OLD BREA CHOP HOUSE — Restaurant in Brea

When we first walked in, we were excited. At first glance, this restaurant showed sophistication and promise. It has a very cool like new York or Chicago feeling ambiance, very moody and rich, with dark accents and lighting.

The food is good. We ordered the rib eye sandwiches and a lobster grilled cheese. Our rib eye sandwich was tasty. We were expecting a sliced steak but what we got was shaved steak. Might have missed that description on the menu. If so, my bad. However, for a $24 price point per sandwich, it could have been better perhaps. The lobster grilled cheese came recommended by our server but we would not recommend it. Lobster was perhaps overly fishy tasting.

As for drinks, I ordered the old brea old fashioned. It was very good and worth the price of $17.

Last for our meal was dessert. We enjoyed the desserts. We tried a selection of desserts: warm butter cake, creme brulee, and the sorbet trio. The warm butter cake was delicious, and the sorbets were pretty good. The creme brulee was just okay.

There were some other things that made our experience less than 5-star. First off, the owner or manager (I'm assuming. He had a laptop at the bar and was showing the hosts something on the laptop) was on his phone and talking business maybe like 6 feet from our booth. At the time of his call, the restaurant wasnt that full so we could hear his whole conversation and he was leaning against a wall and facing us for most of his call, making us feel like we were part of his work call.

Additionally, this restaurant does staged courses, meaning they swap out your utensils for each course. That's fine, makes it feel fancy. However, our server did kind of awkwardly reach across us to get the silverware and a bit quick to reach for our plate assuming we were finished. So that felt a bit, brusque. Another thing is that the kitchen is open toward the restaurant. The kitchen was a bit cluttered and messy looking and off to the side were stacks of cardboard boxes of kitchen stuff or supplies, really detracting from what would have been a cool feature of seeing the kitchen. Then the booth we sat at, there was a host/server station right behind our seat. The restaurant is on the small side so I understand that space is limited. However, it felt kind of weird to all of a sudden hear the servers working stuff out right at my ear pretty much. And then last thing, the lighting of our booth, on one of the seats, the ceiling light shines directly on you sitting there like a spotlight. If that could be addressed that'd be great.

So, in conclusion, this restaurant has great promise, especially if the above are addressed. It'll still be on the pricier side, but with the ambiance (minus the detractions) of this restaurant, it could be a place to come back to. As for us, we are on the fence if we want to give this spot...

My husband and I visited this new restaurant after reading about it, and knowing the area quite well. It's actually adjacent to the new brea improv location. Nice new building. Very modern. We arrived Saturday just before 5pm and were surprised that there was a line of people waiting to get in. Our reservations were for 5, which is the time they open on Saturdays. We were celebrating my birthday and I was really looking forward to try a new restaurant. Upon entering, we were quickly seated in a booth, it was very comfortable, the ambiance had a romantic feel, clean, and very modern. The server was Hanna along with assistance from Charles. We were served our drinks and filtered water upon request. The also included a variation of breads, warm pretzel bread included, which we loved. The wine selection was pretty good , average price $15.00 a glass. We elected not to order an appetizer, because we wanted to save our appetite for our main course. My husband ordered the Swordfish blackened. I ordered the 6 oz filet. We also ordered a side of lobster tail $19.00 and a side of spinach, $10.00 We were served our entrees timely, they were perfect temperature and not another word was spoken for at least 1/2 the meal. We were amazed at the perfection of the cooking. My filet was very tasteful, one of the best filet's I've had. And the swordfish !! Omg it was so flavorful and cooked perfect. It actually melted in your mouth, and was probably the best swordfish my husband has ever ate in his 40 years of fine dining experience throughout the world. The spinach was great, sauteed in garlic and lemon , the lobster very succulent, served with drawn butter. Needless to say, we will be visiting this restaurant often, and it is highly recommended by us both. The manager Mike was helpful with questions, stopping by occasionally to make sure we were content with our food and service. We even had a visit from the owner Tony, who gave us a quick history of his expertise and collective experience which brought him to open this Gem of a restaurant. Hanna was the epitome of a great server, along with Charles. Both were friendly, professional and great knowledge of the menu . Perfect place, perfect people, the absolute best food. What more can I add? Oh. The butter cake was best...

My guest and I had lunch today at Old Brea chophouse. We ordered the prefixe lunch, which was a salad and a sandwich for each of us. The Caesar salad was wonderful, with an excellent dressing and crispy croutons. Both my guest and I had the prime rib sandwich. The bread was focaccia and it wasn’t very flavorful. The prime rib was sliced and was a very generous serving on each sandwich. I asked for bread and butter, and that was an additional eight dollar charge. We received one piece of lavash, and for dinner rolls. The bread and lavash was quite good, but the price of eight dollars seemed a bit outrageous.

I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, and the waiter, Josh, then poured me a second glass, even though I had not requested one. I thought he was just emptying the wine from the bottle, and he did not provide a full pour, as he did with the first glass. I thought he was simply emptying the bottle, but when I received the bill, I was charged for a second glass of wine. I spoke with the manager, who came to my table, and I told her that he had not provided a full pour and that I had not requested a second glass of wine. Although I told her that it was not necessary to reverse the charge for the second glass of wine, I honestly thought that she would do so, as what Josh did was totally inappropriate. Unfortunately, I did not receive a refund for the second glass of wine. I have had lunch and dinner at hundreds and hundreds of restaurants, and I have never been served a glass of wine without my request.

I was disappointed with my experience at Old Brea chophouse, and I would not return again. What a bizarre experience, and one that I hope will not be repeated.

I appreciate the response from the owner. When I posted this review, I had not received the refund from the restaurant for the second glass of wine. When I checked my credit card account online today, Friday, October 10, the refund was still not posted. My main concern was not the refund, but that Josh, the server, poured a second glass of wine without my request for this and without asking me if I wanted a second...