I've lived in DP for 32 years and finally came in here. On a Saturday. At 1pm. Busy. Packed. And yeah I know it's a recent addition. But... The place is run really well. Great service! We got oysters, chef tacos, beef and salmon. I'd recommend the beef over the salmon. The salmon was a bit salty. We also ordered a small Caesar's salad and a tomato cheese side thing. I guess we were rolling tapas style. It was all very good all! Again the service was amazing and somehow, not sure how but it all came to the table quickly. Now, I didn't order a Bloody Mary. BUT, I saw a few. It's a meal. On my radar for next time. Peace read more

Stopped in for Father's Day lunch with my family and we are all happy that we chose this spot. It's a casual seafood centered American restaurant fairly close to the water in Dana Point. It's above the harbor so not as close to the boats as you can get, but parking in this area is much easier. They have a medium-sized parking lot attached so there is plenty of free parking. Inside of the restaurant is designed really well, it's a new construction with California colors and textures, tall ceilings, white walls, and spread out seating. We were seated at a booth near the kitchen and it was actually very quiet. It would be easy to bring small or large groups here because they have booth and small to large table options. Our server was very polite and all of our food items came out quickly. They have a medium-sized menu, but it is full of a lot of classic American dishes that have a seafood lean to them. I started off my meal with the Clam Chowder and thought it was fantastic. It was less creamy than I am used to, but the bacon addition really added to the overall flavors. For my entrée, I chose the Chicken BLT and added avocado and was really happy with my choice. The chicken is fairly skinny, which makes it easier to eat and the breading on it had a great and well balanced flavor. I recommend adding avocado because it added a level of creaminess to each bite. Overall a great lunch or dinner option in Dana Point. I live in West Los Angeles and my family lives in San Diego so this area is a meeting point for us so we all plan to be back in the future to try more items. read more

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Everything we ordered was so good specially the crab cake salad. The Steak and Ribs were cooked to perfection. The fries were cooked and seasoned just right. And the chicken Cesar salad was crispy and delightful. Their mimosas were fantastic! Our servers name was Zac. He was great and attentive to all our needs. read more

Coastal Kitchen - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

Excellent food and service. Everything was so freaking delicious and everyone working there seemed very personable, professional and kind. Great spot!! read more

There are a lot of these type of restaurants in S OC. They are all very good but Coastal Kitchen stands higher. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Light bright. Unfortunately ALWAYS slammed but if you go early or even just after 7:30 you can eat at the bar. They have a unique couple of things on the menu that I love. Trout dip and red pepper hummus apps. Fried chicken Caesar with fried capers Pan seared salmon Great food. Cool vibe. Lots of pretty people. Definitely worth the wait. read more

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Yesterday my mom and I went here for lunch. The food was delicious but what made this a five star experience was our waitress, Kelly!! They made a mistake with my halibut and she was so kind, apologetic, and attentive. She was very sharp and handled everything perfectly. She was kind and would bring you things before you even had to ask!! If I could, I would try to request sitting in Kelly's area. She went beyond to make our experience wonderful. We really appreciate her! Thank you Kelly! read more

Cute restaurant in the heart of the lantern village in Dana Point. Recommend making reservations as we had to sit outside (even with the heaters still a bit chilly). Service was outstanding. Food was good but admittedly expectations were higher given how crowded it was. read more

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Incredibly disappointed. Prices way up quality and portions way down! Struggling to believe this other reviews!

Atmosphere was great. Michelle did a great job as our server. I have mixed feelings on the food, at least the two chicken dishes in our group. My wife had a burger. One of the she has ever had. Juicy, thick and cooked to order. She loved it. My friend had the Prime rib sandwich, she thought it was great. She also like the coleslaw that came with it. Unfortunately I had a chicken sandwich with great toppings and bun, but the chicken was a little dry. My friend had a Caesar Salad with chicken. He thought the chicken was also dry. Plentiful, but dry. I'd definitely go back. I'd go for a beef dish. read more

Upscale casual atmosphere with indoor, outdoor and bar seating. Full service, sitdown restaurant. They have a small private parking lot accessible from the back alley, but good luck with parking if it's a busy weekend. Fast and friendly service. For lunch on a Sunday, I tried the chefs tacos (choice of several different meats and comes with three tacos), and the french dip sandwich (includes choice of fries or coleslaw). Everything was amazing! Not the most generous of serving sizes, and pricey to boot, but that's expected in a town like Dana Point. read more

Coastal Kitchen - Chef's Tacos - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

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I enjoyed my veggie burger very much. I opted for coleslaw slaw, dh chose fries, he liked them very much. The drinks very tasty. Server was friendly. Highly recommend. read more

Coastal Kitchen - Check - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

Had a great meal with my girlfriend our server's name was Ricky and he was very courteous as well as gave great recommendations. Next time we go back, we will request Ricky and I suggest you do the same. He is one of their best servers. read more

A local recommended this spot to us and we were so happy we went! Beautiful restaurant inside and out, they have heated areas outside which was a plus! The servers were all super nice, great teamwork on their end! They also gave us great recommendations and really knew their menu. The ribs were to die for! Def a must have! Their lemonade was also so good and fresh! Burrata was very tasty! We had a fabulous lunch here! read more

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On a cool, breezy Saturday, we took a drive down PCH, Pacific Coast Highway, from Newport Coast, to meet our niece and have a late lunch at a place called Coastal Kitchen in Dana Point. It was difficult to find a parking spot on a Saturday out there but we lucked out because right away, we found one! The restaurant was busy and once again, with a party of eight, they were able to get a big table just for us. Our server was a young energetic woman so she was able to make plenty of recommendations for appetizers and drinks. We kept her busy with drink orders as well as appetizers. Their menu favors seafood - why not - it's by the Pacific Ocean, right? Most of us ordered seafood and we enjoyed the camaraderie of sharing a meal with family. Lots of laughs and lots of food. Happy times! The ambiance was perfect for a sit down meal. We were in the back of the restaurant so we had plenty of room. Overall, it was an expensive early dinner, what with drinks and appetizers, and then the entrees. Wow! Nevertheless, the location can't be beat. It's Southern California at its best. Crystal blue ocean with a sky to match. Cool breeze from the ocean enough to make you cozy up to your loved one. It was quite a day! read more

Coastal Kitchen - Scottish Salmon - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Unbelievably GREAT restaurant! Every bite of everything our group ordered was the Best ever. The service was impeccable and the seating is very comfortable. The fact that it is steps from the ocean does not hurt either. We could not recommend Coastal Kitchen more highly. We will definitely be returning. read more

Keisha was our waitress for the day and she was FANTASTIC! My husband and I asked her for our meal commendation and everything she picked did not disappoint. The restaurant was perfect vibe for my family. We started off with the trout dip and Parker house rolls and they did not disappoint at all! Probably the best thing for me and my husband loved the toast. For entre we got the Caesar salad which for me was boring. I would have preferred shavings of Parmesan and dress capers it just looked and tasted average. We also got the grouper sandwich with fries. The pepper ketchup was delish but the fries were dry and not tasty. The fish sandwich was fresh I wish there was a sauce or squeeze lemon it was a little bland. Overall the stars of the show were the appetizers and the excellent service provided by Keisha. She was also patient with my almost 2 year old. We will definitely be coming back hungry for more! read more

Coastal Kitchen - Trout Dip Parker House Rolls. - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

We were a family of 7 with one baby. Did a walk in for a late lunch at 2:30 and got seated right away. Ambience is bright coastal theme, the interior design is beautiful and I loved the vibe here. Great for date night, big groups and family outings. We got the crab salad as appetizer to share and I ordered the rock snapper and fried cauliflower. I wasn't a fan of the fish, unfortunately. The rock snapper wasn't tender and the food was rather bland. However the crab cake salad next time, tender and flakey, nicely paired with grapefruit and salad. There's plenty of parking available by the restaurant. Service was impeccable. Will definitely get the crab cake salad next time! read more

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Service and ambiance was good/ I've dined here several times. This time I ordered the Ahi Salad and was very disappointed about the portion size in light of its price point. $32 for a salad that barely had enough greens to eat with each bite of tuna. Its costs close to nothing to add lettuce to an entree salad! I won't be ordering that again or maybe not dining there anytime soon! read more

Seafood was so so fresh and the dishes are prepared wonderfully! I had the halibut, my absolute favorite. Can't wait to go back.

This place is a must go. The flavors are amazing. The service is fantastic. The ambiance is perfect. Our server Maggie was very warm and welcoming. I didn't snap a pic of the butternut dessert, but YUMMY! The only downside is there aren't many vegetarian options, but the veggie burger tasting just so good made up for it! read more

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Really great food & drinks & ambience, servers were great as well. Loved the Hawaiian Rib Rye marinade and the quinoa salad was very good, maybe a tad too much vinaigrette for me. Husband got the French dip and said it was good. Butter cake for dessert- very good! read more

Coastal Kitchen - Hawaiian Ribeye- very good! Substituted side for quinoa salad - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

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The service was great but no birthday celebration was offered. We would not return for a special event. Today was my actual birthday and nothing was offered celebrated which was felt underwhelming and not not memories read more

Food was good and the portions were fairly big. The service was attentive without being overbearing. The location is nice but parking is a nightmare. I can't imagine how hard it would be to get there in the summer unless you Uber there which feels like a silly expense when hanging in the lantern district. read more

Food came out at different times, burger was over cooked. Grouper sandwich was great. Manager was very friendly. Wait staff was a little cold. I expect more for a $25 cheese burger. read more

Coastal Kitchen was lovely! A friend of mine was staying in Dana Point for the weekend, and I decided to come meet her to take her out to dinner. The ambiance here was magical during the holidays -- Christmas decorations as soon as you walk through their door, and a modern upscale area for you to dine in. Our server was kind, attentive, and friendly, and apologized to us when our appetizer unexpectedly came out at the same time as our entrees. We didn't mind this very much, since we were starving anyways, but we were grateful that our server had noticed this and apologized. Now onto the good stuff: Cajun shrimp appetizer -- 5/5 This was absolutely divine. Honestly, I would come here to order this alone. if you're worried about spice, don't be -- my spice intolerant friend didn't find this dish to be spicy at all. The sauce was velvety rich with so many depths of flavor, and it paired so nicely with the everything on the hot plate. We soaked up every last bit of that sauce. the shrimp was perfectly cooked and the only downside to this dish was that we wish we ordered a second one. Do yourself a favor and order this for your appetizer! Salmon with broccoli side -- 4/5. The salmon was perfectly cooked and pretty much melts in your mouth. I also enjoyed the remoulade sauce that it paired with. I wasn't particularly fond of the parmesan broccoli and found it to be a bit bland, and wish I ordered a different side. Crab cakes with french fries -- 4/5. This was a solid meal and very well cooked. Upon first bite, it felt like a good amount of salt hit my pallet, but afterwards tasted less salty. The fries were above average. Overall, my friend and I enjoyed our experience at Coastal Kitchen. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to eat somewhere a but more upscale and enjoy a lovely ambiance. read more

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My family and I were in there yesterday 9/29/25 at around 3:30/4:00 with a party of eight. When we walked in everyone loved the look and ambiance and how unique the fish wall paper is. As soon as we sat down our server Brie came over and took our drink order immediately. From the start to until she had to transfer her table because her shift was over she was nothing but amazing. She answered questions, got my mom and aunt a taste of wine to see if they liked it and got my dad a different drink because the spicy margarita was too hot for him due to his heart. Everyone loved everything. From the appetizer's-house rolls, fried cauliflower and shrimp cocktail. The mains- house salads, but, three French dips and cauliflower tacos to the desserts- key lime pie, butter cake and a hot fudge sundae. My aunt and uncle were visiting from Chicago and wished they lived here just to go back for the fantastic food and wonderful service by Brie. Thank you for making my family happy and for giving us a last dinner out together that was fun, memorable and everyone enjoyed. read more

Food was a 5 star plus. Hawaiian Ribeye and campari tomatoes were excellent. I ate with a party of four. Others had the salmon, the cheeseburger, and the chicken sandwich. All the dishes were top notch. Gabby's service was attentive and pleasant. We could not have had a better New Years eve lunch. It was just perfect. read more

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Ambiance was nice. Waitress was pleasant. Menu was deceiving. Menu stated seared ahi tuna salad was actually blackened ahi. This salad was small and price was high. A so-called entrée Caesar salad was small, unimpressive and twenty bucks. Just not impressed at all with the mediocre food and high prices. I know it is a resort town and food prices are high. Just disappointed. read more

Food was great, service excellent, and very nice ambience. Will be back. Will definitely recommend. read more

This is my second time coming here and the customer service from the hostess has been horrible. For whatever reason they act like they don't want to help me. No greeting, no how may I help you, nothing. Not sure if it's due to the color of my skin, but it sure does feel that way since I've been treated the same way both times I've been there. read more

Always consistent great good and excellent service. Been here many times and it never disappoints. Great ambiance and pretty decor. Outside patio with bonfires. Good wines as well! read more

Coastal Kitchen - Ahi Tuna Salad - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Great service! Great food! Clean nice trendy ambiance. Unfortunately the drinks aren't so good! Ribs were delicious, filet was cooked to perfection. Ribeye juicy. Blacken Ahi tuna fresh and tasty. My favorite was the tomatoes Campari salad with blue cheese crumbles read more

Coastal Kitchen - Back Ribs - D Back Ribs - D - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

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This was some of the best food that we have ever eaten. The atmosphere was fantastic and the service was awesome. read more

Coastal Kitchen - Done area. Light and beachy. - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

Once again, relying on the Yelp community to help us find fabulous places, Yelp did not disappoint. We were told what area to go to and Yelp did the rest. First, jumbo shrimp cocktail-huge and sweet. The ribeye was perfection. The halibut with broccoli and Parmesan was phenomenal! The best key lime pie I've ever had. Was a wonderful way to end our honeymoon. The atmosphere was so romantic. read more

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The vibes were immaculate. Delicious food, ambiance was fun and bright, our server was amazing. I can't remember her name but it was a double first name. Anyways will def be coming back! read more

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Objectively speaking 4.2 yelp stars for this restaurant is a robbery. It's AT LEAST as good as most of the 4.4 ~ 4.7 restaurants in Orange County. Personally I think this place deserves to be 4.6 on yelp. Many restaurants can't quite nail that perfect balance between food quality, price, and approachability. This place nails that balance. Small, tight menu of the basics, fresh ingredients cooked to order, good flavors and sane portions. Warm and welcoming ambiance. I could eat here many times and not get tired of it, which is something many great restaurants fail to achieve. Love the quality and the lack of pretention. Locals are blessed to have this place. read more

I was a frequent customer, until last Friday. The music was so loud, and the acoustics in the restaurant made talking to our friends very difficult. The oysters couldn't be eaten because of all the shells, very poorly shucked. Our server came to the table to serve us with three hot plates on her arm and literally threw my plate on the table in front of me. The pork chop, which was one of my favorites anywhere, was dry and overcooked. The halibut was also overcooked and tasteless. We shared all of our disappointments with the staff to let them know of the issues. I'm said to say, we will not return. read more

Such a delightful restaurant. It's very well laid out, and comfortable. The staff are extremely professional, especially our waitress Paige. The starter bread was delectable! A sweet bread roll With basil butter soooo yummy I went for the crab cakes and unfortunately was disappointed. The crust was delightful, and tons of crab, just not lump as advertised. The crab was literally tasteless. I expected that decadent sweet taste, but it just tasted like stringy white fish. The coleslaw was delicious!! Bright tangy with just a bit if bite. The entire staff was very accommodating. My dining partner had shrimp, with no complaints. The butter cake was nearly perfection. Paige is an exception server! read more

Coastal Kitchen - Crab cake. Starter bread with badil Butter, Crab Cakes - D - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

Arrived around 8 without reservations on a Friday night with a party of 3, and we were sat promptly. We sat outside and the outdoor heaters kept us nice and warm. Upon sitting until the moment we left our waitress, Cassidy was phenomenonal. We ordered the smoke trout and hunter rolls. The smoked trout was one of the best apps I've ever had. I could have had that to myself for my meal and still not had enough of it! I had the blackened grouper sandwich, which was loaded with flavor. The bun was soft and light, and it had the most amazing remoulade which paired perfectly with the spices in the group along with the lettuce, tomato, and onion. My friend had the half rotisserie chicken, which she said was flavorful, moist, and delicious. To top it off our drinks were never empty and Cassidy ensured we did not feel rushed nor ignored. I recommend this restaurant if you're in the area. read more

Coastal Kitchen - Blackened grouper sandwhich - New American Near Me - Dana Point, California

Due to service and quality of food on a prior visit, we decided to take one of our customers here for a business lunch. We were seated quickly, even though the restaurant was packed. Kelly (the new Kelly) greeted us and started our amazing dining experience. She had outstanding knowledge and recommendations on the food and we even trusted her to make a few selections for us. We were floored to say the least. The food was 5 star, amazing and wonderful, yet it still didn't compare to the service we received. Food alone would have been 5 stars, but Kelly definitely pushed it over the top. Thank you for being an amazing example of customer service Kelly! read more