Eat Chow

Man. I reallllly wanted to love love love this place like so many others, but the staff and pricing for their midline meals keeps away the five star fairy.
First, called at 1030am Saturday morning to enquire what the approximate wait for three would be. After the line rang and rang, it was picked up with your general «hello?» Not providing the name of the business on the company phone line and make your potential guest dig for it «um yes hi is this eat chow?” — awkward, and then just answer with «yes?», not even, «how can I help you?» Not cool. Asked the wait time, 15 – 20 minutes presently. So we headed over.
Street parking wasn’t too hairy when we arrived at 11, but I can see how it could get a lot worse as the morning wore on. We were greeted by a pleasant hostess who took our party number and name– it was for three but only two of us were presently there– hostess said we would need our full party to be seated. I explained that the two of us would like to be seated, as our guest was running thirty minutes behind us, and the hostess preceded to try and seat us at a table for two only, with absolutely no way to add a third seat. ??? Weird. Annoying. I get needing to seat larger groups with a full party as their space is very limited, but there was no one else awaiting seating and a table that could handle three was available. Anyway, finally got accommodated in their very narrow dinning area– if you have any love in your handles or junk in your trunk, good luck sitting or standing from their tables without putting your ass on someone else’s lol.
My fiancé and I ordered the oatmeal stout and the mimosa sampler to start– neither of us were overwhelmed by either– the stout tasted like a stout, the sampler, while a fun idea, I felt lacked good flavor variation– disappointing actually as I love a good bubbly in the morning.
Our guest arrived at 1130, and when he tried to enter past the hostess, was practically bouncered away, as there was now a wait– when he inquired as to a party awaiting him inside he was told there were no parties awaiting guest— this was by the same hostess who sat us not 30 minutes earlier. I saw everything going down through the windows and had to go out and retrieve my friend lol. So weird– people can’t even pop their head in to see if their friends are there… Okkkk.
We quickly ordered our food– New Chow Eggs (eggs Benedict), tomatoes and feta scramble with wheat toast, and breakfast burrito. Our server was prompt to our needs, so that was nice, food came out quickly considering the now full restaurant, but none of us were wowed, by the taste or quantity for the price tag everything tasted fairly generic– it tasted how it SHOULD taste, but nothing to make it really memorable, nor worth the $ 60 price tag for three small meals and two speciality drinks. Over all, good looking menu, but after our experience that even the basics are bland, probably won’t be returning and wouldn’t recommend.

I’m pretty sure the address sucks… it’s more like it’s on 18^th street, not sure why it says its actually on Newport Blvd?
Anyways, went there today, and it was AWESOME. The flavors were excellent, the Fried Egg is what I ordered and will be what I order next time even though everything else looked and tasted awesome. Will definitely come back. Everything was awesome. Everything was awesome. I want to eat it again now. Everything was awesome.

Short Rib Breakfast Tostadas were amazing. My husbands favorite of all breakfasts around.

Came here on a Tuesday mid-​morning with a friend!
Hahah it was kinda hard finding it (if you don’t know where to go). I went onto 18^th and I saw something that resembled a parking lot, so I found the parking lot behind the restaurant (go north one block). After that we walked to the restaurant (which otherwise has street parking) and went in!
We were promptly seated and realized how small this place actually is o-​o. They have only a couple of tables and they share a restroom/​space with what looks like a nursery. So yeah it’s small.
Another thing: we noticed that at 11am they «shut down» unofficially with a sign saying «We are not seating right now» for about 20 minutes for a breakfast-​lunch stoppage. People inside can continually eat their meals, but I guess it is to change menus to lunch and for the kitchen as well?
They had mimosas! Which was the main reason that I really wanted to come here sooner rather than later. I got an el corazon mimosa. Mhmm. It had sparkling wine, passion fruit, pomegrante, blood orange mélange. Which sounds really sweet. I liked it :) Yes it doesn’t really look like it should cost $ 8 so it’s a little bit more on the expensive side :/​
I ate the Breakfast BLTA ($ 9.75) — Fried eggs, bacon, tomato, baby greens, avocado, chipotle aioli, toasted brioche bun, potatoes. My friend recommended this one for me and I decided to try it out. I ate this too fast haha. The eggs were default made where the eggs were on the edge (some cooked some leaky). But I like it when the eggs are gooey hehehe. (Or did I mention sunny side. Or was that another place. Sob I’m getting old). There was a lot of flavor in the burger and the potatoes had some cheese in it as well but weren’t the best. The burger was just the right size and didn’t make you overfilled, like regular burgers do. So it has its place as a breakfast burger: P It has a really great avocado-​chipotle aioli so definitely try that out– it adds a different dimension to the burger: D
Eat Chow is a small place that has prices that are a bit higher than normal, but their food is good enough for you to try out and see what it’s all about.
Plus if you’re needing a drink, their mimosas. Or you can wait for happy hour somewhere else I guess: P

I am addicted to their curried chicken salad! The only time I’m able to eat in house is when I’m not in a rush because the kitchen doesn’t whip the food out as quickly as I think it should. It took over 30 minutes just to get two salads out during the lunch hour and the restaurant wasn’t even at full capacity. Having said that, the food and friendly service of the staff has never disappointed! Seating is a bit tight and overflows into the Bel Bambini baby boutique, so if you don’t mind sitting in tight quarters for great food, this is definitely a hit!

Went here with a friend before getting my hair done and man was it good.
Service was excellent! We were seated promptly without any wait time. Shortly after that we were greeted and our drink orders taken, and then shortly after that our orders taken. Waitress was always present and or close by if we needed anything. And didn’t leave too much time in between her visits to make sure we were enjoying our meals and or needed anything.
I couldn’t quite decide what I wanted to eat because everything sounded so good but ended up settling with the NEW CHOW EGG BENEDICT $ 13 suggested from a diner close by and it did not disappoint.
Two Poached Eggs, Toasted Country French Bread, Smoked Turkey, Tomato, Avocado and Hollandaise Sauce.
Everything was yummy. Hollandaise sauce was thick and flavorful, county French bread was toasty and warm, eggs were packed to perfection. I would definitely eat this again, but more than likely will try other items on the menu when I return.

This place is literally a hole in the wall… Nay, scratch that, it’s like the baby store that’s connected to this restaurant said «Hey, we have all this unused space so let’s decide to partition it and have a restaurant fitted in here.» Eat Chow is so integrated with the baby store that if you want to use the bathroom, you literally have to walk through the store to get to the men’s/ladies’ room. Now, I’m not saying this is the reason why I’m only giving them ³⁄₅ stars, because trust me when I say I’ve been to much smaller and weirder hole in the walls than this. We came here mainly because of all the reviews people gave this place and the recommendation of friends. Seeing that we were in the area last night, we figured «hell, why not?!»
Coming in on a Thursday night wasn’t bad around 6:30pm. We waited no more than 5 – 10 minutes before being seated; so if you’re wondering when the right time to go is, I’d say on a weeknight. Everything on the menu looked and sounded really delicious and I wished they had a sampler of just about everything… or at the very least the small plates menu. In the end, our dinner consisted of these items:
Cheesy Tots (⁴⁄₅): I can’t really remember the last time I had tots, but I typically am disappointed after having a bite. It’s hard to find that perfect tot where it’s crunchy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside. I’m glad to say that Eat Chow does a great job in having that consistency and then adding something good with overkill of something SUPER FATTY AND DECADENT! Not only do you get the tots, but it’s smothered and swimming in a five cheese fondue topped off with bacon and green onions served with a side of Sriracha Aioli and ketchup. By far my favorite item we ordered for our dinner.
The Chow Burger (³⁄₅): I wasn’t expecting an out of this world type sensation or taste, but at the very least something juicy and full of flavor. Taking my first bite into the burger I was content with the fact that they cooked our patty to a juicy red medium consistency which did a great job of having the juices still there with every bite. Even all the other stars of the burger such as the pepper jack cheese and mustard aioli did a great job in complementing the burger well. However, can’t really say the same about the Caesar salad that came along with the order. It was more of just romaine lettuce with some red cabbage, croutons and parmesan cheese. As for the actual dressing or taste of a Caesar salad, I felt like it was completely missing. Why can’t they just give you the option of having fries as a side like any other burger serving place???
Steak and Frits (²⁄₅): Two words… utter disappointment! When I first saw this item and read the description, I thought «yessss, time to get me some steak and carbs!» Then the plate finally came out and at first glance I was a bit confused. I was grateful for the tons of frits that comes with my steak but my first inclination was «what the hell is that sauce on top of my steak?!» Well turns out that it’s essentially spaghetti sauce with some ground beef being smothered on top of the steak. I’m not sure who in their sane mind thought this was a great idea, but that person needs to be fired and shot! At the very least I was expecting the frits to save the day with it’s crunchiness due to the super thin cuts, but yet again it was shear disappointment. My two cents for this item, don’t even consider it!

Solid spot for brunch, plus parking was easy to find on a Sunday at 11:30 (I’m sure it helped that it was a rainy day). Wait time for a party of 4 was 30 – 40 minutes, and we killed some time by browsing in the bougie baby boutique that the restaurant shares its space with. The table they ended up seating us at was teeny tiny, but somehow we managed to fit all our plates and drinks on there!
I ordered the BLTA which was quite tasty. Bacon was crunchy, brioche bun was soft, and the egg was runny and messy (good for my taste buds, not for my hands). It came with cheesy potatoes that were pretty good, but the ones without any cheese needed to be dunked in ketchup for some flavor. I also had a chai latte that was too sweet and not spicy at all– not a fan. Other orders at the table included the enchiladas and classic eggs, bacon, & toast; for drinks, mimosas and a michelada which got two thumbs up.
Service was on the slower side. We felt like we waited a lot– for drink orders to be taken, for drinks to come out, for food orders to be taken, for food to come out (especially), for them to process our bill… from the time we put our names down to when we left, we were there for around 2 hours, and I’m sure this only exacerbates the wait times for people being seated (so many people waiting when we left at 1:30).

We’ve been here several times for lunch and dinner. It’s consistently good. Only downside is they don’t take Amex, which sucks in my opinion. Get those points!
What stands out in my mind are the patty melt, chorizo meatballs, and their wine list. The red blend is pretty good, as is their bubbly. The service is good and fast.
Space is slightly cramped, but that’s what you get for being inexplicably jammed in next to a baby store, which you can fully see as you dine. Overall, very good option for Triangle Square area.

I came here with a girl friend and sat outside because there was a wait inside the restaurant for lunch. The lunch menu is comprised of classic new American items, but nothing popped out as super interesting or unique. I relied on Unilocal to find out what to eat —
+ CHEESY TOTS: These are probably the cheesiest tots I’ve ever had in my life. It is comprised of FIVE different cheeses (!!), bacon, and green onion. The cheese was so overpowering that we ended up eating the tots on top and leaving the tots at the bottom that were completely drowning in cheese.
~ FRIED GREEN TOMATOES: I have had fried green tomatoes in the past, and something in this app seemed to be lacking. The flavors weren’t crazy, and this was more fresh with the diced tomatoes on top.
— FRENCH DIP: This was the most disappointing. The prime rib eye lacked so much flavor I had to drench it in the ajus, but even then it still tasted really bland. I also spread the horseradish cream along the meat before I dipped it, and it really didn’t add any additional flavor. The brioche french roll added to the lack of flavor by adding a pillowy, empty texture to the sandwich.
Our waiter was prompt in bringing our entrees and clearing our table, but it was nothing substantial or exemplary to write about.

Bad name. Great food.
Eat Chow must have been too busy perfecting their dishes to think of a real name. After «Eat at Joe’s» this is probably the most generic name for a restaurant in the last 25 years. That said, what is in a name and if the food is this sensational, who cares?
Located right off of Newport Boulevard in northern Costa Mesa Eat Chow can have you waiting for a table. In fact, sometimes it is a complete nightmare so consider yourself advised. The retro vibe of the interior will have you quoting Tarantino movies from the late 90’s and the remarkable coffee from Intelligentsia gets you on game in no time, even with the nastiest of hangovers. Thanks to the crowds the experience feels a bit rushed and the wait staff has no time for chit chat but your only worry will be what to get for breakfast and thanks to a menu that is all over the place, this is a considerable decision indeed.
Faced with the a hangover for the ages, I went with the Shrimp & Grits. By god, you should too.
The best prepped mound of grits I have had in SoCal are laid down and covered with a luscious and savory tomato sauce laced with oils from every meat that ever mattered. Next, cooked Shrimp and Andouille sausage are thrown into the hot tub and a handful of cheese and green onions are used almost as a layers of savory flavor. The final touch is a smattering of chipotle aioli. I loved the heat and complexity of flavors in between mouthfuls of coffee. It almost made me forget that pounding headache I had. Almost.
Although I enjoyed my breakfast thoroughly, I think I will stick to the PCH location as I prefer the vibe there and if you get there early the service is much better. That said, giving those Grits anything less than 4 stars would be a crime.

Wow, how have I not eaten here until now??? This place is so AMAZING! It’s hard to find since you can’t see it from Newport Blvd (it’s visible from W 18^th St), but if you can find this hidden gem you definitely need to scope it out! It’s very small inside and doesn’t seat a lot, but if you come early, you’re good to go.
I came here in a Wednesday night around 5:30 PM, and it wasn’t busy. I was seated right away and the service was on top of it. The soup of the day was lentil soup (yum!), so it already got me excited about dinner. I don’t recall the name of our service staff members that helped us, but it was one of the best service I’ve ever received. Water glasses were nev