Ports O’Call Waterfront Dining

Awesome setting! Ocean front dining! Parking is free and there’s lots of spaces! The positives pretty much end there.
As I said, the restaurant itself and the location are very neat! We sat on the bar side, not sure why, but it was nice and quiet at lunch time. The other side is where the salad bar with their 50 items was located, and the waiter didn’t even tell us about it. I had to ask because we didn’t see it. We took a look and weren’t all that impressed, but kudos to them for supposedly having 50 items there!
Too bad it was a work day, or we would have loved to eaten there earlier and caught the complimentary boat ride. It sails at 12:30, so you should be dockside by then.
Anyhow, the reality that we’ll be back is pretty slim to no way! We started off with the clam chowder which was served tepid. Seriously, I can’t enjoy my soup that is not hot. The chowder was okay, nothing spectacular. The prepackaged oyster crackers were good! We also tried their crab cakes. They were a littly mushy, but not the worst we’ve had.
Hubby & I decided to share the Fish n Chips because we couldn’t decide on anything else. The plate arrived and it looked super! The fish had a nice beer batter and was fried to a nice golden hue. The first couple bites were great… then, I had a piece of fish that I couldn’t cut into. The batter pretty much just fell off and the fish was intact. No good. Then, I decided to grab another piece of fish… the same exact thing happened. So, I ended up with 2 of 4 pieces of fish that were inedible. They had this rubbery thing holding them together thus making it difficult to cut with a fork. I don’t think I should need a knife to cut battered fish. (
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I understand that clam chowder and crab cakes are prepared and cooked according to what the chefs deem as good. Variations are acceptable. I just really can’t wrap my mind around not being able to choose quality fish to cook & serve. I love fish and chips! I have never (to my recollection) had fish quite like this. I know I’ve had fish where the batter was not fried well or the batter wasn’t that great. At a whopping $ 17.00 for 4 pieces of fish and a plate of fries, I think it is overpriced, but we were willing to pay it to enjoy the view. However, in hindsight, I would not do it again here!

Service good food was overcooked and overpriced. My French fries were hard as a rock and my onion ring on my prime sandwich was the same. Drive home with a very upset stomach.

Our first time here today for Sunday Brunch. My husband and I are brunch people and have tried many from the SF valley to San Diego. This place is great. First of all, free parking! The food here is fresh and there is so much of it. Everything tasted wonderful and the champagne was always being topped off. We had a nice water view and the whole experience was really enjoyable. My only suggestion: if you offer turkey (which was so good) and mashed potatoes, please include a gravy. The au jus just doesn’t work. This restaurant is a keeper and we’ll be back — gravy or not.

Frequent customer. We love it. The service is great, the food is good and the waterside dining is wonderful. There is plenty of parking and full service bar. My family loves Ports O’Call and have booked many showers and parties here. We have never been disappointed. It is pur favorite place to eat outdoors and watch the Christmas boat parade. It is our go to place for Christmas brunch. I first became a customer in the 1960’s when it was owned by the Talichets.

Came here for dinner after a day of whale watching. I found the servers upon arrival to be professional and I was sat down in a nice seat overlooking the harbor next to the bar. I waited for a bit and gave my order of of sea bass and baked potato. The food came out within 20 minutes or so in total, not bad. The sea bass itself was a little weird and I think it was quite possibly some other kind of fish it didn’t taste or look like sea bass I had eaten in the past. The baked potato was a bit dry and bland. I even asked our waitress if it was sea bass and she said it was. It was just ok. My experience was ok. Service cool, food general.

We had great service! Their mahi mahi tacos were fantastic with freshly made corn tortillas. But paying $ 18 for tacos is a bit much (the $ 20 DineLA menu was perfect because it included the tacos and a dessert).

This review is for the Ports O Call Restaurant Bar only. I’ve been here in the evening three times now (only because it’s close to home). The bartender has to go. First of all when a customer walks into a bar, they shouldn’t have to ask for service when there are only a handful of customers. All three times, I’ve been there, the bartender (same one) was washing dishes, arranging the drinks or whatever. He never looked up to see if anyone needs a thing. After 10 minutes, I asked him for a drink. So right off, I didn’t feel the «warm welcome to San Pedro». When I asked what they had for red wines, his answer, (as if I was bothering him), «Cabernet and Merlo», That was all that came out of his mouth. If you hate your job so much, find a new one and quit losing business for this place! Each time I was there, I only ordered one drink then left.
Three times was enough for me to decide, even though the view is nice, I will not return. There are too many other places with smiling, welcoming bartenders that will take my money. This guy is not a people person and should be stocking boxes or doing something behind closed doors.
And what is with this place closing at 10 PM on a Friday, when there are still customers at the bar? Managers, get yourself together and look at what this is telling customers… «we don’t need your business…» Fire his ass!

Awesome brunch ambience! Superb service! Beautiful view! Oh yeah and the food is just decadent!

The Sunday Champagne Brunch is worth the money. They recently even included a 45 minute boat ride around the port. That was a nice treat.
The food is delicious. Lots to choose from. They have juices and hot chocolate as well. Great selections for the kids too.

Had the Sunday brunch buffet here with my girlfriend for our two year anniversary. It’s definitely not cheap, but I felt it was worth it for a special occasion. After all, where else can you get fried chicken and waffles, sushi, Korean barbecue, and cooked to order pasta all on one plate?
Pasta– there’s a guy who cooks your pasta custom for you. Some people even brought onions and bacon bits from the salad bar for him to add in. My girlfriend and I thought this was the best dish and tasted like a pasta you might get at Cheesecake Factory
Sushi– they have a few options, including tuna and salmon sashimi. Not the greatest, but unlike at sushi buffets you won’t get charged for leaving some rice on your plate.
Korean ribs– really nicely caramelized and good flavor
Tacos– meh, not bad not great
Roast beef– also meh, not bad not great
Fried chicken and waffles– I was really excited to make this combination here. Neither one was AMAZING but I personally enjoyed both a lot
Chocolate chip cookies– these were surprisingly good and soft. Some people were talking about how disappointed they were when the restaurant ran out
Red velvet cake– solid
They also had a cappucino bar with whipped cream, sprinkles, and Biscotti-​cookies that my girlfriend really liked.
The view’s great here too, especially if you sit on the patio. There’s a modern industrial aesthetic going on, with a nice view of the harbor. If you come in the winter be sure to dress warmly though, as the heat lamps don’t provide enough heat.
Overall great food, great ambience, good view.

Here on Wednesday, Dec 9, 2015 to celebrate my birthday. We were a party of 15. Pur server John was the best. The batender must be a drinke, because he did not short change us on the alcohol department of our cocktails. The atmosphere is nice. Water always adds to the beauty of atmosphere.
Good was tasty. I am considering this place for my wedding reception because of the layout, food and excellent service.

Reasonably priced brunch buffet! The harbor view was a nice bonus. Food wise, it was varied, plentiful and good tasting as a whole. It reminded us of The Reef!
We’ll be sure to try their Sunday Brunch and harbor cruise one of these days!

The Good: Food is absolutely amazing, Artichoke & Spinich dip is the best anywhere, hands down. Most of the Staff is great.
The bad: One extremely bad bartender (Jose), rude, sarcastic, major attitude, absolutely no customer service skills what so ever. Questioned a Patron sitting next to us why he wanted salt when he was asked. Spilled wine while pouring it into my bosses glass and didn’t bother apologizing nor cleaning it up. Took away drinks before they were even finished. Never had a bad experience until him & now we will walk out if he’s bartending! Rude, Rude, Rude!!!

I love this place. you have an amazing view of the ocean, you get to see the ships. i love that there’s a net above you when you’re seated out on the patio because i had an unfortunate incident where a seagull came up and took one of my pieces of shrimp so now nets are a must for outdoor seaside eating.
Now onto my food. I had the Truffle Honey Glazed Pan-​Seared Atlantic Salmon. Yeah that’s a mouthful ha! It was really good the salmon was cooked perfectly– nice sweet crust ontop. This is a sweeter dish btw so if you’re looking for a savory fish taste don’t get this dish. asparagus was nice a firm– not smushy at all. and there’s little pieces of bacon! bacon in a dish always makes the dish taste better
overall this little hidden place is a must. go! see! find out about the wonderful world of Ports O’Call.

This place was excellent. The view was amazing and the food is yummy. I had the salad bar and I was very impressed. They had some yummy pasta and seafood salads on the salad bar in addition to beautiful, plentiful toppings and delicious dressings. It’s what I hope and pray for in a salad bar.
My husband and son liked their meals, I sampled them and was less impressed but it’s still a great place to come. The servers were great too!

My stomach sank a little when I saw the reviews of this place after my Mom told me this is where she wanted her birthday brunch, but I was very pleased with my experience!
We went for their Sunday Brunch which includes a 90min harbor cruise after you’re done eating. We had reservations right at 10 when they opened, not knowing how crowded it might be. Reservations not necessary if you’re getting there right at 10. It got more crowded towards noon, though.
They have a vast selection of foods in their buffet! Mexican taco bar, build-​your-​own pasta bar, sushi, omelette bar, salad bar, crab legs, breakfast selections, carved meats, several seafood dishes, and a dessert table. There was so much I wanted to try, but I was too full to try everything I wanted.
We sat outside on the patio along the harbor. What a great view! And, the service was very friendly.
We finished brunch ~11:30am and walked around the shops and fish market until we boarded our harbor cruise at 12:45pm. The boat wasn’t crowded and had a full bar. The captain was well-​versed on the history of the harbor, which made the cruise even more enjoyable.
I look forward to returning here for future special occasions.

Had my wedding here planned it in less than two months (Laura Frank) Frankie did an amazing job. We love her to pieces !
The venue was gorgeous
The ceremony was gorgeous
Open bar was all top shelf so let’s just say we had a blast
And everything was memorable!
The bridal room was a tad bit small and a bit dusty, my mom saw a spider and freaked out but other than that the place was flawless !

We showed up for Sunday dinner. It was busy, so expect a wait. The food was amazing, the mojito, not so much. I ordered the blackberry mojito but they were out of blackberries so I went with the OG. Don’t order it.
If you’re really hungry, get the salad bar with your meal.

If you’re a lover of Maryland crab, don’t bother with the crab cake appetizer. Smallish, not much crab and deep fried a bit too long. The Thai-​influenced sauce was flavorful, though. I knew that $ 11 was too good to be true! Makes me question their other crab dishes.
Just found the official «Parties On The Patio» happy hour schedule. I don’t think that there’s live music on Monday or Tuesday, but I think I want to try Taco Tuesday:

Underrated old school waterfront restaurant, with a beautiful view of the Los Angeles Harbor Main Channel. The menu is quite large, with a great variety of choices, and an emphasis toward seafood. The place also has a full bar, just in case you enjoy an alcoholic beverage while watching the water. The clam chowder is delicious, so are their oysters. They also have a lunch hour special menu for $ 12 – 13, which is a bargain.
The service is attentive and prompt. Great place for whether breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! Large outdoor sitting at the patio. Tons of parking in front of the restaurant. I’m surprised there isn’t a line at the door!