Summary: Worth taking your date to for special view Get your GPS ready and eyes sharp because the actual restaurant isn't visible from the street. Once you drive up to the valet and actually go inside the doors you descend inside what can be described as a light house (don't worry they have handicap access on the side). They have an outside grassy area with benches and chairs to soak in the wonderful Pacific Ocean breeze to enjoy a drink or two while you wait for you table to be setup. Here you can enjoy the breath-taking view of Dana Point where you can see the sailboat sailing by. Once the table is set you have the same beautiful view of the ocean. I recommend going to close to sunset to enjoy the view. This is also probably another great place to be for the Boat Parades and fireworks. Next onto the food. I ordered their famous Chart house prime rib, along with a clam chowder. Their clam chowder is white, a little thick but not too much potatoes which was good. The prime rib I enjoyed tremendously, as it was tender, not to dry, and flavorful. I tend to like to have straight horseradish but actually found their horseradish sauce a better choice as it seem to balance out the meal. Also other options is an all you can eat salad which have a nice variety of options including sweet watermelon, and for an upgrade fee you can have baked potatoes instead of mashed potatoes. Next time round I would pick these option. Other main dish I recommend was the sear Ahi. It was nicely seared and flavorful in itself. The only other option I wished I got to try was scallops which unfortunately they ran out Trust your server and ask for what they think is good. Next on to service. Daniel our server this night was truly awesome. You can feel that she truly was happy and proud working at this restaurant. She was very patient with our dining party and answering all our questions. She handled my old uncle who is a veteran, along with my little child with equal deft and warmth. She somehow had the gift of being there when we needed her and yet being discreetly away giving us intimate time for a special and personal event. She is truly a gem that made the night special for my family. It always a great night when everyone sharing a moment together filled with jokes and laughter. Only minor point that needs improvement is probably the check in desk. I'm not sure how asking if we could get an earlier table warranted a rude attitude from the hostess. It must've been obvious because other waiting patrons stop their conversation to look at her....very awkward... so yes was surprise. Luckily Daniel easily make up for this lapse. So yes, please do give this place. It's a beautiful place for a date for the view. read more

We ate at Chart House last night to celebrate birthday and anniversary with our 2 life long couple friends. My husband and I always enjoy the Chart House but last night that didn't hold true. I was so disappointed because I recommended that me Chart House for our special celebration. Plus we travel 45 minutes to the Chart House. Our waitress was very forgetful and seemed to be out of site most of the evening. Drinks were forgotten. Water glasses were not refilled. Food orders were delivered to wrong person. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. We all were. I trust this is not the standard for the future. I don't posted reviews but I felt this was necessary for the management to correct. Thank you read more

As a wedding photographer I recently shot a wedding at the Chart House in Dana Point. It was such a success! I was really impressed with the venue. The wedding started in the morning approx 11am so it worked out great as the entire restaurant was used for the wedding. The restaurant has different large rooms that were perfect for the pre-wedding prep of both the bride and groom. The bride and her bridal party had one large room and the groom and the groomsmen occupied a large room the other half of the restaurant near the bar. The outdoor grass area was perfect for a first look and the Dana Point Harbor panoramic views were just a stunning backdrop for both the first look and the ceremony. It was a Jewish Wedding and everything went off beautifully. The Outdoor ceremony was very pleasant and then they held the reception indoors. Tables were placed together to form larger long tables and the dance floor was in the middle of the room. The food was delicious! Family photos and bridal party photos were shot outside incorporating the ocean in the background. It was really beautiful and there was plenty of space and atmosphere. The bride and groom did a grand exit complete with bubbles and it was a short drive to the beach to shoot some bride and groom romantics at the end of the evening. This was my first wedding shot at the Chart House but it really did work out nicely. The bride and groom were very happy with the results and I would recommend it to other couples in the future. read more

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Food was great. Service was phenomenal we sat outside. It was just beautiful and so we can't wait to go back but please bring the salad bar back. read more

I'm sorry but this place was mediocre, and I should have taken photos of the food. Our server was kind, didn't have any real opinion of the food other than that everything was "so good", which was not the case. Our yellowtail fin tuna crudo appetizer was the best dish we had. The kimchee calamari was fine some parts seemed undercooked, it looked like a full dish but underneath was a bunch of crisps. The appetizers took 45minutes to come out I'm assuming they're understaffed. And another 30min after that for the main course to be served. If it was worth the wait I'd be more understanding. The lobster soup still had shells in it, a disappointment, the prime rib was thin, dry and according to my husband undercooked and upset his stomach for the rest of the night. My filet mignon was fun to cut with a butter knife, ordered a medium and it was dry and over done, the saving grace was the chimichurri sauce which just tasted like salted butter. The lobster tail I tried to eat, but was burnt to a crisp and extremely dry. I was going to eat the leftovers but throwing it out since I woke up in the middle of the night dying of thirst. Not worth the time, the view, or the money. Awful. Oh and the molten lava cake also overlooked. The center was dry, no lava. Needless to say, I'd rather stay home and eat in my backyard with a view, glass of wine and a simple burger. We will not be going back. Two stars only because my 1 drink was good. And the server was nice. Be prepared to cut steaks with butter knives and to bring your own bottle of water of water because they don't refill them til you're ready to get the F out of there. read more

Just wanted to offer a shout out to the Chart House team in Dana Point for flawless execution of a special family gathering to remember and celebrate the life of one who recently passed. The team, led by Melissa, was thorough, committed to service and helpful in all aspects of planning. The food was exceptional at every turn - we created a wonderful buffet of options for 20+ guests and everything was delicious. In addition, the patio view overlooking the harbor is without equal in this area. Beyond all that, the care and empathy extended to all family members in this challenging time was notable and appreciated. If you have need of a special event, Melissa will guide your journey. And the team including Jake and Jay on our day are 100% service oriented. read more

Service was superb but 5 of us out of 9 ordered fish and every dish had overcooked, dry fish. Since it was a large party it would have been difficult to send them all back so we didn't For the price of these entrees we expected better meals. The restaurant wasn't even crowded so there was no excuse for this. Will ever return again read more

One of our go to spots for dinner. Good food, the atmosphere is very low key and mellow and the views are amazing. If you can snag a table by the windows overlooking the harbor you will not be disappointed. The service is always great from the time you walk in, to the time you leave. The food is always amazing. The one thing that I wish they would bring back is the salad bar....my wife, every time we go to chart house says "I wish the salad bar was still here, it's the best". Overall, Chart House is always a good choice! read more

First time in Dana PT, CA. I am very pleased with the service and location. Very friendly staff. Can't wait to be back. The prime rib was so good! read more

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Chart House used to be my "go to" restaurant of choice for special occasions for three decades. We just visited there tonight and the service was very good and the food was very bad. Filet was bathed in salt. Made my eyes water to eat it. Mashed potatoes were cold and asparagus wasn't trimmed properly so half the stalks were like chewing on bamboo. Even though I requested a nice location for an anniversary, we were stuck into the bar area in a corner staring at a concrete wall. Not a good dining experience. I've noticed the quality went downhill when they were purchased by Landrys. The bill came to over $200 with tips. I could have prepared the very same meal at home much better for $30. Very disappointing to see this nice restaurant decline and consumers gouged in order to pump up Landrys profits. read more

Seafood was not good shrimp was bad and mahi not much better. Servers were nice but took 1 hour plus to get entrees. The only thing going for this place is the view. Very disappointing. Up read more

DON'T GO IF KEVIN IS WORKING. I Wanted to take my partner to dinner, we made a reservation, ordered a bunch of food, even valet parked our car, dedicating ourselves to the experience. Whilst waiting on food, my partner and I simultaneously went to use the restroom. I don't know if the cause of this was profiling or familiarity with people walking out because of their poor service, but within three minutes of being gone and two bites out of my partners salad, our waiter Kevin had our table packed up and wiped down, upon seeing this, I notified the men cleaning my table we were still eating. Kevin then approached this situation, being the person to assume we had walked out and said, "make sure you guys let us know if your going somewhere, cause we thought you just walked out". Before walking off himself instead of apologizing for the inconvenience and addressing the situation professionally, leaving the rest of the dinner service awkward and stressful, even forgetting our appetizer when serving our entrees. At the end of the dinner Kevin approached us and asked "Are we thinking about anything for dessert?" To which my partner replied, "I think my dinner actually came with a mini lava cake". Kevin then said "oh no I was talking more to him" even though he had just said "we" as if it was a poor attempt to cover his forgetfulness. To make matters even worse, at the end of the meal Kevin said "our tab had been covered", and "if we had any questions about it". To which I replied "yeah, what for?" All this guy said was "because it's a happy Saturday". So myself left to assume the restaurant wanted to make up for the ultra poor service, we left a good tip. It wasn't until I got out of the restaurant I received a call from my father, who happened to be at the restaurant at the same time making sure I wasn't charged twice for the meal, as MY FATHER WAS THE ONE TO PAY FOR IT. Meaning I just tipped Kevin generously for terrible service due to his negligence to tell me my tab had been covered by someone else when I asked. Probably the worst dinner experience I've ever had, you're better off going to Denny's. read more

Ok, the location overlooking the harbor is the bomb. The architecture of the restaurant should win awards. The first thing you think when you see the place is: "What a great venue foe a wedding!" That's where my positive review stops. The steaks three of us ordered were served cold, including the side dishes. Clearly the plates sat while or fourth persons dish was prepared. All three of us sent our plates back., where promptly took our cold dishes into lukewarm ones. None of us were happy. When we finally stopped complaining, we decided to eat our warmish steaks. They were dry and VERY unimpressive. The molten chocolate cake was ok. I'm not going back, view or no view. read more

Had a great dinner! Including bruschetta and coconut shrimp appetizers! Loved the mimosa flight for two. Fish and steak dinners were all good. Service was solid and you can't beat the view. read more

Update on the response I got, or didn't get, from Chart house. I did get a message and a call from the chef who apologized and said he wanted to compensate us and would talk to his manager..... guess the manager isn't interested in making it right or apologizing. DO NOT go here for a celebration. The best part is the view so go up for the view, then go elsewhere for dinner. read more

We will not be going back. We went to try their happy hour for the first time yesterday. The place was already busy and there seemed to be only one server working at the dining area. We ordered a beer and Mango Mojito, but we got a beer and a white wine instead. We kindly let the server know that we didn't ordered the wine, and he said "Oh I heard MEZZACORONA, which is a Pinot Grigio" and just left the table. He seemed very upset. We got the Mango Mojito and finished eating (food was just okay). When it was time for us to pay, the server had to call a manager over to void the wine, and then he started complaining about us to the manager. They were standing by the PoS right behind our table so we could hear EVERYTHING. He said "She SAID MEZZACORONA, but when she actually got the wine, she didn't want it" in a very aggressive way. Not sure why he didn't think we could hear him but it was very disturbing. I get it he was probably too busy last night and frustrated but I wish he didn't take it out on us. It seemed like he didn't even want to try to create a good experience for guests last night. Their drinks are fantastic, but food is just okay and last night's server's attitude was last draw for us. read more

The best happy hour in Dana Point and Tony was the best waiter. We had the Tuna TarTar and Calamari and it was delicious. The Old Fashioned was delightful and the zero proof drinks Cucumber Honey and Faux-jito the best refreshing drinks I've ever had. Thank You Tony for treating us so special, it's our first and we will definitely come back. No we're going to the dinner area and let's see if have someone as nice as Tony in the dining area. read more

Chart House - View - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

It's a very scenic restaurant with great views but their sea food was probably the worst I've ever had. I ordered the shrimp pasta and you can tell that the shrimp was overcooked because it was very tough and it wasn't the freshest they had white spots on the tails also, my dates salmon was very dry. I also received the wrong appetizer as well... read more

I made a reservation two weeks in advance for a Saturday night at 6pm (9/14/24) to celebrate our anniversary. At 5:17pm I received a text stating our table was ready and was asked to "reply 1 if you're on your way." At 5:25pm I replied "1". We arrived at 5:40 to a backup to get into the parking lot. Cars lined the street on both sides, and there were cars parked to the side of the driveway into the parking lot. Upon noticing a valet attendant speaking to the car in front of us, I rolled down the window to listen. He said there was no parking. The restaurant had overbooked with wedding receptions and he said, "they screwed us over." I'm guessing it's a contracted company, and he wasn't an employee of the restaurant. We drove away, knowing there was no parking within at least a half mile or more. I tried calling to cancel by speaking to an actual person, but no one answered. I ended up canceling through the Open Table app I had used to make the reservation. I was so disappointed. I had already chosen my menu for the evening. We declined an invitation for earlier in the evening because we were so looking forward to our anniversary dinner at Chart House. At some point, someone there knew parking was going to be a problem, but no one reached out to let us know. We could have made arrangements to be dropped off and picked up, but we weren't given the option. Someone there messed up really badly. I only hope that all the wedding reception attendees were actually able to get in. read more

We haven't been here for years and was hesitant in coming back due to the reviews We had a wonderful dinner - great service , Chris was our waiter, and our the food was quite good - we had coconut shrimp presented beautifully - salads ahi and the shrimp stack. We are awaiting the lava cake but thinking it will be yummy - honestly a great mid week experience and we will be back read more

Views like this don't get any better. Service was amazing and the food followed suit. Coming back soon.

Service was poor and food was mediocre. The scenery though is breathtaking ! Took a while for drinks to be delivered to table and we finished our appetizer and had to wait to order our dinner read more

The Chart House Happy Hour is one of the best in Dana Point for price. The variability isn't that great, but it is fairly generous and fresh. This date we had the best server we have ever had there. His name is Kevin. His timing was impeccable. His attention to our requests was on point. In the past we have had servers were were flippant, who were lazy, were just plain slow (might have been the overcrowding that occurs at HH. But Kevin handled everything with aplomb. read more

Bad service. Poor management. Average food. Such a waste as it has the best views in Southern California. Tilman Fertitta should fire the staff and start over. read more

Lovely and romantic atmosphere. The food was delicious and the Wait staff was spectacular! read more

Chart House - Pomegranate Martini - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

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We took our son to dinner here last night for his 18th birthday. We put a note in the reservation about it yet they did not even say anything. We arrived right at 730 per our reservation and were not seated until 750. Then we did not receive drinks until 820. The service was horrible!!! My husband ordered the prime rib - plate was hot meat was cold. I ordered the filet mignon - medium with a small amount of pink and the middle was almost raw. My son ordered the New York - 14 oz for his birthday and they brought him the wrong steak!!! 25 mins later his correct steak arrived and we were already done eating by that time - so we sat and watched him eat. He had plans with his friends later that night and he was very late. We let him leave before we did - as it took forever for the lava cake and then the check. We have never had horrible service and the food was mediocre but I wish we would have gone somewhere else. $245 later we were not satisfied. No lemon for our water as requested, my husband said his beer glass was dirty, wrong steak delivered, small less that satisfying portion for the Caesar salad and the lava cake had no lava!! Lastly - my husband mentioned that we had just about the worst table in the restaurant and there were open booths with a view - the waiter blamed it on the hostess as they just seat people anywhere. read more

Great food , great service and the view is best in Dana Point!!! Just miss the salad bar!!:(

Went for happy hour. Food is extremely greasy and/ or tasteless. Drink somehow both too sweet & flavorless at the same time. Not a good experience overall.not worth it, there are other better options. Only redeeming value is the location. The staff was nice though. read more

My family and I had the most wonderful time for my Birthday Celebration. First, our server Eric was so accomodating, friendly and all around excellent! The food was delicious and we ordered 6 different items with great drinks.. again all different and very good. The view was so pretty and perfect. This was one of the best celebrations with my family. Loved the birthday greeting on the menu too! I am thankful I did not pay attention to some of the prior reviews or we would not have had the marvelous and beautiful time we experienced. Thank you Chart House and thank you Eric for making it extra special for US! read more

Absolute worst experience ever !!!! Reservations at 5:00 , didn't get seated until 5:38. Waitress never brought water or bread until I asked her twice. Got a wedge salad and Caesar salad both had no dressing so I got up and got it myself because she was nowhere to be found. When we finally got our main meal unfortunately my husband did not feel well , he was having chest pain .. I asked if I could get a to go box , never got one , and never got our dessert which was part of our 3 course meal. Although she did bring the check immediately !!!!! So so disappointed because it was Christmas Day ;( read more

Great view! The food was good, although I wished there were more healthier options. Other than that, the staff were friendly and wished there were more parking spaces. Would definitely come back. read more

Chart House - Outdoor seating - great view of Dana Point Harbor - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

It s easy for us to make an appointment for dine in. We got the seat outside with the best view of the city. It s cold but not with the heater. They foods are delicious especial the portion of calamari is big & tasty. The shrimp chip with the nice decoration. Steak are tender. I would come back for another visiting ! read more

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I would give it 0 starts if I could. Every single person who worked here was extremely rude to my family and I (3 separate people were so mean from the second we arrived until we left - the hostess, the bartender, and the waiter). Other than the view it's the worst bar/restaurant I've been in DP. Do yourself a favor and go literally anywhere else read more

First off, let me say that chart house has some amazing views even at night. It's truly beautiful and if you're looking for a special place check out chart house! I came here for a special Valentine's dinner surprise with my boyfriend. They had the option for a set menu or ordering off the regular menu. We wanted to order off the Valentine's Day menu, but our server quickly informed us that they were out of lobster! We came at 8:30 ish and they were already sold out. I can understand especially in this climate restaurants do not want to end up with more than they can sell, but still it would have been nice if we had that option. We ordered off the regular menu. We had the coconut shrimp and clam chowder as appetizers. I had the filet minion with mashed potatoes well done and my boyfriend had the NY strip steak with mashed potatoes medium (although it came out more like well done than medium). The thing that threw me off, was that they gave me A1 with my steak and not with my boyfriends.. is it because I asked for well done? I've never been served A1 at a nice steak house but that's fine... We then ordered the chocolate soufflé served with a Heath bar and vanilla ice cream. It was hot but super super sweet and over powering. If you love chocolate and sweetness than this dessert is for you, but if you want something more mild, I'd look over some more options. Parking: valet or there's a parking structure I believe but they said it was full so valet was the only option which was fine but they set my boyfriends car alarm off as soon as we walked away.. eek. Overall, it's a very nice restaurant and they were pretty packed for Valentine's Day. Although we had reservations, we still had to wait outside and it would have been nice if they had put a space heater out there for us while we waited. read more

Highly dissatisfying experience with service. We ordered a bottle of wine that took 35 minutes to arrive to our table. We did not have a dedicated server for our party of four. We were with friends from Dallas, TX. that we dine with once a year. However, Nicole noticed what was transpiring and came to our rescue. Not certain of her position with the restaurant but she was a delight. Thank you Nicole. read more

My husband and I hosted a bday dinner party for 20 this past spring. We coordinated beforehand by setting our menu and choosing our wine. The day of the event, the coordinator had the day off and no one seemed to be in charge. After the party began, we needed to look for someone to come take drink orders, with the first drinks arriving 35 minutes after our start time. It turned out we did not have our own server as she was helping all of the other tables outside. She was frantically trying to help our 20 guests while serving other tables. The appetizers arrived ten minutes into the party but sat getting cold since no one had drinks yet. The dinner salads were small and extremely soggy. Two guests were served chicken with peanut sauce. The chicken that we had chosen, AND was on the menu was a Cajun style chicken. One of these guests that received the chicken has a severe nut allergy. He and his wife left early since he was beginning to get hives. They spent the evening in Mission Hospital's parking lot, since he wanted to avoid an ER charge. He was not in anaphylactic shock, but was covered in hives. His DR. Advised him to wait in the parking lot four hours in case things got worse. He ended up driving home at midnight, still in hives but less swollen. The wine that we had chosen was not what was put on the table, and lastly, the mud pie dessert was served and it was literally 80% melted. I did reach out to the manager. He was concerned with the guest that had the allergic reaction. I'm sure he was worried about a "lawsuit!" I did not want to go that route, but am deeply disappointed with how he handled our situation. Chart House did NOTHING for this guest after calling him. We received a small gift card for dinner, with no apology from Landry's. We do not want to use this since we have no interest in ever returning. We spent a lot of money, but the quality of food and service were not good! read more

Great view, great food and great service! FYI this place is valet only :) As if the view you get at Chart House isn't enough, the entire staff, including the valet personnel, is super friendly! My brother and I wanted to treat my mom to a nice dinner with a view for her birthday and no one in our party was let down. We all ordered something different but I personally ordered the 7 oz. Filet Mignon, medium-rare, with the crab cake as an added side. A lot of places tend to overcook medium-rare steak but Chart House got it just right! Haven't had many crab cakes but this one was fresh tasting and delicious! We all shared the Kim Chee Calamari and Lava cake. Both I'd say are musts and will definitely order next time I go. The calamari is perfectly cooked and the sauce the serve it in has so much flavor!! The Lava Cake is ridiculous. So good, decadent, warm and comforting. Chart House's prices are a little up there but WORTH THE SPLURGE! read more

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We came here for dinner to celebrate the end of our week vacation and it was definitely the right choice. With a beautiful view of Dana Point, we started off with some good bread and butter as we sipped on some tasty cocktails; the pomegranate mojito is what I had and it was minty and refreshing. For appetizers we decided upon the kimchi calamari and seared ahi and both were fantastic choices, especially the calamari. For my entree I chose the seafood pot pie and it was absolutely delectable... a good amount of shrimp, scallops, and lobster under a light puff pastry crust with a lovely crème sauce. The other members of my party had the mahi mahi and the ahi tuna and both were delicious from what I was told. I was going to get the apple and cherry crisp for dessert but sadly they ran out right before I ordered... maybe next time. :) read more

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Great food. Beautiful view of the ocean --especially at sunset. Very classy. Parking is a little hard-- they have valet parking but there was a line, so we parked on the street and walked. My family goes here for all our adult birthday celebrations. Highly recommend. read more

Beautiful scenic view! Our server, Natasha, was amazing. So attentive and friendly. We really enjoyed our meal, and will definitely be back!