Blue Heron Restaurant & Tavern

The best place to enjoy a post bike ride beer and some pub food with the locals! I imagine this place will someday rival the likes of the Trailhouse in Santa Rosa as a hangout spot for park users as all of the new regional parks acquisitions open to the public!

Just parked here. Google keeps reminding me to review this place. It smelled really good!

This is a great spot. Good food and atmosphere.

Fun place with great food and beer.

This place is pretty great. We dig the blues music, the food is tasty and the view from the back dining room is pretty great. We love to sit by the little propane fireplace. Lots of locals seem to hangout during the winter months. We haven't been in the summer months, but we hear the patio is the place to be!

Arrived on a gorgeous mild day. Parking was slim due to the rodeo event happening nearby. A definite favorite of the locals_ it took time to get the attention of the busy staff where I ordered at the bar. The plates or trays of meals passed by whetted the appetite . Service was fairly quick after ordering I had the best tater tots of my life . Temperature crisp and soft insides were amazing. I usually avoid fried foods, choosing a Bleu cheese mushroom burger over the highly recommended fish and chips of the neighboring guests. The burger was very good, served hot with a lightly toasted bun. The people were fast friendly and attentive during a very busy time. Highly recommended.

We drove in for some dinner on an early Friday evening. We were greeted by very friendly staff and felt like we were part of the team. We ordered the fish and chips, tavern burger and the delicious mac n cheese. Bring your appetite because not only is it delicious, you will get big portions! Definitely check this friendly spot out.

Spent 3 days driving up North on highway 1 from LA to SF came across this place on on Google close to where we were staying and this was by far the best meal we had in 3 days traveling. Costs were a lot better than the rip off prices you would pay in the big city's staff and locals very friendly including the cat. We had the pulled pork sliders and burger both were delicious.

Good food. The baked mac and cheese was really great. We were there just as they opened for dinner at 5pm Tues, and the food was done quickly and well cooked.

Excellent service in quaint building with delicious menu! Marie, our hostess, was attentive and welcoming. When I accidentally made a mistake on our order, she was understanding and efficiently got us back on track. Don't miss their Mac n cheese!

Local restaurant bar in Duncan Mills. Fun stop, great food. I had great chicken wings.

This place is awesome, feels properly old schooo. Great beer selection, fun staff, and funny notes all around.

Great food!!!! Friendly and courteous staff. Always a good time at the Blue Heron💟 best bacon mac and cheese ever! Sesame seared ahi over greens!!! Delisssshhh🫶

Always great food and often great live music playing. Bartenders are awesome. The fish and chips is my go to for food there.

Chris Hutchings

Arrived on a gorgeous mild day. Parking was slim due to the rodeo event happening nearby. A definite favorite of the locals_ it took time to get the attention of the busy staff where I ordered at the bar. The plates or trays of meals passed by whetted the appetite . Service was fairly quick after ordering I had the best tater tots of my life . Temperature crisp and soft insides were amazing. I usually avoid fried foods, choosing a Bleu cheese mushroom burger over the highly recommended fish and chips of the neighboring guests. The burger was very good, served hot with a lightly toasted bun. The people were fast friendly and attentive during a very busy time. Highly recommended.

D Duran

We drove in for some dinner on an early Friday evening. We were greeted by very friendly staff and felt like we were part of the team. We ordered the fish and chips, tavern burger and the delicious mac n cheese. Bring your appetite because not only is it delicious, you will get big portions! Definitely check this friendly spot out.

Steven Truman

Spent 3 days driving up North on highway 1 from LA to SF came across this place on on Google close to where we were staying and this was by far the best meal we had in 3 days traveling. Costs were a lot better than the rip off prices you would pay in the big city's staff and locals very friendly including the cat. We had the pulled pork sliders and burger both were delicious.

Gabriel Rangel

Local restaurant bar in Duncan Mills. Fun stop, great food. I had great chicken wings.

Taf Fishy

Good food. The baked mac and cheese was really great. We were there just as they opened for dinner at 5pm Tues, and the food was done quickly and well cooked.

Teresa Sedano

Excellent service in quaint building with delicious menu! Marie, our hostess, was attentive and welcoming. When I accidentally made a mistake on our order, she was understanding and efficiently got us back on track. Don't miss their Mac n cheese!

sage s

This place is awesome, feels properly old schooo. Great beer selection, fun staff, and funny notes all around.

Jasmin Carles

Great food!!!! Friendly and courteous staff. Always a good time at the Blue Heron💟 best bacon mac and cheese ever! Sesame seared ahi over greens!!! Delisssshhh🫶

Jessica Collins

Always great food and often great live music playing. Bartenders are awesome. The fish and chips is my go to for food there.

FreeWolfRunning (Gru)

Very helpful staff awesome food at reasonable prices with wonderful views what more can you ask for.

I ate the the peanut butter cake twice. Once on the property and then just now at home. As delicious then as now. I absolutely recommend you eat some there and take some with you for the road! Road snack.

Over the top, food fabulous, prices very reasonable, they had a great band. Inside and outside dining and wonderful friendly staff. Also dog friendly, great atmosphere 👌 yummy seafood, burgers and so much more.

This is one of my favorite local restaurants for nearly 20 years! Cozy dining with excellent upscale pub food, awesome staff (Dave the bartender rocks!!!) and friendly locals. They have pet-friendly outdoor seating, kid menu, in-house dining, and separate bar with great local musicians on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday’s (call to confirm their schedule), and on Sunday afternoons during the summer months on their outside patio with attached stage. My favorites are seared ahi appetizer and salad, salmon and whitefish fish & chips, specialty burgers, lamb sliders, and the BEST FRENCH FRIES (sweet potato, garlic & regular)!!! A wonderful stop for families, drinks with friends, and hanging with the locals. Solo diners will feel equally comfortable, welcome, and safe here too…

Food was excellent, full bar, great live music, and a fun vibe

Locals Tavern. Great food, live music. Laid back atmosphere.

What an awesome spot. We came in for dinner late on a weeknight, so we ate in the tavern where the party was. We were able to order a delicious meal with our beers. Definitely get the fries. But the most special thing about this place is the history and the vibe and the community. Seems like a real favorite for locals, and it was great to get a taste of that during our vacation out here.

After years of driving by, we finally stopped for dinner. This bar/pub serves great comfort food. The shrimp basket was fantastic. Fresh hand dipped shrimp with fries and coleslaw. Good assortment of beer.

We spent Super Bowl Sunday at Blue Heron and had a fantastic meal. The sesame-crusted ahi tuna salad and shrimp scampi were both fresh, flavorful, and clearly well prepared. What really impressed me though was the service. I accidentally left my bag and water bottle behind, and Tom took the time to ship everything back to my home. That kind of kindness is rare and says a lot about this place. Good vibes, great food, and staff who truly care. Highly recommend.

Heather Drickey

Locals Tavern. Great food, live music. Laid back atmosphere.

Nathaniel Mansker

This is a great spot. Good food and atmosphere.

Tk421 Atpost

I ate the the peanut butter cake twice. Once on the property and then just now at home. As delicious then as now. I absolutely recommend you eat some there and take some with you for the road! Road snack.

Debbie Duke

Over the top, food fabulous, prices very reasonable, they had a great band. Inside and outside dining and wonderful friendly staff. Also dog friendly, great atmosphere 👌 yummy seafood, burgers and so much more.

Seth C

What an awesome spot. We came in for dinner late on a weeknight, so we ate in the tavern where the party was. We were able to order a delicious meal with our beers. Definitely get the fries. But the most special thing about this place is the history and the vibe and the community. Seems like a real favorite for locals, and it was great to get a taste of that during our vacation out here.

Barry Collins

After years of driving by, we finally stopped for dinner. This bar/pub serves great comfort food. The shrimp basket was fantastic. Fresh hand dipped shrimp with fries and coleslaw. Good assortment of beer.

Sharon Hustwit

This is one of my favorite local restaurants for nearly 20 years! Cozy dining with excellent upscale pub food, awesome staff (Dave the bartender rocks!!!) and friendly locals. They have pet-friendly outdoor seating, kid menu, in-house dining, and separate bar with great local musicians on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday’s (call to confirm their schedule), and on Sunday afternoons during the summer months on their outside patio with attached stage. My favorites are seared ahi appetizer and salad, salmon and whitefish fish & chips, specialty burgers, lamb sliders, and the BEST FRENCH FRIES (sweet potato, garlic & regular)!!! A wonderful stop for families, drinks with friends, and hanging with the locals. Solo diners will feel equally comfortable, welcome, and safe here too…

Had the Southwest chicken sandwich with tots. Generous portion with some tasty Hatch Chilis. Tots were crispy and plentiful. Full bar and decent beer selection. A VERY local spot where everyone knows each other. Was a rodeo happening across the street and most of the locals were hammered and pretty loud at just 530pm. It's an interesting vibe.

Delicious food, fun place to go on a weekend to sit in patio and listen to music. Unfortunately today my sister and I were trying to order food at a very busy bar, Everytime we tried to get bartenders attention she'd look the other way. She kept helping the men who were all coming up to the bar after us. She was more interested in waiting on the men and getting bigger tips. When she finally was told, by a male customer, that we were waiting to order she was very rude to us. Owner is very nice though.

Had a nice evening here outside on the patio. Food is good, no complaints at all but I don't even recall what we all ate after just a week. Very friendly staff, seemed very popular. It's a bit rundown but then everything in the area is the same

On the last day of our camping adventure we went out to eat for dinner. The Blue Heron has a large patio with lots of seating, the bar indoors is complete, and service was outstanding. The place is good and busy the evening we were there…oh yes live music inside that night also.

Ok so first, there's a funny guy who sells oysters out front, the habanero ones are the bomb, not too spicy either. The food in the restaurant is average. The servers are great. They were out of several of the beers I was interested in, but managed to have one I liked. It's a great little spot along the Russian River to drink, and the snack food like their onion rings are good. So I guess great spot for drinks, but average for dinner, with two thumbs up for the oyster guy.

Enjoyed pulling off the rd on a trip with my kiddos. This was a nice stop. Food was good. The baked Mac and cheese is a large portion and very yummy. Thanks guys and gals. Hope to come back with the wife and other kids.

On our coastal tour we ran into this place and were pleasantly surprised. Excellent BBQ pork spare ribs. So tender you didn’t even need a knife. Loved the old fashioned wood environment.

Cute place. It's pretentious & looks tiny at first glance. There's an outdoor dining area where they have live music. Inside, the bar is the happening place to be for locals & campers in the area. There's a dining area behind the bar with a large flat screen TV. The World Cup was on. Kudos! The Salmon & Chips were great. Russian River Draft Beer does not disappoint. The creamy Clam Chowder was also tasty. Not pictured is the hot fudge sundae I devoured after dinner. It was the perfect size after a tasty meal. Our server was friendly & stayed on top of it. I would dine here the next time I'm in the area.

We were outdoors only , Sunday music, great band, shared long wooden table, everyone was eating burgers and drinking beers, so we did too, all fab, great selection, my fav local Pliny the Elder

My Kristy Nong

Cute place. It's pretentious & looks tiny at first glance. There's an outdoor dining area where they have live music. Inside, the bar is the happening place to be for locals & campers in the area. There's a dining area behind the bar with a large flat screen TV. The World Cup was on. Kudos! The Salmon & Chips were great. Russian River Draft Beer does not disappoint. The creamy Clam Chowder was also tasty. Not pictured is the hot fudge sundae I devoured after dinner. It was the perfect size after a tasty meal. Our server was friendly & stayed on top of it. I would dine here the next time I'm in the area.

Ellen Levin

We were outdoors only , Sunday music, great band, shared long wooden table, everyone was eating burgers and drinking beers, so we did too, all fab, great selection, my fav local Pliny the Elder

Food taste ok a bit overpriced and service is slow. With the summer crowds gone so are their seasoned staff. Good place to watch football though. I like their home grown squash that I ate. But the service was very slow, understaffed as I said and the dinning room interior is outdated. Get rid of the Exercise equipment in the dinning room please. Felt like I was eating in a storage room with two ladders across from me while I ate on a Thurs night.

It's was fine. We sat outside, had wings, burger and a BLT. The food was average, nothing to write home about but was fine. The beer was good as was the spicy bloody mary. The best part was the family with their kids riding bikes around as 2 goats followed them around like pets. That's not something we see everyday.

It is ok. No food service till 5 pm. Would have liked some kid of appies with my beer. Ordered a burger was good but a bit over done. Husband had cheese steak. Was good First are very good. Preference definitely for regulars do tourist get the back seat but eventually you do get food and it is good. Old building but clean.

The food was great bar food. Our server was cheerful and quick. We went in the front door initially, but that was just for the bar. We then were directed out and around to get to the restaurant in the back. That's when it went downhill. The place needs a good cleaning. We were there just after the restaurant opened, yet our table was not clean and there were fench fries on the floor. The windows and doors had dirt on the glass and cobwebs. The decorations inside, which were nice in their day, are now dusty and yard-sale looking. This may be a great place to stop for a beer, and a local hangout, but if you want to keep people coming back, show a little pride in how you take care of the place. I kept wondering, "if this floor looks like this, what does the kitchen look like?"

Jody DeWald

The food was great bar food. Our server was cheerful and quick. We went in the front door initially, but that was just for the bar. We then were directed out and around to get to the restaurant in the back. That's when it went downhill. The place needs a good cleaning. We were there just after the restaurant opened, yet our table was not clean and there were fench fries on the floor. The windows and doors had dirt on the glass and cobwebs. The decorations inside, which were nice in their day, are now dusty and yard-sale looking. This may be a great place to stop for a beer, and a local hangout, but if you want to keep people coming back, show a little pride in how you take care of the place. I kept wondering, "if this floor looks like this, what does the kitchen look like?"

This place is inconsistent if you will receive your food in a timely manne or not. We waited 50 minutes after ordering to receive our food, and only did after asking about why it was taking so long ( no reason was given for the lengthy wait). Others who ordered similar items after us received their food quickly. Well before we did. They have a sign advising to be patient with the food cook time but 50 minutes is ridiculous. This is pub like food and should not take that long. The outside atmosphere was great though. Food was decent over all but nothing impressive.

We were having trouble finding a place to eat in Occidental. My family goes to the Blue Heron a couple times a year, and it is one of my favorite places around the Russian River. So I called the Blue Heron to see if they had table service and dining inside and to see when they closed. The woman said yes about my inquiries,, and as long as we got there by 8, they would serve us. So we left occidental at 715 and got there about 735. They were very crowded outside and at the bar, there was only one table with people at it nside. We waited about 10 minutes before we were helped. A woman said she could only seat us outside, I told her I had called and was told otherwise. A guy came up to us he said "Oh the kitchen is done." I told him I called and talked to someone before we spent 20 minutes coming out. He said well we are too busy to answer the phone. Like I was making it up. The chick said she could serve us outside. We walk outside, and there are people at every table. She tells us we can sit at this table or that, with strangers...We left. I was super disappointed with this experience.

The food was okay, chilli came out cold, and the fish from the fish and chips was so overcooked it was dry and stringy. Our waitress wouldn't take our order for 15-20 minutes because she didn't want to "overwhelm" the cook, even though there were only two other tables. Was super inattentive as well, and weirdly oversharing about how she "didn't trust" the girl she was working with to take tables, and other super inappropriate stuff. As we were leaving a drunk regular had left his dog unattended and it attacked my dog as we were walking by, I had to knee this huge dog in the chest to get my dog free, while a bunch of old bar flies sat, laughed, and egged it on. I would avoid this dive at all costs. Hopefully my horrible experience can save people wasted time and money of stopping at this place.

Heard good things about this place. I however, did not not have one of these experiences. The bar was packed, the restaurant was pretty much empty. We went on a Tuesday (around 5pm). Only one person appeared to be working the packed bar, AND the restaurant side simultaneously. Me and one other person waited 15 minutes to get seated, once seated, we waited 25 minutes AND NOTHING. Nothing at all. We got up quietly and walked out. The waitress saw us and said "I'll be right with you" lol no, I'm halfway out the door. Failed on every end of running a business.

I can’t tell you anything about the food, because we could not get service on Saturday night at about 6:30. They seemed focused on the bar patrons. We stood waiting for anyone to come acknowledge us in the restaurant, even after my wife mentioned to someone tending the bar that we were waiting. She just shrugged and turned away. Waited a few more minutes and then left. Went to Cape Fear Cafe across the street, and had delightful service and food.