With its stunning views of Bodega Bay, convenient location, and ample parking, Lucas Wharf Restaurant has been a popular stop on the Sonoma coast since it opened in the early 1980s. The food was a different story. Let’s just say it never made my annual “best restaurants” list. This year, it probably will.
(Side note: Fishetarian, the restaurant’s fast-casual seafood counterpart, is spectacular.)
The seaside restaurant, which abruptly closed last March, reopened in mid-August as Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Lucas Wharf. Within days, new owners and long-time restauranteurs Brandon Guenther and Shona Campbell had a huge success on their hands. And the excitement just keeps growing.
Locally sourced seafood, celebrity chef Jamilah Nixon (of Jam’s Joy Bungalow) and a full bar have made the restaurant a new destination for visitors and locals seeking the experience that coastal restaurants often promise but rarely deliver.
But Lucas Wharf has always been more than just another seaside restaurant for Guenther and Campbell. The couple, who also own Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Valley Ford, loved its historic mahogany charm and rugged aura and frequented the restaurant on days off. Saving it after it closed last year was a no-brainer.
Once known as Lazio Dock, the restaurant was a centerpiece of the local seafood industry, processing salmon, shrimp, rockfish, crab and all other types of seafood caught in the bay and surrounding areas.
“Lucas Wharf was important to the community. Seeing it empty for so long was driving me crazy, so we jumped on it and threw ourselves to the wolves to get it reopened,” said Guenther. “We wanted it for the community, even though I didn’t want to give up our favorite spots at the bar.”
The food
The menu, created by Guenther and Chef Nixon, features classic wharf food with some Southern accents—not surprising, since the original Rocker Oysterfeller’s restaurant in Valley Ford focuses on dishes like shrimp and grits and fried chicken (as well as oysters). However, the two restaurants are literally and figuratively miles apart.
While Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf focuses on “surf” dishes like fatty Captain’s Platters with fried fish, calamari and chips, peel-and-eat shrimp, blackened rock fish and chowder, Rocker Oysterfeller’s Roadhouse (the new name) will pivot its menu toward “turf,” with fried chicken, pasta and burgers (the fish tacos and oysters will remain, though). (The daily happy hour is a Valley Ford tradition and highly recommended.)
Guenther said the couple recently closed their third Rocker’s location in Placerville so they could focus on the new restaurant in Bodega Bay.
The mood
Lucas Wharf’s brick-red exterior and old-fashioned interior have intentionally remained largely the same.
However, to add a little more freshness, artist Joe Szuecs has created a metal kelp garden with moving lights above the dining room, reminiscent of the bay’s aquatic life.
The bar is still a focal point, seating and window views are always in demand. There are no reservations, so you’ll likely have to wait if you come during peak times.
“This place already has a solid following, so we’re constantly getting people who have been coming here for years. They’re happy that it’s back,” said Guenther. “We’re definitely going to have a lot of fun there.”
Best bets
Butterball Potato and Manila Clam Soup, $9.95: Not your average pie chowdah. Rocker’s version has a New Orleans-style roux as a base, giving it a light caramel color and tons of flavor. Not too thick or too thin, but just right in between. Served with applewood smoked bacon and garlic toast to soak up all the goodness.
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, $19.95: Wild Gulf shrimp with shell on in Worcestershire butter sauce. The mess is worth it.
Pan-fried local fish fillet, $29.95: Rockfish (also known as redfish or Pacific red snapper) is a local favorite and a mainstay on this menu. The varieties change with the season—we had it with blackened spice, basmati rice, corn and summer squash, black-eyed peas, and green tomato chowchow. You’ll be a fan even if you’re not. When the whole char-grilled rockfish with garlic butter and fennel (with jambalaya fried rice) is available, it’s also spectacular.
Captain’s Plate, $38.95: This is the holy grail for pilgrims who love fried seafood. An incredible amount of brine-fried shrimp, beer-battered cod, salt and pepper calamari, a Dungeness crab cake and Kennebec fries, served with tartare, remoulade and cocktail sauce for dipping. Easily enough for two. I’ve searched the coast for decades for something this impressive and have never found it before – compliments to the captain’s kitchen.
Rémoulade Louis salad with Dungeness crab, $29.95: Soft butter lettuce, toy box tomatoes, pickled onions and a soft-yolk egg provide the backdrop. A pile of fresh crab is dressed with a Cajun-spiced twist on the classic Crab Louie dressing.
Smoked Salmon Dip, $14.95: Exactly what it promises. Creamy smoked salmon with salty capers, salmon roe, fresh herbs and lots of cream cheese – another delicious dipper.
Banana Pudding, $11.95: Tiramisu meets English trifle and maw-maws comfort food. Although it was originally introduced in the North, this easy banana pudding recipe is layered with ‘Nilla wafers soaked in Saint George NOLA coffee liqueur. Your inner child will squeal while your adult self thoughtfully savors the intense coffee and banana flavors.
Also great: The menu at Rocker Oysterfeller’s in Lucas Wharf is extensive and the portions generous. We barely managed a handful of dishes before we had to give up. Guenther said the PEI mussels in a Creole tomato beer broth with andouille sausage ($23.95) is a personal favorite, along with the ever-evolving Chilled Seafood Tower ($49.95) with raw oysters, mussels, shrimp, smoked fish dip and pickled corn. If you’re not a huge seafood fan, steak and pasta are also available.
Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 595 Highway 1, Bodega Bay, 707-772-5670, rockeroysterfellers.com
Carey Sweet contributed to this article.
