Waterman's Harbor

Waterman's Harbor reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

1. AM

   AmandaM VIP

   Orange County66 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on August 20, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Happy Hour specials were an excellent deal. The main entrees are excellent if not pricey, but our second main reason to go is for the terrific, above it all view. Unfortunately the upper deck is closed on Monday through Wednesday. Why is that? That alone would sway me to go to Wind and Sea down the lane instead (great view, and more reasonable prices)
   

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2. KT

   KayT VIP

   Phoenix113 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on August 7, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   We always enjoy the Kamamoto and Chef Creek oysters, cold and clean. We had the halibut with wild mushroom sauce and the miso glazed salmon. Both excellent. The last time we visited Waterman's I had the halibut, this time my husband wanted to try it. I was surprised because he doe not like mushrooms, but he loved this dish. You must try the grilled corn with butter and cotija cheese. So great. Corn season will be over soon so order it now. Another must order is the chocolate hazelnut trifle with layers of chocolate mousse and chocolate cake topped with hazelnuts baked in a jar. It is good for two people. We noticed our order was taking longer than usual to arrive. Our waiter, Chris, told us a large party had just arrived and our order would take longer than usual. We really appreciated that and just sat back and relaxed.
   

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3. G

   Garbo123

   Orange County1 review

   3.0

   Dined on August 6, 2015

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Went for a casual night out with friends to catch up. Great waterfront location--newly renovated but they have a loud band (albeit, good music) playing and you could not talk without yelling over it. Food was good but pricey. Service inconsistent.
   

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4. F

   Fabulous

   Orange County18 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on August 3, 2015

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   We were surprised by the preparation. The clams and muscles came out in a milk broth, instead of a typical seafood broth where you would dip your bread in. It was creamy which was a put off with muscles. The halibut, an amazing and beautiful cut of fish was covered in a sauce, you could barely taste the actual fish because of the heavy sauce. This fish is better left simple to really enjoy the flavor of the halibut. The service is horrible! We sat for 15 minutes before anyone even came over then got the excuse she was busy. It wasn't that busy in the restaurant but there wasn't a "busser" to bring water or an ice bucket. The waitress was spread too thin and every time we've been there its the same bad service. Its a pricey menu and I expect to have good service or attentive service when I'm paying that much for an entree. Consistently bad service. What's shocking is on a Sunday at 6pm the entire side of the upstairs patio wasn't open for guests, instead we were crammed into a table when there were plenty of open air seating on the side that never opened up while we were there. Just seemed the entire place was under staffed. We asked for more dressing, it never came. Wine glasses weren't cleaned before bring them out, someone should be shining the wine glasses. Its not worth what we paid.
   

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5. DP

   DPJimbo

   Hawaii3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on August 2, 2015

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   A restaurant like no other. Assemble a place with a harbor view, great food and drink, attentive servers and moderate prices and you have the recipe for a winning combination. The restaurant is alive and vibrant, youngish diners, well dressed and respectful. Can't say enough of how satisfying the restaurant proved to be.
   

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6. I

   Irishpvh VIP

   Los Angeles6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on August 1, 2015

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food and drinks are good and it is great to be at the harbor and watch the boats go by.
   

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7. RY

   RYfromMtP

   Chicago6 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on July 29, 2015

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   We made reservations on OpenTable for 7:30 requesting outdoor seating, and arrived a little early at 7:20. Hostess said our table should be ready in a few minutes. Didn't get seated until 8:00, even though there had been at least one outside table open for a least 20 minutes while we waited and was still empty when we were seated. Nice outdoor seating area, but the Catalina shuttle boat was parked outside for the whole time we were there so that significantly cut down on what would have been a terrific view. Service was a bit slow -- server was attentive and kept apologizing, so maybe the delay was in the kitchen/bar. He made some good recommendations from the menu. Food was good -- we had the halibut and the tuna and both were prepared well. Clam chowder was outstanding and the grilled corn was a unique side dish.
   

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8. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Tampa12 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on July 13, 2015

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Typical Dana Point restaurant, high pricing like Laguna Beach but half the food quality. This place reminds me of several other new restaurants in DP. I don't mind spending $35 for an entree, just make it good. This place is trying to compete price wise with the large hotels in town. The only problem is they offer 1/4 of the quality of those places. They have a nice patio, that is it. If you want to try it for that, do so. The food will not bring you back.
   

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9. a

   acintheoc VIP

   Palm Springs15 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on July 12, 2015

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   The location is great, right on the water and being a new restaurant the interior is nicely finished. We had a reservation and were seated promptly. We were greeted by our server right away and she did a great job but cannot give the service 5 stars because the food was too slow in coming out. We started with the steamed clams & mussels appetizer and they were good quality in a rich buttery broth. The only disappointment here is that it comes with a piece of cold garlic bread which does not work for sopping up the broth. A good piece of sourdough would be the perfect accompaniment but there is no sourdough bread to be had. Then we had some kumamoto oysters which were very tasty and were served with the proper accompaniment of horseradish, cocktail sauce, and mignonette. My son ordered the clam chowder and the crab beignets a sort of crab cake but in the shape of a golf ball. The clam chowder was just average and was not available with any bread just crackers (forget about a bread bowl!) The crab beignets was a nice presentation of 4 golf ball sized crab cakes but looked better than it tasted. My wife and I split the Halibut with mushroom agnolotti. The mushrooms and the agnolotti were very good. The fish was cooked perfectly and of good quality but lacked flavor. Overall I like that they use good quality ingredients but they just need to tweak the flavors a bit, get some decent bread, and shorten the wait times.
   

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10. l

    luvgoodfood

    San Diego3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on July 12, 2015

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5

    Great atmosphere, food was good. Not vegetarian friendly :( I didn't like the way they mixed the seafood with meat! Is it "out of water" or "off the land?" Pick one, I don't like chorizo with my prawns thank you.
    

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