As is tradition, we had an excellent meal prior to going to the Segerstrom theater across the way. My wife enjoyed the Hamachi appetizer this time. I felt it had a bit too much citrus. The Tomato Soup and the Giant Prawn and Crabcake appetizers were great as always. The Little Gem salad was great with a decent amount of flavorful dressing. The Filet Mignon was amazing as usual. Unfortunately their cocktails are not sweet enough. I tried both the Passion Fruit Martini and the Bee's Harvest margarita. My wife enjoyed the Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc wine. read more

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Only ordered appetizers as my friend was late and we only have an hour left before our show. I ordered the tomato bisque and prawn and crab cake. My friend ordered a salad. It still took a good 25 minutes for the food to arrive. The bisque was flavorful with some hint of cheese within the soup. The prawn was cooked perfectly. The crab cake was moist and had a little bit of heat. They have a 3 course meal for $65 and I would like to try it the next time around. 3 appetizers with 2 wines totaled $120 with tip. read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - Tomato bisque, prawn and crab cake, salad. - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Beautiful location next to Segerstrom on Avenue of the Arts. The inside has unique lighting, dimmer, intimate and very quiet. Limited menu for food and wine. The service is impeccable and as such, combined with locale and ambiance it earns four stars. The filet (see picture) was a decent size, cooked perfectly but lacked seasoning and minimal of the advertised peppercorn flavor. Food wasn't better than three stars. For one, wine and a steak came to $60ish. It was enjoyable but I'll go elsewhere the next time I'm here for a play. read more

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Menu have changed, poor choice and restaurant doesn't have half of dishes. We ordered duck, they didn't have duck from menu and proposed duck cooked differently. Final price in bill was +40%. Cheap method to push you pay more. Very disappointed. read more

The food is across the board excellent. They have an interesting wine menu with some older vintages that aren't outrageous. The room is lovely. The one mark against them is service which is not as professional as a place like this should have. This may be because this place is basically open only when the center has a performance. I suspect there is a lot of fill in staff here. read more

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We've been going to Leatherby's before going to the SCR plays and concerts and we've never had problems with our reservation. BUT I made a reservation for April 12 for four and a week later I received a text notification telling me my reservation had been cancelled. I called Leatherby's 3 times and left messages to find out what is going on they have not had the courtesy to return my call. When I tried to reschedule it I received a message that said they were completely booked. I will never go back to Leatherby's again! This is an example of a restaurant that doesn't value its loyal customers. Vaca would never do this! read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

My second time here and it did not disappoint! It was my birthday dinner before seeing a show with my son. Terrific food, drinks, service, location and ambiance! Make a reservation on Open Table if you're seeing a show. We had 6pm reservations for a 7:30 show and had plenty of time for drinks, appetizers, meal and desserts. read more

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Michael our server was excellent in customer service and spot on in his recommendations. He was attentive and friendly and made the night a success. The food is delicious! Flavorful and filling and plated beautifully. It was a perfect choice for a celebratory dinner. The place empties out when the show begins in the adjacent Segerstrom Center of the Arts. It felt like we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. The staff were respectful and did not rush us out. Do not skip out on dessert! I highly recommend the key lime! read more

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Excellent food and service. Always a treat to enjoy a cocktail and dinner before a performance at OCPAC.

We looked up the menu on their website, unfortunately the menu they gave us wasn't what was online. Choices were narrow. They can't make substitutions, even for guests with food allergies. We ordered the filet mignon. The meat was fine, very tender. But it was served on potatoes which were gluey. And the vegetable side was onions- burnt onions. Since when are onions a good side dish? This place is trying too hard to be fancy instead of focusing on being good. And at the prices they charge, they need to be good. We won't be back. read more

This was my first time dining at Leatherby's. We ate here prior to seeing a show. The table all ordered fish, which was fresh and not over or undercooked. Our dishes were prepared well. Both the quality and amount were perfect. They served bread prior to the meals which was fresh. Dessert was perfect to share and delicious. The staff is as polite. They did not rush us and also realized we were on a schedule due to the time the performance started. This restaurant has connecting doors to my he theater so it was great for parking once and being able to easily accèss the theater. Main dishes are $38 to $46 each so it is more pricy, although standard for restaurants in Orange County of this level. read more

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We finally got to try this place. It's conveniently located inside the Renee and Henry segerstrom concert hall which is directly across from the main Segerstrom hall. I made 5:30pm reservations on Opentable. The bread rolls were nice and hot, served with butter. I think we overindulged on the yummy bread! We ordered: Hamachi - thin slices of yellowtail with grapefruit and citrus. Very light and perfect for sharing. Salmon - nice crust on this. Served with a succotash and roasted potatoes. Healthy and light. Scallops - 3 large scallops nicely seared and served with 3 large asparagus spears. Light portion but it was perfect for me. Key lime tart - we shared this and it was a generous portion! Absolutely delicious with a nice crust. My husband and I split a bottle of Justin Cabernet Sauvignon. Service was excellent and it was nice and quiet inside, perfect for having a lovely conversation. Dinner for two plus a bottle of wine was $145 bottles including tip. A bit pricey but you are paying for the convenience and the fine dining atmosphere. Overall, it was a lovely dinner and we didn't felt rushed at all since the show was at 7:30pm. We left right at 7:15pm and walked a couple steps over to the ballet show. Albeit a limited menu, the food was fresh and light and service was excellent. We will definitely be back to eat here the next time we attend a performance. read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - Key lime tart - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Wonderful service and delightful experience. We dined for a romantic dinner before watching the Lion King and it was perfect for our little date night. Our server Michael was very sweet and lovely. We had the butternut squash soup and steak tartar for starters which were both delicious. Then we had poached lobster and osso buco which Michael recommended for my hungry man husband and it did not disappoint. Our meals were so good I forgot to take pictures so I only captured dessert which was key lime pie with chantilly cream and a chocolate cake which were divine! I highly recommend to treat yourself to this fabulous dinner read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - Key Lime pie and chocolate cake - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I had not eaten all day and was looking forward to dinner and Annie. Valet pointed us to the area for sandwiches and burgers and fries and such. Walked to open air bar and bartender was clueless so guy in back came out and validated my asking if the place I was pointing at was where we go for the restaurant. Leatherby's is the restaurant. The menu is small and more fine dining food like steaks and salmon. I told the waiter I wanted something more like a sandwich and he just continued doing pouring us water. Why didn't he tell us the open air bar serves the food we were asking for?! Every time we asked for water, pepper, drinks, or the bill, we got a flat toned "of coarse". Either he hates his job or having a bad day, but it affected our meal. We ended up with corn chowder that was flavorless and very few pieces of corn in it, but 7 strings of silk. Horrible. The bread was so hard I was scared I was going crack a tooth. My mother in law also ordered the wedge which she said was horrible too. She loves tomatoes and couldn't eat them bec they were MUSHY! We would not have eaten here if we would have known it was not our only choice. We would never eat here again. And with bad service and bad food we would highly recommend you don't eat here. read more

This is probably the worst place I have been to in Orange County I ordered a martini, not a tini martini it was the size of a shot glass for 18.00 The food was terrible, service was good. with a party of 8 and as we are walking out with a huge bill. One of the ladies said, so should we order a pizza now? very small menu, my daughter could not find a thing to order I made the reservations, so found myself apologizing to everyone all night.. just a heads up. read more

Went to Leatherby's with friends before the Wicked show and had a great time. We had a 5PM reservation and the restaurant didn't get busy until about 6PM. We were hoping to try the show pre-fixe menus but they no longer offer them. Regardless, the food, service, and atmosphere were lovely. I highly recommend those going to watch shows at the Segerstrom to make a reservation as a great way to start the night. I'll definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. read more

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Always delicious before a show-- we appreciate the vegetarian option and the excellent service. It's a relaxing, quiet restaurant with a view of the plaza and the offerings change with the seasons. I always look forward to a meal here! read more

Our party of four visited Leatherby's for the first time recently as we had tickets for a show at the Segerstrom Concert Hall. Location is perfect, right next to the concert hall. Our server Michael was attentive and gracious. Food was uniformly good. Only downside to note was the grilled scallop appetizer came with two jumbo scallops for a price of $23. Should have been three or a lower price. Halibut and filet entrees were excellent as were the before dinner cocktails. Leatherby's is pricey for sure but overall a great experience read more

What a delightful find! Great service and conversation with our server Josh! Very polite and hospitable. Salads were fresh and a unique blend of tastes. My entree, short ribs, literally melted in my mouth and I had no need for my steak knife. Martha's choice, coq au vin, was just as yummy. Some may not like the limited menu but it's changes throughout the year. This keeps us wanting to visit again and again. Uber convenient for any show at OC Performing Arts. Make your reservations! Delightful view as well! read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - Pre My Fair Lady meal! - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Been wanting to try this place out as a pre-show dinner at either the R&H Segerstrom Concert Hall or Segerstrom Hall, but had originally read some not so great reviews a while back, so never really thought about this place since.....till now. I must say that my friend and I were very impressed by this upscale dining spot with excellent service to go along with the artfully presented and wonderfully delicious dishes! In order to time our dinner before the concert, which happened to be in the same building this time, we made our reservation for 6pm so that we could take our time enjoying our dinner before our 8pm concert. The place only opens from 5-7.30pm so you really have to plan accordingly. From the moment we arrived to the very end, we were greeted by a wonderful host who was so nice, genuine, and professional.....it was like he was at our service all through our dining experience, just to make sure that everything was just perfect and that we were happy and well taken care of. Then, there was our server Rick, who is a highly experienced waiter who knows the history about the restaurant, business, and food served. He too made sure we were completely happy with our dinner otherwise he would have gone out of his way to take care of any concerns we had. So, after Rick gave a bit of a run down of the menu, made some recommendations, we went ahead and ordered the "Daily Special" Wild Canadian Rockfish and Sweet Corn Ragout, Lemon, and Basil........and the Scottish Salmon Glazed in Agave-Lime. Thinking that the portions sizes would be rather small (they were actually pretty decent), we went and got Rick's recommendation on sides......the Eggplant and Sugar Snap Peas and Brussel Sprouts, and a bowl of their "award-winning" soup.....a carrot and pumpkin based soup with toasted macadamia nuts, ginger, and a hint of curry. Before I even proceed further, how could I not have already mentioned about their Yorkshire Pudding "Popovers"...?! It's their version of freshly baked bread, which we can have as much of as we like. They are baked completely fresh in batches of 25 only, and are served at the table still in the baking pan! Oh my! These are perhaps the absolutely best, most perfectly baked, most delicious Yorkshire Puddings I have ever tasted in my life! So fresh, hot, lightly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and with some butter on them, oh my, to die for!!!....I bet Gordon Ramsey would be so proud! Anyway, I normally don't eat breads, but they were so good, I broke my diet and ate two!!! Nothing much to say about our fish dishes other than they were cooked perfectly, beautifully presented, and delicious. As for the sides, we had actually requested that there not be any salt in the Brussels sprouts and egg plant and snap peas. However, they came out very salty! We mentioned this to our server and he apologized profusely, and assured us that he had explicitly made the request on the order to the kitchen. He then offered us alternative sides, or to just have the same sides re-done. He then suggested bring us a freshly made batch of Brussel sprouts without the sauce or salt, and suggested we try thee Heirloom Carrots. We agreed and everything was good.....the sides were perfect the second time round and goes to show that salt is not needed as the produce's freshness and natural flavors is what's most important! And as for their award-winning soup?.....wow! Such unique flavors.....hot and delicious.....perfect with the toasted macadamia for texture and taste. All I will say is that we thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful dinner here, and service was excellent. I still can't take my mind off those Yummeeeee Yorkshire Pudding popovers.......so much so that my friend and I will be attending another concert in a couple of weeks, and we've already decided that we're coming back here again for our pre-show dinner. Note.....we valet parked our car at the kiosk right outside...regularly $20 if you're watching a show, but $10 if you're dining here. Valet ticket needs to be chopped before you leave the restaurant.....the host or your server will take care of this. read more

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We had a most amazing time and it was great seeing Chef Alfonso and Al Kanjo. Loved the hamachi, and the octopus salad. Branzino was out of this world. Thank you Marko for the cheese plate and thank you Michael for your excellent service. Will be back with the family! very soon read more

Yet another wonderful (mostly) meal at Leatherby's. The biggest hit of the evening was the dressing on the wedge salad. If that were available to take home, we would have! We also thoroughly enjoyed the Panna Cotta, and the scallops were cooked to perfection. The only small, sad note is that the duck was very tough. Like, couldn't get my knife to cut it tough. Tasty, yes, but way too chewy and difficult to slice. And, as usual, the service was top-notch. We're already looking forward to our next visit. read more

Went here before a performance at Segerstrom. Can't beat the location for the theater. The ambience was lovely and our server was great. Started with the Vesper cocktail, highly recommended. Followed by a wedge salad (big enough to share) and filet mignon. Both were very good. The polenta paired with the steak was not my favorite pairing, too dense. read more

Wow, I ate there last night and my server was George who was outstanding! He was attentive and yet not hovering and his suggestions as to what to eat were spot on. Had the tomato soup which was velvety and scrumptious and I could have had a 55 gallon drum full. The Beet salad was so good. I Laughed at the size but after tasting it with the vinaigrette and the goat cheese spread, it was exquisite!!! Topped it off with the Risotto my Nona would have have enjoyed! Met the manager Joe who was a very nice man and let him know that his staff and food were excellent. Every single person that worked there were friendly and diligent. I will return even thought it's 80 minutes from my house, that's how good it was. Go and enjoy yourself. Eat quick or relax, either way it will be time well spent Thanks George and whomever the Chef was. See you soon!! read more

The food was delicious. The prices are a little steep, but doesn't stop you from enjoying your meal. Next time I will savor the desserts. The service was nice as well. So if you're looking for an upscale restaurant with good food, this is the place to try out! read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - SKUNA BAY SALMON - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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It's kind of a mixed bag. I had attempted to come here as a walk in, in the past, but could not because they were always booked. Today I showed up early (3h) before the performance, and was able to sit. The food was served incredibly quickly and it was good. I had a beef fillet with a reduction sauce combined with broccolini and small pieces of potato. I am not exaggerating, I received approximately 2 tablespoons (Maybe less) of diced potato. The dinner was delicious. Yes but the drink were not as expected. My first request was a greyhound. A greyhound is vodka and grapefruit juice. Theirs tasted like none other! I was not sure what I was drinking, it did not taste like grapefruit nor did it taste like vodka. I assumed the juice had turned. In fact it was canned juice, like served in nursing homes. Yuck. They replaced it with a vodka martini. Tres good, but not shaken adequately and not even one olive? The service here is fast, the food is outstanding. Drinks not so good. read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - Beef - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Fantastic food fresh and high quality produce and friendly service chef Umberto is the best! read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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We come here almost every time we go to SCFTA to see a show. We love that we can valet park and then have dinner before the show. The menu is sometimes a little limited but the food always tastes great and the service is top notch. If you valet park to eat and go to a show, it is $20. It may seem expensive but the lots nearby are similar and obviously not as convenient so I still recommend the ease of a meal and convenient parking! read more

Worst dining experience of my life. Service was non-existent. Ordered a bottle of wine and they were out. Ordered another bottle and they were out. Then they sent a bottle that they had in stock without offering the "wine list" again. Finally had our wine thirty minutes after arriving and after our appetizer arrived. Asked to push out our food order so that we could have some wine before the entree. The entree arrived and for another 30 minutes we did not see our server. Asked for the manager who refused to provide his name or that of his manager. Please find another place to spend your time. read more

Amazing restaurant! We tried the duck and steak frites and the presentation and taste was superb! Our server Jorge was also on top of it with recommendations and getting anything we needed. Also super knowledgeable about Gluten allergies and substitution which I really appreciated. A cute restaurant with nice ambiance and a great view of the Segerstrom. 10/10 coming here again read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge Overall 2.5 Stars Gold Medal - Fatty Veal Silver Medal - Sauce with the Fatty Veal Bronze Medal - Crispy Cheese Toast/Chips Leatherby's is the newest Patina Restaurant in the OC. It is located right next or even inside the same building as Segerstrom Hall. Right across the street from the South Coast Plaza. This place appears to be fancy. The presentation of the food and the portions remind you of a fancy restaurant. The taste of the food however, is not so Fancy. The chef even provided a complimentary butternut squash soup before our meal to clean out taste palates. Sounds fancy right? We got the Veal. The Veal had 2 tiny pieces of Veal on the plate. One piece was all lean veal. The other was a fatty piece of veal. The fatty piece melted in my mouth. After consuming half of the only thing that was amazing during the meal, we realized the other half of the fatty veal was all bone. The sauce with the veal was very tasty. I don't know what it was, maybe veal drippings, but it was very good. The complimentary crispy cheese toast that was given at the beginning of the meal was very good. I asked for 3rds and ate it all. Was it that good or is it just because I love cheese? The other entree ordered was the diver scallops. They looked good, but was over cooked and chewy. Both entrees that we ordered were ok. Nothing spectacular. If you are in a hurry and the only place you are able to eat at is Leatherby's, then I suggest to eat here. If you have a choice, I suggest you go somewhere else. Dessert is probably the best option for this place. The service was great, like any other fancy restaurant. The prices here are not worth what you received. We paid $130 for 2 people for 2 tiny entrees and one bottle of wine. No dessert and no appetizers. HAPPY PATINAING!! read more

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It's been a while since I last visited Leatherby's. I used to come here a lot and then after a few incidents where I'd wanted to come but they weren't open, I guess I started to forget about it being here. Recently, I was going to a show at Segerstrom and some friends and I came here for dinner beforehand. I was once reminded by how wonderful the cuisine is here and how perfectly executed all the dishes are. We had a really quick dinner because we had to go to the show, but we had some delicious entrees including duck, surf n turf and halibut. I'm going to make an effort to return again, hopefully sometime soon! read more

If you are going to the Segerstrom, this would be a quite convenient and nice restaurant. I ordered Charlie's chocolate factory course. It was great! But this again the food doesn't come in a good timing. Between salad and main course we waited for 40 mins. The last time was the same way. I don't know why. The course was great! Foods were great. I hope they improve some day! Some day!! read more

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Great Food and Great Drinks. Great Ambience. It also has great service. It s schedule is tied to the Performance Schedule at Segerstrom Center. read more

If the Segerstrom represents performing arts at their artistic and histrionic best, then Leatherby's is their gastronomical equivalent. Each plate looks as exquisite as it tastes. Even though not a fan of beets and kale, I devoured them with relish at Leatherby's. They were that good! This place deserves at least 2 Michelin stars. read more

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Excellent service and wonderful options. Restaurant is peaceful and beautiful. Food was delicious and my daughter had a wonderful time! Thank-you for making it a great start to the evening. read more

The atmosphere was great as was the food. I had the butter lettuce wedge to start and it was simply amazing. My main course, Osso Bucco, was fantastic. It was the first time ever having the dish. Cannot say enough about it. Our server, Michael, was a gem as well. A great place to have a meal either before or after a show at Segerstrom. read more

Service is on point there, ambiance is really nice & conveniently located next to segerstrom hall. Parking was simple due to valet Overall great place for a romantic date too read more

Leatherby's Cafe Rouge - New American Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Drinks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts well worth it! Extra points for the skilled and friendly chef and the waiter. Great experience.

We recently dined at Leatherby's before the I Love Lucy performance at the performing arts center. This spot is perfect when you are attending an event at the performing arts complex and even if your not. They had a special 3 course menu paired to the I Love Lucy show, with or without wine pairings. Mr. B ordered the Lobster Bisque and the Scallop dinner. There wasn't a drop left of anything on his plate. I went with the 3 course tasting menu with the wine pairings. The wines were lovely and the food perfectly prepared. Let's start with the first course, it was a perfectly cooked risotto with asparagus, bacon and a Parmesan cheese crisp. Next out, Filet Mignon, with fresh veggies and a potato wedge. The filet really melted in the mouth, it was incredible. Mr. B and I split the dessert which was a Key Lime Bar. I love anything Key Lime and am pretty picky, but this was Florida Key Lime on a plate. Bite 1,2, 3 and the plate literally was licked clean. Honestly, this was a really amazing meal. The service was great, our waiter was a little quirky, but the food was the star. We will go back! read more

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