First of all, fantastic environment. Service was top notch. Our server, Devin, was very polite and very helpful. Definitely coming coming back soon and recommend this restaurant. Thanks again Devin! read more

What was supposed to be a special dinner to celebrate my daughters graduation unfortunately turned out to be very disappointing . We have always celebrated special occasions at the Chart House however the last couple times we have been to the Dana Point location the service has been sub par. From the length of time it took to be acknowledged by the server, the lack of small plates and napkins for our appetizers to the less than caring attitude of the server all sadly made for a mediocre dining experience. Gone are the days where the Chart House was an elevated and special dining experience. The only thing the Dana Point location has going for them now is the beautiful views. If you want amazing service and delicious cuisine this is not your place . read more

Disrespect will be the theme for my review. Even Yelp forewarned me before writing my review to take "COVID-19 into consideration" before posting, but all I have to say is that a waiter being respectful has nothing to do with COVID-19. My expectations from Chart House have been some of the highest for Dana Point restaurants, but tonight proved otherwise. While restaurants, and many other small businesses, are struggling to break even during these difficult times, I, as a local, chose to support Chart House with a $300 dinner, only to be absolutely disappointed and full of regret with the treatment and service delivered. After ordering our meal and drinks, I coincidentally went to the restroom following Michael, our waiter, to embarrassingly overhear him (unbeknownst that I was present) tell the bartender that our order was of an inconvenience to your staff. This was after he told us the drink that we requested was only 1 ingredient different than what was listed on your menu. That's what drew the line for me. Dining in a place like Chart House is the last place you should experience their staff demeaning their guests in person. I'm glad there are new, up and coming restaurants establishing in Dana Point, because there is plenty of opportunity to surpass the rooted names like Chart House. Go somewhere else. read more

This is one of our favorite happy hours in Dana Point. The happy hour food is terrific and so tasty, and the view from the ocean bluff patio is just stunning. Wish I could give them five stars, but our server, Derek, was a huge disappointment. I'm hoping he's just new and had no idea how to deal with a legitimate complaint from a customer. (One lost star only because of the service from Derek. One bad drink could have been fixed. No lost stars for that.) I ordered a mango mojito. It is one of my favorites. Well, I sure don't recommend you order one here. (The Lighthouse at Oceanside Harbor has the best mango mojitos!). It was awful! It had lemon-lime soda in it and zero hint of mango. Mint was not muddled one second. Huge disappointment. I never "send back" food or drinks and rarely share with a server a food or drink item sucked. Well, I did this time, as my hints of pushing the full drink far away from me was obviously noticed, but Derek chose not to address it. He very "cheesily" would ask how everything was, but clearly didn't want the true answer. My drink sucked! After at least a third prompting how everything was, I let Derek know the drink was horrible and such a disappointment. He asked why. I told him. He follows up with. "Well, that is good to know. I really like knowing these kinds of things." Derek never even offered to have the bartender make me a new drink, offer me a different drink, etc. Then he pretty much ghosted us. I had to walk back into the bar to get a refill of water after sitting there feeling dehydrated because he didn't obviously want to come back by. Derek is a horrible server. HORRIBLE! So we paid for a drink that I didn't drink and I got an alcohol-free happy hour. WOO-HOO! Chart House management, this is really unacceptable service and somebody needs to educate Derek that this is not the way to handle a customer's complaint: "Oh, okay. That's good to know. I really like to know these things." Huh? I didn't say anything else. When he brought the check, he knew I was not happy. My husband still tipped him, but I wouldn't have left him a dime because I was so mad about the rotten service. This was a first for me for Chart House DP. Service has always been exemplary, and I have never had a single complaint before that drink. Unfortunately I probably won't go back for a while hoping Derek gathers all the information he likes to know, does nothing about it, and management figures out more server training is in order. read more

First time here-for a friend's birthday celebration. We really enjoyed! The service was good. The atmosphere was fun. There were 2 wedding receptions going on, which made it even more joyful. We had the Bruschetta Board appetizer-delicious! I ordered a seasonal dish-swordfish with rosemary and lemon over rice. It was pretty mild in flavor but nice. Birthday girl had the halibut and it was good too. We shared lava cake and birthday girl received a slice of coffee flavored ice cream pie. Lots of birthday dinners and families there celebrating. Even the valet parking service was wonderful- very accommodating for our disabled guest with walker. I wish the food had been a little more flavorful-hence only 4 stars, but overall a really nice evening! read more

**FOOD POISONING REVIEW** I made reservations remembering the good food and great atmosphere. The last time I ate here was about 10 years ago and WOW how things have gone tremendously down hill. A couple hours before our reservation I checked the yelp rating. The three stars made me nervous but I was reluctant to cancel the reservation since we were meeting my family there and it was a Sunday night - probably harder to get a reservation somewhere else so close to the reservation time. Well, I wish I had followed my gut feeling. The service was OK, and the food was mundane, definitely over priced for what it actually is. My boyfriend ordered the Macadamia Crusted Mahi and had a salad from the salad bar. Eight hours later he was in extreme stomach pain and vomiting. He rarely gets sick and is a very clean eater, there is no doubt in my mind he got sick from the Mahi. It's obvious we will never eat here again. Don't make the same mistake I did, it's not worth it! read more

The entire experience was wonderful! The outdoor seating on the grass was relaxed with a view at sunset was beyond magical! The PrimeRib and Lobster were Some of the best we've ever had!! The service was terrific and made the entire experience one we will go back for soon!! read more

Had a reservation at 7:15 and never got sat because someone was at our table "for four hours". Management would not seat us. Beautiful place horrible management. Minus stars read more

The view is great! The service was horrendous!!! The food, marginal and pricey,with the exception of the Lava Cake. It was Amazing!!! The next time we come to Dana point we will go to Luciana's Italian restaurant for dinner and chart house for dessert. Hopefully, the service will be better. Super disappointed. read more

Worst food. Seriously. Chopped salad was drenched in dressing. Yuck. Clam chowder was cold. Happy hour: super small portions of mediocre/ bad food. LETTUCE WRAPS were filled with cold chicken. Fish tacos were ok. Pomegranate martini was yummy. Go for the happy hour drinks/view and then move on for dinner. Food was read more

The resort we were staying at recommended this place. I was hesitant because the current yelp rating is 3.5. I'm so glad we ate here. Everything was fabulous! I had the coconut shrimp, the breading was not thick, it was delicious, along with the yummy sauces. My husband selected the blackened salmon and again it was an excellent selection. There were six of us total and everyone left completely content with our selections. Did I mention the view, it was amazing! If I am ever in this area again I will definitely dine here again. Oh, I almost forgot about the lava molten cake, order it! read more

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This past month was busy with visitors from back east celebrating my mom's 105th birthday, and other family celebrations. The Chart house was requested because it fit all the requirements: great view, delicious food and attentive service. Well, my mother couldn't wait to enjoy another evening at the Chart House, so we accommodated this beautiful senior a few days ago. Kaley, our server, once again showed how talented she is with her sense of dedication in making all of us feel welcome and cared for as a guest of the Chart House. The food and wine, being very important to my Italian mother, was presented beautifully and delicious! We are planning to head back to "celebrate life" at the Chart House in Dana Point, very soon, and plan on requesting Kaley once again, an outstanding server. read more

This place is great! We met some friends here for happy hour at 4:30. Not only was the food great but our server Derek was amazing. He helped us pick and customize our meals to work with my dairy allergy. He was very welcoming and had a positive attitude with a good sense of humor. When we were done with our meal, he went above and beyond to take our group's picture. He first took it at our table then asked us to step outside to take some in front of the harbor. He even took some from all angles and heights. Derek definitely went above and beyond to make our night memorable. I would highly suggest requesting Derek when you go in. read more

Chart House - Raspberry sorbet - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

We came in for Thanksgiving, it was our 1st T-day at a restaurant so we were not sure how it would be. We had reservations for 7:30, arrived 30 minutes early but we had to wait for an additional 30 minutes after our reservation to be seated. We didnt expect to be seated early but we checked in early if there were multiple 7:30 reservations and were not sure about traffic. We did get a window seat but it was so far back there was no ocean view just a view of the grassy area they have outside. Our appetizers consisted of the artichoke and the kim chee calamari. The artichoke was smaller than what Ive received in other reataurants and was not very meaty. Maybe they are out of season? We order calamari at almost every place we go, although this calmari passed the cooking test so it was tender and not overcooked (which is the hard one) it seemed to be lacking something. I would have liked some sort or sauce. They had drizzled some sort of sweet sauce on part of it but it wasnt enough to go around. I had a lobster bisque before my meal that was so good! There was lots of lobster too! I've tried this before here and I was happy to find it hasn't lost its edge. Our party ordered an end cut of prime rib, a 10oz prime rib, a new york steak and the herb crusted king salmon. Everyone enjoyed the entrées. I had the salmon which was delicious, the sauce was great. The only thing not to my liking was the baked potato, seemed dried out. For dessert we had the molten chocolate cake which I think may have been over cooked since the molten just sat in a chunk and was not liquid at all. All in all it still tasted amazing. Service was 4 stars, our drinks were quick to get replenished, our plates were quickly cleared but we did ask for bread a few times before it came out. Also there was a small miscommunication on a martini but it was an easy mistake. read more

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Unbelievable dinner tonight at the Chart House in Dana Point! Our waiter, Michael, truly made our meal special and since we were celebrating our anniversary and my wife's birthday, he surprised us with two mud pies! The halibut was delicious and the atmosphere is like no other restaurant. Would highly recommend. read more

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Hill-top restaurante with breathtaking view and fantastic customer service. Everything I had gave me mouthgasm, especially their lava cake. The foods portion was pretty big so you probably should starve yourself for two days in prior if you wanna finish everything you order. Definitely recommend this place!! read more

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Amazing views. We celebrated a birthday with friends. The food is top notch. The signature drinks are delicious.

The Chart House is a lovely restaurant. You can't beat the view - it is situated on top of the cliffs overlooking the Dana Point Harbor. The Chart House has indoor and outdoor seating (I've only ever sat inside). There is a private room for private events too. I also believe you can hold private events outside as well. The Chart House is a dinner only restaurant, including a happy hour. Their menu mainly staple is meat and fish. Everything I have eaten here has been pretty good, including their dessert! They also have a gluten sensitive menu for those who wish to be gluten free. Customer service has usually been pretty good too. read more

I am a frequent visitor of Chart House in Monterey, and well this past Mother's Day was a dismal outing for the sister establishment in Dana Point. Arrived for my 7:00 reservation promptly at 6:55 and was not seated until 7:30 and was furthermore crammed like sardines in the waiting area. Glad the staff respected the idea of a reservation and Covid guidelines. After finally being seated the 2 hour wait for my food ensued. The onslaught of a poor experience didn't end there. The restroom was even more poorly equipped for the night as the managing staff was. The manager of the night and star of the show whom I regretfully share a name with was just as much as a no show as the delightful dining experience that is usually synonymous with dining at the Chart House. Time for our guy Scott to find a new occupation. However the night was saved by our waiter Deanna. Do better Chart House can't blame Covid for this one cause you pretended like it wasn't there in a packed house. read more

Absolutely love this place. The manager Sarah us WORLD CLASS! Her team is amazing, so kind and welcoming. This is a great place for birthdays or celebrations. Amazing food and views and very professional staff. LOVE! read more

We were looking forward to going to this restaurant since it's been a while. We ordered the macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi and it took about a half an hour or more to get our food their excuse was they were really busy, Really?? Anyways we had ordered an appetizer to hold us over. We got our dinner and the Mahi did not look appetizing and the mango rice was absolutely horrible. Three of us tasted it and all agreed and believe me my husband will eat almost anything. Very disappointed for $40 a plate!!! Sad but we won't be going back again. The food has gone downhill. read more

Great view and very good service. However the food was lackluster. The oysters were grainy. Chopped salad was very good. King crab legs were okay. Parts were cold, others were warm. Not sure if it was supposed to be serviced chill or warm. The prime rib was bad. It came out lukewarm at best. No flavor. The lava cake was okay. Also we were sold this points card which we bought for $25 but for what should be upscale dining, felt so out of place. As if we were at Applebee's or something. I honestly won't go back but the view is very nice. read more

My bf and I get there, at 6:11 and our reservation was at 6:30, we waited an extra 15 min to get seated. I get there and they wanted to seat us in the back, not facing the view. My bf requested a window seat and they replied "well we really can't kick anyone out can we" for the window seat. We moved 3 times just to get a decent view. Our server was great, and respectable. The main problem is the kitchen staff, they feel behind and took 1 hour and 10 min just for me to get the pasta and for my bf to get the salmon. The waiter said the salad bar was on him, which was a great offer. No wonder the kitchen staff was behind because when we walked to the salad bar, they were all laughing and fooling around. I don't recommend going here at all, take your money to Mastro's!!! I mean come on, look how sad this cake looks read more

Chart House - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

Whereas the food was good, and all 4 of us enjoyed our appetizers, salads & entrees, the service was sub-par, especially for a restaurant portending to be upscale or featuring fine dining. After an inordinate amount of time, the salads and entrees arrived at the same time, not even leaving enough room on the table for all to be placed properly. A bottle of wine was ordered during the dinner, only to arrive after the entrees were finished. Entrees were delivered like they would be at a diner- handed out to each of us after asking "who's got the salmon, etc.?" If we didn't pay as much as $85 for one entree (king crab), one might be willing to overlook such significant service fails, but spending nearly $400 for 4 diners and getting Denny's-type service is a disappointment. To their credit, when making the reservation, I did request a bottle of wine be in place at the table when we arrived, and it was and was promptly served as we settled in. The outdoor table given to us was disappointing - tucked back in a corner near the servers entrance/service stairs/propane tank storage in spite of a reservation, made on Open Table well in advance, and indicated as being made to celebrate a special occasion. Again, the food was good - the miso salmon was particularly well-received - nice crust and perfectly cooked. The King crab came out luke warm, the seafood pot pie was tasty, but could have used a bit more flavor. As someone who has eaten at Chart House restaurants for close to 50 years, I applaud the fact that they have upped their game on presentation, and actually include sides with some entrées, a nice improvement over their formative years when everything was a' la cart. But the service side needs big improvement, in order to compete with the countless fine dining restaurants also vying for our cuisine cash! read more

Sold me a membership card for Landrys for $25 and the card is invalid. Why sell something that doesn't work?

Really, really, really poor service and the food was just ok. Appetizer took 30 minutes and meal an hour The surrounding tables also received this impeccable service. We couldn't help but laugh when we noticed our server apologizing to all the tables one by one. I don't think he ever waited tables before. They did take off one of the appetizers that came after our meal was served so that was good. I also had to go in their kitchen to get the silverware after staring at our food for ten minutes. read more

This has been a go-to restaurant for many years for me. On Christmas we dined there. Waited 1/2 hour PAST our reservation time. Our appetizers were great, coconut shrimp, seafood stack, bread. The main courses were served cold- prime rib, which my husband sent back twice due to lack of heat. I just ate my less than scrumptious dried out seared ahi plate. Service was slow, and they were out of Mahi, which I tried to order originally. Husband brought home his prime rib but never ate it. Although the manager took the prime rib off the bill, we were super disappointed. read more

Nice ocean view from the windows and service is friendly and attentive, but the food was not that tasty, especially considering how expensive this place is. My steak was mostly fat and gristle. The person who came with me, ordered the salmon and said it was not seasoned at all, they just put a sugary sauce over it and she said it was not good and tried to scrape it off. read more

Being served by Erick made our recent wedding anniversary most memorable and enjoyable. The food here is always excellent and beautifully served. The atmosphere is always festive and friendly. Looking forward to return visits. read more

Such a great experience on Christmas Eve. Patio dining is still open. The employees are all very friendly and attentive. Drinks were really good. We got the calamari and artichokes for an appetizer and loved it all. We all got different entrees and not one of the 6 of us were disappointed. The filet, ahi, bass, etc. amazing! Thank you team for the great experience . read more

Lobster was delicious and perfectly prepared. Our waiter, Ron was warm, friendly and helpful. $20 corkage is reasonable. Highly recommended. read more

Horrible experience. Feels consistent with most of Landry's restaurants. No manager presence and total denial of issues. Service was completely lacking. Would have been nice to order a second drink with our meal. Don't you love that musty, 40 year old restaurant smell? I don't, but they sure have it. Do not spend your money here when there are so many great restaurants around that work hard for your business. Shame on Chart House and Landry's. read more

I don't know where to start on this one. I can only say it was my worst experience at a restaurant in my life. I've been here several times with my wife and friends and I was not impressed. I feel this place should have more pride in their customer service. Here is what happened. We showed up on a Wed. An hour before they close. I understand that they may wanted to go home early or something however, we waited about 10min not only to be seated in a restaurant, just for someone to greet us. We where then seated and I have to say the waiter was a nice person. After waiting for our food, everything looked good and this is what happens next. My cousin was sitting in front of me and could not understand what he was looking at on his plate which he found directly underneath his Fish.... A 2" x 1" piece of card board. He had almost taken a bite of the fish with that cardboard included which could have choked him or anyone else. I got a little upset and stood up and found the manager by asking her nicely to join us to our table in order to show her the situation. Not sure what was going on with her however, if that was me, I would be very apologetic and would move it out of the way and would comp his or the groups meals. She just looked at us like we where the Assholes in this situation, asked if we wanted another fish order, charged us for it and only removed the cheapest thing off our ticket. I think that manager was unprofessional and should learn how to deal with a situation like this better. Still paid 250.00 dollars even though after we all saw the cardboard in his food, we all kinda just where turned off by the food and people working there. read more

Just ended an underwhelming evening at the chart house. It's hard to believe that it was once our go -to for special occasions in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. This evening was a huge disappointment. Service was extremely slow, food was cold, plates were dirty, bathrooms were dirty without soap...our server was nice but clearly slammed. We should have stayed home. read more

Our meal was great! Mason was our server and he killed the game. He was very attentive and super helpful. He deserves a raise! Would come back. read more

We used to come to chart house every new years eve, we always have a reservation the last few years we have been told there would be a 20 minute wait past our reservation, which I find if you have a reservation is unacceptable. well last night for out Valentines we celebrated a day early, we had a reservation well of course the over booked their reservations like always we were told we would have to wait 30 minutes for a table inside. We chose to sit outside which it was cold and windy and the heaters they had sucked. In the long run I wish I chose to wait but I am recovering from a broken femur and there was not where to sit to wait. I am so disappointed. I never want to go there again. You need to be more organized don't over book your reservations. We will find another place to eat from now on. read more

The waiter was obviously preoccupied with something else and was actually edging away from our table (and looking elsewhere) as he was giving us the specials. Then all our food came at once! Food was decent... view is terrific. But not worth the price, at all. read more

This should have been written a while ago, since our experience was over a Thanksgiving dinner, but I really was disappointed by one thing... Thanksgiving day, my now-husband proposed to me. It was magical, special, surprising, and perfect, since I was already dressed up for our dinner reservation at the Chart House! Well done, hubby. We have no family here, so we picked somewhere special to eat our thanksgiving meal. Of course, we were both glowing from what had just taken place, and when our server greeted us and asked us how we were doing, we excitedly told him the news. He could have cared less. A head nod and a "what can I get you to drink?" was his response. We ordered champagne to celebrate, and I guess I just assumed that it was common practice at most restaurants to comp one celebratory beverage, considering our big event and such a special occasion. We ate a sub par dinner, nothing special. Our waiter was just...blah the whole time, then the check came and there was the charge for our glass of champagne. I guess I was just really disappointed that the Chart House doesn't see its guests as people potentially spending money to celebrate life and more of cattle to churn out after their reservation. At least ATTEMPT to ask a manager or something to make the night extra special. Anyway, I'm not one to seek out freebies - I just thought the one time that might happen would be the day I got engaged....then spend $160. read more

Mid. Overpriced. They rely on their view that you can't even really see from the tables. We paid 250 dollars for mediocre food :( and the server was doing his best but the food still took like 45 minutes. Just get KFC tbh. Or literally anything else. read more

I don't know why we keep trying to give this badly managed place another try. Well I do know because the views are amazing. We went yesterday to sit at the bar for a quick drink and Appetizer. Walked in and went downstairs to the bar at 4:02 pm (they just opened) Not one bar table was taken. It was empty so we sat at a two top. One minute later The bar tender says all these tables are for reservations only. we said we just want a quick drink. he said sorry you can't sit there. REALLY? At the empty bar? this place is freaking the worst managed bar restaurant in the entire orange county stay away from this place and we will never ever ever give it another try again. read more