Oceana Restaurant — Restaurant in Palm Desert

Overview: higher scale... not really a jeans/t-shirt/tennis shoes place.  Sort of on the intimate sidw.

Meal/Time: Dinner/Saturday 515PM

Decor/Atmosphere:  look for the octopus in different places

Service/ Front of the House: greeted and seated quickly.  Friendly interaction.

Service/Serving Staff:  Staff is EXTREMELY service oriented.  Stopped regularly to check on us.  Constantly refilling our water.  Food runner really personable.  Found this to be truly enjoyable meal.  Our server was Gina and she was amazing.

Food:

Lobster bisque is really lobstery.  Actual lobster chunks

Octopus is soooo tender...you do not need a knife.  The octopus is grilled so you can taste the smokiness.

Salmon brochette... good size portion of salmon over a bed risotto.  Loved the salmon...cooked perfectly.  The risotto was good, but the shaved parmesan was a little too thick for my liking.

*note my friend ordered the fried red snapper... its A WHOLE fish....huge... could be shared by 3 people. It was really good though.   Watch out for bones.

Value: about $75 per person with not alcohol.  A little pricey but the quality is there.

Restroom: men's room has 2 undivided urinals and a stall and single sink.  Trash can needed emptying.

Will I come back?: yes for the octopus for sure.

Update 11NOV2024

Ok Service is once again outstanding. Nothing changed from my first review.

Just want add some new dishes I tried tonight.

The Lobster Guacamole- citrusy Guacamole topped with what taste like flashes fried lobster pieces tossed in a slightly spicy sauce. Very well balanced dish. The only complaint was, wishes I had more toasted bread to eat with it.

Now dessert... the Carlota... OMG. Think tiramisu but much lighter and fruity. Sweet, slightly bitter from the orange zest and a bit of tartness from the orange pieces. Complex but amazingly simple.

One of the owner and chef spoke with us and told us his story of how the Carlota was...

Recently we ventured out to try a new restaurant we had heard was very good and came highly recommended be several friends, Oceana. Its main theme is primarily seafood. Sorry salad lovers, you need to forego your normal order in this restaurant and enjoy the varied seafood menu Oceana presents. I checked out the reviews on the this restaurant and all of them were very good. I love good seafood, so we decided to give it a try. Oceana did not disappoint our experience.

As soon as you walk in there is a sense of warm, relaxed atmosphere with continual buzz of patrons enjoying conversation and good food. Oceana is not a large restaurant with about 10 tables inside and the same in a patio setting outside. In talking to one of the restaurant owners, he indicated they were in the process of replacing the small bar area they have with a large sit-down bar through construction of the storefront next door to enlarge the restaurant capacity.

One look at the vast variety of seafood available I knew it was going to be hard to pick the perfect dinner for that evening. A good selection of appetizers to start like Oysters on the half shell, Calamari Milanese, or Banana Peppers stuffed with shrimp. Main dishes of Red Snapper, Ahi Steak, Salmon Bruschetta or a house favorite of Octopus-white fish-Oysters, Mussels, Shrimp, Salmon & Scallops simmered in a garlic broth they call 7 Oceana’s. So many choices!

If you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere with a great seafood encore, this is a place you need to add to your bucket list, you will not be disappointed. I know a return trip to sample more of the great seafood selections is on...

If you’re not familiar with us, we’re “Dining with The Davids.” We go to restaurants with a massive group of friends (affectionately known as our “Taste Buds”). We then order either the entire menu or the chef’s favorites. At the end of the evening, everyone votes for their favorites, and we create a 60-90 second video about the winners.

To watch our video review of Oceana, search for "Dining with The Davids" on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.

At Oceana, everything we tried was incredible, but these were the standout items! For appetizers, the garlic Telera bread is a must-try—pure heaven for garlic lovers. The calamari Milanese, with its perfectly seasoned breadcrumbs, and the lobster guacamole were also huge hits. For mains, the tequila shrimp and drunken shrimp with pineapple and coconut were absolute perfection.

To finish off the meal, you cannot leave without trying the chocolate brick cake—it’s easily one of the best desserts we’ve had at any restaurant in the desert. Oceana is a seafood paradise in Palm Desert that you absolutely need...