Chapter One: the Modern Local

This place is really cool. The fish and chips plate was really good — never liked cole slaw before, but this place’s variety is amazing. The fish was perfectly fried. And the fries were thin-​cut and seasoned.

This place is great. Amazing food and cocktails, and great ambience to boot. The one thing I think they could improve on is the service. I’ve been here a lot and the one thing I experience that is negative is sometimes the service is there, and sometimes its completely not. You can’t find your waiter/​waitress, the food or drinks take an eternity to come, etc. Besides that, seriously, the food is amazing. The creative cocktails are also very unique and quite delicious too.

I came here with a few friends on a Tuesday to enjoy drinks and appetizers. I was very happy with my first experience here.
We arrived in time for happy hour, which ended at 7PM. There were good specials on drinks ($ 5 for a glass of house wine) and 50% off appetizers, not including seafood. First, we started with the duck fat fries and those were pretty good. We also ordered the Ahi Ceviche. WOW… that was definitely the best thing we ordered; I will for sure be ordering that again. We also ordered the stuffed jalapenos and those were just okay. I won’t be ordering those again. The Goat Cheese Fritters were a close second to the Ahi Ceviche; I would highly recommend ordering them if you are a goat cheese fan, like myself. The brussel sprouts were another appetizer we ordered and those were also just okay. They could have used a little bit more flavor.
Overall, it was a good first experience. The service was good. The ambiance is really nice and they have a great happy hour. This will definitely be my new happy hour spot in Santa Ana!

I will honestly say that I have come in here twice with low expectations and both times at the request of another person (s). I have come in once for Brunch and another time for Lunch. Both times, Chapter One impressed on some levels but was somewhat of a let down on others.
The first time I came here was for a Sunday brunch with some friends. Not many places can beat the «$ 6 – 7 bottomless mimosas with the purchase of an entrée» deal so we decided to check it out. The place was packed and the bottomless mimosa flight was great with their various fruity flavored juices.
FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLES (Brunch): I probably had the highest expectations for this dish since it was recommended by the waiter and the fact that its… Fried Chicken. Sadly, the batter on the chicken came out pretty soggy and the waffles tasted store-​bought.
SWEET JALAPENO BURGER (Lunch): This burger was actually pretty good with the pickled jalapenos and massive beef patty. The heavy amount of sauce made the bun fairly soggy but I don’t mind messy burgers. Topping that off with a small side of duck fat fries made this dish a win.
PB S’MORE TART: Marshmellows, Peanut butter, and crumbly graham cracker… Not a huge fan.
PI: Probably my favorite dessert, two fried pies with a scoop of ice cream.
Highlights:
— The Duck Fat Fries
— The Pi Dessert
I will also say that they have somewhat of a good selection of beers here as well.
Chapter One is a pretty good option for a last minute lunch, but I don’t think it would qualify as a go-​to.

The ambiance is dark with music turned up pretty loud to create a lounge-​y and chill environment. There is a bar where you can hang out and have a drink or you can sit down to get the restaurant experience. The food here is delicious and what I love the most is it’s take on bold flavors. We got an order of the Sisig fries and the Yakisoba stir fry and both were very delicious. I would recommend and order those again. The soufflé was also amazing for it’s fluffy texture and wonderful taste.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating with our party of 14. The servers split the bill perfectly and were professional. There was plenty of street parking for us on a Sunday night.

I came into this place on a Sunday with some friends. This place is very Hipster, gives you a fancy vibe, and I would say the servers are very polite and attentive. However I wasn’t much of a fan over what i ordered (The Stuffed Jalapeños) I expected better, i would go again but to try something different because their fries were pretty good and a friend let me taste the Mac n Cheese which was pretty good! Another friend of mine got the wings, they were decent, Im just more of a spicy wings kind of gal instead of sweet. The place was very clean and most of the plates looked fancy. I found the pricing to be kind of high though. Good experience afterall though.

A friend brought me here on a lonely Sunday. Why lonely you ask? There was hardly anyone here so the ambiance was pretty quiet. Yet the staff managed to find a way to provide mediocre service.
The menu selection is very limited. They offer «small plates,» salads, three different types of burgers, and nine different dinner plates, Mac-​n-​cheese being one of them. They also have small dessert selection with «Monkey Balls» being at the top of the list. I ordered the «Normal» burger which is the actual name of it. Comes with a half pound beef patty, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, on a brioche bun, and of course I added some bacon to it. The burger wasn’t bad, but the duck fat fries sucked. The fries were pretty cold and very thin. I prefer the thicker fries and hot ones that almost burn your mouth.
The beer selection wasn’t very impressive either. I was actually having a hard time reading it. I do remember liking the «Cali Creamin» for you dark beer lovers. You could taste the vanilla inside the beer.
For as quiet as this evening was, we got mediocre service. Our waitresses passed us up on a couple of occasions even when you were staring right at her. She wasn’t rude, just not very attentive. This place overall was meh.

Great customer service!
Love the food but the fish wasn’t breaded good, tasted too fishy

I was in DTSA with a few buddy’s and we decided to grab a quick dinner. It’s located in the middle of DTSA next to a few cool boutiques. Chapter One is a pretty cool spot to grab dinner and a few burgers and drinks. I ordered the mac & cheese with a sculpinpineapple IPA, Mac & cheese was a little small so I also got the fish and chips which was amazing. Lightly battered yet really crispy fish and the fish was really tender and flakey.
Ambiance ⁵⁄₅ really cool spot has a nice hipster feel with a decent bar and a couple tvs.
Service 4.5/ only because she brogjtour drinks to the wrong table lol and water took a while to be filled.
Quality ⁵⁄₅ the food was amazing everything was fresh and flavorful. My two dishes I ordered were both amazing and I would deathly recommend the fish and chips.

Headed here several times with coworkers for a post work regroup and drink. You’ll have to street park or find a garage, but it’s usually pretty easy. Grab a few coins so you can pay for a meter spot.
Staff was always welcoming and seated us right away. I’d suggest trying to arrive before 5:30, cause it does fill up later.
Moscow mules were a staple for us to order, and that’s saying something because it’s not my usual type of drink. They make them really well here. Be ready to hand over your ID while you have a copper mug, cause they tend to be stolen, so they hold IDs.
Grab some happy hour appetizers, calamari is delicious.
Overall: A
Wish I was still close enough to head here for an after work refresh!

Review for their happy hour (Mon-​Sat 3−7pm). We stopped in for a quick bite and drink before doing some volunteering in the area, and it was the perfect thing to tide us over until a later dinner afterwards. We had made reservations through Unilocal,but when we arrived at 4:30 there were still plenty of seats available (especially for our small party of 2). We were given a seat by the window, which I love for the natural lighting (I’m an Asian who takes food pics, what can I say). All of their appetizers (except seafood, I think) are half off during HH, so we got the short rib croquette, fried pickles, duck fat fries, stuffed jalapenos, and a mini mac. For drinks, I had their signature moscow mule and he had a draft beer.
Food — everything was pretty good, with the fries being my favorite. They were skinny and full of flavor. The croquette is just one big croquette, and sure comes with plenty of filling. Good flavors, but I wouldn’t get it again ’cause I’m not the biggest fan of short rib shredded. The pickles and jalapenos were too fried for me, as in the batter took over the inside. Of the 2, I’d go with the pickles. Mini mac was good, and probably my second fave, but the bacon should be crispy! I enjoyed my drink and left with the very slightest buzz (I also rarely drink, so am a total lightweight!). All this and our bill came out to just over $ 30, which I think is pretty good. Most expensive thing was the mule ($ 7), so you can even go and save a couple dollars by sticking with wine or beer.
Service was just slightly on the slower side, but if you don’t have anywhere you need to be, it’s no problem. We were just worried about making it to the volunteer event and we’d also only put in an hour on the meter but we made it back with minutes to spare.

Went here with my boyfriend during the weekday. Came here around dinner time.
Cleanliness/​Décor
The place was darkly lit. However, the décor is hipster, a lot of woodwork and a romantic feeling everywhere. The place looked clean from what I could see.
Food
We started with the Short Rib Croquette. Which was interesting. And I have to say interesting in a good way. It wasn’t salty however very balanced and quite enjoyable. I got the Braised Pork Belly and my boyfriend got the Fish and Chips. The Braised Pork Belly reasonable portion and full of flavor. As for the Fish and Chips, it was a larger portion and very delicious.
Service
Service was ok. Our server was very sweet and friendly, however she was very slow. It took a while to get our drinks refilled and our check.
Overall Experience
3 stars. Even though the décor and food was good. I have to weigh in that the service wasn’t that great.

The best time to come is happy hour. All beers on draft at 3 bucks off! I got the Guinness beer and then tried a beer I never had before Old Chubs. Wow I fell in love with Old Chubs!
There is a lot of food discounts also! The service was great. Lots of drink and food specials during happy hour from 3−7PM!

Here we begin the book at chapter one. Short and sweet this place is a solid 4 in my book.
There’s parking in the structure, but if you’re a recovering student and don’t have a flashy car (like me) then there is metered parking! Which, I might add, is more affordable. Hoorahh!
When you enter and hook a left towards the bar area, watch your step! Saw a couple of people eat it.
They have killer happy hour deals on their appetizer menus and their selection/​price on the OC restaurant menu is more than fair.
Food wise. from what I’ve had here: harvest burger is super moist, the sauce that comes with their fish and chips makes the dish. Otherwise it tastes too plain, chocolate raspberry soufflé is a bit eggy for my taste but still sensual, croquette is amazing, s’mores dessert brings back childhood memories, and overall ambiance is very down to earth.
Four.

Such an great place for brunch! My friend took me here on a Sunday. If you don’t make a reservation, the wait is about 30 minutes for a party of two. We were seated close to the musical performer, Rabbi Blue. He is such a fun guy! He is musically talented and sings covers of songs. He interacts with the guests, which makes the brunch experience so much fun! Live music+bottomless mimosas=a very fun afternoon.
I ordered the Mac n cheese for $ 12, and the bottomless mimosas were $ 6 with the purchase of a meal. Pretty good deal. I don’t think the food was extraordinary, but the experience was.
Another plus is the location. Chapter One is in downtown Santa Ana, so there’s plenty to do after brunch.
I will definitely return to Chapter One. Big thanks to Morgan for showing me this place.

This is a good gastropub place if you want to go hang out and catch up with friends over drinks!
Drink:
–Moscow Mule — Perfect! They serve it in the copper mug too! Just FYI, they are going to ask for your ID and hold it until you return their copper mug back.
Food:
–Harvest Burger with Duck Fat Fries — tasty!
–Banana bacon chocolate — good!
–Chocolate semifreddo — good, simple, chocolate dessert :)
Service was good.
Parking: be prepared to park at a meter or pay for a lot nearby

almost three years ago i told myself to never return… of course i didn’t listen to myself on a desperate wednesday night when i was hungry. instead of going to my go to lola gaspar i decided to take a special someone to this spot. why?! i don’t know because this didn’t impress him and left me with a sad belly.
around 8pm on a wednesday this place was empty. a first bad sign. don’t get me wrong service was great but dude… the food and drinks is just a no go. and not to mention… CAN SOMEONE TURN ON THE LIGHTS?! i feel like the darkness is to hide how bad the food is. i don’t really like to hate on restaurants and i give them usually the benefit of the doubt but seriously to have more higher prices than normal restaurants and serving not so good food is unacceptable.
we both ordered burgers and how can you mess up a burger when its a gastropub?! apparently you can… extremely over priced for the quality. only okay thing on the plate were the shoe string fries. also got to mention that i asked for a recommendation and told her i wanted a fruity not to strong drink and she recommended the «bonfire of the vanities»… WORST DRINK IVE EVER HAD… please don’t even have this on your menu. i don’t know why. i had to drink it and be sad. either of us finished our food and we were starving animals… i hope when i Unilocal for another dinner in dtsa i come across my own review and remember to never ever under any circumstances come here for dinner. i hear brunch is great? dinner… not so much :/

This place has a bunch of weekly promotions. I came here for their Sinatra Sunday Brunch (Sunday 10a-4:30p) with two of my friends around 3pm. Since it was already so late in the day, we got seated immediately (which is unheard of for Sunday brunch).
I originally wanted the Special K French Toast, but they said they were out of it since it was almost the end of brunch. So, I got The Hash… yo. I don’t usually have salmon for brunch unless it’s smoked salmon on a benedict, so this was a bit unconventional for me. However, it was super delicious!
I also got the Sinatra Mimosa Flight — $ 6 endless mimosa flight with a variety of juices. Usually bottomless mimosas are around $ 12, so this was such a good deal! I also liked that it was a flight of juices, so I didn’t have to stick with the typical orange juice. Also, they definitely didn’t skimp on the refills!
Our waiter was super nice & provided great service. They have live music on Sundays and that day it was a rabbi jazz singer. He was very interactive with the crowd and made for a fun time.
I’ll definitely be back here again for brunch! I also hear they’re cool for nighttime festivities, so I’ll be back for that as well.

I wanna like this place so much… But I just can’t!
Everything in their menu sounds interesting and promising. Food is a little overpriced for the portion size. But not to worry because on Monday through Friday 3−7pm, there’s happy hour & appetizers are half off!
I’m a HUGE mac & cheese enthusiast and I decided to try their mac & cheese (with chicken, additional $ 4 to add). Still overpriced. Portion size is just a small bowl!!! It was bland and the chicken was dry! Disappointed.
The only thing I think it’s worth getting is their sisig fries or anything WITH FRIES, just because it’s cheap (half off during happy hour) & it’s one of the few things in the menu that’s delicious!

Rockin’ Sunday Brunch. Driving through the artists village in Santa Ana on a Sunday is pretty quiet unless you you head to Chapter One. It honestly feels like brunch is being held at your freinds place. Everyone is super friendly (staff and guests), plus they have an excellent singer that puts everyone in a good mood.
Their brunch runs until 3pm. When I phoned to reserve a table for 5 at 2pm, I was told they stop taking reservations for brunch at noon. Despite our walk-​in at 2pm for 5 people we only had to wait 20 minutes.
Chilaquiles are delicious. Although I’ve had these here before the portion was a little on the small side this time.
Special K French Toast was out of this world. Tasted like dessert. Very large portion of 3 halfs. Could have used a little more syrup. This was super delicious though. Something I’d like to try to make at home.
If you are a fan of mimoas you can’t go wrong with the bottomless mimoas for $ 6. A fleet of juice selections are brought to your table allowing you to mix your own delicious concoction.