It's amazing a restaurant with excellent food, a comprehensive wine list ,elegant decor and situated in such a beautiful location is afflicted with an abundance of poorly trained waitstaff.

To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, we booked a reservation for dinner at 7:00 pm on a Saturday evening. Upon arrival, the hostess was unable to immediately locate our reservation. Although we had spelled our last name when making the reservation the actual name written in the reservation book was definitely a phonetic spelling.

As we were shown to our table, an empty service tray was blocking access to one side of the table. Instead of moving the tray promptly, we stood until the waitstaff finished servicing the neighboring table.

Once seated, we were left unattended for well over 15 minutes..no water, no bread, no acknowledgment...nothing. Finally a waitperson approached and asked if we'd been helped. When we responded that we had not been, she informed us she would speak with the hostess to find out who our waitperson was. After another several minutes passed, she returned and said our waitperson was busy and did we "know what we wanted to order". We place our order at which time bread and water was finally delivered to the table.

Our salads and entrees arrived within the next 30 minutes and were excellent. We cannot fault the food. My husband ordered the duck while I choose the sand dabs. Both were perfectly cooked and tastefully presented. No effort was made however to inquire as to whether we would like to order additional wine or would have liked more bread or water. Both of which we would have appreciated.

After enduring the continued cursory service, we left Windows and enjoyed dessert and coffee at Dorns where the service was immeasurably better.

While wine tasting the following day, we met several local couples who shared with us that the service we received while dining at Windows was not unusual. Should we ever visit Morro Bay again, we certainly won't be dining at Windows.

Looking for a wonderful spot to catch the sunset in Morro Bay?

End your day on the small patio (only 1 or 2 tables ) facing the ocean at Windows on the Water. Stop by the bar and pick up a nice glass of wine or your favorite cocktail. The small patio is just across from the bar and faces out on the bay.

From here you can see seals, sea birds, kayaks and sail boats all coming into the bay. If you're lucky, you might even see the occasional sea otter.

Although protected from the ocean breeze, you may need a jacket, so come prepared.

My daughter who lives in the area picked this restaurant. What great food and a fabulous view. The restaurant is located right on the water. We saw otter's playing and people kayaking. It was a beautiful day, and we opted for an early dinner, so we could go to an early evening church service that night at Shoreline Calvary Chapel. Pastor Tonye Holyde gave an awesome sermon, but I digress.
Back to the restaurant, the food was delicious and the plates were like art pieces. I wish I had taken pictures. I had the Alaskan Halibut, and it had an abundance of cooked potatoes and vegetables to go with it. My husband had Salmon, and my daughter had a wonderful Chicken dish. The meals were just the right size too, not huge but not small either. I would say just right.
We also had great desserts. A flourless chocolate cake, and I had a lemon soufflé. Both were excellent. The prices were on the high side, but you do get a great meal and a spectacular view.

What more could you want? Fabulous view, wonderful, courteous service, and great food. On the entry ramp are awards from several years of local reviews. Windows always comes up the winner for best restaurant on the north coast of San Luis Obispo county. It also boasts an award winning wine list for Wine Spectator Magazine. Definitely a keeper!