We kicked off our evening at Wine Experience with the chorizo stuffed dates--sweet, smoky, and…read morewrapped in crisp bacon with a touch of whipped fig crema that made each bite worth while! If you can, try the warm smoked almonds and olives; they're smoked perfection with bright lemon zest and paired beautifully with whatever you're having. The food throughout was absolutely delicious, with thoughtful, elevated small plates that felt refined. The standout on the spring menu? Those beef Wellington puffs--tender filet mignon wrapped in golden, flaky pastry and served with Dijonnaise!! They were rich, elegant, and utterly irresistible; we couldn't stop reaching for more. 3rd order anyone?! What truly made the night special was the team. From the moment we walked in, the knowledgeable staff was genuinely helpful and enthusiastic, guiding us through their wine selections with thoughtful recommendations that perfectly complemented each dish. Their passion turned a lovely dinner into a memorable experience--approachable yet refined. Highly recommend for a special night out. We left smiling, a bit fuller, and already planning to come back. Five stars!

This was truly one of the best wine bar experiences I've had in a while!…read more The staff is what made our night - owner Mike is so attentive and intelligent and kind! He took time to walk us through our tastings and sat down with us for almost an hour to chat wine and food. Everyone else working was also awesome and they make you feel so comfortable and at home. Lovely wine selection and house made pasta and flatbreads as well!! Highly recommend :)

BarVino is a true gem in Dana Point. This inviting local wine bar offers a thoughtfully curated,…read moreever-changing by the bottle or glass selection featuring unique wines at a range of price points, making it just as approachable as it is interesting. Their beautifully crafted cheese and charcuterie boards are the perfect complement to any pour. What truly sets Barvino apart is Lisa, the owner, whose warmth and hospitality make every visit feel like coming home. The wine club is great and members receive a 10% discount on everything. With lively events, live music on most Sundays, and seasonal holiday gift specials, BarVino is the kind of place you'll want to return to again and again. If you haven't experienced it yet, you're missing out-stop by and enjoy a glass...or two!

Bartenders are friendly and wines are on point. Only complaint is that the charcuterie boards are…read morea bit on the small side compared to other wine bars in the area. Ample parking and always busy but never overly crowded. Ambient lighting and can be loud but never too loud to carry a conversation. Members receive 10% off

Five Vines Winery is such a cute spot and one of my favorites when I want something more relaxed…read morebut still a little elevated. The atmosphere is really inviting and perfect for hanging out, whether it is a casual day or something a little more special. The wine selection is great and there is something for everyone, which I love. It is one of those places where you can just sit, unwind, and enjoy your time without feeling rushed. I also like that it feels a little tucked away, which makes it even more of a go to. Overall it is just a really good place to relax, catch up with friends, or have a nice date. Definitely a spot I keep coming back to.

Such a great local spot to wine tasting or simply eating and yapping in SouthOC. There's a variety…read moreof flights you can choose from. The Malbec flight was tasty and my personal favorite is the froze. As for apps we had the garlic fries, flat bread and fried cauliflower. It did not miss! All staff were so transparent with their favorite menu items, and super attentive and helpful. The ambiance is great for a little dinner date, happy hour or intimate get together. Highly recommend.

Please don't go away, when they start renovating this area of the harbor…read more We love it here, and so does our doggie Wines are from Paso and they are delicious.. not to mention the flatbreads. Service is great doggy dishes with biscuits.. Live music on the weekends. Please stay

I was so disappointed with my experience at Frisby…read more We ordered some beers and some apps/flatbreads, because it seemed like a convenient spot and some "bar food" sounded good and easy. I'll start with the good. The pretzel was big, warm, and easy to share. The beers were good too (both IPAs and non). The outside space is perfect to watch boats go by and enjoy the day. Now for the not good. We ordered two different flatbreads, pepperoni and bbq chicken. Both of these were barely edible. My friend compared it to "gas station pizza." I can't even tell you what gas station pizza tastes like, but I would agree that it's the worst pizza I've had in a very long time. The cheese was barely heated and rubbery. The pizzas were so doused in sauce that it would have been more pleasant taking some raw shots of "sweet baby rays" directly from the bottle. These would not even pass as kid approved. We will be sticking to the other Frisby location from now on.

Happy to find out you can order takeout. There is a separate takeout door on the right side of the…read morebuilding. Ordering was easy but it did take over an hour to be ready. I didn't mind the wait, it was actually just enough time to go to Dana Point Harbor and walk around. Tried the La Foresta and it was not only pretty, it was delicious! Must try if you like mushrooms. Can't go wrong with the classic square pepperoni. So good even the next day!

Not worth the wait…read more Hosts are horrible. We did walk in. About 20 minutes later we get a text that says our table is ready. Great! We were walking around and rush and get back within a few minutes. They said the table in the main dining room is just paying their bill and it'll be a few minutes. 25 minutes later we ask and they tell us it'll be another 5 minutes. 10 minutes later our table was ready. I don't understand why they tell us our table is ready when we still have to wait over 35 more minutes. She wasn't apologetic and didn't give any explanation except, you just have to wait. We were sat at a different table too and additional parties of the same size were sat who came up after us so it wasn't just waiting on that table... Food was okay. 3 stars. First bite of sweet and spicy was good but each bite after, the sugar just got more and more overwhelming. Like a pizza on a donut almost. Servers were great. 5 stars. Ambience is loud but great views from upstairs.

I've been here many times and I love everything on their menu. I would recommend making a…read morereservation especially on the busy weekends. Restaurant is nice with some booth seating in the back and even some outdoor seating. Parking itself-there's a small lot next to it but it's almost always full so you can do some street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods. When I last came here, we ordered the red pepper hummus to share and I ordered the French dip! It was excellent as per usual and the service was good. One critique I would have though is that one of the people in my party was a vegetarian and had ordered a veggie burger. The people bringing out the food accidentally swapped the plates of someone else in the party who had ordered a chicken blt when placing the dishes in front of each person. Unfortunately the vegetarian did take a bite of the chicken blt before realizing it was not the veggie burger and spit it out. It is what it is and was an honest mistake. But, maybe confirming the dishes before placing it in front of the person would be good. First time it's happened but we hope it doesn't happen again because we love this place!

To start off, parking is an absolute nightmare. Aim to get there earlier and don't be surprised if…read moreyou have to take use the side streets for parking in the neighborhoods. As for the food, it was pretty good. We got the Salmon, Rotisserie Chicken and Baby Back Ribs. The baby back ribs was definitely the best bang for your buck thing on the menu and they were delicious. The Salmon was ok and the chicken was a little dry. The fries and Cole slaw were very good and our dessert was also very rich. The service was solid and it felt like a place to dress a little nicer but no pressure to wear a suit or anything.

With sadness I make this post...the only restaurant we trust with our breakfast!…read more The most amazing frittata ever! We had to visit one more time before closing on Christmas Eve! We loved that you allow pets on the patio so we didn't have to leave our yorkie at home! Please add the frittata onto the menu at Giana Thank you so much for everything!

A must go place for pastry, brunch and good service. Everything was exceptional- I wish I could…read morehave ordered one of everything on the menu. When you get the bread right - everything else is easy - yet the food still went beyond that. Yum yum, will be back again.

Great Saturday evening dinner. The front staff are very friendly, great upfront team…read more Started off with the Meatballs, this was not a very good dish. They were hard and dry on the outside...not moist...must have been heated up poorly. The Farmers Market Salad was great...fresh peaches and burrata cheese...so good! The Wedge Salad is exceptional, as well. Not pictured. The Crispy Rice Sushi was very, very good. Spicy and the Wasabi was just the right mix. The Steak Frits was prepared perfectly at Medium Rare with the chimmi-churi green sauce complimented the steak perfectly. Although getting fries with your steak dinner seems more of a lunch side and not a dinner side. However, the fries were seasoned and tasted good. We didn't order drinks...we were more hungry and wanted to save room for the Butter Cake dessert! Incredible...this is a must have. I highly recommend this place. You'll have a very good time...food, et all.

Came for brunch after paddle boarding with my husband and MIL. Made a reservation through Open…read moreTable just in case they were packed. Got a table outdoor, the weather was beautiful. The only downside was it was a bit loud when cars passed by. Restaurant is beautiful, love the vibe. Our server Sean C. was very pleasant and attentive. I had the avocado tartine with tots on the side, everything was fresh and tasty. Hubbs had the smash burger which he devoured quickly. For drinks i only got a decaf, wish they had matcha - it would've been a perfect meal for me.

Lovely wine bar located right when you walk into the store in Dana Point…read more Very nice wine menu and food menu. You can also bring food from the to go section into the wine bar, it's Lovely , easy and a very nice treat to be at this wine bar!

I began frequenting this wine bar almost a year ago. Thought it was a great idea by the management…read moreto have such a thing inside some of their high-end markets. As someone who know his way around wine bars, I think they have a nice,though somewhat limited, selection of wines, but their pricing is totally fair, and Tony, who is a practicing Sommelier, is quite knowledgeable as well as a welcoming and jovial "host". Having read a few of the negative reviews, I note that it is the Food Service they offer which gets almost all the criticism. I like just about everything I've ordered there (they have a good selection of appetizers, 'shared plates', salads, burgers, sandwiches) but depending upon who is in the kitchen, I have witnessed overly-lengthy waits for simple orders, both from my orders and from other customers. That said, it is positively one of THE best burgers around, especially at $15 INCLUDING a side. They also have a very competent sushi chef in-house who makes great stuff. Please note this location is closed Mon & Tue; the Irvine location is 7 days. And it does close promptly at 8pm. All in all, I think it's a hidden "gem", and Tony runs a first-class operation.

I wanted to like this place more, I really did, it was good but not great. We made a…read morereservation-which we obviously didn't need at the time-and were greeted and immediately taken to our table of choice, especially since almost every table was available at our early time around 5 pm. Quite a few regulars hanging around the bar, this looks like a Dana Point watering spot for many elderly locals. But the ambience was pretty quiet for a Friday night, not exactly reassuring. We started with the blackened baba ganoush, which I no longer see on the web menu, and it was the best dish of all. Truly delicious, with some nice breads and harissa, the combination was a delight to soak up with the bread provided. I had a blue crab and avocado salad, well done and tasty. Scallops were also well prepared, short rib was good but not spectacular, and the jumbo shrimp cocktail-well, it was a shrimp cocktail-hard to screw that up, but nothing remarkable either. The let-down here was definitely the dessert, which is really hard to mess up. The flourless chocolate cake tasted like a vegan cake made with aquafaba or some other not good flour substitute. Dense to the point of almost being chewy-why not go with a molten chocolate cake instead? Chef needs a new recipe for this one. Glad we did not order anything else because if it was on this level, it would have been double my disappointment. A few of the cocktails were good with a strong pour. For these kind of prices and food, there are better options out there. This is not a bad place, but not one I'd put on my bucket list.

I wondered why this place was empty. On paper it looks great, but in reality it's more of a tourist…read moretrap than a local favorite. How could it improve? 1. Expand the menu. We came for the photos on Yelp. None of which are on the menu anymore. Guessing some consultant told them to cut costs by streamlining the choices. Bad advice. 2. Increase portion size. I know this isn't Cracker Barrel but the portions were cartoonishly small. Another bad suggestion by that P/E minded consultant. 3. Hire another server or two. Our server was nice, but we barely saw him. Given the prices and white table ambience, the service was unacceptable. Won't be back and don't recommend. Dana Point has too many better options.