My friends chose this spot on a whim. I was skeptical going in as it was in the afternoon on a…read moreSunday but there was a surprising amount of people inside. Service was extremely friendly and attentive. Food and drinks were great. My table got the mojito and a few other speciality drinks everyone enjoyed. The appetizers were great and I look forward to trying some of their dishes. Totally worth a visit if you're in the area. Another positive....the bathrooms were clean and didn't smell like piss

Stowaway just rolled out five new drinks for summer with a summer camp theme. This enticed us to…read morecome back and try the new drinks after our last few visits were subpar. You can make reservations on Yelp, and there is also a Yelp live wait list. We visited during happy hour (Tuesday thru Friday from 4pm to 6pm) to take advantage of their food specials. We had the coconut shrimp ($12, but $7 during happy hour) which are always good. We also had some fries ($7, but $5 during happy hour). They were good and a generous portion. She wanted to try the vegan (cauliflower) salt & vinegar wings ($14, but $9 during happy hour). They were breaded and fried well, but had very little flavor. There was just a light sprinkle of a salt & vinegar seasoning. More salt and a dash of malt vinegar on them, or a side of malt vinegar would have made them a lot better. The happy hour food was a good value and got something in our stomachs. My first cocktail was the Wilderness Badge (Tequila, Lemongrass, Basil, Bergamot, Lemon, $17). This was by far my favorite. I love Italicus liqueur and this drink had great bergamot flavor up front with a light basil flavor from the basil infused tequila. It was very balanced and I would have never guessed this was a tequila based cocktail. She started out with the Sasquatch Sighting (Jamacian Overproof Rum, Cynar, Mango, Molasses, Lime, $17). This was balanced, with a light bitterness and light sweetness with mango flavor. Next, I tried The Lost Camper (Demerara Rum, Thai Green Tea, Pineapple, Coconut, Lime, $16). It was a pineapple bomb with a hint of coconut. I didn't like it at all and actually sent it back. I did think the skeleton arm and hand swizzle stick was cool. It is served with the hand at the bottom, but I took the picture with it sticking out. Instead, I had the Black Sands from the regular cocktail menu (Bali Hai Pineapple Rum, Diplomatica Reserve Rum, Pineapple, Orange, Guava, Lime, Coco, charcoal, $18). It is served with a flaming lime and sugar cube. I've had this several times and love it. It has a great funky complex flavor. Next, she had the Naked & Afraid (Mezcal, Campari, Smoked Pineapple, Serrano, Passionfruit, Lemon, $17). This was really good with a great complex mix of smoke and bitterness with a little heat. She gulped it down, and I was lucky to get a few sips. We decided to share the last new cocktail, the Scouts Honor (Vokda, Peach, Mandarin, Orgeat, Lime, $16) so we could say we tried them all. It looks nice with a bright orange color, but it was very sweet and peach forward with a hint of orange. Our server Crystal was great, very friendly and provided great service. We started collecting mugs recently, and we bought the Belly of the Beast Monstro mug ($62) to take home. BOTB is their Pinocchio themed speakeasy in the back (separate reservation required). They also have several other Stowaway branded mugs available. This visit was definitely better than our last few. As far as the five new Summer Camp cocktails, two were excellent, one was good, one was ok, and one was not good. The food was good, and is a great value during happy hour.

So I had banh duc which is like a Vietnamese bolognese with rice flour pudding. Utterly insane. A…read moremust try. So savory and delicious. Then I had their take on a Mexican seafood cocktail (I hate the original). Amazing. Culinary engineering at its finest. They do some magic to make a clear sauce that has a hint of acid, tomato and horseradish. Octopus. Thinly sliced shrimp. Nate the chef is a master. Top 5 in Oc. The food is basically comfort food married with brilliant technique and execution. A must visit !!!!!

Wow where do I begin. Sonder really stands out from all of the countless restaurants in OC. The…read moreinside is gorgeous; both grand and retro but with a charm. It's perfect for an intimate date or fun night out. I would describe it has a vinyl bar with great cocktails and a unique menu featuring Asian fusion tapas/sharable bites. Fun fact: Sonder is owned by siblings Diane and Lamson and is located right next to Lamson's first restaurant , Kaizen Shabu! This place sometimes gets booked for private events so I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation as to not wait and guarantee it isn't closed the day you want to come. There is also usually events or a live DJ later in the evenings so check their instagram to be up at date @sonderdtsa. The food here is absolutely delicious and flavorful. It tastes both familiar but also new by putting a unique twist on dishes and flavors you already know. Some standout dishes are the little gem salad, dill milk bread, and charred beets. My only complaint is that the Sichuan fries were not as crispy and I would have liked. They are also quite greasy and heavy. But I understand why it is soggy due to being tossed in the Sichuan oil after frying to achieve the numbing flavor. We also tried the black sesame walnut for dessert and it was to die for; such a toasty flavor that paired perfectly with the creamy ice cream. While there are a few staple menu items, the kitchen seems to often be coming out with different dishes so you're sure to not be tired coming here time and time again.

Had a great experience at Twisted Tiki! The bartender was incredibly personable and made us feel…read morewelcome from the moment we sat down. I can't remember his name, but he mentioned he was from Virginia, and his friendly service really stood out. The tiki drinks were delicious and had a beautiful presentation--almost too pretty to drink! Their happy hour is a fantastic value, and we also tried the chicken skewers, which were very tasty. The tiki-themed decor is fun, colorful, and adds to the overall atmosphere. Between the great drinks, good food, and excellent service, we'll definitely be back. Highly recommend checking it out!

We were able to immediately find seating, which was nice. The service was wonderful. The ambience…read morewas lovely. I just wish they had more food options. The music was fine but maybe too loud? I enjoyed my first drink. My second drink was average. The garlic fries were absolutely delicious!!!!

Great ambiance with a very intimate & secretive feel, excellent service, very tasty drinks/food…read more Unfortunately, you can't order from the also excellent Stowaway menu when inside, but the snacks they offer are delicious and filling.

The drinks were great The service was good…read moreThe food was very average - the angry edamames were not cooked well. Some of them were quite hard

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.

46 A speakeasy is located in Rockwell Bakery. Check in is within the bakery and reservations are…read morerequired. When making reservations a $25 deposit is required per person but will be applied to your bill day of visit. The hostess was very kind upon check in and took us to the back where the 46 door is. She provided us a code and explained the time limit along with house rules. We were then told to knock on the door and proceed with the experience. Kudos to the owner as this is the only speakeasy in the OC that has a true speakeasy feel entrance. They had a gentleman open the peephole and ask for the entry code. Once we said the code we entered a really cool mine shaft area. The attention to detail was on point and I was impressed! We were then taken upstairs to a private bar where there are four tables of four so a max of 16. This makes sense as to why reservations are hard to come by. The only ding about seating is you are sat with strangers it is not a private table. Luckily we had a fun older couple at our table so it made the conversation more lively. Otherwise don't go here with an expectation of an intimate/ private date night. They also offer a limited food menu but looked very promising. However, we were here for a night cap so just dabbled in drinks. The bartender had a seasonal menu of 4 cocktails he created. He explained the drinks and then had us try each one with a straw. We then placed our order based on what we liked. He did say if we were not a fan he could create us our own personal cocktail as well. The old fashion he created was phenomenal! Overall, a cool little spot in the OC. Do wish they were open later as they do close at 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

I don't normally like the OC businesses so much, but I LOVE this place! It's very down to earth,…read morethey have the most amazing beer selection, and terrific prices. It's packed and happening, super fun. I'll be back.

While in downtown thought we would stop by for lunch. The pictures are a little deceptive. The…read moreplace was dark and smelled of smoke of pot. Didn't see any food available. I'm sure it's a good place to hang out and drink but not really a good example of the city to friends from out of town.

Since opening in November of last year we have been waiting to be in the area and post dental appt…read morewe made sure to make it a mission to get here. Inside you are just in awe of how gorgeous the setting is. It never fails that the brains behind the interior design is flawless. You don't even feel like you are in fountain valley. My husband really wanted to try the fan tuan, usually that is to go only but they made an exception and said we could order it, it would just come in a to go bag (no biggie at all). I can whole heartedly say our food experience was INCREDIBLE. Every dish was beyond stellar. We had the beef chow fun, chili dumplings with chili oil, wings and regret not ordering a dessert. But.. I know we will be coming back to try more on the menu. The wings I gotta say were just the perfect ratio of crispy/meat/sauce. I need a bucket full of wings The fan tuan definitely worth the hype, I know some have said it has too much rice but helloooo it's what holds the whole thing together so for us it was a perfect balance. Looking forward to coming back, I'm still drooling over each dish we had..

My daughter made a 5:00 PM Father's Day reservation for three at Qua Contemporary Chinese Cuisine,…read moreand it turned out to be a wonderful family dinner. We arrived about 10 minutes early and were seated almost immediately. Water and menus were brought to our table right away, and the service was friendly from the start. As we browsed the menu, we found so many interesting dishes that it was hard to decide what to order. There was also a recommendation display featuring several signature dishes, which gave us some great ideas, and our waiter offered a few additional suggestions that helped us narrow down our selections. The restaurant features a modern, contemporary design with a clean, upscale atmosphere. The dining room feels spacious, and one feature that really stood out was the large private dining area between the front and back dining sections. It has an extra-long table and looks like it can easily be divided into two private rooms for larger gatherings or special occasions. For our Father's Day dinner, we ordered the following dishes: * Wood Ear Mushroom - (Great) Even though it was a simple cold appetizer, it was refreshing, crunchy, delicious, and surprisingly flavorful. * Chili Surf Clam - (Great) It was just a tiny bit salty, but the lightly spicy seasoning paired perfectly with the fresh surf clams. The flavor reminded me of the famous Sichuan dish, Steamed Chicken in Chili Sauce. Although one is seafood and the other is chicken, the seasoning profile is very similar, and when prepared correctly, both are incredibly tasty. * Crab Roe - (Good) It came with wood ear mushrooms, kimchi, and ginger vinegar served separately. I would recommend mixing everything together before eating instead of adding them one at a time. The crab roe itself was rich, creamy, and packed with seafood flavor. * "Dong Po" Braised Pork Belly - (Great) We are usually hesitant to order this dish because many restaurants serve it dry and overly fatty. This one was excellent. Although a few corners were slightly dry, most of the pork was tender and literally melted in your mouth with its savory-sweet braising sauce. They even provide scissors so you can easily cut it into four bite-sized pieces. My advice is to enjoy each bite with both the lean meat and the fat together, then worry about the calories later! That's how you get the full melt-in-your-mouth experience without it feeling greasy. * Steamed Cod with Black Bean Sauce - (Wonderful) Since there were only three of us, we ordered the smaller portion, but it still came with several generous chunks of cod. The fish was perfectly steamed, silky smooth, flaky, and paired beautifully with the flavorful black bean sauce. This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening. * Garlic Prawns with Glass Noodles - (OK) The prawns were juicy and flavorful, and the garlic sauce was delicious. Unfortunately, while the glass noodles absorbed some of the sauce, they didn't take on as much flavor as we expected, making the dish a bit less memorable than the others. * Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice - (Great) I've tried countless lotus leaf sticky rice dishes over the years, and this ranks near the top. This was the first time I've seen a whole abalone incorporated into the sticky rice. The fragrant rice wrapped in lotus leaf, combined with the perfectly cooked abalone, added both wonderful flavor and texture. * Stir-fried Green Beans with Pork - (Great) This is a dish offered by many Chinese restaurants, but Qua cooked it exceptionally well. The green beans were crisp and flavorful, paired with seasoned minced pork, garlic, and crispy fried shallots that reminded me of many classic Taiwanese and Southeast Asian dishes. * Mango Shaved Snow Ice - (Great) At first we were debating between the Strawberry and Mango Shaved Snow Ice. Our waiter recommended the mango version, saying it was one of their most consistent and popular desserts, and he was absolutely right. Every bite was creamy and packed with mango flavor--from the fresh mango chunks to the mango ice cream and the mango-flavored shaved snow. It was the perfect way to end the meal and is a must-order on a warm Southern California day. * Hong Kong Milk Tea - (Great) This was a little different from a traditional Hong Kong milk tea. It had a subtle hint of sea salt that complemented the smooth, rich tea very well. It was also perfectly sweetened, making it an excellent drink to finish the meal. Overall, we had a fantastic Father's Day dinner. From the modern atmosphere and attentive service to the delicious food, Qua exceeded our expectations. Our favorites were the Steamed Cod, Dong Po Braised Pork Belly, Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice, Chili Surf Clam, and Mango Shaved Snow Ice. We'll definitely be back soon to try more dishes. A well-deserved 5 stars!

Had an amazing time last Saturday, April 12 as we celebrated my son's 25th birthday! Sonny and his…read morestaff go out of their way to a comedy the parties he had things set up for us. We are out on the wonderful outdoor patio and he helped us order food and just kept asking if we needed anything so you're so appreciate him. It's a great attitude and he's just a really nice person. We'll definitely be booking another event there soon. And the food downstairs amazing we were able to order pizzas, Tacos hamburgers, chicken bowls. My son had a really great birthday! Thanks, Sonny I'm making that happen!

This place is a kaleidoscope of fun with varying degrees of experiences from an arcade, to a tiki…read morebar, to a speakeasy, to a restaurant. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the food was delicious. And bonus they have a Pokémon pinball machine. What really got me about the place is you can bring your kids there if you want or come with just adult activities in mind. Definitely check this place out. It's huge and tastefully magnetic.