The Hideout — Restaurant in California

Let's be honest, Aptos is sorely lacking on places to eat-out. I have had many experiences at The Hideout, almost always good. If you go during dinner hours, especially a weekend, expect a wait. They have a nice waiting area around a fire pit, and you can order drinks at the bar while you wait. Sitting inside is LOUD. If it is busy in there, it is gonna be loud, so be ready. That being said, when the weather is nice, outdoor seating is available, complete with heaters and blankets for those chilly nights. They are doing the best they can working with an old house.

The next aspect of the experience would be the service. I have had some great service dining here, and also some terrible experiences- which I feel is typical for the area. And as the options are limited in Aptos, this has never deterred us from enjoying the food.

The food is almost always very good. Occasionally you will notice that a favorite dish is not as good as usual, but that will happen anywhere they are making fresh food. The menu has stayed pretty much the same since they opened- in a positive way. The favorite items from each category remain and they rotate other items as well to keep the options interesting.

The Hot wings are excellent as is the Tuna Poke Tower for Appetizers. The wings are crispy, vinegary, and spicy with great blue cheese for dipping if you like. The Poke Tower has a delicious sesame sauce and comes with wonton chips for a crispy bite. The sandwiches are always good with the Burger being a standout. My partner likes the Hideout burger which is blended with bacon and topped with blue cheese. I am a purist and enjoy the regular burger. The steak has been a great staple since they opened with the tasty black garlic butter on top. Recently added Fried Chicken dinner has been really tasty with a great maple syrup sauce to compliment the rich fried chicken.

Beer choices are strong with their own Hideout IPA being the standout. Great bar selection with interesting cocktails as well.

Overall The Hideout is worth trying if you are from out of town and worth making a regular...

Service was amazing, our waitress was extremely nice, helpful, and cheerful. Checked in on us multiple times and made suggestions when asked.

Menu had a variety of options from salads, burgers, pastas, and appetizers. Plates and appetizers were good portions, more than usual. Plates were $30-40 each. Appetizers were $10-20 each. Ranch is thick & creamy, gotta give props when someone has good ranch.

As an appetizer I ordered the Mac & Cheese with bacon. Was impressed by the large portion and well worth the extra 2 bucks for adding a huge amount of bacon. I enjoyed the flavor but wished it was more cheesy. The top was drying and I had to dig to the bottom for the cheese, which was more watery than expected. Personally, I prefer thick ans creamy cheese. But still worth the 16 buck price as it was a large portion.

I ordered the Salmon Risotto for my main dish. Salmon was perfectly cooked, just didn't have much seasoning on its own. Sauce was creamy and flavorful. Risotto is in my top 5, really loved the flavoring. The combination of Salmon, sauce, and Risotto worked in a beautiful harmony.

But the veggies were my least favorite & the reason for not getting the 5th star. Green beans and yellow squash. Now, I love vegetables, but these were not it. Took a bite and they were bland. Only after adding salt and pepper was I able to enjoy the green beans. But the squash I gave to my grandma, she prefers bland. They were also squishy from being overcooked(the squash). Maybe they have no flavor for people to season on their own? I'm not sure but I was disappointed with the steamed veggies.

My family ordered burgers and the pastrami sandwich. They had large meat portions to where my uncle and cousin were full & pleased. I tried the Chipotle Aioli and was impressed.

With the immaculate service and overall great food, my family and I enjoyed this restaurant experience. Would...

The food was decent and the hostess was great. Had the Ahi Poke Tower which was a 10 and tried their short rib plate, which was a 6 (felt like there was something missing as far as flavor) but the veggies it came with were perfectly cooked and seasoned. Our waitress wasn't too bad, that is until the end. Arrived around 6 pm for dinner on a Monday night w/ two friends. Arrived, no wait and got sat right away. Bussers were very attentive, refilling water and removing plates constantly. Paid our tab and continued to catch up. The restaurant was not full and there was no wait to sit, when all of a sudden the waitress asked us to leave because there were "reservations". Yet there were about four or more empty tables throughout the dining area. Outside seating was completely empty. I would understand if the place was completely full and there were people waiting but as we left, there was no one there. Plus the waitress could have handled the situation better where she could have offered to move us to the bar or outside seating. Felt like a racial issue since there were white folks who were at their tables when we arrived and still there as we were leaving, yet apparently they weren't asked to leave because they had "reservations". Won't be coming back to an establishment where I pay close to a $200 tab and then get treated...