Port Restaurant/ Bar

05/09/2008 Posted by Lulu5606

Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday. We went to Landmark and were turned down for our large group. My friend recommended The Port, and i was thinking the theatre? I was pleasantly surprised. My large entourage was greeted nicely, and we were all welcomed in. I loved the indoor/outdoor bar concept. The bar tender was friendly and the drinks were great. Thank you! I just wish there was a dance floor but that is okay :)

03/26/2008 Posted by JackPears

I was actually pleasently surprised of how great their food was. I was thinkng of the place to be a great bar scene but I went there for a friend's engagement party diner and all I can say wow. The menu was pretty extensive ut i opted for the nice flavorfull 16oz of Rib Eye. It was great so was the Rubicon Cask wine that the server recommended. I was also there for Easter Brunch and their breakfast items were also great. I had the Creme burle french toast with fresh fruits. Mimosa was offere with many coices of juices that was very nice. The lady singer was also very talented. I recommend this place very highly and actualy I am probably going to call and make a reservation for dinner after I fininsh writing this.

Pros: Great Food, Free Parking, Good Service and Clean Environment

Cons: None for me

02/15/2008 Posted by southerncaliforniaman7777

The first thing you will notice when visiting the Port Restaurant in Corona del Mar, is the pleasant wood-paneled decor and large fireplace in the dining area. This clubby atmosphere and Sinatra playing softly in the background are suitable for a fine dining establishment (although the plasma TV hanging above the fireplace should have tipped me off). But all too soon, you will see that something is amiss: The Food: the food is good, but not great. It was lukewarm, not hot. My dinner had too much tarragon sauce spread with a heavy hand over everything. It actually got nauseating after a while. I scraped off as much as I could, and found that the food was actually quite tasty, once the mounds of sauce were removed. The Service: Poor. Inattentive waiter with a casual attitude that does not befit a fine restaurant. Empty water glass sat for 20 minutes without refill. Food took an incredibly long time to be served. We were there 2.5 hours. We had a reservation, yet still waited 40 minutes. The Atmosphere: This is where things really went crazy. Beware, because at 9pm, the nice Sinatra is replaced with loud rap, hip-hop and rock. Now I grew up with rock and roll and even played in a few bands, so I have nothing against loud music... but it was completely out of place in this restaurant. I can't imagine why anyone would go to the Port to have a nice romantic dinner, when there is loud rap blaring from overhead (and I mean really loud - you have to shout to be heard across the dinner table). The Value: This is the worst part. I wouldn't have minded the poor service, average food and intrusive atmosphere if the bill was reasonable. But at the prices they charge, it is just a rip-off. I spent $200 on dinner for 2, and expect a certain level of quality for that money. I don't mind spending a lot of money on a fine dinner, but with that comes certain expectations of quality service, quality food, and quality atmosphere. The Port in Corona del Mar failed on all accounts.

Pros: stick to the bar. The restaurant has major problems

Cons: The food, the service, the atmosphere, the value

01/03/2008 Posted by johnsilva

We have been to the restaurant now 3 times. Every time the food ws great and service was impecable. In this day and age that coroporate restaurants make it very difficult for independents to survive Port brings a very refeshing experience reminsent of good old independent eateries. We enjoyed our 6 course dinner in New Year's Eve and poached lobster and short rib tasted so good that I already have booked our next weekend dinner there with family members. I noticed some negative revews here on the restaurant and personally I find them very hard to beleive but I thought it it is only fair to let eveyone know of the great job across the board by all the staff. By the way, I noticed that there is a very good review on the restaurant by Zagat as well. Go enjoy and experience it first hand. Great Place

Pros: Great across the board

Cons: Might be a wait for the weekends

11/25/2007 Posted by srudat

While i was excited to visit Port again because I'd enjoyed the gnocchi appetizer once before, I was disappointed in the elementary service in the bar area and the two other appetizers we ordered. Shockingly, the worst experience came from an encounter with the owner who freaked out because the 'customer copy' instead of the 'merchant copy' of our credit card bill was left. He made the bounce sit next to us until we could dig up the other copy. Not only was he rude and aggressive, we were APPALLED that he had his bouncer from the front door stand next to us at our table until we could get ahold of the friend that had paid the bill and left prematurely. Very simply, she paid with an AMEX and we started our own tab at the bar. It's a very simple mistake to take the wrong copy. The waitress was visibly scared of upsetting the owner. First it was Trees, then Mistral, the Svelte. I suspect this place will fail as well.

Pros: convenient if you are a CdM local

Cons: Owner is too cheap to pay for an experienced staff

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

11/25/2007 Posted by theryan

The Port is a pretty neat place. I took my wife there for our 4th anniversary, and we had a nice time. The dining room is great for intimate dining, and then we headed to the bar for entertainment after dinner. Got the best of both worlds! The french onion soup was great, and the scallops melted in your mouth. I highly recommend the food. The hostess was very friendly and got to us right away, and the servers had great insight on the wine. Altogether, I really enjoyed this new place.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/28/2007 Posted by shanasha

I live close by and am thrilled that there is a a restaurant close by that is very stylish and fun at the same time. I usually get the spicy shrimp as an appetizer and the John Dory is to die for. It's a great place to have dinner, and then hang out after. The food, music, and atmosphere are fantastic, I never go a week without a visit.

Pros: Atmosphere and amazing food

Cons: Wish it was open for lunch

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/31/2007 Posted by rparkhk

I went to a restaurant for a birthday function for a friend. Got there early and had a drink at the bar. Very personable bar tender .. nice live music in the open patio area .. the complimentary "munchies" were very unexciting. At the dinner I shared the starters and they were good. I ordered the short ribs as the main dish and it was OK .,. certainly not worth what they charge. I had ordered two bottles of wine and when I received the bill I noted that the waiter or the restaurant had added 20% gratuity to the check .. for the wine .. so I have aboutr $26 added onto the wine bill .. I thought this was, absolutely a "no class" act by this restaurant. I, usually, tend to tip more that 20% on my restaurant bills AND wine as well but this single act really turned me off the restaurant. The best way to enjoy this place? Go sit at the bar and have few appetizers and hold onto your wallet because some guy there thinks he is entitled to some of your money.

Pros: The Bar

Cons: Value for food

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/22/2007 Posted by hannahaz

My husband and I were just visiting from Scottsdale recently when we asked the girl at the front desk of our hotel where we could eat nearby. She told us we should go check this new place out. They had just received 4 stars from a newspaper she said. Whoa now Nelly "Small portions and Huge price tag?" "Fans we are not". i mean we're not frugal by any means and we make a damn good living but this place didn't warrant the high prices. And everything is pretty expensive on the menu. There was nothing really to write home about. The service was not so great, everytime we wanted a bottle of wine they were out of it. The dinners took a longtime and from there on it just was downhill from there. The ambience is cute but we just don't get the big huge TV in the diningroom. What is that thing all about? It took away from being a romantic classy restaurant that we were told it was. The food was pretty good but really small portions on my Dory. My husband had the Scallops, you get 3 scallops, leeks and mushrooms for a whopping $36 dollars. Thats right, 3 scallops and some filler for $36 dollars. No salad, soup nothing else with that. After dinner we wandered out to the bar to see what was going on in there. We could hear the music pumping from the diningroom but It wasn't even crowded for 10pm on a Friday night....and I can see why now.... the music was way too loud for the lack of a crowd they didn't have on hand. It's sad really because the place looks all classy from the outside but once inside it trys too hard to be an artsy restaurant night club type. Oh well, we'll know better next time to stay away from this place. Good luck Port.

Pros: Visiting Orange County was our Pro

Cons: A lot. Too many to really note here.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful

08/21/2007 Posted by alanjforprez

Wow, we ate here last weekend and the food, drinks and service couldn't have been better! We were greeted warmly at the door, shown to our reserved table right away, and were treated to incredible dishes and very polished, friendly service by Pete and Yvonne. Port is an incredible place to dine, and the after-dinner bar scene was wild and fun. We ran into friends we hadn't seen for years. The owner even bought the entire bar a round of drinks while we were there. Do yourself a favor and dock at Port soon. It's worth the trip.

Pros: Food, service, cocktails, bar scene, neighborhood vibe

Cons: Nothing

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful