Harborside Café Nice for Seafood and Seaside Dining at The Harbor

Summer is a great time to eat in one of the many restaurants at the Dana Point harbor. The view of the marina and the fantastic people watching make it a great location to meet friends and grab a bite.

This week we tried a place that has been in the harbor since 1975, but was new to us, the Harborside Café at 34555 Golden Lantern. This is the patio dining area of and is located downstairs, right next to Coffee Importers.  

The Harborside Café has a great view of the Dana Point harbor, but is partially enclosed, to protect diners from the breeze.  It is a cheerful spot decorated by colorful umbrellas, Hawaiian print table runners, and the nearby boats. It is definitely casual, with plastic chairs and concrete floors. The night we visited, the air was chilly and the heaters were on to keep everyone comfortable.

The wine list offers some nice choices, by the glass, in splits or by the bottle. I chose a glass of Hess Select Chardonnay and Jim was pleased to find Sam Adams on the menu.

The menu is almost completely seafood. Appetizers include: clam chowder, scampi, shrimp cocktail, shrimp and crab cakes, jalapeno shrimp, and coconut shrimp.  There are also nachos, and chips and guacamole thrown in for good measure. We both chose a cup of clam chowder to start.

There are some tasty salad choices, including some entrée salads like a seafood salad, a Cobb salad, and the Mariner salad, which is tuna, avocado and tomato served over mixed greens.

Hot entrées include a wide variety of seafood, such as swordfish, seabass, mahi-mahi macadamia, Ecuadorian tilapia, calamari steak, and fish and chips. There are also a variety of sandwiches and shrimp, and fish tacos. Non-seafood options include Hula chicken, a turkey sandwich, and a veggie sandwich.

Jim selected the cedar plank salmon and I chose the shrimp tacos. Our clam chowder arrived first. It was served in a cup with a little packet of oyster crackers. It was hot and very good, with lots of clams, celery, and potato. While we waited for our entrées, our waitress brought us a basket of warm sourdough rolls, which was very nice.

Our meals were presented attractively. My tacos came overflowing with shrimp, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped tomato and red onion. Inside the taco was a chipotle sour cream sauce, and pico de gallo, that was spicy and added just the right flavor to the tacos. There were fresh chips and a dish of salsa also on the plate. The tacos and chips were quite good. Unfortunately, the salsa tasted like tomato paste and did not add to the meal.

Jim’s salmon came with two large spears of asparagus and a orchid blossom on top. The fish was flavorful, and well prepared, as was the asparagus. The potatoes were disappointing and were kind of watery.

Overall, the Harborside Café has a good location and great view. It is a nice choice for families, offering crayons for the kids and a casual setting. The menu is mainly seafood and there are some tasty options, but not all of it was perfectly executed the night we visited.

Harborside Café opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and opens at 10 a.m. on Sunday for brunch.

I give Harborside Café 3 1/2 Patches out of 5.