Awesome seafood spot near the beach!…read more Fish and Chips again, who would have thought? Light and crispy, but this place uses the same batter on their fries, what a gamechanger! More surface area = more crunchy fish/fries! The line was super long, usually a good sign. Nice beach vibes, I'll definitely be back!

Busy spot during lunch but the wait wasn't too long. You order first at the counter and you're…read moregiven a number and seat yourself. We opted to sit outside as it was nice out. The portion sizes are large. Food was flavored well. For the poke bowl, the rice to protein ratio was off as had too much rice. Plus only a few pieces of uni. I like that they have non alcoholic beer available

Love it here. First time visit. Celebrating a birthday lunch. We made reservations on Open Table…read more Easy and dependable. Reservations were definitely needed on a Saturday. Nick's hostess called me an hour before to confirm which was comforting. There is street parking which can be challenging as in any coastal community. I believe there is a close by public parking lot. The hostess was very welcoming and sat us right away. A.J. was an awesome waiter. He did not rush us and checked on us regularly and kept our water glasses full. Between the four of us we ordered the spinach and artichoke dip, three fresh Mahi Mahi blackened fish sandwiches. There are many side choices. We had the very yummy crispy fries and the tomatoes with blue cheese - so good. The sandwich and side was a huge portion. I had to eat it deconstructed as it was piled high with blackened fish, coleslaw, tomato, onion rings, fresh micro greens, tartar sauce all on a fresh grilled brioche bun. The sliced prime rib French dip was a home-run. The roll was toasted yet soft. The prime rib tender and flavorful served with Au jus (good enough to eat with a spoon or sip from the bowl). AJ made sure we had plenty of ketchup and ranch for the fries and creamed horseradish for the dip sandwich. My father was given a dreamy chocolate cake and card signed by everyone to celebrate his birthday. The dreamy cake was moist filled with chocolate chips and covered it a to-die-for chocolate ganache. We had an 11:15 reservation and the large restaurant and bar was filled up by noon. There were many celebrations going on around our table. San Clemente is a great coastal town and Nick's is equally as wonderful.

I would like to give a shout out to Chantelle, who made everything right from a past order from…read moremonths ago when I had ordered a cheeseburger well-done with only cheddar cheese and raw onion, and the girl who answered the phone got my order totally wrong. Which I complained about immediately to the guy managers and not one of them did anything to help me. I'm a local here and a regular here and thank you for making everything right Chantelle and I will continue to keep coming here because of your great customer service.. Grace, thank you for letting me help you get your apartment here in town and please keep sending your friends my way! Gina

Our server Lexi was amazing!! She was so sweet and gave great service! Food was great and loved the…read moreview. Vibe was very welcoming

A true local favorite right on the iconic pier with amazing ocean views and the perfect sunset…read moreatmosphere. Their Sunset Hour specials daily all week are definitely worth checking out. Don't skip the smoked fish appetizer -- absolutely incredible. And whatever the giant chocolate dessert is in the photo... order it. Totally over-the-top and worth every bite. Great food, friendly service, and classic beach-town vibes. Always a great experience

One of my favorite spots for delicious Mexican food in South OC! They have plenty of great options,…read moreyou really can't go wrong with anything! I tried the stacked birria enchiladas for the first time and they were phenomenal, the red sauce was amazing! Plenty of drink options as well, I got a blood orange margarita and it's definitely one of the best margaritas I've ever had. Definitely recommend giving that one a try! Service was excellent and staff were all very friendly and professional. Can't wait to come back again to try more yummy things!

It's been years since I've been here. Ambience inside is very sort of sports bar around the bar…read morearea and masculine with a Mexican touch booths and seating. Our young waiter was very peppy and friendly in what I consider an overly familiar kind of way. Not my style but I can't fault them for it. Chips and salsa were brought to the table, good as before. Plates-beautiful presentation, some items better than others. Pork Mole Enchilada-meh, the mole was on the sweet side, not very punchy, not memorable. Shrimp Taquito-amazing, tasty shrimp with nice spices and garnish, pinto beans well pureed and good. Mexican street corn-pretty good, a little heavy on the mayo. Food was good and solid, but not a WOW! There is better Mexican out there around here for the same or lesser prices, so don't go here for the value, go for the ambience and if you like drinks and/or expensive tequilas, they've got plenty of those too. Desserts were very generous, flan with caramel and candied pecans was delicious, creamy, firm, not flabby like some flans can be. Churros-rolled into a circle and fried, served with vanilla ice cream, caramel, candied pecans too. Desserts were the best part of the meal. I enjoyed eating here, once. Twice, I won't.

We've been to the other Hook & Anchor locations starting with Newport and then Costa Mesa, but this…read morewas our first time visiting the Dana Point location -- and it did not disappoint! Beautiful restaurant with great outdoor seating. My family and I sat outside and it was very peaceful and relaxing. The service was excellent, and Karina, our server, was awesome from start to finish. We ordered the Oysters Rockefeller, which were amazing, along with the Connecticut-style lobster roll and the lobster carbonara. Both were absolutely 5-star dishes. The lobster roll was cooked to perfection with the warm butter sauce, and the lobster carbonara had incredible flavor throughout. My kids got the cheeseburger and fries, and I have to say, for a kids meal the cheeseburger was surprisingly meaty and very tasty. The fries were perfectly crispy as well. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area!

Good place! Of course came for the seafood. I will say it is a little steeply priced for what you…read moreget. I ordered the Newport salad- it was great- but small portions of lobster, crab and got three shrimp for $27... The side of the parmesan fries were good- didn't expect the thicker pieces of cheese. Overall good spot to go to and the owner is so kind.

Great location!!! Just steps from the beach, great views. Greeted by our host/server. We were…read moreable to choose our table and I chose one with a view of the pier and ocean. The food was good. A few surprises My sister ordered the Cali eggs Benedict the potatoes wee supposed to be smashed, they were halved. The avocado slices looked old due to the dark tone on them, not the normal green. My chilaquiles had black beans, not mentioned in the menu description; great surprise. There was supposed to be sour cream on my chilaquiles and there wasn't any. It would have cut some of the sourness of the chile verde sauce. I chose poached eggs in stead of fried ones. My eggs were over cooked and cold. I am pretty sure they were precooked. I would give them another try, maybe for lunch.

Service: The service was excellent. The waitress was very…read moreattentive and energetic. Everyone there had a very positive attitude. Which is a big plus. Food: We started off with the coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp was good. The coconut was crispy and the shrimp was well done for the main dish. I got the Cali Benedict. It was Soooo good. The hollandaise sauce was so tasty. The shrimp was fully seasoned and the potato's were well seasoned and huge. I recommend people getting this dish. Ambiance: The ambiance was great. There wasn't really a lot of people so that was nice. Just kids screaming and cry from time to time.

If you're looking for authentic, fantastic Mexican food in San Juan Capistrano, El Zabandeja is…read moreabsolutely worth your time. This is the kind of place where the food speaks for itself. As a local gringo, sure--I wouldn't mind a few pictures on the menu--but honestly, it doesn't matter. Just pick something and go for it. Everything I've tried has been excellent, and you really can't go wrong. What makes it even better is that it's truly family-owned and operated. And I mean that literally--you'll see them in the front, in the back, and serving tables. There's something special about that level of care and pride in what they're doing. It's incredibly important to support places like this, especially in South Orange County and particularly in San Juan Capistrano. Restaurants like this are what give the area its character. Take your time when you go--make it a date night or bring family when they're in town. If you want real, authentic, fantastic food, this is the spot.

The seafood was fresh and full of flavor, and everything tasted very well prepared. I highly…read morerecommend trying the agua chile con salsa negro -- it had great flavor and was one of my favorite dishes. The camarones a la diabla and camarones al ajillo were also both delicious, well seasoned, and cooked perfectly. If you enjoy seafood, this is definitely a place worth trying. I would gladly come back again.

M-F happy hour IS so bomb!…read more We got pretty much got everything on the happy hour menu. Edamame, fish tacos, burgers, poke nachos, ceviche, and wings. Reasonable price for all of this for just under $45 dollars. We sat outside, so inside we did not get to look all that well. But seemed cozy inside to eat too. The decor was pretty nice too. We had this spot saved on my list from 2 years ago and very happy we came when we did.

Service was very friendly when ordering and seating was self served. My husband and I ordered a…read moredozen oysters, the garlic noodles and the fisherman's catch. Oysters 10/10 perfectly shucked no broken shells and so fresh. Garlic Noodles 6/10 it was pretty good but I did not like the shell left on the shrimp and the excess oils pooled at the bottom of the dish, the arugula helped a lot to make the meal feel less heavy. Loved the parmesan on top. Fisherman's Catch 4/10 we chose the Cajun seasoning but it was very bland and very oily, it was presented as a fish boil selection but it was just so oily, and we couldn't really detect any Cajun flavor. The seafood itself was cooked well and so were the corn and potatoes. In my opinion for the price you pay the quality misses the mark by a few points. It was a good experience but I don't think I would go out of my way to come here again.

I am obsessed with the Mushroom Soup with Puff Pastry. The soup is creamy but doesn't feel heavy…read more The puff pastry makes it perfect! For my entree I always get the Hanger Steak. You can select from a variety of sauces but my favorite is the green peppercorn sauce. The steak is served with a side salad and your choice of another side. The balsamic dressing on the salad is delicious. I order the fries because they are amazing. I've always left Brussels Bistro satisfied and happy.

We are so glad to have found this place when looking for brunch option this morning…read more We ordered little mixture of lunch and breakfast and who doesn't love oysters on a half-shell first thing in the morning! They were nice and fresh-served with a little butter mixture, and of course, lemon and Tabasco on the side for preference. The oysters were a little small, but they were a good try anyway. We also started with a basket of sourdough slices which came out toasted and hot. Next was the Boeuf Bourguignon was just delicious! They definitely slow cooked the beef as advertised. And also a Mediterraneenne omelette w/some added Gruyère-the egg alone was probably the best fluffy omelette I've ever had! Everything was cooked with delicacy and care in the quality of the ingredients. You definitely get the quality of food that the prices call for. We will definitely be back because it's good quality food, and pleasant vibe with good service!

Mack is one of a kind of bartender that keeps you coming back. Friendly, attentive, and makes the…read morewhole bar feel welcoming -- especially from a local's perspective. Drinks were hand crafted, service was fast, and the vibe was great all night. Xclusive is lucky to have him behind the bar. PS: Taco Tuesday is the best in town

We came here when our family from out of town invited us when they were guests at the hotel…read more All in all, food was good (some dishes were great), drinks were very solid. Service was fine. Very slow for a not a busy night of just 2 tables including ours, but we were fine with it. One guy was working both the bar and serving all the tables. My family member left him a standard tip for standard service (15 percent and he is of the older generation and from a different country with different tipping culture), and doesn't even know the new tipping customs of the younger people of 18 to 20 percent. Ten minutes after we left, when we were going to the game room, the waiter approached our group and made a big embarrassing scene in the lobby, demanding to know what was wrong with his service, asking why the tip wasn't 18 to 20 percent like the receipt indicated, and saying things like "I just want to know." He was very aggressive, very confrontational and highly unprofessional. And he handled the situation loudly, publicly, and unprofessionally and scared our children with his rude, aggressive way of speaking. If management wants to speak to him, he had dark brown hair shaved underneath and longer on top, brown eyes, and had a safety pin styled earring in his ear. He was fine during the dinner and we didn't observe any rude behavior and left happy and impressed with the restaurant but aggressively chasing older guests down in front of family, young kids, and other hotel patrons is beyond inappropriate and should be looked into by management.