Whitestone Restaurant & Bar

What a great experience! My wife and I stopped by for dinner tonight and everything was spot on. We were greeted with smiles and hello's by every staff member on our way to our lovely booth. The 2 servers couldn't have done a better job. And to top it off, our meal was delicious!

amazing food, very hearty and filling. the burst of flavour hit all the right spot

6 stars if I could! Massimo is a true gem of a human and that always takes care of me and my friends with the best service every time we come here! The happy hour is such a great deal, and I haven’t had one dish or beverage that has been disappointing. Always delicious, always consistent.

I happen to find this place by chance on PCH in Dana Point. ordered the sun kissed scallops and while waiting for my meal, the waiter threw a complementary loaf of bread on my table. Needless to say the meal was amazing but the bread is what made me take my wife back to try. Now anytime we are in Dana Point. We have to stop here! The cuisine is exceptional! Massimo and Austin, and all of the staff make you feel as if you’re at home without having to do the dishes. If you’re lucky enough to make it during happy hour, try the fish tacos! If you want an exceptional seafood meal in Dana Point, I highly recommend this place!

My wife and I recently had our rehearsal dinner at Whitestone Restaurant and Bar, and it was an absolutely amazing experience! From start to finish, Nader and the entire team went above and beyond to make our evening perfect. The food was amazing, the restaurant itself is beautiful, and the service was truly A+ plus. Every detail was handled with such care and professionalism, allowing us to simply relax and enjoy this special occasion with our loved ones. If you're looking for incredible food, a fantastic atmosphere, and unparalleled service, you absolutely need to come here. Thank you again, Nader, for the amazing experience. My wife and I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!

Wow! I've driven by this place a million times and never stopped in. I've been missing out! The food was awesome! Starting with the grilled artichoke and finishing with the rack of lamb.... Really good. Our serving staff was very attentive and helpful. We will be back.

The server was not paying attention to my table at all. We asked for a dessert menu, he brought the menu and left us hanging 10-15 mins without checking on us. He went to the bar and had a beer and chatting with his coworker. Also heard conflicts between servers, that was mood killing. The food was okay, not so special for the price we paid for.

I was expecting more and found it was just a regular restaurant like Applebee's or Olive Garden. The front door had to be manually closed, my reservation had me at one table, and I was shuffled around to accommodate someone else. I expected more from the steak I ordered (meh), not vegetables came with my steak dinner, so the side order was $14 (unbelievable). I was placed in a 2 seater corner booth close to the front door after being moved, and walk-ins received better seats than my reservation. Let's just say, as a high level Google reviewer, this is one of my lowest marks. There is little to No chance I will probably return. And maybe not have the Hostess in a dress and dirty sneakers. I Do Not recommend this establishment for local or visiting patrons.👎🏾 Response from the owner an hour ago Dear Guest Anthony, We are genuinely sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We strive to provide top-notch service and food to all our guests and deeply regret if we fell short. We appreciate your feedback regarding the seating arrangement and our staff's attire and will undoubtedly take these critiques into consideration for improvements. As for the steak dinner, we're saddened to hear it wasn't up to par and will address this with our kitchen team. We want every guest to leave our restaurant satisfied and we're sorry we missed that mark with your visit. We hope you might reconsider and give us another opportunity to turn your experience around in the future. Sincerely, Whitestone Restaurant & Bar Though I appreciate your response, but as the owner, your control is limited day to day. I believe it was the General manager who moved me and was less than cordial. As business owners we can become complacent and detached from our original purpose. Undercover Boss became popular for a reason and had heartwarming stories, but there were also some dark stories we don't usually speak about. The only suggestion I have is to pass out review cards for visitors and see if my assessment was accurate and adjust as you see fit. As a retired disabled veteran that has traveled the world and eaten in many countries, I always expect the best when I am at home. I wish you the best on fixing these issues. God speed!

We had our wedding dinner for 20 guest here. Whitestone and Nader - was very easy to work with, as we planned this from out of state. We and our guest were incredibly happy with ALL of the food and service. Some of our guests that travel the world and have eaten everywhere said -"this is the best meal we have had in a very long time"!! Nick - the chef did a superb job. Drinks were wonderful as well. I only wish we lived in California so we could go back soon. Enjoy this lovely restaurant!

My husband and I absolutely love Whitestone. It has become one of our favorite local Happy Hour restaurants. The restaurant is located on PCH and has a great indoor-outdoor atmosphere. The staff is always friendly. They have a daily happy hour and it ends at 7:30pm. There is great selection of food and drinks on their Happy Hour menu. My husband's favorite dish off the dinner menu is the Braised Short Rib. The Caesar Salad with grilled shrimp is delicious. Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5

Went for Happy Hour. Nice bar area. Both drinks and food was very reasonable. Ordered 2 mixed drinks (Mexicsn Old Fashion and a Gin drink. Ordered Mussels, Fries and Smoked Trout to start. Drinks were only okay - not strong and not very tasty (Gin Drink had too much gingerale and not enough gin). Also ordered 2 glasses of wine. The Fries ($7) were crispy and seasoned well. Mussels ($14) were generous portion, but broth could have been more flavorful. Smoked Trout was very good (and a bargain at $10. They only gave us 4 small costinis, so we had to ask for 4 more.Ordered the Crab Cake ($28) - which was full of crab and very flavorful. In Summary, the Happy Hour is from 4:30-7:30 everyday - which is awesome. We would go back, but just stay with BEER and Wine.

Remind me to not ever order from this place on DoorDash or GrubHub or Uber eats, they don't know how to get the order right, go into the restaurant and sit down at the bar and have a really delicious meal. Do not order on any of the food services because they always screw it up. The dining experience is so much better. I ordered shrimp and veggies, and neither one of them came out right tonight unfortunately. I ordered grilled shrimp thinking they were not going to be spicy but they were so I couldn't even eat them.

Great Atmosphere Warm and Inviting, Wonderful service from the BarKeep, Great Food. We'll be back.

"I went to Whitestone in Dana Point for dinner. They had a great happy hour menu. I ordered the spicy margarita, which was very different from any other I've had. It's made with pineapple and mango purée, and it was delicious. During happy hour, I also had the fish tacos and crab cake. The fish tacos had a very light, tempura-like batter, which allowed the fish flavor to come through magnificently. The crab cake was a little too fishy for my taste. For dinner, I had the Jidori chicken, which came with grilled cauliflower and roasted potatoes. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and the flavorful sauce made it outstanding. The service was efficient and professional." I highly recommend the happy hour.

A social group I belong to had a St Patrick's Day gathering in the large room off the bar. It was beautiful and private at the same time. We were served by a very friendly gentleman I believe is the manager. Every employee did their best to make us feel comfortable and attended to. We were there during happy hour and had drinks and appetizers, which were all very nicely made and very tasty. This is a gem of a restaurant!

Wonderful establishment, great service and the food is delicious!!Beautiful cozy place to dine in beautiful Dana Point.

Hubs wanted Rack of Lamb for his Birthday. I had ribeye- it was tender but lamb and cooked to order but lamb was the winner . It was fabulous. Service excellent.

We went last night and Massimo, our server was amazing and personable. The staff was very welcoming and our hostess complimented my wife on her green eyes. That was very sweet. A+ service in terms of good cheer, being welcoming and being attentive to our needs. They made a perfect extra dirty martini with Grey Goose vodka for me. I wound up having two! My wife loved her Malbec. The grilled artichoke was the bomb with an excellent sauce paired with it. The mushroom risotto was great, the steak was cooked to perfection, and was a thick cut. Great ambiance, service, and just a stellar meal. I highly recommend a visit.

My husband and I went to dinner to the Whitestone Restaurant on Friday and had a wonderful time. The restaurant looks very elegant and everyone who works there is friendly. The food was delicious... I had the braised rib which was so tender and soft and my husband ate the spy sausage which was savory. Our server was so attentive to us and made our experience delightful. We will be back for sure!

I was treated to such a beautiful birthday celebration at Whitestone in their party dining room. Massimo was there to take care of us he was so gracious, and so kind, very attentive, always pouring our wine, asking us if everything was OK and even taking photos for us he was a real gem for the evening.. I love coming to this restaurant number one they have the very best sourdough bread, bar non It comes with a fresh soft honey butter that spreads beautifully . I love the food. I had the salmon everyone enjoyed their meal. They have a beautiful outdoor patio with a roaring fire very romantic. This is a restaurant that can be enjoyed by couples in their gorgeous booths or by families. Obviously, it's a wonderful girls night out. They've got great cocktails and one of my favorite Chardonnay." flowers" Come for the food and come for the amazing service .

Love this place. I ordered from DoorDash and received their food and it was amazing. And if you get good food from DoorDash it has to be good in person. We finally came in and we are now regulars. The service is impeccable the food is top notch. This place is a gem!

Beautiful restaurant but beware of no parking! We came here for an engagement dinner so I didn't get to peruse the menu like normal but everything that we had was pretty good. The Caesar salad was so yummy but it was very small lol. My boyfriend had the burger and he said it was good but not life changing. I'd recommend if you want a nice classy intimate spot to go to when you're in the area. But if you're not local I wouldn't make the trip.

First time at WhiteStone on Wed., 09/04/25 for Happy Hour. Greeted by an adorable Hostess - Maddy Miller - she was professional, courteous and engaging. She seated us and informed us of the Happy Hour items. Great time. Will visit again soon. Amy B.

What great local find. Quaint but refined at the same time. We live in Newport Beach but make our way down here for the food and generally great atmosphere. Management and overall service are on point, ready to please. Aren't many places like this still around. Enjoy!

Really love this place. We were down for a little weekend getaway in Dana point and trying to find a restaurant that would accommodate our group of 15 for a birthday gathering. I reached out to several restaurants in the area, but Nader, the owner of this restaurant was the most responsive and helpful. He was very flexible with our dining request. He set us up in a nice area in the restaurant with a beautiful table set up. The food was great as well as the service. Personally, I had the Caesar salad and the sea bass. Both were amazing. Thank you, Whitestone for a truly memorable and enjoyable experience. Thanks for making the night so special for my daughter. Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.

It still remains one of my favorite places to go. We either sit at the bar and chat with others or sit at a table when we feel like just being by ourselves. The food remains top notch. The service is exceptional under Maximo's management. This restaurant has many regulars and local support because of its great food and excellent service!

Whitestone has easily become my favorite restaurant in Dana Point. The food is delicious, the ambiance is impeccable, and the service is top notch. The general manager, Massimo, quickly learned my name and my drink order and welcomes me warmly every time I come. He told me as long as I bring my puppy, he'll give me the happy hour menu when I sit on the patio, even though it's technically only at the bar. I bring all my friends and family here when they visit town because it's consistently such a great experience. Thank you, Massimo!

Our server Masimo was great from his suggestions to the overall service he made our dinner a pleasurable experience.

Hostess, bussers and food were fabulous and all respectful even though they didn't serve on the left who were More concerned about the MALE in our party. Hmmm, odd. Needless to say everything was just smooth UNTIL we declined dessert then the Older Waiter, dark hair, literally TOSSED the check on the table and never came back. Shocking and without reason. Lost our 5 star rating due to rude waiter. Owner should know about this immediately to save their ratings.

I've been coming to this hidden gem since it opened a few years back. Arguably one of the top restaurants and Orange County from the ambience to the bar to the staff and last, but not least the amazing unique menu that changes and regular based based on the season. I was there again last Friday and try some of the new summer drinks like the mango margarita and I combined that with an amazing sauté muscles and a very tasty curry broth enjoyed with my crispy bread. No matter where you live in Orange County, I highly recommend trying this establishment

I always feel welcomed here. So friendly. So inviting. They never judge a book by its cover. Which tends to happen in wealthier cities. Food is excellent. Definitely the best octopus in Dana Point. One of my favorite restaurants in the area. I more of a pescatarian. Which the wide range of seafood is always intriguing to me. Everything from Chilean Sea Bass to crab cakes. which are fantastic. The ambiance is amazing as well as the service. Don't sleep on the Cheesecake either. Its Delicious. Till the next time. Cheers.

I hosted my wedding rehearsal dinner here with almost 50 people in attendance. The service here especially for that amount of people was amazing. All my guests were so happy and I'm so happy I got to meet Nader in the process. I never once needed to call for a waiter because they took such good care of us. The food here was also very delicious. We had a variety of seafood and all my guests complimented the quality and the quantity of the food. My favorite was the red curry mussels and the grilled prawns. Absolutely delightful. If im ever in the Dana Point area, I look forward to stopping by Whitestone again!

Nice place with delicious food and drinks. Drink prices are high except happy hour but delicious. The crab cakes and steak were Fantastic. The staff is very friendly and energetic. Good happy hour place.

Huge fan of Whitestone for date night or happy hour and this time we had my business holiday party here. Service was wonderful, quick and very attentive. The food, per usual, was fabulous and came out hot for everyone. Thank you Nader, and Whitestone crew for taking such great care of us!

Food was very good but service was terrible, stuck us on the patio and forgot about us. Spent $250 on 3 people for dinner, expected better, will not go back

Great food and appetizer. Wine zinfendale wine was excellent, would go back against for sure,

I enjoyed the atmosphere,service was excellent the food was very good. I especially enjoyed the calamari with the marinara sauce. I ordered them fried. Best I've ever eaten. I ordered the grilled red shrimp good but over cooked. I would return for the fried calamari and wine and cocktails. Restaurant parking in the rear is convenient and free.Frank L. Dana Point

Dropped in last minute for a light dinner with my wife. The staff was welcoming and very attentive. We had a couple of cocktails with the curried mussel appetizer. Drinks were delicious and the mussels were very tender, although I was a huge fan of the red curry sauce. We had two entrees both were well prepared, tasted great and served in a very timely manner. We will definitely return here and explore more of their menu.

I celebrated my pre birthday dinner here tonight and they didn't disappoint we had a great time here The food was very delicious and very tasty Service was awesome with our server Massimo I think was his name, friendly staff and very helpful and accommodating Thank you for for my birthday brownie I appreciate it Ambiance was on point the vibe was nice the decor was costal chic clean space Def coming back here again

I hate to have to update my review, but here we go. My friend was looking for a place to celebrate her work bridal shower. There are TONS of places near our office that have happy hour on Tuesdays so we had many options to choose from. We decided on Whitestone because several of us had had great experiences here in the past. We made a reservation for 7 people at 4:30pm. We arrived for our reservation and were walked to a table outside. As we walked through the restaurant, I noted that we were the ONLY people there. After sitting down, we were promptly provided with water and we began to check out the menus. We noticed that we had been provided with the regular menu and asked the hostess for the happy hour menu. She responded, "Happy hour is only at the bar." Now I understand that a lot of places have this rule. And I would totally understand if the place was busy and we were taking up a prime table and only ordering HH food. But this was not the case. We were seriously the only people there, so I think this was a situation where they could have made an exception. We also had 2 small dogs with us, so we were unable to sit inside. We told the hostess we specifically went there for happy hour and that the owner of our company had given us a budget. We asked if she could talk to the manager and she said he would just tell us the same thing. We told her that we would take the dogs back to the office and we would move inside to the bar if that was our only option. She seemed annoyed and said she would try to put together some high tops by the bar. A few minutes later, we saw the owner walking towards our table. Both myself and my friend have had positive experiences with the owner in the past as he usually stops by guests' tables and chats with them. We figured he was coming outside to tell us he would make an exception or at least apologize for the inconvenience. Instead he said, "Are you ready to order drinks?" I began to tell him we were not ready since we originally wanted to order happy hour drinks and plans had changed. He literally did not let me finish my sentence before he cut me off and began to spout out the specials for the day. First of all, that was so rude! Second of all, why are you bothering telling us the specials when you know we just wanted happy hour appetizers? After finishing the specials, he literally just walked away. We were completely dumbfounded. At that point, we made a collective decision to leave because there are so many restaurants that would appreciate our business and not treat us like crap. We called Craft House and they told us they had a table inside ready for us and that we could enjoy happy hour. We had a great experience and were definitely glad we made the decision to not eat/drink at Whitestone!

Although the place has been around since 2019, we had not experienced it until today. My wife and I are fond of trying out Happy Hour at various places, so we decided to go to Whitestone to see how theirs was. In a word: Divine. My wife had the Spanish meatball, while I had the Wild Boar Sausage. We split a loaf of their sourdough bread, as suggested by our server Austin. She had a glass of cabernet, and I a gin martini. Both dishes were superb, in no small part because of the sauces. Austin had suggested the sourdough to dip in them, and his recommendation was on the mark. I have to mention the butter with black salt that was served with the bread; incomperable flavor. We are excited to return and try out their regular menu. Their quality is high, so I expected the cost to be commensurate. But well worth it. Austin's service was wonderful. Knowledgeable and engaging, but low key. We would recommend Whitestone to anyone who enjoys great food, good service, and a nice atmosphere.

We went there for Happy Hour and it was amazing. The bartender, Austin, suggested the perfect accompaniment to our food selections and we practically licked our plates clean. I highly recommend their Spanish meatball and sourdough loaf. It has wrecked all other meatballs for me. Go experience it! You won't regret it.

Over-priced restaurant that can't even make a well done $22 cheeseburger. Ignorant low-class staff who haven't been taught to acknowledge and greet customers when they enter the restaurant.

The servers are very attentive and great. I enjoyed the dining space. It was comfortable and open. I ordered the grilled artichoke and the mushroom ravioli. The artichoke was super tasty along with the aioli. I highly recommend it if you enjoy artichokes. The mushroom ravioli was also a great choice. It has a good balance of umami from the mushrooms and not an overwhelming amount of cheese. Good sauce/ pasta ratio. I had a taste of the fillet mignon as well and it is seasoned to perfection. Great choice as well. I think the only thing that needs a bit of work is the crème brûlée. I would say order another dessert (the flourless chocolate cake looked delicious) on the menu because this one is a bit too sweet for my liking which does not allow the vanilla to shine through and the crème brûlée ended up being a bit curdled to have more of a flan-like texture instead of custard. Definitely would come back! :)

Me and my girlfriend had date night at Whitestone on Sunday 1/5. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and the ambiance was amazing. We ordered the grilled prawns and the salmon carpaccio as appetizers. Both were absolutely delicious specifically the lobster sauce with the prawns. I ordered the 22oz bone in prime ribeye and my girlfriend got her favorite Chilean Sea Bass. We devoured both. Massimo our server and Rodrigo the server assistant were attentive and charming. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone considering a fun night out!

Delicious food, great service, nice ambiance. Parking right there. Starting w the delicious bread & butter it just gets better from there. It's got it all!!!!!

This is easily one of my new favorite spots in Orange County. I was blown away by the quality of the food, especially the Seabass and Short Rib. The cocktails are craft and they offer an extensive wine list as well. I loved the cozy yet upscale elegant vibe of the interior. I will definitely be back to try happy hour and sit outside on the patio!

We've been to Whitestone once before for drinks, and it was pleasant, but not memorable. Tonight was different, as the food and service at Whitestone was first-class. Wine + calamari + sea bass special + butter cake dessert... truly awesome. The restaurant was not cranking on this Friday evening, which is a damn shame because it might be our favorite meal in South Orange County. They may be a little off the hot section of the Lantern Bay District, but it's worth the visit. 5+ stars.

There are many good things about this restaurant, but sadly our experience was ruined by one of the waiters. Food wise, it was excellent. Wonderful atmosphere and setting. Great wine list, and all the food was perfectly flavored and seasoned. I had their Dover sole special and never would have thought that white fish with fresh grapes would be as good as it was. It was a generous amount of food and so my boyfriend and I could not finish it all. We got to go boxes and then a waiter came by (not our main one) and said, "oh do you want dessert? Wait never mind you don't deserve it because you didn't finish your food!" To be honest we wanted dessert, but the commentary was so off putting that we just wanted to leave right away. We did not appreciate being shamed that way and sadly as good as the food was, it's not worth coming back to hostile waiters.

Excellent service & food outstanding...great atmosphere! Would highly recommend this amazing restaurant. Staff are amazing!!!

Five stars! Everything was so so good. An absolute must come back again!! My kids loved it, great spot for a nice dinner.

I came here with a large party and the staff did a phenomenal job. We all ordered a ton of drinks and they were on TOP of it. I enjoyed the food and left stuffed. My favorites were the octopus and the fish, both of which was cooked just right (I hate overcooked seafood). Everybody seemed to have finished their entree so I guess everyone else loved it too. Also, the drinks were phenomenal. You have to get the passion whiskey drink. Definitely a really cute date place.

Christmas Eve dinner. We had a private room reserved, but was changed to a standard table without notice. Food was SLOW, and the bar was overwhelmed. Drinks took 20 minutes to order, another 20 to come out. Appetizers took 30 minutes on top of that. My wife's plate of appetizers that she just served herself got cleared when her back was turned taking care of our youngest. Replacement was offered but never came. Once our mains arrived nearly two hours after being seated the sea bass was fishy and inedible and other dishes were cold. We ended up skipping dessert since we didn't want to wait any more. No blame on our server who had 10 tops to cover and was clearly overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking. The bussers were on point and our water was always kept full. Management clearly overbooked, understaffed, and has lowered their standards on food quality. We will never be back.

Dana point's restaurants are seldom on my list when it comes to fine dining because the city does not have the vibe and the lively-hood of its neighbor cities such as Laguna Beach and Newport. Having said that after looking at the pictures and reading some reviews about Whitestone restaurant, I thought we should give it a try and glad we did! The reservation was a breeze utilizing open table. As we were walking toward the entrance of the restaurant, a nice hostess greeted us by my name which was very nice and it was a great greeting right off the start. Our waitress was a sweet lady who mentioned that it is her first week on the job but she was so professional and efficient at what she did that we would have not known if she didn't say so herself. As for the appetizer we ordered the bread and butter (which was delicious and highly recommended), the caesar salad (which was presented beautifully and very uniquely). As for the main entrees, we ordered the the filet (which was cooked to our liking-medium rare- and also we ordered the lamb chops which were to die for. Fortunately or unfortunately I am on a no-caffeine diet and I was craving coffee, so considering that some restaurants don't offer decaf coffee, I asked our kind waitress if they have decaf coffee and to my surprise she mentioned that they do and it was a great coffee with a pretty presentation. We had a great dining experience when visiting this restaurant. I noticed that the manager of the restaurant was greeting the guests at their tables and it seemed like the restaurant has many local guests which is a great thing for a restaurant. I will for sure go back to this restaurant in the near future to try some of their other dishes!

Amazing food and excellent customer service! The ambiance is elegant and classy. I love this place!

Great flavorful food and delicious drinks! Try the 'Smassion Fruit' if you like a little spice in your drink. Massimo is very attentive and makes you feel special.

One of our favorite places! Great happy hour offerings, smallish but terrific menu. Appetizers: mussels in a coconut curry sauce, a pair of fish tacos, wild boar sausage, a charcuterie plate, house fries, octopus with lentils, and house bread served with butter and coarse salt are all winners. Mains: one of the best filets mignon around, great sea bass, usually offered as a special, and terrific fish and chips. Some real gems on the wine list. Service very attentive. We've loved everything we've tried on their menu.