Sala Restaurant

As you can see my friend Christine beat me to the punch to review this place hahaha Me, Christine P, and Joy A. went to dinner together in the city oh Hercules. Keep in mind Hercules is a small town with barely no restaurants, everything is basically fast food to go. I had asked Christine and Joy to check out this new restaurant in Hercules so we can YELP it ;) Sala just opened up last week on July 2nd, so I was eager to check the place out.

When we first walked in, I was kind of shocked because the place looked upscale and expensive!! but when we sat down the food on the menu was reasonable. When I looked at the menu I found it weird to see they had Thai food on one side and Sushi on the other. I had thought originally this was a Thai restaurant, not a Japanese restaurant LOL Maybe Thai and Jap food inspired?????

We ordered : * Sushi (quail egg, fresh salmon, shrimp tempura and cucumber) - Flavorless

*Shrimp Pad Thai - Uhh Came with 2 pieces of Shrimp?? but a lot of noodles

*Yellow Curry - Spicy but I liked it!! the server didn't bother to mention that the curry was spicy. Usually at Thai restaurants they ask you, if you want curry mild or spicy.

*Pad see ew chicken- Was A-OK

The service was great, but I kind of felt rush because our server asked me if I wanted a to-go box while I was still eating. Overall I think Sala is an A-OK restaurant, I will definitely be back to try out the rest of the food! I can totally see this place being the new hot spot for dates or to hang out at the bar.

I know the reviews for Sala have been peaks and valleys, but I can say that my experience here was pretty darn great. We were met at the door with a sign that said Yelpers get 15% off for writing a Yelp review. Score!

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the mild afternoon air. Our server Natalia was a delight. She said she usually bartends, so we asked her to surprise us with cocktails. She made us a Herculade, and the best mango mojito I've ever had. The mango puree was super fresh.

We started off with an appetizer sampler of crispy pot stickers, ruby red bbq chicken, and thai dumplings. All were great, but the dumplings really stood out for me. Curried potatoes, corn, and green onions in a super crispy wrapper was so delicious. The sauce was nicely sweet and spicy as well.

We ordered: chicken drunken noodles, been pad ew sew, basil fried rice, and cesar salad. My noodle dish had lots of soft pieces of beef, and the drunken noodles had lots of moist chicken and thai basil. Portions were huge. We finished our lunch off with their two desserts: mango sticky rice and fried banana and ice cream. The only thing that would have elevated our dessert was if the ice cream was coconut instead of the standard vanilla. That said, we had a memorable lunch, and I'm really looking forward to coming back.

I also loved the location. Great little neighborhood resto. Natalia (aka Katy Perry...long funny story) was very attentive and made the experience even better. We'll be back!

This is probably one of the worst experience with service and food I've been to!

We came here to celebrate my sister's graduation and my birthday and had such a bad experience for a very special occasion in our family last month.

The appetizers and food were overly salted. Not just a little - a lot! Like they poured the whole bottle of salt all over the fried calamari, the larb salad had toooooo much fish sauce - a nightmare for those who are watching their sodium intake - it just wasn't healthy at all!

The 2 guests in our party who ordered the chicken received it burnt. It was totally not acceptible to bring that plate out if it was literally blackened and charred on the bottom.

The 2 guests in our party who ordered the steaks requested it medium rare...it was brought to us the first time well-done. We had them returned - even asked nicely (but it came back the 2nd time well-done again and this time they didn't even put the sauce on it - so we just got overcooked meat)!!!

The owner/manager made his feeble attempt of asking if the steak was better this time, and I said well - actually no...it's still well done, and he nonchalantly brushed it off and walked away when I said I rather not try the 3rd time for the cook to get it right.

My husband's mussel order had a hair in the broth. Now granted, my husband is bald - so we were shocked to hear the waiter ask "where"???

The wait staff was nice, but not attentive. It took forever to get water, our drink orders refilled - and they weren't even busy.

Overall, some of their other menu items would be okay, but it was just an overall bad experience that it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

They have a beautiful location.....ambiance would be very pleasing BUT they all need a lesson in customer service and proper food preparation and presentation. You just don't question the customer when they find hair in their food - you just go back and replace it or try to make amends. They didn't even takie it off the bill and he didn't eat his food.

I tried to email the restaurant, but it bounced back, so I wrote them a letter telling them how we had such a bad experience. - We did not receive any apology or attempt to make amends. I've resorted to warn people via yelp review.

It receives 1 star, but deserves none- this place is not worth a dime!

This fusion restaurant (Thai, Japanese and American, yes as they have a burger in their menu), overlooks the railroad and the bay. We've been here twice. The first time, we were a bit disappointed so we decided to give it another try. However, our opinion has been confirmed...disappointed!

Food: The sushi is nothing to write about. It is like any sushi that you get at any Japanese sushi restaurant. I've been to other restaurants that served excellent sushi (I have one sushi review that you can read).

The last time we gave this restaurant a try, I ordered the Lemongrass BBQ porkchops with brown rice. It was mediocre. It was flavorful but the meat was TOUGH!

Drinks: The Thai Tea Martini was delicious. It's Thai Tea for adults! I also recommend the Herculade. The Muya Thai, though refreshing, was not my personal favorite. It was savory rather than sweet for a cocktail. No, I did not drink all of these in one seating. Remember, I've been here twice and also with company.

Service: Needs a LOT of improvement! Twice that we've been here, the staff is NOT attentive! This last time, we ordered the appetizer-- got it and the waitress did not even ask for our main order until we asked her to. You would think that she would get our main order once the appetizer arrives. We had to ask her to do so. Good thing we were just relaxing for the evening and not in a rush.

When I got my porkchop, they did not give me my steak knife. With that chewy meat, a butter knife ain't gonna cut it! No pun intended. Again, I had to ask for the steak knife. The waitress, though she was nice, need to learn how to provide service. We had to get her attention to follow up. She asked how everything was but she didn't really seemed interested. It seemed like she was just going through the motion. She could've upsold me with another drink. My glass was almost empty and she never asked if I needed another drink. ( I only had one drink.) I just asked for a glass of water.


Ambience: This category deserves a star! Yes, the one star that I'm giving this restaurant. And I'm referring to the ambience sitting at the patio.

The view was great while sitting outside. Twice we came here, we sat in the patio area. You can see the sunset if you get here at the right time. However, bring your jacket if you are going for dinner. It could be chilly unless you are fortunate to sit at one of the tables with the heating lamps.


Opportunities: The first time we were at Sala, we were excited to have another restaurant in Hercules. After being at Sala twice now, I think that excitement is gone, at least for this disappointing restaurant! The waiters need to be trained! They seemed nice but customer service is not their strength. They need more than a smile. They need to pay attention and listen to their customers. I would hate for this restaurant to flop and close due to poor service. I'm so disappointed that I will not come back nor would I recommend this to family, friends, neighbors and carpoolers...at least not for a long time!

Sala owner, please TRAIN YOUR STAFF to improve their CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS! We love the Sala Thai Restaurant in San Pablo better. That, the San Pablo location, NOT the Hercules one, is what we will continue to patronize and recommend.

Like I said in my first review, I came back. This time my parents and I came for lunch. Oh how I wished my parents enjoyed it so they can come back on a date.

We ordered the crispy calamari as an appetizer. It was good, not too salty or greasy. I ordered the Chicken Coconut Tom Ka Soup and it was a pretty generous portion. The taste was ok but nothing to rave about. The mushroom pieces were too huge. Having a big mouth wouldn't help someone either because you can't fit much soup onto the spoon...it's either mushroom or soup.

I ordered the Panang Beef Curry. The curry was nice and spicy but the beef was not tender at all. My mom tasted it and said "ewww" out loud! I didn't finish it nor did I want to take the leftovers home. She ordered the Japanese Eggplant Beef and said it was just ok. My dad hasn't ventured into the world of Thai food so he ordered the Spicy Chicken Wings. He offered some to me but I passed on it because it looked really dry. He confirmed it was and said he'd rather go to KFC and get a meal. He said he could get a couple of meals from there for the price he paid at Sala for his darn wings, haha!

At first glance, they thought it had potential since it was pretty and clean. They were even talking about taking my aunt and uncle (my dad's sis and hubby) here on their next visit from Canada. Well, that idea turned to shit very quickly. Sad to say, they won't be making a return visit and I highly doubt I will either.

NO MORE HAPPY HOUR FOOD!!!!!!!

Before when they had happy hour food...it was more like a solid 4 stars. Great selection at an unbeatable price where you can't complain about their unexperienced wait staff....I had a plate turned/moved by the waiter and it rubbed against my blouse and stained....he just SAW it and ignored it...but the food was good and cheap...so I was happy full and figured it's cheap, so this is what you get~ fine.

BUT then, they got rid of the happy hour food selection. I should have gotten up and left like the other groups did...but...I stayed....and regretted it.

I ordered the appetizer sampler. You get to choose 3 from the appetizer selection:
1. Butterfly Prawns with crab - SUPERB...best thing there
2. Fried chicken wings with a sweet spicy sauce...pretty good as well
3. Burger - so since this was under the "appetizer" selection, I thought it would be mini-burgers and maybe i'd get lucky with some cajun fries....instead I got a HUGE FAT burger. so fine...I split it up myself and noticed...the bread's HARD. WTH...okay, so fine...i'll just take the bread out, it's extra carbs anyway, and just eat the meat cheese....Flavorless....what a waste of calories. This is where I say Sala's going to die if they keep up the way they're doing business now.

I dine out VERY FREQUENTLY due to the nature of my occupation, and this place is just not going to make it. A place that used to be crowded when happy hour existed...and now you wonder if they're even open...ghosty~

I understand they're in business to make a profit...but if you want to stay open, drop your prices (you're food is pricier than city prices), focus on quality/freshness, and educate the wait staff during the now-dead restaurant...

Good luck.

Came here on New Years Eve for Dinner with the family. We ordered their sampler appetizer which was good, fried wonton shrimp, bacon wrapped shrimp and fried pumpkin bites. They come with 3 different dipping sauces and the peanut sauce is my favorite.

For my entree I ordered a Spicy Lamb Shank and it was delicious. I love spicy and I love lamb so it was a good combination of both.

For drinks I had a Thai Tea Martini, it was good at first but after a while I didn't think the two should be combined unless the recipe was changed. So probably won't be getting that again.

Overall the service was good and we got our food pretty quickly and the waitstaff was really nice. It is a small restaurant but there is outdoor seating but no heaters from what I saw so they should probably get that going to seat more people in their restaurant. When it's not busy its a great place to sit and have a drink and some food. They have a huge bar right in the middle of the restaurant so it's easy to get your drinks. Go during happy hour because appetizers and drinks are super cheap and worth it.

BAD BAD BAD SERVICE!

waitress was not very polite and i had to ask for the chilli's like 3 times before I opted to ask a different waitress's. I felt rushed by them, which did not help my digestion, I lost my appetite half way through the meal.

I felt like they were saying to me: "eat, eat, eat, pay, pay, pay, get out, get out, get out...Have a nice day....HUH!

FOOD was nothing to be impressed by.

Tres Dos Cuatro

Well my wife and I stumbled upon this gem by chance while we were on our way to eat sushi. The host informed us that a commercial for "Best of the Bay" was being filmed and that dinner tonight would be on the house. Well, we couldn't refuse and boy I'm glad we stopped. We were seated outside on the heated patio and were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking San Pablo Bay.

Likes: One of the best yellow curry dishes I have ever had! Amazing pork shop dish, Kobe burger that will knock you socks off. You won't be disappointed with anything on the menu! The bartenders are also very courteous and extremely knowledgeable. We tried a Red wine margarita for the first time and I was honestly amazed. I had no idea that these two would make such a beautiful symphony on my tongue. Brunch is also very good and will leave you feeling like you ate a house. Lastly, the owner Glen and his wife are always around and extremely knowledgeable about the history of Hercules.

Dislikes: a bit pricey, minimal indoor seating

Without a doubt the patio is one of my favorite spots in West Contra Costa County. The clear view across the bay, the trains that rumble by, and the smell of the nearby Eucalyptus trees makes it hard to leave.

I have had lunch here a couple of times, once with L and once with S. S and I enjoyed dinner here much more that our lunch. I do think the lunch is pricey and while the choices for the bento boxes varied they are just okay.

I found that the Happy Hour is the better deal if I am going with S. Our dinner cost less than our lunch. The five dollar appetizers and drinks are really a good deal.

The Calamari was tender and not a bit oily and even without the tentacles, which we prefer, this is a great dish. The sweet potato fries were also tasty and while the dancing shrimp were good we will skip them and try something else on our next visit. All three of these appetizers were served with tasty dipping sauces.

The main courses did not disappoint us; the mussels on curried rice were excellent and S was more than pleased with this whole fish. It was huge; I am not sure how he ate all of it, but I am sure taste had something to do with it.

The winner however is the Tom Ka soup. I don't think I have ever had a better version of this soup. I would be happy just having this soup and perhaps the Thai Tea Martini while sitting on the patio on every warm evening in Hercules.

The menu is different than Richmond Parkway