Ate here for the first tonight. Â Really impressed. Â Had the pumpkin ravioli with butter sage sauce. Â DELICIOUS and would have licked the plate if it wasn't considered bad manners! Â Service was fantastic as well, and their wine sampler was fun, too. Â Highly recommend this place. Â It is very small and seats are limited.
Review Source:I'm so excited to find this caliber and genre of restaurant in San Clemente! I just moved to San Clemente from Laguna Beach where there's plenty of great restaurants to chose from. Chef's Pub would stand out anywhere. The service was great but the food was even better. I had the Pork Schnitzel with pumpkin spaetzle with a creamy mustard sauce and it was super yummy. I love the atmosphere as much as the food and I'll be heading back to soon.
Review Source:I love love love this place. Super urban atmosphere, reminds me of a new york styled  restaurant. Their food is to die for. I love their salads, fish tacos, lamb plate, fries, and chocolate souffle. It's a little pricey but definitely worth the spend. I come here every now and then and always leave stuffed and satisfied. Friendly service and awesome place! Bean dip and bread is also a plus. If you haven't been here, you are missing out!
Review Source:I think this one of the best places in SC to go get drinks and dinner. Â The food is always super tasty. Â The service is just okay. Â The best seat in the house is at the bar overlooking the kitchen. Â You gotta try the stuffed little red pepper appetizer. Â The duck wings appetizer is delectable but actually duck drumsticks. Â The bar serves up really good specialty drinks made with homegrown herbs from their garden. Â Last time I was there I had the local halibut entree with winter root veggies and I ate every bite...I remember the sauce was yummy!
Review Source:One of my most favorite local restaurants. Although everything is tasty, the fish tacos and the Mexi burger are the best. Have been to a few of their wine pairing dinners and would defiantly recommend those too. It gets busy on the weekend, especially the pub side, so it's always good to be safe and have a reservation. Friendly staff, too!
Review Source:I wanted to love this place, but it just fell short. After having gone to St. Roy for drinks a few months back, a couple of friends and I thought we'd check it out for dinner. Now we went on a Friday night without reservations, so we expected a wait, but were pleasantly surprised to be sat in the small dining room right away. This is where our satisfaction with the staff stops.
I'm not sure if the hostess sat us now knowing how busy the serving staff were, or if the serving staff were just not up to par. It took nearly ten minutes for our server to show at our table, just to tell us he'd be back with us in a few more minutes. During this time our water glasses were not filled, and no bread was brought. It took a total of 5 visits from the server to get a wine list, hear the specials, take a drink order, take an order for a cheese plate, and finally to take our order. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal if it was done in a timely manner, but it wasn't. What irked me a bit was that when the server told us the specials he mentioned the souffle and how it takes 25 minutes to prepare, he then took off without asking if we'd like this food item, and by the time he did take our order it wouldn't have been worth our time. In fact, he didn't take our order until we flagged him down after our cheese plate had been finished.
Now let me be clear, this is not the type of restaurant in which the server takes your order, brings your drinks and food, takes your plates, cleans up their own tables. This is the type of place where your server takes your order and THAT'S IT. All other things are brought be servers assistants/ bussers. Our server wasn't on the floor with other patrons during the time we were so hungry we could have eaten our shirts, so I don't know what the hold up was.
The food over all was... okay. Â It was better than TGIFriday's, but to be honest, for the price, I'd have rather gone there. The one stand out item was the cheese plate, though even that had some faults. We ordered a full plate that had a brie, a manchego, a chevre, and a blue cheese. The problem was that the majority of the plate was two giant portions of the chevre, as if they were trying to get rid of it and skimp on the other more mild cheeses. Â My friend ordered a burger and it was pretty looking, but the order was wrong after she specifically said no onions, and my other friend and I ordered fish dishes. My cedar plank salmon was a decent piece of fish, but was poorly seasoned with way too much salt, and the tiniest "medley" of vegetables. One fingerling spud and two tablespoons of centimeter sized squash doesn't count as a side, that's a garnish.
Overall, it's a nice ambiance, but for the price I think I'll be going somewhere else next time.
Came here for drinks after getting bombs at Pizza Port.
I like the vibe of this place and the decor was very tasteful. The drinks were strong and they had no problem when we told them one our beverages came out a little watery. They took care of it immediately and handled it like champs. They even have a drink called The Persian Rug - yeah, I had to order it since I'm Persian.
If I was in the area I would stop by and grab another drink.
As others have noted this place has slowly declined in food consistency and service. A great restaurant simply can't get lazy. Now don't get me wrong the food is still decent and service not bad, just not what it used to be. Just a few examples when taken together illustrate this. First, they have always been known for their beer selection. You go to their site and they tell you to come in and check the chalk board. Really? Too lazy to update it on line? Then if your not sitting in the bar the menu doesn't have the beer selection either so you have to get up and walk into the bar area and check the board. Really? To lazy to put it on the menu or print something up separate? Finally, OK, wait for it. I order an IPA off the board and you guessed it , tapped out. So I have to get up and walk back in to check the board out again!
This visit was for a birthday so when we made the reservation we requested a candle in the Chocolate Soufflé. We even mentioned it again to our waitress. Candle in the Soufflé? Nope.
We had main courses that we have had on past visits. Â just not as good as in the past. Lots of good choices in San Clemente now, might be a while before we head back.
Favorite restaurant in San Clemente. Great food with a semi seasonal menu. Honestly, I would rather not turn more people on to this restaurant because it isn't very large and I don't like waits, but I love the place so much that I feel like it is my duty.
Also, perfect selection of crafted draft beers and wine. Make a visit to this restaurant.
Strong recommendations:
Shallot crusted flank steak
mac and cheese (I know, but just try it)
Mexicali burger
Torta (not always on the menu but it was incredible)
This is a review for if people wish to reserve space for a very large group, to give a heads up to other Yelpers. I'm sure I would love the food if I ever made it through the door.
I had been trying to find a nice place to seat about 30 people, and this place seemed like it would work out. So I get in contact with the manager 2 months in advance, with personal email and phone #. I don't ever hear back from him after trying a few times via email and phone, and was so frustrated that I gave up. Then I receive a call the day before my original reservation from a hostess, checking to see if I was still coming and that it had already been "confirmed". Â Too late! If you wanted my business, you could have handed my reservation off to someone else to take care of. Â Bad communication on their end, so be warned if you plan to reserve a place here for a large group or special event.
I stopped in here for dinner while staying in San Clemente for business. What a find! The staff are super friendly, and the food is very good! Â Their selection of microbrews and wine rocks! I liked the place so much, I went there for dinner again the next night... but this time, there was space at the bar. This allowed me to engage in conversation with the friendly locals also sitting at the bar and the bar staff. How fun! This place has great food, great drinks, and a great vibe, and I highly recommend it!
Review Source:San Clemente: Known for it's great surf, beautiful landscape, and the summer home of former President Richard Nixon. But wait, aren't we forgetting something? Ah yes, the burgers. When I had first done some research on this establishment, it had looked pretty decent; however, there was one picture of a burger, and only two actual burgers on the menu. *Whoosh* After a memory flash-back to the lame experience at Umami - Great presentation, super-mediocre burger; I returned to truth, and realized my duty to give every burger, no matter what size, style, or ingredients, it's fair shot. Justly decided, myself and team of B.A. Buddies ventured out to San Clemente to get a first hand look, and taste, at what St. Roy had to offer:
Menu Name: Wine Country Burger
Shallot-Crusted Kobe Beef
Sourdough Bun
Manchego Cheese
Roasted Tomatoes
Arugula
Secret Sauce
Calorie Count: 950 kcals
Walking up the small, terracota-tiled pathway, you pass through the black outlined door, and enter the bar. Once inside, the smooth, insecure-fleeing ambience wipes away any lack of confidence as your eyes feast upon the selections. Whether you're looking at females, males, or um yeah, of course, the bar and wine selection, each emotion about the bar, containing your truest feelings, are correct; this place is D.F.B. (Damn F***in Bomb, achem, or Dom's Favorite Burgers, achem, exucse me)-Certified .
From there, if asked for, you are able to break bread in the holiest of rooms, the fine-dining room. Sitting at the tall, beige and brown striped booths, you feel free to talk and confess; confess your love for all burgers in the world.
Whilst confessing, your burger is placed in front of you, as you prepare to dine as a king, with the Wine Country Burger. Taking that first, juicy bite, your mouth is flooded with the oven-roasted tomatoes - cooked perfectly to a t. The manchego cheese follows with such distinction, that as it is about to take over your mouth, the caramelized onions step up to fight for contention. After cleansing your palette by way of iceberg lettuce, you can taste the pure, succulent beef. Uninhibited by anything else, your mouth has entered through the gates of heaven and landed on a beautifully toasted sourdough bun, made by the hands of angels.
The "Kobe" beef was cooked perfectly medium-rare, which allowed all the juices to remain cozy under the tastefully decorated shallot-crusted blanket. The next ingredient that contributed most to the flavor would have to have been the combination of the manchego cheese sleeping with the caramelized onions. The roasted tomatoes and the iceberg lettuce were the perfect ways to lighten up an otherwise, wonderfully heavy burger. And ending with the buttered and toasted sourdough, the beef was put on a pedestal, as you were left wanting more.
Now lets get on with it. The fries were delicious. Skinny, shoestring-style fries drizzled in a light garlic and butter made my mouth just water. Carrie our waitress was beautiful, kind, and one of the best waitress' around. Oh, and did I mention that she had the restaurant playing The Smiths Pandora Radio? No? Well, basically, yeah, she was awesome.
Now don't expect me to do this often, but I had to show you guys a picture of a real burger knife that slices perfectly:
Anyway, for how great the overall atmosphere and environment of the restaurant, the $13 dollar burger was well worth the price... It even came with those delicious fries I mentioned earlier. And so we have, coming in at #5 Wine Country Burger, acclimating beside #4 Hodads, and #6 Â KGB: Kerry's Gourmet Burgers...
Grading Scale
Burger taste... 8.75 out of 10
French fry taste... 8.5 out of 10
Burger presentation... 9 out of 10
Price... 8.5 out of 10
Knife test... PASS (No awarded percentage points are awarded on a "Pass", because that is what is expected)
TOTAL: 34.75/40 = .868% B
*Note: Actual ranking is subject to change when new burgers make the list. Also, the percentage score will not reflect the burgers' ranking on the list, for each burger is unique and must be graded on it's own merits. For up-to-date rankings, check THE OC Burger List in the menu! Thanks.
Food was good accept the rubbery halibut which was literally 2 1/2 table spoons in size for $32.00 but came with very delicious vegetables and 3 of what they called prawns the size of regular shrimp. I really was embarrassed, so much so I did not complain, just will not go back! The stout ale, nice. The crispy duck wings, nice. The oysters, eh. I went there based on the fact they had bone marrow per other reviews to find out It's a seasonal item. Most people around us ordered the Mac and Cheese. The owners do need to get over them self's I read in one review. I agree after the halibut plate, too much $$$ for the quantity and quality. One review I read said halibut = Huge, must have been a promo review. I like good food and treat myself often to pricier places, this is not worth it!
Review Source:This is one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten in, never mind one of the best restaurants in San Clemente! Â Who would have thought such a gourmet gastropub/restaurant with wine-country influences could be found in a little beach town?
I loved everything about this place from the ambiance to the menu, the food, and the wines on tap - all of it is brilliant. Â The service is stellar too!! Â Amy M. was our server and was extremely knowledgeable, patient with questions, made insightful suggestions, and just took great care of us making sure we never had to wait long for another glass of wine or bread, etc.
I can't remember all that was ordered, but some highlights are as follows:
Gin and tonic with juniper berries to get the palate going - refreshing as it is beautiful with plump juniper berries garnishing the glass; Â A full size cheese board served on a wooden paddle that was the perfect teaser and beginnings of a food coma; Â good ol' fashioned, creamy, comforting mac 'n' cheese, pork schnitzel with homemade spring herb spaetzle - symphony in my mouth! Fish and chips - sounds basic? Â NO! Â Beautiful, perfectly golden, Â tender and flaky whole filet of fish (just like you get in London). Â Mexicali burger - huge, juicy burger (the patties are made from homemade ground beef so change daily depending upon the cuts available - yum) and the presentation with a blistered chili pepper speared on top of the burger with a Laguiole knife - magnifique!!! Â Seriously go and walk/jog on a treadmill for about 2 hours so that you can guiltlessly enjoy the most amazing chocolate souffle ever - Â to round out your meal. Â I know desserts and eat them regularly and most chocolate cakes or soufles leave me flat, but this blend of chocolates with creme anglaise (or something like it) is just Di-vine!
The food is all incredibly reasonably priced for the quality, size, presentation, etc. Â The wines by the glass seem a little high to me, but they're not prohibitively expensive either. Â And their wine selection is extensive and thorough. Â
Basically, the point is, everything that is done here is done to the pinnacle of perfection, authenticity, and with homemade principles. Â All the serving pieces are also carefully chosen and top of the line. Â All in all, a stellar experience.
Had an amazing lunch here. The duck wings were crispy, sweet and tangy, delish! The fish & chips served with perfectly cooked shoestring fries. The fish coated with a light batter that remained crispy the entire time. They also have a great selection of beer. The pulled lamb was flavored with just the right amount of sauce, so yummy.
Review Source:Normally I'm a wine girl, but even I can be priced out of the market...their mark-up is ridiculous even for average wines, so beer it was.
Had the Lagunita IPA, very tasty with my schnitzel. Â The meal itself was not the most authentic (that price goes to Barth's in San Juan Capistrano) but good quality and well prepared. Â We had two birthdays in the party and they gave us two complimentary desserts (bonus points for that one!). Â Server switched at some point from a rather fatigued lady to a much more energetic "new guy", this was an improvement.
Bread is served with a mystery paste (server was too tired to explain, apparently), it turned out to be some white bean mush. Â Overall, food was decent, but the greed on the wine is a turn-off for me...will probably not be back.
I want this place to be more... but it just misses on too many levels.
The Good:
1. Great cheese plate - highly recommended
2. Excellent beer list - Old Rasputin on Tap, many North San Diego County Beers.
3. Happy hour is good, but short
4. Bread Plate - The Bread Guy is super nice and friendly.
The not so good:
1. Value - small portions for what you pay (Fish Tacos, Soup/Salad...)
2. Wait Staff - not warm and welcoming.
3. Fairly slow service
4. Fair Cocktail program - though a nice display of citrus and herbs.
I want to like this place and have visited on 4 separate occasions. But sadly, can't justify another.
I hope things improve.
I'm sorry to have to rate this restaurant so low, but I had such high expectations that were crushed. I split the burgandy burger and the wine country burger with my husband. We ordered both of them medium rare, and both were totally overcooked (more like medium well). So not acceptable for a $15 burger!! And we just thought they both had too much stuff on it, the flavors were overwhelming and you couldn't really enjoy the meat and cheese. And I wanted a lot more chocolate in the chocolate souffle.
Our server was outstanding, like a four or five star guy, but I don't rate restaurants on service if the food is poor.
I probably won't be dining here on the regular because it's a tad bit out of my price range, but when the parentals offer to take me out for dinner I sure know how to pick em!
Vine has lovely ambience on either side (bar or dining room) and the smells coming out of that place hit me in the happy face before I even opened the door. I had a flight of 3 beers on tap (Stonehouse, Anderson and Lagunitas) and they were all as delightful as always.
For dinner I had the Bergundy Burger, which was abso-frickin-lutely delicious...and I'm not usually a burger or beef orderer, but it just sounded so damn yum I had to get it. It was amazing and my parents fought me for bites. It also came with perfect, skinny little french fries seasoned in something delicious.
My Mom had the Beef Bourguignon, which was incredible. Seriously.
My Dad had the trout, which was also magically delicious. The bread and white bean sauce served at the beginning of the meal was perfect, and the Creme Brulee we rounded it all off with was heavenly. Everything was completely fresh and I really appreciated how thorough our waiter was and how extensive his knowledge was on the origin of their seafood....I likes me some wild, line caught fish. None of that corn-fed crap for me.
The waiter, Gregory was so friendly and we wanted for nothing the entire night.
My only complaint about my dining experience is that as I write this I feel very full and very fat. That is not the restaurant's fault, but rather my own for being a giant pig. :)
I will definitely be returning to Vine in the future!
We ventured into Vine after watching all the check-in's from a friend from Dana Point. Â I figured something must have been going on over there. Â We were actually on a date night driving around with Yelp running on the iPhone looking for something different. Â Wednesday nights have a wine tasting including a meal. Â It was amazing. Â Executive chef and owner Justin spend a lot of time explaining each wine and the food pairing. Â Chef Jared creates a truly amazing culinary experience.
We've been back for lunch too. Â Give the Schnitzel a try. Â It was insane.
Great wines, beer actually worth drinking, insane food, and a comfortable atmosphere make for a really enjoyable dining experience.
This is our favorite Orange County restaurant by a long shot.
Perhaps I didn't order the right food for lunch, but the pumpkin ravioli was absolutely swimming in truffle oil, totally overpowering the dish. It didn't help it was served in a bowl where it just sat there oil drenched. Â I had the baby romaine salad and it was good but if there was more than 1 tsp of blue cheese dressing on it the plate I would be surprised.
I found the food coming out of the kitchen very slow although the wait staff was fine.
For the prices they charge here, keeping in mind the ravioli's were an appetizer and the small salad, it cost almost $30 to eat lunch with tax and tip and no beverage but water.
I want to give this place 5 stars. I really do.
The food is mouthwatering amazing. As I type this I am beginning to salivate while recalling the burgundy burger and mussels we had last week for my birthday lunch. A job well done.
The server was a little cold but I don't really like to complain about servers unless something dramatic happens. Perhaps she was just having an off day?
Either way, we will be back soon.
I wish they wouldn't have that annoying television over the bar. It was blasting commercials and daytime news during the entire meal. That was another slight bummer.
One of my favorite restaurants that gives me a reason to go to San Clemente when there are so many reasons I don't. Â
The braised lamb sandwich is ridiculous. Â
The burgers are incredible.
The paella was great.
I haven't missed yet. Â And the service and feel of the place is upscale without the pretentiousness. Â A must try
This place is AMAZING!!!! I met a server at my own job and he told me to come in.  I brought the fiance and his roommate and we were all blown away.  We got the cheese platter to start.  The goat cheese...I can't describe it...It was out of this world.  I had the braised short rib with smashed red potatoes which was the most flavorful and tender thing I've ever had.  Mikey had a pulled lamb sandwich with the best fries we've ever tasted and the roomie had pork schnitzel...the schnitzel was the winner.  Ok then chocolate soufflé with gelato....omg.  ice wine to finish it off...what a perfect meal. Â
ask for Greg. He's the best server in the world.
If you like gastropubs, check this place out.
My husband found this place on yelp and we decided to give it a try. Â Great service from the bartender, who gave us a first timers discount and a free chocolate souffle. Â We both had burgers which were delicious. Â I love the atmosphere - we will definitely be back!
This is a great date night spot with epic food and great service. Last trip had the Mussels app, seriously the best mussels i have ever had... unreal, good work Justin. For the entree's the Coq' a Vin is always good and their Mexicali Burger is pushing Riders Club for best burger in OC. The fries are unreal and my wife says the Salmon(sando or plate) are insane.
Can't recommend enough, go, you won't be disappointed.
Yep! Â If you haven't been, you HAVE to go. Â Just went here and loved it! Â We walked in without a reservation just to see if we could grab a spot. Â The lady looked at us kind of like we were crazy, then said that we were lucky because someone had literally just cancelled. Â So we were in! Â The place isn't huge, but big enough, and is really decorated nice
As you can tell by the name, their selection of wine is unbelievable. Â We had a Malbec that was out of this world. Â On top of that, the server was great. Â Since we are vegetarians, we asked him what they had. Â He basically said 'tell me what you want and we will make it for you'. Â He was really excited about it. Â He was telling us how it's a chef owned restaurant, so it's all about the food. Â We ended up getting a combination of 4-5 side dishes (sort of) for a meal. Â I can't even BEGIN to tell you how delicious it is. Â And the wine that he recommended with our order (the Malbec) hit the spot. Â It was a perfect pairing. Â Can't wait to return and try some different wines and order off menu again. Â
Also, what I loved about it is that we were there for probably 2 hours enjoying our food and wine, and everyone else did the same. Â The place was literally packed for the whole time, but no one was in a hurry to go anywhere. Â Would love to get a group and go here sometime. Â Really cool ambiance. Â Can't wait to go back!
Based on other reviews I feel like I should be gushing, but I just can't. Â While the food was very good, it did not live up to the prices they are charging, and I'm more than willing to shell out very handily for amazing food.
My husband and I sat at a high top in the wine bar area and it was a bit cramped but overall fine. Â Out waiter was very helpful and there when we needed him. Â The menu is small, with about 8 starters and 8 entries, with a couple specials. Â
Sometimes we split a starter, which I think a lot of people do, which was why we found it so weird and a little off-putting that they charge extra $$ for splitting a starter. Whaaa? I've never heard of this and it actually made me kinda pissed. Â I went for the wedge salad and my husband had the lobster bisque, which came in at $16 a bowl. Â It was very tasty, as was my salad, but it wasn't knocking my socks off. Â
Same with our entrees. Â I had the pork and my husband had the seabass. Â Again, both very tasty, but I wanted a moment of food bliss where my toes would curl and I'd want to hold the food in my mouth and taste it as long as possible and I just didn't get it.
Also, when the waiter brought out our entrees, my husbands was steaming hot and mine was luke warm. Â Obviously, mine was up a few minutes first and sat. Â The waiter couldn't have been nicer and took it back, heated it up a tad and offered to buy us dessert. Â We opted for the creme brulee and it was a light, yummy custard with a good crunchy top and some nice berries.
It get's an A-OK rating from me, as I'm still not convinced the food lives up to the prices.
My best friend and her husband are regulars here and we sat at their usual table (table 100) in the front , with both a view of the chefs and of everyone coming in. The best part about going with regulars is that you get extra friendly service PLUS the real scoop on what's good.
The Vine is intimate and casual, Â but the food is delectable. For starters we had the Seared Scallops Wrapped with Smoky Bacon in a Butternut Squash Bisque. The bisque was so divine we asked for extra bread and cleaned off the plate. We also ordered a half a dozen Oysters with White Wine, Shallots and Chives., which was a special. I could've have eaten many more with a bottle of champagne and been happy with just that!
We tried three main courses, chicken, fish and beef. The Chicken "Coq Au Vin" with Pearl Onions, Bacon, and French Potatoes was not the classic version I'm used to but still wonderful.  The chicken was juicy and the sauce was buttery with a nice consistency and flavor. We also tried the Shallot Crusted Flat Iron Steak with a Blue Cheese Butter and gruyere mac and cheese. Need I say more? Delish! The last entree  was the Oven Roasted Ruby Red Trout with Green Beans and a Lemon-Hazelnut Butter which was good, not amazing.
For dessert we had a chocolate souffle that was so perfectly souffled I was sad to see the server stab a hole in the middle of that perfection of poofiness to spoon vanilla ice cream inside. After trying it though it I am glad she stabbed the souffle with ice cream because it was a heavenly balance of hot and cold.
Ask your server which wines they have that aren't on the menu. We had a few bottles of a special Tantarra wine they had just received. From start to finish this was a great meal.
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