This was the first time I had come to Stillwater since it changed from the Renaissance, a place I loved. Â So here's my review. Â The Renaissance basically turned me into a steak eater with their Filet Mignons. Â No more filets.:-( Â Oh well. Â The calamari was good. I enjoyed my pizza, the three cheese pizza. Â And I liked the pizza oven outside and the new bar outdoors. Â I liked how the restaurant took advantage of that nice outdoor space. Â There was a deal on a glass of Chardonnay that was normally $18 on sale for $10. Â I need to call back and ask the name because it was one of the best glasses of wine I've ever had. Â I forgot:) Â David was a great server, and he was training Collin. Â Both very nice guys, and very attentive and knowledgeable. Â We got there at 7:15 in order to see the Oreo Divas who were scheduled to come on at 8. Â At 9:45 we finally got tired of waiting, there had been a guy playing for an hour and a half that wasn't very good and the sound at the restaurant wasn't good either. Â As we left our table and started to walk out the door, the Oreo Divas finally came on stage. Â I had brought friends specifically to see them, so this was really a downer. Â Maybe there was something specific from preventing them from being there on time, and of course, my review would change if that were the case. Â But as far as scheduling, at least this time, it was WAY off. Â I used to live in Dana Point and frequent here often, but this time I drove from Long Beach and my friends came from Anaheim. Â The service and the food was good, but we probably won't be going out of our way again unless a favorite band comes to play. Â And even then, I will be cautious!:) Â Please get the times right, Stillwater! Â But thanks for the good food.
Review Source:The Patio has a nice layout to it for the space that is available. The place can get crowded but what do you expect when you have a live band playing and alcohol. I went to this place at a time when it wasn't crowded, so I was expecting great service since the servers don't have much to do. The service was OK. Our waitress would go missing for a while, the check was split wrong and the food was decent.
Review Source:This used to be called the Renaissance and I liked it mostly for the live music. The outdoor area is completely revamped and now a really cool spot. The service was pretty good, and they have a fun, prohibition inspired menu. They have nice heat lamps outside so it's a great spot to grab dinner and a drink after work.
Review Source:We've driven by this place many times and finally went one Saturday when it was too crowded to take our dog to Shwack for lunch. Clearly, it is more of a bar than a restaurant. But after a rocky start, we were pleasantly surprised by the food and service.
Outdoor seating is ample, and we chose a comfortable sectional under the umbrellas for our meal. Despite the restaurant being half empty, our server was only able to find one menu for our party of 4, and never came back with more. But she was otherwise friendly and helpful, and even brought our dog water because it was a warm day.
Not that we timed it, but food was a long time in coming. I wonder what happens when the restaurant is full! But then things got better. We started with the Calamari Crisp appetizer, crispy rings served with spicy marinara (yum!) and lemon aioli (yawn). There was quite a pile of green salad under the calamari, which seemed a shady tactic to me. But still a tasty dish. We shared a side of brick oven fired Fry Pan Mac and cheese, too; the crumbs on top were not so crispy, and the dish was really kind of mediocre (though that may be because I just tried Dublin 4's out-of-this-world mac and cheese the previous week).
Our entrees were the perfectly acceptable Grilled Turkey Melt (made tastier by avocado and Muenster cheese, and some seriously stellar steak fries), Stuffed Tuna Avocado Salad (hearty with boiled eggs), and, off the brunch menu, Eggs Florentine (A+ according to my poached-egg connoisseur hubby).
Overall, I probably wouldn't remember to come back here for the food, but it's decent enough and much better than most of the tourist traps in Dana Point..
Saw missing persons here on july 5th and its was a good time . The place was well run and service was good . The food and drinks were good for the amount of people there and its a good place for date night .  Our server was young with plenty of friendly energy and a couple could dance  if they wanted to . The patio seemed nice
and would be good on warm evenings . Its nice to have another dinner and music joint besides the coach house keep your eye on the calendar and pick your spots.
This place is the definition of a good time, the rumble kings were amazing, they got a late start due to sound issues but the staff and band worked hard to get things going and once the music started it didn't stop. The outside patio is a great place to mingle, the staff here is always smiling and happy to be there fun place to work Shout out to Rod and David those guys are pretty damn cool awesome customer service. Keep up the great work Stillwater
Review Source:Flat bread pizzas are awesome. My wife fell in love with the James Bonds they serve here. Service was great. Music was even better [Flock of 80's]. Wife saw Slap Back here a few weeks ago and loved it. The crowd on Sunday was friendly and talkative. Great place to relax on a Sunday afternoon.
Review Source:Let me start by saying I had originally wrote what some might call an offensive or mean review of this establishment because I was disappointed with the time I spent there. It has come to my attention that I could have more accurately described my time at StillWater rather than going into a raving story about it, point taken. Â I would like to personally apologize to anyone whom I offended by comments I made. I was disappointed and should not have taken it out on anyone personally, sorry.
My review is this: Poor service. I am sure all the people who work at this place are nice people; I believe they are poorly trained on what should be common knowledge of what is expected by all staff in a bar. In my opinion a server should be properly trained to understand that when guests are seated at a table they usually expect to be served. If no service is available, the guests should be told to "help themselves" to the bar. It is also my opinion that staff member should be aware of any un-comfortable situations their guests may be put in. For instance, staff should know that entertainment is for all guests to enjoy. If the view is blocked for certain guests or the guests are being crowded, it is the duty of staff (not the guests) to handle the situation. This can avoid confrontations between guests and in general, ease and otherwise uncomfortable situation for all guests. Also, if your restroom is clearly in an unusual place, offer to escort the guest (they may be drunk). In short the old adage applies "put yourself in the customers' shoes". Â
On a high note the drinks where well.
"It never hurts to ask, but do it politely"
I ordered a Fizz Cooler which is Hendricks Gin, St. Germain, simple syrup, egg white, lime, cucumber, and soda. I was a little worried about the egg white, but WOW was this cocktail amazing. In the top few drinks I have ordered this year. $11, but worth the price tag.
The crowd here is very mixed on the weekend. There were 20 and 30-somethings, 40 and 50-somethings, even 60-somethings and most all white. Welcome to the alternate universe of the O.C. I guess.
I'd come back for the cocktails.
So I was eating here on mothers day awhile back. Â The buffet was awesome for $20 bucks! I was hitting the breakfast when I ran into a couple who seemed to complain about everything. I overheard them asking for a menu when clearly it was a mother's day special. If you don't want the buffet maybe you should leave and go somewhere else. Maybe it was just because the woman was pregnant but I've never heard such negativity in my life. It almost ruined my whole day and the servers where doing everything in their power to assist. What why? Its a buffet... Instead I waited for the couple to leave their drinks unprotected and went over and spit in them. Â I was chewing dip that day so the loogie made a strange brown swirl. These people were terrible and I hope they die in traffic. Stillwater you get 5 stars for just putting up this this trash.
Review Source:People watching paradise. Â Located on a hot corner in Dana Point this is wear the 40-55 year old set come to party and listen to 80s music on Saturday evenings. Â I almost thought that it was an 80s costume party, but then I realized the guys that looked like Whitesnake were serious. Â Lots of fun just to watch the crowd. Â The service was slow, or let me say non-existent, at the tables, so you had to go to the bar to get a drink. Â Did not eat and I did not see much food on the tables, so I'm just sayin'...this may be a drinking first establishment. Â Flock of 80s was a good 80s cover band. Â A little heavy on the U2, I have a feeling the lead singer moonlights as a Bono
Review Source:Came here last night with a bunch of friend to see one of our favorite bands play. We made reservations to get a table by the stage which probably was the worst place to be once the bands start playing. People would come up and just stand in front of us without any consideration to guests that are seated. People that are dancing would be literally in your face. We got bumped, stepped on and random people leaving their drinks on our table. Â They should just clear the tables out and make a huge dance floor instead. Food was okay, nothing I would come back for. I think management/owners need to figure out if this place will be a live music venue or a restaurant that has live music. There's a big difference.
WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE BACK!
So as soon as you walk in you can tell that this place is serious about cocktails and music. Â I came here on a whim and I was totally impressed by the patio/bar area...awesome. Â We had breakfast and coffee, wish I wasn't driving because I saw the bloody marys going out and they looked fantastic (we were there on a Sunday morning) The staff was friendly, the decor was interesting (IN A GOOD WAY) and the bathroom was really pleasant. Â I sort of wished I was at this place the night before for people watching and jams. Â Next time.
Review Source:Went to StillWater last night to hear Shawn Jones and band - they were great and had the crowd rocking!
I had reserved a specific table for 4 a week prior for 7:30 - but the StillWater folks had sat someone else there. Â Did not get seated until 8. Â Perhaps StillWater should watch the Seinfeld episode where Jerry tries to explain the concept of holding a reservation to a rental car agent.
StillWater did a nice remodel of the old Renaissance, but with a few odd elements. Â The men's restroom was outside with 2 restrooms for women inside?
Had the salmon and got a nice bottle of Cab (decent wine list). The chicken my friends had also looked pretty good. Â It would be great if they could offer some veggies on the side rather than mashed potatoes (at least they got rid of those horrid cheesy noodles). The food was better than my last visit, but still a far cry from what the Renaissance offered in variety and quality. You don't come here for the food, but the entertainment - that is StillWater's priority.
The crowd is on the young, hard drinking side, especially at the outside bar. Not my kind of regular place. Â Inside, the set up is focused on the stage and bands, and StillWater does that well.
I will be back the next time a favorite band, like Shawn Jones, plays.
Went to Stillwater with a group of friends and neighbors to hear a great party band, Tijuana Dogs. Â We made dinner reservations to secure a table and were seated promptly in a great location. Â However, from a dining perspective, everything fell apart from there. Â There were huge delays in service, misplaced orders and generally a lack of any continuity whatsoever. Â It appeared that the venue was grossly under staffed for the event, and management was leaving many dollars in the pockets of patrons who simply gave up on trying to order food and drink. Â They finally got the drink orders straightened out, and we basically had a blast with the entertainment portion of the evening.
It seems to this reviewer that Stillwater is experiencing an identity crisis. Â They would be best served to function as an entertainment venue with much less focus on a complete dining experience than to create a negative reputation due to shoddy service. Â The band was great and the venue was packed, but the poor organizational expertise left a bad taste to an otherwise great evening.
Still Water is currently the best "bar" place in Dana Point for drinks and live music. Â The bar and lounge located outside is very cool---genius, actually. Â The staff is very friendly, too. Â The outside wood burning oven is cool but after a while you feel like your breathing it in too much. Â Albeit, Â they are actually cooking with it and that is a nice touch within itself. Â Overall, the food is good and i was impressed the with their Cobb Salad a while back.
Review Source:We had a terrible experience here. Ordered a round of drinks and all came out but one. Told the waitress and 20 minutes later, still no beer. Had to locate the owner to finally get my beer. Service is really slow. The food was not great either; the hamburger was chewy and pizza overcooked. A gentleman came over to talk to us about our meal and did not identify himself as the owner (a second owner maybe, since I thought I had already spoken to the owner?) until I said I wanted to speak with the owner. It was like he was pretending to be a waiter; why? Wouldn't the first thing you'd say if you knew someone was having a bad experience was "hi, I'm the owner, is there something I can do for you?" We gave this place another try after it was the Renaissance, and we are still very underwhelmed. It's too bad because they have a great location and great patio.
Review Source:I really wanted to like this place, I love patio dining and I can't figure out why there aren't more outdoor places down here. Â The service was good but my friend and I both ordered a salad and it was literally a giant bowl of lettuce and a stale breadstick. Â We sent them back and got a flatbread pizza, it was ok. Â It looked like the place wasn't quite finished, there were stacks of boxes and stuff all over, the bathrooms were a mess. Â Maybe once they've finished the renovation I'll try again.
Review Source:This place is an absolute disaster. Â They don't get a pass for being new since they have been open for a few months, the owners are experienced operators and it is a long established restaurant spot. Â It might be okay for drinks and live music, and in fact the outdoor bar is pretty cool, but the service is unacceptably slow and lackadaisical. Â Pizzas are run of the mill. Â The place was far better when it was the Renaissance Cafe.
Review Source:Stillwater was fantastic, the only reason a star lacks is I haven't had a chance to eat dinner there. We went for a friend's birthday celebration and they had reserved us a table inside, where the lighting is perfect for dancing when live band plays. The patio is also really nice, especially in the summer when it's slightly cool. They were really helpful, especially when we almost lit the place on fire after some tissue paper caught a candle flame! The desserts were incredible and the wine was good too
Review Source:A group of 4 of us had dinner at Stillwater last night and the place was hoppin'! Â There was a 80's band that was very good. Â The food was delicious (we each had different entrees and everyone liked theirs.) Â The service was wonderful. Â The owner Damian Collins was very gracious, and we definitely will be going back for another meal and some more great music. Â HIGHLY recommended!
Review Source:Wowww!! Â In short: intimate, delicate, Â creative music in a nice cozy and friendly ambiance. Â Great for serious music lovers. Â
I usually avoid live music bars as "live" usually means "loud" PA'd music that is heard blocks away. But this was amazing! I love this place!
There were lots people there on a Wednesday night. Â We ordered a bottle of wine a few feet from the musicians and soaked ourselves in great soothing music. Lots of Dancing too!!!
Staff were amazingly friendly, service was great! Ordered a few different apps between the 4 of us. They were all really good and great prices!! I recommend this place A+++
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