Wow, this place has really gone downhill in the last year. I've never expected such horrendous service from a place I've loved and gone to for many years now. We've even made it an annual tradition to book this place for a large party for my birthday dinner. Well, not only did something go very wrong this year, there were no attempts from the restaurant staff, manager, or owner to correct it. A month or so ago, we made sure to make reservations for our group for this upcoming Saturday. We called way ahead of the date to make sure that we get our chosen date and time being that it is a Saturday evening. The guy my best friend spoke to on the phone assured us that it was all okay, and that we were all good to go. However, when my brother informed me that he has to work a little late that day, I called to ask if it is possible to push the reservation back by an hour. The girl on the phone went down the list of people and said that there are no reservation made for us. She also told me that they are completely booked. This was outrageous since we made the reservation ahead of time to make extra sure we get our spot. My best friend called them back and asked to speak with a manager. The same girl claimed that the manager will not be in until the evening time and refused to give up her own name. We had to assure her that we had no reason to try and get her in trouble. She wasn't the one who made the reservation because it was a male voice before. She finally said that her name is Tatiana. There have been no attempts to make this right. They clearly do not want a continuing businesses from a large party with people who also regularly dines there. Okay. Tradition over. Very disappointed with this place. I will not be recommending them nor will I ever come back to this terrible establishment with customer service clearly and completely down the drain. read more

The mediocrity of this place is truly painful. The first frustration was that none of the employees wore masks. Despite cases skyrocketing in Sacramento. We chose to sit outside, and to my surprise, despite us being 2 years into a pandemic with outdoor dining booming, they had no heaters or anything. I wasn't too upset that it took an hour of sitting around before we were able to order despite the restaurant being almost completely empty, because I know that restaurants are short staffed these days. But the fact that the food was just very meh, especially given the price, made me sad. We ordered the Dine Downtown pre-fix menu and it was very underwhelming and the risotto was almost inedible. The boat itself is as dingy as all the other reviews make it out to be and I don't think we'll ever come back. The one thing I will say is that the staff was super nice and were clearly trying hard to keep everything open with limited resources. read more

A lovely dining experience! We got seated quickly with excellent service, and the food was great. I've never been in a restaurant like this before, and I've also never been in a boat before, so this was amazing! Will definitely come again :) read more

First off, the food was outstanding. Choices were plentiful for all that attended. The restaurant sits inside a historic steamboat with rich history. I recommend looking at all the pictures throughout the boat to fully understand the travel through time the Delta King has taken. The service was good, very attentive, we were the only table occupied at that time. I highly recommend this historic restaurant for the ambiance and quality meals offered. Of course, I am slightly biased since we got married here 30 years ago. Shout out to Apple and Aaron for making our stay pleasurable. read more

This review is 99% about our server. I believe her name is Janna or Shauna she is a blonde woman from Europe and she is a 100% an Angel. She was so kind and extremely down to earth, she explained the history or the boat, the menu and Sacramento history all while staying personal and interesting. The environment is beautiful but she added the magic. The views are gorgeous and you are taken to another world with the historical surroundings. It's very much titanic meet parent trap in all the best ways. We ordered the local hazy ipa that was great, the lemon chicken, Cajun linguine and kids chicken strips. Both of our meals were cooked and seasoned perfectly. We couldn't pass up the offer of dessert and ordered the lava cake and strawberry shortcake to share I preferred the shortcake it was very light and the strawberry sauce was the best part. The lava cake was delicious if you love a rich cake Going back to service - Janna or Shauna again so sorry if I'm butchering the name haha. She could have served us dog food and I would have eaten it up. The way she complimented our choices and gave her opinion I truly would trust her with my life. If you plan on visiting go when she is there. I saw the other team members and all were kind but she truly is one of those beautiful and rare humans who care about you and your experience. My husband and I will without a doubt be returning soon and have promised to try the steak and mahi mahi next time! read more

I ordered the Cajun linguini , the portion was super small and had 3 shrimp and 3 pieces of sausage and chicken ... Seriously a giant rip off to pay $34 for $4 of ingredients .. We also ordered the beet salad we finally found the dozen or so chopped up pieces of beets ... Buried under a hill of tough stringy aragula ... We will never come back , and will steer others away from glorified Denny's ... read more

Wonderful service, ambiance, and really good food/value/quantity. Thank you Sparkles (aka Jana).

My husband and I went here for dinner one night. He got the steak. I got the Fish and Chips. He said his meal was "edible". Mine, however, was anything but. Fried food shouldn't be soggy. The Fish was and the chips tasted like they had gone bad. I had gotten the Brussels Sprouts appetizer which wasn't the best either. When I complained about the Fish and Chips they told us the kitchen was closed and there was nothing they could do except maybe a side salad. After eating the appetizer, I wasn't up for more vegetables. The manager came over and didn't do anything about it except apologized. Come on man! I'm sure you could've done better! You know like comp the meal? We walked away disappointed with upset stomachs from the crap food. I think they've given up which is tragic given the beautiful location. read more

My family decided to take my husband and I out for our anniversary. The Delta King Pilot restaurant was perfect for our celebration. We made a reservation through Open Table and though we were a little early we were seated right away on a busy Sunday afternoon. The staff was very sweet. Our food took some time but was well worth it. I recommend the Benedict's. The view itself is amazing from all corners. Perfect place to enjoy the warm weather and good drinks. We will definitely return hopefully on a cool day so we can try to sit outside as well. read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - Eggs Benedict - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Not vegan friendly at all. My Aunt booked a stay on the boat and an 80th birthday dinner here. The events person led her to believe that while there was nothing on the menu for vegans the chef could make something vegan. She told them she had a vegan in the group and a vegetarian so they would be prepared. Fast forward to the dinner. When we asked for the vegan option the wait staff looked shocked. They ran back to the chef and came back out and offered a salad with vinaigrette dressing for the starter and steamed vegetables for the "main."! Ok that's lame for Sacramento. When the salad was served it was white and the server said it was ranch. Ranch is not vegan. We were then told by the waitress it was vinaigrette. We asked what was in it because it was white. The chef came out and told us it was vegan and finally told us what was in it. So we ate it. When our main came out it was broccoli rabe with no sauce. Additionally it was woody. I really hope my Aunt wasn't charged much for this. At least they let us bring, serve and eat our own vegan tiramisu cupcakes that I made. I should have given one to the chef so he could see how good vegan food can be. read more

Dinner last night was amazing. Rosemary Lemon Chicken. For breakfast, had French Toast with coffee. read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - Capital City Brioche French Toast with a side of bacon. - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

We celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on Labor Day and made a 5:30 reservation at 4:00pm. Plenty of room and we had a private corner with a water view. Fantastic service from lovely and kind waitresses. We were too full to have dessert then, so they sent us home with a complimentary dessert as an anniversary gift! Generous portions for that high quality. Complementary fresh sourdough bread basket, and we ordered the crab cakes appetizer. Then I ordered the grilled mahi mahi and my husband ordered the pork chops. All three dishes were absolutely amazing. We will definitely be back, and we plan to stay at the hotel soon for a get-away. read more

We had dinner and breakfast here. We got the hotel package deal which includes dinner, $40 in wine and breakfast. For dinner I had the salad, salmon and flourless cake. They were all flavorful and large servings. The breakfast I chose was crab cake eggs benedict. That was delicious! The servers were friendly and quick. read more

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The Pilothouse is a great experience of gourmet dining while enjoying a lively scene on the river. The staff is very welcoming and friendly, while serving efficiently. The menu is full of wonderful selections of meat, fish and non-meat dinners. The desserts are a great way to finish the meal. We had a little trouble finding it, as the boat is lower when the water levels are lower in summer, our waitress told us. A truly memorable evening! read more

Had dinner here with my fiancé. This experience was a disappointment, to put it mildly. When we sat down, one of the wine glasses had lipstick residue on it. The hostess, the best part of our experience, was gracious, apologized, and removed it. When our server brought our bread, we had to ask for bread plates. When the plates were received both were wet and one had food particles left on it. (Is she not looking at them??) When my fiancé asked for a clean plate, she was definitely given an eye roll by the server. (Really?? ) No apology, no expression of regret, no "oh my goodness," just took the dirty plate and walked away. At the end of our meal, she did not ask if we wanted dessert. We both heard her clearly ask nicely the couple behind us if they wanted dessert. My fiancé had the Petrale Sole. It was tasteless. I had the Cajun Linguini that was good. Our server had an unpleasant attitude throughout. She was rude, not attentive, dismissive, and did not show a trace of friendliness or caring about us as customers or our experience. All of the above was written on the Visa charge slip for management to review. I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant. read more

We came to celebrate my boyfriends birthday. Was very chill no one really there, staff was awesome and kind. 3 stars for the food and chef, very disappointed. I had the lemon chicken came with mashed potatoes, zucchini and squash. Chicken only tasted like lemon, no salt, pepper or any other seasonings very very very bland. Nothing special about the dish. Boyfriend had the rainbow trout over risotto- he liked the trout but risotto was under cooked and also no flavor. Kind of a bummer because they weren't busy at all so not sure why food came out the way it did. Won't be back! read more

The food and service were very good. Had a shrimp salad with very generous portions. Great views of the river. I would definitely go back.

We always have a great dining experience every time we come here. The service is very attentive and the food and decorum is satisfying. This is our go to place for special occasions and whenever we have out of state guests. I will be celebrating my 65th Birthday party onboard! read more

Ship Wrecked: The food was mid, and the service was a total bust. I was recommended this place for my friends' first bachelorette party...and I was beyond disappointed. The server was extremely rude and absolutely could not keep his comments and feelings to himself... at one point when helping another table next to us, he was not happy with the woman's request. As he walked away, he said, " Oh my f*king god bro." Things that patrons should not be hearing even if the server is having an off day. Our drinks were all very late...like we were almost done eating our main meal when one of the girls' drinks came out. The girl made a joke saying, " I thought my drink had swam away and was never coming, thank you!" she laughed. As he walked away from us, he said, " Jesus f*king Christ." You could tell he did not want to be there... Lastly was the food. When paying in the $30.00 range for something, I expect upscale food... this looked like something that would be served from a sizzler... the halibut was completely overcooked, and the broccoli undercooked... they also had forgotten I ordered, so my food came out way later than everyone else...Sadly we will not be coming back... I had sky-high hopes at the bottom of the ocean turnout. read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - Halibut - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

Came here for our first anniversary. Was seated immediately since we had a reservation and was told that our server would come to us soon. She didn't come until 20 minutes later, and asked us if she could put in an order for us. We thought this was normal, until we saw how other guests were treated. The server greeted other tables and introduced herself, and asked if they wanted to start with any drinks. She also brought them out bread and plates without them asking. Our appetizer came out without plates to eat them on! When our entrees came, there was still no bread in sight. I had to ask another server for bread. The food was great. We got the Cajun Linguini and the Mahi Mahi and both were very flavorful. During our meal, we didn't see our server once. Other servers had to help us fill our waters. At the end, she came with our bill. We saw her ask other guests if they'd like dessert or not before giving the bill. The bill also came on a plastic tray. We saw other guests get their bill in a leather folder. This was when we knew we were being discriminated. I'm sure the service would have been nice if we were White and Old, but as a young people of color we were treated like second class, while paying the same price as other guests. It definitely made for a memorable night! We laughed at how obvious our server made it that we were not welcome. Food was great, ambiance was great, and other servers were great, but our server did the bare minimum for us due to her prejudices. Come here for a special night to be treated like the time period the boat was operating in! read more

Called many times to book a group reservation. No one ever called back. Horrible service already!! I'll take my business somewhere else.

Worst service I have ever experienced. I made reservations for 7 PM. We showed up at 6:45 PM. The hostess said we didn't have reservations. I pulled up my email confirmation as proof. She spoke with a server then seated us in a back corner, offering a choice between two equally terrible tables. The waiter brought our waters then left. The restaurant was not busy (there were only two other tables in our section from what I could see). We read through the menu three times and waited. He helped the other tables but didn't come to us. I finally decided to leave because I felt like we were unwanted guests, which was embarrassing. They treated us like trash. Maybe it's because we dressed casually? But we were just as dressed up as the hostess. I was devastated and told my family about the incident. One of them called the manager, who was extremely rude and unapologetic. He said our reservation was for 5:30 PM and we didn't show up until 7:30 PM, and it was all on tape. This is a lie. read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - Proof of 7pm reservation. - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

A group of friends got together for breakfast this morning aboard the Delta King , which is docked along the Sacramento River in Old Sacramento !The restaurant the "Pilot House" is located on board the Delta King. Breakfast reservations were for 10:30 am this morning. Being a weekend, parking is usually crazy in Old Sacramento especially during Christmas . We arrived around 9:30 am in hopes of finding a decent parking space close to the restaurant. Upon arriving ,we happen to run into 2 of our friends and decided to go to directly to have breakfast. After a few minutes we were joined by the rest of the gang ! The main dining area aboard the Pilot House this morning was pretty busy. After a short wait we were seated on the second floor. It was like having the whole dining room to ourselves! This morning I ordered the Cabin Boy Omelet. ( Three Egg Cheese Omelet with country potatoes and a blueberry muffin) . My cheese omelet was flavorful and cooked exactly as ordered. And my country potatoes were spiced just right ! My muffin was a little dry but tasted great ! My wife had the Brioche French Toast with Country Sausage. She really enjoyed it and gave it an (A+) which means she loved it! Our waitress Anita was the "BOMB"! She was the life of the party ! And made sure we were well taken care of. I can't remember the last time we had so much fun ! What a perfect start to our morning ! Delicious food ! Fantastic Service ! & Best of Friends ! read more

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Excellent group events including Retirement Parties SITREP The Pilothouse Restaurant is inside one of Sacramento's most important landmarks, the moored Delta King paddleboat. My former boss DAN (an Assistant Chief Counsel with the State of California) retired and his shindig was in the Pilothouse Restaurant of the DELTA KING. The DELTA KING - and its sister ship THE DELTA QUEEN in Chattanooga, Tennessee) - are both beautiful paddlewheel steamer boats (part cruise liner, part transport, and - most importantly - part floating CASINO!) that are essentially REPLICAS of the old vessels that once plied the waterways of the Mississippi River "back WAY way in the day". SETUP Dan's retirement soiree was a wonderful time to get reacquainted with this era of history in a very fun, lively way. I have culled info here in this review from my own experiences here at Delta King, from the literature that is available on the boat, and some really interesting factual historical points from a couple of websites. Though Delta King is permanently docked in Old Sacramento, it still serves a VITAL ROLE in the historical and social scenes of the area. CURRENT ACTIVITIES Today, the beautiful floating hotel enjoys year-round activity and includes the award-winning Pilothouse Restaurant and the Delta Bar (lots of fun happy hours here! In this specific instance, for $28, the Pilothouse Restaurant set up Dan's retirement soiree to feature a delicious menu of dining offerings: * CHAMPAGNE CHICKEN - a tender chicken breast grilled and served with champagne mushroom sauce * SIRLOIN STEAK - (cooked medium) with grilled vegetables and a demi glace * FETTUCCINE - with pesto pomodoro sauce and parmesan cheese All entrees included a salad of Tender Valley Mixed Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing, a vegetable medley, and a chef's choice rice or potato with rolls & butter, coffee, tea, & a delicious devil food cake. It was elegant, delicious, scenic and fun, and very apropos for the occasion! THE LOWDOWN The Pilothouse Restaurant is a delightful romp back to a bygone era, but rejuvenated with CONTEMPORARY vitality and fun. Go visit it! read more

I guess this place could be hit or miss, but for me - it was a total hit. The Delta King is a really old Steamer that used to travel between San Francisco and Sacramento from 1927 to 1930, a 10 hour trip each way. Now it's a hotel with a restaurant called the Pilothouse. I was asked to pick a dinner place that served steak and that was affordable. Easy enough, I went for the Pilothouse and the inner kid in me is singing "I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat and I'm about to enjoy one an amazing steak, right on this boat." When I made my reservations, I met the nicest girl over the phone. I asked her what her preference was between both and we hit it off. Already friendly service and I had not even shown up yet. To start, we went with the Cheese Platter. I love trying new ones, so I'm always interested to see what's on the menu. They rotate local cheeses and arrange them with dried fruit, honey and served with french bread. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Wz8jdm0aVNgBjSbtVuNXPg?select=kBUas0UxwzWs95_k3e306A They serve you bread with balls of fancy butter, but have this amazing creamy horseradish spread that was awesome on the bread they brought out. I order horseradish often and this was creamy and not too sharp. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Wz8jdm0aVNgBjSbtVuNXPg?select=Z7ajSe3M7g0KR58D1uPiyA For my main course, I ordered the Filet Mignon served Rare. Not only was it delicious, it was HEART shaped. How cute is this? http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Wz8jdm0aVNgBjSbtVuNXPg?select=OwE1VCW8p4B4QKcsmeQMiw The cutest part to me, the amazing flavors of the rum au poivre demi sauce on my juicy steak. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Wz8jdm0aVNgBjSbtVuNXPg?select=lh7_ftNbkD53Ge2DHG5KvA For his main course, he ordered the Rib Eye. He likes a little marbling and the steak was fantastic. Cooked just right with a slight char to the outside and very juicy inside. Served with steamed chard and potato aligot. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Wz8jdm0aVNgBjSbtVuNXPg?select=VVX3uvjfMh7Ig39TOUPtzw We both really enjoyed our steaks. The Pilothouse was an awesome choice and a lot less expensive than other Steakhouses in the area. I was really impressed and loved the window seat view of the Sacramento River. read more

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Service was horrendous. They got our order wrong TWICE. It seemed like there was no management anywhere to be found. This is the first Cioppino I've ever seen that has almost no broth. The server never checked on us. Wine glass sat empty for most of the dinner. read more

Stayed on the Delta King two nights. Lunch upon arrival was pretty good. We split a chicken sandwich with fries. Service was excellent. For dinner my husband had fish and chips and I had the lemon chicken. He said his meal was just average. My chicken was dried out (how do you do that with a leg/thigh quarter?) and didn't taste the least bit like lemon. The potatoes and veggies were really good though. The next morning the cook called in sick so all they could offer guests was toast and coffee. The second night we opted to eat elsewhere. read more

Had drinks and appetizers at the bar. Wow!!! Best drinks we have had and the sourdough cheese bread was awesome! The bartender had a great personality and he really took great care of us! Just chatting with him made this visit our favorite stop in Old Sac! We will return! read more

A very neat experience dining on an old paddle wheel steamboat (moored and does not move). I ordered their Lamb Slider which came with three flavorful pieces packed with a nice little spicy kick. Their Bloody Mary was also nice and refreshing. While dining outside on the aft side of the boat, we enjoyed watching people cruise up and down the river in their sport boats, and we even got a see a Sea Lion (who would've thunk)!!! All-in-all, it was a pleasant experience. I would definitely return if I'm ever in the area again. read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - Outdoor seating on the port side of the boat. - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

My husband and I had dinner at the Delta King last night. Everything was delicious, and our waitress Cora was wonderful. We really enjoyed our date night. read more

This is worth stopping in! We came with a party of 6 and sat downstairs. Alessandra was our server and she was beyond amazing. I'm a stickler for good service because I've worked in the industry before and I truly haven't had someone like Alessandra wait on me in a very long time, if ever! She was knowledgeable, personable, witty, and very warm. And she really needs to be in a leadership role somewhere because she's awesome! The restaurant itself is actually on the Delta King and is really rustic and quaint! I love the feeling of being inside the boat and on the water, this place has a TON of character. The reason I gave 4/5 stars was because of the food. The appetizers were pricy for the teeny portions you get. We ordered the lamb sliders and roasted artichoke. The lamb sliders were so flavorful but the herb was soooooo overpowering, I think it might have been sage or rosemary, but it was too strong for me to even eat and I wasn't the only one who wasn't a huge fan. I think they'd be really good with a little less of the herb. Also, my boyfriend and I both ordered the spicy fried chicken sandwich and were a little disappointed. The chicken itself isn't breaded in spices, they call it spicy because they add banana peppers and pickles onto the sandwich. In other words, it really wasn't spicy at all. Kudos to the bartender though because the mai tai, margaritas, and mud slide we ordered were all very, very good! All in all, we'll be back without a doubt! read more

Pilothouse Restaurant - "Spicy" chicken sandwich - New American Near Me - Sacramento, California

The food never disappoints! The service is always attentive. The Ambiance is beautiful

Aaron the bartender was amazing!!!!! Thank you for the appletini and the Pilsner they were great!!!! Happy 4th!!

Thanksgiving buffet Reservations were for 12:30. We were finally seated at 1:10. Get to buffet, turkey and mashed potatoes dishes were empty Turkey was dry Gravy wasn't very good Stuffing was wet and gooey For the price, not many dishes on the buffet. We wont be going next year. read more

Today was our 3rd time having a birthday celebration on the Delta King and having dinner at the Pilot House. The first two visits we had a wonderful waitress named Alice. We haven't been back since before Covid and we figured Alice would have retired by now. 2023, as she talked with us about that very thing the last time we saw her. Prior to coming today for our birthday stay, we happened to see a few recent reviews for Pilot House and found some to be rather negative. However we kept our reservation and our entire dinner experience couldn't have been better! Our wait person, Stanley was right there on top of things from the moment we sat down. I told Stanley about the great times we'd had in the past, and mentioned our waitress Alice, and we were so happy to hear that he knew Alice and had even worked with her when she'd been the hostess. If you want an excellent meal, please ignore the negative nonsense and treat yourself to a wonderful meal in this lovely restaurant! And if you want professional and experience service, see if you can get seated in Stanley 's section. You won't be disappointed! read more

Great food & service. Brought the family here for Mother's Day. Dinner had such great time. Our server name was James. He was awesome. We had the pork chop pasta and salmon. Make sure you try the pork chop. It was fire! Will definitely be back read more

Came here on a Sunday to enjoy the weather and views. Had the best bartender, AB!! Will definitely be coming back because of him!

We arrived at 4 to grab some dinner but the kitchen was closed till 5, so we went up stairs to the bar. We sat outside to view the Sacramento River which was very enjoyable. Ordered a few cocktails and garlic fries which were delicious. We went back up to the restaurant at 5 and even tho they were closed for an hour they still were unprepared for dinner. We ordered lemon rosemary chicken which was good. Cajun linguini which was the best meal out all 4. The new York steak rubbery and unedible. The ceaser salad with salmon would have been good it the salmon wasn't overcooked and sweet. The atmosphere was nice and it's a cool little boat. But the food sucked read more

We came to this establishment as a group of 8 people. The service was horrible. One person working the entire section. Not really the workers fault but it is the restaurants fault to not give help to the worker. I had ordered the New York steak medium rare. When I received it, it looked good but I could barely cut into it. When I finally cut into it and tried to take a bite, I wasn't even able to bit it without struggling. It was extremely chewy and it felt inedible. The mashed potatoes were decent but nothing special. The clam chowder had good flavor but it was cold. The Caesar salad was decent with the right amounts of everything. read more

Ordered the Norwegian Salmon. Fish was good, couscous very bland. For the price definitely skip. My Mom had calamari and was equally disappointed. Prices way too high for the quality and flavor. Views are always good though. This was the lunch menu so maybe dinner has better offerings. read more