I went to Blue Coral a few days ago, a thursday before going out with my friend for drinks elsewhere. we came and saw the amazing vodka bar, and sat down at the lounge for a quick pre-party... More

I went to Blue Coral a few days ago, a thursday before going out with my friend for drinks elsewhere. we came and saw the amazing vodka bar, and sat down at the lounge for a quick pre-party cocktail. Unfortunately, the server thought that we didnt deserve the cocktail because it took them at least 10 minutes to get to our table. Finally a really pretty girl came to the table and apologized and it was okay; they seemed a little busy (I think) and I excused her. it was pretty close to opening also, so I figured they are still setting up. After we got our drinks, which were EXPENSIVE I decided that my friend and I should grab some food. Im a total food lover and so I wanted to try some good fish and the menu looked like it could satisfy my appetite. So I went to the host and they were nice about seating us, and took us back to a good booth. Our menu was torn in like five places, I couldnt believe it. So then again, another little while and someone left us some biscuits which were good. We didnt want to pay for more drinks and wine was suuuuper expensive compared to Blue water grill and other restaurants around the area so we held off. Our server was good, really nice and pleasant, not really attentive but sweet. But what the heck is up with the manager? Aside from being completely awkward at our table, dressed really casual for such an expensive restaurant, I think that I herd them mutter something about me and my friend when we were leaving. I was shocked. Needless to say I wont be going back as long as rude managers are working there... and so long as I dont have to pay an arm and a leg for service that I could really get at Denny's. Oh wait, last time I went to Denny's the service was awesome. Looks like Blue coral management needs to take a lesson. Overall? good food, so so service....big improvements needed. Pros: Good food, sea bass was super tasty Cons: weird vibe... and country music.
Less

My husband and i happened to walk into blue coral the other night with no reservation and we had no idea what to expect. From the moment we walked in everyone was so nice and the restaurant was... More

My husband and i happened to walk into blue coral the other night with no reservation and we had no idea what to expect. From the moment we walked in everyone was so nice and the restaurant was beautiful! we were seated right away. When we sat down and looked at the menu we were slightly overwhelmed at first..there were so many choices of wine and cocktails.. not to mention a ton of vodkas.. we didnt know where to begin. Our waitresses name was Danielle, and she was great!! She started talking to us and got a feel for what we normally drink... we decided to each take her recommendations for cocktails. I had some blueberry vodka mojito and it was best drink ive ever had. My husband wanted to try a new vodka.. Danielle brought him one from iceland that we have never heard of and he loved it! We had the goat cheese appetizer to start, For dinner I tried the spicy lobster fuego dish and my husband the swordfish oscar style. Our waitress picked a nice sauvignon blanc for me to have with the fuego and a ferrari carano blend that my husband had with the swordfish. Everything was so amazing we can not wait to go back! It was so nice having this kind of personalized service! Danielle was there guiding us and was able to answer any question we had without being intrusive. She even surprised us by buying us a dessert at the end, a very flavorful creme brulee. What more could we ask for? We can not wait to dine at Blue Coral again soon and will be telling all our friends. Pros: service, ambience, food, seated right away w/o reservation, Cons: so many choices! you need a waitress like ours who knows everything!
Less

Flashback to last Summer. Let's say it politely. "I had a bad experience". Service, Cuisine; hospitality? Were all lacking. I vowed never to return to put it bluntly. However, return I did not... More

Flashback to last Summer. Let's say it politely. "I had a bad experience". Service, Cuisine; hospitality? Were all lacking. I vowed never to return to put it bluntly. However, return I did not without hesitation. My Boss insisted that we all go out to dinner at his favorite restaurant Blue Coral. I wanted to laugh,but hey it's the boss. So away I went. The cuisine was remarkable. Fresh, flavorful, and the chef was very accomadating for some modifications we needed. Amazingly enough the menu was easily adjusted to meet my training needs for an upcoming triathalon. The Service? Now I dine out a lot, and knowing my reservations because of my last experience? I was very critical,but I have to a give it to the folks at Blue Coral. They have reinvented themselves. The host and hostess were polite and sincere when they greeted us, our server was attentive but not hovering, and the other staff were very supportive in keeping our table clean and beverages refreshed without ever asking. I think our Server's name was Sean. So ask for him for sure he's great. The manager even stopped by our table periodically to provide wine service and he made several recommendations for our wine choices. The St Valery Grand CRU and the Martin Codax Albarino were spectacular. The only reason though we even remember is because the manager or sommelier wrote them down for us as well for future use. Bottom line...I was blown away by our experience. I spoke with the host on the way out and asked how this place has turned around so much, and he said it was due to his new management team. Apparently, they have an entire new team of professionals in there putting it together right. Attentive, hospitable, fun, and great food. So great job Blue Coral! You've won back a loyal patron for life. Pros: Service, Service, Service Cons: Busy on weekends-make a reservation
Less

My wife and I are seafood lovers and Blue Coral has some of the freshest most interesting dishes I?ve found. Not to mention delicious. We went in without a reservation on a Saturday night (great... More

My wife and I are seafood lovers and Blue Coral has some of the freshest most interesting dishes I?ve found. Not to mention delicious. We went in without a reservation on a Saturday night (great idea). Unfortunately we had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, but the wait was delightful?seriously. The patio is fantastic. A fire-pit, beautiful couches. We meet some great people sitting around the fire and wound up having dinner with them on the patio. We will be going back soon. The outdoor dining experience is hard to beat. Pros: Patio Cons: The coffee wasn't great!
Less

I used to go to Roys for seafood, but now im a Blue Coral fan. The neat lighting, cool atmosphere, and the prompt service is hard to pass up.

I used to go to Roys for seafood, but now im a Blue Coral fan. The neat lighting, cool atmosphere, and the prompt service is hard to pass up.
Less

?Blue Coral? is relatively new to the scene, so of course some ?growing pains? are to be expected. That said? if Blue Coral expects to compete with the likes of Gulfstream , they have their work... More

?Blue Coral? is relatively new to the scene, so of course some ?growing pains? are to be expected. That said? if Blue Coral expects to compete with the likes of Gulfstream , they have their work cut out for them. Decor: I sat on the patio, which was nice enough in sort of a corporate way. However, once the sun set, Fashion Island (the mall) turned on the parking lot lights, and because the patio doesn?t have any tall trees or full shading devises, the entire patio was lit up like a Friday night high school football game. Food: The manager ended up sending us a free order of their self-proclaimed ?best crab cakes in the world?. The crab cakes did not, unfortunately, live up to the claim. We ended up not even being able to eat them because it tasted like the crab had gone off. Drinks: I had a vodka tonic that was more tonic than anything. My friend had one of their signature cocktails which was so weak that we actually had to double check to see if it was supposed to be virgin (it wasn?t). Service: Despite the restaurant operating at 50% capacity, we waited over 15 minutes for our first round of drinks?and even then, we only got them because the manager took care of it personally. Our waitress was rude, insolent, and unapologetic about the delay. When my friend warned a couple that came to sit near us that the service on the patio was slow, the waitress actually yelled at her. The waitress also yelled at a woman who was sitting near us when she asked where her drink was (apparently she had been waiting 20 minutes for a glass of wine). Like I said above, I?m sensitive to the fact that the Blue Coral is a new restaurant and that it often takes time to get up and running properly, and I?m willing to forgive delay. What I?m not willing to do, however, is pay $11 for a drink, $16 for a shrimp cocktail and have an experience that mirrors a visit to a truck-stop diner on the Jersey turnpike. Pros: comfortable patio furniture, nice bathrooms Cons: horrible/rude service, unattractive parking lot lighting affects patio, weak drinks
Less

I understand that ??????Blue Coral?????? is relatively new to the scene, so of course some ??????growing pains?????? are to be expected as the management works through the kinks of finding the right... More

I understand that ??????Blue Coral?????? is relatively new to the scene, so of course some ??????growing pains?????? are to be expected as the management works through the kinks of finding the right food suppliers and wait staff. That said?????? if Blue Coral expects to compete with the likes of Gulfstream (an already established local favorite, and less than ???? a mile away), they have their work cut out for them. D????cor: I sat on the patio, which was nice enough corporate way. However, once the sun set, Fashion Island (mall) turned on the parking lot lights, and because the patio doesn??????t have any tall trees or full shading devises, the entire patio was lit up like a Friday night football game. The actual seating was pretty comfortable??????lots of big fluffy pillows and modern wicker furniture. They also allow patrons to control the fire levels in the pits, which can be good or bad depending on who sits next to you. I only passed through the indoor restaurant, but it looked pretty nice. The bathrooms were clean, and they provided scope, nicer quality soap and paper towels. I particularly liked the makeup mirror. Food: I ordered the shrimp cocktail which came on ice with four improbably large shrimp, a half a lemon, and cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauce was distractingly spicy. It may be a matter of personal preference, but I prefer my cocktail sauce to be tangy, not heartburn inducing. It almost felt like they were trying to mask poor quality seafood, which was weird because the shrimp, despite its massive size, was pretty tasty. The manager ended up sending us a free order of their self-proclaimed ??????best crab cakes in the world??????. It did not, unfortunately, live up to the claim. We ended up not even being able to eat it because it tasted like it was not fresh. Is there anything worse than rotten seafood? I??????ve been told that some of the other items are pr
Less

We went for a simple drink and appetizers. It took 10 minutes for our first drink to arrive: problems cited by staff included backed-up bar and some servers just didn't show up tonight. This was a... More

We went for a simple drink and appetizers. It took 10 minutes for our first drink to arrive: problems cited by staff included backed-up bar and some servers just didn't show up tonight. This was a Friday night, let me add, in the middle of summer. The restaurant was 60% full AT BEST. When our drink finally arrived, it was brought by a waitress with a lot of attitude. Rude, snappish, short. A manager came over and tried to make up for the issue with a free crabcake, which- may I say, tasted awfully old and fishy for fresh crab. The drinks were weak (for $11 a martini, I would hope to at least taste a hint of alcohol), the food was overspiced and poorly prepared and when we finally gave up on the establishment, our check was nowhere to be found. They lost it. A second manager came over to apologize on the grounds of being short of service. And thankfully, we left. I was never so happy to leave a Newport establishment. Having lived here since birth, I must say that this is the most disgusting service I have ever received in the area- and that includes fast food and Denny's. I'm a regular at Roy's, frequent Gulfstream and suffer through the occasional Rouge. The service at Blue Coral is horrible, the food is dull and the atmosphere lacks more than I can describe in one paragraph. If you want a good meal and great service, go to Billy's. This Blue Coral place will be out of business before you can say Yard House. No one cares for attitude, especially when you have nothing to offer.
Less

We went for a simple drink and appetizers. It took 10 minutes for our first drink to arrive: problems cited by staff included "backed-up bar" and "some servers just didn't show up tonight". This... More

We went for a simple drink and appetizers. It took 10 minutes for our first drink to arrive: problems cited by staff included "backed-up bar" and "some servers just didn't show up tonight". This was a Friday night, let me add, in the middle of summer. The restaurant was 60% full AT BEST. When our drink finally arrived, it was brought by a waitress with a lot of attitude. Rude, snappish, short. A manager came over and tried to make up for the issue with a free crabcake, which- may I say, tasted awfully old and fishy for fresh crab. The drinks were weak (for $11 a martini, I would hope to at least taste a hint of alcohol), the food was overspiced and poorly prepared and when we finally gave up on the establishment, our check was nowhere to be found. They lost it. A second manager came over to apologize on the grounds of being short of service. And thankfully, we left. I was never so happy to leave a Newport establishment. Having lived here since birth, I must say that this is the most disgusting service I have ever received in the area- and that includes fast food and Denny's. I'm a regular at Roy's, frequent Gulfstream and suffer through the occasional Rouge. The service at Blue Coral is horrible, the food is dull and the atmosphere lacks more than I can describe in one paragraph. If you want a good meal and great service, go to Billy's. This Blue Coral place will be out of business before you can say "Yard House". No one cares for attitude, especially when you have nothing to offer. Pros: zero Cons: service, food, attitude, environment, cleanliness
Less

I didn't expect much from the restaurant's service (after I read a number of reviews here). However, my experience was totally great. My gf and I came to the restaurant at 9:40 p.m. and the waiter... More

I didn't expect much from the restaurant's service (after I read a number of reviews here). However, my experience was totally great. My gf and I came to the restaurant at 9:40 p.m. and the waiter we had didn't try to rush anything. The experience was very pleasant which was great since we were there to celebrate my gf's birthday. We ordered a couple of items he suggested (on and off the menu) and they turned out to be great. The drinks and foods were also excellent, especially seafood. The New York steak I had was actually better than that of Mastro's. All in all, I would say this is one of the best high-end restaurant in OC. I notice that a few previous reviewers had probably with their waiters and waitresses. I suppose, the service is vary from one person to the next. I guess we were must lucky to get a nice waiter in our first try. I will definitely return to this restaurant.
Less