Our experience at the Rusty Pelican was very pleasurable! Annoying that valet is the only option, because we're fully capable of parking our own cars. Calamari were way too breaded for our taste and I'm pretty sure the waitress got my drink wrong. But it's a very casual yet sophisticated vibe in the restaurant and the fish dishes were prepared absolutely wonderfully.Parking: There's only valet in their lot, or I guess you could try and find street parking somewhere nearby, it's not going to be very close though because the restaurant is on a main road.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Newport Crab Cakes, Fish
john sturgeon
From the moment we walked in aesthetic was amazing. Everybody is super nice, helpful and friendly open doors and holding them open for my father. We will come back as often as we can the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food that we get. The flagship sea bass was the best dish I’ve had in years ! Our waiter, Jordon was amazing Super attentive , friendly, and very intuitive . The view is breathtaking!
Everything about this place was great except the food. Beautiful place with a great view but the food just wasn’t it for me. Very bland and basic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Gavin Watt
I had the scallops special, and my Dad and wife had the halibut special, both fantastic. We started out with a salad which was also fantastic. The view is, you guessed it, fantastic.Parking: Great venue, food, and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Cheesecake, Seafood
Jamie Moore
A year and a half ago we really enjoyed the food so we came back and it was awful. All our food was cold, def wasn’t made fresh like items were made days before and reheated. Even the salad was just some bottled dressing poured on top.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
K AMann
Just keep coming back to this place. Love everything about it. Food, service, atmosphere all great! If you want to dine oceanside, this is the spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Shrimp
Ken Randlesome
Lovely location with great seafood. Valet parking 8 bucks. Would definitely return
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood
Brennan Shaw
The food is fine, the waterside view is great, the staff is kind and lovely..But the service was remarkably bad! Our server "punched in" the wrong dish for an order, which she didn't notice until we complained. We ordered off the "lunch" menus, and then were charged for the "dinner" menu which was ~$6 more expensive for the exact same food. We paid $8 for the privilege of having our car moved about 20 feet in a nearly empty parking lot. And the mocha cake we ordered for dessert was clearly frozen and almost impossible to cut..It would have been a lot more reasonable at half the price, but I can't really recommend this place.Parking: This place has a tiny parking lot and mandatory $8 per car valet. Maybe during dinner it's necessary, but it felt like an insult when the lot was completely empty and we could see our car 20 feet away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Crème Brulee
Franco Ignelzi
Food was delicious and the view very relaxing. Service was great, Michelle was attentive and kind to us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Brunka
Average food, on par with what you get in Newport and CDM which is something we are getting used to. Oily beer battered calamari - it should be breaded and flash pan fried. Bad house salad. The fish was ok. Service was very nice
Chad was our bartender and our server, he was fantastic. He makes excellent drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Leslie Clark Ashton
Spendy, but the food was the best meal we had in Newport Beach. Expect to drop a C-Note per head with a meal and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Megan Bennett
My waitress Alexis was so nice!! She’s the best!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake
Darren Gauthier
Had the Maui with mashed potatoes with lemon butter sauce. Melt in your mouth. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
tommy tommy
Super slow service. Took forever to bring my soda Waitress didn't bring items included with the meal. When asked she said that meal does not come with the food we requested. We had to show her on the menu it says comes with this. Then she said oh they must have changed that and when she brought out the missing food she puts it down and said here you go like she was annoyed that she was wrong and we asked for it as it was on the menu. Great views but bad experience
Our experience at the Rusty Pelican was very pleasurable! Annoying that valet is the only option, because we're fully capable of parking our own cars. Calamari were way too breaded for our taste and I'm pretty sure the waitress got my drink wrong. But it's a very casual yet sophisticated vibe in the restaurant and the fish dishes were prepared absolutely wonderfully.Parking: There's only valet in their lot, or I guess you could try and find street parking somewhere nearby, it's not going to be very close though because the restaurant is on a main road.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Newport Crab Cakes, Fish
From the moment we walked in aesthetic was amazing. Everybody is super nice, helpful and friendly open doors and holding them open for my father. We will come back as often as we can the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food that we get. The flagship sea bass was the best dish I’ve had in years ! Our waiter, Jordon was amazing Super attentive , friendly, and very intuitive . The view is breathtaking!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Newport Crab Cakes, Fish, Seafood
Everything about this place was great except the food. Beautiful place with a great view but the food just wasn’t it for me. Very bland and basic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
I had the scallops special, and my Dad and wife had the halibut special, both fantastic. We started out with a salad which was also fantastic. The view is, you guessed it, fantastic.Parking: Great venue, food, and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Cheesecake, Seafood
A year and a half ago we really enjoyed the food so we came back and it was awful. All our food was cold, def wasn’t made fresh like items were made days before and reheated. Even the salad was just some bottled dressing poured on top.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Just keep coming back to this place. Love everything about it. Food, service, atmosphere all great! If you want to dine oceanside, this is the spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Shrimp
Lovely location with great seafood. Valet parking 8 bucks. Would definitely return
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood
The food is fine, the waterside view is great, the staff is kind and lovely..But the service was remarkably bad! Our server "punched in" the wrong dish for an order, which she didn't notice until we complained. We ordered off the "lunch" menus, and then were charged for the "dinner" menu which was ~$6 more expensive for the exact same food. We paid $8 for the privilege of having our car moved about 20 feet in a nearly empty parking lot. And the mocha cake we ordered for dessert was clearly frozen and almost impossible to cut..It would have been a lot more reasonable at half the price, but I can't really recommend this place.Parking: This place has a tiny parking lot and mandatory $8 per car valet. Maybe during dinner it's necessary, but it felt like an insult when the lot was completely empty and we could see our car 20 feet away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Crème Brulee
Food was delicious and the view very relaxing. Service was great, Michelle was attentive and kind to us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Average food, on par with what you get in Newport and CDM which is something we are getting used to. Oily beer battered calamari - it should be breaded and flash pan fried. Bad house salad. The fish was ok. Service was very nice
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Chad was our bartender and our server, he was fantastic. He makes excellent drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Spendy, but the food was the best meal we had in Newport Beach. Expect to drop a C-Note per head with a meal and drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My waitress Alexis was so nice!! She’s the best!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake
Had the Maui with mashed potatoes with lemon butter sauce. Melt in your mouth. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Super slow service. Took forever to bring my soda Waitress didn't bring items included with the meal. When asked she said that meal does not come with the food we requested. We had to show her on the menu it says comes with this. Then she said oh they must have changed that and when she brought out the missing food she puts it down and said here you go like she was annoyed that she was wrong and we asked for it as it was on the menu. Great views but bad experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1