We were looking for a classic Newport vibe with a hip twist and this was it. Had a rough day but walking through the doors we were immediately transformed. The decor, lighting and vibe were cool. The bartender (truly a classy professional) JESS, guided us on cocktails AND a perfect selection from the food menu. It was the perfect night that we needed! THANK YOU JESS and CHEERS!!! read more

The food is a 10 out of 10 , the ambiance is so awesome, our server was professional, attentive and very delightful. I will definitely come back. They even offered me a FREE DESERT for my birthday. read more

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I've been coming to Starfish for years now, and it's truly one of my favorite places. Everything about it is just consistently great. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and full of good vibes. Ellen at the front is absolutely the best. She always greets you with a big smile and such a friendly, genuine energy. She makes you feel right at home every single time. The bartenders are incredible too. They're always on it, super attentive, and so nice. Whether you're a regular or it's your first visit, they make you feel completely welcome. The food is always delicious and the drinks are just as good. Every dish is full of flavor and you can tell there's real care put into everything they serve. The whole environment at Starfish is just something special. It's inviting, fun, and feels like a place you want to keep coming back to. I honestly have nothing bad to say. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. I love this place! read more

Best part of our experience was the service. The staff was great and the food came out fast. The space is a little bit cramped but overall had a good vibe. For the food, I would say this is definitely an Asian-fusion-type place. I wouldn't expect to have the usual pad Thai you get from an authentic restaurant in Thai town. Or dimsum from Chinatown. Otherwise food was ok. read more

Starfish - Shrimp dumplings - Asian Fusion Near Me - Newport Beach, California

I wanted to give a huge shout out to Paige, our waitress Saturday night. She was truly amazing! We had several people that had special needs with both drinks and food. She was so helpful in getting everyone what they needed and with a big smile! She really made our experience so enjoyable Top Notch Waitress! Five Stars Plus for sure!! read more

OMG!!! it starts with Ellen, who must be the owner because she makes it happen every time!! The service from Page and the food is so so good !! This place has excellent service from when you walk in and Ellen always finds you a table to the outstanding servers to the absolute delicious food!!!! read more

Why haven't I been here sooner? By far the best happy hour menu you'll find in Newport Beach! Food was great and service was excellent. The ambiance is so chill. read more

Super yummy spicy flavorful food! Great service and delicious he ambiance is beautiful

Great service! Making a reservation online the day of for happy hour was quick and easy. Parking for a Thursday evening was easy as well. The lobster macadamia roll was ok. Really liked the ahi poke taro bites except they were a little too salty. The star of the show was the seafood Thai curry with Jasmine coconut rice. So yummy! read more

Starfish - Asian Fusion Near Me - Newport Beach, California

My friends and I just started coming to Starfish recently all of our experiences have been great. The Mongolian beef is the best and lobster roll is to die for. Matt is the best waiter is classy, so courteous and funny! Yeah but. He made my birthday special! read more

Call it Asian fusion, I typically don't like Asian fusion but I was surprised by how good this place actually was. It's cute but small. Heard it was super busy since it's a new hot place, but we were able to walk in and sit at the bar which is first come first serve read more

Wow, wow, wow, what a find!! We came across Starfish by coincidence and man, I'm glad we did. It's a cute little place with phenomenal Asian food. They have different options, but what we liked in particular was the small plates, which were like Asian tapas. We shared a bunch of them, like the Peking Duck Bao buns, the Korean tacos, the Bahn mi sliders but the stars of the show were the mussels in Thai curry sauce. We also had some of the dumplings, which were great too. The staff was really nice and accommodating. The restaurant has a nice, modern vibe without being pretentious. Next time we're in newport beach, we will definitely come back! read more

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This is the 2nd time I come here and it is always amazing. The hostess, Ellen, was very cute, and we did not wait too long for a table during a busy happy hour afternoon. Kylie was our server, and I would request her. He was very professional without being a robot- we all really liked him. The four of us shared everything and I cannot pick a favorite. Chicken Satay, Lobster Macadamia rolls, steamed muscles, crab wontons and Ahi tacos. This is the place to come if you want to try new twists on favorites. The cocktails are clever too. I had a Vodka Ginger pinch that was so good. It was busy but we never felt rushed, which was a delight. I highly recommend this place read more

Starfish is such a great spot for lunch, happy hour, or dinner. So happy for find a great spot for Opium Hour!!!!!! The food is so good, the ambiance is comfortable and the staff is so friendly. Thank you for a great experience. read more

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The older maître d' was very unwelcoming. We arrived a little after 3:00 pm on a Tuesday, the restaurant was pretty empty, and we were told to sit at the bar area as the restaurant fills up quickly (which it did not), and not to sit in the middle of the bar, instead sit like the animals in Noas Arc (2 by 2 by 2). The other end of the bar was dirty. People who came in after us were given the choice of other tables if they could be out in an hour. We felt very unwelcome by her. We would have loved to have made this restaurant a go to place for us, as we just live up the street, but unfortunately she has dampened our desire to dine here. read more

This place was great! My favorites were the Korean tacos (spicy) the Mongolian beef, sea bass, and coconut rice: I'll definitely frequent this place and look forward to trying their other location. read more

The food was fresh and delishious ,the Ambiance had an awesome vibe and the service was great. Will be back.

I had previously been to the original location of Starfish and absolutely loved it. Decided to try their new location this time as it was closer to where I was, and of course, it did not disappoint. The service was great, and everyone was very friendly and awesome. The ambience was calm and relaxed inside. The food was absolutely unique. I love when fusion restaurants get creative, and that's exactly what was done here! Definitely a cool hangout spot with great food! read more

**First Visit to Starfish Newport Beach** Having dined at Starfish in Laguna Beach, my expectations going into Starfish in Newport Beach were mediocre at best but I wanted to see if there would be a different vibe. The food has been consistently "good" at Starfish Laguna and the service had not been memorable during our past couple of visits. We enjoy the eclectic nature of the menu at Starfish so we wanted to see if Starfish Newport Beach was anything different. And it was. Significantly... The attention and genuine care that Bryan at Starfish Newport Beach extended to my husband and I today was a key differentiator between the two locations. The ambiance at Starfish NB is beautiful and when seated Bryan promptly assisted us. I follow a very strict vegan diet and he graciously asked many questions to make sure that my meal was prepared to accommodate my dietary restrictions. When the food arrived, it was beautifully displayed and the portions were generous and the flavors were divine. The reason for this Yelp review is to recognize the professionalism, commitment to exceptional customer service, and overall experience that Bryan, our server, extended to us. I would not have been able to say the same for the service at Starfish Laguna Beach where it had been a struggle to garner the attention of servers. Again, the food at Starfish Laguna Beach has consistently been good, but both the service + food today at Newport Beach was exceptional. Bryan clearly takes great pride in his work and that was exhibited throughout our dining experience. In summary, whether you are vegan or carnivore, if you are considering heading to Starfish Newport Beach, do so without any reluctance. And if you are fortunate as we were today, Bryan might be working. read more

Food and service was spectacular! Kylee was so attentive and gave great recommendations. Vibes at the bar were killer.

I've been to the Laguna beach location and was floored with the service and food there. I had to try the Newport location of course. The place is small. Tables were crammed close to each other. If your "neighbors" are talking loudly, that's it. You either talk louder or just be quiet and enjoy your food. We ordered the sunset roll, star nigiri,crab wontons,peking duck bao & wok fired mussels. Sunset roll was awesome as always. The others were ok. The mussels were not as tasty as when we had them at the laguna beach location. Service was good. We like the laguna beach location more because of the space and they also have a patio on the side. read more

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Could a restaurant be any louder? I don't think so. Our delicious dinner , perfect food and beautiful presentation, was ruined by the noise. Incredibly loud piped in music and with all the hard surfaces , we absolutely couldn't talk without yelling at each other. What should have been a really nice experience, wasn't read more

Absolutely enormous variety and selection of asian food. Had vietnamese, japanese, thai, and korean dishes. Went with my boyfriend had to make a reservation almost 2 weeks in advance. Waiter and hostesses were very nice, friendly. Easy parking. First downside with this restaurant is that it is very cramped, our table was barely a foot away from the table next to us and we could hear entire conversations of people next to us. Heard some things we definitely did not need to know. Secondly, names of dishes were fairly misleading. Don't call something a "banh mi" slider and use hawaiian rolls rather than vietnamese baguette, which is what it translates to. Additionally, the crispy spring rolls were just egg rolls. Overall the food tasted good, but don't expect authentic asian food. read more

Starfish - banh mi sliders - Asian Fusion Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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This location is a lot smaller than the Laguna Beach location but is very cute. I thought service was slow during lunch on a Monday even though it was not that busy. There were flies everywhere too. There was a deep fried lobster roll that was really fishy and mushy. One thing that was great was that the parking was easy. read more

Service was amazing! Ambiance is really nice and the food was also really good. Was here on a date and glad I chose this place it's a bit small but very cute inside. The little pork buns were so so so good. I would definitely recommend checking them out read more

Super tiny place but great good just like the one in Laguna Beach that we love so much! Sat at the bar and had a few favorites as we always do in another location. I would come back if we are in the area but for now will keep as our regular spot in Laguna. Great service. read more

Spent my birthday dinner here, Matt was amazing! His service made the night, his recommendations are top notch and his personality is outstanding. Food was absolutely delicious. We were a party of 6 and they accommodated us with no issue. If you haven't tried this place I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants flavor, a nice drink, and great service! read more

Yummy food! Great atmosphere to meet up with some to chat. No TV & NO NOISE!! Servers are friendly & helpful. Food made to order!! Recommend read more

I forget all we had but it was all amazing. Went with 4 college buddies and we all got an appetizer to share and all were fantastic and fresh. And all our meals were incredible. read more

On the recommendation of a good friend, I took my wife here for our "date night". All of the food we ordered was delicious and our waitress, Julian, could not have been more helpful and friendly. We plan to introduce our friends to Starfish soon. read more

Great asian food including seafood and cocktails, excellent service with nice ambiance Reasonably priced

My absolute favorite dinner spot in Newport! Was so excited when they opened their second location here, as I was a regular in Laguna. Their food is so high quality and delicious, super allergy friendly, and the staff is so kind and accommodating. Smaller restaurant so recommend making a reservation in advance, but no negatives to say about Starfish!!! read more

The restaurant is pretty & intimate. The tables are super close to each other so if you are claustrophobic... don't eat here lol The food was 4/5. Good but not great. The green beans was the yummiest thing I had. The Lobster Macadamia roll was tasty, but not fabulous. Definitely get the shrimp dumplings. We ordered them fried and they were really good. They also have a substantial amount of shrimp. The wild mushroom garlic noodles don't really taste like garlic. They are loaded with bream sprouts. I give it a 2/5. The drinks suck. Save your $ and drive down to tommy Bahamas for better drinks (it's close to Starfish) I started off with the leeche martini & that was gross. It had lemongrass in it & thats alll you can taste. The blackberry mojito tasted like robitussin cough medicine. Service 12/10. Staff switched my drink because the first one was gross. I didn't want to be that person & complain about my 2nd drink so I sucked it up . The server was attentive, super nice & helpful. Every one I came across was sweet & happy. Spectacular staff read more

Starfish - Asian Fusion Near Me - Newport Beach, California

The food is delicious!! The mussels dish with Thai basil curry is so amazing. I wish they bottled the sauce and sold it. The cocktails are also really good. My favs are Pineapple Euphoria and Imperial Garden. read more

First time at Starfish and my experience was awesome on the other hand I started dehydrating didn't mention it at all ! I arrived at 1:30 pm ordered a nice white French wine and from the lunch menu ordered the curry seafood dish with coconut rice delicious! Like around 2:15 the air conditioning was turned on and I thought thank you lord feeling better! read more

Ellen was the BEST! Called the restaurant to make a simple inquiry and execute a visit there just simply based on her outstanding customer service! Kylie (bartender) was amazing and met some new friends while we dined! read more

I've been here a few times and always enjoy all the different varieties of food they serve. Ive ordered the calamari that comes with kaffir lime aioli which is soooo delicious. I also ordered the macadamia lobster roll. It was very interesting but pretty good. Their cocktails are also good. I got the Newport Rose so refreshing! Our service is always good as well. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere just wish it was a little bigger read more

Happy hour is the way to go with amazing food, delicious drinks, cheap priced and great friends! Love everything off the happy hr menu and Jillian was SUPER Sweet and nice yesterday!! She let us order off the happy hour right before 6! Yay! read more

Went for lunch. Sushi was really good. Large portions for the entrees. Very nice interior, a little small but wasn't too busy at lunch during the week so we were sat right away. read more

Food was delicious service was outstanding and very cozy place. Will definitely will back.