Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Newport Beach

I have been here many times for special events over the years. I'm always very impressed... but not this time. The service, the presentation, and just the overall standards of the restaurant have dropped. The only aspect I can credit is the kitchen, as the quality of the food itself remains high. We came in on a Sunday night to celebrate my husband's birthday. We felt terrible arriving 30 minutes before closing, but we REALLY only wanted a cocktail and the Pina Colada cake. When we sat down, the restaurant was fairly full. We requested the patio because we had our little dog w us. There were no fresh orchids on the tables, the candles were OUT. Ok. They were closing soon, understandable. The first drink I ordered was not made right. It's a tiki drink, and not every bartender is familiar. No big deal. I appreciated the effort. So, I opted for a Mai Tai. It arrived "naked" and tasted like just rum and O.J.. What happened to the orchid garnishes? None in the drinks or on the plate. That may sound snotty, but that was what I really loved about coming here. Our server was sweet. Very friendly and really helpful. She had good suggestions and even brought me some tasters of some sauces to help me decide. She offered us bread, then returned a few minutes later apologizing stating that the kitchen had already "thrown it out". Really? One server repeatedly dropped metal lids-- 4 in about 15 min. I mean, c'mon! The runner/busser was attentive, but completely lacked the "service with a smile" part of it. She was in a bad mood or something. As time went on, tables started clearing out and we were the only table left outside. It must've been after 9:00; much of the staff, even the manager, had all "Let down their hair" and have conversations that should not be taking place with guests present. My husband and I are very low maintenance and high tolerance, but its just a bit distasteful in that setting. We got the impression that they wanted to close, so we requested the check and got my husband's birthday dessert to-go. It took away the whole experience of celebrating your birthday at a restaurant. While he didn't want all the "bells and whistles", just a simple candle on his cake would have sufficed. But, maybe they don't do that anymore either. We both left here with a sour taste....

This review is not for the restaurant. the restaurant is nice. The review is for their clothing store. I used to shop there a lot but would never trust them and go there again because they lie. Las December, I spent $673.43 buying a few items from them. They told me that I'll get $50. gift certificate for each item I had bought, and I received a $150 gift certificate. I was supposed to use the certificates during January, so I went there on January 9, 2024. Since I didn't find anything I liked for myself, I decided to use my gift certificates to purchase a birthday gift for my Friend. I found a dress that I liked and the cost was $158. Before I purchased the dress, I told the sales lady whose name was Rose Marie, that my friend was very tiny and may need to bring the dress back for exchange. I asked Rose Marie several times that I'd want to make sure that my friend could exchange the dress for another as long as it'd cost $158 . Rose Marie assured me that exchanging for the same price dress would be OK as long as my friend would keep the tags, bring her gift receipt, and do the exchange within 90 days. So I bought the dress. The total cost for the dress was $158.62. Since I had a $150 gift certificate, Rose Marie charged my card for the remaining $8.62 and gave me the dress. Well, the dress did not fit my friend as I had suspected. So She went to the store to exchange the dress on 3/18/2024. Within the period Rose Marie had promised it would be OK. In addition, all the tags were on the dress. To my friend's surprise, the salesperson told her that she could only spend $8.62. My friend called me to tell me what was happening. I called the store to see what they were talking about when the cost of the dress was $158.62. the sales lady said the dress was $8.62. I was so aggravated and asked for a supervisor. NO ONE was helpful and they all lied. I don't usually write reviews but I felt obligated to do so on this case so that others would not get taken advantage of by this dishonest clothing store. I would suggest to everyone not to EVER buy a gift for a friend from them. They...

Review is for the Happy Hour here, daily from 4-6pm at the bar.

First of all, the atmosphere and well drinks are pretty awesome here. That is, if you can score a seat. There are your regulars that comes and there are plenty of them. We came but lucky for us, the wait was about 5 minutes. The open air feel is synonymous with that of Hawaii.

Kona beer starts at $4, some wines and well drinks at $6, and small plates starts at $6-$9

We ordered a few items to try since we've been here for dinner before and never tried the appetizers we got:

Their famous coconut shrimp with papaya mango chutney. -It's good as usual, but we like them hotter and crispier.

The fish cerviche-served in a cocktail type glass contains whitefish and served with tortilla chips. I always love fish cerviche and it didn't disappoint.

The Chimichurri Sliders-OMG, that was the best small bar bites! I've been disappointed with Roys taking their sliders off from their Aloha hour and have been trying to find something similar. Well, I think we have it folks! These sliders are just incredibly good! Must order! You can even taste the toasted bun with the juicy burger.

As for the drinks:

I like my drinks strong. If you don't , get the Hibiscus. But I got the MaiTai and the presentation look just like it was made from the islands with a flower on the side. Delicious, not the best I've had but then again the best I've had costs 3x .

I also got the Mojito here served with a dry sugar cane stick. The sugarcane is more of less just for presentation but I have to say, this was the best Mojito I've had domestically. No place has come close since I've my mojito with cuban rum when I was in Canada.

The service here is quite good but when they get busy, it might spotty. The guy that sat next to me at the bar made himself heard when he needed some service. It isn't the most pleasant thing sitting next to him but hey, Tommy Bahama serve stiff drinks so I just...