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Why Does The Food Suck So Bad At Topock 66?

Rajobigguy

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Went to Topock recently with daughter and SIL. The service was good, daughters and my food was good, the SIL's burger was just OK. The only real complaint was that it was hotter inside the A/Ced restaurant than it was outside. I never have huge expectations of places on the river so I'm rarely disappointed. Let's face it, these are kind of specialty places selling the atmosphere as much as the food, not 5 star dinning and they all have problems with employee turnover.
 

jones performance

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for me topock has generally been good, except that time they ran out of fucking eggs during the breakfast run before eliminator regatta few years ago.. lol

their breakfast and dinner menus i have alays had great food. their lunch menu the food was just ok. i dunno if they have different cooks at different times of the day maybe? ill also point out that most of my visits there have been during the week, not on weekends. my last couple visits the waitress i had was awesome (wish i could remember her name), but in the past there have for sure been some shitty ones. i try not to be to hard to criticize there since i see its a difficult location to get employees, its hot, and a number of the patrons are just unreasonable drunken fucktards on weekends, but my tip is determined by their service and attiude regardless.
 

RichL

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Looking to boat n dine breakfast/lunch? Hit up Makai Cafe. Everything taste great, service is excellent. Discovered this place Labor day. The hamburger steak is 🔥, had it with eggs and home potatoes. Also chile verde chillaquilles were ridiculous. Dock your boat at the heat walk over enjoy a meal boat out for the day.
We always hit Makai for breakfast when we traveled to LHC.
 

BingerFang

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Looking to boat n dine breakfast/lunch? Hit up Makai Cafe. Everything taste great, service is excellent. Discovered this place Labor day. The hamburger steak is 🔥, had it with eggs and home potatoes. Also chile verde chillaquilles were ridiculous. Dock your boat at the heat walk over enjoy a meal boat out for the day.


Dam they open at 7:30 as well..... going to put this on the list for sure. Thank you!
 

WATERDOG

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for me topock has generally been good, except that time they ran out of fucking eggs during the breakfast run before eliminator regatta few years ago.. lol

their breakfast and dinner menus i have alays had great food. their lunch menu the food was just ok. i dunno if they have different cooks at different times of the day maybe? ill also point out that most of my visits there have been during the week, not on weekends. my last couple visits the waitress i had was awesome (wish i could remember her name), but in the past there have for sure been some shitty ones. i try not to be to hard to criticize there since i see its a difficult location to get employees, its hot, and a number of the patrons are just unreasonable drunken fucktards on weekends, but my tip is determined by their service and attiude regardless.
I was there for the No Egg breakfast too. To bad that wasn't the only bad thing that AM.
 

Bpracing1127

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Looking to boat n dine breakfast/lunch? Hit up Makai Cafe. Everything taste great, service is excellent. Discovered this place Labor day. The hamburger steak is 🔥, had it with eggs and home potatoes. Also chile verde chillaquilles were ridiculous. Dock your boat at the heat walk over enjoy a meal boat out for the day.
Yep this place is great. Problem is it’s 10 min idle from the Islander lol
 

oldschool

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Place has always been hit and miss for us, I’ll be there next week and give a full report. I miss the old days when there was a pool table in there.
 

185EZ

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We stopped for a lunch. The view isn't anything special and I guess we pay for the pool?
Food wasn't entirely bad but I expected the fries to be something a little better than what i can get in the frozen foods
I had pulled pork and i think they changed it since it was quite small.
Wife had the hamburger and it was just ok.
2 drafts at $7.50 each ???
Total bill with tip was $55
Won't be back
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ONE-A-DAY

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I go for breakfast early year round on Sundays, 730-8 or so when they open, tri tip omelette never disappoints.
 

Your ad here

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We stopped for a lunch. Not sure how to put it. The view isn't anything special and I guess we pay for the pool?
Food wasn't entirely bad but I expected the fries to be something a little better than what i can get in the frozen foods
I had pulled pork and i think they changed it since it was quite small.
Wife had the hamburger and it was ok.
2 drafts at $7.50 each ???
Total bill with tip was $55
Won't be back
View attachment 933473
I know the feeling. Paid $53 with tip for a soggy pulled pork sandwich, fries, fried pickles, and 2 draft beers in William's yesterday. I've been packing my lunch box when I travel sometimes but after yesterday I'm packing it every time I travel.
 

HALLETT BOY

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I like to go to Topock for the ride , I know they smoke their meats , so when I get there I'm expecting nice , smoked medium rare Tri tip , and a lot of it . I haven't received that in years lately . I don't really mind the high prices , but when the portions are tiny and lack taste / flavor , I'm not inclined to return . The drinks at Pirates don't even have prices on the menus anymore and the serving size isn't even a Red Solo cup , so I don't go there . I understand the higher prices , but I'm getting tired of the sub-par food . I have a really nice Italian sandwich shop near my house , the routine most times is to get a sandwich before we launch . The springs has been pretty good when we are down at that end of the lake . I do hope Chet reads this thread . Also , last time had to hunt the waitress down three times for more drinks / check .
 

USMC2010

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We always hit Makai for breakfast when we traveled to LHC.
I always hear good things about that place. I think I have eaten there 2 or 3 times and wasn't impressed.
 

bocco

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Sounds like the problem is just food on the water in general. Up north on the Sac Delta where I boat Most of the food on the water is marginal. A few places are Ok such as Orwood and Garlic Brothers. Bobs at the Harbor next door to Garlic Brothers is good for a burger or sandwich. Lots of places just suck. I could list a few more good ones and a lot of bad ones.
 

RichL

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I always hear good things about that place. I think I have eaten there 2 or 3 times and wasn't impressed.
Can't speak to anything but breakfast but always enjoyed it.
 

USMC2010

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Can't speak to anything but breakfast but always enjoyed it.
I have only ever had breakfast there, I could not even tell you if they are open for lunch or dinner but there are better places. Eggs, its not that difficult but apparently it can be for some. LOL
 

cofooter

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That sucks because its cool to get in your boat and go on an adventure, hopefully get a decent meal or drinks, and take in the atmosphere. Between Pirates and Topock, sounds like you guys up north don't have a lot of options for a good experience. I've been to Topock by boat a few times, and it's cool to chill with a beer, but I'm pretty easy to please on the river........
 

Bigbore500r

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It’s always been hit or miss. What can you say, it’s river food in a shiny building with a pool. Wish the tap beer was cold, that’s my biggest complaint! Pirates isn’t any better. But, ya go for the atmosphere and to drive your boat around - if your expecting a foodie experience, bring something good in your own cooler!
 

cofooter

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And the beers are not cold...I want a cold beer when I walk into an establishment on the river. How hard is it to serve cold refreshments?
Wow, really gone down hill then.........
 

D19

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My wife and I shared nachos at Pirates a week ago. They were premade in a to go container that I could tell had been sitting for a while. I asked for chicken on them and they had what looked like a scoop of cold lunch meat chicken on top of premade nachos. They didn't used to be like that! Two cocktails and some cold nachos in a to go container for $60 is pretty lame.

Topoc is kind of whatever. I never thought it was great food to begin with, just typical bar food, but better than Pirates. My real only gripe is the service. Twice in a row this summer we waited 30 mins to sit then were escorted to a table that was not wiped down. You have to chase a waitress down for anything you want. Your food will be cold by the time they bring you the condiment you asked for.
 

Joker

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My wife and I shared nachos at Pirates a week ago. They were premade in a to go container that I could tell had been sitting for a while. I asked for chicken on them and they had what looked like a scoop of cold lunch meat chicken on top of premade nachos. They didn't used to be like that! Two cocktails and some cold nachos in a to go container for $60 is pretty lame.

Topoc is kind of whatever. I never thought it was great food to begin with, just typical bar food, but better than Pirates. My real only gripe is the service. Twice in a row this summer we waited 30 mins to sit then were escorted to a table that was not wiped down. You have to chase a waitress down for anything you want. Your food will be cold by the time they bring you the condiment you asked for.
It’s amazing that the food and service was better than when they spent thousands to upgrade that dump.
 

FishSniper

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Went to Topoc 66 on Sunday for the first time this year and it has definitely gone downhill since the last time I was there. The tri tip sandwich hardly had any meat and was dry and prices seemed to have gone up. Service was very good though. Was a nice day upriver.
 
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Lunatic Fringe

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It’s amazing that the food and service was better than when they spent thousands to upgrade that dump.

Was the food better or were our expectations lower?
We used to run up for breakfast at the old place but I don't think I ever had a lunch there.
 

petie6464

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It comes with the decay of society. For the most part you can hand out slop with a complete lack of customer service or care and people see it as acceptable.

Living in Lake Havasu there are only four restaurants I will eat at.
 

HALLETT BOY

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It comes with the decay of society. For the most part you can hand out slop with a complete lack of customer service or care and people see it as acceptable.

Living in Lake Havasu there are only four restaurants I will eat at.
Which 4 , please ...
 

MonkeyButt70

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People keep saying well its River food BS! not that hard to step up the game. Go to springs and they are always good, also if anyone is near Lake Elsinore try Jacks BBQ on the east side, their BBQ rivals any smoke master and their beers are ice cold and they will deliver to your boat on the beach. Put some effort in and charge accordingly. I never expect things to be cheap on the water.
 

Singleton

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People keep saying well its River food BS! not that hard to step up the game. Go to springs and they are always good, also if anyone is near Lake Elsinore try Jacks BBQ on the east side, their BBQ rivals any smoke master and their beers are ice cold and they will deliver to your boat on the beach. Put some effort in and charge accordingly. I never expect things to be cheap on the water.

they must have a new chef. Our food this boating season (Sunday breakfast and 1 lunch over Fathers Day) was good, but we changed up our normal order. Used to love the biscuits and gravy. 2 bad experiences and now switched up to breakfast omelet or burrito. Since the switch, can‘t complain too much, but the amount of meat in the burrito was gone down.

beer has always been warm on draft. I think the lines are too long from the keg cooler to the draft IMO. When you look at the bar layout (inside and patio bar), they are not connected (entry to kitchen separates them), so the beer lines are too long IMO.
 

WATERDOG

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It comes with the decay of society. For the most part you can hand out slop with a complete lack of customer service or care and people see it as acceptable.

Living in Lake Havasu there are only four restaurants I will eat at.
I'm always surprised and some times shocked at what others deem acceptable.
 

SKIDMARC

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The only river food I actually look forward to is Road Runner. Pirates is ok in Parker. Always get something simple, like a burger, sandwich or chicken fingers.
 

DarkHorseRacing

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Somebody needs to set up a street taco cart on a big sandy beach. TAKE MY MONEY!

That's the way Blue Water was before they built that casino and the cantina down by the ramp. Used to be guys in food carts selling food to the beach. That went all the way back to the 50's and 60's at least when my dad was SK racing there.
 

DarkHorseRacing

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Which 4 , please ...

I'm going to guess its not the usual tourist traps like anything owned by the group that owns Shugrue's, Barley Bros or Javelina, etc. A family friend lives in Havasu and the locals places she talks about are all ones I'd never heard of and they are all not on major streets.

I tried Angelina's Italian one time that was pretty good for LHC. Thought I was driving into nowhere to get there.
 

oldschool

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We typically only get drinks at Topock, the food my wife packs in the cooler is better than anything they’ll make. We were there last month and my 16 oz Lite in the aluminum can was nice and cold. I stay away from tap beer whenever possible. I’ve never had a bad time there.
 

hallett21

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The beer is due to the kegs being too far from the taps. It’s impossible to keep it cold when 20-35ft of the line is exposed to 100-125 ambient temps.

If they poured it inside and had beer runners they would be good. But that circles back to the staff and their willingness to hustle. Which seems to be a constant battle in vacation towns.

On the water places maintain a certain “quality” because they have a constant flow (could even say overflow) of business. Let’s face it. If you’re not a pack a sandwich kind of crew. You’re going to either pirates or Topock.

Topock could serve Maestro’s food at McDonald’s pricing but they don’t have a big beach like Pirates. So they’ll constantly fight getting those customers off the beach. The pool was a cool idea but trying to keep it clean and appealing to drinking adults and rambunctious kids has to be a pain.

I’ll say the two that still impress me with bartender service and food consistency is Road Runner and Foxes. Tip any of the bartenders heavy out of the gate and you’re good all day.

I could tip $200 on a water establishment in havasu and die of thirst lol.

These threads are good for business owners because they can see what their customers want to see improved. And maybe someone throws an idea out that no one thought of before?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Dirtbag

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I'm going to guess its not the usual tourist traps like anything owned by the group that owns Shugrue's, Barley Bros or Javelina, etc. A family friend lives in Havasu and the locals places she talks about are all ones I'd never heard of and they are all not on major streets.

I tried Angelina's Italian one time that was pretty good for LHC. Thought I was driving into nowhere to get there.
love Angelinas! for Havasu id say its the best restaurant and food in the city......
 

WildWilly

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I gave up on food at Pirates or Topock. last year, its shit these days. its purely now for taking new guests or neccessity. if a boat run is for a food destination Springs it is.
 

Looking Glass

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It comes with the decay of society. For the most part you can hand out slop with a complete lack of customer service or care and people see it as acceptable.

Living in Lake Havasu there are only four restaurants I will eat at.


The Decay Of Society.🤣
 

petie6464

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I'm always surprised and some times shocked at what others deem acceptable.

I once ate at a Havasu Mexican joint, now defunct. After giving the waiter my credit card to pay for a shitty dinner he comes back and says " I lost you credit Card" after about 15mins. He comes back "I found it in the big tub of salsa, I must have dropped it in there"
 
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