My first time dining at the new Ketch, previously Ketch Joanne. The Ketch has a long history of serving the Coastside. Parking was easy on a Thursday evening. We were seated right away, service by Tara was exceptional. It was National Margarita Day, the Spicy Margarita had the perfect amount of heat. We both ordered the Halibut Tostada with mango slaw, mixed greens , black beans, feta and a creamy citrus sauce, it hit the spot after a walk on the coastal trail. A perfect blend of flavors, the halibut was cooked to perfection. A newly expanded outdoor space with views of the harbor is a great addition to watch the sunset while dining. As a local on the Coast it's nice to have the Ketch back. read more

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Stoped here before checking in to our hotel, for a small bite to eat. What a lovely place. It was busy and all the food looked really good. We were seated right away and our waitress Tara took excellent care of us. read more

Like many of my fellow Coasties, I was super sad to see the closing of Ketch Joanne Restaurant and Harbor Bar which was a haven for hangovers (curing and making them) and hangouts where you could rub elbows with your mates or a local fisherman. WOW - what an upgrade! Way more seating (inside and out), great light, and the preservation of the Harbor Bar is a relief. The food was very good, portions just fine. Prices have gone up but the quality of the menu has evolved nicely. My friend and I went for lunch and ordered the fish tacos and the chicken sandwich. Both were delicious and we cleaned our plates! The Smuggler's Spritz was bright and refreshing. The bathrooms have been relocated to the back of the business (inside) and are ADA compliant, along with a small area of the bar that you can sidle up to in a wheelchair with ease. I agree that the menu is more limited, and that the prices have increased, but we understand this likely helps to fund the upgrades to the location and menu and take the hit to keep this place in business. We eyeballed the other dishes and drinks that others were helping themselves to, and everything looked delicious. Can't wait to go back! Visit number 2 (2 weeks later)- sat outside this time and ordered 2 apps and split 1 entree: App #1 - Ceviche stuffed avocado (15.95) - excellent! The fish was bright and clean, the avocado had a slight grill that gave it a lovely compliment to the rawness of the fish, topped with crunchy little tortillas strips. App #2 - Crispy Baby Artichoke Hearts (13.95) - lightly battered and fried artichoke hearts with a lovely roasted cherry tomato sauce on the side. The fry was super light and not greasy. Entree - Italian Flag Fettuccine (22.95) - a lovely holdover from their old menu. A fun take on chicken parmesan with a breaded chicken breast, and the 3 sauces of red, green and white to represent the Italian Flag; side of alfredo fettuccine. Could be heavy for a lunch for one, but great to split. read more

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45 minutes for a clam chowder to be served and it's very bland. same for the fish and chips. i guess they haven't discovered seasoning yet. don't waste your money here and go to sam's instead read more

I don't know how the food was. I was looking for something else, but it's under renovation and it's turned into a touristy yucky spot. It's very pretty though but it's turning for something else and it's losing it hometown field now it's kind of like a tourist trap it used to be good, but under this management is not going in a good direction. I'll pass this place. read more

My wife and I drove over to half moon Bay to shop and get some chowder. As usual the area was packed and all the known restaurants were busy with extreme lines and of course no parking. We decided to go the old faithful Ketches and were not disappointed. She got a cup of chowder ( Clam and I got the Shrimp in garlic butter. Excellent food. Chowder was the Boston type with bacon and not too thin or thick. My shrimp was fresh and very flavorful with the mashed potatoes. Parking is easy and was never rushed. 4 stars because of the service. It was not bad but lacked sincerity. I would avoid the lines and fighting to park and get the same good seafood at Ketches read more

I would give 4 star.. but totally bummed on the 5% surcharge and lack of obvious visibility. I ventured again to give another try of the Ketch Harber Pub today. The service was excellent. The food and the drink good! When I got the bill I noticed an unusually high amount of sales tax. When I asked about it; the manager said that the restaurant contributes 5% of their sales to "Harbor initiatives". In small print at the bottom of the receipt was a statement that 4.99% goes to Harbor. I assume this is a tax on sales they are charged by the Harbor as part of their lease, that they then choose to pass on, or share the expense, with their customers. I asked why it wasn't listed anywhere on the menu.. because I didnt notice it.. but in further review.. it was there in very very small print on one side. The manager without question, removed the 5% surcharge and for that I am grateful. A restaurant can always choose how they want to charge their customers. But I wish the surcharge was more obvious or easier to see. I do see this in other places. Usually it's always a separate line item on the receipt. And not co-mingled with the Sales Tax. Co-mingling seems bit of a hidden approach, perhaps in thought that people enjoying their day by the sea and libations may not notice or bother to question if the sales tax looks unusually high. read more

Food was hot and fresh, the clam chowder was really good. Id definitely come here again. It's clean, but space is limited.Garlic fries were awesome. read more

I would not recommend this restaurant because I got food poisoning. I had extreme diarrhea for at least two days going on day three. I ordered the cioppino read more

The food was wonderful. Staff, AMAZING. We had a teeny-tiny mix up on my order, but it was immediately remedied, and zero concerns. That said, my husband is a crappy tipper. Please know that I, myself, very much enjoyed my experience from arrival to post-meal. Thank you so much for such a wonderful dining experience! read more

Other than chowder food poor quality and dramatically overpriced. Many other options in hmb better. Feel like selling to tourists given location, but food prices for average ingredients (proteins & veggies) and heavily fried in what tasted like old oil read more

Nice indoor brightened atmosphere, pleasant wait staff. Bar drinks are good, we tried a non-alcoholic "Straw Coco": Strawberry puree', coconut cream & pineapple juice, refreshing! Appetizers: fried calamari, 6 miyagi oysters and a Caesar's salad Nicely battered cod Fish & chips with garlic fries Dungeness crab cioppino Recommend grilled cod tacos pineapple-habanero jelly and mango slaw Banana split & Olallieberry Pie ala mode for dessert read more

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Everything wonderful. We are locals going there for years! Even with the ownership change all is good!

My pup and I were wandering the area, and we needed a quick snack. We pulled up to Ketch, and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of other people with their dogs on the front patio. Great - dog party! The staff were super kind and friendly and accommodated my food needs at the time. (I ordered the oysters and didn't know that the miso mignonette would already be drizzled on top, so I had to take it back and get it on the side.) The service overall were super quick and attentive and I'd love to come back for other dishes when I'm not on a strict diet anymore! read more

We live in the Bay Area and often come to HMB for our fix of the ocean smells and crab off Pillar Point. We used to come to Ketch Joanne for breakfast but noticed a few months ago that Ketch Joanne closed after decades Today, 1/19, we saw that the business was opened again under a community cooperative named "Ketch Harbor Pub". All we can say is "WOW"! They did an amazing job with the inside, managing the small place and transforming it to a light, airy, warm beach-themed restaurant! The menu was similar to Ketch Joanne, but the quality was top notch? I had the Princeton Omelette and it was nicely garnished and very good like it was before. The hash browns were perfectly cooked crisp with a buttery taste! Of course the cost has increased but I don't mind paying when the quality is there. Staff was friendly and having a hostess was very inviting, as she was one of the owners (name tag said "wife"). She was very attentive and kindly gave us a tour of the restaurant as well as the additional renovation they are currently doing. The bar was especially inviting since before it was more of a dive bar atmosphere...this not the case now! Good luck to them for their reinvention and renovation ideas. They will succeed, and I'm happy to return again and again! read more

Ketch Harbor Pub - The Princeton omelette with hash browns - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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What a gem in the Half Moon Bay Area. This place use to be known as Joanns. They are under new ownership and they have renovated the place and it is beautiful. Nice contemporary look that really creates a warm and upbeat atmosphere. The Variety of Breakfast items are compressed but you will not be disappointed. I think they were training some new servers so their was some confusion to our orders but I must say ... Their coffee is really great and they serve your cream in a chilled container. Listen I have attempted to drink coffee at some places and it was their chemo- therapy brew that just tasted that were attending an AA meeting (which I do attend so I know what I speak of when it comes to coffee). We sat in the outdoor patio which has a view of the Harbor with mavericks off in the distance. The place is clean and even their restrooms in the back were very clean. I am coming back and I will visit this place again. read more

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Pleasantly surprised on how great everything was! The tasty food was the best part. We had clam chowder (best we've had in the area so far), the crab sandwich was 10/10, the cioppino sauce was delicious. Brenda, our server, was quick and very polite- loved her. The ambience was laid back, nautical style decor. The only downfall was one of our drinks was watered down. But, We'll definitely be back. read more

ZERO STARS! We are/were loyal Ketch Joanne's customers and loved the vibe, the employees, and the food. THE new Ketch doesn't and will never hold a candle to it and this is our second try. NEVER again. We ordered the basic breakfast for pick up mid week. They were not busy. We ordered scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and HASH BROWNS. We were told it would be 15 minutes, it was 35 minutes. We opened it immediately. What we were served was one piece of cold, stale, un-buttered bread toasted, cold dry, scrambled eggs, two pieces of cold, dry, gnarled bacon, and a cold, greasy hot dog "sausage" cut and splayed and looked to be dyed with an oozey red color. Oh, and NO HASH BROWNS. This had nothing to do with our palate. This food should never have been served. (My fail for not taking a picture of this disorganized, unholy mess). But, I hasten to add, it came with a fistful of catsup and hot sauce (for the HASH BROWNS??). We were going to go back in but instead took a bite or two to back up this review and threw it all away. No need for a third try (regardless whether Joanne is involved or not). read more

seated outside then waited 10 min until I had to get up walk back in and found the host behind the bar talking to the bartender. I asked if we could have a server. we ordered the fish tacos grilled, they came out deep fried. they had absolutely No flavor. I ordered a glass of wine and received it with something "floating" in the glass. yuck. definitely won't go back. nothing like the "original Ketch" read more

Ambiance is nice. But you should not charge $30 for crab Benedict, and use old frozen crab. It's crab season, and your restaurant is in a working harbor! read more

We were looking for Ketch Joanne, which was a very nice family run seafood restaurant at the 17 Johnson Pier. As it turned out the restaurant was acquired by the next door Harbor Bar. Nevertheless, the new restaurant keeps the old name plate at the dining area. The waiting que was automated by cellphone texting. So we strolled around the pier while they prepping our table. The menu was obviously different w/ more varieties. I found Cioppino as well as Philly Cheesesteak. We settled w/ Joanne Salad(like the old days), Fish Tacos, and Linguini Pescatore. They were all fresh and tasty. The salad had plenty of pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. The chef creatively transformed the fish tacos into an exotic fission dish w/ the mango sauce. The pasta was richly blended w/ assorted seafoods. When I pointed out the scallops didn't taste right. The waiter immediately asked if I liked to have a new pescatore made or replace the scallops w/ other seafoods. After we resumed our dining, Marcos showed up. Marcos is one of the partners managing the restaurant. He wanted to make sure I was satisfied by the corrective action made by the staff. I was impressed by his professionalism and enthusiasm in running the business. Bottom line, this place stands out in Half Moon Bay (on par w/ the restaurant in Ritz Carlton but at a friendly price). read more

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My family and I will 100% be back to Ketch the next time we are in town! Our first experience was nothing sdhort of spectacular. Service was solid, consistent, and memorable. Proven right! Humbly, O read more

We came here on a Wednesday and everything was great. Fish and chips were a little bit in the bland side, but fresh. Service was good though. Decided to come back on a Saturday and it was horrendous! - put our names on the waitlist at 12:45 and received a message our table was ready at 1:15. We were already there but had to queue again for 10 min to check-in to be told they had given our table away to a reservation so we had to wait again - finally sat down at 1:45pm. Ordered drinks, water, and calamari then later mains. Drinks came quickly, but water never came. At 2:10 the main food came but no calamari. They had forgotten it - server said she would refill empty drinks but never came back so had to go to the bar to get refills - tacos and crab sandwich were very underwhelming. Fish tacos are much better at San Benito House or Half Moon Bay Brewing company. Hoping this would be a great new local spot but Saturday experience was one of the worst we've had at a restaurant in HMB. read more

The Ketch Harbor Pub was previously called Ketch Joanne for many years. The sell to a new owner saw a new redo of the place. They opened it up and extended outside. All great! The biggest change was the food. It was more restricted. That is, there were fewer choices. The Friday night we went the place was sparsely populated. Prior to this we'd go and the place was crowded and noisy. The question is why? It looks great. It's well placed on the harbor. Is it the food change? The service was a bit slow but servers were pleasant. I will go back again to test it out. read more

Came for a drive to half moon bay on a clear warm day to get away from the heat. Beautiful drive and day, went to get a burger and drinks, clam chowder... this place has a nice patio we chilled with our dog till it got colder. Good food wonderful service . Quiet part of the street in Capistrano area, a lot of parking. Give you your bill in an old book...cute read more

We expected it to be a bit pricey and it was. Fish tacos were excellent with generous strips of mango and a wonderful soy-sesame sauce. Fish and chips were also good. The kids meals, while adorably named ("I'm not hungry", "I want McDonald's") were awful. Both the chicken nuggets and burger were dry and overcooked. To most kids, and some adults, char marks taste burned so the burger was a total fail. The kid's drinks are pretty but the taste is nothing special. At $9.95 a pop, it's about the same price as the food. No, you don't keep the glass). It wasn't crowded, so the four of us were quoted 15 mins. After 25, we asked and they seated us right away. No explanation and no text sent either. Sitting on the patio was very pleasant. Service was slow - took forever to get the kid's drinks and the bill. Overall, Ketch is "fine" not good or bad, just fine. Probably won't be back. read more

I would like to let you know how disappointed my family was. On 12/14/24, we went to eat dinner. We were sat right away which was great. It took about 5 minutes before a waiter came over. We ordered our drinks, an appetizer and our entrees at the same time. 2 other family were seated about 5 mins after us. They received there appetizer and food before us. I feel like we waited 45 mins or more for our food. At one point we were ready to get up and pay for our appetizer and drinks and leave because the service was so bad. We couldn't find anyone to assist us. As we waited for our food and watched other tables being served before us, we notice in the kitchen the staff were using their bare hands touching food. One would have a glove on one hand while using a bare hand to touch the food. Worst part was watching the kitchen staff wipe the floor with a towel and pick up the towel and put it back on the counter near the food. This was the second time we were about to get up and leave, but our food finally came. Food was decent and good, but the quantity was a little smaller compared to local restaurants in the area. Our waiter never came back to our table after the initial order. We were thirsty and had to grab him as he ran by, even then he wan't listening. I had to repeat myself 3 times just to get 2 sodas. When the food came my wife's order was wrong. We remembered when she ordered the chicken fried sandwich the waiter said oh the fried chicken. She had to repeat again she wanted the fried chicken sandwich, because there were different menu items that were similar. At least the person who brought us out her food said they would take it back and within minutes had the correct entree. We will not be back and this was by far the worst dinning experience I have had. This place was slow, unorganized, not managed right downright dirty and nasty. read more

We ordered chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders (kids) and apple pear salad. Everything was so fresh and wonderfully prepared. We were surprised with our order to go and found a nice picnic table across the parking lot and watched the harbor. Service was smooth and friendly and made in good time for our bike ride. read more

Service a little slow. Honestly I wouldn't mind if the food was good. The crab entrees (crab Mac/cheese and crab sandwich ) were cold and bland especially for the price. It was very disappointing to say the least. Ambiance was ok. However, my dog thoroughly enjoyed his meal ....then again he enjoys ANYTHING I put in front of him. read more

Went with my son for a bite on a Sunday afternoon. The patio had a few open tables, but it wasn't busy. He used to enjoy the kids' drinks, but they were out of both options this time, even though they were still listed on the kids menu. My diet Coke was flat, the tuna poke was over-marinated and bitter, and the calamari was swimming in about two tablespoons of oil. The check listed four different taxes, including a harbor tax that seemed to be over 10%. read more

Was there the other day and as always the food was great. Have to give a shout out to our server Alexis! He was awesome! He was very attentive without being overbearing, make us feel like we weren't just customers. read more

So glad I found this place. The staff is friendly, the food is amazing, the atmosphere is beautiful, and totally worth the drive out to Half Moon Bay!!! read more

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Killer crab Benedict. Huge crab portions. Great coffee and walkable from the Oceano. A+

Restaurant was busy and the reviews made the restaurant look enticing. Omg is all I have to say! Service was acceptable, not good but acceptable. Clam chowder was the WORST we have ever had. May as well have called it bacon chowder. We didn't taste one clam. BLAND and Floury. Ugh!!! Fish and chips were mediocre at best. Tartar sauce was good. Fries were good. NO IDEA why this restaurant has such good ratings. Yuck! read more

First time here and it was absolutely delicious. The owner and waiters were extremely attentive and friendly. The food was delicious I loved the pasta fettuccine linguine! The desert and drinks were a staple. I recommend this restaurant. The ambiance was great for my personal preference lol comfortable seating read more

Ketch Harbor Pub - Bourbon Expresso martini - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Food was great! All food on our Captain's Plate was fresh and tender. Fries and coleslaw were good. Service was good.

I thought this place was over priced . For $20, I got two skimpily filled grilled fish tacos and a salad. The fish was good,if not plentiful, but the coleslaw was way too runny;I had to drain the tacos. The waiter said the pico de gallo and tartar sauce were not spicy, but they were. Glad I got them on the side. The salad was ok, but the balsamic dressing was a bit thin and sour. It also took a long time for the food to come out. The waiter and hostess were nice and I loved the water glasses-an interesting blue glass like the glass floats they had made into lights. However, I am still hungry. Don't think I'll go there again. read more

RIP ketch Joanne's. I am heartbroken to see what this place has become. No joke when we saw that our favorite establishment was closed for remodeling my ex boyfriend and I prayed it wouldn't turn into another boring overpriced grey place. Well. That is exactly what happened. They took everything out that gave it warmth and character and replaced it with high prices with not character or personality. I even decided to give it a try but I the wait for me to eve order take out was obnoxious and the prices pretty bad (not sure why the prices are so high when the decor is clearly dollar store worthy....the prior wooden booths are worth more then anything in there today!). But seriously. What is wrong with people like this. read more

At Ketch (Joanne's) Harbor Pub and restaurant. Still great with new ownership. My wife and I love the hand made Bloody Mary's and any dish with crab! Roberto is our bartender today and still makes the same perfect recipe and even has a blue cheese stuffed olive! Novel take on a Mimosa see photo. read more

Ketch Harbor Pub - Harbor Bar - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Terrible. Service is barely existent. We wanted to give it a second chance, but was again sorely disappointed. As locals to HMB we wanted to support, but the "new ketch" lacks a lot. They told us it would be a 30min wait for outside- we waited nearly two hours and ended up leaving without receiving any text saying the table was ready. There were two open tables for quite awhile but we were never offered either of them or even a text at about our table. It's unfortunate that what once was a Coastside favorite has now floundered by the waist side. read more