The Bay View Restaurant - MCRD

Reviews

• Andrew A.

  star star star star_border star_border 5 July 2026

  Mediocre is the best alway to describe this place. Cafeteria food is what comes to mind and not in a good way.
  
  Let's face it, people only eat here because they have the drill Sgt meet and greet here. No one from the real world comes here, just people stuck on base or here to pick their son from basic training.
  
  Don't sign up for the Wednesday meet and greet, the same drill Sgt's will be there Thursday on family day. We screwed up and ate here twice. Yuck would it do it again. Also 3 cans of coke were like $5.50. You guys should be ashamed taking advantage of military families like this.

• Jen G.

  star star star star star 20 June 2026

  Overall 4.5 stars.
  
  The Bay View Restaurant is located on base at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) near downtown San Diego. I was here for a celebration of life memorial for a very dear, longtime client and friend.
  
  There are 3 entrances you can come in from and the directions (see pics) are very clear and helpful.
  
  TIP: FYI: Don't go by the address listed on Yelp. That's just the mailing address. It's on Neville Road/use the directions that I posted the pic of.
  
  Gate 2 is open 0600-2300 (it's the closest & most direct route to the restaurant; as it's on Henderson Ave.)
  
  Gate 4 is open 24 hours (the one we went through)
  
  Gate 5 is open 0600-1800 (Closed Sat/Sun)
  
  FYI: There are no directions on the map on how to get here once you get on base.
  From Gate 4: make a left at the stop sign, left on Henderson, right on Dunlap (the intersection where the canons are), then a right at the dead end where you see the water (the bay).
  From Gate 2: go straight on Henderson, right on Dunlap, and proceed as described above
  We weren't near/pass by Gate 5 so I don't know where it is on base. Plus, it's closed on weekends.
  
  Check-in to get on base is easy. Have your ID out and the guard scans your ID and they have the mirrored pole thing to check under your car. The instructions say they check your insurance & registration, but they didn't with us.
  
  The restaurant is very open & airy with a beautiful view of the bay and plenty of parking.
  
  Restrooms were adequate. Clean with a sitting room and 3 stalls, one of which had its own sink. It was kind of dated and you have to keep pushing down the faucets to turn on water. Me no likey. But at least it was clean.
  
  I've only come here as a private event, so I don't know how it's normally situated. But for a private luncheon it was a great set up; plenty of space, a monitor to show pictures for memorials or weddings. And the backdrop view of the bay was gorgeous. I liked how the back doors opened to the patio (bayside) and had fresh air. Temperature was comfortable on a cool fall's day.
  
  Food was served buffet style. Spring salad was great, but the dressing was bitter and while I love candied pecans, these tasted like big chunks of sugar lol. I didn't try the Caesar Salad.
  Veggies were decent, but a bit soggy. Dinner rolls were served cold; I didn't have it but hubby said it was stale. The Golden Harvest rice was ok. They had prime rib and pork loin; I just got the pork. It was good but a bit dry/tough. The mustard sauce was really good, but could use a tad bit less sodium. The winner for me was the white cheddar mashed red-skin potatoes. Tasted home made to me! And while I couldn't taste any cheddar in it; it was DELICIOUS!
  
  There was also a cracker & cheese and veggie tray, which was nice. But the dip (I think it was supposed to be ranch?) was really sour. Yuck.
  
  They had water, and pitchers at each table (+ a million stars for that). There was also iced tea, lemonade and guava juice. I had the guava juice & it was yummy. I felt like I was in Hawaii.
  
  The ice cream bar was a fun & creative dessert bar and pretty good.
  
  The servers, even though it was buffet, were outstanding and attentive.
  
  The ambiance was beautiful and nothing went wrong.
  
  Even though the pork was a bit tough, bread was stale and the dressing & dip were a miss, overall the food was really good, especially for a memorial service. It catered nicely to different diets. Hubby loaded up on carrot sticks haha. I liked the variety of juices too. So all of these factors combined, I would say it deserves a nice round up to 5 stars!
  
  It was kind of cool that the street it's on, as well as the name of the banquet room is my client's namesake; perhaps a sign from above.
  
  I have great respect for those who defend and protect my rights and I think it's wonderful that non-military people can come on base to go to this nice restaurant.
  
  The map says that guests must leave afterwards; no touring etc.
  
  Semper fi!

• Karen H.

  star star star star_border star_border 19 June 2026

  I've been to two weddings here and yes this is a active military base. You'll need be either current or prior military to have hold an event here. You are limited to only 4 hours which is the biggest negative.
  
  The ceremonies are beautiful here, you just can't beat the views of the water. It is just the most incredible backdrop for any wedding ceremony. The photos you get standing next to water during sunset is just breath taking. After the ceremony we went inside for appetizers and horderves. The spread was tremendous! We walked up to a beautiful spread of crackers and a wide assortment of different cheeses. Sliced fruit, amazing pita bread with a garlic hummus. Breaded chicken nuggets, fresh vegetables. And then the waiter came around with more food. They served chicken egg rolls, teriyaki chicken skewers, cheese pizza, lentil soup shooter and pot stickers. That was just for appetizers. Then came the dinner buffet. We were called in one table at a time. They had dinner rolls, two different salads and dressings, salmon, chicken, rice, mashed potatoes and fresh cut rib eye. The food was good much of it was fried. Salmon was decent with the tarter sauce. The rice tasted a little off for me.
  
  Service  was great the servers really paid attention to the guests. They served hot coffee towards the end of the night. The decor is a little dated inside. And since it is a active military base the inside of the hall is decorated with military memorabilia. Which doesn't fit everyone's taste.  The drive is a little tricky if you are not familiar with the base. Luckily we remembered our way out. The night ended early due to the 4 hour deadline which was sad. Overall the newlyweds were happy and we all had a good time.

• D P.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 11 June 2026

  So we are here for graduation and the Bay View Express is out back of the bleachers I bought 4 coffees a  juice and candy and wanted to pay for a cup of hot water which the main girl refused to sell me. Felt really bad for the other two people working there they both were dumbfounded. It's cold just needed a hot something and,can't do coffee.

• XChewcha F.

  star star star star star_border 10 June 2026

  Loved the panko crusted Cod fish with the steak fries. And the cajun slaw really adds a kick of spice of you like spicy. For $9.75 it was worth it. I'll be eating it again. Until next time bayview.