Buds Seafood Grille

We went there because it had been written up in the tourist magazine as the best seafood in Stockton. The food was overpriced. Small portions and not very flavorful. We arrived about 6pm to a relatively empty restaurant, when asked if we had a reservation, which we did not, we were seated in the bar area next to the restroom, as if it was the only table available. When we left about 45 min later there were still lots of empty tables. Very disappointed, will not return. more

I'm a food snob, that's what my friends/family call me. I start picking from the top.. the waitress, water, appetize. Irs, bread(if any), main course, and dessert. I tell people what I like, what I don't, and how it could be better. All in my own opinion of course. Starting with the sourdough bread and challenge butter(which I know that has to be the brand). I loved it! It's soft and yet chewy. I thought I was in a coastal region somewhere overlooking a pier. I could have eaten that all night and for those people that 'bread" is their weakness, there you go. I ordered the " Buds Beef" the first time. Talk about an explosion in your mouth(only the good kind) and talk about the dancing going on in my mouth! Heaven! So tender and flavorful! I have been there like 5 times and I love that they are as picky as I am. The salads are cold and crisp with those lovely beets you never see in a salad anymore. I have since ordered the Red Snapper with a bay shrimp/green onion beurre blanc sauce. Holy goodness! I ate every bite and I never eat my whole plate. It was a special but I recommend they put it on the menu. I have also had the Chicken Marsala, Cioppino(fri nights only), and their pepper sauced New York which was good but the peppercorns were a bit unpleasant to chew on. For dessert, get their Flan or German Choc Cake. They have a very diverse menu and for a small town, it has something special there in Lincoln Center. more

What a nightmare of a dinning experience that I had on a Monday night for a birthday dinner with a nearly empty restaurant. While the food was mediocre the service was awful. The server was rude and when my 8 year old niece took a little long to decide on what she wanted for diner our server sighed and then snatched the menus out of our hands as she was much occupied with something else which left us with a sour taste in our mouths. We were nearly done with our diners before she came back to the table to see if we had needed anything else. I am not one to complain so we finished out our meals and I was so disappointed with the service I had phoned the next day to speak to the general manager who was just as rude as the server. I will be sure to warn my friends about my experience. more

Bud's touts itself as a Seafood Grille but isn't shabby when it comes to other choices. Moderate to somewhat expensive price tags are tempered a bit via a lunch time rather dinner hour experience: a bowl of their truly delicious clam chower with a special salad or sandwich gets the nod here. Their special marinated beef-medallions of slightly sweetish, wine-inflected tenderloin appears both in an amped up steak sandwich and taking pride of place on the smallish dinner menu. Chicken breast, a few well-prepared Italian choices and a good half dozen choices in grilled/baked/broiled or fried seafood, scampi and the like all provided above average execution. My favorite, besides the chowder? A very decent Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, on the soft, hoagie-style bread made famous by City of Brotherly Love single name eateries like Pat's, Jim's and Geno's. Atmosphere is a bit yuppified, some counter help and waitstaff seem to need a refresher course on the concept of Service as an Art. Pat more

Having eaten at Bud's many times, I think their greatest asset is the consistency and freshness of their food. The service is good, not overly attentive. If you like cioppino, get there early on Friday. more