Manhattan Steak & Seafood

Been wanting to try this place for awhile now so figured it would be the Father’s Day brunch. The food was great and the service was even better. While we waited for our table they brought us out champagne and stayed very communicative regarding the status of our table. I would recommend this place and the atmosphere was great including a pianist that played during the brunch. We will be coming back to try dinner soon. Not sure why we waited so long to try it but we now understand why it has lasted for so many years in that location. Great job by all staff and definitely made it a Father’s Day to remember!

How have I not written a review for this place? My life began at this restaurant. I had my wedding reception here and it was gorgeous and the food was flawless. I found out the gender of both of my children here. They even did special things like tell us the gender in the dessert and drink color! The seafood here is some of the best in Orange. Most people mess this stuff up, even many of the «nicer» places in town, but not Manhattan. They cook their seafood JUST to done, and not a moment longer, which messes up a lot of entrees and turns delicious lobster into pink eraser texture. The wine list is great, and there’s live entertainment. You can’t go wrong!

The best drinks cosmopolitan I’ve ever had, these bartenders follow how to make a great NY cosmopolitan!
The foods, desserts, service were… Some days amazing 5 stars. Some days it’s 2 stars. Hit or miss, I’ve experienced it all, depends on who’s the wait person and who’s in the kitchen, chef. BUT not once yet have I had a bad drink.

Don’t be fooled by the nice name and beautiful ambiance. The food here is not good. It is overpriced and overrated. A friend and I had dinner here last night 5÷24÷16 and were sadly disappointed.
We started with a steak tartar appetizer – I don’t even know where to begin, it was a funny color (not rich red or pink) it was ground to the consistency of cat food instead of fine chunks of beef and tasted off. (I wanted to send it back but my friend was like no I don’t want to anger the kitchen, so we spread it around to look as if we ate some)
We also Ordered Oysters on the half shell– These were’t served the traditional way but were pretty good. But other than shucking them you can’t really screw those up.
He ordered the Beef Wellington which was supposed to be a Grade A prime fillet Mignon in a puff pastry, the meat had a dry chewy texture and tasted no better than what I would be Served at a Denny’s (definitely not what you would expect of a Filet mignon which is usually very tender and the best cut of meat) and the pastry was raw dough inside. it was a gooey mess of a dish that tasted of mushy dough and and was very bland.
I had the bone in ribeye which was seasoned well and cooked to a perfect medium rare… BUT The grade of the meat is definitely not the best and at $ 60 for an a la carte steak (which is supposed to be Grade A Prime) I expect it to be a good one. A ribeye should have a beautiful marbling of fat throughout the steak that should be thick and fluffy and add flavor to a tender piece of meat that should be juicy and easily melt in your mouth NOT the hard stringy tendons that I had trouble cutting through even with a steak knife, I could barely chew my meat because the tendons were so tough.

For sides we ordered the creamed spinach and the cheesy asparagus risotto-​they were pretty good, very salty but not terrible.
Dessert — I ordered their homemade warm bread pudding, the first bite was okay but as I got to the center I suddenly tasted the nasty freezer fridge taste that sometimes plagues your food (you the one, its very distinct) I was sadly disappointed and had to stop eating my desert.
*****IN MY OPINION THIS PLACE NEEDS A KITCHEN NIGHTMARE MAKEOVER WITH GORDON RAMSEY****

My boyfriend planned a fantastic Birthday Brunch with a large party of Family and Friends and I could not have asked for a better experience.
From the staff, to the amazing food, to the bottomless champagne and mimosas, it was indeed a very special celebration for me. Thank you so much!
(PS This restaurant was recommended by Rho L!)

We had the loveliest and most belly filling brunch today with the family. The staff at MSS was absolutely fabulous– refilled our champagne flutes often and tended to our every need.
The food is top notch — carving station, seafood, breakfast favorites, hot goods and a huge dessert table.
We even stayed longer than we should have but the folks here were patient and took care of us all the way through.
Very pleased. We will certainly return.

Such a gem of a place!
It’s been at the same location forever and been so under the radar. So glad we came in for our celebratory dinner! We had a wonderful meal (see all the gorgeous food pics I posted) and were greeted at our table by the executive chef, Chef Marco. The food was beautiful, service was perfect and ambiance was on point. This place perfected our night out. Glad we went there and can’t wait to come back to try their Sunday brunch.

We found a hidden gem in the city of Orange!
Best cuts of meat we have had since moving to So Cal 2 years ago.
The atmosphere has great character and a romantic ambience. The scent of delicious aged prime beef permeates through the dining area.
The music is big band and swing era — totally up my alley!
Ashton was our server and if you get him you will be pleased. His style of service is impeccable.
The warm fresh bread you get is the bomb.
The oysters were wicked awesome and were sucked down within 10 seconds!
My wife went with surf and turf and the lobster tail was both plentfiful and flavorful! I was wondering if they came in from New England, but wherever they come from, they are the best!
Both Filets were cooked to perfection and were juicy and tender and downright righteous!
Classy service as the birthday girl got a little firework candle with a decadent piece of chocolate cake — we thank you for this!
The jazz band in the lounge were on point!
Foodies, if you are looking to Wow your spouse or loved ones for a steak dinner– forget the chain joints and come to Manhattan Steak and Seafood. You will not regret your decision!

This review is for their brunch ONLY.
I used to be THE biggest cheerleader for the Sunday Brunch! I loved the ambiance, the service as well as the variety and quality of food! My favorite part was the seafood bar! NOW… the quality has definitely went down. The food isn’t as great and it seems like they don’t put as much time and care into their brunch. The seafood bar is really sad now. The crab legs and the shrimp were THE best in OC IMO. I used to rave about it to my friends and now, I’m embarrassed by it. Their crab legs are thin, grey looking and not fresh. Sometimes there is shrimp and sometimes there is not. If there is, the shrimp are MUCH smaller than they used to have. What happened?
Their dessert bar is about average and the rest of the food is mediocre. The «Manhattan’s Mac & Cheese» is super runny and watery. This came from a fine dining kitchen? I could make better Mac & Cheese at home. Things that I still like: Prime Rib, Waffles, Chicken Alfredo, Mashed Potatoes.
Definitely not coming here as much seeing as there are many other Sunday Brunch contenders out there in OC!

After a year, this has consistently been my Happy Hour of choice, and now my place of choice for celebratory dinners as well. Great service, awesome food, and lovely time.
The Mister made reservations for our anniversary dinner in the dining room for 7:15pm on a Wednesday night.
We arrived at 6:30 for cocktails in the bar. It was bustling with happy hour and early dinner crowd. The Mister immediately liked the ambiance. This embodies the 40’s cigar room (without the smoky cigars). Old couples were paired up eating dinner at the bar, and some happy hour people were cozied up in the booths. Will, the bartender constantly checked on us and answered lots of questioned posed by my husband. The waiters were very respectful when giving our drinks and some appetizers definitely high marks on the great service. Ambiance was very classy, and the customers looked well-​todo.
We were then escorted to the dining room. The tables were close to each other, but there weren’t too may diners, so it was great. I learned that there are actually 7 rooms, all available for private parties (gonna look into it for sure!). Jesus was our head waiter and I immediately liked him. He had great recommendations, without appearing pushy. Every server who approached us asked what we were celebrating. Food was superb, though huge portions. Husband ordered the surf and turf which was filet mignon and lobster. I ordered the 12oz prime rib, and it was delicious. Husband loved that the filet mignon was velvety smooth, felt like cutting butter. He loved it. We ordered red mashed potatoes, sauted wild mushrooms, and asparagus. All very good, but extremely large portions. I forgot to claim my check in reward for a free bottle of wine (ugh), but we did order glass servings.
For dessert, we had soufflé (really rich), and crème brûlée (amazing). They also brought in the Manhattan cake with a mini firework. The dining room was oohing and aahing. Ordered a dessert wine too — loved the sweet wine suggested.
On the way out, the Mister admitted that he really liked the place. The location is convenient for us, parking is no hustle, and the food and service were great. At this point, we are kind of over the trendy hip spots and now prefer a calm and classy atmosphere.

Food was average, service was spotty, but ambiance was good for a birthday or a romantic dinner. If it wasn’t for the nice fireworks on top of the chocolate cake to cap off the evening, this place would have been a 2 star.
The plusses: fast to seat if you have a reservation, good fine dining atmosphere, good wine list and good dessert!
The minuses: the lobster bisque was really salty! Forgot to have bread plates on the table, kept missing my wine glass every time the server poured wine for everyone else.
So overall it was a good try but not going back.

This place is the epitome of where you expect fancy fatcats to eat dinner every night… My boss, boyfriend, and I were celebrating the end of a convention we were in town for.
The service was pretty impeccable, as you’d expect from somewhere like this. It was super clean inside, had a great bar with a performing band, and the bathrooms were even super nice!
For dinner, we each ordered the filet, and mine and my boyfriend’s came waaaay too rare. I might as well have had it raw. It still tasted okay but it was bugging me seeing it as red as it was. For our sides we tried the garlic mashed potatoes (holy shit out of this world good), brussel sprouts (also amazing), and creamed spinach (DO NOT ORDER, it tastes like vomit).
Before my boss showed up, I had a drink with my boyfriend — I tried the Lavender Lemon Drop which really only had the SMELL of lavender and nothing else… Definitely not a $ 15 drink (which is what I paid for it).
Be careful ordering drinks here… The tab adds up FAST.

Wasn’t a fan of their Sunday Brunch but BOY, they really made it up with their delicious dinner items.
On the pricier end but it’s good quality stuff.
Colorado Rack of Lamp is phenomenal! Tender and flavorful.
Chilean Sea Bass is soft like butter. Flakey and melts in your mouth.
Lobster Tail is sweet and succulent with a great bite to it.
Their Wild Game Platter is BOMB. A sampler of Elk, Boar and Bisan. Each with a special sauce to compliment.
Calamari is fresh. Lightly battered and delicious.
The bad…
French Onion Soup was unfortunately burnt. The soup had that burnt taste throughout. Someone forgot it in the broiler.
Chapman Chop should be chopped from the menu. Looked real pretty but lacking in flavor. Great presentation, not so great flavor.
Overall, I’m definitely a fan and most definitely will revisit to taste their other yummy dishes.
Final thought…
Pricey side but delicious. I love their dinner items and service is great.
Dining area is dated but the good food makes up for it.

You will never think the interior of Manhattan Steak & Seafood would be so elegant, including all their staff because of the simple, unassuming exterior design of the building.
Don’t let that fool you. They have a buffet brunch and their lineup of food items is gratifying. I wanted to get a taste of every single one, especially the many varieties of their eggs benedict; but i need to watch my food intake (lol).
If I was not entertained by the glorious class reunion with my classmates i’d probably beeline to the buffet tables 5x the entire time we were there.
Food is 10+ Stars, Service is 10+ Stars and the ambiance is 10+ Stars!
Prepare your wallet, though. $ 45 brunch plus gratuity as of December 2015. It’s all worth it, especially if you’re having this meal with a very special person and a very special event.

Manhattan’s has plenty of parking which is convenient.
Their staff are pleasant and efficient. Our server was Jesús. He was friendly with great recommendations for dinner and dessert.
The rib eye was flavorful and cooked perfectly. All of our dishes were exceptional. I especially enjoyed the Chilean sea bass. Some of the exotic options like bison and elk were wonderful in flavor — not at all gamey and we would definitely recommend these entrees. These are and unique offerings that are definitely worth trying here!
We enjoyed the live band too. The music could be heard throughout the restaurant — pleasant background music.
My first visit didn’t go well, but we gave Manhattan’s another try and we’re very glad we did. Truly elegant dining with fine food and wonderful service. The crème brûlée is highly recommended and don’t pass on the coffee because it’s fresh and hot.
Definitely coming back soon! Thank you Manhattan’s for one of the best fine dining experiences!

PARKING: There are a lot of parking spots available, so I had no issues with that.
ATMOSPHERE: I was highly impressed with the atmosphere. The interior of the restaurant is so beautiful to take in and the soft lighting puts the entire ambiance together perfectly. There is a lovely bar area and a wonderful live band.
FOOD QUALITY: I arranged for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner here with a bunch of our friends. We all ordered different appetizers and entrees, but everyone really liked their selections. The quality was great and we had no complaints with the food.
SERVICE: I called this place to make a reservation for my boyfriend’s birthday and the staff was so helpful and accommodating to all of my requests. If you are looking for a place for a special occasion meal with a large group, I highly recommend this restaurant. Unlike most places, they do not have a room fee for booking a private room, so I was able to reserve the banquet room. The banquet room has a flat screen TV and speakers, so you can showcase home-​made videos, go online, turn on spotify, etc. The service at the restaurant was wonderful. The staff really took care of our party the entire night.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: We all had an excellent experience here. I have heard great things about their Sunday Brunch, so I plan on returning to try that!

Long overdue review.
Annual X-​mas feast with the usual suspects. Hosted yet again by the super team of Ruth & Bob T.
As usual I arrived very fashionably late. As I had to pick up some chocolate booze that Ruth needed for after dinner cocktails. I was shown to the dungeon of vittles & booze AKA the Wine Cellar.
Wow what a cool room.
An underground knights of the round (square) table kind of deal with a wine cellar rather than a dungeon adjourned. A pretty cozy room indeed but this cave needed some curtains or something to break up the cavernous echo noise made by our large group of noisy cave dwellers. Dang I missed the nibblers
DRANKS:
I was quickly hooked up with a great red wine from the smokin hot! wine server (forget her name) She was tastier than the wine. Just sayn’. Bummer I missed out on the wine tasting except for the last red one. However Bob hooked up a bottle of some awesome Chamus and aw that was some tasty vino. A couple pours later I was one with the crowd. Ok so someone thought some fruity martinis would be fun while nibbling our appetizers. Ok twist my arm! The Pear marty’s were on point.
APPETIZERS:
They brought out some honey pretzel rolls to get us going. The teazers were all good. Munching on mini beef wellington bites of prime filet mignon and wild mushrooms wrapped in puff pastry with demi-​glacé that were oh so yummy!
I could have easily eaten them for my main course. And the seared tuna was also bomb! I also dug the tomato crostini. All made for some awesome pre-​eats. Others told that the fairytale Pumpkin Bisque was kick ass but I didn’t try any. Chef Cater knew how to get us going.
ENTREE:
I started with the Lobster Bisque as its a personal fav. It was pretty darn tasty but wish the bowl was much deeper.
The Caprese Salad was good too
I wasn’t easily settled on an entrée so I decided to go splits with Dan. We got the Elk Ribs with fried leeks and cognac jus lié and the Pan Seared Diver Scallops with cherry heirloom tomatoes, risotto, citrus beurre blanc, chimichurri, roasted red pepper purée.
While both dishes were very mouthwatering and unique I favored the Elk.
5*****Star food! Not gamey. A nicely cooked med-​rare that went so well with the Chamus. I could easily eat two orders of those deliciously roasted ribs! Minus 1* star for failing to bring my sides until the second asking.
SERVICE: Michelle, our hostess did an amazing job. The staff all very professional and polished making the entire experience 5 star. Chef Carter and his staff did an excellent job and since I had already left before it happened I won’t let it change my rating but there was an ugly tangle with management about the bill. Nice way to spoil a great dining experience Manhattan. Many at the after party mentioned this debacle with a sour note.
Still I’ll be back

We came here to Manhattan Steak and Seafood for brunch to celebrate my wife sticking with me for another year. I wanted to take her to somewhere special and was set on going somewhere nice. We decided on Manhattan after my little sister, Jay Y, told me about it. Manhattan is a nice restaurant located in Orange, CA. They have five different dining areas; all nicely set up. Brunch is served in 2 of their rooms.
They had a carving table with prime rib and roast duck, king crab legs, shrimp, omelet and crêpe station, and sushi in one of their rooms. Cooked foods, including swordfish, breakfast items, breads, and desserts were in the other room.
The King Crab legs were cut in half making it easy to get to the crab meat. The crab legs seemed like it was a little dry. Other than that, it tasted okay when drenched with butter and lemon juice. The prime rib was a little overcooked to me. It is hard finding anyplace that serves it rare anymore. The duck was overcooked and dry. The breakfast items, like sausage and bacon were good.
Service was good. They hostess greeted us and wished us «Happy Anniversary». They waitress was nice and friendly. Champagne or Sparkling Cider was part of the brunch. Unfortunately, they ran out of Sparkling Cider. But, they gave us soda instead.
Their brunch buffet is reasonably priced at $ 38. Most of the «nice» brunch buffets at other restaurants were over $ 50. Manhattan was just as good as some the «nicer» buffets that I have been to. 3 ½ stars.

If Frank Sinatra had a restaurant that served classically styled food with modern flavors this would be it! I went here for brunch while I was preforming in California and I am SO GLAD that I made the stop for this gem while on my way to LA.
Service ¹⁰⁄₁₀: Service first (and with a smile) as always. The minute I walked into the place (despite the fact that they were almost done with Brunch) I received a warm greeting from the hostess and sat down at a nice table, despite being a party of one that day. The waitress I had, Cat, was similar, warm customer service, attentive but not obnoxious (I like to read and be on my own when I eat and she seemed to pick up on that) and very friendly. She also chatted with me a little bit when it slowed down. Super pleasant customer service experience.
Atmosphere ¹⁰⁄₁₀: I’m a total vintage lady (love vintage, rockabilly, swing and the whole she-​bang!) so the decorations and overall atmosphere were perfect for me. Lounge pianist up front, classic black and whites of the old-​school Manhattan and hollywood scene along with fabulous 40s and 50s style interior. It was all very well thought out and beautifully done, I absolutely love the space. Best part of it is that the restaurant is large enough to hold events! There are two large sections, separated by the hostess station, that are available for booking while keeping the establishment open! So no showing up and having to be turned away during «events» (a problem I’ve had at a few of my favorites).
Food ¹²⁄₁₀: If I could give that brunch a high rating, I would (o wait, I did). Since I took part in their amazing brunch spread, I’ll break down each of my items. As is indicated here, they all scored a ten (read on if you want to see what went above and beyond).
Eggs Benedict: Having been landlocked in Denver for so long (great for comedy, terrible for fish) I almost forgot what a good Salmon Benedict tasted like! Fluffy English Muffin with delicious, fresh salmon on top. The hollandaise was smooth, creamy with that light zap of lemon that makes your mouth sing! The salmon itself had a hearty, smoked taste that melted in your mouth and when you cut into the egg the thick yolk was at a perfect consistency. I can’t recommend it enough.
Bacon: Thick strips of wonderfully cured pork, what is there to say, who on earth can mess up bacon? The maple goodness was perfect and the fat slightly crisp (as I like it), it was kind of like eating Studio Ghibli bacon (you can google that, there will be pictures of bacon art that will make you droll on the spot).
Omelet: There is a little station you can hit up that will make you your own omelet! This guy is a pro: the omelet came out fluffy, no parts burnt or crisp, cheese properly melted and well distributed, peppers, spinach and tomatoes properly heated, it was excellent! Nothing was runny or watery, just a solid, great omelet!
FOR MY ABSOLUTELY MOST FAVORITE THING OF ALL ¹³⁄₁₀:
Now, I might be a salty bitch, but I have one hell of a sweet tooth and this place satisfied it to no end. Turns out, the rad redhead that was working for Blue Frog Bakery a few years ago WORKS HERE NOW (I thought those pastries tasted special). I swear to god the Lord put extra sugar into his mixture when he was making her, everything she bakes tastes fantastic. I got one (maybe two, three… four) of everything at that dang dessert table and I loved ALL OF IT.
Swan Cream Puffs: These were light, fluffy, cute and filled with dark chocolate! Heck, a group of tourists were taking pictures of them across from my table! I love cute things, so I snagged three of these and took my pictures before I destroyed them in my mastication hole.
Biscuits: These were cute too! I’m starting to think she has a specialty in adorable and tasty things. They were adorable, white chocolate biscuits in little heart shapes. Though they were sweet, they weren’t over poweringly so and tasted very nice with my tea.
Earl Grey Mousse: Now this was special. I have only encountered this elusive dessert in 5 star restaurants and pintrest boards, so I quickly grabbed three and inelegantly snarfed them in my own excitement. They. Were. Perfect. I got a great sense of the tea flavor along with a very subtle chocolate after taste. The whip was light and not over powering. It was almost like a tea frappé with better consistency and not a frappé.
Crème’ Brule: Are you kidding me with this girl?! I found out she does all of these desserts herself and gets to pick the menu. She’s pumping out Brule in classy little cups like there is no tomorrow and each one was fantastic (I may have eaten four, don’t tell my trainer… or my mom). Evenly torched and the custard was dead on, custard wasn’t runny, the sugar had a nice crack to it when you hit it with the spoon. It was perfect.
Eat here, it’s amazing.

Nice place, disappointing food…
We came here for Father’s Day Brunch. $ 45 per person is a bit steep but I know prices usually go up for a holiday.
The restaurant is interestingly divided into different sections, sort of like a house. There’s the main dining area where they had the salads, carving and seafood station and another one for hot food and dessert. In the middle was a live pianist which was nice.
We were seated on a section that was a few stairs up, which was not bad but we just couldn’t enjoy the live music.
When I saw the oysters, crab legs and shrimps, I thought this was going to be one of the best brunches ever. I usually see one or two but not all of them at the same time.
*The Oysters were not shucked properly and I don’t remember if they were on enough ice but they sure didn’t taste very good or fresh
*Sushi rolls were ok. Although the fish looked fresh, the rice was very hard. They did have a big piece of eel which was good
*The crab legs were very bland, like they were frozen and just thawed
*The waffles were good and crunchy
*The pink red velvet pancakes didn’t taste much like red velvet, very artificial flavor
*The prime rib lacked flavor even after pouring au jus on top
*The eggs benedict tasted very buttery
*There were only about 4 pastries for dessert plus a chocolate fountain. They had a cute «hamburger» made of nilla cookies with a brownie“pattie” in the middle. They also had a carrot cupcake and a small pecan bar. I love sweets but none of them really stood out to me. Everyone else in my party of 4 was pretty underwhelmed too.
Overall, although they had a good selection, the taste just wasn’t there. I hate to give a bad review since it’s a nice place but as I think back, there wasn’t really any dish that’s worth going back for, especially for the price.