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Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge, Mission Viejo, CA

Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge

4.6
4.6
759 Reviews
$31 to $50
Contemporary American

Make a reservation

2 people
11:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
  • Great for happy hour
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
Scarlet Kitchen & Lounge is a modern speakeasy with the allure of old Hollywood, offering a menu of east coast classics with west coast flavor and finesse. This chef driven, husband and wife owned restaurant provides a comfortable neighborhood dining experience. Scarlet offers local, quality ingredients carefully curated to meet every diners desires. Scarlet is a place for everyone to enjoy a date night or just a quick bite at the bar. Scarlet introduces a new menu every season courtesy of Chef-Owner Paige Riordan and Chef de Cuisine Daniel Martinez. Enjoy a taste of the season from Scarlet’s dining room or heated canyon-view patio and. Scarlet elevates the plate with a new menu of dishes brimming with bold, finessed flavor highlighting peak-of-season ingredients, humanely raised prime meats, and sustainable seafood, reflective of Riordan’s East Coast roots.
Private dining

Private dining

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Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, American, Farm-to-table
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sun 10:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Bar Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sunday Dinner Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Paige Riordan
  • Delivery & takeout

What 759 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Orange County

    Contemporary American

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge offers a delightful culinary experience with standout dishes like the "phenomenal" scallops and lobster grilled cheese. Guests enjoy the "amazing" service and "great atmosphere," complemented by live music on weekends. While some find it pricey, the "delicious food" and "friendly staff" make it a favorite local spot.

759 Reviews
  1. pam VIP

    San Diego22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is our go to place to eat. It never disappoints on the food and they have amazing drinks. I love that they always try to change up specialty cocktails depending on the time of year. Ashley our server was great and we love Rachel who is always friendly and accommodates us whenever she can. Not to mention adorable!

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  2. Adam VIP

    Central Coast71 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The bacon wrapped dates were excellent. The deviled eggs were ok but would be much better without the sriracha. Dutch pancake is amazing! Eggs Benedict w Lobster was good but at $33 they should include some potatoes of some kind, the plate looked empty.

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  3. Mollie

    Los Angeles4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 2, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Didn’t have 2 desserts on the menu, but the food was excellent!

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  4. Patrick and Mary

    Orange County103 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 23, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    This was our second trip to SK. The food was good but not great, except that the lobster grilled cheese was amazing. The bar drinks were very good. Prices were moderate and in line with the quality of the food. We are not fans of music during dinner - makes it too hard to have a conversation. Might have been an off night in the kitchen - it was very crowded and people were enjoying themselves.

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  5. Leslie

    Orange County5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service. We loved the lamb dish and lobster salad. Great salmon but the coconut rice that came with it was gluey and underwhelming. Other than that, we enjoyed our time there and will be back.

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  6. Rqyn

    Orange County2 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The restaurant was overwhelmed with their valentines promo taking an hour to serve us our first meal (salad). Food was great overall.

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  7. Gregory

    Orange County2 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 1
    We had a 7:30 pm reservation but when we arrived, we were told no tables available and would be a 30 minute wait. What’s the point of a reservation? The hostess told us they were “overwhelmed.” The servers kept telling us this same thing throughout the night. We ended up having to sit at the bar all night. It was supposed to be a five course pre fixe menu for Valentines Day. Every course was terrible. Second course was hamachi, which consisted of two tiny pieces that were so small you could barely see or taste them. After our second course was over, they told my wife they had run out of her main course selection (short rib) so she would have to pick something else on the fly. My main course was scallops. It consisted of only TWO tiny, very dry and overcooked scallops on a giant bed of rice. It was awful. My wife’s substitution (filet) was equally terrible - overcooked and small. The desert (chocolate Bundt cake) was also bad - super dry and tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. On top of it all, they charged $95 per person for this joke of a pre fixe Valentines Day dinner. We are frequent patrons of Scarlett Kitchen, but will not be going back for a long time after last night’s experience.

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  8. Stephanie

    Orange County1 review

    2.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    We were disappointed in our valentine’s experience. It took an hour to be seated at an actual table (we were able to sit at the bar and received free champagne so we brushed it off). But then each course took forever to come out so we were starving and unfortunately the dishes were pretty lacking. It was a preset menu and I had a small starter salad, second course was a plate of carrots, third course was a small chunk of watermelon shaped like a heart, fourth course was supposed to be the “main” but it was literally two scallops and some plain, cold farro, the dessert was small but alright. My husband ordered short ribs instead of the scallops but after waiting forever, the waiter told us they had run out. They gave him another 2 options and he chose one, then after several minutes the waiter came back and told us that that one had run out too, so he was forced to have whatever the last option was. It didn’t seem like they were prepared to do such a big event and I was surprised we didn’t get something comped for him not getting the food he wanted and for how long we had to wait before sitting and between each course. The portions were so small and simple, the drinks were the only good part and I feel kind of sick about spending $300 on a meal like this, especially when we don’t go out often. Also, I never complain which is how you know it was bad.

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  9. Stanton

    Orange County6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
     it was Valentine’s Day and they didn’t seem well prepared for it. The service was very slow. It felt like the kitchen was overwhelmed. A couple next to us sat for over two hours and only got halfway through their fixed price meal before they decided to leave. Ours wasn’t as long, but it definitely took a long time.

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  10. Guy

    Los Angeles4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great time! We went for Valentine’s Day! The prefix menu and wine pairing was perfect! We will definitely!

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FAQs

Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (949) 503-3086.

Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge is rated 4.6 stars by 759 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
11:00 PM
Booked 4 times today
Google Map for Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge

30865 Gateway Pl Rancho, Mission Viejo, CA 92694

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, American, Farm-to-table
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sun 10:30 am–2:30 pm Dinner Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:30 pm Bar Tue–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sunday Dinner Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Paige Riordan
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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