We went there a few weeks ago when the outdoor dining was still allowed. The food was exquisite and the view breathtaking. The excellent service by Jacob made my daughter's birthday so much more special. Thank you! read more

Went here for brunch. The "Bloody Mary" was literally shrimp cocktail sauce with vodka. Definitely not what you want for a breakfast cocktail. Our server was extremely nice and friendly which was awesome so that's why this is a 3 star review. Otherwise the food is mediocre. I think it's time for a chef change here. Used to be really good when we first started coming here about 2 years ago then had slowly gone down hill in quality. Sucks because we've always loved this spot. Hoping they can bring in a new chef with fresh food ideas. Benicia needs more fresh cuisine. read more

Ok, we started out at another place in town that just wasn't good so we walked around and saw this place. Waiter greeted us and seated us at a nice window seat and mentioned that the upstairs may have a better table available. Win. Fantastic table at the window overlooking the water. Just what I wanted! Service was great and friendly, the bartender allowed me to taste the beers I wasn't familiar with so I could choose. Calamari was very good, clam chowder was fantastic! We then ordered the fish and chips- this is my missing star-. The fish tasted like it had been frozen. Just that mush tasted and texture. We didn't finish it. I would definitely go back. I loved the energy in the upstairs bar area and that seat was definitely the best in the house. read more

My Son picked here for his birthday dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect when walking inside because the foyer is a little small - it reminded me of a small scale Red Lobster. However, we dined upstairs and looked out at the water and it was tranquil. The most awesome part for me was the music! Yes-I live for old school rhythm and blues. So, my Son tried a few new cocktails and we splurged on Dungeness Crab Cocktail & Prawn Cocktail. Delicious (see pics). The main meal: The Seafood Combination - Spectacular! Awesome presence & great taste. Nice variety. Although it may be a tad noisy because the inside eating arrangement is close proximity- the ambience is very nice and homey. The restaurant is nice with 5-star food served without the high-end SF style of pretense. Parking is a little limited. The patio area appeared very nice & I plan to sit out there when the weather is more appropriate. Overall - Great time, place & food. Beyond satisfactory experience read more

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Enjoyed breakfast the first time I went here. Went on Easter and was very disappointed. Made reservation and table wasn't set for us. When we were seated we required that the table next to us be joined with ours to make it big enough for 5. The hostess just stood there and made no effort to bring anyone over to move the table. I had to move it myself. Waiter service was terrible. I'm a waiter and I am forgivable to most things because I have an understanding of the business. Waiter acted as if he didn't want to be there, never introduced himself, never checked on us AND didn't ask why I hardly touched my over-cooked meal. When I say over-cooked I mean everything from the eggs to the pancakes. It wasn't busy and there is no excuse for the service and experience we received. In the spirit of the holiday I have chosen Yelp to submit my complaint instead of voicing it at the restaurant, mostly because my family asked me not to. I will give Jacks another chance because of location and first experience but I will be hesitant to return anytime soon. read more

Sailor Jack's is the perfect example of a restaurant gone wrong. It has a wonderful location in a historic building with awesome views of Carquinez Strait. Yet, the food sucks, the service is horrid, the dining room and kitchen are filthy. The alleged management of the place brook no complaints, frequently blaming customers for their failings. The waitstaff act as if they are just marking time or waiting for someone to liberate them from a forced labor camp, the "chef" would not be a prep cook in any other restaurant and the owner seems not to care at all. Don't believe me? Go into the place and immerse yourself in the scent of rotten fish, wait for a seat for fifteen minutes or more without being acknowledged, enjoy the poorly cooked food you did not order, flung at you by a surly server who looks as though they can't wait to get out of the restaurant, if you like arguing with the "manager" over being charged for items you did not order, if you like a "chef" who curses at waitstaff and customers and cannot cook his way out of a paper bag and want to pay huge prices for seafood that tastes like it just came courtesy of the Gorton's Fisherman and meats that just came out of the Sysco Systems truck, then Sailor Jack's is your kind of place. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Our party of 5 really enjoyed dinner with a sunset bay view. The food is fantastic-all fresh, cooked to perfection. I had linguine and clams, and it was full of fresh clams. It wasn't mostly canned clams with a few fresh ones for presentation (like lower-quality restaurants use)-they were ALL fresh! It was fantastic. The service was friendly and attentive. Leslie took great care of us. Desserts were decadent-many are made from scratch! If you're looking for a leisurely, delicious dining experience at one of the prettiest spot on the bay, give Sailor Jack's a try! read more

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My husband and I stumbled upon this place on accident. We were trying to go to a different restaurant that had moved without notice. We had a great brunch experience. The food, the service and the view were excellent. We will definitely return the next time we are in benicia. read more

Sailor Jack's - Brunch with a view. - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California

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Food horrible , cold food yuck . Bus boy was highlight of meal . Waitress asked if i needed change when bill was $51 and i gave her $100 ?!

Sailor Jacks has been a mainstay eatery and bar for us for over 10 years. When the virus caused closing of restaurants, we wanted to support our favorite restaurant by buying takeout dinners. That's when we discovered they deliver to our Vallejo home. And they use their regular wait staff to do the delivery! That avoids paying extra to a third party to do the delivery. And our tip goes right into the pocket of the wait staffs bringing us their delicious food. Their menu hasn't decreased, it seems, and the quality is even better. We've had their fab hamburger, steak and petrale sole dinners. We recommend those especially, but everything on their menu is always good. Now they are open for dining inside! Let's go! read more

Let me put this plain and simple for locals. Sailor Jack's over The Dead Fish. Any day of the week. You're welcome. read more

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Really good again. We got the mussels which were huge and delicious and a gumbo that was VERY hearty and amazing. Katie was a great server and took care of us. read more

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

Been here bfore...nice place. Just slow service but it's probably lot of people. Ordered crab melt and jacks burger. Nice place to hang out. Bar is upstairs and view is nice. read more

I'm sorry to say this place was disappointing,the waitress was not friendly. She never came back to ask if we needed any more ice water,or check how we were doing. It was such a hot day today!!! The food had no flavor. The fish was drenched with oil,cole slaw was bland,no flavor. I would definitely not be back to this place,so I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

This place is a gem! Great service! There were four of us and we really enjoyed our drinks, soups and entrees after being out and about a cold day. We had various entrees with fish and crab. I will definitely return again. read more

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

The food was average. The prices were good. I do not drink alcohol only soda water and will not Return due to the fact that they charge $3.50 for a soda water and a refill which should be free is $3.50 read more

Ate at Sailor Jack's on a Saturday. It was busy but we had reservations for my friends birthday. Staff was beyond rude. Took a very long time to order, never got any bread, our waitress Maria rushed and had an attitude. We did nothing to deserve this and it clearly wasn't what we were hope for on an ocassion of celebration. Food order didn't come out right, we told Maria when she checked and got an "Oh" as response that was that. She didn't apologize, offer to get it fixed or take it off the check. My friend's birthday also didn't get acknowledged in any way - definitely won't be back and wouldn't recommend it. The worst part of the experience happened after we ate there though. When checking my credit card statement the charge for Sailor Jack's seemed high. I had kept the receipt and noticed that an extra $10 was added to the minimal tip we had left based on the poor service she provided. Reported it to the bank and got it resolved. Never experienced anything like this but it sure says a lot about the kind of people working at Sailor Jack's. read more

So bummed! So bummed that one of my favorite restaurants in Benicia is completely losing its touch. We went to lunch last week here as we very often do. I have noticed that the service had been getting slower and slower over the past few months, but it hit a new low this time. We saw our server exactly twice, once when we placed the order and once when she brought the food. Someone else dumped the check at the table at the end and we never saw our server during the meal. She never checked once to see if our meal was okay. It was impossible to flag her down so we were basically ignored for over an hour. And it felt like actually being ignored because we weren't sitting in some corner but smack in the middle of the upstairs room visible to the entire waitstaff. We ordered calamari for an appetizer and it came out in mostly one huge fried chunk and at the same time as the meals. As we picked it apart and tried to eat it I noticed that some of the batter at the center of the giant fried ball was still uncooked liquid, which was gross. Since our meals were already there and getting cold we gave up on the calamari and moved on to our dishes. I ordered a steak, medium, which came out so over cooked that it was dark brown and tough all the way through. I probably would have sent it back if the server had ever come back to our table. It was made more difficult to cut and eat because the waitress didn't bring a steak knife. When she delivered our food to the table she promised to bring one, but as I mentioned before she abandoned us and I never got the steak knife so had to make do with the butter knife. Also we weren't given water so once I finished my first drink I was left thirsty for the remainder of the meal since I was never given a chance to order another drink or even ask for water to choke down the horribly overcooked meat. I think the fish and chips my wife ordered came out fine and my daughter ordered a salad, which was fine. Once we finished what we could we waited another 20 minutes to get the check from a different server. This is suppose to be a nice upscale dining experience, but it's gotten so bad I don't think I'll return. When you drop over $100 for 3 people to eat lunch I think you have a reasonable expectation that it will be a good experience. I don't know what we did to get ignored like this but it was one of the most disappointing experiences I've had at an upscale restaurant. read more

I live this place. Great view front of the water, service always great and food is amazing

Been my family's favorite place to eat but sadly to say they don't accept reservations for guests more than 8. My sister was turned down twice wanting to have family get together with family from out of state. My wife tried to make reservation for my own family but was turned down. The lady was so rude assuming and insisting that we belong to the person who just made reservations for more than 8 persons. Let's say we are- but we are reserving our own. She was giving us different time. Her tone irate. We are your customers- we have the right to what time we want to eat. Too bad my wife and children don't want to eat there anymore. They felt frustrated and my wife dismayed and sickened how she was treated. read more

I went to Sailor Jacks and ordered the crab sandwich. I was very disappointed. It had a relish in the crab and cheese which took away any all the flavor of crab. I wasn't impressed with the chowder either. read more

Great food and service! Daniel our waiter was very nice and attentive. Right on the water and plenty of parking. Definitely will be back.

Came here with my husband on Valentine's Day. The food was delicious, the drinks were pretty strong, and the customer service was great. We have been back twice after that. Try the Rockefeller oysters they are delicious. Came back tonight for our 2nd year anniversary. Bread pudding was delicious! read more

Good food and good service! Location is by the waterfront in Benicia. We will be back again and try the dinner menu. Thank you!

Very good seafood, fish and chips, Halibut, salmon were all cooked perfectly. Great view and great food

A much better experience this time, I thought they deserve a better review. Service was good, good was tasty (Lunch Salmon). The Cesar salad and Calamari were tasty and amazing house coffee! read more

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Ambiance is great. Foods in good portions... price is ok.... staffs are excellent..... would want to go back. read more

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Really good restaurant, I will attend there again. Great location in downtown Benicia near the water

Food poisoning. This happened to me five years ago, but I thought that it was still worth writing this review considering the amount of pain and suffering I went through. It was a birthday party, and I ordered the Prime Rib. When it came, I noticed it was a little strange, undercooked if anything. I ate it anyways, and had no immediate complaints. Later that night, I felt some of the worst stomach pains of my entire life, and I was on the toilet, shitting my brains out in a sequence of me rotating between the toilet and the shower for nearly 3 hours. I ended up bringing the leftover prime rib home, and a couple days later, I began to smell something rotten. It smelled like roadkill, and upon further inspection, I found out it was the prime rib. So long story short, they served me raw rotten meat, and I would never eat there again as long as I live, and I encourage everyone to do the same. read more

I don't know why people gave this place a three stars. For me the foods and drinks are pretty good. However they are pretty pricier for Benicia. The vibe of the place though is really good!!! I'll come back to this place. read more

Pleasantly surprised by a great lunch salad with my wife here. Parking lot and street parking. Nice water views, professional waiter. Building is shall we say old. Could use an update but the food is good. They have a bar. Not sure about the flat screens as I wasn't looking. Too busy with the view and my great salad. read more

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

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The food was absolutely fresh and delicious! Ambiance upstairs on point! We will be back!

I ate breakfast here a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately they open later than they used to. I got the crab Benedict. Very good, with lots of potatoes and a good biscuit. The outside seating gets so windy. Otherwise it was great with fast service read more

Finally decided to give a try since we live in Benicia! I have to say that I was very satisfied and impress with the great customer service we got from the moment we walk in, our server, and to the last person until we walk out. Food and drinks were excellent, tasteful food and good drinks. We are thinking to go back and see if we can seat by the water view this time. read more

I had high hopes for Sailor Jack's, but found it only to be a three-star experience. SJ's was fairly busy on an early Sunday evening, and we felt lucky to snag a window table in the downstairs area. Service was prompt although our waiter was difficult to hear as he listed the evening's specials. He did include the prices which is always appreciated. While some of the specials were tempting, DH and I stuck with two of the menu standards: Fish and chips for DH and the egg-battered sole for myself. We each started with a cup of clam chowder. Very generous serving and attractively served in an oval bowl and topped off with clam still in the shell. Unfortunately the chowder had an overwhelming flavor of garlic -- and now 12 hours later I am convinced that the garlic and perhaps the clam are responsible for my still churning stomach. DH rated his fish and chips a B. The serving was a bit skimpy and the fries looked and tasted as if they were frozen from a bag, not freshly prepared on site. While I would have enjoyed the rough cut cole slaw, DH prefers his more finely chopped. My three pieces of caper-topped sole were served on top of a cranberry pilaf which for my taste was an odd pairing. The plate was rimmed with a variety of perfectly cooked vegetables: carrots, brussels sprouts, and both red and yellowbeets. The basket of crusty sourdough was quickly refilled after we had eaten the first portion. We saw the executive chef seating some customers and he made the rounds to most tables in our dining section. It was apparent he loves his restaurant, but I wish he would have spent more time supervising the pot of chowder. That garlicky flavor lingered throughout the meal. We had no room for dessert as tempting as the choices sounded. In fact, I took most of my dinner home. If we are ever on First Street in Benecia again, we "might" consider Sailor Jack's again. But under ordinary circumstances would not make the drive across the bridge from Contra Costa. read more

The crab cake salad was very good - I had the yellow fin tuna tacos - these were a bit dry and not well seasoned - the view on the patio was relaxing read more

We just had an early dinner there late lunch. Set on the outside patio excellent food and the service was off the hook we had two women serving us and they were just awesome awesome awesome I would recommend it and the food was excellent the clam chowder is off the hook to Fish and chips we're great excellent and the oyster and chips were excellent read more

It's a great location with beautiful views but honestly that's about it. I started off with a cup of their "legendary" clam chowder and it was just okay. There were no discernible pieces of clams or potatoes, rather everything was almost minced in the soup. That's not good when nothing is better than a chunky, hearty chowder. The color was more yellow than white and while it was edible, it had a funky flavor. The waitress brought a bottle of Tabasco with it and that actually helped. No reason you should need to add anything to a good dish. I also had the fish and chips, with some battered shrimp as well. Instead of a nice light golden brown batter, it was heavy, thick, greasy, and very dark brown...almost burnt. The quality of the shrimp and fish was really good but the batter was horrible. And since they put the fish and shrimp on top of the chips, they were just a soggy mess. Perhaps their other menu items are better but I really wasn't impressed. I might give them another chance. The prices weren't horrible but not cheap either. Staff was alert and friendly. read more

Well, the best thing I can say about this place is that at least their food was fresh. Very fresh. The steak, lobster, oysters.... Everything was fresh in that respect. But that was absolutely it. Our server gave off this bad and subpar energy with an insincere and bland attitude. Honestly, you're supposed to make my dinner feel comfortable and for me to feel comfortable. The entire place felt EERIE. When I say eerie, I mean an ominous feeling. After we were already seated and orders placed we felt this uncomfortable vibe like we were not wanted there. To be honest, I felt a way inside when the hostess 'greeted' us but since my guy seemed okay, I was okay. Only the one gentlemen who actually brought out our food and drink orders actually said thank you and gave off this pleasant and genuine energy. I literally told my fiancé that I honestly just wanted us to only tip him but of course, he's way too much of a gentleman to do that. Our actual server only took our orders while giving off bad energy. Oh and then while we began eating our entrees she wanted to start sweeping. First off, that's absolutely DISGUSTING, rude and just simply ignorant. Unless it's a major or cautionary spill it's respectful to wait until your guests have left. Even the guests that sat next to us were incredibly rude in their own weird and passive aggressive way. It was like us two were the only ones who weren't aware that we just stepped into a creepy a$$ diner full of people hiding their true nature. It was a bit scary. Like if I came here alone I would probably feel unsafe. I will say the food was, again, incredibly fresh but it also was also extremely lacking flavor. FLAVORLESS. And it's not like we could ask for any salt, pepper or anything because our server was mostly ghost. And the largest city of steak they offer? 4 ounces. That's it. Not 6 or 8 ounce option. Just this sad little 4 ounce steak. Cooked with only salt and pepper. No garlic. No garlic butter. No grilled onions. Just a dash of salt and a dash of pepper. It felt mostly like no love, intention or even care went into making this food. I always finish a dish of clam chowder. ALWAYS. I didn't finish theirs. It could've been good if it didn't have lettuce mixed in it. Even though the pasta I got wasn't made bad or was unbearable. It just felt wrong to eat. I didn't even want to tell them to be careful with my food due to severe food allergies but I was actually concerned that if I told them they might have purposely done something to my food to cause me to get sick. I've had a fly in burger at one other place. I've even had a spider in my taco at another place. But this place, by far, made me feel the absolute worse. Just like the unwelcoming feeling they gave us, they don't have to worry about us ever returning. read more

Amazing spot in Benicia excellent service great ambiance dog friendly everything in one place read more

Sailor Jack's - Ahi tuna poke - Seafood Near Me - Benicia, California