Found this hidden gem and it's what I've been looking for in a breakfast place, and my wife loved the seafood! The clam chowder was amazing, oysters, champagne, friendly staff, warm biscuits, and a breathtaking view of the bay upstairs! I'll be back soon read more

Had a lovely lunch for the first time here. There's a vast selection on their menu to choose from. The service was fantastic. We walked up to the hostess and she immediately gave us a seat (with a choice which area we preferred). While waiting, they brought us water and freshly straight out from the oven biscuit. Scrumptious! Then our entree arrived properly covered from leaving the kitchen to our outdoor table. Beautiful presentation and absolutely delicious. The servers were attentive to us 110% of the time. Such a lovely experience at Sailor's Jack. I will be back! read more

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We came here to celebrate a birthday. We looked in this entire area and decided we wanted lunch with a view. The back room where all customers were taken, was pretty small (like the size of a small private banquet room). However, this room had wall-to-wall large windows with beautiful views of the sparkly waters and bridge in the distance. Really nice ambiance for your occasions. If we only had the appetizers, this would be a 2 star review. Just skip them, will ya? The spinach artichoke dip is presented like a $4 happy hour special. There was a sad iceberg leaf as the garnish. The flavor was good although a bit watery. Small portion. The Peruvian ceviche was very pricey and it also arrived in a most underwhelming and lifeless display. Their kitchen needs to bump their plating skills up a few. Wish we skipped the $25 spent on two appetizers that looked like dive bar food. The staff is neither friendly nor unfriendly. Basically no personality. Our needs were met and that's enough for me because.... 5 STARS for Grilled Polenta entree ($15) and the Fish and Chips ($16). INCREDIBLE. The grilled polenta came with a delicious assortment of vegetables smothered on top with just enough cheese and marinara. Excellent, truly. The fish and chips were the BEST I've ever had. The fish was buttery, falling apart with every bite and delicious. MAYBE wish the batter was a little more crispy but boy did I eat all of it, and with sheer delight. The fries were great, too, as were the sauces and coleslaw accompaniments. We will be back for the fish and chips and forget about the negative factors. APPETIZERS ENTREES read more

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We were kept waiting 30 mins just to order and then when our food finally came no utensils....it took THREE requests until I gave up and went to the front desk and demanded they give them to me in my hand.....25 mins AFTER the food was delivered. Tip... yeah really.... Appalling service when the restaurant wasn't full by any means at 5pm!,,,, Resting on their laurels with an awesome location but seriously need to address upping their service Gail S Benicia. read more

Hostesses were short and not friendly. Took three people to seat us. It was confusing. Our waitress was very sweet and offered prompt service. The calamari tasted like bread. read more

I am a seafood lover and Sailor Jack's was recommended to me by a coworker. It has that ole Sailor look on the outside however the inside is nice cozy and clean. The food was delicious. The drinks were also good. We will definitely be back and I have already told acouole of people about my experience. read more

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The food, service, and ambiance here are always great, but the bathrooms are absolutely disgusting. The toilets are clearly seldom cleaned (I'll not share details here) and there's a thick layer of dust on everything. For as much as one pays for the food, one should at least expect a clean bathroom. read more

Nice ambiance and good service, more varieties and delicious foods... Sometimes it was difficult to find available spot for parking especially during weekends. read more

Thank you for being open . We are able to eat outdoors and be served. Yay. Not too busy today on Friday at 2 pm. Got a table on the patio. Of course being social distanced. Large array of cocktails on the menu. Ordered 4 various ones ( between 2 of us)and they were missing the alcohol. Fried oysters were good and filling. The brussels could feed 3 easily. I ordered the gumbo without the mussels. The mussels were left in there but I just took them out and placed them on a plate. A drink was compd due to this. Gumbo was not my flavor It actually tasted like a dish rag was soaked in the juice. But overall, I enjoyed my time there and afterwards I walked around and dog watched read more

I like what they've done to accommodate everyone and follow social distancing. They have outdoor dining at the side, at the front, and by the water. I felt better dining with a big family group. It was a warm day and good to have a little breeze. The servers were attentive and service was fairly fast. The food were delicious but the eggs were dry and seemed out of place on the platter. read more

Sailor Jack's - Jack Burger - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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Not sure what's happening but the service is going downhill. We go to SJs several times a year but lately the service is declining. I hate to say it but we may stop going there and just go next door. This last time the server took forever to get us coffee, the bar tender seemed so uninterested! What happened to the old bartender? The server was more interested in having a conversation with the bartender than working. Then the server was nowhere to be seen! We had to ask the table cleaner for coffee. The food was great but I was embarrassed because I had brought a guest. read more

Food was delish, ambiance and service above par. The staff was attentive without being obtrusive.

Great little gathering spot for tasty seafood, a water view, and attentive service. They're dog friendly too! We'll be back to enjoy another sunset really soon! read more

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The three of us had a wonderful lunch, ordering sole, chicken club sandwich, and crab cakes. Our server, STEVE, was a hoot, telling us some of the best and funniest stories about his career experiences! Our table had a great view of the bay and the overall ambiance was very pleasurable. We've eaten here a number of times, and we'll be back! read more

I went to Sailor Jack's with a friend on Sunday after my morning service. On a Sunday afternoon, the parking could be better but we managed to find parking that was a short walk to the restaurant. The restaurant was crowded and busy and we didn't have a reservation. The hostess was very nice and helpful in getting us seated right away. We were seated upstairs by the window with a view of the waterfront. Within a few minutes, a waitress came and took our order, and in less than 10 minutes we had our food and drinks. I had a strawberry and mango salad with avocado. Absolutely will have it on my next visit. My friend had fried shrimp and we shared a plate of fried clams. No complaints. Everything was quite delicious. The portions are very generous, enough to take some home. The staff was efficient and helpful. I don't remember the sanitation score but I believe it was in the upper 90s. overall a pleasant experience. The only thing I could say that might have made it a complete homerun is if there were some nice music to accompany the brunch, a little jazz or oldies, I'm just saying. I would give them a 9.5 out of 10. If you're in Benecia looking for a spot with indoor and outdoor dining and reasonable prices check it out. read more

Sailor Jack's - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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We recommend eating their garlic noodles with prawns. The prawns are a good size. Order the fried calamari for an appetizer. They're light and crispy. Recommend you make reservations for 1st floor window seating. The climb to the 2nd floor can be a challenge for seniors. read more

Got a nice seat inside overlooking the bay. Our drinks were great looking and food was fresh. The drinks were strong which was good. We enjoyed our time and will come back for full entrees read more

Sailor Jack's - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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My son and I usually celebrate Mother's Day a few days early to beat the crowds and overpriced brunches, oops, did I just say that We both have been feeling that Shelter-in-place cabin fever, so we decided to hop in the car and go to one of my favorite places, Benicia. I LOVE Benicia, it's a great little town. As I drove around looking for a place to eat, we decided on Sailor Jacks. Great choice! They made ordering easy and staff were very friendly, even with masks. I liked that they had hand sanitizer on the table by the door, I felt better about ordering. Our food came fairly quickly, I can tell they actually prepared the meal fresh. I enjoyed my burger, yup, I was craving a Mother's Day burger. I also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip, which was FANTASTIC! My son loved his popcorn shrimp. We sat by the water and ate out of our compostable containers, bonus for me. It was great! Though we forgot to order drinks, we were happy with our food. Delicious food, great service and an amazing view. Best Mother's Day experience so far. read more

Sailor Jack's - Jack Burger - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

I'd have gone more stars (1), because the food is great, but when you see their sites $$s rating, TWO $$, no way, IMO. It should be more like $$$ or $$$$. I'd love to try their gumbo, but $38 just for lunch, the same exact cost as their dinner menu. IMO, their luncheon menu whould maybe serve smaller, LESS costly amounts. A couple should not have to spent near $100 for lunch, including a tip. So I guess that we'll never try their luncheon menu. We did go there, my Wife treated by our Son & DLL for my Wife's birthday and I would have hated to see the tab, but of course that was dinner for five. read more

Ordered clam chowder and they should have called it onion soup. Appetizer of clams was so bland all I tasted was the oil it was cooked in. The taco I ordered was way too salty. The crab sandwich was loaded with onions as well to where it was overpowering. Only best part of this meal was our waiter & unfortunately I will not be coming back. Perhaps they should've named this place Sailor Sucks read more

First time for my wife and I at Sailor Jacks mainly based on a friends recommendation. Made a lunch reservation via Open Table for a Wednesday lunch at 1:30. Parking was easy on the street but they do have a private parking lot. Our reservation was ready and we requested a table facing the water. It was sunny & breezy that day but no issue as umbrellas are there and a clear wind screens make the dining very pleasant. All Covid policies are implemented. The food was outstanding being hot, fresh & flavorful. The choices on the menu are abundant which making a choice hard. We did split the crispy Brussels sprouts which was very good. Our waiter Mariano was attentive and friendly. We will be back for sure maybe for a sundown view dinner. read more

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Nice location in Benicia. The food was fairly decent. The live music was a little hard to listen to while trying to enjoy our meal. We will return a different day when not so action packed! read more

We were a group of 10 who visited the place today, September 3, 2023, between 12:30pm to 2:00pm. This review is not about food but for customer service. The receptionist didn't give us an option to choose which table we would like to be seated. The lady server sounded rude when she talked and when she took our orders. She just wanted us to follow her instruction in the order she wanted us to. She even assumed that we would pay separately. We sensed some prejudicial treatment in this experience. We feel we didn't deserve to be treated this way. Here is my suggestion. Sailor Jack's management, you need to have a Cultural Sensitivity Training for your folks. We like your food but we are unhappy with your customer service. Thanks. read more

Been here multiple visits as we piece here. Today we decided to enjoy the sun and warm breeze waterside. Our server was pleasant.and timely.... The environment and ambiance was relaxing and beautiful... how can the sound of ocean waters washing up on the beach and rocks not be? The dining area was covered, and warming towers available if one got too cold.... Our table was lopsided, which was just annoying. For starters we ordered the crispy Brussel sprouts... these are my go-to. The BEST Brussel sprouts in town (compared to Lucca's, Baxter's) in my opinion! 5/5 We continued to enjoy watching people walk the waterside path and kitesurfing while enjoying our shared main dishes - Fish and chips (garlic fries) - the fish is lightly battered and crispy (3 pieces), and is served with a lightly dressed coleslaw, tartar sauce... and a choice of fries - we picked garlic. Wry much enjoyed the light and crispy fish and crunchy coleslaw.... We requested our fries extra crispy, which they were not, although they were served with a good heaping of garlic (and no salt, at least we certainly did not taste salt) 4/5 Our second shared main dish was the mahi mahi mango fish tacos.... Sadly these did not meet our mark. Completely lacked flavor of any sort, and is already served with a sauce which made the soft taco shell wet and mushy.... Don't bother trying to pick up a taco in this state, it just falls apart and makes a messy pile. 2/5 Lastly, as I wished to enjoy more of the warm weather and people watching I lastly ordered a Bulleit Old fashion..... considering I have a background and passion in classic artisanal cocktails, I would give this drink a 3.5/5. I appreciated the appropriate cocktail glass it was served in, and the brandied cherry. I did not enjoy the layer of sugar crystals on the bottom of the glass (why not use simple syrup?) or that no ice block was served with it to keep it chilled. So overall we rate Sailor Jacks 3.5-4/5... We would never order the mahi mahi tacos unless they seriously improved the flavor profile and how it is served. But we would certainly order the crispy Brussel sprouts and fish and chips again read more

I found this place randomly surfing through yelp and was sold by the location of the restaurant alone! Located in downtown Benicia the homey restaurant sits at the end of the street with its face towards the waterfront. The street is palm tree lined and the water is a gorgeous blue that glistens when the sun hits it. From the moment I sat down to the moment I left my server (Andrea) was attentive, funny, genuine, and just all around perfect. She greeted us with a smile, warm fresh bread & butter and ice-cold water. She made sure we were comfortable with our seating (we sat outside on the back deck) great view of the water, but I recommend bringing a hat or sunglasses if you don't like the sun shining in your face. She recommended we try the surf and turf, mussels, Alfredo pasta, and the Brussel sprouts (we got everything)! The Brussel sprouts were so crunchy and full of flavor! I mean honestly cooked just right. The mussels were excellent as well, and the broth was even better! From how tasty the appetizers were I had very high expectations for the main course. I wanted so badly to love the food, but sadly the pasta was pretty bland, the chicken was tasty though. The surf and turf was better than the pasta but not great. The lobster & prawns were very fresh, and I really enjoyed the steak but that's about it. I'm a person that really needs that flavor from a dish and these particular plates were really lacking in that. However, the service was honestly amazing & I really think everyone should try this place out for themselves, and that's the reasoning behind my 4-star review. Surf & turf - $36 Alfredo Pasta with chicken- $23 Brussel sprouts -$12 Mussels- $18 read more

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Excellent menu. Great choices and breakfast is delicious. I had the sweet potato home cut but it wasn't really sweet potatoes so I won't suggest that one. The monte casto was delicious and the biscuits are delicious. . read more

Well I realize now that I haven't been here in a few years, I probably won't be back. I used to frequent this restaurant when it was the only restaurant down at the end of first street really. I do remember the last time I was there I did order the special of the day which was a pasta with Prawns in red sauce. Sounded delicious When the dish arrived I saw these crustaceans on top of my food as though they were decorative. So I politely said "what am I supposed to do with this?" To which the "manager" replied I get to play with my food. She assumed I could peel them and de-vein them myself. UH, No. So I paid the bill and never returned. I hope they're not still serving "shrimp in shell" pasta! Most adults I know don't go out to pay and"play with their food." read more

First time eating at this restaurant. Great view to enjoy a meal. I ate the fried oysters . They were good. It Came with a a side of coleslaw which I liked because it wasn't loaded down with mayonnaise . The Calamari as appetizer was okay nothing to talk about. My wife ate the Petrale of sole , pricey , but again nothing to make you jump out your seat. Our friend order crab Benedict and crab melt . Both my wife and friend took half the food on there plates to go home with. Usually if good was great there wouldn't be doggie bags. Give it try everyone's taste pallets are different. I'm sure there will be something on the menu you will enjoy. If you like cocktails there's a full bar. I'll have go back for what I really wanted to try is the fried fish. read more

Went here with some other family members. Nice location which is in downtown Benicia as well as a great view of the bay bridge on a clear night with the beautiful lights on. We were seated on the 2nd floor. We ordered their fresh oysters and they were as fresh as they can get! Yummy! ($28 a dozen) Their Sailors wine S. Blanc, brand on the other hand, I felt tasted sweet to my taste. Very disappointed. We also ordered their seafood gumbo, it was good. Burger and fries was good as well. Service was just a bit slow. But, it wasn't terrible. If you're in the area and love oysters, I wouldn't mind coming back for it. read more

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Always great service (thanks Rachel!) Good food! Beautiful view! They also have fresh oysters!

The view is nice from the top floor, but this place is a bit cramped and loud. The service is quick and efficient. The food leaves a lot to be desired. The clam chowder was salty and tasted mostly like potatoes and cream. One of my least favorite chowders ever. The seafood omlette was dennys quality. Not terrible but nothing I would want again. I probably wouldnt come back even if it was cheaper. Overall not terrible but just not satisfying. read more

The service was excellent! The view was spectacular. However, the Crab Melt sandwich was a huge disappointment. The sandwich tasted and looked more like an artichoke dip or even a fondue, as it was quite runny. Neither one of us could taste or find any Crab meat in the Crab Melt. read more

Went to this restaurant for Mother's Day. A lovely intimate place. The owner greeted us and we felt the wait staff were very courteous and accommodating. Service felt sincere and genuine. The food was delicious- with generous portions of shrimp and halibut! I like this place and the will return. read more

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Went here to have lunch with a friend. The ambience is classic seafood eatery near the beach. The waitress was cheerful and attentive. I had the crab cakes which were about the size of silver dollar pancakes. A nice place to eat while visiting Benicia. read more

Good food, great service. Nice views of the bay from our table. Had a great time with the family there. read more

Sailor Jack's - Crab sandwich. Tasty. Enough for two! - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

I enjoyed this place in the past, but they cut their impossible burger from the menu. My partner and I are both vegan, and we would take my dad here, who pretty much only eats meat. Now that there are fewer options for us we are unlikely to return. read more

Service was fine. $27 for the absolute worst crab melt I've had in my life! It was a sloppy mess, over mayonnaise-y. I wanted to vomit and I actually did when I got home. So nasty. Oysters were good though. Chefs can do way better so why don't they? Second time I've been here but it's so not worth it. There's enough mediocre restaurants to choose from. Do better read more

I've been coming here for years and it progressively gets better! They have great people working here and even at their busiest they do such a great job with the food. I recommend their clam chowder. read more

Fish and chips are my favorite, battered to perfection! One of my favorite stops here in Benicia

As always a lovely dinner. Outdoor in the waterfront.great sunset. Perfect fish and even better vegetables. Just great night out read more