Service was slow, my latte was burnt, no WiFi, and the $34 burger was dry. Avoid at all costs. Do not be fooled by The Whaler Watchers alluring convenience, it hides nothing but nastiness. Update: boyfriend is on the back of the struggle bus with food poisoning from the BLT. "This is the worst poisoning I have ever had, I threw up for 6 hours." The Whale Watchers shittiness insists upon itself. read more

Whale watchers cafe- located on highway 1 on the south end! Stopped by for a drink! Got a class of wine and the woman filled it all the way to the brim! My cousin got an 805! We were with our dogs and the woman working was so nice! She gave them multiple pieces of fresh turkey! So nice of her! The view is amazing! They have real bathrooms and it's just a beautiful place! Check it out! read more

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The worst food, the worst service, and a complete rip off. We needed a bathroom stop and were looking for a quick bite and this was the only place in the area. There is absolutely no WiFi here so you can't even look this place up, and I think they take advantage of this. My kids were in need of a decent meal after a long drive so we risked it but I regretted it immediately. The fries had cold spots, the rice was mushy, the clam chowder was watery, and this was one of those places you worry about getting food poisoning. And it's beyond overpriced. The server did not want to be there and seemed annoyed by our mere presence. There's an outdoor seating area and a couple bathrooms but that's the only decent thing about this place. The bathrooms aren't filthy but they're also not spotless. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

Needed a potty break and thought we'd have lunch while we were there. The bathrooms were disgusting, if I'd had another pair of tennis shoes with me, I'd have thrown the ones I was wearing away. Service as bad as the bathrooms. My wife had the Tuna Melt, but somehow the melt got lost in the transaction. I had the turkey sandwich which was bland and tasteless. We had to ask for napkins, and they were thrown on the table by the waitress. No knife, or fork. Very expensive. I'd starve before I'd stop in this place again. read more

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Our waitress, Betty, was a guardian angel! After a long day of hiking we wanted somewhere to watch the NBA playoffs (go spurs) and she kindly turned it on the tv and let us watch. Not to mention we had our two dogs tagging along and Betty made sure they were taken care of as well. The fish n chips were delicious and worth the price. Thankful we found a place with good food and impeccable service. read more

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This place looked like an oasis at first. There wasn't many stops on the way up after San Simeon to Carmel. We were starving. Sadly, this place was awful and VERY overpriced. $38 fish and chips (fries were cold and fish was not fried all the way so batter was still wet) $32 burgers. Packaged frozen burgers. $6 sodas that we didn't get until we received our food. The table we sat out wasn't cleared for a while. Old food all over it. They were sadly understaffed, so I feel bad for the 2 servers. I would not recommend stoping here though, no matter how hungry you are... read more

Please avoid this coffee shop at all costs (literally). $7.61 + bad attitude for a plain black coffee. This place can eat a Redwood.

The old hag at the liquor store/gift shop got mad at me because I changed my mind and decided to use card instead of cash. Gave me a lot of attitude. read more

Do your research before trekking these parts of Gorda. The road ~15 miles north bound 1hwy is closed. Cambria 40 minutes South is 10000% worth driving to. Over changed for 1 burger, 1 turkey sandwich, & 1 plate of frozen (not fresh) fish & chips. All of which made us sick. Not only were the prices outlandish, but the single waitress actually over charged me & didn't give me a receipt. Do not recommend. read more

Extremely rude goonies experience. Walked in as for a cup of coffee. Goonies's lady over here with the worst customer service ever. Don't know if she was jealous that we went and spent money to buy some food from the neighboring business. As soon as I asked for a cup of coffee she directed us to the next-door neighbor business .. glad I didn't give her none of our money.. they need new management read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - Front desk - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

This is a place you stop at because there is nothing else around, not because you want to. The good, views were good and the place was clean. The bad, only two bathrooms at this stop and there was always a line due to restaurant, food truck, store, and passing by people having to share. We were there for lunch. Ordered a BLT which was fine, but was $30, a burger, which was clearly frozen patty puck and undercooked, a smothered burrito, which was icky, and clam chowder in a bread bowl that was clearly canned condensed soup in a lousy fluffy bread bowl. Food was of poor quality and overpriced. read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. The food was decent. We ordered a two egg breakfast and a coffee. With the tip the total was $50. That's a lot IMO for one person for breakfast. It does have a beautiful view and the place itself is very nice. The old teak bar and beams are really nice. There were only two other people there and it would be packed if the price was better I suspect, but also I don't mind paying a bit more for no people... I guess it's all about perspective. The waitress was fine and efficient. Oh and the bacon was really good! read more

The ambience was a 10 out of 10, but the racism plus poor service and shit food that they must've gotten out of a five year-old freezer was atrocious. If we could please send all the school shooters here it would be appreciated This is not too harsh of a comment if you've actually been here or experienced it. There is cockroaches and rats all around someone needs to call the health department. Also there was flies galore. It looked promising until the service and food came out and then all the critters started joining. Betty for sure needs her mood stabilizers adjusted. read more

I would definitely recommend stopping somewhere else before you hit this spot. The fuel was over $10 a gallon and the "taking advantage" part just continued. Whale watchers Café was a cute spot. Looked good from the outside. Looked nice on the inside however, the food and drinks were way overpriced. The calamari, one bite and knew instantly we would be sick with it. Clam chowder was watery and they stuffed my bowl top with garlic which made it impossible to eat. The fish was undercooked and the fries were also burnt on the outside, raw on the inside. The sprite was warm and had no flavor only carbonation. The servers seem like they didn't even want to be there and the side conversations with other employees were rude and inappropriate, which added to the poor service. Unfortunately, there is no service here as far as WiFi so we couldn't even read these reviews until after we got service and were frustrated that we couldn't check before we entered. $100 in fuel and $100 to leave our uneaten food at the table. $200 lesson. Beware. read more

Insultingly high prices, nice views. The clam chowder was fine but I only ordered because our waitress finally arrived after we started getting up to leave. Would not recommend. read more

Very overpriced; more than likely she'll buissness for tax purposes. Because 20 dollar for canned chowder is unreasonable .

Unsure why there is so many negative reviews, we loved this little location! Beautiful location on the 1, ocean views. Great coffee, snacks and little bites. Public bathrooms and refills on everything else, great spot to stop if you are traveling the 1! read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

Door, service and the view. Hard to pick just one to be the best. Just a really neat place with a really good view

2 stars and near Big Sur?!?!? I have to admit I came here because they had just two stars to better understand WTF was going so wrong here. Who else is this weird? This cafe is right on the coast and overlooks the ocean so they automatically get some credit for just the location. Nothing around either so prices are high and their gas station might be the most expensive gas in the country at just under $10 per gallon during peak times. Insanity. Sit outside in the sunshine and your food might taste just a tad better. I went simple and ordered a cheese quesadilla. It was decent. Do I make a better one at home? Of course I do. But it hit the spot. Like I said that view and ocean breeze always makes things better. Prices are higher for everything, welcome to Big Sur where no large towns are nearby from this end. Would I eat here again? Most likely not. Keep moving either towards Big Sur or Cambria as there are lots of amazing restaurants you'll enjoy. read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - Cheese quesadilla with a view. - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

Update, September 2025: I went on a Sunday afternoon and had one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had, plus a salad. Great view of the Pacific Ocean. I enjoy talking to the server whenever I visit, who is keeping this place going despite the 2.5-year closure of Highway 1 just up the coast. Reviewers who complain about the price probably don't realize how difficult it is to keep a business open in such a remote place. read more

$36 for a 5/10 cheeseburger... sat by the window for a nice view and we were surrounded by dead flies all along the table top and window. Cup rings all over the sticky tables. Do not recommend read more

Tourist trap! If you enjoy paying $36 for a below average cheeseburger and fries, then this is your place! All prices three times more than Cambria. For two cheeseburgers, three cokes $89! read more

Given the times we are in with the C-19, I can see why things were kind of rough w the lady who took our order, which was to go. She was quick snappy and short. So yeah maybe we won't eat inside, sometimes you don't how to read people. We had our masks on .. I don't know. Anyways we got out $18 Club Sandwich .. what do you expect in the middle of nowhere? so that was cool. It was very good, nothing fancy but good. It's a sweet lil place right across from the ocean! Some seating outdoors too. The store next door north of it, has pre-made sandwiches for $9 ( had I known) next time. Ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches and such $4 and up! Again they are in a remote area. I'm not really sure why they only have like 2 stars? Either I'm very nice or hoping they really are not that bad w their customers. read more

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We had such an incredible experience and meal at Whale Watchers Cafe. We were attended to immediately upon entering and they told us we could choose anywhere we'd like to sit. They have spacious indoor and outdoor seating. Both offer direct views of the ocean. We chose outdoors at the table facing the ocean and it was just lovely! I got the clam chowder and my partner got the fish and chips. Both dishes exceeded our expectations and was just what we needed to refuel on our road trip down the coast. There are bathrooms on site for customers only. They were filthy, unfortunately. But that was the only thing that tampered with my feelings towards this quaint place. read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - Clam Chowder - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

Now that Highway 1 is flirting with being open all the time again -- barring any more natural disasters -- I'd like to get back in my routine of driving it back-and-forth a few times a year between LA and San Francisco. Camping on a cold, rainy weekend in Big Sur made breakfast on a stop here all the more satisfying. Sitting at the window overlooking highway and the ocean with steaming hot coffee and a good salmon omelette took the lingering chill out of my bones. Folks may complain about the higher prices at places like this along the coast but, c'mon, if you want low prices and dependable wi-fi then Interstate 5 may be the route for you. I'll pass on that choice and keep staring out of this window. read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

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Price gouging at its finest. $9.59 a gallon for regular gas on July 10th...premium was even higher. These costs with gas prices falling for the last two weeks straight? The amount was not displayed, so only when you get to the pump to view it, and ONLY after you search for the exorbitant numbers do you question the authenticity. We high-tailed it out of there. This business is not just playing on a captive audience. You can fill up a few miles down the road for ~ $7.00. Still unfathomable, but a bit more palpable to grab a few gallons until you make it to the highway. $9.59 a gallon. They should be ashamed of themselves. read more

As others have noted, the food is a little pricey here, but since all of their suppliers are some distance away this is not too surprising. My wife and I were staying nearby and wanted to have lunch at someplace besides our hotel. We ordered the garden burger ($16), a small dinner salad ($4), and a cup of their split pea soup ($6). The dinner salad was surprisingly larger than expected, the soup pretty good, and the garden burger was okay. This all filled us up and we went away happy. The waitress was attentive. read more

Whale Watchers Cafe - Breakfast, lunch. and dinner menu July, 2018 - American Near Me - Big Sur, California

We loved this place. First off, there is no cellphone service, because you're that far out in the middle of nowhere. Anyone who complains about the prices has no idea what it's like to run a business. It's expensive because it's hard to get fresh products in an area virtually cut off from everything else. But our food was fresh and good, so I was completely fine with paying a premium. We had eggs, blueberry pancakes and bacon & coffee. Everything was seriously perfect. The coffee was really great and the eggs were fresh. Our waitress even brought bacon out to our dogs. Overall we had a great time and a great meal, but we had to remind ourselves to be patient. Without the disruption of a cell phones, one has to remember how to be present while dining. Our waitress was warm and efficient. Our food was great. I seriously don't understand all the one star reviews. Easy 5 read more

The breakfast was great with a view. We went at 8:00am place was empty. The lady told us to sit anywhere so we did. Restroom was clean. You get what you pay for when you eat. 2 pancakes was $14.00 but u get a view. Also got a breakfast plate is was $25.00 not a lot of food but again the view was beautiful. They came and gave us refills but it's Ok. Considering we the only people there. It was a nice experience. read more

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I'm not sure why the negative reviews. My friend and I went here after visiting Jade Cove (bucket list) and at first, I thought the food was over priced and just for tourist. My friend had the ribs with fries and I had a cup of their clam chowder and the fried calamari strips. The food was awesome. The calamari strips were tender and the ribs were GREAT (meaty and tender). The service was awesome. The older female server though was too busy playing with her phone but the older male server was on the ball with his friendly and quick service. I would DEFINITELY come back here the next time I'm in town, which maybe soon since I discovered a great spot to scuba. Price: $$ Quality: A++++ Service:A++++ read more

I dont leave too many bad reviews but we were a bit upset by our bill here. We drove up from Hearst to see the views and go as far as we could to the road closure. Stopped here to eat since it would take us 2 hours to drive all the way back to Monterey going all the way around. We were told they had a "limited menu" and all they really had was a cheeseburger and fish n chips. Which was fine with us. They didn't give us a menu or tell us the price. We were shocked when we got done and paid.The cheeseburger and fries was $30 and my 3 Cod chunks and fries was $28. With a small tea our bill was about $65!!! Yikes! Wish I had known. Gourmet meal prices for a burger! I learned I will ALWAYS ask in the future! read more

We stayed here and ate here. Population of 9 and they all work here. The cabin had no WiFi, no ATV and air didn't work. We opens the windows and turn our fan on. We even played cards since we had nothing else. The best sleep I've had in years!! The place was just an all around wonderful place. Amazing staff. read more

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Stopped here for an impromptu lunch on our way to LA We were really hungry and extremely glad to find this place. The ambience is great. And the view of the sea just gorgeous. They have lots of outside seating. The food itself is okay . It's certainly not the best but for the hungry folks wanting to have something in the middle of something do stop by here. I had the chips and guac as well as the vegetarian lasanga. It came out to be 40$ inclusive just for the two items. So I'd say it's slightly on the heavier side for my pocket. Overall I would give this place 3 stars because of the ambience , view and the considerable number of vegetarian options for an American cafe. read more

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We were super hungry and didn't have much of a choice when driving down big sur. Ended up in this restaurant and was greeted by a hostess. She recommended the special, which was a halibut fish and chips. Considering it to a special, I thought it'd actually be good. Needless to say, was one of the worst fish and chips meal I've had. No flavor to anything. I had to pour salt over the whole plate just to be able to choke it down. To add insult to injury, it was upward of $20 for one plate. Not recommended at all read more

I ordered the pancake sandwich ( basically 2 pancakes and 2 eggs) it came with 1 strawberry. No butter was offered or even pancake syrup. I did ask for syrup and it was provided. I went to the front counter where there were pies and cheese cakes on display and asked for this cheese cake (looking thing) (it was actually very good) the server picked it up with his bare fingers! And put it on my plate then put a pile of melted whipped cream from a can on my plate. The pancakes were OK, the eggs (Sunnyside up) were good. But unfortunately I could not enjoy anything because of all the Flys that were around our food. it was truly the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. This place should be inspected or shut down...see photos. read more

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Wow! I was actually shocked to see all the negative reviews here - I never would have guessed. We stopped in for breakfast on our way from Big Sur to Santa Barbara. It was delightful, especially the crispy hash browns and the linguica sausage. Service was courteous and attentive and the patio was picturesque (except for a seagull who kept eyeing us menacingly). Unless this was an anomaly, you could certainly do worse for breakfast. read more

We stopped here for dinner after a long day at the beach. It's a decent spot to grab some grub but don't expect the over-worked and tourist-weary waitress to fawn over you. We had the delicious vegetarian lasagna, creamy New England clam chowder in a bread bowl, and the generous perfectly cooked fish and chips. We've eaten here a number of times and we'll come back. Incidentally, we watched several cars roll in, people pile out, and then just ask the waitress where the bathroom is, use it, then take off. Where are these people's manners? Buy something and leave a small tip! read more

We spent close to $90 for four mediocre-at-best sandwiches. We tipped them over $20 because we wanted to support businesses during COVID, so I guess part of that was on us. We would've overlooked all of that if it weren't for the waitress, who brought out everyone else's food except for ours. She simply came out and said 'your food is ready' and made us carry everything out. Since we were the only non-caucasian customers there, it does make one wonder why she treated us differently. read more

For starters, I would say that this is the quintessential seaside café. The view from the outdoor patio to the sea is great and they set it up with quite large spaces, so it is rather nice. Now, into the details: Ambiance: 4/5 for outdoor area - a lot of trees, but you can still see the ocean views if you have a seat on the bar top facing PCH. Service: 3/5 - I came in on a slower weekend, staff were generally kind. Service was slow, but is to be expected with such a small staff to begin with. I would encourage patience if you are planning to stop by for a quick bite. On a busy weekend, I can imagine their staff will get overwhelmed quickly. Food: 3/5 - Don't come in expecting Michelin-starred quality of food. Remember that this is in a rather remote part of California, so everything has to be brought in. I ordered the clam chowder and it was good, nothing jaw-droppingly amazing, and not terrible either - perfectly ok. Price: 3/5 - Yes, it is high if you look at it and compare it to a place in a city or town, but when looking at where they are located, it is understandable. Overall: 3/5 - A perfectly viable stop on a road trip up PCH and is not a bad place to spend a bit of time to recharge before continuing on your journey. read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I totally would. Not only was I grossed out by the amount of flies landing on my husband and I, I was not impressed by the dusty decor of fake plants and a dusty seashell lamp that was not even plugged in. Worst of all is how the food was HEAVILY overpriced and completely underwhelming or fulfilling. I ordered a coke and Shrimp Scampi. My husband ordered the combo bbq and a sprite. I received 5 shrimp in a dish covered in capers and drowning in salty butter next to a small mound of undercooked rice pilaf and cold vegetables. I also asked for no tomatoes. They still gave me tomatoes... My husband received two pieces of ribs, lukewarm fries and one piece of chicken along with the most disgusting bowl of baked beans. Total came to $62!!!! Are you flipping kidding me?!? For that price, I should have left full and with a doggie bag! Listen, if you don't mind constantly shooing away flies while you try to consume your dry, cold and bland food, then this place is perfect for you. Personally I couldn't wait to hightail it outta that place and find somewhere else to eat. The only positive was our server Hector. So I guess the one star goes to him. read more

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