Chart House Restaurant - Dana Point

Review summary

1. S

   Susan

   Minneapolis

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   We were initially seated on the lawn, which I was not prepared for. It was too cold. The hostess then seated us at the worst table in the lounge (on the aisle where the waitstaff traverse). Overall, the staff seem poorly trained: they didn’t take the menus after we ordered, they forgot to replace flatware, they served one diner’s entree and not the other. The Caesar salad was soggy, the food expediter slammed down plates on a very small two-top without removing empty plates. It was a stressful experience that lacked any kind of elegance or graciousness. The mudpie was good.
   

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2. C

   Cesar

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Made a reservation days prior at this lovely Chart House restaurant for a 3rd anniversary. In addition, I made a special request and the staff not only completed on said request, but also made the overall dining experience very memorable. Hence, I’m thankful for such an amazing experience and would highly recommend!
   

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3. K

   Kelsey

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had my birthday dinner at Chart House and it was amazing. The food was excellent. The view was lovely. Natasha our server was great. The house margarita was so refreshing. The Mahi Mahi was great. The service was a little rushed. We would have liked to enjoy our drinks, appetizer, etc a little more. Everything came out pretty fast. We started and finished our entire meal in about 45 minutes... (from our drinks to our appetizer, mains, & dessert), next time I would wait a little longer before ordering each item. Other than that small tiny thing, we had an amazing time at Chart House. I can't wait to come back!
   

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4. G

   Gunnar

   Surrey

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We loved the Chart House! Even days later we remember the wonderful food and atmosphere. We will be back.
   

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5. E

   Ed

   Palm Springs

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 20 February 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The location and views at the Chart House in Dana Point are outstanding, only wish the food was up to par. We arrived early and were greeted by extremely friendly and attentive valet and hostess. Decided to have a seat at the bar for a cocktail where we were greeted and served by Kevin. Service was great and signature cocktails were well priced and delicious. We headed back to host stand and were seated at the perfect booth overlooking sunset on the harbor. Our server Evelyn was very attentive as well as our bus server who was friendly and on top of her tasks. As for the food I would say the best things were the bread and butter and the beet salad. We tried the kimchi calamari which sounded unusual, and while flavorful it had no hint of fermented kimchi but instead over-dressed in a gojuchang mayo? Clam chowder lacked depth of flavor and the lobster and shrimp carbonara was gummy and seafood overcooked and tough. Also tried the miso sake glazed black cod which was good, just a bit over-salted. All in all I would return for the view and cocktails and service, maybe a happy hour - but dinner? No thanks.
   

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6. P

   Penny

   VIP

   Seattle

   66 reviews

   4.0

   66 reviews

   Dined on 19 February 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was our first dining experience at the Chart House at Dana Point. We found the ambience perfect, the sea bass and oysters very tasty and the wine excellent. Above all, our server Eric was great!
   

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7. W

   W

   Tucson

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 18 February 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Food was great. Service was poor apparently due to delay to serve party of 30 causing us to wait about 1 hour from time of placing order until food arrived. One of 4 dinners had to be sent back to reheat as it arrived barely warm.
   

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8. F

   Frankie

   Phoenix

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 18 February 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   The waiter was overwhelmed. Our food came later than expected. Ordered a few dishes and some were cold. Very surprised for this establishment 🤷‍♂️
   

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9. K

   Kevin

   San Francisco

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on 17 February 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Our reservation was for 6:30. We did not get seated until 8pm. We attempted to sit in the bar area at a table and were promptly told it was for customers with reservations. Upon explaining that we had a reservation and we had been waiting for over an hour, we were told to leave the bar area unless we ordered a drink. We ended up ordering drinks to simply just stay there and be able to sit as there was no room to sit down in the waiting area. The drinks were all over $15 each. I felt extorted to have to buy drinks in order to just sit. Just before our table was ready, I asked the receptionist when we might be called. I was told "Your name will be called next". However, 3 other peoples names were called before mine. Upon being seated, it took another 20 minutes for our waiter to greet us and offer us drinks. The dining room we were in had several empty tables. I have no idea why it took so long to sit us considering the amount of empty tables. The food ended up being pretty good, however, my steak was way over cooked, but we were so hungry from waiting for so long that I wasn't about to send it back and have to wait longer. We enjoy coming here for our anniversary but we've never had this negative of an experience. Something has changed and it's for the worse. Very disappointed... especially after spending over $250 for two people to have dinner and drinks.
   

   Chart House Restaurant - Dana PointResponded on 18 February 2025

   Hi Kevin. We sincerely apologize for your recent experience. We are always looking for ways to improve.
   

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10. G

    Gregory

    Orange County

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 17 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Went for Valentine’s Day Special celebration and the food, drink, service and view was magical with some great surprises. I can some it up by saying it wasn’t just a dinner out but an “EXPERIENCE”!
    

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