McMenamins on the Columbia

Monday evening around 8 PM, not exactly peak rush, and we waited over an hour for two salads. No one checked in to explain the delay, and the staff didn’t seem particularly concerned.

The food itself was alright once it finally arrived, but absolutely not worth the wait, and definitely not worth the price. For what we paid, I expected better service and a smoother experience all around.

The one thing this place has going for it is the location. Sitting right on the river, the view is beautiful and relaxing. But that’s not enough to make up for the frustrating service or the overpriced, underwhelming food.

Unless you’re here just for the view and maybe a drink, I’d recommend going elsewhere.

We had a great experience. Got to get a basket of tots/ fries from our passport stamps and also ordered a mystic burger with salad to share plus root beers for post triathlon training (means we were hungry), and on a very hot day. We ended up eating only half our fries and tots—the serving is big enough to share. We ordered our favorite sauces and dips—step aside Mystic, Ranch and Terminator Mustard… my new fav dip is garlic and truffle aioli. Server was amazing—anticipated our needs and kept clear expectations about food time line—it was busy but we got a table outdoors under the umbrellas and food came out in perfect timing and we’ll-presented. A perfect post workout meal!!

This is the first time that I’ve come to this location and I was disappointed towards the end of our visit. We had already paid our check and were just chilling there for a little bit longer because mind you we hadn’t even finished our food yet. Another server comes and asks us for To go boxes and we tell him no thank you & he asks if we want the check, I told him we already paid for our food the receipt is right there, and then he takes my plate away that I wasn’t even finished eating off of. I feel like we were being rushed out which was ridiculous because we paid to sit there and eat. Honestly it just made the experience not great at this location. Be prepared to possibly be rushed out of here and you are better off going to the location in Kalama the service is way better & they are a lot more friendly. The food was good but they also have more options at the other location.

Excellent spot for a great lunch! The waiter was awesome. The food is fantastic! What more could you ask for?

Food was served cold. Consolidated cheese, cold tots, fires, and luke warm clam chowder....cold toasted mini buns. Lol. At some point the did touch the fire. Well before they got delivered to the table. Extra long wait for food to come out. Asked for clam chowder as an appetizer and it came out luke warm with well done burgers. Messy soup bowl with dried soup on the side from the sitting. Beware of the expired sirachi!!!!!!! Expired in February!!!

Romero was the best server EVER! The restaurant was busy and he was so attentive, checked on us often and had great recommendations.

oh..my gosh!! 😁😁😁 this was the best place EVER!! 😣😣 i loved this ethnic african food!!! 🥘 even though bob fell down the stairs..what an idiot...this made the experience better!! 🥰🥰🥰 i didnt have to hear his wails because he tore his vocal chords!!! 🥳🥳 ordered the tarter tots the cheeseburger slider trio...😋😋 the tater tots were SO crispy!! reminds me of my ex...jackson..the grilled cheese..😣😣🤧🤧 the burgers were EXCELLENT!!! 😇😇😇 please come here!!! 😛😛😚😚😚

McMenamins on the Columbia has a super cool vibe and the location is hard to beat—right along the river with a great view. It’s a chill spot to hang out, especially on nice days. That said, the food menu is pretty limited. If you’re looking for more variety, this might not be the place, but it’s still a solid spot for drinks and the atmosphere alone

Other than the location and atmosphere, I'm not sure it's worth it. My wife's turkey sandwich was mostly bread with deli slices of meat. My meal was passable, but given the price, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The service was lackluster, with weak soda and weak smiles and long waits between. It's really not worth returning unless you want the river view... But I'd likely try a different restaurant along the same beach rather than go back by choice.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

I've only ate here a few times tbh, but working here is absolutely horrible.

Hours on a weekly and daily basis are inconsistent, poor training, just thrown to cook a bunch of stuff on line and gave a pamphlet with not much information.

They only give you a fair amount of hours during training and could be anywhere from 10-20 hours a week.

Was let go early for dubious reasons, one was from too many mistakes, another because I was snacking on something because I didn't get a lunch break.

I only worked the summer which is the busiest and worst time to work here. This will likely be my last culinary/foodservice job as well.

The food is "good" but its overpriced and they do have some good beer and cider.

Was just another hostile work environment, no one wanted to be there especially BOH.

Also told the managers and a few others about my health problems and no accommodation was provided whatsoever. No extra breaks, etc. and yelled at when I make a mistake due to my brain fog and fatigue.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The Jamaican rice bowl was much too spicy for my taste. Otherwise, it was good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Nice View. Friendly service.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

My daughter and I come here once a week to have dinner.And Enjoy the view.
Last night was the worst . The fries were cold, hardly any cheese to dip our pretzels in and our dessert was missing one of the main ingredient , the cherry.and sauce. Very disappointing

Atmosphere: 2

1st time to Mcmenamins. Friendly staff, good menu to choose from, lots of restaurants to choose from up the I-5 corridor. Atmosphere was fun. Would absolutely go back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tater Tots, Chowder, Sandwich

I arrived and told the waiter I was really hungry. Ate all my snacks prior but wanted something freshly cooked and warm. I asked about the menus and suggestions. He provided some. I settled for Fish and Chips since I had them here before and tater tots. The place was surprisingly not busy for a beautiful 80° weather on 2nd day of autumn.
I asked for a quick option before my meal to get me started. Ordered Clam Chowder since I love it here. After 26 minutes still no soup. Tried to flagg down my server and other staff also walked up to the bar and was ignored and felt like an inconvenience.
At this point I asked about my food. Really wanted the soup but thought my food may be coming soon? I was confused why it too over 25 minutes to get a cup of soup???
My waiter brought my food out short after he went to check on it. NO soup ??? he decided I didn't need it at this point.

My food was SO GREASY AND SOGGY it was very difficult to eat but ai was hungry. Did my best to pick through it.

Not sure what happened today since this is a frequent stop for me after or before my daily walk at the waterfront trail.

The waiter looked miserable and grumpy. I felt sad for him. Thank goodness my days are always good- great but on a sunny day especially like today absolutely Fantastic!!!
I left feeling a ate a bucket of grease and was showered with a vibe/mood killer service. The ICE WATER WAS THE BEST PART OF MY MEAL.

Went next door and spent half the money at Beaches Restaurant. Happy Girl BUT WILL NEVER GO BACK.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 1