Heidi’s Outrigger Cafe & Saloon

My wife and I had high hopes after reading the reviews on this place. we are always looking for a good «off the beaten path» kind of place. We have checked out local eateries throughout the Bay for years now. Some of the lesser know places are around the Delta. there must be over 100 places to hold up throughout the maze of islands and canals that make up the 1000 + miles of shoreline. The outrigger has a pretty cool location right on the water but we both left feeling a little sick as well as disappointed. I had a burger and my wife had the Reuben panini. The burger was just a frozen premade patty and rates about a 1 star for bread, meat and overall flavor. The Reuben tasted a bit funny as was very sweet and the bread was stale with very little pastrami to speak of. The saving grace are the folks that work there and I am sure the food might be a bit fresher in the summer when they are in full swing.

We like to stop at Heidi’s Outrigger Café on 3 mile slough when we go fishing and just want good food. We love their clam chowder and burgers. We have stopped with our grandkids and they love the kids menu. Everything we have tried on the menu has been very good and we love their wine (Van Ruiten) and «cold» beer selections.
It is a great place on the water to relax and enjoy life!

Review from September 6, just finished my review
A beautiful day so wanted to take the family out on the delta for a drive but wanted to find some place different to eat. Found this café after some searching — just what I expected — a simple bar and grill right on the water. We sat on the patio under an umbrella and enjoyed the parade of boats.
We all got burgers and were very happy with them. Nice, big, well cooked burgers — just what we wanted. Fries were good too.
The place was very busy but our waitress was very attentive. Worth a return trip next summer.

Stopped here on the boat yesterday for the first time. Great patio area overlooking the water, friendly service, great food and Budweiser on tap! We had our dog (dogs allowed on patio as long on a leash) and the waitress gave her a treat. Beers were reasonably priced, $ 3.00 domestic and $ 4.00 import. Food prices a little more than a regular restaurant but hey, you get a gorgeous view AND the food definitely worth it. Burgers charbroiled and fries deliciously seasoned. We will definitely be back!

We are camping in our RV in the area. We went to Outrigger based on the Unilocal reviews. We were not disappointed. Items ordered were the Western Bacon Burger — excellent; Enchilada special — excellent; grilled cheddar cheese — excellent and Bacon Cheddar Cheese — Best I have ever had! Service was outstanding. Perfect ambiance on the deck overlooking the river. Well worth the drive.

We ate at the Outrigger Café for lunch on 10÷9÷2015 and couldn’t help notice the Shelli H. review of the Outrigger Café. Our experience was pretty much their experience except we are locals who live in Rio Vista. Burgers were tasty and being outside on a warm day watching the boats in the delta was idyllic. (It was Rio Vista Bass derby weekend).
Like Shelli we met the owners and they were great people who recently took over the place in December of 2014. Noticed there is a taco special on Tuesdays ($ 5.50 for 3) that looks appealing as well for another trip.
What was also interesting about Shelli’s review is it looked like they were in Tahoe and came home going on hwy 88. Ironically we did the same thing that week. Hwy 88 during the fall is one of California’s best scenic routes for fall foliage. Looks like we both stopped at Lockford for sausage as well.
One warning, they are doing bridge construction work on highway 160 right before you make a turn on Sherman Island Levee Road to get to the Outrigger and there could delays (the bridge is down to one lane and when we went it looked like traffic control was botched). We asked the owner if this affected them or not. Most people that we saw arrived by boat so it didn’t matter to the boaters.

Exactly what we were craving. We had wanted to try this place since camping in the area earlier this summer, it was reccommended by the locals but we never made it. So last weekend driving home from Tahoe we took the long way home. After exploring hwy 88 we ended up on 12, we were hungry and remembered this place.
It is right on the water and by right on, I mean there was a dog jumping in and swimming next to us. Filled with locals. We were greeted warmly by the owner and chose a spot outside at a picnic table. We ordered beers and asked about the menu. On special was a ciopinno, normally I would have ordered this but I was craving a big juicy burger. Both James and I ordered the mushroom swiss burger with fries.
While we enjoyed the weather and the views we conversated with the friendly patrons just hanging out. NICE people. More and more people started showing up everyone knew everyones name (dogs too) and tables were being moved. Every Sunday afternoon they host karaoki. They were teasing us that before we could leave we had to sing. I assured them they did not want to hear me sing! LOL
Food came out and the burger was fresh and juicy. Cooked perfectly and quality meat. I knew already that it would be good, but was suprised by how good!
We were sitting at the prime table for the event they were setting up and yet nobody even looked as us funny or ask that we move, in fact asked if we wanted another beer! Kudos to you guys, we felt like part of the group. We did leave to get home to the kids before the actual singing started but plan to come back soon to watch! Chill atmosphere, great food & bar, friendly people. 5 stars.

Service is very friendly. Great view right on the water. Came in the boat. It is what it is. Fish and chips were good. Burgers are ½ lb.ers. Fried cheese was the star of the show. Very nice old school dock bar. Keep it simple. Tip em back– yo ho ho me hardies!

Best Burger I ever had and my teenagers ever had. The owner is genuine and loves his customers and we were served by Sheri who was the best.

Okay just stopped at the outrigger Marina we’ve driven by but never stopped probably the greatest hamburger we’ve ever had Mike is a great cook D is fantastic behind the bar and fun we love this place and were coming back every weekend if we can so do yourself a favor and come in and get a beer and a burger you’ll be very happy!!!

Attended the Memorial Day weekend Veterans Salute & Karaōke event. The event was great, and memorable, as well as the raffle.
Sad to say, the Café was not well prepared to feed the many folks that attended. I understand that it was a Holiday. That’s the main reason as a business owner to «overstaff or have employees on-​call», so all goes smoothly, and not chaotic as it was.
All orders were late & cold. My order, I returned. It was the wrong order, late by 30-​minutes & cold. Then some waitresses’ had to «scream out», orders to hopefully get the «correct patrons». I waited to eat until we drove elsewhere.
The female bartenders were trying to keep up with the full bar of patrons that were getting upset hoping to get their attention. They were under-​staffed for such a big day & large group.
My bartender (damn I forgot her name)– Cute long blonde hair, pretty buffed, one who can handle it all, and worked on the side of the kitchen and door entry. She was very sweet & cordial even under all that pressure. I ordered (wine) Pino Grigio & Nessler drinks while I was there with my group of cool ass Bikers. ;)
Kudos to the Bartenders who kept their cool & professionalism!
Kudos to the waitresses’ who busted their asses trying to do what they could, by delivering food thru all the hustle & chaos! ;)
GOD BLESS OUR SERVICEMEN & VETS– ;)

We had been windsurfing on Sherman Island and stopped here instead of going all the way into Rio Vista.
The place is a nice location with indoor and outdoor seating, including a bunch of bar flies at the bar.
After getting soda (which I almost never drink, but there was little else) and then staring at the menu for some time, we were shaking our head. I think the only vegan item was fries, and the rest was a parade of fried items and burgers. My non-​vegan colleague made the call to go elsewhere.
As for the beer, all I saw was the usual low brow American domestics.
Go to Rio Vista, you’ll be much better off.

Kooky little place in the middle of the delta loop with good food, drinks, karaōke, and company. We stopped in here on the boat and had some seriously good drinks for some really good prices. Fun karaōke and some surprisingly good food complement the incredible view floating on the river.

We dropped in here over the Memorial Day weekend and were pleasantly surprised, so we went back there with friends today.
The menu is limited, but solid Delta food and really well done. The fish and chips came with malt vinegar, essential to a Brit. Even better, the coleslaw was freshly made and not dripping with mayo. The Philly sandwich was huge and excellent. The stuffed tomato salad was perfect. Our compliments to the chef. Our bet is that every dish is equally good. We’re very happy to forego a huge menu in favor of really good, decently priced food.
They have Sierra Nevada and the usual beers on tap and their Daiquiris and Margaritas are freshly made. The service is friendly and timely without any pushiness. The activity on the marina and great view down the slough between the two rivers makes this a perfect spot for a drink or meal.
They have Karaōke at the weekends and also have a tradition of yelling at speeding boaters (there’s a wake height law) that make for eclectic entertainment. It’s a fun, Delta secret. if they did fancy evening meals we’d probably give it a five star rating, but please take our four stars as the best you’re likely to see in the Delta. This ain’t Palo Alto fine dining, but the scenery, ambience and value are much better. :-)

This is our favorite place to go when we do a boat run. Outdoor seating is nice and the usually have some sort of music or karaōke (?).
The «Mike Tais» are huge and one of them will get you loaded.
The food in years passed has been in most cases below average. But this year, the food was very good. I had a BLT and it was loaded with thick slices of bacon. One of the best BLT’s ever. The burgers this year were also very large and juicy. Not the hockey pucks of the past. The philly cheesesteaks are huge (though I’m not a cheesesteak fan).
I hope who ever was running the kitchen this year comes back next year…

The atmosphere alone makes this worth it. You pull the boat up, dock and get ready to have fun. Pam is a terrific waitress and Leonard (the owner) makes you feel at home. Good food, cold drinks — cheap.

Had lunch there 7÷8÷2012. Arrived by car on our drive home. It was after one and the karaōke DJ was playing music (mostly classic rock) but the actual signing hadn’t started yet. Sat at a shaded table at the far end of the deck. A huge group came in right after we did.
We were greeted promply and got our ice cold drinks quickly. I ordered a burger, my husband ordered a philly cheesesteak (at the waitress’s recommendation). Prices seemed a little high, until we saw the food. It was served in those red plastic baskets, you know the ones I mean. The entire basket was FILLED with nicely cooked and seasoned fries and the sandwiches were placed on top. My hamburger pattie was HUGE, bigger than the bun. My husbands philly was well filled with meat and veggies. He said the sandwich was very good with tasty meat and this was a place he would definitely come back to.
It was very pleasant in the shade, despite it being a hot day, and we enjoyed the drinks, the food, the view of the slough and the good service.

Outrigger is A-​OK with us. They make a good bloody Mary. Also killer Onion rings. They seem to close up shop after Labor Day. too bad. A few times I have found myself hovering in front of their docks looking for signs of life. They are very protective of their no-​wake zone. They yell on their PA «YOUR BREAKING THE LAW, YOUR BREAKING THE LAW» I thought it was the intro to a Judas Priest song, so I pulled in there and had a few drinks. Gotta love em.

Situated close to Brannan Island State Park this is a MUST when you come out to the Delta for the day.
–Able to park our boat at the dock. check
–Outdoor seating. check
–Cold beverages. check
–Breakfast and lunch. check (I think their motto might be «I’d fry that» b/​c most –not all– of the menu has been deep fried. Tasted the chicken strips, fries, and fried zucchini!)
–Karaōke. check (the DJ loves his country but the song book has plenty of other genres. Our group sang a little Bruce Springsteen and Prince)
Overall a great place to take a break from playing on the water!