The Village Pub at The Vi, Ferndale, CA…read more We almost walked away.... We'd been in and out of The Vi over the years, back when the building was clearly the best thing about the place. And that building deserves better than that. If you've never been to Ferndale, this Victorian is the centerpiece of the whole town. The main drag ends right at its front door. Walking in and looking at the original woodwork, that hundred-year-old bar, the staircases, the paint, it's a genuinely remarkable space. We just stopped coming because the food and drinks couldn't keep up with the room. What brought us back? A new menu. Five egg white drinks. My wife spotted them and that was enough. It's our anniversary, let's give it one more shot. We sat at the bar and ordered two whiskey sours. What arrived looked beautiful, but no foam. Turned out they were out of egg whites. That's a tough moment when it's the reason you drove to Ferndale on your anniversary, and my wife didn't hide her disappointment. The bartender was gracious, offered to comp the drinks, offered to make something else. We said no, we'd drink them. And honestly? Even without the whites, the craft was there. Ice cold, properly made, genuinely delicious. The bartender knew what she was doing. We ordered food and settled in. The farmer's lunch came out first and stopped us both cold. Sliced salami, a small cured sausage, three clean triangles of aged cheese, two thick golden toast points with a rosemary sprig tucked into a pool of herbed butter, and a generous pile of pickled carrots and onion with whole peppercorns. In rural Humboldt, plating usually means they slid it toward the table and called it done. This was intentional, centered, composed, magazine-worthy. Twelve dollars. We looked at each other like we'd found something. Then something happened that we're still talking about. The new owner, Jason, moved here from Nashville and brought a lot of that culinary energy with him. He'd been watching the whole egg white situation. He sent his bartender back over with an offer: could he interest my wife in one with egg whites? She said she thought they were out... Turns out, He'd gone to his house, which is in the building, and gotten fresh eggs. That's the kind of thing that turns a meal into a story. She got her whiskey sour. Proper froth, ice cold, executed right. Exactly what she came for. The mood shifted completely. We ordered dinner. She got the Oklahoma Smashburger, two smashed patties with caramelized onions spilling out the sides, American cheese melted clean, everything packed into a buttered and toasted brioche bun with handcut fries piled around it. That bun had a shine on it. I ordered the steak frites, flatiron, medium rare, pre-sliced and blanketed in a thick au poivre sauce with chopped parsley, a mountain of handcut fries alongside, and a ramekin of housemade dill ranch that had no business being that good. I want to be careful about how I say what I'm about to say. That steak is in the top five I've eaten in fifty years of eating steak everywhere I've ever traveled. I've had a 35-day dry aged tomahawk, I've sat at Niku in San Francisco, Stark's, The Palm in Las Vegas, ate from the hands of Bobby Flay & Morimoto himself so i know a great steak. This flatiron, at $32, belongs in that conversation. I didn't expect to find a top five steak again. I thought I'd already hit that ceiling. It's right down the street from my house. Jason came out to talk, thought we were travelers since no one recognized us. We told him we live in the next town over. He seemed genuinely happy to be here, proud of what he's building. You could see how he runs the place. Hire people who can shine, then get out of their way and back them up. That bartender was carrying the bar with real confidence. The chef came out and you could see in his face that it meant something to hear the food was landing because the Vi is now something. The building always was, and now the inside can finally match it. If you're in Humboldt County and want a real craft cocktail, a kitchen that's paying attention, and an owner who will literally go get you eggs from his own home on a Saturday night, this is the place. We'll be back. Often. Cheers and Well Done!

My wife and I came to Ferndale for the day and made reservations at the Pub form7 pm. when we…read morearrived we were quickly seated. After waiting 15 minutes for the waitress to come with menus we asked the matire de if we could get some service. Shortly thereafter a waitress did come with menus and glasses of water She returned to take our order. I ordered the shrimp and pasta With iced tea. My wife ordered the steak with a hard cider. A few minutes later she returns and says they're out of ice tea. Ok, I'll stick with water. A few minutes later she returns and says they're out of the steak. So my wife order something else. Now we're getting angry. This should not happen. But it gets worse. She returns a third time and says they're out of hard cider. I told here "we're done!" We got up and left. Terrible experience and I'll never return

Great wine spot with a welcoming atmosphere and super friendly staff. I just wish they would play…read moretheir music a little louder. It's nice that the music isn't overwhelming, but my friend and I felt like everyone in the building could hear our conversations

A must visit for the space alone, looks great inside. Good wine selection, good snacks, friendly…read moreservice. Hoping to see some more game options next time we go, uno or a few decks of cards would add to the experience. Will definitely be back.

So I had to post an update. We just finished a grueling drive. We were starving and it was 9:30pm…read more Eel River was a logistical choice. Our service was 5 star which helped since we were exhausted. I have a super strong recommendation for the Cali 101 sandwich. It might be one of the sandwiches I've ever had. The fried parmesan on the tops of the bread sealed the deal. My wife asked for a custom burger. Mind you, the kitchen was closing but chef pulled off a beautiful dish. I don't normally photo food but wish I did. My wife goes bun-less and they served the dish on a bed of spinach (which she requested and they had to dig for it). To do all that as the kitchen is closing says something. They could have just thrown it on top. I am completely stealing that one. I love amber ale and they make a good one. I hope we can squeeze one last visit in before we leave.

Amy was our waitress, and she made the entire experience amazing from start to finish. She was…read moreincredibly helpful when it came to choosing our drinks and appetizers. The onion rings were absolutely brilliant, and the Organic IPA was also fantastic. What really stood out was how well Amy understood the drinks menu -- she listened to the kinds of flavors we were looking for, answered all of our questions, and recommended drinks that matched exactly what we wanted. She also had a great sense of humor that made us feel completely at home. On top of that, the atmosphere was incredible -- even the people around us were interactive and engaged in conversation despite us not knowing each other. The whole night was filled with great energy, shared laughs, and an overall memorable experience.

It is cash only but good bartenders and strong drinks. Small but nice. Has a jukebox and a pool…read moretable. Was packed the 1st night we came.

If you like Redneck dive bars, this is the place. Meh. This town needs a decent bar with colorful…read morepeople. Same people daily. Watery drinks. Yawn.

My husband and I walked in to have a drink while enjoying the classic car show on main street,…read more9-8-18 about 2 30 PM. I was carrying my eco friendly glass water bottle. As we were looking around for where to sit, the bartender yelled at us, "hey, you can't have that bottle in here"! I said "um, it's water". He yelled back, you can't have that in here!" I asked if I could just pour the water out. He continued to yell, "yes, but you have to put it in your purse where I can't see it"! I went out to pour out the water but then just kept walking. He scared the hell out of me, and I'm still shaking as I write this.  This is how you greet customers? Embarrass and scare them?  Worst experience as a customer ever!

Really cool Old West type of watering hole with years of stuff on the wall and high ceilings…read more Populated with regulars- friendly folks and a personable bartender. I enjoyed hanging around this place with a friend and 'Jameson' while the wives shopped the Victorian Weekend in Ferndale.

After a terrible experience at The Village Pub, we decided to give Tuyah's a try. And boy were we…read moreimpressed. They were extremely busy and said it might take longer than usual. We both had the fish tacos and they were delicious! Because it took longer than normal she comped us an order of Cevichie. The food and service were excellent and the atmosphere perfect.

I would describe the food as Mexican-inspired rather than authentic Mexican. Everything we had was…read morebland and flat. The salsa tasted like salted tomato sauce, with the only other flavor and texture coming from green onions. I would not return for the food. The drinks on the other hand, were tasty and they did not skimp on the tequila. The staff were warm and friendly.

Food-service-space and Ferndale Don't miss Ivanhoe…read moreThey plate the standards and favorites with good taste all around.

Emergency....we wanted to make dinner reservations for after the play. I was told that the chef…read morequilt and they weren't serving dinner. Oh, nooo

We were not happy with our meals at all. We were so looking forward to their oven baked macaroni…read morebut the excitement soon turned to sadness. There was no flavor, the noodles were undercooked and the overall dish was very watery. The hamburger had no seasoning and was just beef. I wish we had better things to say about this place because the staff was friendly and attentive, but I don't.

Great ambience & a great little spot to go with friends! The ease of ordering at the counter and…read morethen finding a seat is perfect for groups so you don't have to split the check different ways! :) The Mac n cheese was delicious and the charcuterie was perfect for sharing. We will definitely be back & recommend this for anyone wanting a relaxing environment & tasty food!