333 Pacific — Restaurant in Oceanside

333 Pacific is across the street from the ocean so the location is great. Parking …. pray for luck, fortunately I found a meter spot & shelled out a few coins in exchange for time.

Upon entering I was greeted by two very cordial hostesses so I thought we are off to a good start. I was seated at a nice indoor table by request & a busboy brought water, a roll & some delicious butter. This is going to be a good experience …. so I thought.

I opened the menu & the dishes were pricey, which I was fine with me & I expected the food to be on par for the prices & the Chat GBT food descriptions😂

The server came to greet me & the first thing I noticed was a dirty black apron & in the front pocket, nearly a dozen, cheap stick pens, you know, the kind you get on Amazon for $4.99 a dozen.

The pen choice is not something to criticize but the apron? Nice location, pricey menu, upscale feeling but the first impression of the food handler is important & could have been much, much better. Now I am starting to question my choice of restaurant but, I am there so just deal with it, could just be a one off.

I decided on Bouillabaisse soup, which I have had at many restaurants & my mother-in-law makes it to perfection. The server delivers it, it looks good and then the server reaches over my bowl & in front of me to place the spoon & knife on my right side …. definitely needs some serious training.

The soup consistency was a tad too thick, must be their style, the fish was decent, the shrimp wasn’t something to write home about, but I am pretty sure the muscles were off. The server did not check back until I literally finished eating (I left the uneaten muscles in the shell dish). “How was it?” I said the muscles were off and she would tell the chef & that was the end of that.

Normally when a customer says something is off, the manager visits you immediately & asks more questions & makes sure the muscles are safe to eat & does a little PR but, it didn’t happen. By the way, I was not looking for a free meal.

The bill came at an overpriced $45 for the quality and I always tip heavy because I know some people are too cheap, so I over compensate & I gave her $15. The appropriate amount is 20% but I thought, the extra $6 isn’t going to ruin my financial future but it can certainly brighten someone else’s day.

Now you may think it was too much for her & I would agree on one level, but I don’t care because I was a server once & dealing with customers, especially in this day & age is a thankless job.

Bottom line, 333 Pacific, I...

First visit- 8/25/2019:

We were visiting from OC looking for a good place to grab some drinks and some appetizers. A guy at a liquor store nearby had suggested this place. So we checked it out. My husband and I were VERY impressed with ALL aspects of 333! He and I are both in the industry, and have high expectations when we walk into a restaurant. It was a Saturday evening and the place was a little busy. Bar was full with just a few tables left. Another couple had walked up just as They called our name to be seated. Mistaking that couple for us, they were seated in our place. Simple mistake. It happens. The female manager handled it QUICKLY, and was very accommodating. She had shuffled a few chairs around and made up a small table in the bar. (Not ideal for a meal) The other couple generously offered us a seat at their table. My fiance was entertaining the idea; I was not. Sweet, but awkward to have to eat with strangers. A table opened up Justin Time and the hostess led us to an even better table in the back, where we were able to watch the sun go down. The menu, at first look, was not all that impressive. We had thought about leaving when our server, Kwon, approached the table. He looked SHARP for a server! Pressed shirt, tidy apron, shiny shoes, well groomed, and MATCHING PENS! He had full knowledge of the menu, as well as the vodkas (which is extensive). He made HONEST suggestions, explaining that some items, in his opinion, were better than others. No guest wants to be sold a dish if it is not EXCEPTIONAL. Kwon, suggested the Pork Belly starter and the Wedge salad. He said they complimented each other with flavors...and he was spot on! After filling up on bread and appetizers, we decided to skip dinner and requested the check. Our table was cleared, as well as crumbed. Kwon, surprised us with a Strawberry Pannacotta dessert for our anniversary. The pannacotta alone is pretty bland, but when you mix it with the rhubarb on the plate...it becomes a potpourri of flavors on your tongue. The male manager was on the floor, touching each table, ensuring each guest was pleased with their dining experience. This is always nice to see....involvement from management. When he reached our table, we couldnt help but to rant and rave about Kwon for his quality of service. FOH and BOH, no doubt, are well trained, working like a well oiled machine! We WILL be back!!!! Thank you for such a...

Wife and I live part time in Oceanside. For her birthday this year we wanted to explore the Best that Oceanside had to offer. It had to be big, it had to have a view or some atmosphere, it had to have service. We had looked at some other places, but because we had seen this place before it was all developed, we really thought this was the best choice.

Now before I begin to sound at all negative, let me just say, everything was great. We were completely happy with just about everything and we recommend 333.

We can be a little jaded because we live in Vegas, I worked for years in Fine dining, and operated some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles and Vegas. I am extremely generous with evaluations. And if this place fell short, it probably felt short from my expectations of Fine Dining compared to what Is probably more of a really good steakhouse in a beach community. And that's probably all it needs to be and achieves.

The food we ordered was Octopus, watermelon Burratta salad, steak and lobster tails for 2. A side of creamed spinach.

Our server was amazing, support staff was good, hostess team on night of was amazing.

We loved the Octopus, great presentation and flavor wirh the roasted pepper puree, and arugula. Maybe the arugula was just slightly over dressed.

The Salad i had to wonder, this is a summer salad...and it's December. It was good.

The steak and lobster tail were amazing. I already new that the tails were gonna come from a frozen state, and they were just slightly undecooked...not enough to complain.

The creamed spinach we returned..just too peppered and spiced. Caught us totally off guard. I hate to complain, but out server when hearing my complaint immediately took action and removed from bills ( she really was exceptional all night)

So where we were disappointed..where did this fall short...maybe it was us, maybe it was the slightly dirty window, maybe the original 10 min hold to make a reservation, that when I called back was immediately handled well ( they just forgot about me)

Maybe i was expecting tables to be crumbed by support staff..

I just can't put my finger on it, so it's just got to be me and my extremely high level of expectations of a place that is a premium type destination.

I will come again, it's still good. I just won't put on...