Ilya Restaurant

The Boulder and I rolled in on a suspiciously perfect Monday afternoon--clear skies, good vibes,…read moreand my dog in tow (a true critic.. of me). My tall Sequoia of a date did the classic awkward shuffle at the front like, "hi, can the dog come through to the patio without causing a federal incident?" The guy we asked looked like we had just asked him to solve climate change (bc he was a customer...), but he very politely redirected us to the cashier, who was lovely. So: Kindness: 10/10. Confusion: also 10/10. ~Balance~ Now the food. The Boulder orders a fish burrito. I go for the chimichurri salmon bowl with quinoa because I, too, enjoy pretending I have my life together. BUT. The boulder also then orders clam chowder--a surprise, a moment of elation, but at the same time... skeptical? Sir? I have lamented over my favorite chowder like a woman waiting for her husband to come back from battle. Were your ears too high in elevation for my voice to reach? ANYWAYS. Let's talk about the clam chowder, because this is where things get serious. I have grown up eating clam chowder in Santa Cruz (my hometown, my birthplace, my origins). I have known greatness (shoutout to Stagnaro Bros., the downstairs fish market). So when I tell you I approached this chowder with standards, I need you to understand the weight of that statement. I put my spoon in. It did not sink. At that moment, I knew. This was not soup. This was a lifestyle. A structural entity. And it was GOOD. Creamy, thick, unapologetically clam-forward. Not quite Santa Cruz enlightenment, clouds-parting-angels-singing, but honestly? Strong contender. We're talking solid top 4-5 chowders of my life, and I do not say that lightly. Now, my salmon bowl? Good. Respectable. Salmon = crispy, quinoa = doing quinoa things (why is it always slightly annoying to eat??). Chimichurri good. The fish burrito (from my observational research + dog validation panel): packed, flaky, generous. My dog approved, which frankly is the highest honor available. Overall: Great food, great vibes, excellent chowder, and quality time with the Tall Sequoia Boulder Man™ on a random Monday. Plus points--chips looked fried on site :D

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

Prepped and ready for pick up orders

Poke Nachos and a cold beer for the win!

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Motif is the best!

The Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar

3.8(2.8k reviews)

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

You are having best View of Pacific! The seafood here never went wrong. The bucket of clams or mussels is must have

Seafood cocktail

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Seafood cocktail

Nick's San Clemente

4.4(2.4k reviews)

0.7 mi

•$$$

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

Fried asparagus

Asparagus fries

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Steak salad

South of Nick's

4.4(3k reviews)

0.7 mi

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.

Check In Here Reservations Highly Recommended

Filet salad

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Get the mezcal with smoked pineapple cocktail. It's so drinkable

GiGi's by The Pier

4.0(945 reviews)

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.

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Something delicious

Rancho Capistrano Winery

I checked out this place on a Saturday afternoon. I went in for a tasting and had a great customer…read moreservice experience as well. The bartender was very kind and knowledgeable about not only the establishment but also the neighborhood. The tastings were a good size and plenty of variety. They have a wine club that you can join as well. The location has an airy feel with plenty of seating and a large counter for the tastings.

Had this on my list for quite some time now and finally came here. Charming place along the main…read morestrip in San Clemente. Menu is full of everything from seafood, chicken and beef. My brother got the Seared Halibut and Jumbo Shrimp and he wasn't disappointed. Portion size was good. I started with the jalapeño soup and it was perfect. Not too spicy but had a kick to it. It would've been perfect if I stopped there, but for the meal I got the Lemon Tortellini with a side of chicken. The dish came out looking like a mess and it didn't taste any better. They throw some mushrooms and tomatoes with spinach which they say adds a vibrant twist. Well it didn't add anything to the dish and there was too many mushrooms and no flavor. A dish I think they should consider taking off the menu. As the old saying goes, two out of three ain't bad.

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

Seared Halibut with Grilled Jumbo Shrimp

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Seafood Pasta

Brussels Bistro

4.4(470 reviews)

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!

Inside decor

Lettuce wrapped burger

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Kawamata Seafood

4.5(1k reviews)

4.0 mi

The line can get long but you're only waiting to place an order. It doesn't take that long to get…read moreyour food. It's not hard to find street parking either. This place is a little pricey but it's worth it. You get a lot of avocado and ginger. I love the original flavor. It makes the rice taste so good. I wish they gave more salmon but I'm still satisfied.

This place used to be good post covid. For the price and the amount i could get better some place…read moreelse. They charge an arm and a leg for every toppings with how little they give you. i got the regular $12.99 (half rice and salad) and i added a few things on there as well. The total price plus tip came out to be about $24 dollars. When i opened the container, i saw how little rice and salad they gave. Honestly, it looked like scraps or leftovers from someone else. Literally looked like a mini icecream scoop of rice and salad...that's how little it was. The same for the fish and toppings. Everything looked like it was sprinkled on top. I was utterly disappointment because this isn't the first time i noticed the portion size being small. This is the second time im giving it a chance after covid and i can confirm that it is the biggest waste of money for what they give you. They're ripping everyone off. tl;dr, mediocre flavor, portion size poor for the the price. Go somewhere else, there are better ones out there.

Regular salmon bowl with Furikake and spicy mayo

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Regular salmon bowl with Furikake and spicy mayo

Hook & Anchor

4.3(205 reviews)

6.4 mi

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.

Booth interior seating

Lobster Deviled Eggs

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6oz Lobster Roll with grilled veggies

Billy's Meat, Seafood and Deli

4.3(343 reviews)

0.7 mi

•$

Easter Porterhouse from Billy's .. Matt confirmed how to cook turned out awesome .read more

I normally write long reviews, but this one will be short and sweet…read more Amazing, excellent, just go when you visit San Clemente. They have so many things to try at this butcher shop and deli. From soups to salads to subs and sandwiches, then to the entire meat section. Great! We have been here twice. It's a 60 mile drive, but a great place in general to stroll around at, then eat at Billys. We have had the meatball sandwich, the chicken noodle soup, and my friend had the meatloaf. It is one of the go to places at San Clemente. I highly recommend. 5/5.