SideDoor — Restaurant in Newport Beach

Where should we go for dinner?

It was hot and stuffy out by me and him and we really missed the beach from the other day so we decided to drive down and see what we wanted to do and eat.

We ended up in Corona del Mar off the 73 and decided on this place. It's an off shoot of Five Crowns and there's a "side door" that you enter through..not a main door - so be mindful of that if you're looking for it. It's set up as a secret speakeasy without being one but once you're inside it's tiny, intimate and cozy with a few chairs and tables so seating is first come, first serve with no reservations. The whole point is to get cozy with a stranger or whoever you're with.

We grabbed the half booth with a large table. We were going to do our usual - get a bunch of food and split it. The menu is ridiculously good here so you can't help but want to order everything. Since it's a gastropub, it's also very filling so it's a good idea to get a bunch of things and just split them.

We both wanted a beer but weren't sure what. We told our waitress what we were ordering and if she could recommend a few things based on that but she was clueless and probably new and it took her forever to bring back a sample of anything and sadly service stayed that way with her.

Eventually, after a few samples, we decided on the Old Speckled Hen. It was a light refreshing beer with hints of toffee. For food, we started with the Stilton cheese potato chips. So freakin good but beware of the stinky cheese. We devoured this dish and then moved onto the SideDoor burger with American kobe and manchego cheese. This was amazing. The bun was really really good but the burger is kinda messy with all that cheese. We finished dinner with the mac and cheese with sausage. This is amazingly cheesy and gooey..just the way I like it.

Food was so good and very filling. Menu changes frequently so we'll...

Went on a Monday night and the place was still relatively busy. We were greeted immediately, and picked our own seating. The ambiance is dark but cozy. Kind of gave me a pirate ship vibe.

Our server was prompt to greet us and give recommendations. She was phenomenal throughout the dinner, and wish I could remember her name.

To start we had a Charcuterie board (the chefs selection of five) and Ahi tuna Tartare. We had a hard time picking so we consulted with the server and "cheese specialist" and were very happy with the cheese and meat selections. The Ahi Tuna Tartare was refreshing and tasty, it had watermelon chunks added in which gave the fish a nice balance.

For my entree I tried the lobster bisque, octopus, and mash potatoes. The lobster bisque was okay, I expected it to be drizzled with a cream sauce, however it only came with croutons and chives. The mash potatoes were good, but you can't mess up mash potatoes too often. Lastly, the star of the meal was the octopus. Which was perfectly cooked; chorizo added the perfect meaty spice, while the squid ink sauce tied it together nicely. The potatoes with this dish were slightly undercooked.

We did try a dessert (although the name escapes me) and it reminded me of a tres leches cake. It was decent, but we didn't finish it.

Overall they had great service, but I'm still undecided...

The positives: small, loud, somewhat dark english pub feel in the back of the old, original 5 crowns restaurant. Nice fireplace. Nice bar, intriguing seating and table organization. Waiter was very nice and interactive and attentive. No complaints on these. Also, the roast beef was very good - juicy, tender, and cooked to a good medium rare temperature. The au jus was very good as well

The not so positives: Other than the meat, the rest of the meal was not great. The "lawry's creamed spinach" was bland and dry. Not well seasoned, and no particular flavor. The mashed potatoes were fine, but could have easily been from Denny's over this level of restaurant. The salad we ordered was very bland, not tossed well, and overall very uninspiring. Portions (other than the meat, which we ordered a large portion) were small. The yorkshire pudding was dry and flavorless as well. The prices weren't outrageous, but were expensive, and for what we paid, we thought the offering should have been much better.

Overall? Went left an expensive restauarant very uninspired and unimpressed. There are many other options for a good roast beef serving with bland, uninspiring sides, for far less money.

Disappointed in the experience, and probably would not return. Too bad - I really wanted to like the place, and had heard...