DiStasio’s on the Bay

On our mini vacay we were looking for a good steakhouse in Morro Bay — we were beyond pleasantly surprised when we found Distasio’s. First, we were greeted like special guests when walked in. Very nice and courteous server. The owners came to our table twice to make sure our steak was satisfactory. It was excellent. a 14 oz ribeye marinated in hickory bbq bourbon sauce — so good! I had the veggies as a side dish and the hubby had the alfredo — we were very happy. Then the garlic cheese bread? perfect. We look forward to visiting Morro Bay again soon and will definitely be eating at Distasio’s

My husband and I travel to Morrow Bay about every 3 months, I have to eat at least once while we are here! The food is wonderful and the prices are reasonable. The view of the bay from the Windows are beautiful! They just opened the wine bar and it is absolutely gorgeuous! The owner always talks to the guests and is very welcoming. It’s one of the things we really like about this place! The view out the windows are wonderful but the food and customer service is the real winner! It’s hard to choose between the marinara sauce and the Alfredo so I usually get both

Was ok. Decent but not great. What you’d expect from a place that had an opening at 6 on a fri night. Probably wouldn’t go back.

First time trying this place. We were seated right away but waited an eternity just to get out soups and salad and another century for our entrees. Maybe under staffed or whatever. Bad first impression. Food is good though. Don’t come during dinner rush if you’re in any kind of hurry or are impatient.

It was a Saturday night, we were looking for something out of the ordinary. We first thought Mexican, but our favorite Mexican place had a 45 min wait, just to sit in the bar for dinner. Not what we were looking for. So we drove around a little, decided Italian would be good, our usual Italian place was closed, (not a good sign considering it was a Saturday night after all). So we drove around a little more, when we sat the sign for DiStasio’s on the Bay.
We remembered there used to be a little place in Los Osos and we used to get take out from by the same name, so what the heck, let’s try it.
One of the best decisions we’ve ever made.
First off, there is no bad table in the place. With windows on 3 sides of the building EVERY table has an unobstructed view of the bay. Since it’s winter and was nigh time, this didn’t help us much but, boy oh boy, am I going to remember this little tidbit for my summer dining/​viewing pleasure.
Next the service… Our server, (who’s name I neglected to get), has been with the restaurant since it was in Los Osos. She knew her menu inside out, backwards and forwards. She was truly a well trained professional. Young, bright, charming and funny. I would come back just to enjoy the view and yuck it up with her. The supporting staff was equally and charming. The hostess was prompt with her attention to us and the buss staff did their work gracefully and without intrusion.
Now for the main event-​the food. Let me just say OMG — OMG — OMG. We shared the pasta special, (this is an Italian place after all), and we were NOT disappointed. Moist perfectly prepared chicken breast slices on a bed of al’dente pene pasta under a delicate vodka sauce. When we inquired about the sauce, (totally out of this world), we were told it all starts with a ‘dash’ of their 100 year old recipe marinara sauce and a ‘pinch’ of their alfredo sauce. The serving was the perfect size to split as it came with a salad or soup, (we shared the salad also delicious), and a bread basket that was never left empty.
As any good Saturday night dinner should have we splurged on the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted. That is saying a lot considering how much I love Tiramisu and how many times I have made it myself over my lifetime. In my book, there is no better dessert.
Of course we has wine with our dinner, their selection was just what you would expect from this quality of dinning experience. Oh and did I mention there is a wine bar attached to the restaurant which is now under the same management as the restaurant. Another note to self about where to go once the days start getting longer and the view goes on forever.
This is one of those places that I’m dyeing to tell everyone about because it’s so good, but don’t want to tell anyone about because I want to keep it for myself. As you see, my better angle won out, I am sharing the find of the season with you.

Had dinner today for two, me and my boyfriend, was very very happy with my time here on New Year’s Eve. Great service– great food! Loved the environment. We got sat right away with no wait.

It’s not very often I have a dining experience that is so bad that I feel obligated to write a review to possibly save someone else from having the same experience.
This restaurant is that bad. My friend and I went there for dinner with my elderly parents. Other than ours, there were only four tables occupied, with two servers – so, two tables per server – not a heavy workload.
As soon as our waiter took our drink order, he let us know he couldn’t bring it to us immediately because of the «large table» he was serving. The large table consisted of six people, and he must have expected them to be good tippers, because he spent all of his time at that table while ignoring ours. We were getting such crappy service that the other server actually took pity on us even though it wasn’t her table, and kept bringing us stuff that our waiter forgot or never got around to.
The food, when we finally got it, was not good. My parents both ordered the eggplant parmigiana, and it was burned and hard like a hockey puck. You couldn’t cut it even with a sharp knife. We called the waiter over and sent it back. When he came back with the re-​made eggplant parmigianas, he said, «Now this is what it’s supposed to look like!» to which my friend replied, «If you knew that is what it’s supposed to look like, why did you serve them that crap the first time?» He said he hadn’t noticed what it looked like the first time he brought it out. We asked him to comp the two orders of eggplant. He said he would, but then only comped one when he brought us the bill.
So if you want to be ignored and served food by waiters who can’t be bothered to notice what they are serving you, by all means, eat here. Otherwise, my advice is to avoid it like the plague.

The view was nice. Our server Nicole was a sweet heart and made sure we were taken care of. Unfortunately, that did not make the meal.
The food was very disappointing. The bread, though warm, was a cheap sour dough knock off, which should have been a traditional baguette. The Ceasar Salad was wilted Romain lettuce that lacked any crispness and was drowning in dressing. My husband ordered the Half and Half that really was ¾ spaghetti and ¼ frozen raviolies. Needless to say, it was decieving.

This is some of the best Italian food I’ve eaten in this area, but I can only speak from the experience of ordering the same thing every single time I go: sundried tomato and smoked cheese ravioli! As a vegetarian who has high expectations for pasta, I’m not easy to please when it comes to Italian food. I tested out the sundried tomato and smoked cheese ravioli and fell in love. The sauce is a tomato-​garlic marinara-​type sauce and is a bit thin, but is delicious, as is the ravioli itself. It has a smoky cheese flavor that is not overwhelming, and pairs great with the tomato-​garlic sauce.
The portion size itself is standard, but I always manage to finish all of the ravioli and never have leftovers, even after buying a dinner salad and eating the complimentary bread, so I would say it’s a bit pricey for how much you get, given that the side salads aren’t cheap and are a bit mediocre, hence the 4 star review rather than 5. At the end of the day, to walk out full/​satisfied, you have to pay around $ 20+ a person (for an entrée plus salad), which is pricey, but given that all the restaurants near the bay charge handsomely for the location/​view, it’s comparable. The view of Morro Rock is gorgeous from the restaurant’s picture windows.
As I said, the dinner salad is mediocre. It’s generally a lot of iceberg lettuce with many red onions and a few carrots, peppers, and tomato slices in a house balsamic dressing. I’m not a big fan of any salad with iceberg lettuce as the main ingredient because it has virtually no nutrition value and no flavor, in my opinion. The bread is usually warm, is unlimited (which I like!) and comes with small packets of butter or olive oil. It is not an herb bread, so be prepared for standard, basic bread. Not wonderful, but not bad.
I’ve tried the Capellini au Naturale, and it was good, but not nearly as flavorful as the ravioli, so I’ve opted to just stick with my favorite dish.
I always try to miss the dinner rush and eat there between 5 – 6 p.m., which is a bit early, but by the time I finish, the place has filled up. Service has always been friendly, prompt, and attentive when I’ve gone, and I’ve never had any issues with slow service.
In sum, the 4 stars are for the uniqueness and delicious taste of the ravioli dish, as well as good service and good views. Just make sure you can afford it!

Ordered the cheese plate, came with ritz crackers! The Cannelloni was very bland!
Server was to new had to keep asking for the essentials, no recommendations, the view was killer thou! Would definitely not go back!

WOW did we have an amazing dinner at DiStasio’s on the Bay!!! Walked around the Harbor Festival and after checking out all the dining options we decided to give it a try. Front of house staff were very friendly, and the manager on duty was very accommodating. We opted to wait the 10 minutes or so for a table at the window that overlooks the bay. They have nightly specials on the menu — we went with the Rib Eye steak special that had sautéed mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese on top with a side of fresh vegetable medley and a dinner salad. The plates of food were very impressive, looked and smelled amazing. The steaks were cooked to perfection — had a beautiful char to them and cut like butter. Very flavorful and juicy, i would venture to say this was the best steak dinner the wife and I have ever had! We will most certainly be returning and very highly recommend all to dine here. The server was very attentive and friendly as well. Very enjoyable evening.

To start the bread was dry and tasted old. Then, I don’t know why, since the bread was horrible I ordered the bruschetta. It was tomatoes On toast literally. I ordered the Brachole. Dry, dry and expensive. The saving grace was the sauce. Which was all right. Way overpriced.

Third… time going there with my husband. First time when it opened food was great. fresh and home made… second time we could not eat the spaghetti and meatballs. definitely different we asked the server if they had a new cook? The cook came out a lady said she would make a new one fir us she was sorry. we did not go again for a while. yesterday my husband went in to give another chance… boy what a mistake the sauce actually tasted made from a jar. doctored up with lots of garlic… I’m soooo disappointed it did not stay the same and they are cutting corners… we will no longer go again it’s a waste of money. will be looking fir a new Italian place…

Friends cancelled going out one evening so on spare of moment I came here. I had a taste for spaghetti and meatballs but decided to try the lasagna. I’m Italian, this was delicious and a great choice. Salad, bread, vino, lasagna. Nice surprise, quite delicious. I recommend. Service was excellent, ambiance nice with an overview of the Embarcadero, the bay and of course «the rock».
Ambiance, food quality, quantity, value, service = 5 stars. I’m usually stingy with the stars so this is my high compliment because I really enjoyed my meal and how I was treated by the friendly staff.
Back again with a party of 6, kudos all around; lasagna, meatballs, chicken, sausage, ravioli, and finishing with amazingly wonderful Spumoni, also a surprise lemoncello! Everybody enjoyed their meals.
I’ll be back.

I’m giving this restaurant 1 star because the food was very good.
Unfortunately, the service was over priced and terrible. After being seated by an apathetic hostess, our server forgot our salads and soup and it took over an hour for our meal to be delivered after the drinks.
Upon receipt of our check, we were informed that the restaurant’s credit card server was down and we either had to go the bank and withdraw cash to pay for our check, or they would write down our card number and charge us at the end of the night.
We will not be returning.
Everyone was friendly but attention to detail and service were severely lacking.

Nice wine bar. Nice view of the bay and the rock. That being said, we were not at all impressed with the food. The portions were super skimpy in comparison to the price. As for taste, both times we ate here, our pasta dishes were barely «meh,» almost bordering on blahhhh. The seafood portions were so small that we needed microscopes. We decided after our second visit that even though the view was great, we wouldn’t return to this restaurant again.

The smell of the garlic bread wafting out of the restaurant drew us in! We were not disappointed! That sat 10 of us on a busy weekend in under a half an hour. They split the check for us without blinking twice. The service and the food are both amazing! I would definitely go back the next time I am in Morro Bay!

Dined here on 5÷22÷15.
The place was a ghost town at 6:30 pm on a Friday/​holiday weekend, that should have been a sign. I cook for our family and I can throw down some mean Italian food .
I had a girlfriend who was from Sicily and she taught me tons about Italian cuisine.
.
«DiStasio’s Special» Calzone
Includes 6 toppings-​mushroom, salami, onion, pepperoni, green peppers, black olives $ 12.50
I could not find even one piece of salami. The Cazone was very small and maybe 1 inch thick. It had the flavor of being frozen. The Marinara sauce was very bland. Not worth $ 12.50. I make homemade Calzone and Marinara from scratch and this was not it.
The dinner salad was fresh but the dressing was very bland with no hint of seasoning at all.
Miss Mari had the Butternut Ravioli and liked it, the sauce was very rich and tasty.
The staff was very attentive and the view was beautiful.
This place could rock with the prime location but food is a priority in a restaurant.
Two stars for the view and the staff.

Wir haben hier heute die Pasta ausprobiert (Ravioli und Spaghetti sowie die Meatballs).
Ich kann nicht sagen, dass sie schlecht war. Aber umgehauen hat sie mich nicht und die Portion hätte etwas größer sein können.
Die Bedienung war nicht die schnellste und hat leider auch vergessen, uns neues Brot zu bringen. Obwohl sie es uns angeboten hatte.
Alles in allem okay. Drei Sterne für Essen und Ausblick!

Great restaurant! Was seated promptly and the staff was just perfect, super friendly but not over bearing. I had the halibut with asparagus and roasted veggies and it was perfect and tasty, no seasoning needed. When I was done the owner brought me my bill and asked if everything was OK. I told him it was great. When he brought my credit card back he thanked me for coming in.
Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be very pleased with their meals. More restaurants could learn from this one on how to treat people.
BTW awesome view!

The first thing I noticed when I walked into this restaurant is the nice view from the dining area. We had a perfect view of ‘Morro Rock’ with the sunset in the distance.
Visiting Morro Bay spoiled me in the sense that everyone in this city is very friendly. We were always greeted, with a smile every where we went. Our waitresses and waiters were always very polite. I believe that set the standard for everywhere else, which is why I gave this place a 3 stars (aside from the shrimp scampi being ehhhh) the staff was just average. Our service also seemed to be a little slow considering there was only about 4 groups in the restaurant.