We came to Gulfstream in Newport Beach to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday, expecting a first-class dining experience. Instead, we left disappointed and frustrated.
To start, the dress code was applied inconsistently. Guests are told no hats are allowed, yet several people inside were wearing hats without issue. If a standard is in place, it should be enforced fairly across the board.
The real issue was the service. Our server brought the wrong steak, and by the time the mistake was corrected—over 10 minutes later—my boyfriend’s meal was cold. This was his birthday dinner, and he never got to properly enjoy it.
What made matters worse was that when my boyfriend spoke with the expediter (who he happens to know) as we were leaving, even he admitted, “Yeah, that guy always makes those mistakes. I’m always having to tell him.” The fact that someone in charge of checking orders acknowledges this is a recurring issue, yet nothing has been done to fix it, points to a lack of accountability and oversight.
This wasn’t just a small mistake—it ruined a special celebration. For a restaurant of this caliber and price point, guests should expect consistency, accuracy, and care. Unfortunately, what we experienced was the opposite. Gulfstream has always been a favorite of ours, but this experience made us question whether the standards we once valued are still being upheld.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Ricardo Salazar
I used to frequent Gulfstream when I lived in Newport Coast from 2004 till 2009. Now I live in Ventura County and was in the area and it's got the same Nostalgia as it did back then.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Crowell
Solid always and the atmosphere is festive and resort-like. Strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Paul T
Excellent food and service. Part of the Hillstone Restaurant group which is the best restaurant group in the country. Even though it's part of a restaurant group it seems like a independent with excellence in everything they do. Great crowd, amazing food and service in a beautiful setting. Outside patio is fantastic for drinks around the fire.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gily Orell
This place is like I want the lotto, everything is great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
G Q
A wonderfully delicious fine-dining experience with an excellent Salmon dinner I enjoyed. The atmosphere is divine and location near-perfect. Not too pricey for the place and remember to not wear a hat indoors there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nora Abdulaziz
I had a deeply disappointing experience at Gulfstream. The hostess greeted us with an unprofessional and dismissive attitude, and her behavior clearly suggested discrimination, as she was unwilling to welcome guests from other countries. She refused to seat our party of six, claiming there were no available tables, despite several visibly empty ones.
In my many years of dining out, I have never encountered a restaurant unwilling to accommodate a group of six, nor a hostess who failed to offer even a courteous apology. It is truly unfortunate for the owner to have someone with such poor hospitality skills representing their establishment. I do not recommend visiting this restaurant.
Food was excellent but unfortunately the service was poor, missing items from the order. Cocktails are excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Terri
Delicious food and excellent service! No kids menu, booster seats, etc but we were able to make it work with our 5 and 6 year old. So I wouldn't recommend for kids.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Greg Hendricks
Good food... Good atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Shahram Mehraban
New review August 2025
We went for dinner at gulfstream after about 18 months. It was a Saturday night and the wait for 4 people was about 45 mins. We sat outside at one of the high tops. I really like the outdoor patio and the view of PCH. The heaters were on but not the fire pits which was a pitty. We were served by Cristiana who provided amazing service. Service over all was 5/5 and of course the location is also 5/5. We were really disappointed with the food and the value. We started with their famous biscuits. 2 for $6. Really not sure what the are thinking there. I had the ribeye for $60 and subbed the fries with coleslaw that only tasted like mayo. I had asked the steak to be cooked medium rare but it was cooked medium and served on a cold plate :(. The steak was underseasoned so I had to generously add salt to it and the cut had a ton of extra fat on it. I think it was a 10-12oz pierce but easily 2 oz was extra fat. My son had their cheeseburger which was $26. He said it was nothing specially. He only liked the picked onion in it. $26 burger was served with a side of cold fries. My wife got the kale and chicken salad. She liked the taste but not the portion for $28. My other son ordered the Louisiana shrimp that came with white rice and bread. It tasted really good as the sauce was really buttery, however another disappointment as the rice was really undercooked and al dente. My wife ordered a dirty martini for $20. It came out with one single olive. She asked for extra olives and another server brought her an additional single olive. Lol. All in all spent around $230 including tip for 4 people, and other than the service nothing stood out. First time in a long time that we also didn’t have any doggy bag. Much better places to spend your $ on better food. Won’t be going again unless there are some changes.
Old review Great food and environment. Long wait for an outside seating. Great dirty martinis with goat cheese olives. Hamburgers are out of this world. The kale and clashes and ritesserei salad is an excellent starter option to share. Service was impeccable.
A must every time I’m back in Newport.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their oysters are the best
Service, and food are always a 10 here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came to Gulfstream in Newport Beach to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday, expecting a first-class dining experience. Instead, we left disappointed and frustrated.
To start, the dress code was applied inconsistently. Guests are told no hats are allowed, yet several people inside were wearing hats without issue. If a standard is in place, it should be enforced fairly across the board.
The real issue was the service. Our server brought the wrong steak, and by the time the mistake was corrected—over 10 minutes later—my boyfriend’s meal was cold. This was his birthday dinner, and he never got to properly enjoy it.
What made matters worse was that when my boyfriend spoke with the expediter (who he happens to know) as we were leaving, even he admitted, “Yeah, that guy always makes those mistakes. I’m always having to tell him.” The fact that someone in charge of checking orders acknowledges this is a recurring issue, yet nothing has been done to fix it, points to a lack of accountability and oversight.
This wasn’t just a small mistake—it ruined a special celebration. For a restaurant of this caliber and price point, guests should expect consistency, accuracy, and care. Unfortunately, what we experienced was the opposite. Gulfstream has always been a favorite of ours, but this experience made us question whether the standards we once valued are still being upheld.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
I used to frequent Gulfstream when I lived in Newport Coast from 2004 till 2009. Now I live in Ventura County and was in the area and it's got the same Nostalgia as it did back then.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Solid always and the atmosphere is festive and resort-like. Strongly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Excellent food and service. Part of the Hillstone Restaurant group which is the best restaurant group in the country. Even though it's part of a restaurant group it seems like a independent with excellence in everything they do. Great crowd, amazing food and service in a beautiful setting. Outside patio is fantastic for drinks around the fire.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is like I want the lotto, everything is great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A wonderfully delicious fine-dining experience with an excellent Salmon dinner I enjoyed. The atmosphere is divine and location near-perfect. Not too pricey for the place and remember to not wear a hat indoors there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a deeply disappointing experience at Gulfstream. The hostess greeted us with an unprofessional and dismissive attitude, and her behavior clearly suggested discrimination, as she was unwilling to welcome guests from other countries. She refused to seat our party of six, claiming there were no available tables, despite several visibly empty ones.
In my many years of dining out, I have never encountered a restaurant unwilling to accommodate a group of six, nor a hostess who failed to offer even a courteous apology. It is truly unfortunate for the owner to have someone with such poor hospitality skills representing their establishment. I do not recommend visiting this restaurant.
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was excellent but unfortunately the service was poor, missing items from the order. Cocktails are excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Delicious food and excellent service! No kids menu, booster seats, etc but we were able to make it work with our 5 and 6 year old. So I wouldn't recommend for kids.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Good food... Good atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
New review August 2025
We went for dinner at gulfstream after about 18 months. It was a Saturday night and the wait for 4 people was about 45 mins. We sat outside at one of the high tops. I really like the outdoor patio and the view of PCH. The heaters were on but not the fire pits which was a pitty. We were served by Cristiana who provided amazing service. Service over all was 5/5 and of course the location is also 5/5. We were really disappointed with the food and the value. We started with their famous biscuits. 2 for $6. Really not sure what the are thinking there. I had the ribeye for $60 and subbed the fries with coleslaw that only tasted like mayo. I had asked the steak to be cooked medium rare but it was cooked medium and served on a cold plate :(. The steak was underseasoned so I had to generously add salt to it and the cut had a ton of extra fat on it. I think it was a 10-12oz pierce but easily 2 oz was extra fat. My son had their cheeseburger which was $26. He said it was nothing specially. He only liked the picked onion in it. $26 burger was served with a side of cold fries. My wife got the kale and chicken salad. She liked the taste but not the portion for $28. My other son ordered the Louisiana shrimp that came with white rice and bread. It tasted really good as the sauce was really buttery, however another disappointment as the rice was really undercooked and al dente. My wife ordered a dirty martini for $20. It came out with one single olive. She asked for extra olives and another server brought her an additional single olive. Lol. All in all spent around $230 including tip for 4 people, and other than the service nothing stood out. First time in a long time that we also didn’t have any doggy bag. Much better places to spend your $ on better food. Won’t be going again unless there are some changes.
Old review
Great food and environment. Long wait for an outside seating. Great dirty martinis with goat cheese olives. Hamburgers are out of this world. The kale and clashes and ritesserei salad is an excellent starter option to share. Service was impeccable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Best steak, great drinks (the crush!), love you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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