Mcgrath's Fish House Corvallis

I had lunch with my mom here and I was really let down. When we arrived, the host said there would be a 10-minute wait even though the restaurant was more than half empty; and we weren't the only ones waiting. It's rare to see a line form at such an empty restaurant. The food wasn't much better. My lobster tails were overcooked and the side vegetables were soaked in grease. The only saving grace was the complimentary bread, which was delicious.

McGrath's is known as a high-end dining option in Corvallis. It is located next to a soon-to-be-closed Kmart. The restaurant offers a variety of seafood dishes, including fish pastas and their new fusion creation, Thai shrimp tacos. My go-to dish has always been their seafood sauté pasta in a delicious wine sauce. The fish & chips is also a popular choice. Another standout option is the hazelnut sole. The quality of the food and service at McGrath's can vary depending on how busy it is and the day of the week. Despite this, it is a pleasant restaurant located off the highway.

*ENTER MCGRATHS* Me: Seating for 2 please. Hostess: Name? Craig: Craig H: It is going to be about 10 min. C: ok. New group of 3 come in.. H: It is going to be a few. New group sits Couple min later, hostess calls the group of 3 and seats them Hostess comes back and i sked her how that happened when we were first. 2nd hostess said she wasnt sure, she wi go find out. Then both hostesses come back to podium as well as who appeared to be management.. all 3 were just chatting, not answering my question So i ask again.. Did you guys figure out how they went before us? ORIGINAL HOSTESS says. You wanted a table and they only had a booth. M. I never asked for a table or a booth. ORIGINAL HOSTESS; WELL OUR BOOTHS ARE REALLY TINY...... ME: Oh, I see, and i am too huge, right? That is fucked up! Craig: Yes, it sure is!!! *walked out* WILL NEVER GO BACK.

I enjoy seafood, so McGrath's is a logical choice for a place for me to eat. They have a wide variety of seafood and even non-seafood items. I've been to this location a couple times and had a great experience every time. I've found the wait staff to be very friendly and engaging. The ambience is very nice for a date setting as the lighting is a little bit more intimate than other restaurants. The times I have been here I've had the fish and chips and the portion is very generous. I've never been able to finish it. The clam chowder isn't the best I've ever had but it is pretty good. I tried my first oysters (fried and regular style) and those were both really good. I'm told by my dates the salmon is excellent. The food prices are a little high, but most seafood specialty restaurants are. For a first or second date, this is a great place to take someone. The staff is pleasant, the ambiance is great, the food is very good, and there is a decent variety of food choices in case seafood isn't the best option. I would absolutely eat here again.

Food was very good, however, I would expect a seafood restaurant located 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean to have oysters. We wanted to buy 1/2 dozen oysters in the half shell and they were out of oysters .... what??? Are you kidding me???? So we substituted and went with the steamer clams for our appetizer and I have to say the serving size was pretty skimpy. I came to eat some seafood so please serve it up. Perhaps they were saving the clams so they didn't run out of those too. But the most disappointing part of this lunch was our server, Sarah. Maybe she was just having an off day or had other things on her mind but it felt like me being there trying to have lunch was a huge inconvenience to her whole day. Poor attitude, she seemed pissed off the entire time. She took a long time to start with our table and then checked in us very minimally. The food was delicious, the rest of the experience has convinced me it probably better to simply drive to Newport for my seafood Lynch's from now on. Thanks for making the decision easier Sarah, I hope your day is better.