First of all, let me clearly state that I have NO problem with the quality of the food at Pilothouse. It is an exceptional menu with a nice variety, served at appropriate temperatures, well plated, etc. We've eaten several breakfasts at PH (a full breakfast is included with rooms on deals such as TravelZoo). We've also had two or more dinners with two, three, or four people being served. The view of the river is nice from any table, even the "city" side of the boat; decor is appropriate to the history of the vessel, and tables are well appointed with linen, fresh flowers, the works. Second, the service has been spotty, especially during our last stay. Our first two breakfasts seemed slow, but the total experience was just fine considering that weekend mornings were busy (7 - 10 or 7 - 11 a.m., latter weekend hours) & many diners just stop by, not guests in the rooms; the third morning was nearly impossible: Not only did I never receive exactly what I ordered, it became so lengthy that I had to rush to catch a plane that didn't leave until noon...I wanted fruit. My "continental" came w/4 raspberries & a small amt. of tropical fruit. Very small. I was told the restaurant was "short on fruit" today. Would have been nice to know. (I wonder what would have happened if I'd just ordered the large bowl of "side fruit"?) English muffin was cold. Could have had it warmed, but it would have been too 'cooked'. Granola was not listed as part of the meal, but it was served in such a quantity (under the Greek yogurt that I did order) that I got very little yogurt. OK, on and on. Truly, it was not helpful that I rec'd a call I had to take in the middle of the meal, and go out to the lobby, but that incident had little to do with the quality of the meal. Oh, one more trivia point: Honey is advertised, but we had to ask for it (all other breakfasts just automatically came w/ a little dish of preserves, of honey, of butter gathered on a small plate); OJ was part of the meal. I had to ask for it. Every other breakfast (5 in all) we've had, the OJ came out before we hardly were seated. COME ON GUYS! This is not brain surgery. Third, the personnel have been well trained, but are inconsistent from shift to shift. Unfortunately, when dining near the stern side of the dining room, against the mirror, diners can overhear the kitchen staff with no trouble. This was particularly true on a Sunday around 8 p.m. when we were the only table (4-top) dining. Whew! I'm glad I don't have to supervise these folks. There are lots of choices in Old Sac, and I think we'll explore them the next time we stay on the Delta King. It is a wonderful location with reasonable parking and a fine room, especially with the "coupon deals". No trouble at all to walk a little ways down the cobblestone street and find a historic building to dine in. One More Thing: We tried to make an opentable.com reservation one night. It did not "work". Then we tried to phone. We left a detailed message, which the hostess claimed she did not hear or did not have. We were told by a server that open table does not "work" when their Internet is down. Very frustrating, but not a solution to the situation. read more

My daughter cruised the Yelp reviews for some place new for sat dinner. Girls nite out. So we both agreed on the Pilot House. There was a mature group of diners & nice ambiance. We were seated right away & given our menus. The selection was bout 1/2 the choices on YELP. & of course the ones we wanted were not available. Sigh... Don't understand why they can't update the menu on YELP. The Dungeness crab cakes were xcellent. My daughter settled for the Fish & Chips & I went w/the Seafood Cioppino. She was pleased w/'em, but the Cioppino was so spicy u could not tell what you were eating. It had the threes of clams(sz of a quarter),mussels, shrimp. Some crab, & fish. Could not tell what was what. Service was great & the view fab. We were there during sunset. Will not be back tho. Can get the view from some place else. read more

We came here for breakfast after staying the night at the Delta King. Upon arrival we noticed that there was no front service and had to wait around 5 minutes before a young woman came out of an office laughing with another staff and offered to sit us. We ordered the Bed & Breakfast and Delta King omelette. Both were very good and the potatoes were flavorful with rosemary and other spices. The service however, was way below par! Krystal B. was extremely rude and bothered that I asked for coffee and cream twice. She had the nerve to tell me, "I'm working on it, there's lots of tables!" How does one respond to that? I then had to remind her to bring us our orange juice, of course she seemed bothered by that as well! When she brought back the orange juice I could tell that it was fresh squeezed. The juice would have been delicious had it not been slightly rancid. As soon as I took a sip I immediately noticed that the flavor was definitely off. Unfortunately I could not finish it. Overall it was very disappointing to see that an upscale restaurant such as this one, that obviously prides itself with their food would offer such horrible service. Krystal never said anything kind, such as thank you, how was everything, or even have a good day. What's worse is that there was no excuse for her bad service, since it was early in the morning and at the time we were her only table other than another 8 party table. read more

This restaurant is located on a boat set against on the river. We made reservations around 6 pm and had the opportunity to watch the sunset -- gorgeous! To top it off, the food was fantastic. The Mushroom Risotto is to die for! read more

We went here for the 4th of July. We valet parked and the guy told us he wanted to leave early tonight (by 8pm) our reservations were not until 7:45, I asked him how I was going to get my keys and he said i will leave them at the hotel desk. Thank god he parked my car in front so I didn't have to go find it. We sat down outside we were told that we could only be there for 2 hours since they were booked. ( the place we pretty empty most of the night) We ordered dinner and the prime rib was very limited and we couldn't order it the way we wanted it cooked. Dinner came it was dried out and gross. The only thing that was good was the firework show that we saw from our seats. As far at the staff goes they were all less than average when it came to service. When we left I had to grab my keys from the front desk, which they were not there so we had to go find the valet guy which he was no were to be found. Over all a bad experience and I will never go back read more

Great Great food but slowwww service. It was a Friday evening with about 10 tables so I'd say they didn't seem busy but for some reason it took forever to get our main course. Very friendly staff I will be back just hope it will be faster. read more

My friend and I dinner reservations for 6pm.....Once we arrived we were seated quickly and so ready to eat...I want to make note that this review is based on food, not service....Our waiter was very good.....We ordered the prime rib dinner that comes with salad and dessert for $38.00 per person........I have to say the bread was deeeeelish and the salad was fresh.....Here is where the problem comes, the prime rib....Our prime rib with potatoes and veggies looked amazing, I could not wait to bite my teeth into that dead cow......I put a piece on my fork and took and bite.....OMG, OMG, OMG.....I felt like I just ate a teaspoon of salt...I thought maybe it was just that piece or end that might of got a little to much salt.....So I took another bit and BAMMMMMMM......SALTY AS HECK.....My friend took a bite and she spit it out and grabbed her water to wash her mouth out....I am thinking that someone in the kitchen screwed up...If anyone would of tasted the prime rib before they served it, I guarantee they wouldn't of.....They felt bad and said they will make us something else...We did appreciate the gesture but between the bread and salad and a few bites of salty meat I didn't want for them to cook another big rib eye when I wouldn't even be able to eat half of it (There is no fridge in the rooms so I couldn't take it with me, I hate to waste food).....If we do decide to come back to the hotel I would give this place another try but will probably stay away from the prime rib......Ambiance was great and the restaurant was very nice.... read more

Went for lunch on a beautiful late spring day. Service was exceptional and knowledgeable. Parking day before the Music Festival was difficult but doable. My husband had the salmon which was one of the best we've ever had. Thick loin perfectly cooked. Mushroom Risotto with very succulent large mushrooms. I finished the mushroom for him, which I love, and he just tolerates. I had the three sliders, BLT, Burger and BBQ pork which my husband thought was the best he'd ever had...I did get a half of that one. It was so pleasant we didn't want to leave. We felt like tourists but we just live 12 miles across the causeway. Neighboring table were from Arizona, and really appreciated the river setting. We had to brag and tell them about the wonderful city we live right next to. We finished with a very good blueberry cheese cake piece that we shared. A perfect day and great meal. read more

We went to Old Sacramento on the 4th of July for a wonderful meal and to view a very exciting and professional fireworks show emanating from Raley Field. Our reservation was for 8:00,but we arrived early at 7:40, yet were graciously seated. The service was exceptional and the food was well above par. In fact, the salmon dish I ordered had the best salmon prep I've ever experienced...and I'm a regular salmon eater! My wife and son had the pork chop dinner and it was fabulous. My daughter in law had the chippino (sp) and she said she'd love to have it again. Great food and service despite a full house! Then they graciously invited us to view the fireworks show from the back of the ship overlooking the river. read more

The cheese sampler plate was suppose to come with honey comb. Instead, it come with 3 sad little pieces of fruit, 4 thin slices of dried fig, and a dab of honey. The fries are from a giant frozen bag that did not get cooked all the way. The fish from the fish and chip is decent. They also forgot to bring out the fries with the mussels. read more

I came to the pilot house for a friend's birthday dinner with a party of 15. The atmosphere was nice, though, that was pretty much it. I expected service to be a bit slow with the amount of people we had but after waiting for 45 mins. we were a bit disappointed. None of us were really that hungry so we decided to share since the prices were out of our budget anyways. They had a dinner special that consisted of 4 courses that was about $40. 2 of my friends shared that. The meal included a crab salad, a scallop dish, a beef dish, and a chocolate dessert. Though it sounded nice (4 dishes for 40 dollars) the portions were incredibly small. I doubt it would have been even enough for one person. The scallop dish just had one scallop and my friends had to share that. We had no idea the portions were going to be so tiny and if i were the waitress i would have warned us about sharing. The regular dishes on the menu were decent sized but still not worth paying $20-$30 per plate. Our bill came out to be $350 for 15 ppl and they gave us a $8 dollar discount for her birthday. Overall that would probably be my first and last trip to the pilothouse. The environment is good for a romantic dinner but don't expect to be stuffed on a budget. read more

Had Easter brunch here, which was my first time here. Brunch was $33 per person, I'm not sure what it costs on non-holidays, or which food items would be different. Brunch included unlimited champagne. I was looking forward to eggs benny, as were my other brunching friends. The eggs benny was a little cold, english muffin not toasted very much if at all. The poached eggs could have been cooked a little longer, I had some runny egg white, but the flavor was there. Wish they had a spatula to pick up the eggs benny, had to use tongs and it was hard not to break the egg, plus it was messy. Bacon was delish! Sausage run of the mill. Potatoes were good, so was the ham at the carving station. My sister said the scrambled eggs were good. I loved the french toast with whipped cream and strawberries, wish they had sliced the strawberries though. The lunch items, chicken, salmon, salads etc. all looked good but it was 10am and breakfast sounded better so I didn't try those, nor did I try the cheese spread or any of the salads. Some of the desserts looked good, others looked a little sad, I had a slice of chocolate cake and it was way good, plate was garnished with drizzles of chocolate and caramel. Brunch for 3 was $100 before tax and tip, a little pricey. What we ate wasn't worth it. Had we drank more champagne or eaten some of the more expensive items (oysters, shrimp, prime rib) it would have been worth the money. Service was excellent! I want to go back on a non-holiday depending on price. I would pay $20-25 happily and could do without the fancier stuff, I only eat the breakfast items at brunch anyway :) read more

Wow where to begin !!! Well we were a party of 11 on July 4th , we were told the rules of the dinning room , do not open the shades, 2 hour limit at the table because they were going to be to busy , & if ordering a steak you could only order it cooked medium because of being to busy & one of our friends wanted pasta & was told it would take to long to cook ???? WTH lol we should have left then........ But wanted to enjoy the fireworks , oh & we couldn't leave the Delta King to go get our jackets or we couldn't get back on ??? We were told at the time of reservations weeks before that they would be charging a $10. Cover charge because of being busy & the fireworks , well that never happened and really if eating their shouldn't have happened anyways due to the Piolet Restaurant's dinner menu can be a bit pricey ??? WTH SO THEN TO TOP OFF THE DINNING EXPERIENCE ! Shortly after being seated another large group was seated across the room from us which was fine except that they obviously had been drinking which was fine but they were so loud ! Our waitress was asked 2 x's to ask them to tone it down as we couldn't even have conversations with each other even seated next to you or across from you, she replied that she couldn't ??????? Again WTH so when one of our party went to the table to ask them to quiet down in a polite manner it was received with rejection...... Not surprised ! The next BIG problem was the Manager who did address the issue but only after one of the men in our party yelled across to them to to shut their big azz mouths !!! So 4 of us women addressed the Manager at the end of our dinning regarding the loud problem & he proceeded to describe to us , oh the man in your party the one covered in tattoos WAIT WHAT are you judging someone based on their looks , and on & on went the ridiculous conversations LONG LONG STORY SHORT terrible terrible experience & the manager is a joke won't be surprised is the place closes down.The fireworks were great over the river ! The food ok , rules a joke and we won't be back, unless a management overhaul has taken place !! And it never ever got very busy read more

We came here the day after Christmas, for a family breakfast. We have eaten here in the lounge for lunch, to enjoy the view. Those experiences have been good. Today, we were greeted by a friendly hostess, who seated us right away, in the Pilot House restaurant. There was only a few people eating in the restaurant. Our waitress Crystal came over, and took our orders. We made a menu change, and it completely frustrated her. Attitude...whew! You did say, "order"? We did, and she said she couldn't because the menu did not offer it that way. I will pay whatever it costs, to eat what I want...We settled, just so we could eat. We asked for water, she didn't bring it..the delivery person had to get it. We had coffee, that she didn't refill, and just basically provided really poor service. Keep in mind, there was now only 9 people in the entire restaurant! The service in the lounge was always Excellent! The food today was cold, nothing worse than a cold omelet! The potatoes were old, hard, and dry, and to top it off, the restaurant was FREEZING! The hostess had on a coat and scarf, as well as the other diners. The 2 star rating, is for the hostess, and food delivery person! They were Great! We will eat in the lounge again, but will NEVER eat in the Pilot House restaurant again! Denny's has much better service and food! Just no view...If you have never eaten here...the lounge is always a winner, with killer views! read more

My son and I ate here while visiting Sacramento for his birthday. We had difficulty finding it at first because I was only looking at a map and thought it was on the street. When I called asking for help the restaurant hostess was very polite and gave me directions on how to get there. Once we arrived we asked for a window seat, but none were available. She suggested that we could sit in the bar area either inside or outside. We chose to sit outside despite the fact that there was a VERY loud music festival across the river. After ordering our food and hearing the DJ use completely inappropriate language (how many times can you drop the f bomb in 1 minute...this guy probably holds the record!) we moved inside. Our server was more than happy to accommodate us even though we moved. While in the bar area we were treated to live music and the musician took requests and dedications. Our food arrived (NY steak and a grilled chicken sandwich) and it was delicious with very large portions. To top it off we were complimented with a free flourless chocolate cake for my son's birthday. Heavenly! All in all we received wonderful service and the food was delicious. The one star off is for the decor. While I understand this is a replica of a ferry boat, the 80's feel of the dining room/bar could be changed. read more

This is a nice touristy place in an old riverboat on the river in Old Town Sacramento. You probably won't catch many locals here. Service was excellent. The food was good. I recommend the braised short rib raviolis. They were a little dry so I asked for more sauce. Everything was good and a little overpriced, except for the wine by the glass, which was highly overpriced. That's the tourist spot premium. But good food, good service, nice ambiance. read more

We ate here for lunch and it was very tasty! We ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with pear and Gouda cheese...omg so delicious! We also ordered the beet salad. It was good but could have used more beets and more dressing. We ate outside on the deck. Our kids thought it was so cool to eat lunch on a boat! Very fun experience if your in Old Sacramento! read more

In November I purchased a Travel Zoo voucher for a forty nine dollar four course dinner for two at the Delta King Restaurant. Before purchasing the voucher I did due diligence and read a number of the Yelp reviews for the Delta King. The reviews seemed to be in general good, so I purchased the voucher considering it to be a good deal for the price. I made reservations for 5:30 PM on President's Day. When we arrived the restaurant was moderately crowded, but we were seated quickly. The service was good, the wait staff friendly, and I liked the atmosphere. . Unfortunately, the food left a bit to be desired. We ordered Crab Cakes as the appetizer, and found out we were getting the last order available (at 5:30 PM?) to the disappointment of the couple seated next to us. When the crab cakes arrived they were small, and it appeared to me that the kitchen didn't have quite enough crab mix to make a complete order, but plated it anyway. The crab cakes tasted okay, but nothing to write home about. The kitchen was also a little miserly with the remoulade. My wife had the Caesar salad, and described it as having been made with the bottom leaves of the head of romaine lettuce, and not the choicer portions. The dressing was bland, and disappointed. I had a few bites of it myself, and have to concur. I ordered the soup of the day, a carrot soup, and although tastier than the salad, was rather thin and weak. I would have preferred a creamer soup, but I chalk that up to personal preference. As for the main course, my wife ordered the stuffed pork chops and I ordered the petite fillet. Both were good. The fillet was smaller than I would normally expect at a fine restaurant, but was cooked perfectly, and tasted great. Finally, we were offered our choices for desert. We were told that they were out of the chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream (again, at 6:30 PM?). Unfortunate for my wife as chocolate is her favorite. However, a few minutes later we were told that they had made a mistake, and it was the Blueberry Cheese Cake that they were out of to my disappointment. We ordered the Chocolate Cake and Tiramisu only to see two cheese cakes come out to another table five minutes later. My bad luck. The Tiramisu was tasteless, the chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream was very good, but I can get that anywhere. In summary, liked the service, liked the wait staff, like the atmosphere, marginal on the food. If I had paid full price (around $100) for those meals, I would have been very disappointed. As it was, I walked out marginally disappointed. I wouldn't go back at the regular price, and to be honest probably wouldn't buy a half off voucher again, but then again enough people had a good experience to make me wonder..... read more

try the burgers there amazing kobe beef also the shortrib ravioli was tasty

One of the best steaks i have ever had!! Minus the obnoxious boat that kept passing by bumping loud ass music.

Went to the Delta King for lunch and have to say, it was excellent food and good service. I had a salad and bread, the fresh bread was amazing! read more

Thought my husband and I would have a date night last night. Made the reservation a couple weeks ago through Open Table. Checked out all the reviews and decided to try it. I have had lunch on the boat years ago and remember a decent meal. We arrived early for our 5 pm reservation, the hostess was nice and directed us to the bar upstairs and said she would come get us. Everywhere was decorated for Christmas and our cocktail waitress was very nice. After we received our drinks the hostess came and got us for dinner. She seated us at a window seat overlooking the river - very nice. The atmosphere was nice and our waiter was very attentive. My husband ordered the rib eye steak and I ordered the salmon. We started with Ceasar salads which were OK but the dressing could have been better. The salmon came very hot and just OK over sliced potatoes. Nothing great. My husband's steak was just OK with the mashed potatoes acting like glue. My husband had never seen potatoes like that. Anyway, not the best dinner. So sad - we were looking forward to a great dinner. We unfortunately are getting very tired of trying reaturants and being very disappointed. The quality of restaurant food has gone way down. We had traveled almost two hours since the restaurants in our nearest town of Jackson are very limited and all bland. I guess BLAND is the new flavor for restaurants now. If Kitchen Nightmares is still running - Chef Ramsey will never be out of work! read more

The food and service for lunch was very good. We sat outside and the weather was perfect.

Had b'fast @ the Pilothouse this morning. Quite underwhelming! Potatoes dry & lukewarm & eggs tasteless. Husband said his meal of Eggs Benedict & Salmon was good, but he'll eat most anything without complaint. Still he had to get an extra side serving to be satisfied. Very $$ without quality. read more

I came to the pilot house for a friend's birthday dinner with a party of 15. The atmosphere was nice, though, that was pretty much it. I expected service to be a bit slow with the amount of people we had but after waiting for 45 mins. we were a bit disappointed. None of us were really that hungry so we decided to share since the prices were out of our budget anyways. They had a dinner special that consisted of 4 courses that was about $40. 2 of my friends shared that. The meal included a crab salad, a scallop dish, a beef dish, and a chocolate dessert. Though it sounded nice (4 dishes for 40 dollars) the portions were incredibly small. I doubt it would have been even enough for one person. The scallop dish just had one scallop and my friends had to share that. We had no idea the portions were going to be so tiny and if i were the waitress i would have warned us about sharing. The regular dishes on the menu were decent sized but still not worth paying $20-$30 per plate. Our bill came out to be $350 for 15 ppl and they gave us a $8 dollar discount for her birthday. Overall that would probably be my first and last trip to the pilothouse. The environment is good for a romantic dinner but don't expect to be stuffed on a budget. read more

Four of us had dinner and drinks on a Monday night, and we were very pleased. The food was good and properly prepared, and the service was exquisite. Our only gripe was the lack of a good Isley Scotch and grappa, and that is a pretty small gripe. read more

My wife and I had a wonderful dinner at the restaurant. The waiter was attentive, prompt, and came back repeatedly to make sure that we didn't anything. I ordered a cup of the tomato bisque, which was rich and creamy. My wife and I shared a salad, and both of us ordered the fish and chip. The fish had a light, crunchy coating. The cole slaw was fresh and lightly dressed. We have no complaints. read more

THEY GAVE MY 5YEAR OLD AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK. I went to the buffet brunch for Mother's Day, I made reservations for me and my 5year old daughter as we both thought it would be fun to eat on a boat. The reason for one stars is not the food but the service. The food was decent, just like breakfast at any hotel, the atmosphere was fun and friendly. I know it sounds like a contradiction but I say poor service because when we were seated the waitress asked what we would like to drink and I said two orange juices. She asked if I would like my daughters to be in the child cup(a To go throw away coffee cup with a lid) versus a glass cup and of course I said yes. When we got our juices my daughter started to gulp hers down then she released her straw and made a face. I asked her what was wrong and she hesitated. I asked again and she said it was, "bubbly and nasty". Now my daughter does not like carbonation as she was not allowed soda at a young age so whenever their is carbonation she hates it. My first thought was. maybe it is too tart. I took her drink and tasted it. THEY GAVE MY 5YEAR OLD A MIMOSA!!!!! I tasted my juice and THEY GAVE ME ONE. Now if I would of told my child don't be a drama queen and told her to drink it she would of been intoxicated!!! as we know 5year olds can be picky and up and down when it comes to food, which was my first thought when she complained about it being bubbly and nasty. Complete disregard of my child and us as as customer. I told the waiter and she said oh my god really, took our drinks came back with orange juice said sorry and said they premixed the some orange juice with alcohol in advance. They obviously didn't label it. Can you imagine how bad that could of went. That's was all she said, sorry, then I was rushed to pay when she asked if I wanted my check and I said no I was not ready but she took my check anyways from my table which means we would not be able to leave the table with out it being took. Hen when I took my daughter to the restroom and returned a fresh plate of fruit and nuts were took. I just could not believe it!!!!! $70 bucks and for my 5 year old to drink alcohol and be rushed off. I am so upset!!!!! read more

My husband and I went there on Friday night. We got a nice table by the window. Our waitress was wonderful. Her name was Carmela. She gave us a good wine choice and helped us out on our dessert choices. I ordered the scallops which I thought could have been a bit more flavorful but the mased potatoes were a nice touch. We would definately go back. My husband ordered the prime rib which he thoroughly enjoyed. read more

I took my wife here for lunch. The place is pretty cool and we were seated outside on the deck with a great view of the river. We both ordered an ice tea. We were not told that their tea was flavored and it tasted like medicine. When we told our waitress, she said they did not have regular ice tea so we changed to diet soda. We both ordered fish and chips. We were pretty disappointed when it came. The large pieces of fish were soaked with cooking oil. There was more breading than fish. The fries were nothing special. We passed on dessert. For the price of this lunch I would go somewhere else. read more

The Pilothouse is awesome. The food rocks, they have a totally underrated Chef here who is really creative and has great flavors. Solid wine list and really fair prices. Blows any other dining on the river out the water (no pun intended). GIve the old boat a chance next time you go out for date night. You will score points as an intellectual because it is a great culinary experience, and it's historical so you look smart! read more

We went to the Thanksgiving Buffet. The salid bar was good but if you want a good turkey dinner you are at the wrong place. I don't think thay cook whole turkeys as the drunstick was overcooked and tough but the sliced meat was tender. There were no wings. The gravey looked and tasted like it was out of a can. The dressing was one big lump. The desert was OK but looked like it was purchased at a supermarket. We will not return next Thanksgiving. read more

I tried this place and was not impressed at all. service was slow and the chicken tenders did not look fresh at all so I'm not sure why they took so long. Chicken looked like it came out of the box. I will never go back there to eat for that price. I thought since it was a $$$ restaurant that the quality of food would be great. not!! read more

Great food, great prices, great location good service. We will definitely be back. Beats Joes Crab Shack for sure! Next trip we will stay at the Delta King to top off our trip. read more

Had dinner with the in laws. Enjoyed the ambiance and the food was good. The live music was a bit loud for such a small room. But other than that, we had a great time. read more

Best Salmon I've had in a long time. The service was great too. Very attentive, and of course the view is beautiful. My best friend cam into town for a visit from Los Angeles and we decided to try this place out since we were already doing the touristy Old Town thing. We were both really happy with our overall experience. They were out of the dish that my friend originally ordered but the great service made up for it and the dish she ended up with was delicious. read more

Went to Murder Mystery Dinner recently and was told to wait at the top of the stairs at the Pilot House Restaurant until we were summoned. The restaurant/bar was crowded, so we stood in a corner. After about 10 minutes a staff member asked us to move which was fine. So we moved. Then, we were asked to move again, which we did...and the third time we were asked- I stopped that staff member mid-sentence and told the employee there was something wrong with this system since we were told to wait HERE. He started to argue with me and just threw his hand up and stomped off. Unprofessional. The bottom line is that if the crowd for the Murder Mystery Dinner clogs up the area we are TOLD to wait in - THEY have a problem. We don't. The restaurant, Instead of making the waiting customers feel like nuisance, should select a different location for their patrons to wait. Secondly, the management should talk to their staff about how to address customers. Throwing up a hand and stomping away isn't effective. I won't return to the Pilot House for drinks or anything else after that. read more

I made a reservation a few days in advance. I was really excited to experience dinner on a ferry boat! I showed up a few minutes early for the reserved time and the hostess sent myself and friend up the stairs to the bar area. I didn't know why she sent us up there, the reservation was made for the Pilothouse. The bar was really cramped and super hot and stuffy, so we asked to be seated where we made reservations. The hostess of the bar walked us down to the stairs where we first came in and into the dining room. There were at least 20 open tables and only two couples eating at the moment. She looked around and then didn't seat us. She looked confused. She took us back out of the dining room and back to the front desk again. Then she went to talk to another staff in the back, about what...who knows? She came back out and said she wasn't sure where to put us...SO WE LEFT! I never got to try the food. The experience was really awkward. The restaurant was not that nice anyway, there were stains on the carpets and chairs. The place smelled musty. I won't be going back. read more

We have eaten at the Pilothouse on two previous occasions when we stayed on the Delta King. The food is good (if they don't run out of what you want)the ambiance is nice and the wait staff was always great. I phoned to make reservations for an early Valentine's Day dinner, on Friday, for a 5:00 pm reservation on Saturday. The phone was answered by a voice mail that stated to please leave my name, phone number, number of guests and the date and time of desired reservation. It stated that if I did NOT receive a call back, the reservation will be booked. We live and an hour and a half away from Sacramento. We arrived in Old Sac about an hour early. We decided to stop by the restaurant and just make sure we had our reservation. I'm glad we did. We were greeted by an older gentleman with white hair (I think the manager or owner). He looked up my name and said we didn't have a reservation. I explained that we had called and never received a call back, as the voicemail had explained. He said that they had been sold out for 4 days and they were already "overbooked". He said their phones were so busy, that that is why we probably never got a phone call back. No attempt to try and remedy the situation was made by him. We had come that far for a nice dinner and then received his "guess you are out of luck" attitude and no apology even. I understand they were already set to make a lot of revenue off of the weekend and my business was not needed. We ended up leaving and got right in to Rio City Cafe. The food was amazing and the service spectacular. I am saddened that the Pilothouse disappointed us. We spend a lot of time (and money) in the Sacramento area, but unfortunately we will be having to cross the Pilothouse off of our places to return to. read more