The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove

  4.6 – 3,974 reviews   • Seafood restaurant

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Your next event will be unforgettable, with our unique setting and fantastic menus and support team. The Beachcomber Café is the designated food and beverage concessionaire for the Crystal Cove Historic District of Crystal. This also includes the event venues that are located in the Historic District, which host a multitude of ocean view events each year from weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and many more. The Beachcomber Catering team is dedicated to making your event a remarkable success while focusing on excellent service, offering fresh local products, and the ability for customization of your event – all with an ocean backdrop.

A converted cottage houses this beachside eatery serving California favorites & a popular breakfast.

✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove 92657

Hours

Friday7 AM–9:30 PM
Saturday7 AM–9:30 PM
Sunday7 AM–9:30 PM
Monday7 AM–9:30 PM
Tuesday7 AM–9:30 PM
Wednesday7 AM–9:30 PM
Thursday7 AM–9:30 PM

Address and Contact Information

Address: 15 Crystal Cove, Newport Coast, CA 92657

Phone: (949) 376-6900

Website: https://thebeachcombercafe.com/

Menu Photos

Order and Reservations

Reservations: thebeachcombercafe.comopentable.com

thebeachcombercafe.com

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Related Web Results

The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove: Welcome

15 Crystal Cove Newport Coast, CA 92657 949-376-6900 [email protected] HOURS: 7:00AM – 9:30PM DAILY BEACHCOMBER CATERING 949-644-8759 CATERING@ …

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The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove

We’re located in beautiful Crystal Cove on the Newport Coast of California, between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. We’re right on the beach and open for …

Reviews

Dannette Anderson
I recently dined at The Beachcomber in Newport Beach, though I must preface that I was adhering to a no-carb, no-sugar, and no-alcohol regimen. Thus, my selections were limited. The location itself is undeniably scenic, with oceanfront seating and a charming walk from the parking area. However, only residents or club members can park closer, requiring visitors to walk or shuttle—though I personally appreciated the stroll.
I ordered the steak appetizer, a chicken salad, and clam chowder. The steak appetizer, though slightly overcooked for my preference, had commendable flavor. The chicken salad offered fresh greens, but the chicken itself was fried to dryness, though the dressing was delightful. The clam chowder was underwhelming; it seemed to rely on pre-packaged quality, with few tiny miniature pieces of clams and mostly potatoes.
While the meal wasn’t exorbitantly priced, it didn’t entice me to return from Long Beach. Yet, the neighboring table’s sautéed shrimp, paired with bread, came highly praised—and if I’m ever nearby, I might stop in solely to try that dish. Ultimately, it’s a pleasant locale, but the cuisine, while adequate, lacked distinction. Ps. I really enjoyed a revitalizing walk after my meal on the beach.
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Katy Chen
I brought my best friend here for her birthday breakfast and it was absolutely wonderful. The beignets were the best and we couldn’t have asked for a better table with a close and clear view of the Pacific Ocean. Our server, Steven, was very friendly, kind and attentive. We had an amazing experience and it felt like we were on vacation for the two hours we were on the property.
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Christopher T
Went here with friends and it was early in the morning and after the rain. Right on the beach so great view and location. You have to park the other side of the street and there is a mini bus taking you over to the lodge/motel but you have to walk down to it, then pass the lodges, into the sand/water in order to get to the restaurant. The place is small but with great vibe and definitely great view of the ocean. Service is excellent and very friendly. We ordered bunch of foods. They all tasty but nothing special. Prices wise, expensive but you have to remember that you’re paying for the location so. Worth it? Sure once in awhile for sure. It is a great place to hangout, chill with friends or family and walk along the beach afterward or prior. Overall, very cool place with good foods and great services plus fantastic view.
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Jay Mousavi
We arrived for lunch and found the place quite crowded. We managed to get seated in the patio, which offered a beautiful ocean view. Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable, and the food was exceptional. The chicken sandwich I ordered was particularly delicious, and the mini tacos were equally tasty. To end our meal on a sweet note, we indulged in the beignets, which were simply divine.

Overall, it was a delightful surprise, with a friendly and welcoming staff that made our dining experience truly enjoyable.
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Meshell Alcantar
Excellent food! Wonderful ambiance, fresh seafood! Our young daughters thoroughly enjoyed their lunches and the mini-smores dessert was a hit! Pineapple cake and benignets were amazing too!!
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Maria Yu
Perfect place for lunch on the beach at Crystal Cove. Food is simple but good quality and well executed, very friendly service. Recommend the grilled mahi fish tacos (large fish portions!) and the turkey club sandwich (not a typical stacked club, but on a roll. The turkey was excellent thick cut).
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Barnett Fischer
Huell Howser would be proud!

The Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove is one of those places where the experience is as much about the process as it is about the food. This is not a restaurant you casually pull into. It takes planning, patience, and a willingness to lean into the day.

First, a key thing to know up front: the Beachcomber does not take reservations. Upon arrival, check in with the host stand, leave a form of collateral, such as a credit card or ID, and receive a customer pager. When your table is ready, the pager lets you know. On our visit, I handed over an In-N-Out Burger card, which worked just fine.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon. With only two people in our party, we were initially quoted a wait of about 1.5 hours. As more people joined us, the quoted wait increased. By the time we finalized our party, the wait was roughly an hour and forty-five minutes.

Before you even get to the waiting part, though, you need to understand parking.

The Beachcomber is located inside Crystal Cove State Park, and you cannot drive directly to the restaurant. Parking is on the north side of Highway 1 in the state park lot. There is plenty of parking, but it is all paid. Rates are a few dollars per hour or about $15 for the entire day. It is safest to just pay the full day rate and not worry about the clock.

From the parking lot, you can either take the shuttle when it is running or walk down. We chose to walk. The trail is entirely downhill, making it very manageable, even for older visitors.

About 100 feet down the trail, you will see public restrooms. At that point, take a left and continue downhill. It can feel like you are walking farther than expected, but keep going. Eventually, you will reach a fork in the path. The right side appears to head back uphill. Do not take that. Stay to the left.

Continuing on that path brings you to the pedestrian tunnel that passes underneath Highway 1. The tunnel is hand-decorated with murals that add a bit of character to the walk. On the other side, you emerge into old Crystal Cove.

This area includes historic beach cottages, an estuary, a visitor center, and two gift shops run by the same group. Both shops are worth a stop if you are browsing for souvenirs, hats, or beachwear. It is a pleasant area to explore while waiting for your table.

Continue down the main street and you will begin passing the Beachcomber’s outdoor seating area. The restaurant occupies the entire corner at the end of the road.

When the street curves, turn right and you will immediately see the main entrance and host stand.

Once seated, things move quickly. Despite how busy the restaurant was, our food arrived in about ten minutes. Service was efficient and well organized.

The food itself was excellent. I ordered the fish and chips, which were fresh, hot, and very well prepared. The batter was crisp, the fish was properly cooked, and everything tasted freshly made. Even the iced tea stood out as being good, which is not always a given. The quality of the food justified both the wait and the effort it took to get there.

When it is time to leave, you exit the same way you came in. However, you do not have to walk all the way back up the hill. On the way down earlier, you may have passed the trolley stop without realizing it. That same stop is used by the Crystal Cove shuttle and is also where the Marriott hotel trolley drops off guests.

From there, you can take the trolley back up to the parking lot on the north side of Highway 1. The cost is $2 per person, per trip. A round-trip ticket would be $4 per person, but if you walk down and take the trolley back up, it is only $2 per person. Walking down was easy, and taking the trolley back up was a nice way to end the visit without the uphill climb.

In the end, the Beachcomber Cafe is worth visiting, but only if you arrive with the right expectations. There are no reservations, the wait can be long, and parking and access require extra effort.
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Alexa Kent
This wasn’t my choice of restaurant as I’m not a seafood girl and am allergic to shrimp as well as a ton of other allergies but I enjoyed my food. The service was also very personable. You can sit in the restaurant or on the beach and we chose to sit at the beach and it was not a wait for food nor do we have any issues due to sitting a bit from the actual restaurant. They were on top of everything and quick. The drinks were also hefty portions and very tasty. Would 10/10 go back just to drink. The view wasn’t bad either! If I’m ever in the area again we may just have to take a trip back! I will say it’s a walk to get to though, but so is the beach area in general.
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Alli Yu
You are paying for location, location here. You can’t beat the views from here and you eat basically on the beach. You can’t get closer unless you pack your own food. There is always a wait for walk up so I would suggest you make a reservation. Even with a reservation, you may wait a little.

We tried the ahi poki tacos from apps, ribs dinner plate, mushroom & truffle mac & cheese, fries and lemon mouse.

The Ahi poki were good but the crust tasted a little stale to me. I wish they had more of a crunch but good.
Great value for ribs dinner plate. The cream corn was more of corn, not overly creamy and the ribs had a lot of fat on it. They can’t control that but I felt like it was more fat then meat. But good.
Mushroom & Truffle mac & cheese was on the watery side. If you are thinking it’s a thick, rich mac & cheese, it is not that.
Fries were good-could have been a little hotter.
And I thought I was ordering lemon mouse cake but it was more of a mouse cup.

Overall, good dinner and fun to treat yourself once in awhile.
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小艾答案
Everything about this place is great! We’ll be back many times.
Elise, Jesus and Rosa all served us and were funny, knowledgeable, fast and good listeners. Having ocean sounds nearby and delicious food cooked well makes this restaurant tops!
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