Harborside restaurant is an old-school dining establishment right at the end of Newport Bay. It has its charms. The place has limited free paring for guests, but you can park at the nearby lots for a small fee. The place is well run and clean and provides excellent views of the harbor. Service was excellent, always attentive and friendly We came for lunch and they have a weekday happy hour menu until evening which was very convenient. Their happy hour menu is great for snacks and appetizers. Highly recommend the onion ring tower. Great app to share. The Tuna tacos were average and nothing special. Their menus offer a variety of offerings primarily around seafood (duh!), but they do offer non-seafood protein options as well for those not a fan of seafood. Drinks they have a full menu and bar so feel free to order what you like I opted for an old-fashioned which was delicious, not too weak, not too strong either. For food, I went with the swordfish. As someone who eats a lot of tuna and salmon at home, when I eat out, I tend to prefer white fish. Swordfish is perfect as it has a "steak-like" preparation and very filling. This one was cooked very well, the rice pilaf has a nice flavor to it and the veggies are cooked just right. Next time I'd ask for the fruit salsa on the side as it doesn't do much for the dish. Other popular dishes our party got was the seafood pasta and definitely check out their daily specials read more

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My wife and I love the Harborside and gave been going there for years. The blackened salmon dinner with lemon butter caper sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans is excellent and last night we had the fresh swordfish which was fantastic! The service is always great, the ambiance being right on the water is first class and the prices are very good. I highly recommend it. read more

Harborside Restaurant - Fresh Swordfish dinner. - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Blast from the Past! Harborside has done a fantastic job keeping this Landmark building relevant for today's visitors and residents alike. Happy Hour on a Sunday afternoon was my perfect throwback experience! We were warmly greeted and escorted to a window table at the downstairs dining room and bar. As a child, our family were frequent-flyers on the Auto Ferry going over to Balboa Island to visit my aunt & uncle. I have fond memories of the arcade and enjoying a frozen banana on the ferry as we made our way across the channel where I'd look back and admire the architecture of the Pavilion. Many decades later, I was delighted to share my memories with my husband. He suggested having a glass of wine at the Harborside and honestly, that fulfilled a dream of mine. We stepped inside and explored the ballroom at the top of the stairs where a private party was enjoying a live band, surrounded by light-filled windows framing views of the channel. OMG- just as beautiful as I had imagined. Downstairs, the Harborside Restaurant is a long dining room and bar that features the same beautiful channel views. It is authentically reminiscent of its original design theme with lots of wood on the walls and nautical elements. For food, we ordered off the Happy Hour menu and found the portions to be very generous. To start, I had a Cadillac Margarita and hubby had a glass of Chardonnay. For food, we ordered a cup of clam chowder and the fried zucchini. We were so happy that we ordered another round of drinks, another order of fried zucchini to take home, a shrimp cocktail and a wedge salad. Everything was so fresh and prepared well. Our server was so friendly and efficient and she topped off the 5 star review. The zucchini was my favorite because the zucchini was not overcooked and the outer coating was light & crispy without being greasy. We didn't look at the other menus but I would recommend the Harborside if you're in the Balboa area and want a good meal with a fantastic view. read more

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Came here after a day in Catalina since it's located right next to the Catalina Flyer. I ordered the Chicken Wrap with a Side Salad. The sauce was pretty tasty, and wrap was good overall. It was definitely more pricey for what you get but still solid. You moreso pay for the view next to the water than the food. Service was pretty fast and there was no wait on a Saturday night. read more

Harborside Restaurant - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Our meal was wonderful, the clam chowder was soooo good! We had fast, excellent service and lunch with a view! Valet service was a nice plus during peak summer hours. read more

Harborside Restaurant - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

This iconic Newport Beach restaurant has the best view of the Harbor! They offer an all day Happy Hour Menu with affordable and delicious food! Wonderful cocktails too...try their Mai Tai or Margarita. The service is also outstanding with friendly bartenders and excellent servers. I highly recommend this great restaurant! read more

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8 of us went for lunch during the week. Restaurant was not busy at Noon. We ordered all kinds of foods and everyone was pleased with what was served. read more

Went for brunch on Easter and they had very few options on their menu. Our waitress was friendly. The food was just ok. It's like a mediocre diner on the water. Surprisingly, their fruit was very good. read more

Excellent service! The food was delicious. A very pleasant experience. Beautiful view of Newport Beach harbor.

We still love coming here as much as possible because not only is the food still awesome but around the holidays especially Christmas this is the funniest place around you can sit and eat and watch the Christmas boat lights show. This restaurant is a must try for everyone including the whole family. read more

Marcos was our waiter, he is amazing! Our food was phenomenal and the creme brulee was like no other! You have to come and have and ocean view romantic dinner the ambiance was calm and romantic. We had royalty treatment from marcos. We were super spoiled. He packed up our left overs!! Thank you Marcos for our pre Valentine dinner being so special. read more

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Food is excellent. Big portions. Staff were amazing. Hunter our server was very attentive. The place is huge and welcoming. Located next to the water. read more

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Lettuce wraps for the WIN! It came on a plate with two big pieces of iceburg lettuce filed with yummieness (chicken with fried wonton) The red sweet chili sauce was the perfect additive. Only $9 was from the all day happy hour menu. Pinot Grigio $9 was a nice pairing. Sat in the bar area could see the dock outside the windows. read more

Harborside Restaurant - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We went to visit Harborside for the happy hour and we got very surprised of all the good and plenty options that they have for that menu, the restaurant itself it's a classic vibe, the food takes it's time it's not a fast food restaurant, our cocktails and wine were really good, our server was so nice hi explained everything we need to know with clarity and courtesy. read more

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The Harborside Happy Hour is theeeee best kept secret for dining in Newport. Our server Allison was helpful and friendly. We swapped stories of coming here with our mothers and how we keep memories and traditions here. Today we had coconut shrimp, shrimp quesadillas, and Chilean mussels (and fries) in a creamy garlic sauce (order a side of sourdough bread to sop up the sauce. MmmMmmMmm yummy! That's how Mama loved it and we honored her by finishing the garlic sauce her way.) The only reason we didn't order more is that it was a small party today, but this place is excellent for a larger gathering of the extended family when they come to town. Looking out the window, sometimes we've gotten a view of fishing boats boarding or debarking. But we always get a nice view of Newport Harbor, the Balboa ferry, and all the goings on. read more

Harborside Restaurant - View our the window of Newport Herbor - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Great waterfront restaurant in Newport Beach offering an American seafood menu great service and lots of fresh seafood. I highly recommend. read more

Harborside Restaurant - Beautiful seafood, American restaurant on the water in Newport Beach. Great service and fuse. I highly recommend any of the seafood dishes. - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

What a pretty view on the water and after all these years I finally made it there. I was even lucky enough to get 1 of their 4 parking spots they have, lol. Otherwise you'll need to drive around to find a parking spot. Right next to Davey's Locker. Came for OC restaurant week and it's an amazing deal! We got the oysters & poki nachos. Nachos are made with fried wontons which was a little greasy but it was tasty. Not a lot of ahi but what was there was good. The star of the meal was the cioppino and it had tons of seafood! What a variety & tast seafood in there! They did not scimp and it came with 2 pieces of garlic toast. I had to take quite a bit of it home but I do wish the Togo container was bigger. Couldn't get all the sauce in. They ran out do the crème brûlée but substituted with key lime cheesecake and that was simply delicious! Tart & sweet- soo glad I got to try this! They have a good happy hour so knowing that, I will be back too! read more

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Tastes like egg French toast. Dense and sweet paired with vanilla bean ice cream. I left full and satisfied! read more

Harborside Restaurant - Bread pudding - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

We went for our wedding anniversary. Reservations were for 6 PM but they seated us early. We ordered a bottle of Chardonnay which was promptly brought. Pot stickers were nice and hot. We ordered cioppino and fish tacos for our main dishes. Tacos were great, cioppino could have been more spicy. They also brought us chocolate-coconut slice of cake on the house. We were seated by the window overlooking the bay. Had a great time. read more

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Great Happy Hour Experience I visited during happy hour and was genuinely impressed. The drinks were well-made, full of flavor, and offered at a great price. The food came out quickly, everything tasted fresh, and the portions were surprisingly generous for happy hour. The atmosphere was relaxed but lively enough to enjoy a good conversation, and it felt like the perfect spot to unwind after work. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcomed from the moment we walked in. I'd definitely come back and recommend this place. Such a great spot to enjoy good food, good vibes, and great deals! read more

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Amazing good and awesome service! Allison was such a great server and very friendly. I had the barramundi - catch of the day and it was delicious! Awesome view of the bay during sunset. read more

Harborside Restaurant - Creme Brulee - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We stopped in for a bite and a drink. Ordered from the daily happy hour menu. Loved the view, my calamari, and cadillac margarita. It was so relaxing watching the boats go by on a cloudy day. read more

Harborside Restaurant - Bar area, relaxing and quiet on a weekday. - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

The food was amazing and the service was exceptional! Wife and I came here for our anniversary they made it feel extra special. Hard to come by genuine service like this these days! Big thanks to Marcos and Cory! read more

Harborside Restaurant - Desert - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We made this reservation for a last minute dinner on Father's Day. The stars and pictures depicted a VERY different experience than we received. The place was dated and was empty at 6:00pm! The food was terrible with the exception of the swordfish that one of our 7 ordered. The service was not good, food came out in spurts. Why a wedge salad was not a "wedge" and did not have blue cheese dressing available is not good. The clam chowder was watery and had almost whole (fishy) clams in it. It was all overpriced and we will not be back. read more

Came here for the Saturday before Mother's Day as it was convenient to our whale watching and looked nice in the pictures. The server was very nice however after our initial introduction, we didn't see her. It was a ghost town where we were seated yet we had no refills (our cups and empty plates were clearly stacked at the front side of the table) and check ins even though the host (who I believe may have been a manager), bus boy, and other staff members walked by. The food was very similar to Mimi's Cafe and unfortunately everyone at our table was a bit underwhelmed especially at the price we were paying. I was a little bummed out because this was to celebrate my mom and she was disappointed in the service and food. Wouldn't recommend coming here and won't be returning. read more

Great seafood. Excellent service and it's by the water - so nice view too! Great seafood. Excellent service and it's by the water - so nice view too! read more

Had a great lunch! Our waitress, Allison took tremendous care of us. She brought all the things we needed and made sure we were taken care of at every point. The happy hour special is a key thing to go to the Tan burger is delicious. The Aji bowl was very good too. read more

This restaurant is located in the Balboa Fun Zone. You pay for parking using the parking meter or parkmobile app. Restaurant opens at 11:30 AM. Our party arrived on time, but the gate was closed. Luckily the staff was reachable by phone to open the gates. *Happy Hour Review* Contrary to whats posted on the website, the All Day Happy Hour applies to open-seating and not just the bar which I found to be great because we had a party of 4. I love the vibe of the saloon and the indoor dining areas. I also love the view of the harbor. The windows are not tinted so people walking by for their boat reservations can see you by the way. Also great music choices as they play some country songs. As for the food itself, it was as expected for a happy hour. The portions were a little bit on the smaller side, so you don't leave hungry but you also don't leave really full. We ordered the BBQ Slider x2 (singular, there are not multiple sliders), clam chowder, side of fries, calamari appetizer, and a bacon burger. Definitely reference my pictures for an idea of the portions. This restaurant is known for their seafood, so I'll try not to be too critical. The BBQ brisket sliders were delicious and nothing tasted bad. Clam Chowder was AMAZING, but it's just a cup of soup so I wish there was more. I was not a fan of the calamari just because I didn't like the tempura over breading. Fries were fries, they're good but a little thin. Perhas I will try the actual seafood dinner options someday, but I do not expect to see a change in portion sizes. read more

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Came here for the 1st night of Christmas boat parade 2025?and had a disappointing experience...... there were 2 of us with window seat reservation, they had prix fixe menu for the event for $95/person. The appetizer wonton wasn't all crunchy, part of it was a little soggy. Same for the ahi poke, the chip was also a little soggy. The coconut shrimp looked old? Like someone sneezed on them as they were being prepared. It's supposed to be fried but it was also not crunchy. The poke was supposed to be cold but assumed the other 2 should've been served warm? I had Harborside salad next and my husband had the clam chowder. My salad looked dry like it's old? Looked like it was prepared a day or two ago. It was a very below-average salad, I could prep better salads and I'm not a cook (I eat out everyday). My husband's clam chowder tasted too salty, and was lukewarm. It also tasted like it came from a can? I could've bought it from a grocery store and pay a lot less there. For the main dishes we had Chilean sea bass with risotto and prime rib with mashed potatoes. Food was almost cold when they came out. I've never had almost cold prime ribs before. And after cutting a couple pieces my prime rib was cold and the oils/fats started solidifying, turning white on my plate. ‍ it was a nice thick portion, but I didn't enjoy my cold prime rib and prime ribs are my fave. I was so sad to have paid so much and get served a cold piece of prime rib! My husband's sea bass was a little better even though it was also served almost cold... At least cold sea bass didn't taste as bad as cold prime rib. For the dessert, I wish the chocolate cake was warmer... We should've both gotten the chocolate cake, but instead I had the cheesecake. Our server was nice but I ran out of water a lot and couldn't get more water a few times. We paid over $230 for our meal and this was probably the worst dining experience I've had. I should've saved my money and gone to a sushi restaurant instead... Imagine all the good nigiri sushi and sashimi we could've enjoyed for $230! I'm just so very sad, I was the one who chose this restaurant... This was our first Newport Beach boat parade too... and all the articles I've read recommended this restaurant. If you dine here, expect average to below average COLD food. You're just paying for the view... read more

We needed a beverage and a snack with a view of the bay. No problem. We sat on the bar side to enjoy the happy hour drink & food specials. We were waited on right away. It's nice and old school decor reminds me of the 70s. Good margaritas and clam chowder & lobster bisque. The chicken quesadillas were excellent. Lovely views of the bay. Really enjoyed it. read more

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There are seating area where you can see the view of the water. View of the water is pretty neat. It's not big but something small and unique. Read other reviews about the food not being hot enough. When our food came out, I felt that it was hot. Crispy Artichoke Wontons was flavorful without the sauce. Shrimp Linguini was good and flavorful too. The shrimp was big and buttery. The linguini sauce was perfect. 1/2 Rack Babyback Short Ribs was decent too. Not too dry. Ribs can be cut with a butter nice. Ribs were tender. Solomon was our waiter. He kept checking up on us throughout our dinner. However, he gave different drinks than what was ordered a couple of times and didn't give a friendly vibe to his coworkers. They gave HAPPY HOUR Menu. EVERYDAY 11:30am-6:00pm. If it's SALOON SPECIALS, on Sunday their happy hour is only for bar seating area only. read more

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The baby back ribs were perfectly tender, and the shrimp linguine was especially delicious... the pasta was cooked just right, and the shrimp were juicy and flavorful. The cheese bread was a nice touch, and the coleslaw was fresh and well-balanced, not too sweet or dry. The artichoke and cheese wontons were also a surprising hit... crispy and full of flavor. However, the French fries were only a bit warm, which was a slight letdown. Unfortunately, the main reason this isn't a higher review is due to the service. Our server, Solomon, seemed inattentive and a bit abrupt with the staff, and we had to deal with wrong drink orders twice (raspberry iced tea instead of regular). It really detracted from an otherwise great meal. read more

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Overall setting gives classic, long-established Newport. Mostly for a mature, older crowd. Although the views of the Channel were nice, the overall meals were about 7.5/10 . Disappointed that the bread service was not complimentary like at most places. Lastly, the Serrano Margarita was lackluster. Many seeds left floating and although it was strong it gave a watered down jalapeño taste. read more

Harborside Restaurant - Blackened mahi mahi -subbed rice for mashed potato - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Stopped by for a late anniversary dinner while on vacation for my son's high school baseball tourney. We were seated quickly. Our server, Marcos, was fantastic. Was present but not hovering. Drinks were timely. Food was fantastic. And most importantly, Marcos and the manager (sorry we didn't get his name!) were incredibly kind. We'd go back just bc of the service. Hard to find these days! read more

Harborside Restaurant - Barramundi (catch of the day) - American Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Great views of Newport Harbor! I had the Halibut, which was excellent. The service was very attentive and friendly, without being overbearing. read more

Price is okay for what you get. It's hard to get a burger for less than $15 at a sit-down restaurant these days. I had the $8 burger from happy hour, which looked more like a slider and cheap thin fries. Also had the seafood cioppino, which was decent, but was very salty. The salmon was really good, and along with the sauce. The calamari was too thick and the crab was overly salty. Fortunately I had a $15 off coupon to offset the price. Had a margarita for happy hour, but nothing special. Generally, don't plan to come back, but servers are nice. Parking in Balboa is generally difficult. read more

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Toniget our server, Marcos was great - attentive without too much interruption. The food, as always is great Getting happy hour pricing in the restaurant, not just the bar, was a nice surprise We always enjoy this restaurant after whale watching, a trip to Catalina or Balboa beach. The birthday club is also a great deal!!! read more

Harborside Restaurant has been at the top of my list since the early 70s My family treasures this historically famous restaurant. Here's why: The ambience of the very well maintained 1920s building is stunning. Rarely do you have a view of the bay from other restaurants as you do at Harborside. Huge windows allow one to look out the window across the bay to Fashion Island. The food is fabulous, happy hours are unbelievable! The seafood is always of the highest quality. The staff is the best! Service is impeccable. Customers are their top priority. March of 2026 Lindsay and Allison, servers are now my very favorite! As young people come and go Juan was the kindest and sweetest bartender I've ever met. He's moved on after many years at Harborside and we miss him. Treat yourself to this wonderful experience of dining at Harborside!!!!!! read more

Went to Harborside for their Mother's Day brunch. It was fantastic!! Allison our server was awesome and took care of us the whole time!! She took our pictures, topped off our drinks...you name it!! The food was excellent!! There were so many seafood choices. We all enjoyed the coconut crusted salmon, ahi tuna, fajitas, roast beef, desserts, and salad bar to name a few. What topped it off was the view and that it wasn't too crowded. Looking forward to coming back for other brunch specials offered. read more

Great view of the Newport bay area. Alison our server was lovely, friendly and enthusiastic. Thank you for a lovely afternoon drink and appetizers! read more