Hook & Anchor — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

My wife and I visited Hook & Anchor on a Sunday around 4:30 PM. Parking was a breeze, and we were seated immediately despite being told there would be a 15-minute wait. Unfortunately, the initial experience with the staff was less than welcoming; the two employees at the hostess podium offered no smiles and seemed unenthusiastic.

The Service Experience

The service from our server was the most significant letdown of the evening. After being seated near the bar, it took a full 10 minutes just to get water. The bartender finally took my beer order, but another 10 minutes passed without the drink arriving and no one had taken our food order. Our server, meanwhile, was seen walking around, laughing, and talking with other staff—he had clearly forgotten about us.

It wasn't until a hostess checked in that we spoke up. My wife kindly mentioned, "I think our server forgot about us," and I requested better service. The hostess took ownership and thankfully provided excellent attention moving forward. Our original server finally came to take our order but offered no apology for the extended wait. I appreciated that he did give me my hazy IPA for free, which was a nice gesture and the least they could do after the prolonged wait.

The Food: Simply Exceptional

Despite the service issues, the food was truly outstanding and saved the entire experience. We started with a 6-piece oyster appetizer, and for our main course, we both had the lobster roll (I highly recommend the $50, 6 oz portion, though the $35, 4 oz is also available). I can confidently say this was the best lobster roll either of us has ever had—the flavor and presentation were exceptional and absolutely worth the price.

The sides were equally delicious. The grilled mushrooms were cooked perfectly, and the side salad with balsamic dressing was fresh and flavorful.

Final Thoughts

The atmosphere was cool, with a nice marine theme, including a giant mahi-mahi statue, and TVs playing football.

We will definitely be back for the lobster rolls, but we sincerely hope the service improves. The quality of the kitchen deserves a front-of-house staff that matches it.

Rating: 4/5 (The food earned a 5/5, but the poor initial service dropped the...

Not being from the area you are visiting can ALWAYS be an adventure. We were on our way to Laguna Beach, and we spotted a row of what appeared to be restaurants. The first one we came upon was packed and required a wait time before you could be seated. We were hungry and waiting for a waiter to wait on us was not conducive to a relaxing day out. I looked next door and the hostess said that they were in fact open and ready to seat us. Done! Our seats faced a huge open window (which unfortunately faces traffic but the fresh air was still awesome!), and an incredibly friendly and skilled in the art of conversation above and beyond the regular subhuman chit chat we all face in customer service experiences nowadays. We ordered our incredibly delicious bloody Mary's and asked if we could split a breakfast burrito. After making our food choice based on the fact I am allergic to onions and the burrito didn't list onion as an ingredient, we chatted more with our awesome server, enjoyed our fantastic adult beverages, and peered out into the beautiful... traffic! Our burrito arrived, pre-cut, two plates, and double the various sauces for each of us. After a couple bites in, I realized that there is in fact, onion as an ingredient, and I quietly asked if I could have another burrito without onion? The entire staff jumped to my rescue and after offering to comp the meal ( I refused profusely!), they brought me my own onion free burrito which I then proceeded to eat the whole thing! Either the manager or the owner was there that morning, and he was beyond understanding and did go above and beyond the norms of customer service we face in our home state of Oregon regularly. If you are ever interested in being treated like a guest and not a number, PLEASE choose Hook and Anchor before you wait...

(Visited 7/13/24 at 2:00) Overall I'd give this experience 3.5 starts, but since I can't give half stars, I'll give them 4 stars. The lobster bisque was a 5 star dish. It was rich and flavorful without being fishy or too rich, as some often are. It was also a perfect balance of brothy and creamy. I could have eaten much more. The Connecticut style lobster roll was 4 stars for me. It was good but no where near the best I've had. It was a little boring. It would have benefited from a little seasoning or something to break up the monotany. The best Connecticut roll I've eaten had a tiny amount of diced tomatoes mixed in with a little bit of Old Bay seasoning. They have a Syracha aioli version but that seems like it might be a bit too much. The biggest problem I have with the experience is that I was lied to by the bartender. When it came time to pick a side I told her I was leaning towards the veggies. Then I added, "unless the fries are handmade of course". She said that they were and I questioned her further. "So they've got potatoes back there that they turn into fries?" She assured me that they in fact did turn potatoes into fries back in the kitchen. I said ok and ordered the fries. When they came out I could immediately tell that they were not handmade. No big deal, they were good frozen fries but when I politely and jokingly called her on it, she lied to me again. She again assured me that they were hand cut. On my way out I spoke with another one of the employees and he told me the truth, the fries are frozen. So she either lied or she didn't know. I suspect that she knew but didn't want to admit it. If she had any tact at all she would have just told me to get the veggies when I asked if the fires were handmade. After all that, I'd still eat there again, but I wouldn't...