First time visiting this cocktail lounge, and it was a truly unique experience. The space is…read moreintimate with limited seating, creating a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The service was outstanding--attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. What makes this place special is that there's no traditional cocktail menu. The bartenders craft drinks throughout the day, and guests are invited to sample them before deciding what to order. It feels personal, interactive, and completely different from the typical bar experience.

Excited to have a speakeasy in Orange, but would rather drive to anaheim for theirs. The ambiance…read morewas cute to look at but impractical to dine in...and the pressure is on. We went to celebrate a birthday for one of our friends. We were sat at a long table facing a wall and weren't able to hear or speak with one another. They were 15 minutes late calling us up to our adventure and hasty to get us out!! While the bar experience sounded like it would be fun, the "tasting" was run as a dictatorship - one of our group wanted a quick photo of the laid out drinks and was scorned to put it away until the detailed instructions of taking a clean straw and using it to take a sample of each drink then discard it was ridiculous on every level. If you are going to sample, pour everyone a small taste! How wasteful in every way - the straws, the remains of the drink, etc. (a new straw was used for each "sampling"). Once e we finished this process, they wanted everyone's drink order before you could go back to the table. Not everyone knew what they wanted - but that wasn't allowed. You were to order before sitting back down! Then comes the food. Meh at best. Nobody was impressed by the food, there were limited choices, and our poor guest with food allergies was not well accommodated. The service was rushed and demanding. Oh. All of this on top of a $25 per person fee for reservation that goes back toward the bill. Also watch out! Gratuity was already included but not mentioned. There are better options for an experience of this sort.

Came back to this place again after a great first experience. We had an awesome server, Sam. She…read morewas prompt to clear our table and refill our drink order. She was also great about making sure our meal came out in a timely manner and tasted great. Unlike the first visit, I sampled several drinks off their non alcoholic mocktail options. My favorite was the blood orange mojito, which perfectly combined a sweet but tart flavor. Also, a must try is their smoke and honey mocktail which mirrored the real deal, an alcoholic refresher! Much like my first visit, I ordered hot wings, and a Bavarian pretzel. This time, however, I also tried their poke nachos. I was told the salmon bowl left a memorable impression as well. This place is a must try if you're looking for a semi casual Crafthouse that has just the right flair of amazing dishes, drinks, and laid back atmosphere.

This is my new favorite place to come and have a tasty meal, a cocktail, and some Skee Ball!…read more One thing I did realize though is that after going here twice in one week, it's only as good as who's on duty as bar tender, chef, and server. They can be spectacular one day and mediocre the next. I do know that it's a great spot to hang out by the circle and watch sports, play games and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere.

Wife and I stumbled upon Bosscat randomly and had lunch a few months ago. I saw the Whisky Room and…read morethought that would be the perfect spot for my retirement dinner I wanted to have with a few of my partners. I was not disappointed! I worked with Casey in Private Events and he made the magic happen. Had a welcome cocktail, 4-course dinner, dessert, and a Whisky Flight tutorial. Jacob was our Whisky expert and server. He absolute rocked it! Even had a close up magician swinging by for a little entertainment. Highly highly highly recommend. It's not cheap, but very much worth dollar spent. Trust me, you won't be disappointed if you decide to do a group event there.

Texas Takeover!! Had…read moreto check out their Texas takeover during the Orange International Street Fair. Made reservations ahead of time and we were seated promptly. Service was great overall with friendly staff ready to recommend their specials. They redecorated the interior with Texas flags and other Texas inspired decor. Between that, the country music playing over the speakers, and the cowboy hats everywhere it was a fun experience! We started with the crab stuffed cheesy mushroom caps which were seriously cheesy. We had to wrap the cheese around the spoon just to get a bite! Then we had the Tex-Mex wedge salad which was very fresh and delicious. We had to try the Skillet Honey Butter Cornbread with Salted Maple + Jalapeño Butter. All I can say is wow, the combo of sweet, spicy, and savory was amazing. I pretty much ate the whole thing myself with no regrets! Katie got the coffee rubbed new york and I got the prime rib. Her steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and had a great crust from the coffee rub. My prime rib was a bit overdone for my liking and didn't have a ton of flavor from the Texas rub, but it was still really good. We washed it down with a couple cocktails that went perfectly with the meal. Thanks for the fun times Bosscat!!

Fun ambiance. Great cocktails! Service was also great too. It feels like the Tiki room. Very…read morenostalgic.

First time at Stowaway last night, loved the tropical tiki vibe! Place was packed when we got there…read morearound 6 pm. FREE parking available right in front. The shareable small bites were incredible--the Poke Bombs were indeed da bomb (pun intended), and the Tempura-battered Spam Musubi served with a sweet teriyaki-esque glaze and sriracha-mayo is an absolute must-order. Both items were so good that we ended up ordering them again. The drinks were great -- Three Dots and a Dash, Smoking Rita and the Lava Flow instantly transported me right back to Hawaii. Huge shoutout to Michelle and David for providing such warm, friendly, and attentive service. We will definitely be back!

We happened upon Zinc while wandering the area's plethora of antique shops and loved that it was…read moreinside an old Sunkist building. It looked welcoming, with a nice team saying hello, so we went for it and were not disappointed. Customers talked to one another, a rarity, shared recommendations with us, and delighted in our cute drinks. We even had our table photographed haha. We enjoyed the food so much! Truly a beautiful stop. I'm hoping the permanently closed isn't real.

Visiting Zinc Café and Bar in Orange once again after a while. I've always liked this restaurant…read moreand the vibrant Old town Orange. Modern rustic interior. Laid back vibes with good background music. The menu hasn't changed. Lots of good options. (See pictures for full menu) Everything is just as good as i remember it. Our waitress Yesenia recognized us and was super nice. Always checking on us and always attentive. I had the shrimp tacos for the first time. It paired really well with the chipotle aioli. Mildly spicy. I really liked it. Prices are reasonable. I recommend giving it a try. FYI: parking in the area used to be free. Now you have to pay for it through the ParkMobile app. It's about $2/Hr. Happy eating!!!

Story! I decided to…read morego with Story for my wife's and I 1 year anniversary of marriage. My wife is a book worm and seeing how this restaurant is a nice blend of romantic but also fun with the books around the restaurant, the chairs and table to even the glassware my wife even complimented how much she loved the water glasses. We had a reservation at 730 on a Sunday, originally had one at 6pm, but we had to drive to Dana Point to pick up our anniversary cake, it was a smooth reservation change. Also during my reservation, I did call to make sure if they were okay with storing our cake and serving it out to us at the end of dinner, which they happily said yes to. The theme currently is the Great Gatsby, I can see this a fun day or night out for a group of friends. Staff was very friendly! Here is what we ordered: Saw they offered a Japanese Whiskey flight, had to order that! Even if I have tried them before, you can never say no to whiskey. Small little taste of Nikka Coffey Grain, Nikka Coffey Malt, Suntory Tokiese and best for last Hibiki Harmony Chicken Pesto Oven Fried Pizza $20 - Pistachio Pesto, chopped grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, heirloom cherry tomatoes arugula and balsamic glaze | I usually don't care for pesto, but if its pistachio or macadamia I do like that way better. Let me begin with, I had trouble thinking where do I put this, is it a pizza or is it a flat bread? It didn't rise to have its iconic crust on a pizza, so I have been labeling this as a flat bread and because of that I can easily say the best flat bread pizza I have had to date. The dough was baked perfectly, had a nice crunch but also pillowhheee chew. The ingredients on the flat bread, all were fresh, seasoned but most importantly delicious and blended well. At first bite you are able to taste each ingredient as you continue chewing the balsamic comes into play and brings each flavor together. Seriously as mentioned the best I have had so far, I really want one right now just talking about it! Yuzu Lobster Pasta $38 - Butter Poached lobster, cherry tomatoes, yuzu, black garlic butter, jalapeno, basil topped with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese | I told my wife this was most talked about in a lot of reviews, so she went with this. There was a good amount of Lobster pieces, but sadly the yuzu or any kind of citrus was not there. At this time while we were eating our main dishes, sadly we didn't see our server pretty much the whole time. It would have been nice to be able to ask her for either more yuzu or even lemon on the side. Any kind of pasta dish with seafood needs to have that citrus punch. Coming in at the most expensive dish we ordered, it was sadly placed last amongst the three dishes. Braised Short Rib $34 - Red Wine Braised Short Rib, topped with crispy fried onion strings, demi-glace, pomme puree and seasonal vegetables. This was really good, short rib cooked and seasons perfectly, those crispy fried onions, complimented the meat and its flavors perfectly, and also gave it a nice crunch texture. As mentioned before the ingredients all were fresh, I ended up cleaning my plate! As mentioned about during our mains we didn't see our server during that time, she finally showed up when we were all finished, so she ended up coming back with our wedding cake and a candle. She did apologize that she was having a deep and lengthy conversation with another table. We ended up asking if she was allowed to take a piece of our cake which we were glad to share it with her, and she loved it as she does like tiramisu. In conclusion, I will def be back to get that flat bread pizza and try different foods on their menu. The pricing is pretty fair! I do want to try to get to a brunch time here as well as I do see a lot of Filipino inspired brunch items. Very good food, atmosphere, perfect for a date night! Feast Well Fellow Yelpers! Kaizokuō Ni Ore Wa Naru! - Taicho

Story is a really cute themed restaurant in Anaheim Hills. They offer brunch, lunch, dinner, and…read moreeven tea parties for different group settings. The service was nice and friendly. * Short Rib Benny 5/5 - This was very tasty. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection. The short rib was good. I got the hollandaise sauce on the side since it can be hit and miss at other places. It was really tasty here. The breakfast potatoes were not bad. * Coconut Ube Pancake - My friends got these and they were okay. Kinda dry. Not sure if the waffle version would have tasted better. * Strawberry Thai Basil Mimosa 3/5 - This was the sweetest mimosa under Specialty Mimosas and it tasted pretty average and wasn't very sweet either.

We came for a late breakfast on a weekday morning. This cool diner is located at the Orange…read moreMetrolink station, across from the Hilbert Museum. Both exterior and interior look like a 1930s train station. We sat in a booth and enjoyed great food and quintessential service. I ordered the Irish French Toast. This was in the top tier of French Toasts I've ever had. The thick, battered Texas Toast had a delicate interior with a bit of powdered sugar on top. The two large pieces were surrounded by banana slices. The syrup was a house-made Jameson Irish Whiskey Sauce. Incredible. I was in breakfast nirvana from the first bite. This dish came with a side of eggs and choice of meat (I went with scrambled eggs and bacon), both of which were excellent tho nothing fancy. I also swiped a beignet from my dining companion's plate. This fat pastry was the best beignet I've ever had, so pillowy soft! Come here for a great meal surrounded by a cool, train-themed atmosphere.

Who would have thought a cafe at the Metrolink station would be this good!…read more I've heard about and passed by several times and finally decided to check it out on my own and glad I did. There was plenty of free parking, which is a nice bonus since it isn't the easiest around the Orange Circle. The cafe has a fun, small town lounge train vibe and enjoyed watching trains come & go while I ate. Ordered the Cranberry Turkey Sandwich which had thick slices of real turkey not the processed kind. The bread was soft, the cranberry sauce delicious and the skinny fries came out hot & crisp. The sandwich was big I only ate half and took the rest home but I finished every last fry! The servicer wasn't friendly or smiled in the beginning but by the time I left she started to warmed up. Heard they have trivia night, and will come back during happy hour with friends.

Where do I begin? Our server was Axel, he had the best recommendations, first he started us off…read morewith some calamari, was great ton of flavor ! You guys have got to try the picanha sandwich it was just excellent. To finish it off we had the banana pudding cheesecake which was out of this world. Ask for Axel for the best service.

Came for Happy Hour on a Thursday!…read more Service was impeccable, and everything - from the entrees to the cocktails - were delicious. I will say - the fries were a bit undercooked, but the artichoke dip appetizer made up for that. Location has plenty of parking with ample seating, lush decor, and upbeat music. It looks like they change menu items frequently, but overall, this place primarily serves handhelds (e.g. burgers, sandwiches, dips) with a fun selection of cocktails!

September is SepTiki month at the Blind Rabbit. The interior has been decorated tiki style, and…read morethere is a new specialty cocktail menu with eight new tiki inspired drinks. We visited a few times in recent weeks to try out some of the new drinks. El Quetzal (Illegal Caribbean cask mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Campari, lime, pineapple, cane, cardamom). This is a variation of a Junglebird, and has a nice smokiness with light bitterness. It's an easy drinker, and is served in a tiki mug with a lit sugar cube. 3 Rabbits & a Dash (Blind Rabbit Garrison Brothers single barrel bourbon, Kuleana Nanea rum, falernum, allspice, honey, orange, lime). It drinks a little boozy from the bourbon, and is complemented by nice spice notes. Let the Man'Go (Patron 100 tequila, bitter Bianca, mango, rice, lemon). I love drinks with a foam top, and even though it didn't say it on the menu, it was obvious after one sip that the foam was infused with toasted rice. Good balanced cocktail with light mango flavor and rice notes. Velvet Samba (guava, cachaca, Patron 100 tequila, lime, condensed milk). Unique milky looking cocktail. It's guava and lime forward, balanced, and has a little creamy mouthfeel from the condensed milk. Clarified Ango-Lada (Blind Rabbit single barrel Sagamore rye, Angostura bitters, coconut, pineapple, lime). It's served with a nutmeg sprinkle on top. The rye is toned way down from clarification, and it's a smooth drinker. The Cocktail of Week I believe was a type of zombie. I forgot to write down the ingredients but I believe some of them were rum, vodka, raspberry, and lemon. It is served in their zombie mug with a lit cinnamon stick and was good. Dreamwave (Empress gin, barrel aged Curacao, sherry lychee, lemon). I think this was my favorite. It has a nice tart flavor, not boozy at all and balanced. I was sitting at the bar where my drink was being made, and when the Li Hing Hui powder was sprinkled on top, it had a really nice sweet, almost vanilla-ish aroma. I asked bartender Adrian to make me a Captain's Reserve (bartenders own creation) using rum as the main spirit. He made an amazing cocktail with rum, scotch, passion fruit, and some other ingredients I forgot to jot down. It was lush and perfectly balanced with multiple layers of flavor. I hope he remembers that recipe, it was one of the best drinks I've ever had. Adrian, Ruben, and Sergio all provided great service and conversation, and they make some excellent drinks. Hosts Anna and Emma always give a warm welcome and were very friendly. There's only a few weeks left of SepTiki, so visit soon if you're interested in these drinks. Their Halloween theme will be starting in early October.

I think this is on everyone's speakeasy list!…read more Make sure you make a reservation It is very packed. They offer bar seating and booth / table Follow the wall from Randy's donuts and Look for a wall of Japanese sake/beer barrels and head towards the restaurant - the rolling boil. There will be a check in host and stand there and wait (it will be located up against the wall with a big secret door right next to the hostess station) It's very New York inside. When I first came in Spring with the amazing, Karen, the menu and everything was great Now, I took my friend who was in town from Nashville and it was a brand new theme. It's the great Gatsby. Even our waitress, Jasmine was dressed for the occasion. I would say this place is known for Absinthe. They have cocktails featuring it or you can get one of the huge apparatus (huge and glowing green) which, if you are into it? I highly recommend. Just one of the huge apparatus makes one regular drink. Or, what Karen and I did, was split it and make it into a shot for the both of us. The waitress comes out and shows you how it works and goes over everything. Karen, who I came with, was a pro and knew her way around it. She showed me the ropes lol. Honestly, if you are here? When in Rome. Go all out and try it, since it's where they shine here. They took off a few menu items and added some themed drinks. ( a couple new champagne themed drinks) They have big entree items but I suggest small bites and sharing and mostly coming for the drinks. There's no bathroom inside, so you do have to leave the bar and go to the closest one (over behind Randy's donuts) and then enter the speakeasy again Both times coming here I've never had an issue. It's a small, packed place. And yet they still have the cocktails flowing and the food coming out in a good time. So the food and drinks are good Atmosphere is lovely. Service is good. Especially for it usually being very busy in here This place is located inside the Anaheim packing district. So I suggest hitting up a couple other spots before or afterwards for some more food or drinks P.S. it is very dark In here. They never cared if we used our light to look at the menu. However, they do not want flash photography They also do not strictly enforce a dress code (my friend from Nashville asked) however, they suggest dressing business casual and not too underdressed

Strong Water isn't just a place to grab a drink, it is an entire experience from the moment you…read morewalk through the door. We were escorted inside and our hostess immediately started introducing us to the lore of the place: a capsized ship with the space decorated using pieces recovered from the wreckage. The room is VERY dimly lit, and we actually stood near the entrance for a moment while our eyes adjusted, but honestly that just added to the atmosphere. On the way to our reservation in the Captain's Quarters, our hostess gave us a little tour of the main room and even pointed out the bathrooms for later. Once we sat down, we met our bartender, Drew, who was fantastic. He walked us through the different menus, explained the food and cocktails, and really added to the experience throughout the night. I'm normally a whiskey drinker, so I started with the Southeast Spice Trade while my girlfriend ordered the Pineapple Whipped Colada. Both were delicious, but half the fun was watching Drew make them. You could really see the amount of care that went into the craft and presentation of every drink. For food, we ordered the chicken katsu and ahi poke nachos. I was especially excited when the nachos arrived and I realized they were made with wonton chips. I'm a sucker for wonton chips, so those were an immediate win. We obviously couldn't stop at one round of drinks, so next came the Tarobi Colada and Zombie King. Drew told us a little about the history of the Zombie King and gave us a lesson on rum, so I had to try it, plus it came in one of the coolest mugs I've ever seen. The Zombie King was easily my favorite drink of the night. The flavor was fantastic from beginning to end and dangerously smooth. I didn't even realize how much it had hit me until I stood up. Even leaving was part of the experience. We finally checked out the bathroom and the door has what feels like TEN different locks on it. It genuinely felt like I was locking myself inside the bathroom of an old pirate ship. Between the storytelling, incredible atmosphere, Captain's Quarters, food, cocktails, and especially the service from Drew, this was such a memorable night. Strong Water completely commits to its theme without sacrificing the quality of the drinks. Absolutely an experience worth having, and we can't wait to come back.

We have returned to Strong Water several times in recent months, so it's time for an update. We…read morefirst returned in early June since they introduced some new cocktails and food to the menu. The other visits were just because this is by far our number one place. Recently added cocktails: Buzzin' Jungle Bird (Jamaican gold rum, coffee infused campari, dark rum, pineapple, lime, hemp orgeat, cane, Angostura bitters). This is a great spin on a jungle bird, with some complexity and coffee flavor. I'm usually not a big fan of coffee, but it is at a good level. Chi Chi (Whey vodka, pineapple, lime, date, honey, coconut, salt). This has a great creamy texture which I believe comes from the dairy component of the whey vodka. It is well balanced with some sweetness, and I could taste the coconut and date flavors. Lapu Lapu (Asian rum, Jamaican rum, dry curacao, lime, orgeat, demerara). It is juicy, well balanced, and served with a flaming sugar cube on top. This is the cocktail they chose to serve at their booth at Tiki Oasis recently which says a lot, try it! Thai Me Down (Barbados rum, coconut liqueur, papaya, lemon, demerara, Thai basil). It is served old-fashioned style, and was light and perfectly balanced. Those Thai inspired flavors were all noticeable. Demerara Dry Float. They added and took this one off the menu as of now. It was a balanced light citrusy drink which was served with a delicious sidecar of Hamilton 151 rum infused with banana chips. I sipped half of that and mixed the rest into the cocktail. It was served with a beautiful ice shell. I'm guessing it was too labor intensive, and took up a lot of space in their freezers. Recently added food: Ahi Poke Nachos (marinated ahi tuna, masago, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo, furikake, green onion). This is such a tasty starter with so many textures and flavors. I love that the nachos are wontons too, and not just chips. Crab & Cream cheese wontons. Nice crisp wontons with a good amount of crab and cream cheese inside. The chili sauce and spicy mayo adds another layer of flavor, and there is a slice of jalapeno on top for a little heat. Pan-Seared Scallops. This was an excellent lighter entrée. The four scallops are cooked perfectly, and even have a little dollop of caviar on top. I liked the mix of veggies and really liked the bed of potato puree underneath. Steak & Eggs (8oz hanger steak, crying tiger glaze, Nam Jim Jaew sauce, sunny eggs, rice). I normally wouldn't try steak & eggs for dinner, but I can't resist a good hanger steak. It was cooked a perfect medium rare and I appreciate that it was pre-sliced. The crying tiger glaze and sauce were so flavorful. There's plenty of rice to soak up any left egg yolk or sauce. Recently added desserts: Dubai Chocolate Lava Cake. This was excellent, but it's definitely sweet and rich. Save some room if you plan on ordering this. Ube Flan Cake. I'm usually not a fan of flan, but I have to try anything with ube and this was good. The cake had nice ube flavor, and I liked that the flan was a little firm since the looser custardy/gelatinous texture is not for me. This is definitely a lighter dessert than the lava cake. It's not a new drink, but I also had the Naval Grog for the first time. (Lost Voyage rum, overproof white rum, allspice dram, lime, grapefruit, demerara, honey). It is boozy with nice spice notes. Other repeat cocktails enjoyed were Tales from the Black Lagoon (my favorite), Missionary's Downfall, Agave Parrot, Singapore Sling, and Serpents Grasp all of which are excellent. Their cocktails, food, ambiance, and service are always top notch. Thank you Ying, Erica, Greg, Jordan, Joey, Iris, Karen, Kyle, Joy, and John for your wonderful hospitality during our visits. We will return again soon!