I am truly appalled by the low ratings of this place. We have been consistently "wowed" with their food and service. The roast duck with banana liquor is stuff dreams are made of, and the Feuillette is one of the best appetizers I have ever had in my life. read more

My wife and I just finishing dinner, we started with French soup, I had the sea bass , we shared the soufflé , everything was great including the service read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Dana Point, not only because of their fine food but most importantly, their friendly and always professional staff. Server Vickie is especially outstanding. The three dollar mark for price might scare you off, but they have very attractive lunch specials that are wonderfully prepared. You won't be disappointed! read more

OMG! Do not be put off by the white tablecloths and, perhaps a lack of crowd. This is as good as it gets in South Orange County! One of the most memorable meals I have ever had...my husband and I were still talking about how good it was on the way home. We started with the Pate; simply delicious! Poached Salmon was moist and flaky with a delicious light cream sauce and hubby had the Lamb Chops which he also raved about. Lemon Tart is TO DIE FOR! Service was impeccable as well. If you care more about food than a snobby atmosphere...(think Jimmy's American Tavern across the street), eat at Gemmells; you won't be disappointed! read more

I had a big reception at Gemmel's and all our guests were impressed with the restaurant for being classy, quiet and nice vintage decors. But most of all, the fresh, delicious French food. It's hard to find a restaurant where you can just sit, relax, enjoy the quiet atmosphere. Most restaurants play loud music where you cannot enjoy a conversation with your eating partner. The service was also excellent. I also like their cute French decorated Ladies room. read more

This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants! The food, the ambience, the staff, all top-drawer, and I've eaten here many times. Even the parking is a breeze! Highly recommend to anyone who likes fine food and terrific service. read more

We went on a Wednesday night. Table for four people. When we arrived we were one of four tables seated in the restaurant. Service here is paced very slow like many traditional French restaurants. I am okay with that. We ordered the pate and escargot for appetizers they were both very good. We also ordered a bottle of wine. Dinner was just okay..for the price it was not up to the standard I expected. I had the duck special and others had the new york steak and the sea bass. The entrées were very good and flavorful but smothered in their sauces. The main reason I reduced the rating from 4 stars is the waiter telling us about three bottles of wine that were such a great bargain. We gave in and tried one and for $60 reduced from $90 for a mendocino syrah... I later saw it online for $14. a bottle along with the first bottle we bought that was a supposedly such a great value at $65... In fact it too could be purchased locally for $18.00 All and all Gemmmells should focus on good food and stop trying to make up the $$ shortcomings on overpricing the wine. Maybe they would fill more tables. read more

Love this place. It was our first time. When the waiter, Luigi, found out it was our wedding anniversary...he whisked us over to a romantic, cozy booth in the rear of the restaurant. My husband and I have spent considerable time in France and know French cooking. The food from beginning to end was superb. Also, unlike typical restaurants, we weren't in and out in 45 minutes flat. We were pleased that we spent two hours luxuriating in the four-course meal. The timing of each course was perfect. If you want something special, this is the place. An added note....valet parking is free....so no need to hassle with the crowded harbor lot. read more

Nice ambience, great service, delicious food. The Grand Marnier Souffle may have been the best dessert I've ever had.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant... Foodie heaven! Found through groupon and had a great experience. This was truly a wonderful dinner in a fantastic atmosphere, with exceptional service and extremely unique and tasty food combinations. Have raved about this restaurant with everyone we know and can't wait to return. Ran into some friends who dine there frequently and it's one of their all time favorites as well. read more

Had reservations here for Mothers Day. Impossible parking situation but arrived on time only to find an overload of people waiting - for what I don't know because there was nobody around taking reservations or available to help. After talking to several people waiting, we learned they had been standing around for 20 minutes or longer without being to get any assistance. After waiting around a while without being able to get a waiter to get the manager, I made my way to the kitchen where I found several other customers trying to find anyone. Finally I spoke to someone who promised to come out and acknowledge our reservation. By this time the restaurant was emptying out as frustrated diners who had already been seated for over an hour were leaving. When we were finally seated, we waited - and waited - and waited for a waiter to no no avail. We flagged several waiters who simply ignored us before we left. Never even got a glass of water. We ate at Carl's Jr. A disappointing special occasion ruined by an incompetent and unprofessional excuse for a restaurant. We will never know how bad the food is, but the fact that you can't get served may be this restaurant's best feature. read more

I went there for lunch and the food was great. And, as a party of 3, we split our check 3 ways. When I balanced my account that night on-line, I had been charged twice. Once for my meal, and another charge that was more. When I called the restaurant the next afternoon because they never called me back after I left an extensive message with a worker who said, "my boss will have to check the books and call you back", the explanation I received 5 hrs later was "it was done before the 3 way split (so THEY made the error) and I have the void in front of me." Then WHY wasn't that explained to me when you brought me my bill when I was sitting there??? Instead, I had to call my bank, the restaurant 2x to finally have someone be able to go back over their books and explain it to me and NO APOLOGY at all. Again, the food was great but because of the lack of owning up to the error and no apology, I'll dine elsewhere. read more

What a special "gem" at the Dana Point Harbor. My husband and I stopped in to grab a small bite, however, we loved the food so much we stayed for a full course and a bottle of wine. Our server was very attentive and knew his food and wine menu thoroughly. I want to invite many of my friends and family to join me in "celebrating life" here at this special place. read more

it's best days are behind them; food mediocre; service awful

Lamb was outstanding, seabass to die for, duck melted in your mouth, calamari crazy good. All dishes were served very hot.

Food and service were wonderful. Luigi, our server, gave great recommendations. The French Onion Soup was amazing. My husband had filet mignon that was cooked perfectly. The mushroom sauce was delicious! I had the Chilean sea bass with mustard reduction. It was to die for! And then we rounded out the night with their half chocolate/half Grand Marnier soufflé. It was worth the wait!! It was decadent but light. It was the perfect dinner! read more

Great service, food was wonderful nice environment intimate enough to have a conversation without straining to hear one another. Would definitely return. read more

Sadly, we did not experience the same 5-star food or service as reported by others. Maybe Wednesday night is just not a good time to go here for dinner. We arrived at 5:30 hoping to enjoy one of their "sunset" dinners only to be told that this was old info on their website... 4 years old. So we said ok, how about we try the beautiful lobster salad pictures there and you guessed it, no lobster in the house and they do not make that dish anymore. Mushroom soup was good, but the pate was served with an old puff shell stuck in it and the rolls they served were hard beyond "crusty." Entree of lamb was served grey instead is medium rare and the fish was questionable. Service didn't quite make it either. Server told us they had a very busy lunch so... So we guess being dinner patrons didn't matter to their bottom line. Chocolate orange cake was the highlight of the evening. Just cannot imagine returning here with many other choices in the area. read more

We have been to Gemmels many times before, but the last time it seems they changed either ownership or management. We chose the business lunch, which is by necessity economical. My friend and I picked a steak and I have never had a tougher piece of steak than this. In addition, the servers seemed out of their element. Incomplete service, needed to be reminded to bring the tea bags with the tea, etc. Completely different from past times. We were disappointed. read more

My husband and I have been living near Dana Point for over 10 years and finally made it to this restaurant because I had purchased a deal from Screamin Coupons. We sat at a corner table for two and found the atmosphere 'romantic'. We went fairly early so it was quiet and found the service quite capable. I had the John Dory fish (which is not on the menu but offered as a special) and my husband had the rack of lamb. Both dishes were excellent. The sauces were superb and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The hot rolls and butter were yummy too. The cheese and fruit platter was somewhat disappointing as they did not have a great selection of cheeses. We do plan on going back. read more

We had our 14th anniversary in this cozy, clean and warm french place. Dinner was next to perfect. Calamari steak and "chicken and mushroom crepes" were really delicious and probably the best we ever had! Service was fast and friendly. Will definitely come back again and again. read more

The service was revolting. Nothing was brought in time. Some of the food was horrible. They would mess up the orders. The glass in which to beverage was supporting had a strong smell of chlorine and it didn't change even if they brought a new type of glass. And in order to bring our food it took them over two hours. After commenting under service servants came up to the table and cleaned all of the food even though some of us weren't even done with the meal.I would rather not come here at all instead of eating here today. read more

Our networking group used this place for the first time and it was top notch! Reasonable prices, excellent food, great portions and superior service. I would highly recommend this venue for your next gathering or meeting. Truly superb! read more

We went there because we heard the food was amazing. No doubt the best food we have ever had. My wife had the Dover sole and wont stop bugging me to try and make it. (I won't embarass myself ) I had there rack of veal in a port wine sauce that was simply unbeivable. I started with a lobster puff pastry , very good. My wife had their Pate, exceptional. They had a lot of nice touches during the meal that we found charming. read more

I just went to Gemmell's this weekend. I used the groupon deal. The food was delicious. We started off with escargot prepared with garlic not the one on the menu. It was just perfect. I then tried the onion soup which was just as good. My husband and I both ordered a new york steak sandwich. This is part of the lunch menu, it's 13.95. Big sandwich with fries and a side salad. For desert we had cheesecake and creme brulee. The service was excellent. No problems. Not sure about people's prior experiences but maybe they're just too picky. Overall everything was great. Will return even without the groupon. read more

We were at Dana Point to take the boat to Catalina Island. Due to traffic we missed our boat. We were looking at all the resturants there to decide where to have lunch. We decided to take a chance and eat here. We were not dissapointed. The food was wonderful. The service was also very good. I would recommend this resturant to any one. read more

Having read some guests moaning about slow service, I decided that it would be O.K. to communicate that I would like to get in and out during the lunch hour. They made lunch such a pleasure and they complied with my time constraints. They start your meal with the tastiest warm out of the oven rolls that I have ever tasted. I loved the mushroom soup. My salmon was cooked to perfection and the veggies were neither to soggy or to crunchy, but just right and I was happy. The service was attentive and professional. If you want culinary art, this is the place. I was there a year ago and it has really improved in service and quality. read more

Bread so good. Shrimp and lamb are delicious.

We will start this review with 2 stars=Top Sirloin and duck pate. Those were the best of an extremely disappointing dinner. The other appetizer was a terrible attempt at lobster bisque, which tasted like some sort of crustacean shell had been cooked in dish water. Salads next, the baby greens were nice but they were dressed in oil....no vinegar, no herbs, just oil. Caesar salad, dressing was tasteless and the waiter said they don't use anchovies...but he could bring us some. Main course, again the steak was good, but the sand dabs, we were excited to have them as this not a commonly found on menus were drown in some sort of greasy sauce. We asked to have them redone just pan seared. One piece was cooked, the other mush and they were cooked in the flavorless oil that the salads were coated with. By now we are convinced that this "French" restaurant was apparently lost in translation. If all this isn't enough the service was slow, clearly not experienced and disinterested in what they were paid for. Finally after 20 minutes plus we told them to keep the dessert and went home. read more

We went to Gemmells to celebrate Mother's Day. We were really looking forward to it after reading the other reviews and we understood that the pace of the meal would be slower then the average American restaurant. No problem. However, the whole experience was a train wreck. They were trying to run the entire restaurant with only 3 waiters. There was no hostess or anyone to greet you or seat people and no one to clean off the tables or fill water glasses or refill champagne glasses. There was also no management in sight to talk to about the less than acceptable service. We waited way past our reservation time because many tables were covered with dirty dishes and none of the waiters had time to deal with it. When a table was finally cleaned off and available, the female waiter told us to go seat ourselves at the table back in the corner. Really? That was just the start of it. We waited a long time to be brought the menus, to get water and champaign and to order our meal. The food was actually not to bad, except for the beignets which were very disappointing, but with the service being so awful, it was hard to enjoy. The part that bothered us the most was when we finished a course, no one would clear the dishes. they just sat on our table for 15 or 20 minutes. At times a waiter would walk by with free hands, but since it wasn't his table, he wouldn't stop to pick them up. After we finished our entree, we waited for more than 20 minutes (with our dirty dishes) for our waiter to return and then decided to take dessert (which was included in the meal) with us. Our adult daughter offered to track down our waiter and ask her for our check and 3 desserts to go. She showed up about 15 minutes later with many apologizes, but for us it was too little too late. Very disappointing experience! We won't be returning. read more

Today July 22, 2018 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM we had brunch at Gemmell's restaurant and most of the time were waiting for our server Timi. Food was very good (except the dessert), but service horrible and the worst I ever had before. Our waiter Timi was always late, she did not pay attention to us, so we had to look for utensils by our self and take them from other tables; she never brought us any food on time and to the end confused with the dessert which we have ordered; then she brought a cold water for tea with very poor tea collection (usually we take Earl Grey, but unfortunately we could not find it in the box). For the first time I had such a disrespectful attitude and therefore asked for a check and left the restaurant with "zero" tips in a very bad mood. Waiter Timi was very unprofessional in the service, disrespectful and unworthy to work in such a beautiful and wonderful Gemmell's restaurant because she does not correspond to the image of the restaurant. Once a month we are visiting this nice restaurant, and we like it very much, but after such a bad experience we had today, I don't know when I will visit this place for the next time. read more

I got a groupon deal and made a reservation for my husband's birthday. Oh man, I shouldn't have done that! The service is horrible!!! The 2 hours we were there, we weren't even sure who our waiter was! I mentioned in my reservation and even called again 1 hour before we arrived to make sure they know it was for my husband's birthday, and they didn't mention about the birthday thing at all during the time we were there. When we just got there, they offer us the menu, when we mentioned that we have a groupon, they exchanged to a different set of menu, hmm, I wonder what are the difference between the two versions. Once they knew we have the groupon, the horrible service started then! I know it's a french restaurant so it would be a long meal, but when people from other table who arrived a hour after we did have started their dessert, we were still waiting for our main dish. The food was ok, soup was very salty, duck was over cooked, and the dessert looked crapy! The two hours we were their, we were just offered one glass of water and no refill at all!! Nobody has ever asked us how we were doing! I felt like 2nd class customer there because we used the groupon!! They didn't deserve any tips!! I will never return there again! read more

We have been to Gemmell's before, with and without Groupons and I feel like Frank C...the staff treat you totally different with a Groupon. They make you feel like second class citizens. We went there for our anniversary May 1st (had a Groupon) and don't think we'll be going back. Our waitress was horrible! Totally know the European style service, but she basically ignored us the whole time, had to ask the busboy for everything. Interrupted and talked over my husband the whole time, said any specials would be $10 more and then to top it off...she added the gratuity to the bill and gave herself 20%! We always tip 20%, but for good service and she most certainly was not getting that from us that night. So mad! Have to say horrible service ruins a meal. The food was ok for that night, not fabulous as in past...ok dessert was good...in all not worth it to go with Groupon....ummm, even without. Don't get the French lady waitress....horrendous!!! read more