Ysidora Restaurant and Lounge — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

We really enjoyed the atmosphere of this restaurant. It is set in a beautiful hotel and where we ate on the outside patio, was gorgeous with the fountain and lighting. With that being said since it is at a hotel, it is kind of strange having people walk past you in general hotel attire such as swimming suits and pajamas when you’re paying $50 for chicken. We did not know when we made our reservations that this was a hotel restaurant, if we did this would have been part of our decision to go here for our anniversary dinner. The food was very good however, I will say that my chicken was dry and tough, but the mashed potatoes made up for it. It is a little on the pricey side not going to lie. The staff is very kind. I will say that our waitress was here and there though. Also valet is $15 and literally they don’t take your car anywhere. I was actually 1/2 way parked when a man came up to me at the window of our car and he explained it’s only valet. He parked it where I was already so…. Also, they don’t have any signs out saying it’s only valet so it was pretty confusing parking and having somebody come up to you without a tag or signage and then only to park in the same spot or two parking spots away from where you just were parking. Personally, I don’t like to have our car valeted if there is a choice - especially with traveling, I tend to keep multiple purses based off of our planned activities in our backseat. They were nice though, so I’ll give them that. Dessert was really good. It was also very pretty. I will say this restaurant does take pride in how their dishes look and you can definitely taste the flavors. I just wish it was in an area where it was not part of a hotel if it’s going to be that expensive. Average is about $70 w/ no cocktails pp which we don’t mind, but we would like for the atmosphere to reflect this luxury. Definitely would go again, but maybe Uber and only go for drinks and...

Ysidora Restaurant Review: A Hilarious Hunger Games Adventure

Staying at the Inn at the Mission and craving a sweet escape? Ysidora’s glowing ambiance lures you in from the lobby, promising culinary bliss. Buckle up, because this review will prep your soul, stomach, and wallet for a wild ride. A chipper hostess whisks you to one of many empty tables—score, you’re the VIPs! Or so you think. Enter the patience gauntlet. Your waitress swoops in for drink orders, then vanishes on an epic quest to Narnia’s slowest kitchen. When she returns with coffee, the cups are adorably tiny—think Barbie Dreamhouse chic. But the charm fades fast when you hit the bottom of your thimble-sized mug in one sip. Refills? Ha! Ysidora’s single, ancient coffee machine brews enough for 2.5 cups, max. Bring a big group, and you’ll be waiting until your grandkids graduate for a second pour.

Food ordering is no less thrilling. Hunger pangs escalate to survival-mode starvation as you await your meal. When it arrives—IF it arrives—pray the kitchen gods got it right. Our table rolled the dice: half savored decent bites, half got plates that tasted like regret. Pro tip: don’t bother with kids’ special orders. The staff nods sweetly, then serves the standard dish anyway, leaving you with a sulky kid and a side of parental despair.

Price? California Coast steep—think “sell your car” vibes. Comparable to other fancy spots, sure, but budget an hour minimum for any meal. One table occupied? Add 30 minutes. Two tables? Pack a sleeping bag. The staff, bless their hearts, apologize profusely for the chaos, but apologies don’t fill empty coffee cups or spice up bland food.

Verdict: Unless you’ve got time to burn and a masochistic streak, skip Ysidora. Save your sanity, dodge the coffee drought, and dine where the food’s tasty and the clock doesn’t mock you. Life’s too short, and...

We went to Ysidora for a Mother’s Day’s brunch. Beautiful location but that’s where it stops. I’m not sure if it was our server or what the issue was. I used to work in the service industry, so I understand that things can happen and I let a lot of things slide, but this was bad from start to finish. You have to valet, there’s no hotel parking, not the biggest deal. Once we were seated outside, we asked for an umbrella for shade and to turn off the heater we were seated next to, it was 77* degrees and very sunny. Nobody ever came. It took thirty minutes just to get half a glass of water… it’s hot and I m next to a heater, why can’t I have a full glass of water? They just let us sit there forever, hot and with nobody even acknowledging us. It wasn’t busy either and now I see why. There was a prefix menu that didn’t look very appealing, I asked to order off of the regular menu but I was denied. I settled on the watermelon gazpacho,(just say NO if you have gerd) and the steak and eggs with a biscuit. My "medium well" steak came out ice cold in the center like it was frozen, covered in oil and bleeding into my eggs, not to mention that I didn’t get a spoon or knife. My eggs were cold, the biscuit was tiny (looked like it was made for my teacup Pomeranian) and very dry. I asked for Tabasco sauce to at least make my eggs edible but of course, they were out. The third and final dish on the menu was the dessert, a berries and cream tart, which was the best thing on the menu. The mimosa that came with the meal was less than half of a champagne flute full and I’m pretty sure it was just orange juice. For $70 + tax and 20% gratuity per person for a party of 6, not 8 as it states on the menu! He must have known he did a bad job and just added gratuity lol. I went home hungry. Next year, I’m making the...