Gemmell's Restaurant

Horrible service

Always a great meal. Turkey dinner delicious 😋

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were meeting family halfway between San Diego and Marina Del Rey and this place looked good. I got Sand Dabs with vegetables, my wife got Cappelini alla Checca and the family shared the Calamari Steak. Everything was delicious and the portions are generous. The server was very friendly and helpful. There is a huge parking lot so parking is not an issue. The prices are typical for this quality of restaurant in this area.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Angel Hair, Calamari Steak, House Salad, Caesar Salad

Always have a good experience

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best goid in town !! Amazing service!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic date night restaurant!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The restaurant had a nice and pleasant atmosphere. The cream of mushroom soup was delicious with a nice hint of black pepper cracked into it. Bread rolls were warm and just out of the oven . The calamari steak dish was nicely done with bare minimum oil. It was fresh and healthy. The angel hair pasta had a nice garlic flavor , I wish it was seasoned well. But for that , the whole dining experience was memorable.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 4

Only one waiter, so slower than usual bur he did amazing under the circumstances. Food was really good and worth the price.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Had some issues, otherwise could have been a 5 star. Beignets are NOT good, they are dense and cake like. Could not try the Lobster bisque as they were out of it. The main courses were exceptional as was the French onion soup. Prices are reasonable and portions good. Just don't go when they first open. They are unprepared for early visitors. Cheesecake was perfect and lemon tart was great.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Great food and service. This place has been here for years but is wonderful

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We needed a spot to meet that was about halfway between Long Beach and San Diego. Dana Point is always nice, and I picked Gemmell's based on some of the comments.WOW...The outside of the restaurant isn't very impressive, but the meal was fantastic.I started with the escargots - the menu says it best - "Farm raised Helix snails, sautéed with garlic, shallots, mushrooms and diced ham, in a rich burgundy sauce". Outstanding - the snails were tasty, and the burgundy sauce with the finely diced pieces of ham, mushrooms, garlic, and shallots was amazing. It will be hard to go back to plain butter escargots after this.My wife had the Chef Byron's smoked salmon appetizer - lots of thinly-sliced salmon with capers, lemon, and toast points. I had a bite and it was very tasty. The toast points were very light and airy - almost like biting into foam.My sister and I also shared the pate canard - also with toast points and aspic. Delicious!For our salad course, I had the wilted spinach - baby spinach leaves in a flambeed bacon dressing. WOW - we all agreed that I won that round. The spinach and dressing was rich and flavorful.My wife had the lobster bisque and said it was the best she had tasted. I tasted it and agreed that it was truly rich and full of lobster flavor. My sister passed on the salad/soup course - saving room for dessert later.For our main courses, I had the scallops. From the menu - "Eastern Sea Scallops sautéed in Garlic champagne butter sauce, vegetables and rice". The garlic champagne butter sauce perfectly accented the scallops, and the rice gave a break to the richness of the scallops and sauce.My wife had the chicken crepe (chicken and mushrooms sauteed and wrapped in a crepe) and I think I will have that next time - it had a great flavor and texture. The crepe texture with the chicken and mushroom pieces was a perfect mix.My sister had the "Chicken Elizabeth" - from the menu - "Fresh Tender chicken breast sautéed with artichoke hearts, garlic and gulf shrimp, In a citrus chardonnay sauce vegetables and rice". Another winner.Finally, for dessert, my wife had the Creme Brulee - served in a large ramekin with artistically arranged strawberries and blueberries. Again, she raved about the flavor. I had the blueberry tart, and my sister had the Meyer lemon tart - both were delicious and not too heavy.Prices were quite reasonable (actually lower than we would have expected for the quality of the food and the presentation).We are already planning on coming back. Even though it is an hour's drive from our home in San Diego, it is definitely worth the trip.This may be one of the best French restaurants in Southern California.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Escargot, Duck Liver Pate, Chicken and Mushroom Crepes, Souffle

We had an incredible lunch there, starting with hot dinner rolls and finishing with a delicious Grand Marnier souffle. We felt as if we were in Europe.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken and Mushroom Crepes, Souffle, Chicken Marsala

Needs more "cuisine grand-mère" for me, but I know I'm in the minority.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Decent atmosphere.Server was alone but the groups were manageable and he was prompt.Not so the cook, I presume. The food was simple and took as long as a decent steak dinner to arrive.Food? A plain steak sandwich, meh. More fat than meat and the meat needed a hack saw to cut. The onion soup was decent.Wine selection was as expected in this region. Probably won’t be back.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

We were trying to celebrate my daughter’s 16th birthday. Went on a recommendation but received the worst service I’ve ever experienced. Never received drink refills, cleared our on plates in a stack so she could open her gifts. 20-30 minutes after finishing dinner someone finally took our plates. Waited another 30 minutes for our dessert which never came. I was highly disappointed and will never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4