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February 2024 by Monica Barr
One more check off the bucket list. Thank you Harbor House Inn for some comfort in the storm.
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February 2024 by Savannah Daniels
What a lovely place to stay and a lovely place to eat. I had a great weekend there with my husband and friends. I find many expensive places in the Bay Area to be overrated, and that is not the case here!
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January 2024 by Glenn Witherspoon
Amazing views, incredible food, and great staff!What more can you ask for?Can't wait to return!
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December 2023 by Laurie C.
Stunning views, incredible stay and dining experience in this remote location! The Pacific Ocean providing the perfect backdrop for enjoying one of the most delicious meals I have had the pleasure of experiencing. I felt honored to be at the table of the amazing Chef Matthew Kammerer and his wonderful team! This definitely will be a place to revisit. I'm looking forward to seeing how the menu evolves from the wonderful bounty of local flavors, sourced from within a 30-mile radius of this beautiful jewel on the coast.
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December 2023 by Daniel M.
I had a romantic dinner at harbor house inn. We were handed a series of notes on heavyweight cream cardstock on arrival--a personal invitation, to set the tone of a new relationship. Card 1 // intro from the chef: There is a metaphor to these cards. They're aesthetically pleasing but contain typos, vagueness, and the core of ideas that could have easily been shaped into greatness by more attention to detail. Card 2 // about the inn: This is a menu heavily inspired by Japanese cuisine at a restaurant situated in a community with a long history of racism and violence against Asian Americans. Harbor House contains a library of local books, including Early Mendocino Coast, from the Images of America series. Notably missing on the same bookshelf is Chinese in Mendocino County, also by Images of America, which details how white settlers burnt down the historic Chinatown in Mendocino in the 20th century. In context, the use of "redwood empire" on this card brings to mind these same connotations of white settler violence, and highlights the conspicuous absence of any dialogue with that history at Harbor House. There is something uncomfortable about a restaurant which prides itself on historical contextualization to the point where it provides a history lesson to its diners--a restaurant that serves sashimi and shoyu in the same state that pioneered Japanese internment camps--and yet makes no attempt to draw a connection between the history of food, local culture, and race. It is a history of Mendocino that is simultaneously an erasure of subaltern histories by omission. Card 3 // ethos: There is a sense of theater to Harbor House. When you arrive, they pretend they know you, and you are just returning home. You are greeted by name without introducing yourself. I imagine that for many guests, this theatricality is desirable--they're willing to play along to create a sense of community within the context of the (admittedly very long) dining experience. But as aliens to this world, we were unable to play into this role for long before small frictions (use of a wrong name, mispronunciation of another, well-intentioned chivalry that treated the female-presenting diner differently despite both being non-binary, a conversation interrupted) lifted the veil on the reality that this is a restaurant, providing a service, and not a gathering of locals. Which is of course fine because it is accurate. But it is jarring to find yourself in a playhouse when you remember walking into a restaurant. Card 4 // sustainability: Our waitress was excited to learn that my partner lives and works locally in the sustainability/ocean space. We started the night ready to engage with local food/issues, but it was clear by the end of this conversation that there was a superficiality to Harbor House's locality. The statement that purple urchins are invasive finally kicked us out of that state of suspended disbelief (they are a native California species, but overproducing). The promise of boat-to-table food, too, fell flat. Not that the seafood was bad. But having eaten fish uni &c straight from the Mendocino coast gave us a benchmark that Harbor House was unable to live up to. This is unfair to the inn: I can imagine the taste+story of local sustainability enticing someone less familiar with the Mendocino coast. Card 5 // techniques: The vegetable infusions were soy sauce heavy, other flavors drowned. The concept of cured rockfish, an excellent twist on sashimi. Maitake mushroom, good. We were very upset to be teased by ash-infused dough only to find it wasn't to be served. The squash and squab dishes, great. Overall, the menu is muted but agreeable. The non-alcoholic drink pairing has some kinks to work out. Seven courses featured a variety of vinegar-heavy bases, which upset the stomach. Harbor House could have saved many drinks by being more willing to play with fermented flavors, teas, non-alcoholic spirits as bases. The black mochi corn kombucha and the douglas fir tea, for example, are well-executed. Card 6 // plateware
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November 2023 by Suzanne A.
This is my second time spending a long enjoyable weekend at Harbor House to unplug and yet again the cuisine, service, room and ocean views are phenomenal! Panoramic ocean views from the deck are incredible. The weather was perfect and we walked down the private steps to the private beach which was so special and memorable. All the fine details of this Inn from the 2 Michelin Star rated restaurant with the Tasting Dinner Menu (with emphasis on the ocean and terroir) to the silky bed linens to the in-room hand written Welcome card, Zenology shampoo and hand lotion to the first class service (especially the impeccable service by GM Ashley) made our getaway a delight. Book and go! I also love that there are Tesla chargers available for guests, as this made the drive stress free. Charming Downtown Mendocino is a short drive North, offering scenic views, fine restaurants and shopping. Support local. Experience Harbor House!
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November 2023 by Scott Wheaton
Truly an exceptional place to stay and eat. We stayed and dined at Harbor House for our 1st anniversary. The service, from the inn staff to restaurant, help make our celebration one we will never forget. The hospitality was world class and they even helped us store our cake topper overnight and brought it to our room the next evening with a bottle of champagne. Dinner at Harbor House was a unique, unexpected, and delicious dive into coastal California cuisine. Definitely worth a special trip to experience.
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November 2023 by Jason Krikorian
Came in for lunch on 10/8 and had a great experiencUnbelievable location, that I’m so I got to see during the day! The building and the grounds were amazing and the viewership to the west, were breathtaking. I visited the garden which was filled with many of my favorites like watermelon sage, and hot lips sage, as well as a bunch of other supercool herbs.I was literally caught off guard by the level of cooking that was over the top, and easily surpassed all of the other two Michelin starred restaurants I have visited previously. The popcorn was a great treat, and I am only used to having something like that when I make it myself at home. What really showed me what level the cooking was on was the extremely well executed chicken and the black cod, both with exceptional flavor which is the result of knowing how to season on an expert level. Very few chefs, including ones with three stars, are able to obtain this depth of flavor.Respect!
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November 2023 by Henry C.
The food and stay were top-notch. Wonderful hospitality and service from the host. It’s a gem that one definitely can’t miss on CA-1.Hopefully they’ll be receiving another Michelin star in the near future because they definitely deserve it!
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November 2023 by Phillip H.
I've been coming here over 40 years. It's better than ever! I stay in house rather than the cottages because I love the 1916 feel. Don't expect Marriot water pressure and you will be fine. The restaurant now is amazing and equal to the Laundry IMO. But different due to the foraged local influence like I've never encountered to this degree. Chef's breakfast is awesome too.
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October 2023 by Stanley W.
I went into the lunch having really high expectations as I generally find the best food is at 1-2 star michelins as opposed to 3. I didnt find the food during the lunch service all that mindblowing, nor was the service. It honestly felt like I was just at any other restaurant in mountain view and not a place that's this hyped up. The cod was decently good but I found the texture to be uneven, and the seasoning wasnt fully absorbed by the fish. I'm pretty sure I was charged 20$ for a glass of wine that's 12$ a bottle but that's more of a fine dining issue and not so much something about this place. I will try to give this place another shot if i'm ever back in the area. I'd definitely want to put more time into experiencing the place and giving their dinner service a try.
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September 2023 by Spencer Tinsley
I'm going to start this by saying, just go. Book a reservation for their restaurant. You will not regret it.We went for the lunch tasting menu because we did a last minute trip to Mendocino and the dinner reservations were completely booked for the entire month. However, the lunch was amazing and was surprisingly cheap for a Michelin starred tasting menu. $95 for lunch and another $95 for the wine pairing.We got there ~30 minutes early so we had the opportunity to relax outside in cozy chairs overlooking the ocean cliff. It was beautiful and relaxing. There is a small path to get down to the ocean.They use local ingredients harvested from their own gardens, nearby gardens, or ingredients foraged for by the ocean/cliffs. On paper, the menu wasn't super thrilling to me but the flavors created by their team blew me away. Every dish was delicious, savory, and left me wanting more even though I was stuffed by the end.While the food was great, the server staff were on another level. We went for lunch on 8/11/2023 so whoever the two people working that day were amazing. You almost didn't notice they were there until you started to think you need something and they would magically appear. They noticed the tiniest details and would fix things quickly. Most importantly, when they fill your wine glass before the course comes out, they would refill when the food was delivered so you could enjoy the wine alone and then reenjoy it with the food.
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September 2023 by Jeff Van Gastel
Harbor House Inn is in a good location with restaurants and shops very close, and the beach within a 5 minute walk. This hotel is clean, and the rooms are a nice size. We stayed on the 2nd floor in a King Room, and it was very spacious. The beds are comfortable, and there was a fireplace inside.The staff is friendly and was responsive to our needs. Check-in was quick and easy.The only minor cons is the parking lot is a tight squeeze, as are the showers. However, way more positives. And we will be back the next time we are in town.
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September 2023 by Grace L.
Phenomenal dining experience. From start to finish, every bite and every second of the meal was so beautiful. True fine dining service at it's FINEST. You can truly feel the beauty of your surroundings through all senses. 100% would drive up from LA for another dinner here in the future. Thank you Harbor House Inn for an epic tasting for our first wedding anniversary.
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September 2023 by Lian T.
Perfect meal - we went for lunch. Got there early so we could explore the property and walk down to the beach. The only thing I would've done differently is had our last dessert course on the patio. So lovely.
