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Chart House
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Steakhouses Seafood, Steakhouses [Edit]
231 Yacht Club WayRedondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 372-3464
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Fri 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat 4 pm - 10 pm
Sun 4 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Private Lot, Valet
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
133 reviews for Chart House
Review Highlights
"Make sure you get the salad bar with your meal."
(in 21 reviews)
"They have the best Lobster Bisque on the planet."
(in 11 reviews)
"Not the best prime rib I've had, but good."
(in 20 reviews)
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133 reviews in English
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Review from Justin O.
Chicago, IL
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was visiting from out of town and had dinner with 3 others on a Saturday night. Without a reservation, we were able to walk in and get a corner table with views of the waves crashing on the beach, great. We tried the calamari (very fresh and served with tasty dipping sauces), I had the salad bar (a good amount of options to play with), and I ordered the prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes for dinner. The prime rib was cooked just to my specifications. There was some fat on the cut, but not an extraordinary amount. It came with a side cup of dipping sauce of some sort, perhaps au jus, that complemented it well. To cap the dinner off, we had the chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, which after all the food I had tried, I was able to make room for this after setting eyes on it.
I would recommend trying the Chart House, ask for a window seat and enjoy your meal. -
Review from B. W.
Los Angeles, CA
1/23/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Went for New Year's Eve dinner. Granted NYE is a very busy night, we re-confirmed our reservation for 8PM twice in the day to be sure we were covered. We ended up having to wait 40 minutes to be seated.
Next, our waiter was so frazzled/rushed that I felt like he was doing us a favor by asking for our order. Salad was served wrong after waiting forever for it. Water was empty all night. He got frustrated with us to ask anything about the food. Salmon was OK, but lukewarm. I couldn't wait to leave.
We left feeling like we imposed on the restaurant for wanting to eat there on a busy night and were super late to our party plans.
Will be hard for me to ever go back. -
Review from Arthur Z.
San Ramon, CA
This review is from Christmas Dinner on 12/25/2011...
So I must admit that I agree with many of the recent reviews of this place and how the quality of it has been going down. I used to travel to this area every week about 5 years or so back in the mid 2000s and it used to be spectacular.
I'm only giving it a 3 rating because the foot was pretty good, especially the scallops which we had along with the larger cut of the Prime Rib which wasn't bad, but mostly because our Server managed to get me the Prime Rib after her boss rudely interrupted our table while we were ordering to whisper there was no more Prime Rib available. If it wasn't for the Server I likely would have given this place a 1 or possible a 2 because of the poor management of the GM and his attitude.
#1 - the GM should NEVER approach a table in that fashion and use terms like 86 that which carries such a negative connotation especially for a place which is suppose to be considered on the higher scales.
#2 - After we called the GM over to try to see if there was anything he could do as I was excited to have their Prime Rib, he never even apologized for anything and even came so close as to violate my girlfriend's personal space being within inches awkwardly as if an attempt to intimidate her from further complaint or speech.
#3 - I understand that it's Christmas but the establishment you choose to work for decided to be open for Christmas dinner, which is great for people who aren't with their families or even alone on Christmas evening but please adjust the attitude as if each customer should be grateful they are being served. You're the employee by choice in a place which chooses to be open on Christmas day, adjust the attitude, stop complaining, or quit your job but please don't take it out on the customers.
I understand that this is LA and that I'm not Kobe Bryant but the making of an excellent establishment is to make me feel like I am even if I'm not getting any special treatment that a star may receive.
Food for thought for next year and to try to make changes now to save your establishment from being swept to the likes of a diner type restaurant or even Outback. -
Review from Chrissy K.
Manhattan Beach, CA
12/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is ok. The service was kind of slow but our waitress was definitely a sweetheart. We came here for family dinner on Christmas day because most other restaurants were closed and the food was good. If I come back, I will definitely get the seared yellow tail again.
Appetizers:
Crab cake- Delicious but only comes with one cake per order
Crab Stuffed mushrooms- Ehh... I expected something with more taste, it was mediocre and not exciting.
East meets West Tuna- Ok, I feel like the malibu location spiced this dish up a little better.
Dinner:
Seared yellowtail- Best dish ordered on the table, comes with mashed potatoes and a wasabi drizzle sauce.
Panko crusted sea bass- i sent it back because it was over cooked, but the creamed spinach it came on was delicious.
Macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi- really sweet with the peanut sauce. The veggies on the side lacked crunch as they were also over cooked.
Dessert:
Raspberry Creme Brulee- Delicious!
Cheesecake- ok
Meal cost (including 3 mohitos, 2 glasses of wine, a jack&coke, and a heineken)= $307 before tip. -
Review from John L.
El Segundo, CA
12/22/2011
Overpriced, poor quality, slow service.
The only redeeming quality of this place is the view of the ocean that you might get if you get a table close enough to the right window.
I've found myself at this place two times in the past year, with different groups. Folks keep planning small and medium sized events here because, many years ago, Chart House was a classy, high profile place. In all three cases the consensus was "never ever come back here again."
In my most recent experience, an international group planned a dinner here. It was a medium sized group event -- about 20 folks. The reservations were made well in advance and we had our own room. The restaurant was otherwise almost empty and there was a large number of staff. I don't know what they were doing, but they certainly were not waiting on us.
I paid $57 for an exceptionally low grade filet mignon, prepared medium well in spite of my request for medium rare. It wasn't just me. Most of the party commented on the low quality of the food, especially for the price. The waitress taking our order was abrupt and unaccommodating. The food took an extraordinary amount of time to arrive. After it was finally delivered, no one came to check on us until desert.
The most frustrating part was getting out of there. After the meal we had to wait half an hour just to get the bill, then another 20 minutes for the server to bring it back. Even then he messed it up and took it back to "recalculate."
Other folks have had good experiences here from time to time. But with so many great ocean view places in Redondo Beach, why gamble on this one? -
Review from Di R.
Updated - 12/9/2011
Thank you District Manager and Becky H.~ the gal who directed my letter to him.
The District Manager finally got in touch with my husband after our April experience and apologized and offered to comp our next visit. The thing about Yelp and me is I never review a place expecting to receive something for good or bad reviews and we really never intended to take him up on his offer but we ended up actually doing it this last weekend. It was our Anniversary and my husband and I had, had our first date at this very Chart House 18 years ago so we wanted to go there and since the offer was on the table, we decided to see if it was for real.
And it was!
But even better, we got a chance to see Chart House SHINE again as we knew it. The salad bar was amazing and filled full this time.... The waiter was friendly and knew how to up sell! (Even with our meals comped... we still paid close to $200 with salads, desserts and drinks... not even alcoholic!) Not sure how that happened?? But we ended up buying one of their $25 Corporate CARDS for the future. The prime rib was delicious, the food was amazing. The staff was great. We are believers again!!!
Thank you Chart House and Becky H. & M Richardson!!!
By the way people~~~~PERFECT example of how http://Yelp.com was worth the time to take a few minutes and make it work for ya! Not that I ever really think I am doing anything other than reviewing for the sake of other customers out there and in this case PR people from corporations that actually do care and want the feedback!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/11/2011
This place has so many special memories for me. So many first dates etc. And at least a memory of… Read more »
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Review from Nick D.
Torrance, CA
1/1/2012
It's OKAY.
Wow $32 for a steak (16oz). Some nice cut with some fat on it. Good for the lifters/bodybuilders/fitness people who are in their bulking phase (like me).
I didn't want the fish last night and there wasn't much on the menu that I didn't like. The salad bar was alright but nothing like a buffet salad bar but hey they were serving Cesear salad as well, so we didn't have to pay a seperate for that. They have watermelon even though it's not in season here in North America.
The wait though was long. Fat Tire beer was good. The server(s) was attentive most of the time even though other servers would fill your water without you asking them.
Bring lots of quarters for the meter and don't waste your $$$ on valet parking where you don't want some stranger driving your expensive Chevy Vega/Ford Pinto or Lincoln Towncar. Oh wait you want to valet park your Vega/Pinto and self park your towncar. Some cars were left running, I was thinking in my head let's play some Grand Theft Auto Vice City! -
Review from Marissa B.
Torrance, CA
2/2/2012
I was taken to the Chart House on a date a few months ago. It was a Saturday night and we had reservations and were seated quickly. We had a nice table near the windows (best ones because it sits right on the sand/ocean So we had a gorgeous view). The waiter was extremely helpful and attentive (but not overbearing). I couldn't decided what to order but upon the waiter's recommendation, I went with the seared ahi. It was amazing. The best seared ahi I have ever had! With an amazing wasabi gravy. It was one of the best meals I've had. Also, we wanted to try a new wine but did not know what to choose, he chose a very nice bottle for us that we thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, the service was great, amazing ahi and an overall very dinner.
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Review from paige s.
Manhattan Beach, CA
1/14/2012
This place used to be great. Not sure exactly when or why the service went down, but it is definitely not the same. The service was very slow, even though they were not very busy at all (on a Saturday night at 8pm-that says a lot right there). The blue cheese medallion dinner came withOUT the blue cheese and we had to wait way too long to get it from the server, one of our side dishes did not come out at the same time as the rest of our meals, our table was not cleared of used appetizer/bread dishes as often as it should have been and finally, we gave our server our dessert order at the same time we placed our meal orders, hoping that would expedite the service. Unfortunately, it did not. We waited a substantial amount of time after our meals were finished before our dessert finally came.
To top it all off, when we left, there was a line about 10 people deep for the new valet service-which is a total rip off and joke. There was only one older gentleman running back and forth through the tiny garage retrieving cars. We finally just gave the poor guy our money and asked for our own keys. Ridiculous.
Like someone else mentioned, the view is awesome, but that is about all this restaurant has to offer these days. However, had the manager even tried to make things right, we would may have given it another try. All he could come up with was, "Sorry." WOW. Oh well, this was one of about 3 bad experiences we've had there in the last year or so. Third times a charm! Bye Bye Chart House! -
Review from Kristen Y.
Sun City, CA
1/20/2012
I normally love going to chart house resturants. However this location was absolutely horrible!! Terrible service and terrible food! Do not go!!!! What a disappointment
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Review from Dani S.
Rowland Heights, CA
Updated - 11/2/2011
Valet Parking only! $3.50. No self parking anymore.
Quality of food has gotten worse. Greens used in salad is dried up and stale. Service was super slow when the restaurant was half empty. Our drinks were never refilled, and waiter never came to check on us. He only showed his face when he brought our food and every item was missing utensils, which we had to ask for. Really? bring me prime rib and expect me to cut it with a butter knife that was already dirty from buttering my bread?
Terrible!Listed in: Romantic Date Spots
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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9/29/2010
Must get a seat by the window and watch the sunset! Breath-taking! Well, sometimes you will also see… Read more »
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Review from Orlando R.
Los Angeles, CA
1/1/2012
We DO NOT eat dinner there, it's too costly and really not very good. We DO go there often for cocktails and appetizers to watch the ocean from the BEAUTIFUL bar. It's GREAT for cocktails, iffy for dining.
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Review from Laura W.
San Diego, CA
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm giving this place 5 stars even though the hostesses were totally rude to me over the phone. This is because my server was awesome and the food is amazing.
We had three kids with us which could drive any server crazy, but ours just smiled and interacted with them like a sweetheart. He was super attentive and looked like Doug Funny, which made it fun for me to sing the theme song in my head every time he approached our table.
The hummus was okay, but the tuna appetizer was amazing! The stuffed mushrooms are also worth a try. I'd also recommend getting the lava cake. It's definiately worth the wait. As for entrees, all seven of us adults were raving about our dish so I'd say you can't go wrong with whatever you choose.
The view is also breathtaking! Right on the water. -
Review from Sarah B.
Downey, CA
12/27/2011
Don't eat here, period. Our experience was so bad, I have written to them flat out asking for my money back. Service is slow and rude. A manager never came to our table, nor did I see a manager come out to any table to interact with guests. Waaaaaaay too pricey as well - you are basically paying for their beach front mortgage. I have yet to hear back from them. It has been almost 24 hours. As a management professional in the industry, this would have been addressed immediately if it were my establishment.
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Review from Nicole H.
Long Beach, CA
11/11/2011
Well as everybody knows I'm a Chart House connoisseur I plan vacations around them, I spend every Birthday and Anniversary trying different Chart Houses.
This was for my 41 st Birthday Redondo Beach Chart House, I got sampled the oysters on a half shell and found I have lost my taste for them, but the House prepared them perfectly, I just think my taste buds are changing in my old age. Next was the salad bar, it could have used some fresh lettcue but everything else was fresh and good. Main course was borderline amazing, Filet stuffed with Blue & Lobster tail with Yukon Jack Mash Potatoes, OUT OF THIS WORLD!
The view was nice it was the first storm of fall so it was VERY windy, rainy, and cold but nice and warm inside. The view was INSANE!
Cant say enough about Chart Houses,...next time Playa Del Rey or Dana Point..havent decided yet.... -
Review from Lucy W.
9/23/2011
I am reviewing the Chart House as a potential wedding venue.
Erin who coordinates was lovely to work with. Very straightforward, and friendly.
Pros:
-you can get married on the beach!
-they have done some upgrades to the decor lately
-flexible - they are pretty easy going about anything they can accomodate for you
-the View of the ocean right there
-prices are reasonable
-handicap accessible - they have a ramp down to the beach down to concrete next to where you would be getting married.
Cons:
-The beach wedding site is next to a parking lot (at the back end)
-it is a restaurant so some of the bells and whistles aren't there that a hotel or more traditional wedding venue would have for you. But again, Erin seems to find a way to make things work for you.
All and all this is a good option, especially if you are set on a beach wedding during the day. -
Review from rosaline z.
Montebello, CA
7/18/2011
Came here for a friend's wedding and had a great experience.
The first thing you'll notice is the beautiful view of the beach.
My friend had her ceremony indoor, but overlooking the ocean.
It was a great option since we can enjoy the view without the super windy weather.
After ceremony hors d'oeuvres were served.
Delicious varieties of cheese, crackers, and fruits. Not to forget the yummy coconut shrimp.
The lunch was served buffet style. They have carving station, pasta station, seafood options, chicken, rice, salad, I don't even remember how many items they served. But they were all super delicious!
Not to forget the scrumptious lava cake for dessert! Oh, and the yummy strong champagne.
Overall I had a great experience coming to my friend's wedding at Chart House. Would definitely come again for some special occasion in the future :):) -
Review from Larry Y.
Redondo Beach, CA
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've dined at Chart House a few times now and have had an enjoyable experience each time. The prime rib is very good. The wine selection is decent. And the mud pie is delicious!
A bit on the pricey side, but you get a nice ocean view and pretty good ambiance.
Sign up for the Landry's card and you'll get some discounts. We just combined a welcome $25, birthday $25, and a credited $25 for a total of $75 off of our meal! :-)
Gotta work them points! -
Review from Cari G.
Redondo Beach, CA
6/24/2011
What's not to love about this place? Having grown up in the Southbay, this is an old classic, I have been coming here since I was a kid. (back in the day when the menu was on a wooden chopping board and the waiters wore Hawaiian shirts) Top 2 choices at the time were Charthouse or Beach Bum Burt's (gone now).
As an adult, I appreciate the view, love the steak medallions and stiff drinks. Need I say more? I celebrated my High School Gradution here and recently enjoyed my Birthday dinner with my husband and daughter. My menu was personalized with my name and a Happy Birthday greeting. (cool. right?)
Mud Pie still rocks!!! Godiva Lava cake -- a close second.
Great memories -- great food!!! -
Review from Dan M.
Torrance, CA
10/24/2011
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Not sure if there is new management here or not, but the manager there now is a total jerk! My wife made reservations for Saturday night for my birthday. We have 3 little ones at home, so this was a big night for us! She requested window seat, as we have done for years for special nights. Reservation was for 6pm, so should not have been that hard for them to reserve. We got there at 6pm, told them we had a reservation, and 18 year old hostess seated us in the middle of the restaurant! We said, we have a reservation for a window. She said, sorry, they are all taken. But we had a reservation, I said! Sorry, other people got here before you did, and they wanted them too. "Were they all reservations? " I said. "No" 18 year old hostess says. "So, why did we make a reservation for a window, that was in your system?" "Well, sorry, other people showed up who wanted them", 18 year old hostess said.
OMG! OMG! I went to find the "Manager" (and I use that term loosely). He said the same thing! OMG! I then said to him, have you been to "Yelp" lately??? He replied "Yes". I couldn't believe it. Funny thing? Chart House Redondo Beach was my favorite restaurant up until this past Saturday night. For some reason, I actually went to Yelp before we left, and I don't know why, as I had never had a bad experience there, but at the same time, haven't been in years, due to my 3 new little ones at home. The YELP reviews I read from recent months shocked me, as all were not stellar, may complained about the food and the service!!! I still went, as I thought..."Nah, it is the Chart House, can't be!" Guess what?? IT WAS!
Manager is horrible, not customer focused, no apologies, did not try to fixt things, offer a free drink at the bar, something to acknowledge their mistake, which would have made me stay! Instead? We go to the Kincaid Restaurant, drop $200 and have a wonderful meal there! Great service, unbelievable food! BUYERS BEWARE! This is not the Chart House of old...... -
Review from Tiffany L.
Manhattan Beach, CA
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Like I said in my quick tip... Kincaid's is better.
Chart House may have the best view, but I'd rather have good food.
The service was excellent, our waiter was always around and always checking on us. I love when you don't have to hunt them down!
My problem with the food is simply, how do you mess up a prime rib? I ordered mine med. rare and got it medium. Now, I'm not a complainer. I'll eat what they give me. Who wants bad mo jo? They obviously don't know what medium rare looks like! (I've gotten better steak at Sizzler, for reals).
We valet parked and that seemed to be the only option. It didn't look like they had free parking anywhere.
If it wasn't for the friendly staff, Chart House would get just one star for the awesome view.
I'll definitely ONLY (maybe) be back for happy hour. Seems like a good deal. -
Review from PJ M.
Redondo Beach, CA
6/4/2011
We went for my fiance's birthday. The view is killer. Right over the water in front of the Redondo Beach Harbor.
The service absolutely blew - our guy was getting yelled at by all of his tables. Got the order wrong, forgot the bread... appetizers even came out before the bottle of wine... really?
The food had highs and lows. We've been watching a lot of Fish Porn (The Deadliest Catch), so we ordered some King Crab Legs. They came out cold and the butter was also cold. My steak however (blue cheese filet mignon) was outstanding. So we made it work.
Chart house could really use new ownership and a makeover. Their staff needs a Drill Sargent and they could use a new look. These guys nailed their locations, but every time I go into a Chart House I feel like I just arrived in the early 80's.
3 stars only. Could be a 4 or 5 star someday if they get their shit together. -
Review from Llorona N.
Los Angeles, CA
4/4/2011
My husband and I had 9pm reservations at Chart House in Redondo for Christmas Eve dinner. We're new to California, so no family get-togethers. Plus we have roommates, so an intimate dining experience would have been impossible at home.
No budget for the evening: this evening was meant to be a romantic Christmas celebration- and our first Christmas as a married couple. Very special. Of course, we both dressed up in our nicest normal clothes- I'm goth, my husband is punk, but both of our professions require us to dress nicely, expensively- so we wore our best for the occasion.
We got to the Chart House at 8:30pm, half an hour early for our reservation. When we arrived, the place was packed like a frat party- full of people who didn't have reservations. That wouldn't have been an issue, except... here's we go...
We were informed that, while we were early for our reservation, we would not be seated the time of our reservation. We were told 'It will be about half an hour to 45 minutes.' The hostess did not specify that this meant up to 45 minutes from the point of our reservation. Even still, we were not seated until 10:15pm- an hour and fifteen minutes after our reservation. No sincere apology, no special service to compensate, nothing. During the time we waited, we sat at the bar and had a drink, played games on our cell phones and tried to enjoy our time with the chaos around us.
The problem was that they had been KNOWINGLY seating people without reservations. Great. Thanks.
Once seated, our server asked what we would like from the wine menu. We didn't want to order a bottle because we're both sensitive to alcohol and did not want to drive drunk, and we'd already both had one drink each. We were not offered the option to sample a sip of any wines. When we asked which wines would be recommended, the server stressed that we should order two specific wines, 'Because they're a lot cheaper.' The glass of wine I'd ordered at the bar was a medium-range glass of wine- about $15 a glass, if I remember correctly. So I brushed off the slight and asked for another glass of the red I'd already tried. My husband ordered a cocktail.
The food was good, I'll give it that, but to be quite honest... it was very, very salty and almost generic. I am not dying to go back.
Each of us ordered salad bar, appetizer, entree, dessert, and two drinks. Each. So we spent a little money, and we needed to-go boxes. We tipped 30% on a nearly $200 bill.
To sum up the experience, it wasn't my favorite. I was, and still am, deeply offended that we seemed to have been judged by our appearances. We were not treated well, we were patronized, and we noticed it. We did not ask if it was 'happy hour,' if there were any 'cheap meals' on the menu, if there was an f-ing senior discount, nor did we eat with our hands, make animal noises, or show up with all of our piercings and tattoos showing in our average scrubby clothes.
I didn't complain because I didn't want to taint our evening any further. But Chart House, I'm complaining here. We won't be coming back.
For a better dining experience on the level Chart House claims to boast, visit Cheval Blanc. They will treat you with truly amazing customer service and the food is to die for. -
Review from Jessica Y.
Pasadena, CA
6/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Ordered the prime rib medium rare and cooked perfect to medium rare. Ordered a mud pie for desert & the server saw our face that it looked too small so he came back with another slice & said you looked disappointed... so here you go! After our meal, he asked if we valet parked our car and we did... he asked us for our ticket to have our car pulled up before we got out the door. Service is A++.
The view is absolutely beautiful... Definately recommend.
Amazing touches to make you feel special. Thank you!!!! -
Review from Fifi N.
Lawndale, CA
6/17/2011
Why is this place only rated 3 stars !? I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE !!!
My boyfriend took me here on our anniversary and I wasn't disappointed ! The view is phenomenal and the food was delicious.
Our server was a bit awkward but overall ... Very nice view, delicious dinner, w/ roses already set up on the table. So sweet :)) I cant wait to come back here for our next anniversary !!
Whatever I had isn't on the menu but it was salmon w/ bacon -- so delicious ! Unfortunately they ran out of what my boyfriend wanted so he didnt enjoy dinner too much but we'r definitely coming back here ! Upscale, romantic and .... perfect for couples :) -
Review from Alex W.
Long Beach, CA
4/21/2011
I was fairly disappointed with this restaurant. I wanted to take a my friend out for a nice dinner.
I made a reservation on open table yet was forced to wait a good 15 minutes. We went there during the height of the dead fish in the harbor so at least being inside was a relief.
We were sat next to a table of 8 people with their kids screaming. You could tell that others were annoyed as well. The restaurant could have had the foresight to sit them in a secluded area. The view was great but was drowned out by all of the ambient noise.
The food wasn't that remarkable but, of course, was priced to the limit of my imagination.
At the end of the day, I spent over $140 on a two person dinner and drinks for an experience achievable at your local Applebees.
The restaurant manager really need to understand that when you're paying for that level of service, you're not just paying for the view. If I wanted a view, there are other places that would have worked just fine. -
Review from Yummy Y.
Torrance, CA
3/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
My co-worker recommended me to go to the Chart House for my friend's birthday dinner.
It was perfect timing! We were able to see sunset....so beautiful.
If you want to take your loved ones to go there for their birthday dinner, let them know in advance!
Because they will create spacial menu sheet for your party.
They printed my friend's name on top of our dinner menu sheet and it was good for our souvenir.
As long as you have a happy moments, food is automatically taste better! -
Review from Nick d.
Long Beach, CA
1/27/2011
The Story:
My buddy and I wanted to have a nice dinner and catch up. We decided on Chart House in Redondo for its central location (between the two of us) and since it was featured on Dine LA.
The Food:
The food was excellent. For appetizers we had the artichoke and battered coconut shrimp. I only had one shrimp. I'm not a huge fan of battered shrimp and there was nothing that stood out about this. I didn't get a hint of coconut. The artichoke was well done and came with a mayo based dipping sauce and a lemon butter dipping sauce. The vegetable was cooked perfectly and pretty much every leaf had nice tender meat on it.
For entrees, I had the 8 oz. prime rib and my friend had the cajun crusted tilapia. I have to say, given the set course meal, I won here. The prime rib was perfectly cooked to my medium rare order. The portion was generous and the flavor outstanding. I didn't even need the horseradish (which didn't have the kick I would like it to) or the au jus. The garlic mashed potatoes were a very tasty compliment. My buddy's tilapia was full of cajun flavor almost to the point of overdoing it. The tilapia was cooked well and was perfectly flaky and moist.
For dessert we had the cheesecake and raspberry creme brulee. I'm not sure if they ran out of raspberry since our creme brulee had a strawberry on top and the creme itself tasted nothing of raspberry. While the cheesecake a simple plain slice, the serving size was large and was soft, moist and had outstanding flavor...
...BUT...
Two star rating after a review like that? Of course there's a "but."
The service:
The service was horrendous. After making a reservation and arriving on time we were promptly seated at a table that looked as if it were set for 4-5 people (we were just two). Odd. We received our Dine LA menu and regular menu. And then we were left. Abandoned. 20 minutes later not a person had even so much as acknowledged us. Granted, the time flew quickly by as we had lots of catching up to do. After getting the attention of the same server twice, our server (a different person) appeared and asked us how long we had been waiting. At this point it was at least 30 minutes.
To be fair he apologized many times and took our order. The bread and wines were slow to come out. Followed by slow-served appetizers and an even longer wait for the main course. How long a wait? After the appetizers were taken away I had to get up to feed the meters outside, which isn't a short distance away. I had ample time to get change, feed the meter, use the restroom and sit back down to wait an additional 5 minutes for the entrees. Rinse and repeat prior to dessert. Our server did manage, however, to place our check on the table in a timely manner, shortly after our desserts were served. After all the time and apologizing, no discount or compensation.
Now, neither of us actually complained. Maybe if we had been loud and obnoxious we might have gotten a discount. But that's just not in my nature. For me, it's not worth what would have amounted to about $10 to be an A-hole and cause a scene. But that doesn't mean I don't still think we deserved a discount. I just think those things should be offered, not demanded.
The verdict:
I enjoyed the food. I really did. That said, I doubt I will be back due to the terrible service. What a shame, that Dine LA ended up turning a customer OFF to a restaurant. -
Review from Clem B.
Hermosa Beach, CA
7/1/2011
I had the baked stuffed shrimps and it was pretty good. My girlfriend liked her food as well.
The cocktails were not good (made with syrup...), and the ladies at the reception desk quite arrogant I think.
Oh I almost forgot: amazingly nice view!!! -
Review from Jonny M.
Redondo Beach, CA
7/29/2011
We come to this Chart House on July 28th every year for our anniversary. Our wedding reception was held on the beach next to it, and catered by Chart House. Awesome experience, and we are still happily married! Whoohoo 4 years!!!! That being said, last night's experience was sub par, and disappointing to say the least. The food was great as always and met our expectations of fine Chart House cuisine where you will easily spend $200-250 for dinner and wine / drinks. The service was horrible. We arrived at 7:30 and were told there would be a 15-20 min wait. A bit over an hour later, when we were getting ready to leave to grab some sushi at Oki Doki, a Manager sees us and asks if we are still waiting. He seemed to be the only person who really cared. Although, I will say our Bartender was great. I assumed that The Chart House must be packed with people just hanging out in the dining area." Man, the economy must be picking up," I thought to myself. "Busy Thursday night!" Nope, bunch of empty tables everywhere! We asked our sleepy waiter if he was really busy tonight. 'Kinda slow tonight, pretty average overall." The folks sitting next to us must have waited 30 minutes or more to get their checks. Our waiter wasn't sure if they had the wine we asked for and suggested another one he knew they had. But he did us a favor and checked on it anyway. They had it! Awesome. But, then he brought out the wrong wine, and waiting another 20 minutes for him to return with the right wine seemed like more trouble than it was worth. 20 minutes later he takes our order and thinks about bringing out some bread for us to nibble on. Well, 2 hours later at 10:30 we get our check and we are asked if we'd like to join a Chart House Club for $25 dollars! Ha! Thanks buddy! No I don't want to sign up for your Chart House Club plan. I am already in a club with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, CVS, Walgreens, PetCo, Jiffy Lube, Firestone, & the guy who sells shave ice at the farmers market on Thursdays, who has much better service by the way.
Valet Parking in a dumpy looking parking garage that is just steps from the front door is really pushing it.
Step it up Chart House! Address your wait staff soon. Your food is always great. I'm sure your Chef would like the wait staff to strive for the same standards. -
Review from Richard F.
Redondo Beach, CA
8/19/2011
A group of four of us had dinner here last night and was very disappointed - everything was just okay except for the view, which is right on the ocean. The waiter was pretty good, but very overloaded so we had to wait to catch him. I had asked for a taste of a wine by the glass that I hadn't tried before I spent $12 for a glass. He said the restaurant is under very strict portion control and that wasn't possible. Although I don't ask often, I don't think I've ever been refused that request before. Even though all of the meals were in the over $30 range, every substitution request (i.e. vegetable instead of starch) was greeted with "sure, but there's an upcharge, even for vegetable that were served with other entrees. I won't go back there, and I don't recommend it unless you don't care what it costs to eat mediocre food with a fabulous view.
-
Review from Michael S.
Los Angeles, CA
8/13/2011
The first 45 minutes of our meal was great. Service, drinks, and appetizers were all excellent.
Then things took a turn for a worse, less than 5 minutes after receiving our appetizers our entrees come out. We look at him with confusion he says he will take it back. Before we can talk to our waitress to make sure we get fresh food, the server comes out again with our food. We tell him we are still eating, and he offers to take the food back and says it will just get cold. Finally our waitress comes and offers new entrees. 45 minutes later our food comes and its luke warm.
Service was pathetic, one of my worse experiences ever. -
Review from Clara K.
Chino Hills, CA
6/13/2011
We won't be going back to this location! The only good thing about this restaurant is the awesome view of the ocean!
The service is not good, the food is horrible and the place is like a zoo. When you spend this much money, you expect a quiet high class dinner so you can enjoy the view. We spent $230 for 3 people, we would have had a better dinner at Red Lobster, I kid you not!! -
Review from Lai Z.
Cypress, CA
8/27/2011
made a reservation for our late dinner but still gave us a pager which made us wait for like 15-20 minutes.. I can understand if we just walked in but come on.. they were just chatting at the reception until one of the receptionist pointed at me staring directly at them.
when we got on our sit the first thing that caught us was their view.. it was really soothing.. but I think that's about it except for our server.. I wanted to give kudos on him.. He's always checking on us if everything was ok even though they were so busy.. their food, I love their crab stuffed mushroom for appetizer... other than that most of it are okay, but I'm a big fan of desserts and I didn't like their apple and cherry crisp.. I just think it's too dry for me.
if you're looking for a resto that's more relaxing and wanted to unwind with your special someone like me, I think this isn't the right place... -
Review from Margot F.
San Pedro, CA
3/9/2011 Seated via OpenTable
I love this place. I've been 3-4 times. The food is great, the ambience is very nice, and the location is wonderful. Their clamchowder and lobster bisque are amazing and their oysters are delicious. Their wine list is also pretty good. It's often full so there's always a bit of a wait, which is ok if you're up for drinks at the bar.
The only negative note I can make is that i've had a few less than great cocktails at their bar. some of it seems ready made. -
Review from K. M.
Redondo Beach, CA
6/26/2011
So sad...I have the best memories of going to the Chart House. I grew up in Redondo Beach and the Chart House was the place to go for a special occasion. Actually, in the 80's (when the economy was great) this place was ALWAYS packed. Young waiter's in Hawaiian shirts, the best salad bar, and a fun atmosphere.
My husband and I decided to spend our 7th anniversary eating at the Chart House (June 24) and what a shocker!!!!
The waitress started out OK. but had a coldness about her. She did not take the time to talk about the menu or announce specials. I ordered the "Ultimate Margarita" ($12.00) and it was the WORST drink I have ever had. It tasted like water and cheap Margarita mix. I did not take another drink and left it sitting.
I don't have the energy to talk about the crusted Salmon :-(
We waited until after the meal came to tell her about the drink. We were afraid something bad might be done to our food if we mentioned it. I made sure I was very polite when mentioning the drink. But, sure enough she retaliated by completely ignoring us...did not clear our plates...did not ask us about dessert until we had been sitting for 20 minutes. The place was not busy for a Friday night (red flag!)
We were seated at 8:10 pm and by 9:30 we were very ready to leave. No dessert . We didn't want to risk it. We spent $100 and YES we left a decent tip (doubled the tax.) It would have been a better tip with good service.
I know things don't stay the same, but the Chart House was great for many years. It left us wondering why we didn't just go to our favorite little "whole in the wall" Mexican restaurant. At least we are treated nicely there (and they have great Margaritas!) -
Review from Nick M.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/24/2011
We've been here a few times and It's always hit or miss. This is an expensive restaurant and you should expect fine food and service. The last time we went was last night (A Wednesday) for my fiancées birthday. Even though the place was mostly empty service was slow and the bartender acted like we were bothering him by wanting to order a drink. Our waiter was pleasant, but the real dud was the food. The "Best of Shrimp" plate is not worth the price and the swordfish special was terrible. Spongy and flavorless. Our bill was $115 + and trust me the view doesn't make up for it.
:-( -
Review from Lizz K.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
6/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
All i can say is that the food and service was pretty lame..
i got the mahimahi and it tasted like crap.. i ended up just eating salad from the salad bar and barely touched my fish..
the salad was good though! -
Review from roland b.
Torrance, CA
3/2/2011
We had dinner there on 2/20/2011 ordered the $29.95 special Prime Rib they served it looked so awful and tough I sent it back, the next piece lloked much better but still was rather tough. I went online to Corp. made my remarks but never heard back.
Go for Drinks but not Dinner. I'm glad I did not pay the regular price! -
Review from Ann R.
Los Angeles, CA
4/10/2011
Slow service, mediocre food. My filet mignon wasn't a very good cut to begin with and on top of that it was way overcooked. I took 80% of it home for the dog (at least someone was a winner). My buddy's filet was way undercooked-go figure. Lobster tail was a bit dry. On the plus side, the lava dessert was good.
Oh, and I got food poisoning from fish on my previous trip there. So much for redemption....I won't be back.
