Ventana Grill — Restaurant in Pismo Beach

We stopped by for lunch around 11:30am on Sunday the 9th and had a very bad experience with the hostess. We are not from the area so we were not familiar with the restaurant policies, procedures, and different menus they offer for certain hours. We just wanted a quick bite to eat before we hit the road back home. As soon as we walked in, the hostess (female, dark hair, did not get a name) was completely unpleasant with us. There was no "Hi, hello, have you been here before" none of that, her only question was if we had a reservation. I proceeded with no we don't, did we need one? To which she ignored and said , "There is 2 seats at the bar do you want that?" my bf and I did not plan on having any drinks so I felt bad taking seats up if we had no intention of having any alcoholic beverage. So we kindly declined and said we would wait whatever amount of time for a table. She ignored that as well and looked over to a guy and asked what tables are available to which he proceeded to tell her. She then looked over and said "I'm going to seat you but not anywhere near a view we have people coming for those tables" I told her that was more than okay and she responded with "Cash or card?" I was unsure of why she was asking but answered "card" she then proceeded to tell me my total of 100 and some change and I was just so confused. I then told her it was our first time could she explain how this works. That is when she told me it was brunch hour and it was a buffet.. At this point the entire interaction completely ruined our short experience and we decided not to dine in with Ventana Grill.

SO, here are my thoughts.. Why was I offered bar seats when there was tables available? Did I need a reservation? If that was the case she could have kindly explained and we would have understood, but rather than explain she ignored me. We did not have any special requests as far as seating so I don't understand the aggression in her voice when she said we would not have a view. The payment part was also just very hostile for me. This could have all been avoided if she had just used proper hostess etiquette; greeted us, asked if we had been there before, explained how their brunch hours work, and just BE A KIND PERSON. Although management might not be able to identify the person I hope they can remind their entire team to be overall friendly to all their guests, (even when their not as dressed up as the rest of them). Yes I believe she 100% judged us based off our looks, and assumed we weren't worthy enough for a table. At the end of the day everything happens for a reason because we came across Blast & Brew just a few min away! And it was AMAZING, from START to FINISH. Again, I hope this review gets to the right person and they proceed with the proper management procedure and it does not just get brushed off. Please remind your staff to do...

We loved the Ventana Grill so much that we went twice during our visit to Pismo!

The Ventana Grill is a two-story building nestled into the cliffside with breathtaking views of the Pacific. The restaurant has a decidedly Latin-inspired flair to the dishes it serves. While reservations aren't required, they are highly recommended.

My wife and I had reservations for the second night of our stay. It was already dark outside, so the views were muted. We started off with a bottle of Fableist Cabernet along with an appetizer order of "Corn Dusted Calamari" (tubes and tentacles). The calamari was paired with three dipping sauces: smokey chipotle aioli, citrus cocktail, and lemon caper tartar. The chipotle was my favorite. Along with our appetizer, a complimentary order of tortillas and three salsas was brought to our table. The three salsas are: spicy, medium (green), and mild. We sadly learned during lunch a couple of days later that the tortillas and salsas are only served for dinner. For dinner, I ordered the special, "Surf & Turf", which was a hearty cut of Filet Mignon, grilled scampi, and asparagus. The presentation was wonderful and the flavor even more so. My wife ordered the "Enchiladas Suiza" with shredded chicken. She loved her meal. No dinner meal is complete without a dessert, so we opted to share the "Mud Pie". The presentation and taste were fantastic.

Two days later, we just had to go back for the calamari and the views. We went around lunch without reservations, but only had to wait 10 minutes or so. We were determined to order only the calamari, but wound up ordering meals as well. In addition to the calamari, we each ordered a glass of Sans Liege, "The Offering", which is a red blend. For my meal, I ordered the "Fish & Chips", but subbed the fish with shrimp. The shrimp were battered in the same way as traditional fish & chips and the taste was great. My wife ordered the fish tacos with cod. There was a bit of a mix-up with her fish: it was supposed to come battered but was grilled instead. She said the tacos were great though. We pointed out the error to our server, and she promptly brought another full order of fish tacos with the battered cod. This was boxed up for later!

The ambience and atmosphere of the Ventana Grill was very nice and romantic. The views of the Pacific during our lunch were wonderful. We really enjoyed both of our visits to Ventana Grill.

One final note: We stayed at the Seacrest Oceanfront Inn during our stay. Running along the coast from the Seacrest Inn to Ventana Grill is a nice walking trail with wonderful views. The walking distance along this trail to Ventana Grill is about 3/10ths of a mile.

Our servers for both visits were very friendly, attentive but not intrusive, and even had good recommendations. We highly recommend...

Visited tonight for my anniversary. Hadn't been in a few years because of declining quality.... and wish I hadn't returned. This used to be our datenight spot so a trip down nostalgia lane for the anniversary felt right but we were disappointed still. Positives first, our server was nice, we were seated promptly but it wasn't too busy, a Wednesday, 2 days before valentines. It was dark out so the view was a waste (winter hours before clocks change). The particular booth we were in had seats at different levels. I'm 6'1" and the table felt 3-4" too high for me, chest level. While the side my wife sat on looked normal and she was a good 3" taller than me which is not reality. Felt weird. Also the table and menu were both slightly dirty. They changed the name of a few dishes and brought on a few new ones and kept some of the old favorites. We ordered drinks, $16 and $13, very, very little alcohol, smaller cups than previously. Had to order another shot ($10) to make the drink taste like it used to. We used to have them dial it back with mezcal because it was too strong. Not anymore. My wife got the surf and turf, filet and shrimp ($55), potatoes and asparagus. It came with 2 medium shrimp, that's just a ripoff. I can buy a pound of medium shrimp (25-30 ct.) for less than $20. Should at least have 4-5 on the low side. The filet flavor was good and tender, although a few bites were chewy. I had the jumbo tiger prawns in the shrimp al aljillo ($38) which came on a bed of rice with spinach in a bowl of broth. Too much broth. Those aren't the old jumbo tiger prawns I recall, and there were only 5, overcooked shrimp. That dish probably cost them $7 to make. We ordered dessert hoping to save the night, a slice of mud pie ($11). The flavor was the same but the slice is half the size of what it used to be. The chocolate drizzle was just Hershey syrup and the whipped cream from a can. The sliced strawberries were white on the inside, a sign of frozen not fresh. We live in strawberry mecca. Total with tip was $180. Dinner for 2. It's very obvious new management hasn't changed from years ago and continues to skimp on portions and ingredients, including alcohol. I get that inflation has hit everyone but this is way beyond that and it will eventually sink the ship. The home made tortillas were still taking place, and the only highlight of the evening (appetizer). The view will always be good during the day, but other places have similar views and the food is worth it. I won't return. My family has had similar experiences and has given up as well. Bring the old...