Aloha Steakhouse — Restaurant in Ventura

Just left this restaurant pretty disappointed overall. Came here for dinner to celebrate my best friend's birthday. Just some background, I'm from Nebraska and before I joined the Navy I worked at a steakhouse and bourbon bar. We had a party of 9 ppl, almost all of our steak was overcooked (we had 2 people who ordered the kebob with filet mignon that didn't realize their meat was unevenly cooked). I ordered the NY steak and another person party ordered the sirloin. We ordered them medium rare, but both were overcooked so we sent them back. The second steaks were also overcooked.... Mine was even worse than before except one small slice in the very middle of the strip. At this point the rest of the party was basically done eating so we agreed to eat the second versions because we were hungry. After we finished the meal they brought out some complimentary desserts both for the birthday celebration and to make up for the steaks.... By this point we also figured out the waiter brought one of us the completely wrong drink. He has ordered the perfect patron margarita, and what they brought him was pink, and it has mint in it. When we asked what the drink was the waiter said my friend asked for the rumberry, which interestingly enough does not say that it has mint in it. If it was meant to be a mojito, why not just call it that? The "complimentary desserts" were really just vanilla ice cream in a graham cracker crust covered with almonds and chocolate sauce. Nothing fancy. Not going to lie, when it was time to pay I expected some kind of discount or comp for the steaks... Having worked in restaurants for 8 years. I figured that would be pretty normal. We were informed by our waiter that the first steaks were comped because we sent them back but we were charged for the 2nd steaks (which were still overcooked) because we ate them. Not sure I personally will be back to this restaurant. Maybe for their seafood, but definitely not for their steak. If they're going to charge a premium price for the steaks, I do expect it to be cooked perfectly. All that being said our waiter Beau was very apologetic, and I understand most of it was out of his control. He gets 4 stars though only because he brought us a completely wrong drink, but very personable and attentive. May the odds be ever in your favor here if you order steak. Photo below is from a middle cut of my 2nd steak. The photo has not been edited....

Visited this place while driving through Ventura on a weeknight around 8 pm. We wanted something more than fast food and the Mexican restaurant next door had closed already so we decided to try this steakhouse even though both of us were Not beef eaters.

This place sits right on the beach and so I thought it would be safe to order seafood, however, the waiter refused to sell me the scallops as he said they were awful and tasted like rubber. Not sure why he was so adamant to not let me order them. Probably sold out or something as it was not far from closing time for them. Anyway, I decided to try the shrimp and he gave me issue with ordering the shrimp as well but finally agreed if I got them blackened. He made sure to reiterate the restaurant was a steakhouse first and foremost. "Aye aye aye, just give me the shrimp already or take the seafood off the menu!" I also had a cup of New England Clam Chowder. My dining companion ate off the vegan menu with the Stuffed Portabello.

The Clam Chowder was amazing. I probably could have just ordered a bowl of this and been happy with my meal decision as it was a very hearty and full of clams and potatoes. The soup base was creamy and thick and buttery tasting. The shrimp was decent but slightly overcooked. The steamed vegetables were very good and my dining companion enjoyed the portabello.

As a traveler, If I find myself passing through town again, I will probably pass this place by, simply because it was a bit higher scale than I had the patience for that night. The menu looked great and the decor...

Centrally located, Aloha Steakhouse is the ONLY beach restaurant. It has a Hawaiian influence, serving variety of entrees such as chicken, steak, seafood and fish. The menu features an array of contemporary lunch and dinner favorites, plus Island specialties and decadent desserts.

At time of visit, they offered patio dining only, reservation recommended as seating on patio is limited. Tables were 6 feet apart, but despite the distance, local patrons of this place were very friendly. Also at time of visit, fencing was placed around the patio area. There is a spacious, full-service bar (you may order but can not drink inside) offering a wide variety of craft cocktails, martinis and beer.

Our server was very friendly. Because the menu was extensive, she was happy to make suggestions based on our taste that evening. We chose Teriyaki Chicken Kabob on bed of rice and Seared Scallops with spinach and cream sauce, which we paired with Chandon split and Mai Tai (a little strong but it hit the spot!). The chicken and scallops were quite tender, scallops fresh and seasoned well.

We were little full by end of our meal, but curious about desserts. We decided to pass, but our server was kind enough to comp a house favorite, Kona Pie - Macadamia nuts, ice cream on Oreo cookie, topped with bittersweet chocolate syrup and whipped cream. It was quite rich, but we enjoyed every bite, saving a few bites for later that evening.

There was a fantastic casual vibe here, and the food was fantastic. We will visit this restaurant again the next time we are...