never got to try the food. We ended up leaving as we were too hungry to wait around for someone to help. Very frustrating!!
Review Source:Wait staff are fantastic. Food is mediocre. Wine and beer only.  Real jerks (nice way to put it) demanding cover for a band that didn't start in over 90 minutes, rude, embarrassed me in front of a date but I HAD PAID $20 (!) and was just asking if we had to leave before the band comes on. Accused me of being a free-loader. He did it "for the musicians", so you musicians playing this venue --- I'm sure you wouldn't  like what's being said and done in your name.
Review Source:Breakfast review.
Terrible experience here.....food was okay...
Extremely SLOW service! Especially for having only two tables to serve...ridiculously slow. Â Awkward, soft spoken, not helpful waiters as well....TERRIBLE food. Â
Omlette's were decent enough but came with 3 terrible wedge cut, Â non-crispy, and undercooked potatoes. Â And the worlds absolutely grossest broccoli! Â It was boiled in the same water as the seafood and tasted like extremely old fishy water with a crunch. Â I love fish too, but this was gross like old moldy fish water....I am not picky and can eat a lot of things but that was gross.. Â If the owners read this, I would like a refund for the meal please! Â Nasty! Â Please send me a message to discuss my experience.
The bruschetta appetizer was good. Â The swordfish carpaccio was decent but was soooo thinly sliced that there wasn't much taste. Â I know it's supposed to be thin, but c'mon, really?! Â
The salmon sandwich was oh alright....
The shrimp gnocchi was disgusting too. Â The entire dish tasted like bad fishy water too....the shrimp were head on and shell on making it difficult to pick out of gnocchi and just bad mix... Â Nasty dish. Â Something just wasn't right about it....
All in all, this place looks more like a dinner place. Â Italian restaurant with a Luau-Island-Jimmy Buffettesque vibe with house techno music.... Â WEIRD. Â
This place is pretty cool looking on the inside, and prolly has better vibe on evenings with live music, but I will probably not be going back to check it out due to this horrible experience. Â Breakfast for 4- Â $80. And everyone was disappointed. Â I'd recommend riding a seahorse to another place...save your schillings for a place that takes pride in their food and service. Â
MISERABLE.
Read the other reviews before mine and I was cracking up. "meh" was a common theme and my thoughts exactly.
First problem was the cover charge. Who's charging cover charges these days for dives like these?? Then non full bar, but that's ok with me, beer and wine is fine... But the kicker was no credit cards!!! Who the hell carries cash anymore? ( I spotted them, the salty dogs that have taken up residence out back ;P )
Defiantly funky fun atmosphere. But the dressed tables all over with no casual high tops and limited bar space made it a but uncomfortable till we were drunk enough to not care.
Gnocchi was fantastic. Get with the 21st century and take credit cards and you'd get a huge bump!
Food, drinks, wait staff... all could step up a notch and this place would have a solid 3 star rising.
Came here with friends to hear live music on a Saturday night. Thoroughly enjoyed the band and dancing; cover charge was decent. Unfortunately, there was a large group celebrating a birthday and they were quite smashed by the time we arrived about 9:30 pm. I'm not judging personal choices but when folks take over the floor and constantly bump into others while dancing it's just obnoxious.
If you want to sit on the patio and enjoy the sun and the view of the water while you sip wine, and enjoy a basket of bread with an excellent seafood salad, this is a great place. Â But you can't use a credit card and you can't get a cocktail, it's cash/beer and wine only.
If you like authentic salsa music, the salsa Sunday's here are excellent. Â The bands are always good and worth the cover charge. Â Cover charge is reasonable (everybody charges for live music) but the lack of cocktails is a distinct minus. Â If you like to dance salsa, bring a date on Sunday because this place kinda seems to be a menopause party if you know what I mean. Â There are unattached men to dance with, but for the most part they seem to be Marin types who learned to dance in a dance class. Â Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saaaayin'....
This is a review for it being a Sausalito night club versus a restaurant. (And if you know Sausalito, you know that's a joke.)
Anyhoo... my friends and I have been here several times for an alternative to Smitty's, No Name and Wellington's. It's okay, but we RARELY go here because they always charge a cover. Even when the band is 2 songs from done! Eh. Â
I also am not a great fan of the beer and wine only options. Why not a full bar? They have the space. Perhaps can't get the permit through? Also, take credit cards for godssake! No one carries cash anymore or wants to pay the fee to your ATM, Seahorse.
You know, I don't really need an alternative to the other Sausalito hot spots, now that I think about it. Meh.
Great music. Horrible staff. Bartender accused us of not paying for our drinks after we moved spots. Also didn't want us to pull curtain down to block the sun. Whassup!!
I don't need to pay to get in and then be insulted by incompetent staff.
Too bad. I won't go back. Too old to be insulted by stupid and rude staff.
This place is really kind of kooky. Â I've gone a couple of times for the music, which has been decent. Â But the service is in the toilet. Â When and if I hear this place is going under, I won't be surprised. Â Both times I walked away not paying for my wine because no one charged me for it. Â Not to mention no one actually was interested in serving me.............the place was fairly quiet at the time. Â At one point, my friend wanted an appetizer, sadly I forgot to bring my lassoo to capture the waitstaff's attention. Â He was at the table right next to us, but never bothered to turn 180 degrees to see if I'd like a refill or if we'd like anything to eat.
I like the ambiance. Â I like the live music. Â I'd like to see them train their staff appropriately because that could add so much to one's experience.
So good I came back for Valentine's dinner.
I came to Seahorse to see a show the Saturday before Valentine's Day. Â I enjoyed it so much I brought my girl back for a romantic Valentine's dinner two nights later -- and I live 50 miles away.
Everything I ate was delicious. Â We had the Seahorse Salad (loaded with whole shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari, and mango), gnocchi with dungeness crab, a delicious green salad served on a super-thin layer of cheese, and the half dungeness crab topped with risotto. Â The Pinot Nero wine paired perfectly with all the seafood.
The service was friendly, and Mauro, the owner, spent lots of time getting to know us, in spite of a full house.
I'll be back for sure.
We came on a Friday to Macy Blackman
The good news is that the place was very empty. Had our choice of tables. But this is bad news for the restaurant when you can't draw a full house on a Friday in Sausalito and you have live music!
The good.
Water server was always there. Drink an inch of water and he re-appeared. Never without water.
Ambiance great. Looked right for a harbor place.
Food - some dishes good, some not so good. Prices better than reasonable
The bad
Had to fetch the waiter.
Had to ask for menus. And even though there were 4 of us, he broght just one. Asked again and he brought one more.
So - first rule of a restaurant. Bring the menus! We still had to share.
Waiter finally took order. After he brought it, we never saw him again. Really. Never again.
Finally another guy came and asked if we wanted to close out our bill. We had an empty bottle of wine and music still playing.
Rule 2 - ask if customer wants anything else!
Remember, 75% of tables were empty.
So we placed our credit card and about 1/2 hour later, a different guy came by and said they don't take credit cards. Owner doesn't want to pay the fees.
Here's my advice and plea to the owner. Pay the fees and get some business. Train your waiters. If you don't do this, you'll be out of business. This place has potential.
I'll go back because I like the location and look of the restaurant. I'll just go after my waiter to get what I want.
I'd like to return and be able to write a better review.
I was trying to find Fish cuz I'd never been there. Their parking lot was full. So I went across the street to a cute looking restaurant with people seated on the front sunny patio. This place had its own lot in back w/ plenty of space. A waiter came down the driveway to make sure I was going to eat at Seahorse. Um, yes... that's why I parked here.
Once seated and food ordered, everything seemed nice. There were happy looking diners around me on the patio and a few had their well-behaved dogs in tow. Water arrived, my drink...and eventually some very salty bread. I ordered the Dover Sole that comes with potatoes and grilled zucchini. The latter was heavily salted- but the fish and it's lightly herbed sauce was very tasty.
After my food arrived, nobody checked on me. A basket of softer, less salty bread also arrived, yet it got whisked away before I could request a doggie bag. Three tables around me all started impatiently asking for their check around the same time as my plates and bread were removed. Was surprised that waiter didn't ask if i wanted another drink... or how was the food? Or would you like some dessert or coffee? I guess that was not meant to be since the bill was placed on my table without any of these inquiries. Too bad- the dessert list looked yummy and I almost always order decaf espresso after a meal at a NICE establishment.
We stumbled upon this place while looking for Fish. Â But the line was insane and since this had open seating and the day was gorgeous, we decided to eat here.
For a restaurant named Seahorse you would think there would be more seafood on the menu, but we found two dishes that piqued our interest. Â I got the special of the day, crab risotto, and he ordered the Dover sole.
The food was excellent. Â My crab risotto came beautifully prepared in/on a crab. Â It was amazing. Â The crab itself was well cooked and it was fun to tear into a crab after eating the risotto that lay on top. Â I'm a Maryland girl, so I'm super picky about my crab and this is probably some of the best crab I've had in California. Â The Denver sole was also very tasty, being served in a very nice sauce that wasn't too rich. Â The potatoes were a tad dry to me, but my guy liked it.
The bread they serve you while you wait is incredible. Â I was good and didn't eat too much, as to not fill up, but the boy chowed down. Â Definitely a highlight.
The service was mediocre. Â He ordered a diet coke and never got it. Â It was a bit slow as well. Â When we got our check the bill (of course) had the diet coke on it. Â When I alerted them to the error, he just scratched it out and fiddled with the total. Â It wasn't exact, but it's only $2 plus tax. Â But I've never seen it done quite like that.
Beware this place is cash only! Â They have an ATM inside that will charge you you're first born child to take out cash. Â So hit your bank before you come.
Service was terrible. Â The lady who seated us announced a special which the waiter said they didn't have. Â Our first clue should have been that no one was there. Â I had the Lasagna which was not good at all. Â The sole was just okay. Â When we went to pay the waiter announced they didn't take credit cards and quickly walked away before we could inquire about other payment options. Â We counted out cash and got up to leave and the waiter quickly blocked our way until he was sure that we had left sufficient funds.
Save yourself the trouble and don't go here.
This is what you get when you don't review the restaurant on yelp. Â Serves us right.
We had no problem with the service. Maybe the other reviews are for the restaurant that was here before? We were cheerfully welcomed , we didn't have to  wait for anything, and they even made up a dish for our 3 years old.
I couldn't help but taste everything on the table, and I loved everything.
Pasta: the very simple marinara sauce tasted like the home-made one my friend's mother use to send him from Italy *****
Panini: I don't know where they found such perfect cheese. Yummy.
The mozzarella tasted like buffala one ( the real thing) *****
I took the grilled fish and it was perfect, up to the grilled veggies. I'm not fond of grilled veggies usually, but these were good and I ate them all. *****
The expressos were perfect Italian expressos. The prossecco was delicious.
The only bad point is that it's cash only, but they have an ATM.
This place is a gem, and I can't wait to go back!
Why can't yelp offer a zero star option? UGH. I wish I'd have taken the five seconds to look this place up before going inside, but it looked quaint, and how bad could a place be if it's able to stay in business in one of the most awesome spots in the world?
Oy.
The parking spot directly in front of the entrance AND the lack of a queue of customers out the door (like at Fish, just across the way) should have served as my first two clues.
It was bizarre and unsettling from the moment we first walked in, and I should have paid attention to my instinct and just walked right back out. (I guess it's time for me to re-read Gavin DeBecker's "The Gift of Fear.")
When we first walked in, the staff eyeballed us uncomfortably, and little did I know that would be the last time we would be able to make eye contact with anyone who worked there. It felt like they were sizing us up to participate in some sort of Marshall Applewhite activity, but based on the lack of attention we didn't receive for the night, we (thankfully) must not have passed their test.
We were seated and handed menus that were dirty. Gross. I'll give them credit, however, as what I thought was a huge marinara stain on the page was really a seahorse motif printed on the paper.
The menu seemed straightforward enough, but once we had a few questions, it all went downhill from there. My boyfriend ordered a Diet Coke, and I asked for a glass of club soda. The waiter said, "No. We don't have that." The bar was about 20 feet away from me. I said, "But he just ordered a Diet Coke. All the bartender needs to do is hit the other little button to pour me a glass that doesn't have the Diet Coke formula in it." Alas, sodas came in a can! (Of course! Because that's so much more cost efficient for the purveyor.)
When BF inquired whether or not they had a Caesar salad (sometimes your body just craves the Caesar), the waiter pointed out some other mixed green options. BF said, "No -- that's OK," but then the waiter would. not. let. it. go. and continued to point out the other salads. (Dude. Chill. We're in Marin -- land of the chill. Hadn't you noticed?)
My minestrone came out, and it was pretty much chicken stock with a can of mixed vegetables thrown in. My mixed, grilled seafood platter was decent, but not $22 decent, and BF's penne served merely as fuel and something to coat his stomach.
It was impossible to get anyone who worked there to come back to our table. I was just short of standing up, walking a few steps away and tapping the waiter on the shoulder to get some more water. This happened three times.
We'd gotten to the restaurant just as the evening's musical talent and groupies started to filter in. Again, Marin County is land of the chill, where they patented the effortless-looking California casual cool fashion, so I wasn't sure where the overly made up, heavily hairsprayed, high-heeled, short skirt wearing women guzzling white zin fit in with all of this. (But hey -- as long as they're happy, and for goodness sake, they don't drive home at the end of the night.)
Usually in bad restaurants, the food is slow to arrive, but the check delivery is instantaneous. In truly awful horrible restaurants, you can't wait to get out of there quickly enough, so even the bill delivery is too slow. I did the whole, "I'll just put my credit card on the table as a sign that we're ready to go." Â A completely different person came over and said, "We only take cash or check. There's an ATM up the street."
BF got up and said, "Where exactly is the ATM?" and the man responded, "We also take checks." Oh, wait. Yes. That's right. Here's my checkbook; it's in my tote phone briefcase next to my Filofax.
OH! I almost forgot! Part of the decor includes several varieties of disco type lights, and one set in particular casts small dots of red lights. At one point, the system got a little hung up, and my boyfriend's eye went immediately to the small dot of red light that hit squarely in the center of my chest. He (naturally) thought it was a sniper rifle pointed right at me. In case you're wondering, this is not typically the excitement I look for when dining out with the man I love.
So, if you find yourself in Sausalito and have the choice of waiting in a long line at somewhere that's actually good vs. this place, do yourself a favor and wait.
Incredibly bizarre experience.
Looked cute and inviting from the outside however once in the restaurant I felt as though I had stepped foot in a bad consignment store.
The menu's were dirty and the seafood (had 2 appetizers- swordfish and clams) were mediocre at best.
My friend and I were so weirded out by the bizarre decor and lack of vitality in the restaurant we darted as soon as we could.
Always a bad sign when there are more people working in a restaurant than actually eating there....
Go to Fish around the corner and save yourself from the "Seahorse" experience
Horrible. I wanted to like this place, but it is not possible to recommend it.
We arrived at 7:30 for dinner with old friends and we where greeted by the indifferent staff. We wanted to bolt in the first minute. Unfortunately, our party arrived in separate groups, so we where stuck for the duration.
Dinner conversation was ruined by loud quirky muzak. I had to ask five times to get it lowered. But, wait, there's more. The band conducted very annoying sound checks for an hour during the prime dinner hour. Â I had to ask the band's sound guy when the sound checks would end. Terrible. Â
Members of our party asked: is it a restaurant or a dance band venue? Somebody has to re-think the mission and setup of this place. It could be saved. A few places can pull off the combo. For example, The Top-of-the-Mark does it by putting tables near the dance floor for drinks and dancing, and puts the dinning tables around the outside of the room.
Our bad experience was all our fault. We read and shared the poor reviews on Yelp. We thought: "no, it can't be that bad." It is.
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