O SEA | seafood for thought

Nice restaurant, great staff, but I just wasn’t impressed with anything we ordered. Cesar salad had no anchovy/umami flavor going on which is a big disappointment. The tajin was an interesting touch but it overpowered the salad because there was no anchovy flavor to pair with all that salt.

The Oaxacan shrimp were good— nice texture and great flavor in the breading.

But I was really unimpressed with the grilled octopus. I rarely order it in the states because it rarely, if ever gets cooked well, but I’ve heard the octopus was great at O Sea so figured I’d give it a try. But it was just ridiculously tough and chewy and really not enjoyable at all.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5

Our food was bad and the surface was off.

We were expecting a delicious seafood feast based on the reviews, but we were sorely mistaken. We should’ve gone to a seafood restaurant in Little Saigon. Overall, I felt ripped off. In addition to the flavorless food and small portions, the waitstaff seemed unhappy, like they didn’t want to be there.

Cioppino: this was the saddest, smallest amount of cioppino and seafood I have ever seen. The white fish was overcooked anf chewy. It was also so small.

Oysters: not as fresh as we hoped. Kumamoto at Whole Foods tastes fresher. After ordering it dozen, I felt ripped off.

Tuna hand roll was flavorless so I’m guessing the tuna was not that fresh.

The Oaxacan fried shrimp and the coconut milk with fish were good. That’s about it. Never again!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

Nice space with good tasting seafood dishes and lots of options - the Blondie dessert was also really nice and tasted lighter than usual.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

We came during a terribly busy day with only 2 servers. Took 15 minutes after seating just to get mediocre appetizers and we decided to just immediately leave after paying.
The host was extremely kind and generous, contrary to the 2 servers who basically ignored us until I waved someone over. It was a full house but we weren't ever looked at once.

The host waived the appetizers but i would love to come back during oc restaurant week or something.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 2

I used it for dinner.
This is a casual restaurant.
You can enjoy hearty American meals.
I was disappointed that the mussels were a little small, but the burrada cheese was very delicious.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

I recently dined at OSea for lunch and, unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. While the restaurant is clean and the staff are friendly and attentive, the food left much to be desired.

We started with a few appetizers All three appetizers were disappointing—lacking the distinct flavors and vibrancy you’d expect from a seafood-focused menu. The main courses were even more problematic. Fish and Chips Tacos Grilled Salmon, and Salads, were borderline inedible. The fish dishes were flavorless, and the salad was overwhelmingly bitter, making it hard to enjoy.

Despite the pleasant ambiance and courteous service, the poor execution of the food overshadowed everything. With so many amazing restaurants to choose from, I wouldn’t return to OSea. There’s simply no reason to settle for mediocrity when better options are available.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

We've ordered many dishes from the various menus over multiple visits, and everything has been consistently fresh and delicious with unique flavor combinations and ingredients. The wait staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, and they have a great happy hour. This is by far our favorite seafood restaurant in Orange County.

Service was excellent as usual. Every time we visited we are always well taken care of. The Happy Hour half off bottle of wine is the best. Wine selections are great with interesting wine from all over the world. However, this time we ordered 1.5 dozen of oysters (minter sweet) and although they tasted fresh, the texture were not the best. Also, they were not shucked as nicely as it could be because we found small pieces of shell in a quite a few of them. But, I will still recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting old town Orange.

Nice location in old town city of Orange. Great service and nice seafood selection. Plates had little seafood on them for the price level charged. Mussels were tiny and few. French fries were a 7/10.

Server was not so nice and she didnot let us know when the last order is. Steam mussel used to be in a bigger bowl with more mussel but now it was in such a smaller plate with only few mussel which was very dissapointing.

Food allergy review:

I rarely leave a place without ordering, but the gluten-free menu at this place is an actual lie. They don’t have any indications about cross-contamination risk on their paper menus.

I first asked about whether they had a dedicated fryer for the gluten-free fish and chips. They said no. I understand that sometimes there’s confusion about fryers, so I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I then began asking about their grilled entrees and quickly learned they were unsafe too. For example, they had a black cod special on the menu that was marked as gluten-free. I asked whether the caramelized fish sauce was gluten free, and they said yes. I then asked if it was made in-house, and they said no they just caramelize store-bought fish sauce. I asked to see ingredients on the label, and the first ingredient was wheat.

Then they began insisting that the second special, a grilled halibut with a green verde sauce, was gluten-free. I asked whether the verde sauce had beer and they could not answer me and said they could leave it off. I also never got a clear answer on whether the masa dumplings had any additional flour added or if the baking powder contained gluten, or whether they steamed them with water previously used for gluten-filled kitchen items.

I explained that this meant the items were not gluten-free, and was told the manager believes these things to be gluten-free.

This is very much a place that calls itself gluten-free to appeal to fad dieters. Stay away at all costs if you have an allergy or celiac disease. I don’t have a problem with places not having the resources to accommodate gluten-free people (it’s hard to do so!), but be honest about it. For many people, it’s a matter of life or death to claim boldly that something is gluten-free without actual knowledge.

Food was great, service was wonderful, but ease up on the finishing salt. The opnly disappointment was that the Panna Cotta was not decanted (taken out of the ramekin). We did not get to enjoy all the kaffir lime with the rest of the panna cotta as it was at the bottom instead of on top. We will be back to try more of your offerings.

Always a pleasure dining at O Sea! Staff and clientele are always on point. Food is always delicious and consistent whether it's lunch or dinner. Thank you all and see you soon! The Raymond Fam

Took my wife here for her birthday. Made reservations only two days prior. It's quaint & stylish in the neat old town Orange circle area. The hosts greeted us warmly and sat us at a nice booth. The server was really nice and knowledgeable about the menu and the extensive wine menu. Our food was excellent and they brought out a birthday desert and candle. We Enjoy our night out.

Great food and friendly staff