Darkroom

Went here for dinner on Thursday night and they were offering a tasting menu. The best food and wine pairings we've ever had and very reasonable we felt at $90 a person. We've never had food this good and we're blow away by every dish. The service was outstanding and the owner Zach came by and explained the wines and dishes and was so personable. Loved everything about our dinner here and will definitely be back!!!

Wow! I was so impressed by Darkroom- it feels like a long time since I've had food that tasted this good. We tried: -zucchini bread-tartar-scallop tostada -focaccia -pork tomahawk-gnocchi Every bite was layered with so much flavor. We ordered everything at once and the food was coursed out which is perfect. The bartender found out I didn't drink alcohol so he recommended 0% abv cocktail which was phenomenal as well.Also, the ambience is intentional and appreciated, if you have a date that you want to impress, I'd suggest Darkroom. We spent around $100/pp and it was worth the amazing food, service, and ambience. A must try!

DarkroomLet the Darkness consume you. I've never developed an addiction or obsession in such short amount of time. It was instantly. Perhaps at first sight? First sniff? First auditory perception? Fell in luv well before my first bite. Don't judge, just keep reading. After sleeping on it and recollected some mental clarity I can confidently confess this is my new favorite place in OC.This restaurant / bar delivered, checked all the boxes and subsequently exceeded my expectations dramatically. I'm saying this as I already had high hopes and a preconceived notion this place was going to be well above average due to the fact I heard about owners / chefs resume and past work experience.For the time being; I cannot and will not try to describe the 4 dishes and handful of fancy drinks we had last night for fear of not doing justice to the well thought out menu and flawless execution of the team who prepared them. I just wanted to simply express gratitude and give credit where it's merited.I'm ecstatic that restaurants and eateries of this caliber can exist in Orange County CA. Not having to drive to LA when craving something of extraordinary caliber that's just simply on another level is a good thing.It ain't easy to just drive to republique, bestia, bavel, ryla, rustic canyon, cabra, holbox, providence, etc when the mood and bougie appetite strikes. It's a real annoyance that all the superior food is in Los Angeles county. The list goes on for days..while OC for the most part stays basic and unexciting. Btw my gf is a picky and ridiculous batch and she preferred this to all the restaurants listed above (which are all absolutely phenomenal) And of course prefers Darkroom to anything else in OC and we've been close to everywhere that's worthwhile and highly rated from the hole in the walls to the most expensive in gods country. It's the first restaurant she's been blown away by from every single item ordered. Kinda wild. Very great stuff here and don't even get me started on the vibe and concept. The best DJ, and playlist I've ever experienced dining in recent memory. No cap, and I am not even being slightly hyperbolic or dramatic. And of course, really nice and welcoming folks overall. Class act service and personalities for sure. Michelin 1 or 2 star worthy food / adult beverages without the pretentious BS and redtape shenanigans. Salud.

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!

We came at 5pm on a Thursday evening and it didn't start filling up til 6pm so it was actually really nice. The staff is all super nice and well informed about the menu. We got to meet the co-owner/chef Zach too. It is very dark inside but it's a nice ambiance. The food was all super interesting and well thought out. It also came out quickly and was decently portioned. My brother and I were full after the fifth dish. "Mapo" cauliflower tofu: I appreciated that the mapo was in quotation marks because it's not your usual mapo tofu. It was still well seasoned and spicy like mapo tofu but a different twist. The crunchy shallots and crispy cauliflower was a great texture contrast to the soft tofu. It was very savory and tangy. Definitely an explosion of flavor with every bite. Smoked Maitake Mushroom: the mushroom was both crispy and tender but full of flavor. It was actually better than the hangar steak. Super flavorful but not salty and really juicy. Definitely fun to eat. Bombas crab rice: if you're a huge fan of hollandaise sauce, it was a nice foamy layer on top and the rice was cooked perfectly and absorbed a lot of the sauce without getting soggy. I actually tasted the squid ink more than the crab. A fun tangy mayo forward rice dish. Grilled weiser farm potatoes: the potatoes were grilled perfectly with a crispy skin and buttery soft inside. It was a nice balance between all the impactful flavors of the other dishes. Very comforting. Hangar steak: super tender steak and you didn't even need a knife to cut it because it was so soft. I actually went to the dentist in the morning so my teeth really appreciated how easy to eat this steak was. The koji sauce was a little heavy but the buckwheat and chili crunches on top were delicious. Definitely a unique take to a different kind of "chimichurri" sauce. Passionfruit and coffee glazed doughnuts: strange combination that worked perfectly. The coffee wasn't bitter and paired well with the sweetness of the passionfruit. It was "refreshing" to eat the doughnut holes which were similar to mochi doughnuts on the inside, crispy outside. Freshly fried too. Overall great experience and they have a nice bathroom. It really reminded me of Playground/Detention in the early days before they became a membership only restaurant. Lots of fun with the menu.

If you're an adventurous foodie or just want a change from the normal boring fare, you should give this place a shot!Lovely, friendly staff. Ample parking lot and an unassuming facade hides a cool interior. It is actually dark inside with tabletop lights that will highlight your entrees. You may queue up real vinyl records for them to play, but no touching the equipment! Understandable of course! Don't want to risk damaging the precious recordings! No touchy touchy!So on to the foods. We had the scotch olives which were delectably meaty surprisingly. The sauce was delicious. Could have licked the plate! The gnocchi is not made with potato but quite heavy. Also delicious. The iberico ham topped zucchini bread was ok. Also quite heavy. The flavors were not super popping, but still good. And the highlight of the meal was the hangar steak. Melty in your mouthy good with a little crunch and an accompanying creamed spinach. So good! The only thing that was disappointing was the donut dessert. Not the cup of tea exactly. It has citrus and coffee flavored topping and kind of the texture of mochi which is odd but you may like it. Anyway loved the rest of the meal and worth the higher price point for sure! It was fun to taste the experiments and most with few exceptions were amazing! Highly recommend a trial run!Also warning: the menu is in constant flux so you may not find the dishes mentioned in this review when you visit. I'm sure there will be other plates which are just as unique and perfectly lovingly offered to your palate! Enjoy!

Steven our server was very knowledgeable and talked us through the whole menu. Everything he recommended was fantastic. I don't think you can go wrong with anything. We got the steak tartare, the Parisian gnocchi and the Nashville hot swordfish. Everything was very flavorful. The donuts were just ok. Probably wouldn't get them again.

Final review for 2024! I saw this place on my yelp feed and was really intrigued by the atmosphere of the place. My wife and I headed on over when they first opened and sat at the bar. With reservations they have dining room seating and a communal seating area. The bar was great though because Scotty the bartender had a great personality and talked to my wife and I during our meal. Place is really dark and moody and plays a great selection of vinyl records while you eat. You can even look through their collection and place an album on the shelf behind the turn table if you want them to play it next.Most of the staff came here from Playground in Santa Ana. Food is meant to be shared and they had a large variety of vegetable dishes and proteins. They change the menu constantly based off the season. They also have a 14 course meal you can buy tickets for and is served in a private dining area.My wife and I shared fried olives, smoked mushrooms, broccolini, and a tomahawk style pork chop with delicata squash. The smoked mushrooms were truly mind blowing and these are a must. They were our favorite of the dishes and I'd probably get my own serving of it next time! Honestly though, everything was creative, beautifully presented, and delicious. The staff would describe in detail what they're serving you when they bring out the dish which is a nice touch. It definitely reminded me of Playground. We should have ended there but we finished with scorching hot made to order apple fritters. Delicious but let them cool down a bit before devouring. Portions were pretty large. Hard to tell with pictures.They only have a beer and wine license but they make their own vermouth and create vermouth based cocktails. I love vermouth and the cocktails they created were some of the best tasting concoctions I've tasted. And since it's a lower ABV I was able to enjoy two of them! I really loved this place and cannot wait to return. Perfect for a date night or hanging with friends.Happy New Year!

I wish Yelp would allow for half ratings because this place is closer to 4 - 4.5, but rounding down for price. Overall a very nice new restaurant with high quality food and equally high prices.I was recently made aware a former chef from Playground had a new establishment and I definitely had to check it out! The food here is overall delicious with high quality ingredients, but the prices are also high and the quantity of each dish is on the smaller side. Everything was really tasty, but I didn't have any dishes I would consider a knockout.This place also doesn't have a full liquor licence, so drinks are going to be almost exclusively wine and beer. Their wine selection is great, there is definitely a lot of care taken into sourcing wines from a variety of great regions for both their red and white offerings.There are low ABV cocktails available, and I think they are using amaros and bitters. The cocktails here are great with their more limited bar, but I was just surprised on the ability to use amaros and bitters because I thought that would technically also be restricted without a full liquor licence. Either way, great cocktails.We sat at the bar and were well taken care of, and though the place was busy never had an issue getting orders in or having my water empty. Staff here are super sweet and fast.Definitely a place worth checking out if it's on your list. A little pricey for what you get, but overall it's a solid spot with a great atmosphere.

100% Delicious, total taste explosion, great service, and vintage vinyl records set the mood. really a delightful experience, will be back!