Tavern On The Coast

Dana Point, United States

3.6

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 949-415-5888
Address:
34212 Pacific Coast Hwy Ste A, Dana Point, CA, 92629
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1 miOCTA
1.2 miSalt Creek Beach Funicular
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Trendy
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today –
Local time (Dana Point) 7:29 PM Friday, June 13, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Now open for Dinner and Brunch on Sunday, the Tavern brings Modern American Cuisine to the California Casual coast community. During Winter season we will be open for private parties and banquets only on Monday and closed for regular diner service. We are great place whether you are a large group, having a family’s night out with your kids or are looking for date night or a few drinks at the bar. All of our ingredients are very thoughtfully sourced. All of our meat is prime, our fish is wild and our produce is organic or locally sourced. We look forward to seeing you soon!

History

Established in 2013.

Tavern on the Coast was started by local restauranteur Veronica Scala. Born and raised in Chicago, Veronica always knew she wanted to bring some of the Mid-​West flair and home cooking to the West Coast. Growing up in an Italian family Veronica was sure to bring some of the secret family recipes to her restaurant. The Tavern staff prides them self on great customer service and thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Veronica is very adamant that all the fish is wild, all the beef is prime and the specialty pastas are made in house. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Meet the Business Owner

Veronica S.

Business Owner

Veronica opened Tavern on the Coast in April 2013. Coming from Chicago, Veronica wanted to bring a bright new vibe to Dana Point. It is very important that all the ingredients are good and wholesome. Veronica, «wanted to bring some good old fashion home cooking like Grandma use to make to town». At Tavern all the pasta is made in house or dry imported from Italy, meat is prime/​natural, seafood is wild and produce is organic or locally sourced. One of the most popular items is a Short Rib Lasagna that is a family recipe made with fresh house made pasta, short rib, ricotta & spinach. It is a must try!

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20 reviews of Tavern On The Coast

No registration required
Place rating: 2
Laguna Niguel, CA
Server was great. Nice and accommodating but the kitchen was out of 3 different things we wanted. Drinks were good. Happy hour was good besides being out of inventory. Meatball was less than enjoyable, calamari was chewy.
Place rating: 1
Dana Point, CA
Had lunch at Tavern on the Coast today because we were in the area and thought we’d give them a second chance. Calamari was fair. Ahi wrap and kale spinach salad were both very bland (no change from previous experience). The waiter talked us into beignets with caramel sauce for dessert. He came back and asked how it was and I told him that the sauce was burnt, he tried to tell me that it was their home made caramel sauce and that’s why it’s different from commercial sauce. Apparently it was supposed to have a toffee taste. The sugar was clearly burnt. I asked him to have a taste or have the chef taste it… He declined (Chef would have been ‘chopped’ for sure). I was already a little irritated because he boxed My boyfriend’s leftovers while I still had a full plate of food. Very overpriced for the quality. Maybe the upcoming change of ownership will improve things.
Place rating: 1
Laguna Beach, CA
The worst service and food I’ve ever had… When I asked to speak to the manager, a man came to our table that reeked of cigarettes, he was very rude and unhelpful. Bad Choice in so many ways… You can’t even find the front door…
Place rating: 3
Laguna Beach, CA
Didn’t enjoy the meal at all. Food arrived almost frozen? The lasagna pre-​prep frozen & heated? Didn’t enjoy the experience, opted for In/​Out instead .go with consistency. Many Italian offerings in the area as well. Carla’s experience explains it.
Will try again. others have enjoyed
Place rating: 5
Dana Point, CA
We have dined at Tavern on the Coast maybe 6 – 8 times in the two years or so that it has been open and have always felt that while the food was quite good, the service left much to be desired. And it is primarily due to the spotty service that my husband and I don’t immediately think of coming here when looking to enjoy a meal out — and we live just a two-​minute drive away.
With this in mind, we elected to sit at the bar on a recent Sunday evening, as we find you can’t go too far wrong when you are served by the bartender who is always within earshot and eyesight. We also wanted to enjoy a little football on the flatscreen, so sitting at the bar was a perfect choice. We were very fortunate that Kelley was managing the bar area this Sunday, and felt that we had perhaps the best service experience we’ve ever had at Tavern on the Coast because of her attentiveness and very pleasant demeanor. Granted, there was only one other couple dining at the bar with us, but Kelley seems like she could have capably handled a full bar without missing a beat. We were well taken care of.
Our food, by the way, was excellent. My husband loved the short rib lasagna with side of mac, and my burrata salad special on a bed of greens with tomatoes and olives was the perfect combination of sweet and creamy balanced with salt and acidity. And Kelley’s grapefruit-​pomegranate margarita was well-​mixed and generously poured. We left with to-​go bags, extra bread, and big smiles on our faces. Thank you, Kelley and Tavern on the Coast, for a lovely Sunday evening!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Tavern on the Coast is phenomenal! Our party of 6 on September 25, 2015 was in heaven. We enjoyed our server, Eric, and the food was outstanding. We started with calamari, burrata, beet salad and wedge salad, all were excellent. The main course included 3 diver scallop orders, short rib lasagne, roasted chicken and lobster ravioli. All diners were delighted with their selections. Our overall experience was very favorable. I can’t wait to go back!
Place rating: 4
Fullerton, CA
Great Bunch!
Prefect pairing: Fahrenheit cocktail, fritters starter and Monte Cristo French toast. Amazing!
Server: Sunshine, did a great job of recommendations and knowing when to approach the table.
Place rating: 5
Orange County, CA
We came in randomdly after church, never though of eating here but we finally did. The kids loved their food (pancakes with delicious bananas and strawberries — adult portion, too bad they don’t have that for kids; a large plate of hamburger and french fries for our teen and the third kid had the grilled chicken with mashed potatoes — except she got fries since they were out of mashed potatoes). My husband had an omelette and I had the PCH omelette. They serve large portions and we were all stuffed to say the least!
Sunshine was our waitress and she LOVES kids, so that made a huge difference that she catered to the little picky people at our table with a huge smile. She went the über extra mile to make sure kids were happy with their meals, which any parent would love!
Will definitely come again, and will make sure to share food with my hubby next time — huge portions! :)
Place rating: 4
Laguna Beach, CA
Friendly Staff, Good Service and the Paradise Oysters are some of the best we have had
Place rating: 5
Brea, CA
So I loved this place so much I decided to download Unilocal to write my first review ever. This place is amazing, we started with the arugula salad and grandmas meatball appetizer and the short-​rib lasagna and roasted chicken for our main. The food was remarkable and the service even better. Our waiter (French accent) was on point, he honestly cared that we enjoyed our food and experience. Try the apple dessert and macchiato. I’m jealous that you will probably go before I get to again. Bön Appetite !!!
Place rating: 1
El Monte, CA
Wow IV never paid so much for dog food quality meals, a waiter that won’t get off his Facebook & refill my drink and possibly one of the rudest manager/​employees I have ever witnessed I just watched him yelling at a customer and his wife while in the parking lot in front of children, neighboring shops and residents even came out of their house to see what was happening never have I witnessed a manager yelling «fuck you you fucking piece of shit» to Dana point local Husband and wife on Father’s Day of all days so sad to see The kind of businesses and owners this town now has to offer…
I give the tavern on the coast and all of its employees two thumbs down and a warning to anyone who thinks they should go eat there…
Place rating: 4
Huntington Beach, CA
Walked in with friend and was immediately greeted by manager (owner?), who was VERY friendly. We sat at bar and ordered a beer and a couple of food items. Bartender was extremely pleasant as was another employee (manager?) who came by and asked us how everything was. Wedge salad was delicious and pre-​slit as we requested. Margherita Flatbread was outstanding as well. Perfect for two people to share. Very fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheeses along with grape tomatoes and basil.
Great service and excellent food in a modern, clean, classy environment. Will definitely go back when in area again.
Place rating: 5
Laguna Niguel, CA
AMAZING food and EXCELLENT service. My husband and I absolutely loved this place! We went with our 9 month old daughter for the first time on Saturday night. It is tough to find a place that isn’t too loud and crowded on a weekend. We were pleasantly surprised by the great ambiance, music and great food. Our waiter was top notch!
Place rating: 5
Brawley, CA
Great little restaurant with daily specials and a wide variety of menu choices from beef to chicken to pork and seafood. We ordered the meatball appetizer which is easily shared by two but could be shared by up to four people. Delicious! I had the pork chop and my daughter had the rib eye steak. Both came cooked perfectly, and the accompanying sauces and sides went together well. Save room for dessert! A great variety also and all are made on site the apple strudel with caramel ice cream was killer!
Place rating: 2
Aliso Viejo, CA
The atmosphere is modern but lacks any real character. We had a reservation for 7:00 on a Friday, arrived early and were seated in a half-​empty restaurant. It remained half-​empty the whole evening, which doesn’t bode well.
The server was pleasant, though we felt we waited a long time to be asked if we’d like a drink — probably sat there 10 minutes before she actually engaged us. The server was more attentive the rest of the meal.
Cocktails were ok, but standard. Bread delivered to table with olive oil to dip, which was tasty.
Started with the foie gras ravioli appetizer special which was tasty and well-​prepared. Followed with a caesar salad split, which was fresh and had more of an anchovy flavor than I normally get (which was a plus).
For entrees: We had the evening’s special colorado-​style rib eye with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The sides on that were average to mediocre, though the rib eye was solid. We also had their short rib lasagna, which was disappointingly dry though the components of the dish had a lot of potential.
Overall this is not worth the price they charge for what you get. I’d say it was worth about 1⁄3 to ½ less than the final bill. Coastal restaurants charge more, this one isn’t worth it.
There are better options for a casual upscale meal.
Place rating: 4
Laguna Beach, CA
Best new addition to the OC beach scene for reliably good food in a comfortable spot with amazing and caring service from ownership that is obviously on top of it. Right in PCH in Dana Point. Came here a bunch of times over the Christmas holidays and the first time we ordered dessert they were out of it that night and waitress insisted on *treating us gratis* on any other dessert we wanted: wow. Tavern/​bistro fare, good mix of American and classics, but fresh-​styled, no greasy spoon predictability, more gastropub flair. Everything we had was good and the have Weihenstephaner on tap! (Also Lagunitas, Ballast and Triceahops IPAs, Karl Strauss, Ballast and other microbrews).
Tavern Burger $ 16
Huge and awesome. 10oz of prime beef on a freshly baked brioche bun with fries. I added a fried egg on top ($ 2) of mine and this is now my fave burger on the coast, right up there with The Loft’s at the Montage and Sapphire’s Kobe Beef one.
Beet Salad $ 9
I never seem to get a big enough wet salad anywhere but this was normal sized, not too small. With arugula and chèvre, really good
Beignets $ 9
Yum! With strawberry and caramel
They have a short rib lasagna I’ve not tried yet but looks awesome.
Came in for brunch today, Sunday, special menu with a different Eggs Benedict each Sunday, and good if not huge menu of pancakes, French toast, chicken ‘n’ biscuit, and more.
Had «The Recovery» $ 15
Prime beef burger on an English muffin with egg, bacon, cheddar and Hollandaise… Ha, ha! Need I say more? How can *that* go wrong?! Going on an extra long ALK tomorrow and totally worth it :-)
Their cocktails rock: live their Jalapeño-​cucumber one.
Go :-)
Four stars because I don’t give 5 stars unless it’s a bucket list thing to live like stuff in Paris, Venice, the Greek islands or a hut in Zihuatanejo squalor serving cabezas :-)
Place rating: 3
Anaheim, CA
We were driving up PCH and saw the Tavern on the Coast so we decided to stop in for dinner. The wine collection was small and expensive for being a «Tavern.» I ordered a mixed green salad and Filet Mignon. The mixed salad was excellent. The mixed greens were very fresh and the house vinaigrette was delicious. The filet was cooked to perfection with some buttery mashed potatoes on the side. For dessert, I ordered the beignets but only to be disappointed when I was told there were all out. We ended up having the lemon sorbet which was mediocre at best. Overall, great service and an excellent entrees. Oh yes, and the music playing in the background was actually pretty good.
Place rating: 5
Dana Point, CA
If service is really important to you then you will truly value your experience at Tavern on the Coast. We didn’t have much time when we dined there last week. I informed the waiter that we were pressed for time and he managed to give great service and did it quickly! The house Cabernet was delicious and I had the chicken parmigiana which was fantastic and it was served with fresh fettuccini. My son told me when we got the bill, «Mom, that waiter was so good so you better give him a REALLY good tip!»
The ambiance if the Tavern is very cozy, especially right now with all the Christmas decorations. This is a great place for a holiday dinner. Cheers.
Place rating: 4
Capistrano Beach, CA
I’ve heard rumors that this place didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, but I think they’ve turned it around.
We started with the margherita flatbread, which was surprisingly delicious. Usually, a flatbread is a flatbread, but this one was really tasty. More like a pizza.
For my entrée, I got the pesto pasta with artichokes and sundried tomatoes. It was their only vegetarian option, if I remember correctly.
For dessert, we got the chocolate bread pudding, which comes with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. DELICIOUS. I would highly recommend this.
They have a decent list of beers and an extensive (though pricey) wine list.
The service is almost too good. The owner (I think) greeted us right when we sat down. The waiter was stopping by A LOT. It was a bit much, actually. But better than the alternative…
The bar area is really nice. They have a TV and it’s a more laid-​back vibe than the rest of the restaurant – though the whole place is pretty casual. We’ll be back… at the bar!
Place rating: 4
San Mateo, CA
This place is promising. I would normally have given a place like this 3 stars but since it’s rare to find restaurants like this in Dana Point, I decided to give this place 4 stars. Given that we went on their first opening weekend, I’m hoping they will improve over the next few months. The menu was a bit limited.
Here are the dishes we tried:
–Tuna Tartar: it was served with a ginger emulsion. I thought it was a little too sweet.
–Spinach Salad: amazingly fresh and delicious, served with pieces of pork belly. You can never go wrong with pork belly.
–Filet: well cooked and served with really flavorful roasted bell peppers and broccollini. There’s not a lot to say, how can you screw up a good piece of filet.
–Jodori Chicken: perfectly cooked served with a really good quinoa and chimichurri sauce. I usually don’t order chicken when I eat out because it’s so boring but this is a really tasty chicken dish.
–Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese: had a lot of flavor but it was too runny. i expected it to be more gooey.
–Fries: tasty but was soggy once they got cold.
–Bread pudding: this was really good, moist and rich with lots of flavor, not too sweet.
They also have a pretty good selection of cocktails and wines.
The restaurant was well designed for a casual bistro feel. The patio seating was built with plenty of heat lamps and a nice fire place. I thought the music was a little too loud which made it a bit hard to hear people talk at your table. I prefer a more subtle background music.
The service was good. Our waiter seemed nervous, not sure what it was but he didn’t seem that experience.