RH Ocean Grill at RH Newport Beach — Restaurant in Newport Beach

See the original review from 5/1/25 below

This was our second visit to RH Ocean Grill in Newport Beach. This fir experience was good as we loved the ambience, and the food was good (not great). we figured we'd give them a second chance at their service.

The hostess took us to our table (no "hello" or even a slight smile...just a blank face) and the sun was beating on the table. The table next to this table was available and we asked if we could sit there. She said that was for larger parties. The tables were exactly the same! The only difference was that they had put 2 more chairs at the other table. The chairs could've been put at the first table! When I told her that, she just repeated "that's for larger parties!" We didn't want to argue and took our seats. That table was still available for another 20 minutes before they sat another party there.

Our waitress (I wish they had nametags so that we could be more specific here...no one has nametags) seemed like she didn't want to be there. Short answers, fake and quick smiles (like a smirk), and not very attentive. They brought the food, which was above average this time, and we were halfway done when the waitress came and asked if we would like any desserts! I asked "dessert?!" She said "yeah, I'll bring a menu!!!" We were not sure why she was rushing us. She came back, put a dessert menu on the table, "smiled" and left. We figured we'd leave the menu were it was until we were finished with our meal. 5 minutes later she came and took it away, perhaps thinking that we didn't want any desserts! She never showed up again. Another waitress came and asked if we needed anything. Then I flagged another waiter, Josh (I asked his name), for our check. He was very nice and even had a small chat with us.

If it weren't for Josh to end our experience on a pleasant note, we would probably not come back here even though we love the ambience.

BTW, they only have Dijon mustard! I think a restaurant that serves sandwiches and fries should have French's yellow mustard, too! The fries are excellent (both regular and sweet potato).

original review from 5/1/25 The ambiance is wonderful and the food is above average with reasonable prices. The service is good, but the kitchen was way too slow. We were there for 3:20 hours (4 people). I asked the waiter if the slow service was normal there and he said that the kitchen was overwhelmed today! This place is ALWAYS packed, but today they were overwhelmed?!

The truffle fries were unbelievably good. The crispy artichoke was very good. The Swedish pancakes were really good, but drenched in butter! Maybe that's why they tasted good, but it was just too much butter. None of the desserts impressed me.

I would have definitely given 5 stars had the service been faster, or at least a manager had come for an explanation...

Came here on a Tuesday for a lunch date with my mother in law. We had a little mix up with reservations (my mother in law and I) so we technically were walk-ins. But to our surprise, the wait for a table was not as long as we thought it would be. The plus side was that they had the bar available and areas to sit and wait so we didn't have to go wander around or stay standing while waiting. And the lounge seating was a plus.

While waiting I ordered us a peach bellini and a rose spritz. Nothing special about them, but they were delicious.

We were seated at a beautiful spot inside with enough shade and it was great because we liked the visual esthetic. Was worried we would be seated at one of the small tables for 2 people. Problem I find with those tables is that yes they're beautiful, but this is a restaurant right? Cafe style doesn't feel right with restaurant setting.

We ordered 5 dishes. The ceasar salad, burrata with grilled peppers, fried artichoke dish, a 2 piece mini lobster rolls with caviar, and the rotisserie chicken half portion. Let me start with this: the whole menu for the food is over priced when it comes to the food, but I understand it more because the view is amazing, the esthetic is beautiful and elegant, and over all it felt more like I was paying for everything else. So basically, I dont mind it as much.

The ceasar salad: a basic salad. Nothing special about the presentation. But surprisingly tasted better than expected. 8.5/10

Burrata and peppers: seasoned well. Paired well. Nothing special. Presentation was fine. 8/10

Artichoke: we did not enjoy this one. Was oily and not very good. The aoli or what ever sauce was extremely salty. Presentation was fine, but taste was not to our liking. 3/10

Mini lobster rolls with caviar: good portion for a mini roll. Perclfect one biters. The combo with delicious. Definitely recommend. 9/10

Rotisserie chicken half: the prime picture and taste when I think of "white people chicken". It was sitting in a pool of soup, but was dry. The flavor was bland. And it was confusing with the baby arugula. Not sure what this was supposed to be. But I dont recommend. 2/10

At the end, we enjoyed a Chai latte and a drip coffee. Again, nothing special, but wasn't terrible: 7.5/10 because with a coffee should be brought cream and sugar, had to flag down and ask for them. The chai was a good spice. Level and aromatic.

Service: Friendly, but not attentive. Was not impressed and for the price people pay to dine here, I expect higher standards of service. Host was friendly and kind. Was pretty attentive when it came to seating us and actually came and found us when it was time to be seated.

Over all, would not eat here again. But it was a nice little experience for my mother...

The ambiance is epic. One of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever laid my eyes on. But it wasn’t an epic experience…

We arrived precisely 3 minutes late for a prime-time Monday reservation and had to wait 20 additional minutes for a table. I’ll chalk it up to first-week jitters for now, but this is a major issue that needs to be resolved. If it’s this bad on a Monday, I can’t imagine a weekend.

Service was painfully slow, and it took forever to get our drinks. Food arrived shockingly quickly after the drinks, and I was disappointed to see that our server didn’t check on us once after our food was dropped. Didn’t even offer to bring another couple glasses of wine - seems like a missed opportunity for revenue generation. Management never dropped by to check on things, and mind you this is literally day 4 of service. How could management not check on tables this early into service?!

Speaking of wine, the restaurant currently only has a beer and wine license. Again, a MAJOR miss with this Newport Beach crowd. When I questioned the server about it, they seemed stunned that I would even ask. At first they defended the restaurant’s decision, saying that hard alcohol could ruin the fabric of the seating (umm, hello Red Wine?!). Later, they eased up on that nonsensical line of reason and said the restaurant might be working on a full liquor license. I guess we’ll never know since a manager never greeted our table.

Interestingly, for a beer and wine only license, their wine selection was only slightly above average. They had a fair number of big brand names that the Newps crowd loves to be seen drinking, along with a decent mix of more esoteric French, Spanish, and Italian selections…but almost all of it is FAR too young for a true oenophile to drink (2022 was the average vintage year).

Food was solid, but not necessarily crave-worthy. Not a single dish was bad, but nothing left us saying “wow, we have to get that again!”

Prices were on par with the 4 local Hillstone properties but with terrible service and no full bar, I’m not sure I’m itching to return anytime soon.

Once the excitement of a new Newport restaurant fades, I predict the target demographic of RH Ocean Grill will be the “Ladies Who Lunch” scene.

Worth checking out once just to check it off your to-do list, but don’t bring an important business dinner or hot date here unless they’re simply impressed with...