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    Gelson's Dana Point

    3.9 (202 reviews)
    PriceyGrocery, Delis
    Open 6:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Gelson's Dana Point Photos

    Business Info

    GELSON'S DANA POINT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Quiet
    Good for kids

    More like Gelson's Dana Point

    Recommended Reviews - Gelson's Dana Point

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    Reviews With Photos

    Madeline S.

    Gelson's is a fabulous market with high quality items. I personally LOVE their charcuterie area near the front. Also, they have great 'grab and go' items, including a salad bar! Some of their prices can be a bit expensive, but it's worth it for quality food. They have a fantastic parking lot -- tons of spaces.

    Fantastic burger with delicious fries, all for $15
    Mark M.

    Great spot I discovered since moving here recently...they have a wonderful wine bar which serves a variety of great foods. The Burger they offer for $15 is positively AMAZING for the price...we all know $15 these days gets you an average burger at an average place. This burger they serve is not only light-years better than many at that price, it comes with a SIDE! I think the fries are the best option (because they are GREAT) but potato salad, coleslaw, and fruit are options. Would expect to pay $22-$24 for a burger this good anywhere else. And Tony, who runs the place, is delightfully engaging and hospitable, and makes sure everyone is well-taken care of. A hidden gem in a high-end market. Can't recommend it enough

    The store front
    Casey J.

    They have the best produce department around. Melon season goes hard, they always carry different varieties. The customer service is excellent and the store is clean.

    1/1/23 That's a HUGE mango!
    Jennifer W.

    1/1/23 First review of the year goes to Gelson's. I'll be honest, stopped by primarily to use their facilities. It's an upscale grocery store in Dana Point & the prices truly is reflected by their merchandise. I should take one star off just for having limited selection of fruits & vegetables but what they do have look fresh & beautifully arranged. It's really quite aesthetically pleasing. All the products in the aisles are neat. The bakery is pretty huge with a large selection & an array to delicious looking treats. The seafood department looks equally equipped with fresh fish & mollusks. The deli looks just as impressive with cured meats & cheeses. I was taken by the salad bar & got myself a salad ($11.99/lb). The floral department had a variety of plants & flowers to choose from. Finally the restroom, nice, tidy, clean. This market had a decent to really pretty area for dining tables & chairs. Staff are friendly & courteous. It's higher-end grocery shopping & the environment matches the community it sits. What I'd normally pay for a package of corn for $6.99 is marked $8.99 here. Sure if I'm a pinch I needed it, maybe....lol

    Dan S.

    I stopped by the Dana Point store on my way home to check out the pies & cakes. I was eyeing the carrot cake as this is my favorite cake. The man in the bakery department was very helpful. He told me that Gelson's sources their cakes from a local bakery, so I was curious about the quality. Similar size cakes at other grocery stores go from $11.99 to $14.99. I decided to purchase the 9" single layer cake for $39.95. The carrot cake tasted good, but was a far cry from a similarly priced carrot cake served at Claim Jumpers restaurants. In fact, the carrot cake at Claim Jumpers is far superior. This is the first time I ate carrot cake that didn't contain walnuts. It didn't have raisins either. There was pineapple and carrot in the cake, but the walnuts were sorely missed! My suggestion for Gelson's, and their suppliers, is to sample a Claim Jumpers carrot cake to see how a gourmet carrot cake should be made. $39.95 is much too expensive for a plain carrot cake, especially at 3 times the price! Stater Bros. sells a much better tasting cake. My scores: Service - 5 stars, Product - 3 stars, price - 1 star

    Cheese Hamburger

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    Never enough cashiers! Always a line. For the prices I pay here, it should be easier and quicker to check out.

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    6 months ago

    Courteous service with excellent options. My favorite market for produce. Love our Gelson's!

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    4 months ago

    Incredibly slow store. Deceptive discounts, and overpriced goods. Would be fine if it was small local store but it's Gelsons...

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Gelson's Dana Point

    Are all the seafood in Gelson's Market fished from Dana Point? or are they all exported/transported from some place else?

    Hi Anna! Our seafood in not fished or caught specifically from Dana Point. However, we offer local fish seasonally throughout the year... for example, we are currently offering fresh local swordfish and Opah Fillets.

    View All 3 Questions

    Review Highlights - Gelson's Dana Point

    I also wish I lived down here in Monarch Beach, with a view of the ocean, sunsets everyday, and that I was a billionairess.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Tutor & Spunky's Deli - Sandwiches x2, bag chips x2, drinks x2, small potato salad x2 = $50 plus tip. Good food & service but $$ for a sandwich and overall value.

    Tutor & Spunky's Deli

    4.0(511 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    Located in a shopping plaza. With plenty of free parking. I ordered Rosa's Best in a medium along…read morewith a Snapple Apple and a bag of chile lime chips The sandwich was stacked and full of flavor with fresh bread and quality ingredients. Everything tasted balanced and satisfying without being too heavy. The Snapple Apple was ice cold and refreshing, and the chile lime chips added a nice tangy crunch on the side The shop has that classic neighborhood deli feel and the staff was friendly and quick. A solid spot for a good sandwich when you are in Dana Point. Highly recommend.

    I was in the area and craving a really good turkey sandwich, so I checked Yelp and came across this…read morespot. Parking was easy for me I found street parking right by the beach, but they also have parking in the shopping plaza. I just happened to park outside. Before ordering, I asked to sample the egg salad and chicken salad, and honestly, I'm glad I did. Neither tasted fresh and both were lacking flavor, so that helped me decide to skip those. I ended up ordering the turkey sandwich with bacon, avocado, and all the fixings (I believe it's called the Rosa Special) on squaw bread. I have to say this sandwich was absolutely delicious. The bacon was perfectly crispy, the turkey was solid, and everything just worked together really well. What really stood out was their house sauce. I'm not sure what's in it, but it was so goooood! I even overheard other customers asking for it on the side. Definitely making a mental note to do that next time and find out exactly what it is. My only downside is the price. It was a bit high (around $18+), and I'm not sure it fully justifies that cost, but the quality is there. Overall, quick service, a really solid sandwich, and a spot I'd recommend if you're in the area.

    Photos
    Tutor & Spunky's Deli - Sandwiches x2, bag chips x2, drinks x2, small potato salad x2 = $50 plus tip. Good food & service but $$ for a sandwich and overall value.

    Sandwiches x2, bag chips x2, drinks x2, small potato salad x2 = $50 plus tip. Good food & service but $$ for a sandwich and overall value.

    Tutor & Spunky's Deli - Roast beef n turkey

    Roast beef n turkey

    Tutor & Spunky's Deli - Sandwiches x2, bag chips x2, drinks x2, small potato salad x2 = $50 plus tip. Good food & service but $$ for a sandwich and overall value.

    See all

    Sandwiches x2, bag chips x2, drinks x2, small potato salad x2 = $50 plus tip. Good food & service but $$ for a sandwich and overall value.

    Beach Hut Deli - Favorite sandwich

    Beach Hut Deli

    4.0(299 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    1st time here today! Such a cute atmosphere, good vibes! Life hack, stop, pick up a sandwich and…read moresit on the Salt Creek hill it's a dream. These sandwiches were amazing, so fresh, bread was delicious, avocado fresh Af! Met the owner Evan, he had amazing customer service!! So nice, helped me buy meatballs for my baby and he loved them. Thank you Evan, you rock!

    I'm always walking by Evan's restaurant going somewhere else, but yesterday on Easter my son and I…read moredecided to give his Beach Hut Deli a try. It was amazing! And affordable. We ate here because it was a zoo trying to find parking at Salt Creek Beach on a weekend holiday, even though I have a pass. Beach Hut has free parking but only if you do not use it as a way to go to the beach, it's for customers only, and they have a guard watching the parking lot. Beach Hut also had patio tables available yesterday. The tables are shaped like surfboards and the food is served on parchment - on colorful plastic Frisbees - which is very cute! Hopefully they won't be taken home by customers. I asked my son to take a photo of me with Evan to show how handsome he is. He is a super nice guy as well which doesn't always happen if someone is super good looking like Evan. He is even more gorgeous in person than in this photo. But whoever is in the kitchen is doing a fine job! They remembered all our special requests. Ladies, by the way, Evan is MARRIED! Evan and I worked together at Trader Joe's for a short time. We went on to bigger and better things, such as Self Employment with our own businesses. Yelp could not load my photo even though I tried multiple ways and sizes. Many people are having this problem unfortunately.

    Photos
    Beach Hut Deli
    Beach Hut Deli - Hobie

    Hobie

    Beach Hut Deli - Spacious outdoor patio

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    Spacious outdoor patio

    Coffee Importers

    Coffee Importers

    4.0(682 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Editing my review based on the owner saying that they made the guy leave. I hope that's true and…read morethat this kind of behavior is not tolerated in the future. I'll be back to Coffee Importers soon--it's a great place in DP for a morning coffee and pastry and hopefully the "regulars" don't ruin it for everyone else. Original review: I want to love this place and it bums me out to have to write this, but this is one of the least welcoming places in DP. Not because the staff is rude. But because they allow this clique of regulars to take over the outside patio and harass people who aren't in their group. I've watched it happen a few times now, but today was the worst. A woman with a little kid sat down at an unoccupied table and started having their food. A couple of minutes later an older gentleman walked up and began verbally accosting her, getting in her space and demanding that she leave because he's been coming here for 35 years and this is his table. He kept accosting her until she was crying and took her child and moved tables. A few people tried to comfort this poor woman and her little kid. This guy was 1000% in the wrong. But staff didn't do anything. Instead, they walked up to the guy, said hi to him (of course, in a first name basis) and were friendly as anything. But not a word to the woman crying and trying to distract her toddler. Gross. It's not just this one guy either. There are at least a dozen of these "regulars" and Coffee Importers doesn't appear to do anything to stop them from harassing people, and actually seems to be fostering this environment.

    OMG. I think I need an intervention. I actually love this place. Now let's get started on how this…read moreworks. It is tucked off to the side by the ocean Institute in Dana point. There is plenty of parking both in a lot, an extended lot and also the street. You can also take one of the many foot paths to the location as well. There are two ways to order. One sign says pastries and coffee and the other side towards the back or the Marina side says food and beverages. If you only want a coffee with a croissant or cinnamon roll or the delicious biscuits, then step into the pastries and coffee line. If you want breakfast sandwiches or any of the toasts plus coffee and other beverages, then go to the other line. It can get very busy, especially on the weekends after 9 AM. But bring your patience and be nice to everyone. Once you have ordered, step aside. Most likely your drinks will be called out first. It does take time to make freshly prepared food so either take a seat with your number and wait for it to be delivered or listen if it's going to be a to go order for your name It is dog friendly out on the patio. Please make sure to clean up after yourselves as the wind can blow any debris into the marina and we want to make sure everything is clean and safe for our underwater friends. Very cool nautical vibes. They decorate for the holidays. Reasonably priced. Support local. If you're gonna spend 6 to 7 dollars on a pastry or coffee, you should come here. Incredible vibes you could park at the other end of the marina and walk on over for a great scenic walk. My favorite is the iced harbor latte which is like a caramel vanilla latte similar to what I would describe as the golden eagle from Dutch Bros. The biscuits are incredible. I always get them. Stupid me drank the drink and ate the biscuits before I took a picture. Just trust me.

    Photos
    Coffee Importers - Santa margarita(left) & pom berry(right) smoothies

    Santa margarita(left) & pom berry(right) smoothies

    Coffee Importers - Italian Panini

    Italian Panini

    Coffee Importers - Lox & Bagel

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    Lox & Bagel

    Gelson's Dana Point - grocery - Updated May 2026

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