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Had an amazing Valentine’s Day dinner here. The atmosphere was great, with beautiful decor and soft lighting. Our server Kevin was very friendly and attentive, making us feel special and throughout the evening. The food was delicious, Overall, a memorable evening filled with great food, service, and ambiance. Highly recommend for a special night out!
I dined on a Friday evening table for 1 at 5:30. Although I made my reservation the same day, I was still able to secure a seat. I felt bad for my server, Heather. She was the only competent person I dealt with this whole experience. I arrived around 5:35 because parking was hard to find and the host had me wait until 5:50 for a seat even with a reservation. There was no real explanation why. I did request a nice view so a simple "we're getting the best view cleaned for you" would have done but nothing was offered. During the15 minutes I spent standing awkwardly in the lobby the host's were talking rudely about other customers and offered a walk-in table of 4 a 10 minute wait time even though my reservation took 20 minutes to seat and I was one person (sat at a 4 top by the way. So please don't assume it was a different party size and different tables were available. This was poor customer experience stemming from mismanagement of the seating chart). As I mentioned before, Heather was the shining star of this experience and takes her job seriously. Her recommendations were spot on, she was quick to stop by if I needed something but wasn't hovering, and she showed patience with me as she was sat a 10+ top table and I had questions about a dish. Truly a gifted server. I will say, the food was incredible as well. The flavors and sensations were quite good. Not necessarily Michelin quality but very much fine dining. It's a shame the support staff for the servers was completely missing. I sat with every single one of my dirty dishes from appetizer through main course, as I sipped my dessert drink. Once I finished my drink and packed my leftovers myself, I sat with a second set of dirty dishes until there was time to process my payment. See both sets of dishes in the photos, please. There were no bussers and Heather had to clean my table herself, while juggling a full section and a 10+ top who continued to add guests (no idea how the host let that happen in a fine dining restaurant). I guess the Happy Hour is difficult to manage or something because there were children running around screaming outside in the court yard, no one was cleaning, and the only polite staff was Heather. If you're looking for good food with an excellent view, I recommend this location. Unfortunately, their standards do not match the pricing and I'd be cautious if you're trying to impress someone.
Each Chart House has a unique location, and the Dana Point location did not disappoint. The beautiful seaside and cliff vistas of the Dana Point were magnificent. The service, food, and drinks were great. We were there for a wedding. You can park on the street level and take the stairs down, or park in the garage down below. I would go back for a special event another time.
Chart House Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant in Dana Point. The restaurant sits on a hill top with amazing views to the Dana Point harbor. Valet parking is at the top of the building and a spiral stairs leads to the dining room. The dining room ceiling is low and is kind of uncomfortable. I sat at a corner in the bar area. The acoustic was bad. Service was slow. There was only one waitress serving the entire dining area in the bar area. She was nice but slow. The other staffs looked inexperienced. The Kim Chee Calamari had a refreshing favor but not impressive. The prime rib was average. The lobster tail was a bit too salty. I ordered the chocolate lava cake early on because it would take 30 minutes. Well, about 20 minutes after finishing my main course, a bus boy cleaned the table. It took almost another 30 minutes to get the cake. The service was just slow. The cake was kind of hard and too sweet. I had better chocolate lava cakes before. Overall, I don’t plan to come back.
My daughter took me there for my birthday. One of my favorite restaurants when I visit California. Magnificent views looking over Dana Point. We started with the Mojito Flight which was just really cool. My daughter had the salmon and stated that this has ruined salmon for her forever as it was the best she has ever eaten. The oysters tasted like they had just come off the rock and shucked when I ordered them. Steak melted in my mouth as did the Australian lobster. They gave us a yummy dessert for my birthday. Stephan our waiter was wonderful and made our night even more fabulous. They presented us with a rolled up menu with ribbon as the menu was personalized to say Happy Birthday from Chart House. It did not have my name, however it felt special. Nothing was rushed. It was relaxing. Highly recommend Chart House for a special occasion as they make it even more special.