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Every Day Fine Dining with a Side of Vinyl “No one else in Orange County is making food like this” Brad Johnson, winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Restaurant Criticism An ever changing menu of California ingredients prepared with techniques from all over the world, darkroom combines the simplicity and seasonality of Spanish food with the stark plating used by the world’s leading Nordic restaurants. As we always say, not Fine dining – Fun dining. Welcome to the show!
Hours
| Friday | 5–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5–10 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–10 PM |
| Thursday | 5–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 3751 S Harbor Blvd suite c, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Phone: (657) 777-3275
Website: https://www.wearedarkroom.com/
Menu Photos
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Darkroom
Slide 3 of 4. A restaurant and wine bar from the minds of Zach Scherer … Santa Ana, CA 92704. Contact us. Tel: 657-777-3275 [email protected].
DARKROOM OC (@we.are.darkroom) · Santa Ana, CA – Instagram
9960 Followers, 20 Following, 238 Posts – DARKROOM OC (@we.are.darkroom) on Instagram: “everyday fine dining with a side of vinyl constant cool events …
Darkroom – Santa Ana, CA | Tock
Everyday fine dining with a side of vinyl. A wine bar from the minds of Zach Scherer & Drew Adams. Check out our menu here.
Reviews
Udonner
The restaurant might be dark, but the staff are bright & helpful and the food enlightening. Grated manchego sprinkled like snow on top of the Wagyu tartare adds that nice hint of saltiness. Beef fat in the hollandaise sauce…irresistible! Just wished there was a bigger scallop to soak up all that delicious sauce. The prawn schnitzel was crunchy and not oily or heavy. The maitake mushrooms w/the buckwheat had great textures & flavor but slightly too salty. Finally, you must save room for the donuts. I usually don’t crave mascarpone but adding rhubarb to balance the sweetness is genius. I wish the room was darker so I could like the bowl clean!
… moreBrenda Oelschlegal
I went to eat at the darkroom for my birthday. The food was delicious. My favorite things were the burger, the carrots, and the Scallop tostada oh, and I can’t forget the Nashville hot honey swordfish. The service there was fantastic. The waiters were so kind and caring got to meet Zach and Drew the owners.They were both very kind caring people.
… moreVanesa Delfino
I love the vibe of the restaurant. They made a special birthday significant with their handwritten card and accommodations of the menu. I enjoyed every single dish. My favorite was the squash and the tuna tartar. The drink that wins is #68. I highly recommend this restaurant and to be honest it’s hard to find this kind of treatment and level of excellence in Orange County. I always have to drive to LA but this restaurant has character and is worth trying.
… moreRichard Woo
Great food, vibe and service. Definitely coming back.
Favorites:
– mushrooms
– Caesar salad
– potatoes
Tasty but not my favs:
– crudo
– hot swordfish
… moreFavorites:
– mushrooms
– Caesar salad
– potatoes
Tasty but not my favs:
– crudo
– hot swordfish
Rebecca Paris
Darkroom was FANTASTIC. My husband and I – world travellers who’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great food and wine in our day – LOVED it.
We’d 100% recommend it, even to the most discerning diners. It totally exceeded our expectations and we’re super keen to return.
However, we know it’ll be hard to get a reservation once it gets its (well deserved) Michelin designation!
We celebrated our anniversary here. We’re new to Orange County and wanted to find a local place with great food and wine, but without a stuffy atmosphere or a crazy price tag. And Darkroom certainly delivered!
For context, we’re unabashed winos. We’ve visited vineyards in the US, Italy, France, Australia, NZ, and South Africa. I can safely say that the wine selection was EXCEPTIONAL, with a wide range of high quality domestic and foreign producers. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable about all the wines, capably answering our questions, and steering us towards the best pairings for our food.
We’re pretty serious about food too. We’ve been to dozens of Michelin star restaurants and this was on par with, if not better than, many of them! In short, the food was innovative AND tasted great. Oftentimes, chefs try really hard to be innovative, but it just ends up tasting weird (e.g. plankton ravioli from Blanca), which was not the case here.
Our favourites were the Crispy Baby Artichokes and the Tuna Crudo. Sadly, these don’t seem to be getting the attention they deserve in the reviews, but HIGHLY recommend both of them!
… moreWe’d 100% recommend it, even to the most discerning diners. It totally exceeded our expectations and we’re super keen to return.
However, we know it’ll be hard to get a reservation once it gets its (well deserved) Michelin designation!
We celebrated our anniversary here. We’re new to Orange County and wanted to find a local place with great food and wine, but without a stuffy atmosphere or a crazy price tag. And Darkroom certainly delivered!
For context, we’re unabashed winos. We’ve visited vineyards in the US, Italy, France, Australia, NZ, and South Africa. I can safely say that the wine selection was EXCEPTIONAL, with a wide range of high quality domestic and foreign producers. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable about all the wines, capably answering our questions, and steering us towards the best pairings for our food.
We’re pretty serious about food too. We’ve been to dozens of Michelin star restaurants and this was on par with, if not better than, many of them! In short, the food was innovative AND tasted great. Oftentimes, chefs try really hard to be innovative, but it just ends up tasting weird (e.g. plankton ravioli from Blanca), which was not the case here.
Our favourites were the Crispy Baby Artichokes and the Tuna Crudo. Sadly, these don’t seem to be getting the attention they deserve in the reviews, but HIGHLY recommend both of them!
Brett Danaher
This is my favorite place to eat in Orange County. I’ve lived in cities my entire life and moved to Orange County a few years back. OC is beautiful, but what I miss is the edgy culture and creativity of the city. This place is a city-dweller’s dream but down here in OC. Dark lighting, a unique vinyl playlist every night, edgy servers who will vibe with you and help you figure out some choices while also recommending 3 bands to check out on Spotify and one cocktail bar you need to go to. The food is super differentiated – an artist experimenting. Some dishes you will love, some you may only like. That’s kind of the point – order a bunch of small plates and experiment – plus the menu keeps changing. I don’t come here to get the same steak once a month, I come here to try 9 small plates I’ve never seen made anywhere else and discover that I can’t stop talking about 3 of them. My wife and I love everything about this place.
… moreKHAIE
Wow! What an incredible dining experience! This was my second time here, and I have to say, it’s always an absolute delight. Last night was no exception!
We kicked things off with the *Raw Scallop Tostada- bright, light, and refreshingly delicious. The Meyer lemon was the perfect touch, elevating the dish to a whole new level. *The Little Gem Caesar remains a favorite, with the perfect balance of crisp lettuce, fragrant herbs, crunchy croutons, and a dressing that ties everything together beautifully.
Then came the showstopper: the *Maitake Mushroom. Smoky, dense, and finished with a perfectly balanced sauce, it was out-of-this-world delicious!
For the main course, I went with the *Swordfish with cucumber shiro slaw. Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not usually a fan of swordfish or pickles. But wow, this dish completely changed my mind! The flavors melded together so harmoniously that I was truly impressed. My boyfriend ordered the *hanger steak and declared it the best steak he’s ever had. It was fantastic, flavorful, and served with a creamy spinach side that made the dish even more indulgent. He loved it so much that he had to order bread just to soak up every last drop of sauce. Nothing goes to waste here!
For dessert, we went with the *Tangerine Semifreddo with citrus gummies. At first, we thought, “Hmm, interesting…” but after the first bite, mind blown! Their inventive approach to food is just spectacular.
Even without a full liquor license, their exceptional food more than makes up for it. The ambiance is dark and intimate, and the service is top-notch. I’m truly impressed with this gem of a restaurant and will continue to support them. If you haven’t been yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!
… moreWe kicked things off with the *Raw Scallop Tostada- bright, light, and refreshingly delicious. The Meyer lemon was the perfect touch, elevating the dish to a whole new level. *The Little Gem Caesar remains a favorite, with the perfect balance of crisp lettuce, fragrant herbs, crunchy croutons, and a dressing that ties everything together beautifully.
Then came the showstopper: the *Maitake Mushroom. Smoky, dense, and finished with a perfectly balanced sauce, it was out-of-this-world delicious!
For the main course, I went with the *Swordfish with cucumber shiro slaw. Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not usually a fan of swordfish or pickles. But wow, this dish completely changed my mind! The flavors melded together so harmoniously that I was truly impressed. My boyfriend ordered the *hanger steak and declared it the best steak he’s ever had. It was fantastic, flavorful, and served with a creamy spinach side that made the dish even more indulgent. He loved it so much that he had to order bread just to soak up every last drop of sauce. Nothing goes to waste here!
For dessert, we went with the *Tangerine Semifreddo with citrus gummies. At first, we thought, “Hmm, interesting…” but after the first bite, mind blown! Their inventive approach to food is just spectacular.
Even without a full liquor license, their exceptional food more than makes up for it. The ambiance is dark and intimate, and the service is top-notch. I’m truly impressed with this gem of a restaurant and will continue to support them. If you haven’t been yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!
Davis Nardi
Best restaurant in Orange County? DARKROOM just opened and they’re already putting the pressure on the rest of Orange County’s fine dining establishments. It’s so refreshing to be able to enjoy the highest quality food in a chill, casual atmosphere with no pretense or pomp. The music selection comes from a dual vinyl setup and the tracks have been hand curated by Zach and Drew, the masterminds behind DARKROOM. It all comes together as my favorite restaurant in the area, made by two of my favorite people.
… moreroostahktchn M
Here are what we (7 of us) take away:
Food:
1. The Comte sticks: good
2. Zucchini bread: very good. The bread is like a cake, light and fluffy with some specks of grated zucchini, not dense.
3. Little gem Caesar: ok. Not a conventional Caesar cuz it got dills, parsley, and mints, lot of them. I like dills but not for this “Caesar-style” cuz it overpowered the taste of dressing… and all nori crunchies and pistachios got really lost.
4. Smoked and seared Albacore: so so. The beautiful fish slices got lost in the puddles of olive oil emulsion, the same as haricot verts. I would spread the emulsion on the plate, layer Haricots then fish slices on top. Drizzle with some emulsion so you can highlight the beautiful seared fish slices and the contrasts of colors. Also, I would rather grate the Myers lemon zest on top and or surrounding than lemon chunks. I had to separate not to eat them…lemon flavor is great but not adding the bitterness to my palate.
5. Wanderer NY steak: the most disappointing dish, got 3 dishes. The steak was cooked perfectly and high quality but was overpowered by super salty and saucy soy sauce reduction. All the fancy ingredients like Macha salsa, miso spinach, etc… got really lost. They didn’t come together…
6. Kungpao donuts: strange. The sauce and flavor perhaps is perfect with shrimp or chicken, definitely not for donuts desert. 7 of us had a hard time to process it. I wouldn’t call Kungpao and imitate a Kungpao-style, rather prefer an orange flavored syrup with sea salt sprinkles.
7. Semifreddo: good.
8. Risotto: very good.
I appreciate the creativities but if they dont harmonize together then they defeat the purposes. Also, the star ingredient has to shine, anything else is complimentary for taste, texture, contrast, creativity. We tried but definitely will not a repeat.
Service:
The service was great from server to bartender and chef. However, our server missed one order. It was no big deal but we had enough food to rescue me…
… moreFood:
1. The Comte sticks: good
2. Zucchini bread: very good. The bread is like a cake, light and fluffy with some specks of grated zucchini, not dense.
3. Little gem Caesar: ok. Not a conventional Caesar cuz it got dills, parsley, and mints, lot of them. I like dills but not for this “Caesar-style” cuz it overpowered the taste of dressing… and all nori crunchies and pistachios got really lost.
4. Smoked and seared Albacore: so so. The beautiful fish slices got lost in the puddles of olive oil emulsion, the same as haricot verts. I would spread the emulsion on the plate, layer Haricots then fish slices on top. Drizzle with some emulsion so you can highlight the beautiful seared fish slices and the contrasts of colors. Also, I would rather grate the Myers lemon zest on top and or surrounding than lemon chunks. I had to separate not to eat them…lemon flavor is great but not adding the bitterness to my palate.
5. Wanderer NY steak: the most disappointing dish, got 3 dishes. The steak was cooked perfectly and high quality but was overpowered by super salty and saucy soy sauce reduction. All the fancy ingredients like Macha salsa, miso spinach, etc… got really lost. They didn’t come together…
6. Kungpao donuts: strange. The sauce and flavor perhaps is perfect with shrimp or chicken, definitely not for donuts desert. 7 of us had a hard time to process it. I wouldn’t call Kungpao and imitate a Kungpao-style, rather prefer an orange flavored syrup with sea salt sprinkles.
7. Semifreddo: good.
8. Risotto: very good.
I appreciate the creativities but if they dont harmonize together then they defeat the purposes. Also, the star ingredient has to shine, anything else is complimentary for taste, texture, contrast, creativity. We tried but definitely will not a repeat.
Service:
The service was great from server to bartender and chef. However, our server missed one order. It was no big deal but we had enough food to rescue me…
Alain Chau
Gerald was so kind. He made our anniversary dinner extra special! We ordered the burger, prawn schnitzel, roasted scallops, fennel salad, kanpachi crudo and ended the night with an order of the donuts! Every detail was well thought out and the flavors worked so well together! Looking forward to our next visit! Thanks again!
… more