Very bad experience. The Mother's Day show was weak and mostly tedious, but she tried real hard. The awful part was the venue. We arrived 10 minutes before we were told, but it took another 20 to get seated. It took another 20 minutes before we could order a beverage. As another reviewer mentioned, the buffet was pitifully empty. Two empty salad bowls, six empty pizza pans and a chafer with ONE portion of fish left for the 15 people still in line. I left and came back later to see if it had been replenished... No. Â I took cell phone photos so I couldn't be accused of exaggeration. We still got a bill for 18% tip. The theater did not agree to any refund but Goldstar did it anyway. Thanks Goldstar.
Review Source:Disappointing Mother's Day Brunch. We were asked to arrive 90 minutes before the show. We arrived 75 minutes before the show and had to wait 30 minutes to get in. Once we got to the buffet table, all the food was picked over (lots of empty plates or only the crumbs left). The table service was poor as well. The show was moderately entertaining. The whole experience was no way near worth the price of admission. I definitely won't be subjecting my poor mother to this again.
Review Source:Dinner and a live show for the price of a ticket is a great deal. Â Service was a little slow but waitress more than made up for it with a round of free drinks. Dinner was surprisingly good as was the chocolate cake my wife and I shared. Will diffently make a effort to see another show.
Review Source:I had a great time with my sisters here, but the show was not very entertaining. Â I think the name of the show was Swing into Spring. Â The costumes looked like they were thrown together last minute at the nearest thrift shop. Â I'm glad I did not pay full price for the meal and show. Â The food was comparable to hospital cafeteria food and the service was slow.
Review Source:Sadly, no more Encore for me. Yesterday we have spent over $200 for a dinner & "A Song For Christmas" musical and it was a total, embarrassing disaster.
It started so promising. The ambiance in the theater was warm and wonderful, food, wine and service were impeccable but then the show began & we just wanted to run... It was so amateurish, which I would totally tolerate if the tickets were free - but we paid so much money to be there! I wanted to leave in the middle of the first act, but we had to wait to the intermission to settle our bill - it was a torture.
I'd say 90% of the audience had the same reaction - we saw people giggling, rolling their eyes, exchanging disapproving g looks - it was such a spoiler of a potentially beautiful & memorable Christmas evening. I really felt cheated that time. No more Encore for me.
Our recent experience:
1. Great service.
2. Food was superior! Exceeded expectations for a dinner theater. There were 5 of us Pesto with Chicken, Filet Mignon, Salmon, Tilapia , Chicken. All were pleased with their dinner. Only limited salad dressings so Ceasars was good.
3. Henry Prego as Sinatra with Full Swing Band was exceptional! Phrasing posing and voice was superior better than Vegas show!
4. Parking is a strip mall no issues well lit.
5. Really nice venue for a wonderful evening treat  yourself and family & friends.
6. Excited to see next show a Christmas theme.
7. Nice choice of Desserts.
8. Full Bar, not inexpensive, but drinks are powerful.
Goldstar offered a good deal for dinner and a show. My friends and I were bored one Saturday night, so we decided on taking in an evening of Frank Sinatra, as performed by Henry Prego. Â The theater itself is a little hard to find, and pretty sketch looking from the outside, but it is located in a strip mall with some interesting places...Honda-Ya and Laxmi Sweets & Spices are nearby! Â The foyer is a bit threadbare, but upon entering, the joint is quite classy. The orchestra area, stage, lighting, and ambiance are beautiful. The chairs are clearly meant for an older crowd, as they are low to the ground and on wheels. Â For $29 we got a "platinum package"... an entree each, and admission to the show, in the "special" part of the audience.
The food wasn't bad. Â The service was slow, but I blame the usual crowd. I don't think we, as lucid 20 and 30 year olds, are the intended audience for this kind of venue. I say this since the vast majority of folks around us seemed mummified, longing for their youth, including separate but equal water fountains, and D.W. Griffith to pop out of hiding.
Henry Prego was fab. Â The opening act, Marc Cohen, was horrible. Classist, racist, mind numbing. I am a less intelligent person for having sat through his nonsense. Seriously, dumb jokes are dumb jokes, no matter how you slice them.
We hadn't been to this theater in a long time. As a kid, my folks used to take me here for various celebrations -- birthdays, good grades, etc. I remember the shows always being pretty good, but the food was just "so-so." NOT ANYMORE! My family and I recently went to see "Broadway Sings" and what a change! The food was tasty, the service was friendly (although it could be more prompt) and the atmosphere was upscale. A perfectly fun way to celebrate my young daughter's birthday! We'll definitely be back.
Review Source:Wernt to see the Henry Prego show. Brilliant performance, comedian didn't go down so well. Food was good, but organization was terrible. Ordered some pre-dinner cocktals and some wine for dinner, they brought the wine to drink pre-dinner ? Also had to hand over the credit card to the drinks server and it would be passed to the waiter to get it back. Pre-dinner drinks never showed, asked for them 4 times before they turned up. When the bill came it just had a total, so I have no idea if a tip was included or not. Advice is to order drinks as you go. Some people had their entree come before the salad. I want them to succeed as its a great concept, but reading everyone elses comments, this food/service experience is par for the course. They really need to get this fixed for me to go back.
Review Source:So my best offer on this is really a 3.5 star.
PRO: The food is decent, it could be better. But while they are focusing on the show not the food, it is tasty and decent. Go with a Goldstar ticket to save some money, you will enjoy the show and food better if you are paying out the a$$ for it.
CON: The service tends to be slow, and while they say seating begins at 5:30PM for a 7:00 PM show it never actually seems to. My overall on the food and service is they are doing just enough to get by.
The overall experience has been worth it, the shows are entertaining and for a dinner and show this makes a decent night out. The redesign of the theatre is nice, and the place is clean. There isn't really a bad seat, but the booths seem more comfortable than the tables. Enjoy!
Took my 83 year old mother to the Swing show and I loved it, as well as mom. Food wasn't the best as we had brunch. But it was great entertainment and a fun time. Wish more people knew about place. Need tons of advertising and,or word of mouth. Send free tix  only with no food  to senior homes maybe? We are going again to the Broadway show. Highly recommend.
Review Source:I attended a matinee show of "SWING" and loved it! The dancers and actors were superb and the big band orchestra was fantastic! I didn't order any food so I won't comment on that since I don't know the quality. But the theater was well maintained, the bathrooms were clean, the staff was very friendly and attentive. I will definitely return to support his local gem of a theater!
Review Source:Got discount tickets to a performance so went to the 1:30 matinee of Broadway...Sings it Again. Â Performance was good and would recommend. Â The dinner portion of the night wasn't so good. Â Since we had discount tickets, dinner wasn't included. Â For us, that's ok since the advertised prices were reasonable. Â Took 30 min. for a waiter to show up just for drinks. Â To be fare, most were very busy and not stop, so I'm ok waiting a little bit, but 30 min and took us asking 2 separate people before someone showed up. Â We weren't the only table (and yes, the other 2 tables were the same waiter.. Fred) Â Food takes anther 30 min for an appetizer and entree. Â At least wine showed up shortly after the order. Â Food was ok at best. Â salmon was over cooked and dry. Â Corot Cake as the redeeming factor of the meal. Â The bill show's up...
1. Multiple items were more than what was on the menu (example: salmon was $13 on menu, our bill showed $24)
2. Â Gratuity of 18% was added into the bill (we were only 2 people so not a large group)
We mentioned this and they said sorry but since we bought discount tickets the meals cost more and we were given the wrong menus! Â They apologized and said since their mistake they would set to our price of $13.
When the new bill came, they had jacked the price of the meal to $29.99, then given us a $14 discount.. hmmm funny math in my book. Â Gratuity was still included. Â When the waiter came to pickup the bill, I asked him to just charge for the bill and I would include tip... credit card bill comes back with TIP INCLUDED! Â I crossed out and left a $1 tip... I still can't believe this. Â I guess they must get many people that don't really look at thier bills. Â Horrible business practices. Â I'd go back for the shows as they were good, recommend staying away form the dinners!
This place is very classy. Â the food was wonderful last night. Â the staff are very helpful. Â a great place to see a show. Â I felt like i was in another time or another town with the beautiful lighting and feeling when you come into the theater. Â Great acts coming your way this season I'm sure.
Review Source:GREAT jazz show with legendary Barbara Morrison last night. This was my first time and we are already planning for future shows. Dinner & dessert were very good and alchohol drinks were very affordable. You can share a bottle of wine for $15 and there is a full list of premium drinks too. Â Seating is very comfortable and easy access for all. The staff was very nice and I love the fact that it is a local spot. I don't have to drive an hour to see a quality show now. Patrons were dancing all night and Barbara did 3 sets but we still wanted more! I'm looking forward to her next visit.
Note that you can also go to a show after dinner. Similar to a comedy club. They also have comedy acts on the weekends and Broadway musical shows. I think it would be fun if they had a rockabilly type of show. It would introduce them to a new crowd and the 50's nighclub atmosphere would be appreciated. It would be fun to dress up for a 40's or 50's theme night with a show too.
Went to see the Swing last night with my girlfriends. Got our tickets thru Goldstar. Definitely worth the money. It was very entertaining. The food and service was good. I've been a resident of Tustin for 20 plus years and this is my 1st time going to this theater. I'm glad I finally went.
Review Source:SWING: A Big Band Musical Revue  - As a first timer, we were pleasantly surprised to partake in the dinner and show at the newly renovated Encore!!  The staff and food were very good.  We had a small issue with the bartender, but management quickly and pleasantly resolved the issue and we had a marvelous time.  Although we tried the "speciality" menu (not the menu included in the ticket price), both menus looked great and I saw only empty plates.  The box office gal that assisted me in choosing the seat location was extremely pleasant and helpful and we had a great view.  The music, performers and band were most entertaining and we had an awesome time.  Met the owners at the end of the show, who were equally as nice and I would recommend to all.  We will be back!!!
Review Source:I took my mom here the other night to celebrate her birthday. We had both always wanted to try this dinner theater and I found tickets on Goldstar for a little over half off ($30 a ticket instead of $70+), and thought now was as good a time as any. I did expect a little more from this place as far as the show was concerned. It was cute, but the dancers were just ok (during the final dance number several of them messed up on when to turn). The singers were also just ok. Not bad, not great, but not as good as I would expect if someone was paying $70 a ticket (thank goodness I got mine for less!).
The food was decent. I had the chicken and my mom had the tilapia. My chicken was very good (again, nothing special, but definitely one of the better meals I have had at a dinner theater). My mom's Tilapia was kind of a joke. It was literally maybe 3oz of fish on top of a large serving of mash potatoes. It reminded me of those old Wendy's commercials of "Where's the beef?" Except this time it was "Where's the fish?" Our servers were very nice, but the delivery of the food was a little chaotic. We got our salads right away, but had to ask for a waiter for our bread (the table next to us actually never got their bread until they asked for it after they were already served their meal!). Our meal came out a little late (I think they got confused on the order, because they originally came out with two tilapia instead of a chicken and a tilapia). Again though, the wait staff was very nice and definitely did their best to get us our food.
The one thing that did impress me about this place was the cost of the drinks. The house wines were only $5 for a glass! I just got back from the Sawdust festival the other day and their wine was $8! So, props on the reasonable drink prices. I was a little disappointed that dessert was not included with the meal; however, unlike other dinner theater places I have been to, the dessert was huge! For around $6 my mom and I got a cheesecake to split. It was delicious!
Overall, I probably would not come back here because of the show. Before I saw the show (i.e., during dinner), my mom and I were very excited about their Best of Broadway show starting at the end of September. However, with the mediocre entertainment at the Swing show, I think I am going to pass. Even $30 seems like a little too much. I would probably rate the meal at being worth $12 - $15 (for the chicken...$7 for the fish) and the show being worth $5-$10.
We just went to see the big-band review and it was my first time at this dinner theater. Wow -the food was fantastic. They even made a special vegan dish for me. The portions were very generous and very high quality compared to the normal dinner theater fare.  The brunch plate had bacon,eggs,ciabatta,potatoes,creme brûlée  french toast and a yogurt parfait. It was huge. We also loved the entertainment. The orchestra was wonderful and it was beyond my expectations. We did talk to the manager about the slow service and he was responsive, gracious and resolved the service issue immediately.  The theater was recently remodeled and had the most comfy large swivel chairs I've ever seen in a theater. This place is nothing like the old dinner theater that was here.  It's amazing and a real hidden gem.  I even asked about holding fundraising events here midweek because it is so nice inside. Well done!
Review Source:i took a group of 80 and 90 year olds to see the Swing show for my aunts 90th birthday.
The group LOVED the show. Â However, watch for hidden fees. Â I bought 8 tickets through Gold Star at $ 35.00 each, this included a lunch and matinee show. Â The play was good, but they ran out of food so the group was not able to order what they wanted on the desert menu.
Also it is a bit dark in thre so they had trouble seeing the menu. Â I think the venue should be up friont about extras. Â After paying over $240.00 for the tickets, I was presented with another bill for another $40.00 plus a 15% tip on the value of th food.
I recently traveled to Encore Dinner Theatre to consider them for an upcoming event I am promoting. Â What a beautiful and classy facility they have and everyone I met there was very friendly and welcoming. Â I am truly excited to hold my event at their establishment and I know it is going to be first-class! Â I highly recommend Encore Dinner Theatre!
Review Source:This is a place to stay away from and when we went Friday night 6/15/12 it looks like most people agree, only 25% filled at the best. Laurel the box office manager miss leads you. We had bought ticket to see Damm Yankee back in the middle of Feburary. On May 22nd she called and told me that Big Band Swing and been extened thru July 1st and I could either reschedule Damm Yankee for a different day or attend Big Band Swing on the 15th of July. We choose that option, I then found out much later that Damm Yankee was cancelled. On May 22nd I was NOT given that option of refund. When I complained that night of the show, I was given this option of a refund. Since we were there we stayed. Second item of being mislead, I said to Laurel that the primerib was excellent and she said that chef made a excellent Primerib. We ordered a endcut, than server said we are out of end cuts. Now to be fair the menu did not say that they had Primerib, but the picture on their website shows a Primerib dinne with their website both of those statement I assumed they did. We got a steak for an extra $12.95 that was even as good as what you can get from Norms Resturant. The salad and the 1000 Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cake were both excellent. The singing and dancing were at the best Run-of-the-mill.
Review Source:Based on a Friday night stand-up comedy show - discovered thru a Groupon Now deal. $18 for 2 tickets plus 1 appetizer or dessert up to $8.
Before the show starts (at 10pm), you wait in the lobby with others while a server takes your drink orders. There's a bar but no one tending to it. The only drink I ordered was a rum and coke, which was only $5! I think a cranberry vodka also goes for $5.
A staff member takes each party one by one to their seats inside the gorgeous theater. We sat at a table front and center. No booths available up there, only from the second row and on. Â
For a Friday night, this place was DEAD. I counted 18 people in the audience (including us) in a theater that easily seats about 80. I think this place needs better advertising to get themselves out there more!
This isn't the venue's fault, but the comedians were just NOT doing it for the crowd. You can tell all 18 of us were fake laughing most of the time. Maybe if there was a bigger crowd, they could get more into it? They resorted to picking on members of the audience (including myself) and discussing the personal life of the drunk girl in the audience who would yell out random things.
There is a small menu for comedy performance nights. A few things I could remember off the menu: Mozzarella sticks, 3 cheeseburger sliders, spinach dip, fried green beans, red velvet cake slice, and chocolate cake slice - which were all decently priced at around $8 or more. We ordered mozzarella sticks - 6 pieces with marinara sauce - delicious! Also ordered the 3 cheeseburger sliders which were NOT DELICIOUS!! Imagine eating a burger patty made out of SALT. I don't know why we didn't ask them to take it back.
Another thing that bothered me - I asked our waitress if I can have a glass of water (to wash down my cheese saltburger). After 15 minutes of waiting for water, I got her attention when she was near. She forgot about my water, but eventually brought it. I wonder how long it would have taken if it was a full house that night?!
The place IS beautiful, the bathrooms are nice, friendly staff, but I don't think this place can bring me back unless there's a well-known comedian or a *really* good show that sparks my interest.
The new owners have worked hard to bring dinner theatre back to the OC, and they are on the right path. Â The interior renovations are great and the seating is extremely comfortable. Â The food is tasty, with fair portions. Â The show itself was worth watching. Â The band is very good. Â Most of the singers and dancers are good. Â Thursday night has senior discounts, and there are weekend comedy shows. Â Give it a try.
Review Source:I am new to the area. I loved the ambiance of this place. This theatre looks like it has been here for at least 50 years. It's old and I love it. This place has really great potential. And the desserts look amazing. I wanted all of them. We went for the first time to see a comedy show for $10 each. The price is great and there is NO purchase requirement. So if you don't eat this is a really cheap date. The comedians were great and I will definitely be back here again.
The only problem is that it is dead. These folks need to learn to advertise. There is not much to do in the OC so this place should be packed especially on a Friday night. There was only like 15-20 people and the beautiful theatre can sit about 100 people.
A few pointers:
1. Advertise better
2. Give one free drink to everyone with the ticket to loosen people up.
3. Make sure all your alcholic drinks are AMAZING to keep people hooked. I normally drink 2-3 but I only drank 1 because my drink was ok.
4. Get more than one waitress. She was great but poor thing can barely manage everyone.
5. Someone should start talking to the crowd in the waiting room. Build the atmosphere!
Good luck
Pear-Gorgonzola Vingarette on house salad = amazing! I was there with 2 of my friends and we might have sampled each other's food. Seriously, I'd go just for the food. Top notch! Desserts were huge and orgasmic. The cheesecake is best, it is lighter then most baked cheesecakes, which I think is perfect.
Don't be fooled, it is a bit pricey, but not for the quality of food and a good show! Swing into Spring had so many good songs (big band musical review type show) that made me want to dance! Too bad they only have dancing for patrons twice! The lighting and mics were off or funky for a couple parts, but for the first opening, it is to be expected.
I hear Mother's Day is going to be big. If my mom wasn't in Indiana, I'd absolutely take her here. She'd love it! Getting there about an hour before the show is a good time. Take in a drink at Pineapple Hill if you get there super early.
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