Rusty Pelican

This place is fantastic! Our waitress has been a tad slow but it’s busy! The food is amazing and it’s a great environment for any date or a family outing! It was a family outing for us tonight and Charlie loved the food and service! Definitely worth the money and worth the try!

Amazing!!! Had the swordfish hot plate. Incredible!!! You must try the garlic bread as well. The flourless chocolate tort is a perfect completion to this wonderful meal

The hostess was snobby when we checked in at 8:50 for a 9pm reservation and suggested that we come back to check-​in at nine. At nine she had us wait 15 minutes. The wait was not a big deal, but the attitude was. –1
The service was quite good: the sever had obvious been educated on the menu and sampled the food. She was quite knowledgable. +1
The wine prices seemed reasonable for dining out in the area. +1
Parking is impossible. The lot is smaller than a postage stamp. Valet does an amazing job to make up for it. -\+ 0
The food was disappointing. The crab portion size was obviously small. The sautéed spinach was oily, soaked and over cooked. The fish was overcooked. –3

Every time we go to brunch with a big party they seem to ignore us and refuses to splits check when the aloha computer can easily do it for them. Splitting checks is annoying for the servers but honestly how hard is it to split guests by numbers and so it is easy for the guests to pay immediately so the servers can turn their tables that will result to high sales and tips. Food is always delicious especially the fresh fish and oysters and champagne never a stops. Parking goes up when it’s peak season but there’s always plenty for guests. The staff always looks nice and presentable!

My wife and I went here during Valentine’s weekend. Good thing we made a reservation because they were booked all weekend! This place has a good mix of people from $ to $$$$ as there was a Ferrari and a Toyota Corolla in the valet. The hostesses were very friendly and accommodating; they readily changed our table from fireplace side to outside on the water. If you have to wait a few minutes to be seated, go upstairs to the bar; even though it was busy, the bartender helped us straightaway. For dinner we ordered the calamari and oysters to start (bomb). The oysters are individually priced at $ 3.50 a piece, a little steep but worth it for the freshest you’ll have. For main course we split one order of steak and lobster. This was plenty to share for the both of us. I will definitely be eating here again for a romantic dinner or a place for good eats after the beach!

Ambiance and overall experience is 5. We have been here many times before. It is not easy to find a venue with such a delightful view of the harbor. To me, it is intoxicating.
The food = 4. Shrimp cocktail and Fire swordfish. Very nice.
Important to note, the view of the harbor was mesmerizing.
I will return over and over again.

Okay, so this is a long over due review. This review has to do with our corporate experience during the holidays. We decided to go with Rusty Pelican as it was in our budget and we heard good things about it from fellow colleagues. The event coordinator Renee was very responsive and was accommodating.
We finally got to Rusty Pelican and we were surprised how tiny the private room was. The room was small for 34 people that it started to get hot. We had to open the back door to let some air in. There was very little room for us to be served that the waiters spilled juice/​ice water/​food on several people several times while serving. The waiters seem confused and were not good under pressure. Drinks were asked for several times, some people were served appetizers while others got their soup and/​or salad. By the time we got to our main entrée it was almost time to go home that almost everyone took their entrée and dessert home.
Food was great, definitely recommend the salmon pesto and their garlic bread.
Our overall experience was horrible and upsetting — everyone left really disappointed in how the restaurant was managed. We understand we were a group of 34 plus another party of 100; however, it is not a reason to be short on staff and poorly managed. There is a reason as to why we booked the restaurant a head of time to provide the restaurant enough time for planning and organizing. With previous experiences from other restaurants, what we experienced here was incomparable.
This place is nice for a date spot with awesome view but not recommended for a corporate event.

Awesome View, Amazing Service, and if its your Birthday you get a free flourless mini cake with Ice Cream! Delicious!!!
Almost forgot… Valet Parking Only! :)))

One of the overall best places we’ve been to in a long time! From the moment we walked in for lunch, the hostesses were extra friendly and our server, John, was really attentive and helpful. The food, we got the trout and cheeseburger, was amazing and a great value! We sat outside and the view was wonderful, maybe a little bit chilly but they had heaters and blankets, which was such a nice touch. Next time we’re going to sit inside by the fireplace for a different experience but we will be back often and will be telling friends and family about Rusty Pelican.

People really discredit the food here but I really disagree.
The handed breaded jumbo coconut shrimp for example are to die for! Every time I have had snacks or a dinner here the quality of food and service is great.
Pricing is also very reasonable for the waterfront views and location. Definitely a top pick and value on PCH!

We have eaten lunch and dinner here probably over 20 times. The service is always top notch. Whether you are sitting in the dinning room, outside on the patio, or at the bar upstairs, always a great experience
The food is always good, the rib eye is always grilled to perfection and the penne a la vodka is always great with scallops.
The best spot is at the bar upstairs, with the fireplace and over looking the bay. Shawn the bartender is one of the best. It doesn’t get any better than that.

I came here for an anniversary & the food here is great! I loved the food here and the service was excellent our waiter was really kind, when I was cold she even gave me a blanket. Our waitress was on top of her game, made sure my water was refilled the whole dinner.
Anyways besides the service the food here was great nothing SPECTACULAR. But my fiancé’s fish was a little charred at the bottom, giving off a un happy bitter taste .
I ordered the Penne a la vodka which came out really good! I definitely recommend it .
Then came dessert :(kind of a disappointment, we ordered the trio which came with key lime pie, apple pie, and some chocolate cake. The key lime pie was too sour, the apple pie was ehhhh McDonald’s has better, and lastly the chocolate cake was soggy and tasted like cereal.
Overall, I’d give this place a 3.5 but I can’t so I just Rounded it to a 4. This is the type of place where you go when you try to make last minute reservations down the street and they’re full so you go here. Food was decent ehhhh service was great and the interior of the restaurant is beautiful, upstairs has a great view of the water side.

Came here for an anniversary this weekend and the experience was amazing!
From the view to the food to the service; everything was A1
The service was amazing and our server who I believe is Diego made sure that we were attended to and we felt very taken care of.
The food was excellent, and one of the best meals I’ve had.
The view was beautiful and they had such a great atmosphere and it was just a great experience over all!
Definitely coming back soon!

Came here for the happy hour — the cajun shrimp is to DIE FOR (why this review gets a 4-​star) — they put together an awesome garlicky spice mix and don’t skimp out on the protein, even if you’re there for happy hour.
Tried the calamari fritti — this is kind of disgusting and fried and mushy… Really not a fan of doughy calamari — 0 stars
The «famous» garlic bread — this is okay until you’ve ordered a full sized one… only get this if you’re going to have multiple people there… otherwise I’d stick with the cajun shrimp, as it actually comes with the same garlic bread on the side.

Right on the water, live music that’s the perfect volume for a cozy dinner, an enormous seafood menu with umpteen choices.
And Mai tai, legit Mai Tais.
(Close my eyes and I imagine I’m in Hawaii while I sip my fruity cocktail)
We had a late dinner here this weekend and it was fantastic. I knew it was the right choice when the crab cakes were perfectly lumpy, the Mai tai was strong, the moonlight glistened on the boats outside from our window seats and the singer started strumming his cover of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space.
Between us we did our own surf and turf. The strip steak was a bit more cooked than asked, as was my salmon but no biggie considering how great The whole experience was.
The crowd was much older, so cleared out around 9:30, 10 even though they’re open until a late 11.

Not sure how Rusty Pelican even touches 3 stars with their great food and awesome view, but it’s definitely a great spot to dine at in Newport Beach. With Garlic Joe’s being closed down, we needed a last minute nearby place to eat, and with Rusty Pelican being right across the street, it was a no brainer. We came here for a birthday dinner. Service was excellent, and food was customized to our liking. My plate for example was their $ 40 prime rib (worth it)! But to make things even better, they threw some over easy eggs on the side. It was the best steak and eggs I’ve ever had in my life.
I would have given 5 stars to Rusty Pelican if it weren’t for them forgetting to get my dad his drink after asking twice. But great job anyhow for everything else.

I’ve driven past this place countless of times but had no interest in eating here until I was invited to a friends birthday dinner.
I started off with one of the best margaritas I’ve ever had. Can’t remember the name but it had a chili salt rim with a jalapeño in it and fresh squeezed citrus juices. It was just superb. One drink was all I could handle, it was a generous pour and for a $ 13 cocktail I would expect no less. When I first debated whether to just get a beer or the margarita, the waitress told me it’s one of their better bartenders that was working for the night which steered me towards the margarita and I am so glad I did.
For my meal I ordered the Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi. Loved everything about the dish. Friends next to me ordered the King Salmon with Shrimp and Lobster sauce and were underwhelmed preferring the bites they tried of my dish. So just a note…
As far as parking goes, I saved myself $ 5 and parked across the street alongside some of the meters which are free past 6 p.m. from what I remember.

I’ve had some inconsistent experiences with Rusty Pelican, and some customer service shortcomings.
For example, the last time we came, the waiter didn’t bring us bread, lied to us about additional cost of add ins when we asked, resulting in an extra 14 dollars we didn’t really want.
This time around, it was more hit-​or-​miss. My fish wasn’t prepared all that well, two dishes arrived late, and we ended up finding a hair in the fish. When we brought it to the attention of the server though, the manager comped the late and offending dishes, and the replacement was wonderfully cooked.
Egg: ²⁄₅
Omelette Shrimp: ²⁄₅
Shrimp on side: ¹⁄₅
French toast: ²⁄₅
Clam Chowder: ²⁄₅
Bacon: ⁰⁄₅
Initial Barramundi: ²⁄₅
Barramundi#1 Prep: ¹⁄₅ (ignoring the hair)
Replacement Barramundi: ²⁄₅
Barramundi#2 Prep: ³⁄₅
Service: ²⁄₅
Diversity: ²⁄₅
Price: $$/​$$$$
Satisfaction:Price– ⁴⁄₅ (–1 for inconsistency)

Great food (the happy hour apps — oysters, fish skewers) and amazing location. Started with happy hour upstairs and had Joel serve up a few mean cocktails. So so good! Went downstairs by the large windows to overlook the water. It gets really beautiful at night when the sun is just setting. The staff was amiable and the entrees, while great, was nothing too memorable in my opinion. My auntie ordered the seabags and I chose to stick with arctic char… ahhh should have ordered my salmon instead! The drinks on the other hand were absolutely divine. MAI TAIS ALL NIGHT.
Will come again :)

Great views, solid service, and pretty good food!
Stopped by for lunch during OC restaurant week. Definitely a good one to try out.
Parking in front of the restaurant is strictly valet. You could try your hand at street parking or somewhere across the street.
Started things off with the ichiban skewers. Small portion, but the selection and prep of the fish was delightful. Salmon, tuna, and possibly more.
For entrée I ordered the spicy orange ginger glaze mahi mahi. Really tasty!
Dessert the lady and I shared the strawberry cheesecake and chocolate torte (almost like a lava cake). Both were really good especially the torte.
The normal menu looked very appealing and we definitely want to come back to try it out.

hi
I am realy disappointed. we wanted to have a nice dinner after work, me and two colleagues. we had no reservation.
even though the restaurant was not to crowded we got a table next to the kitchen and the exit of the terrace. half the tables were still empty and stood empty the entire evening until we left.
the speed we have been served was more the speed of mc donald. the starter salat was not finished yet as the main course arrived. the food was just warm and my fish was still raw inside. as i mentioned this to the waitress she just said: Oh
the bottle of wine was opened poorly and the glasses were filled so full that she could remove the bottle after 5 minutes.
As I ordered an espresso macchiato the waitress which had switched in the first 45 minutes, (starters, salat, and main course were already served) she served me an cappuccino. I explained her what an
espresso macchiato is and she brought me a part of my cappuccino with a little bit fresh foam in an espresso cup. it did not taste at all like an espresso.
allover I think it was a spoiled evening and i can not recommend this place.

Une très bonne adresse pour manger du poisson frai dans un cadre sympas: à deux pas de Balboa Island et de Newport dans le sud de Los Angeles.
Le service y est comme toujours dans les bons restaurants américains au petit soin, cela en est même déroutant pour les Français tellement nous n’y somme plus habitués.
Je vous conseils de vous laisser tenter par l’une des cinq recettes de mahi-​mahi proposées, j’adore ce poisson dont le nom Tahitien est souvent utilisé au USA: son nom anglais étant Dolphinfish il fait penser au dauphin ce qui n’est pas très vendeur (Dorade Coryphèné pour nous). Le king Crab Canadien est aussi très bon, et surtout introuvable en France, cela peut donc être l’occasion.
Les plats sont dans les 15 – 20 euros (le dollars a environ 1,5 nous donnes un certain avantage à voyager aux USA en ce moment).
Pour les vins profitez-​en pour essayer un Cabernet californien (je sais que le vin Français est le meilleur mais né soyons pas sectaire).
Le tip est directement rajouté sur la note (cela évite de se prendre la tête pour savoir combien rajouter).
Service voiturier pour 3 $ (en fait obligatoire pour ce garer sur leurs parking).

Ich habe regelmäßig das Vergnügen einige Wochen im Jahr nach Newport Beach in Kalifornien reisen zu dürfen. Diese kleine, im Vergleich zu L.A. geradezu idyllische Küstenstadt ist Heim und Geburtsort vieler großer Hollywood-​Legenden gewesen. Das Andenken von John Wayne, nach dem auch der regionale Flughafen benannt ist, ist hier allgegenwärtig. Heutzutage findet man hier viele Prominente (oder solche die es gerne wären), die dem Trubel von L.A. zu entfliehen suchen, und ihre sündhaft teuren Luxus-​Sportwagen gerne der breiten Öffentlichkeit präsentieren. Eine der ruhigeren und schöneren Plätze in Newport Beach sind die Restaurants entlang des Westcoast Highways, zu dem auch das Rusty Pelican zählt. Sowohl von außen wir auch innen drängt sich ein wenig der Vergleich mir einer Fischerhütte auf. Auch wenn ich nicht der große Fan amerikanischer Restaurants bin, so kann ich hier bedenkenlos eine Empfehlung aussprechen.
Beim Eintritt fällt einem zuerst die große Fensterfront auf, die einen schönen Ausblick auf die Newport Waterfront (eine Art Kanal parallel zum Meer) mit all seinen Booten und Schiffchen genießen lässt. Die salzige Seeluft (Newport liegt schließlich direkt am Pazifik) macht nach einem ausgedehnten Spaziergang am Strand ordentlich Hunger, den man im Rusty Pelican gut stillen kann.
Das Essen ist (für Küstenstädte typisch) von Meeresfrüchten und Fisch dominiert. Aber man findet auch die gängigen amerikanischen Speisen, wie Burger oder Steak, auf der Speisekarte. Auf die Preise sollte man allerdings nicht unbedingt achten, denn Newport Beach ist teuer, bisweilen sehr teuer. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass das durchschnittliche Pro-​Kopf-​Einkommen etwa um das Dreifache über dem USA-​Durchschnitt liegt, ist das auch nicht wirklich verwunderlich. Ein Mittagessen im Rusty Pelican für zwei Personen kostet schnell (inkl. Trinkgeld) um die 100 Dollar (Stand: 2007), wenn es etwas außergewöhnlicher sein soll (z.B. Champagner und fangfrischen Hummer) ist man auch mit mehr Geld dabei. Wenn man allerdings schon einmal nach Kalifornien kommt (und auch mal die typischen, in L.A. leider größtenteils absenten Ur-​Kalifornier kennne lernen will), der wird gerne auch einmal etwas tiefer in die Tasche greifen, wenn er im Gegenzug gutes Essen bei einer schönen Aussicht in gepflegter Atmosphäre genießen darf.
Das Personal im Pelican ist durchaus kompetent und sehr freundlich, ohne aber übertrieben zu wirken. Immerhin lebt man als US-​Servicekraft auch hier vom Trinkgeld der Kundschaft. Zwischen 10% und 20% (bei perfekt empfundenem Service) der Rechnungssumme werden hier stillschweigend als Trinkgeld erwartet, dafür bekommt man in der Regel auch den angemessenen Service geboten. Nur wenn man mit dem Service wirklich überhaupt nicht zufrieden war (und das aus gutem Grund), dann darf man natürlich das Trinkgeld verweigern. Allerdings ist mir das in den vielen Jahren USA nur ein einziges Mal widerfahren. Im Rusty Pelican ist es sehr sauber, der Holzfußboden wird täglich gereinigt, die Toiletten tip-​top in Ordnung.
Das Publikum im Pelican gehört in der Regel der vermögenderen Schicht Newports an, allerdings erscheint man hier in bequemer Kleidung bzw. dem besonderen Anlass entsprechend. Das Neujahrsbrunch am 1. Januar ist hier sehr zu empfehlen, allerdings nur mit rechtzeitiger Reservierung (normalerweise einige Wochen im Voraus).
Vor oder nach dem Essen kann ich einen Spaziergang an einem der nahen Pazifikstrände nur empfehlen. Wer gerne Wellenreiter beobachtet oder gerne selbst auf Wellen reitet, dem sei Huntington Beach (etwa eine halbe Autostunde nordwestlich von Newport Beach) wärmstens empfohlen. Richtung Südwesten (ebenfalls etwa 30 Minuten mit dem Auto) geht es entlang des Pazifik (traumhaft schöner Ausblick bei Sonnenuntergang!) nach Laguna Beach, in dem der betont lässige Lebensstil der Kalifornier tief verwurzelt ist. Hier trifft man tatsächlich auf die Jungs, die sich nach der Schule am Strand zum Surfen verabredenund natürlich die knackigen Beach-​Girls, die ihren Surferhelden entgegenschmachten :) Und natürlich sind die allseits beliebten Ausflugsziele auch nicht weit entfernt: Disneyland in Anaheim oder Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park (der erste Freizeitpark der USA) glänzen mit viele Attraktionen und locken jedes Jahr Millionen von Touristen und Einheimischen an. Nach L.A. ist es zwar auch nicht weit, aber angesichts des Dauerstaus in und um L.A. herum kann es einige Zeit dauern, bis man sein Ziel erreicht hat. Tipp: wer nicht unbedingt auf das Auto angewiesen ist, der bucht sich am besten einen der Shuttle Services (z.B. SuperShuttle), die nicht nur Hotels anfahren, sondern bei Bedarf (und Vereinbarung) auch direkt von zuhause abholen. Je nachdem, ob man alleine reisen möchte, oder mit anderen Passagieren zusammen, zahlt man für einen Transfer von Newport nach L.A. International Airport etwa 51 USD (und 9 USD für jeden weiteren Begleiter) und 116 USD, bei Inanspruchnahme einer Limosinenservice 133

Sehr genau beschrieben. Ich erinnere mich gut daran. Wenn ich das so lese, bekomme ich höllisches Heimweh. Ale meine Freunde sind in California (von L.A. bis San Diego) und sonst mehr im Südosten. Nächstes Jahr werde ich einige Monate dort sein. Ich kenne leider the Rusty Pelican nicht, aber ich glaube sofort jedes Wort. Es ist einfach so dort. Auch, was die Preise betrifft — leider. Kennst Du auch Garden Grove, the Crystal Cathedral? Ich gehöre zu dieser Gemeinde und habe keinen Grund zum Meckern, aber ich habe weder vorher noch nachher woanders solch luxuriöse Sanitäranlagen gesehen. Es wurde mir stolz berichtet, daß 1 Million Dollar allein darin steckt. Wenn man sie sieht und benutzt, glaubt man es sofort. But anyway, das ist California. Ich liebe Laguna Beach sehr. Es scheint mir die europäischste Gemeinde dort zu sein, in Richtung Künstler-​Kolonie gehend. Leider weiß ich nicht, ob sich da viel zum Nachteil geändert hat, aber damals war es bezaubernd. Auf der Strandpromenade konnte man die Kolibris betrachten, wie sie mit ihren langen Schnäbeln in die Blütenkelche eintauchten. Nirgendwo sonst habe ich das so schön erlebt. Und in der Bucht in Newport Beach, die noch zum Hyatt Newporter Resort gehört, gibt es Vogelkolonien von immensem Ausmaß. Und Fashion Island. Ich darf gar nicht daran denken, welche Freude es gemacht hat, dort einzukaufen oder spazieren zu gehen, Barnes & Nobles, die laute Jazzmusik zu jeder Uhrzeit. Am liebsten würde ich sofort losgehen, den Atlantik überqueren und einfach hinmarschieren. Es ist schlimm, soviel Heimweh zu haben. Aber der nächste Sommer kommt bestimmt.
Das mit dem SuperShuttle stimmt übrigens haargenau. Ich habe ihn immer benutzt und hatte kaum jemals Grund zur Klage. Das Personal ist bestrebt, die Zeiten einzuhalten, und meistens funktioniert das auch. — Ich muß sofort aufhören zu schreiben, sonst sitze ich morgen noch hier.
Ich wünsche ein wundervolles Christmas Fest und Happy New Year. Danke schön für die Beurteilung. Hat mich gefreut.
Vielleicht trifft man sich ja mal dort.
Bye, bye and good night!
ALYSSA