Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge

Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. M

   Mickie VIP

   Orange County2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Always a great experience. Recent menu change with new chefs.
   

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2. PH

   PaulH VIP

   Orange County12 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 8 March 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Nice place with great wait staff and outside seating. Food is mostly good but I had one dish that was a piece of of halibut over some Asian noodles and it was 48 dollars. I thought, what the heck, it may be the best halibut I will ever have. Nope. I could have got better at a Thai place around the corner for 19 dollars or less. I never send food back but this time I did. I told them that no way was the dish worth 48 dollars. They were very nice and replaced with their clam chowder which was delicious. I think they try very hard here to please.
   

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3. p

   pam VIP

   San Diego22 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 8 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is our go to place to eat. It never disappoints on the food and they have amazing drinks. I love that they always try to change up specialty cocktails depending on the time of year. Ashley our server was great and we love Rachel who is always friendly and accommodates us whenever she can. Not to mention adorable!
   

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4. A

   Adam VIP

   Central Coast71 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The bacon wrapped dates were excellent. The deviled eggs were ok but would be much better without the sriracha. Dutch pancake is amazing! Eggs Benedict w Lobster was good but at $33 they should include some potatoes of some kind, the plate looked empty.
   

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5. M

   Mollie

   Los Angeles4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Didn’t have 2 desserts on the menu, but the food was excellent!
   

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6. P

   Patrick and Mary

   Orange County103 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 23 February 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   This was our second trip to SK. The food was good but not great, except that the lobster grilled cheese was amazing. The bar drinks were very good. Prices were moderate and in line with the quality of the food. We are not fans of music during dinner - makes it too hard to have a conversation. Might have been an off night in the kitchen - it was very crowded and people were enjoying themselves.
   

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7. L

   Leslie

   Orange County5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 19 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great service. We loved the lamb dish and lobster salad. Great salmon but the coconut rice that came with it was gluey and underwhelming. Other than that, we enjoyed our time there and will be back.
   

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8. R

   Rqyn

   Orange County2 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   The restaurant was overwhelmed with their valentines promo taking an hour to serve us our first meal (salad). Food was great overall.
   

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9. G

   Gregory

   Orange County2 reviews

   1.0

   Dined on 15 February 2025

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 1

   We had a 7:30 pm reservation but when we arrived, we were told no tables available and would be a 30 minute wait. What’s the point of a reservation? The hostess told us they were “overwhelmed.” The servers kept telling us this same thing throughout the night. We ended up having to sit at the bar all night. It was supposed to be a five course pre fixe menu for Valentines Day. Every course was terrible. Second course was hamachi, which consisted of two tiny pieces that were so small you could barely see or taste them. After our second course was over, they told my wife they had run out of her main course selection (short rib) so she would have to pick something else on the fly. My main course was scallops. It consisted of only TWO tiny, very dry and overcooked scallops on a giant bed of rice. It was awful. My wife’s substitution (filet) was equally terrible - overcooked and small. The desert (chocolate Bundt cake) was also bad - super dry and tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. On top of it all, they charged $95 per person for this joke of a pre fixe Valentines Day dinner. We are frequent patrons of Scarlett Kitchen, but will not be going back for a long time after last night’s experience.
   

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10. S

    Stephanie

    Orange County1 review

    2.0

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3

    We were disappointed in our valentine’s experience. It took an hour to be seated at an actual table (we were able to sit at the bar and received free champagne so we brushed it off). But then each course took forever to come out so we were starving and unfortunately the dishes were pretty lacking. It was a preset menu and I had a small starter salad, second course was a plate of carrots, third course was a small chunk of watermelon shaped like a heart, fourth course was supposed to be the “main” but it was literally two scallops and some plain, cold farro, the dessert was small but alright. My husband ordered short ribs instead of the scallops but after waiting forever, the waiter told us they had run out. They gave him another 2 options and he chose one, then after several minutes the waiter came back and told us that that one had run out too, so he was forced to have whatever the last option was. It didn’t seem like they were prepared to do such a big event and I was surprised we didn’t get something comped for him not getting the food he wanted and for how long we had to wait before sitting and between each course. The portions were so small and simple, the drinks were the only good part and I feel kind of sick about spending $300 on a meal like this, especially when we don’t go out often. Also, I never complain which is how you know it was bad.
    

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