Port Restaurant & Bar

Loved the music and the atmosphere… Sorry but food was less than I expected!

Fancy décor. Food is meh. Would have preferred my drink not to be poured on me by the waitress.

Came here on a Thursday night, there were plenty of seats available. There was live music which was nice but a bit loud, it was difficult to hear each other. We used a groupon which made it a great deal, would have been a bit pricey without it, meals are around $ 25each. Service was good and the food was good, which are the most important things to me. The restaurant itself was cute and decorated as well. The bread with pesto dipping sauce they start you with were great. I ordered the lobster ravioli which I enjoyed. My BF ordered the chicken koobideh/​chicken breast plate, but he was given beef koobideh with chicken breast instead, he would have sent it back but he was too hungry and still enjoyed it.

Horrible service. Food very mediocre. My medium rare fillet mignon kebab it was gray both times they brought it out as I sent it back originally and then we just left. The only redeeming quality of this restaurant is the music and The bartender has a heavy hand

It’s a Tuesday night and came to meet a friend, so we sat at the bar to order a drink and hoped to chat. To my right was a drunk guy, with a female companion, who was trying to engage us in conversation but after telling him we are trying to have a conversation he starts to get aggressive. I call the bartender over to let him know he needs to deal with the situation as the guy has a drink and a shot in front of him despite his over intoxicated state. The bartender says «yeah they were drunk when they got here» and proceeds to remove the drinks. We move our drinks into the restaurant to continue our conversation there where there was live music. However the music was so loud we had to yell. A few moments later hear a commotion at the bar to find that the girl that guy was with feel over drunk at the bar.
Now I am more annoyed by the fact that the bartender served those two despite the condition they were already in. I have to question the discernment of how this place conducts it’s business.

On 12/​31/​2015, we attended the New Year’s Eve event as VIP guests at Newport Dunes sponsored by Port Restaurant and various other companies.
We very extremely dissatisfied with the whole organization for which I wanted to take time and list my complaints about.
New Year’s Eve is a special night for us as everybody else. We had two more guests with us who purchased their tickets separately.
Upon arrival, we realized the weather was very cold and asked if there were heaters available at the venue. The person who was taking care of us told us: «Yes, they will be here soon, we are working on it» however they did not bring any heaters to the place at all the whole night. We were very cold during the night that we had to leave at 10pm as we started to feel like we were getting sick.
The restrooms were outside and due to the weather conditions, it was another nightmare to wait outside at the restroom line which was not pleasant at all.
In terms of food, we got very disappointed. We were only able to get 1 kind of appetizer and we had to point to the person to come and serve us even though out seats were the white couches considered «VIP lounge». When the person serving the appetizers finally came in to serve us, the appetizers were already cold. In terms of the main dishes, we had to stand up from our lounge and had to walk all the way to the other end of the «tent» to get food where there was a huge line. The food was extremely cold and by the time we walked back to our lounge, it was even colder.
The sound system was terrible and we could not stand it. One of you guys’s speakers were broken and we got very irritated by the sound system malfunctioning.
If only I knew we were going to come to an event in the highly elite neighborhood Newport Beach as a VIP and get sick, freeze the whole night and not be able to eat the cold food served by Port, I would have never bought the tickets and waste my NYE at this location.

Delicious food and great ambiance. The kabobs are the best! Live music on the weekends is awesome! Emily was our server and she was great!

We found Port restaurant and bar on Groupon expecting Medaterrranian food and live music. When we arrived at the restaurant we were told that the guitarist cancelled for tonight. We were immediately disappointed. The food was advertised as Medaterrranian, but it didn’t seem very authentic. We asked the waiter what he recommended (the kabobs). So we decided to order the filet and chicken kabob entrée and the grilled salmon.
The food arrived very quickly as though it was already prepared. It tasted like it. The filet was inedible. It tasted like it sat out for days. The chicken tasted raw and the seasoning was terrible. The grilled salmon was ok. We couldn’t stay very long because we felt like we were going to be sick. The bottom line is that this place has overpriced food that tasted awful. We will not be back and I would NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone! !

Saturday night I came to Port with my boyfriend and some close friends for dinner. We were greeted right away and because there was 6 of us, the manager made sure the table was to our liking. Since we were next to the live music and the speaker, he was kind enough to unplug the speaker since you could hear the guy really well anyways.
Our server came quickly with water and got our drink orders as well as appetizers. We got the olive tapenade trio and the hummus. So good! We plowed through the pita so they graciously got us more, which was very nice. Dinner was served in a reasonable amount of time. I ordered the koobideh meal. The meat was flavorful– maybe a tad dry but overall very good. My BF got the curry chicken and that was honestly amazing. Everyone else had a great meal too. I have been here before but not for dinner. I was impressed.
For checking in on Unilocal,you get a free dessert or appetizer and we got a dessert– the tiramisu was fantastic. They also gave us an extra one for free which was really nice to do.
Service was fantastic and I would definitely go back. The only downfall was the drinks were pretty pricey and the food was expensive as well. It is corona Del mar, but some stuff was a bit overpriced for what it was. Don’t get me wrong, everything was great, some things just could be a little cheaper. I will be back for sure because of the service and overall experience.

Came in for brunch on a Sunday afternoon.
I have to say that the restaurant was practically empty, still service was super bad and it took forever for the food to come. They never once asked us how we’re doing or if we needed anything. And they didn’t fill our water until the end when we reminded them.
Also, don’t order the wafel, it looks super old and doesn’t taste very good.
The experience is not worth the price of the food!

Came here with a groupon. If I hadn’t bought the groupon I would have never known about this place as it is on a side street away from the other shops and restaurants.
Walked in and it was pretty dead. My husband and I chose to sit at the bar. It doesn’t specify in the groupon that the two drinks (up to $ 6) and 2 entrees (up to $ 14) would be the only option available unless you wanted to be charged the difference… um, pretty much all of the drinks were over $ 6 and the entrees were mostly over $ 14. I felt a little taken advantage of. I wish they would have specified that in the groupon.
I got the chicken and kale salad which was ok. The dressing was good, but the chicken was a little fatty. I also got the cucumber martini, which was the best thing I had but of course it was over $ 6 but at that point I didn’t care. I didn’t want a crappy cheap drink.
The blonde bartender was very nice and attentive. After the groupon I ended up spending an extra $ 30+ (with tip) that I wasn’t too thrilled about. I more than likely would not go back. I would’ve been upset if I didn’t have the discount from the groupon because it really wasn’t that great.

Mismatched, modern but old feeling, restaurant with unique layout with dining options including a front patio area, two dining rooms, a back patio area and a bar, where we were zerved by the zociable Zuzana. The shish-​kabob salad was okay… the cucumbers, tomato, and onion are diced so small I almost asked for a spoon at the end; surprisingly there were no olives (fine with me); not a small portion; and the dressing was so tart that I had bites of my wife’s kale and quinoa salad to «cut» it with her yummy creamy yogurt dressing. The filet mignon was very tender and flavorful, not the best, but way better than most I’ve had. The cucumber martini was perfect, fresh and not weak.

Listening to live music Spanish guitar Julio songs under the full «Blood» moon under stars feeling the lovely Newport breeze, & God Bless, the unbelievable Feast completes the Love.
Amazing appetizers specificity the eggplant dish & the tasty olive Trio dish.
Service top of the line, five star feeling in Newport Beach.

We stopped in at the Port for an early evening bite to eat and had the Mediterranean Salad, a favorite of mine, plus two flatbread pizzas which were to die for. Now I come from East coast Pizza eaters, so my tastes are pretty specific. These were awesome! The sauce and toppings on the Margherita were awesome. Fresh Tomatoes and farm fresh basil! i think they had just picked it because you could smell the fresh Basil in the steam. So good!!! My husband had the chicken and he loved it. I was so pleased that the pizza was filling and so fresh! You can pick your toppings and get creative it you choose, or if you are a traditional like me, go for it.
The bar is extensive and the beer, ice cold. On a hot day, what more can you ask for than excellent food, fresh ingredients, and easy parking and great service. Love this place! Thank you all. We will be back!

Port restaurant has some seriously great Mediterranean /​Lebanese /​European food!
My recent visit–
–The bread plate– ok, their green dip/​spread may be my favorite of all time. I could eat it as a meal!
–Kebabs, beef and ground beef. Super moist and delicious. What a difference when kebabs are made right and fresh!
–Yellow chicken curry– I was surprised how amazing this dish was. I ordered the spicy curry and I couldn’t have been happier. The curry was rich with a lot of depth, and just the right amount of heat. Chicken was moist and perfect.
–Gnocchi– this rates in the top 3 gnocchi I’ve ever had. The best dish of the night. Soft creamy gnocchi with a slight crisp and an amazingly rich and deep sauce. SO GOOD!
I will done here over and over… My only complaint is that it’s pretty pricy, but it’s sooooo worth it. This is a true example of «you get what you pay for»!

This is the first time that I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying The Port restaurant. It is small and charming. I get the feeling that it was once a great watering hole between performances at The Port Theater and it still holds some of the original flare and décor. Our bartender/​server/​waitress/​hostess, Zuzana, was absolutely amazing. She was working alone this day and she nailed it. We sat at the bar and watched her take care of several tables, mix drinks, serve food and still have time to chat with her customers. The food was prepared in a timely manner without compromising flavor or presentation.
I highly recommend The Port for brunch and I can’t wait to try out the dinner and happy hour menus!

Love the location and sophisticated décor. We had a Saturday (groupon) brunch. I ordered french toast and it was HUGE and smothered in real maple syrup, lots of butter. I could not eat it all. We ate court-​side, my friend ordered the Cali Benedict and it was okay. Those seats in the court area are pretty high, man I needed a lift up like a highchair, lol. … Oh, and it did take a strangely long time for the food to get to the table.
I’ve been in here at night and it’s a whole different scene with the live music which gives a more intimate energetic loungy feel. This would be a great place for a first date. Plenty of distraction in case you were to get bored. Thought it was kinda classy.

This place has good brunch food but the service is really terrible.
Dude and I came here for brunch after a strenuous surf session. Sat down and it took a while for the waitress to come and take our drink orders. After the drinks were brought out which took awhile, we ordered our entrees, the entrees took 30min to come out while we were so hungry that I started to drool. The service was extremely absent throughout the meal.
We got the Cali Benedict and the Huevos Rancheros, both were very tasty maybe because we were starving. Parking was easy on a Saturday and bathrooms are clean.

Pretty good food and service! Ordered the yellow chicken curry with rice! Even more nice that they have live music.
Hubby ordered the chicken kabob and rice! Also very delicious. Plenty of parking across the restaurant in the small plaza.

My friend Kat and I went to Port for brunch on Saturday. I didn’t know this restaurant was here, but had a Travelzoo deal that was expiring soon. It’s located just a block from Fashion Island in CDM. The restaurant boasts several outdoor patios (alfresco dining), a small interior dining space, and a full bar. The food is mainly Mediterranean but they serve huevos rancheros and chilaquiles on their brunch menu.
I ordered the chicken and waffles while Kat ordered the filet mignon kebab platter. We also ordered mimosas. I did have a bite of her filet with the tzatziki sauce and that was pretty good. My chicken was boneless pounded breasts that were breaded. The waffles were really thick and served with room temperature butter and maple syrup. At this point, I regretted not ordering from the Mediterranean side of the menu. We also ordered crème brûlée for dessert. The crème brûlée was a nice finish to the meal.
Parking can be found in the lot across from the restaurant but there is also street parking as well. I’d come back to try some of the other dishes and it’s nice to know that there are places like this in CDM.