Good food and a great view. We were seated at a window over looking the bay where we could watch the wildlife while we ate. Sea birds and dolphins going by while I ate a very good plate of linguine with clams. (Everyone else was equally pleased with their meals. )
Coffee and a cookie. I gotta be honest, I didn't have the food so I stopped at their coffee counter which is justcookies and pastries. I had a nicely done large mocha and a large ginger cookie that was a a perfect cookie. A little bitta crisp, a lot of deep molasses chew, a ginger bite with dark chocolate drizzled across the top. There are a bunch of tasty treats at the coffee counter.
The food is really fantastic. Many vegetarian choices, which I really appreciate. The menu rotates periodically. I find the prices here are comparable to any other restaurant on cannery row- and much better food!
I thought the kids pizza was a little overpriced, but the waiter was great and brought our nephew binoculars to look out into the bay! Fun day, and if you're at the aquarium it's a must!
Great location. Lovely Linguini With Clams with delicious broth and crusty fresh sourdough bread to dip in it.
Two things that I love about this restaurant are it's closeness to me and the fact that they have a great stout beer on tap! The food is always excellent, and they have one of the best views of the bay. If you sit at the bar, the bartenders are more than generous with pours and are endless resources for a visit to the area!
Go to see the fish. Stay for the chowder! The chowder is absolutely awesome. The burger is massive and the fish and chips are perfect. Well worth the price of admission.
WOW WHAT A VALUE!. The ratio of quality to value here is absurd. The food is amazing. Seriously. I know what you're thinking, "its in an aquarium, dude." They don't have crum bum food. The portola cafe could easily charge double for their entrees, and would stand alone as a fine dining establishment without breaking a sweat. (I would happily invest!) I went with a party of six and were sufficiently blow away by the service and the meals. The calamari is a must, followed closely by the halibut. Crab cakes are also very good. This is truly a gem. MAKE A RESERVATION THOUGH, as the wait can be a serious day ruiner. Enjoy your meal!
The food was pretty good but it definitely wasn’t worth the price. A berry bowl is $9 while a decent entree can range between $15-24ish dollars. Furthermore, if you’re vegetarian, good like finding options you can eat without burning a hole in your pocket. That being said the taste is good, the staff are friendly and helpful, and it’s convenient to just buy lunch or dinner instead of lugging it around with you at the aquarium the entire day. I would recommend.
When I with my family had a lunch in this cafe, we really loved their chicken and potato fries. But, we did not like their salmon&rice salad. And, the price of foods are a bit high. Anyway, we really enjoyed our lunch sitting in the place with an amazing Ocean view😍
Meet our expectations a cafe in a tourist place. It’s a bit pricy but food tastes really good! We ordered the fish chips, they’re crispy and flavorful. And also ordered the shrimp bowl - it’s a healthy option and yum! Staffs were very friendly. There was a line during lunch time but it moved very fast.
Surprisingly really good food for a cafe inside an attraction. Yes it’s a little higher priced than you’d get outside, but not overly priced. Plus the portions are big enough for 2-3 platters feeding a family of four. Also must give credit to all the staff who were extremely friendly and welcoming, even when the crowds were big. Dining room is also fairly large, with great views of the water while you eat. Not a bad dining option all around
Love this cafeteria so much, we've dined here often and great food, rather than outside. We are huge supporters of helping out our favorite aquarium because of them pandemic. Worth every dollar...lol.😍
Very tasty and good looking food but holy cow get ready to open your wallet.
12/19/21: The staff are always very nice & friendly. The food is quite tasty. 10% off as a member.
Didn’t expect the food to be so good. Worth having a meal here during the aquarium visit
For a cafeteria-style location inside an aquarium, we were quite impressed. Food was all decent quality, especially the two entree-sized salads we ordered. It can get very busy with long lines, and it is VERY over priced. But at least you get good quality food, instead of typical "theme park" quality food which is what we expected. Would definitely return.
We were pleasantly surprised. Figured a little cafeteria inside an aquarium wouldn't have much selection and probably nothing very healthy. Turned out, they have a salad station, so I ordered the pear salad and it was delicious. It was made to order so everything was fresh, you can choose to add a protein (for an additional cost), and then tossed right there. It was not cheap, but what is these days. If you're looking for some sustenance while exploring the Aquarium, this was pretty good.
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