Review - Restaurant - Dorn's

I wanted to treat myself to a nice dinner one night and decided to try out Dorn's. I had a bad filet mignon there a couple years back (totally charred on the outside), but I wanted to give them a second chance. Although they are not on the waterfront, they have a nice view of the Bay.

I ordered a salad and chicken Marsala. The sodas were bottomless, and they served a nice bread with the meal. The salad was Romaine with beets and carrots, and good blue cheese dressing. The chicken was fantastic, double-breast with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Big chunks of mushrooms in the sauce, so it was easy for me to pick them out!!

I went to Dorn's again last night and was only slightly disappointed this time.

We ordered the clams appetizer and although I didn't partake, the others said they were great. There were so many that they couldn't even finish them!!

I ordered the filet mignon and it was fantastic!! However, I was not thrilled with the roasted red potatoes, too dry and the hard rosemary on the outside was a turn-off. My friend told me that broccoli was cooked perfectly, although since I am not a broccoli fan I passed. My salad was large and used Romaine lettuce. For some reason I didn't like the beets this time, they tasted strange to me. Perhaps I am coming down with something and my taster if "off"? The sourdough bread came to the table already sliced and so it was dried out. My other friend ordered a steak sandwich, medium rare. The steak was so thin and unevenly sliced that about half of it was dry, though. Their french fries are great, nice a hot and crispy. My friend ordered the chicken Marsala and it wasn't as good as my previous experience, dry and not as flavorful.

We decided to order a creme brulee to split, and it was yummy, the blueberries were a perfect flavor addition.

I decided to stop at Dorn's for lunch, and was not disappointed!! The view was fantastic, one of the best days this Summer. I ordered the cheeseburger, with a full Caesar salad, and a bottomless soda. I also chose to have bread on the side. They brought out water for me while I waited, which was appreciated. I was surprised that there was no menu on the door. There were nice shady tables outside, a perfect breeze, and umbrellas. The fresh plants on the tables and deck were a nice detail. The deck has a glass shield at head-high so the breeze won't interfere with your dining experience. While I waited for my lunch, I enjoyed watching the tourists on the Embarcadero below. I also heard the seals at the Aquarium, all part of the Morro Bay experience!! I loved the thick napkins, too.

The Caesar salad was fantastic, it could definitely be considered a meal in and of itself. They offer the option to add protein to the salad, which I will definitely consider the next time I dine here. The pieces of Romaine were small enough to be able to eat delicately, and the strong shreds of Parmesan were perfect. The dressing was a bit spicy to my tongue, not sure if there was too much pepper or vinegar. Croutons were also nice and crunchy. They offer a 1/2 salad, but it was only $2.50 less so I ordered the whole salad!!

The sourdough bread this time was nice and warm, and I finished it all. You can't waste good sourdough bread, right?

The cheeseburger was humongous!! Although it didn't seem to be the medium-rare that I had ordered. Perhaps this was due to the fact that it came to the table without the cheese and the server took it back to get melted cheese on it. The french fries were good, nothing exceptional. I ate a couple bites of the pickle while I wondered about the inclusion of the beet on my plate!!

The bottom line is that the quality of their food seems to be inconsistent. Even the same dish can be wonderful one visit and not-so-good the next. The service was good, although as a single diner I didn't appreciate the server's "Just you?". I will definitely return here and hope for the best!!


I decided to try the Caesar salad with chicken for lunch last week. It was great, although I wish there had been more chicken. I love that the croutons were made from the restaurant's sourdough bread. I had water with the salad and it was a relatively healthy lunch. It can be expensive, though. I will definitely return here in the future when I want great service, great food, and a great view.

I came here in March for my birthday and ordered the Chicken Marsala. It was nice and tasty, the salad and bread were perfect, and I ordered the chocolate mousse for dessert!!

I also recently took my cousin here, who was visiting from Japan, and he enjoyed the blackened local fish. It came with so much broccoli I was shocked that he was able to finish!!  I ordered the chicken Caesar salad, which was great with the home made croutons and sourdough bread!

This is really one of my "go-to" places when people are visiting Morro Bay.