Orange County Mining Co. Review

Food 3 - 4 stars Bar ambience - 5 stars View - 5 stars Worth a visit for sure.

Ambience: This place has an Old World Charm that cannot be overlooked. It's rustic, metals and cast iron doors and stone burning fireplace display adds to it's essence of feeling like "you're inside a cave or underground." The decor k ocks it out of the park in that sense.

Food: Food fit for peasants with reasonable pricing but also the "unhealthy" components that goes with Peasant eating. If you don't care about your cholesterol count and can afford to cheat from time to time, it's the place.
SALAD BAR: A very large assortment of soup and salads to fit everybody's style in this category. Good option and a major plus to feed a large family without busting the bank.

The classic Cheese Bread is plain, bleached flour bread lathered over with butter and cheese and melted till it crusts over. Kind of like the cheese bread slices you would make at home with all it's guilty pleasures. It's basic, tasty and filling for cheap...not a bad business concept.
MAIN COURSE: They have a nice selection of Fish Meals as well as an assortment of steak( fillet mignon, Prime Rib and Too Sirloin just to name a few) but there's something for everyone who likes beef or fish.
The preparation is appropriate and satisfying. Tasty with a little heavy in the salty components but if you don't like that, yo have the other options to choose from. All PORTIONS ARE GENEROUS.

DESSERT: Not much to write home about but enough to soothe a sweet tooth and reasonably priced. You may not have room bc you fill up on almost everything else.
THE SUNSET: This is worth coming here multiple times. They are sitter at the prime location on a hill top that lends itself to an amazing view of the City as far back as Los Angeles and a Gorgeous Golden/Orange California Sunset to die for. IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE SEATED BY THE WINDOW.

WHY ONLY 3 STARS:
Seats by the window is limited.. probably only about 20 seats area or less gets the privilege of watching the Sunset view. I suggest making reservations and Begging them for Window seating and hope for the best.

Other NEGATIVE: The carpet is so worn and disgusting it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in centuries. When you have food debris and high traffic carpet is NOT A GOOD IDEA. Besides the fact that it likely doesn't get any sort of good cleaning beyond sweeping if that...it will harbors unspeakable growth of the worst bacteria and Fungus bc of water and sugary beverage spills. This is also an attraction for RODENTS.. They are a surrounded by fields and wildlife which is not a far stretch of imagination.

ATTN: MINING COMPANY--TIME TO REMOVE THE CARPETS AND DO A PLAIN, RUSTIC, DISTRESSED WOOD FLOORING TO KEEP TO YOUR THEME BUT EASY CLEANING AND LOW FALL RISK..

Got to the bar at 9:40pm tried to just order an appetizer Was DENIED!! they stop serving at 9:30pm. ON A SATURDAY!! BUT get this the servers came into the bar with plates of FOOD and ate in front of the customers they DENIED.

Service and food is awesome and the view is amazing. A great place to celebrate

I really enjoy this restaurant. Food is good. Lot's of selection. I like the variation in the salad bar. View is really good, especially if you get a window seat. I also love the mining decor. One of my favorites in OC.

Good food, fantastic ambience, spectacular views, friendly staff!

I have never been inside.
Everyone says the place is great!!!
I dropped off a Uber Customer.
The view is to die for!!!

Celebrated my sisters birthday here. AMAZING VIEW!!!
Def a place for a romantic date. I want to come back and try their happy hour.

Because I love to order food with unique names, I HAD to order the G-Hole (apparently I am not allowed to type the actual word on this review). The steak was juicy and splendid :) The salad bar was decent and I loved their pitcher of mojito that we shared.

Best time to go: when the sunsets

I will not waste my time with all the reasons this place sucks!!! I had a surprise birthday here and it was the worst experience ever. Food sucked service sucked and they would not allow us to split the bill (Party of 15). The staff does not seem happy to be there...run away!!!

Great views. Good food. Dining room service was slow. Bar room service was quick. Valet service is mandatory. Food was good. Expect $45 to 60 per person.

This old looking building from thee outside is very luxurious in the inside. The staff is so friendly and helpful they alone get FIVE stars. The brunch buffet although a bit pricy has a great selection. I do have one complaint they recently added valet. I don't mind valet for important occasions but for a Sunday morning early brunch that's my complaint it just doesn't sit well with me. For that I take One star away.

The view is worth the drive up the hill. Food is delicious and the atmosphere is really unique. Stacey is a great manager and server!

Well run well-oiled machine getting people in out for expensive meals the ribs were terrific. Terrific view.

pretty nice place with pretty decent food and nice view, it's been around forever. If you're in Orange county you know about it. That's a good place.

Nice hillside restaurant with a great view. It's decently priced and the Steaks are great!! I'd say the restaurant theme is a bit cheesy, but that aside, we loved the place.

If you are trying to decide on whether to go here the question you should ask yourself is how do you value "ambiance" versus quality of food. If the answer is you want a unique experience, there are few places better in Orange. If the answer is you value quality of food above all else I would recommend elsewhere. As you can see as you drive towards this place, they have limited space and therefore (in my opinion) should limit their menu (even more) to three things they do GREAT, as opposed to all they do mediocerly well. Unfortunately in dining choices you have to rob Peter to pay Paul often, and while the ambiance is on par if not better than Orange Hill up the street, the food is not comparable. Decide on whether an additional 20% for similarly-tiered options related to food quality is worth it and you'll be easily able to decide between these two.

The pathway up to the restaurant is a bit spooky, but other than that it is a beautiful place with very friendly and diligant staff! I came here for a banquet about 2 weeks ago and it was great.

Fun atmosphere. Food was good...a little pricey, but I think you are paying for the view.

Loved the view of the place and customer service is very good i highly recommend

Slow service and a long time to get dinner after ordering. Food tastes good but is overpriced. I've never had or seen ribs with less meat than the ones I got. No way around the $6 valet parking that is BS and a scam.

Wonderful service pleasant and friendly the food was excellent and the atmosphere in view simply price less

This spot is worth visiting. They serve big portions for affordable rates. Regularly well organized and with great character. Highly recommended.

Great view great food super staff , watched the firework show at Disneyland from our table .

Came for Sunday brunch last week at 12:50 (reservation). For more much I paid I expected a bit better. The food was on the cold side. The selections and flavors were not to my liking.

The service is great. The view is lovely. I wouldn't go back, based on the food quality only.

Selection isn't that great, if you're allergic to seafood. We came up for Sunday brunch and the service was slow. We seemed to be treated like the red headed step child by the server and the server assistant. The assistant refilled everyone's champagne glasses 3 times at other tables before she came to us for our 1st refill and she only had enough for 1/4 of one glass. The omelette was soggy, under done. The food tasted like it was sitting all morning. We had to request the heater be turned off in our area as we were sweating like crazy in our table. We lost any appetite we had because the heat and poor quality food. My 12 year old daughter is charged an adult charge and ate 1 pancake 1 bacon and dish of ice cream... for $36 she tried the fruit and it wasn't ripe. Mellon and strawberries aren't in season. Why put them out for an option? Not impressed

Atmosphere and the view was amazing , salad bar fresh, entrees were so so I would go again try something else to eat, bartender was quick and great him and tonic

Delish cheese bread......great steaks.....awesome salad bar!!

This was a great place. I would put $$$ for the price but in those $20 to $30+ meals you get unlimited trips to a wonderful salad bar AND a great entree with potatoes, rice or more vegetables. The view of eastern Orange County, back to Santa Ana is great. (It's in Orange.)

Had the time of my life with sister and brother-in-law not to mention the food was absolutely amazing and our waiter was a wonderful server with a great sense of humor. I most definitely will be going back again real soon. Did i forget to mention that along with your dinner you also got self served all you can eat soups. salads (fruit. Lettuce. Pasta. Bean etc..)and breads.. How could anyone go wrong with that..

Poor customer service with Banquets Manager. Felt I was a bother and that booking an event was not priority.

Fantastic steak and lobster! Great happy hour menu and drinks. The service is really good every time we go. Always one of our favorite places to relax and watch the sunset.

Came for the views, stayed for the happy hour. Don't forget to order the nachos and a pitcher of dark n stormy, you won't be disappointed. This place is high up on a hill and some of the best views of Orange County, has a large salad bar, amazing bbq chicken and ribs, delicious cocktails, and is frequently used as a small wedding venue.

We had a great time last night. I took Danielle to the place where she said YES two years ago. The Orange County Mining Company, window seat as usual and surprised her with a diamond butterfly ring.

Just wow. I was thrilled with the mixed drinks and the entree was cooked perfectly. The staff was super friendly and accommodating. I need to stop here again.

Just called to make a reservation for brunch. Didn't even get passed making a reservation when I decided not to go. The hostess was so RUDE! NEWS FLASH OC Mining, if you want business, you should treat your customers better.

Great place for a big gathering. They took great care of us.

We went for A birthday brunch and I called to make a reservation I was first told that there was no reservations. I called again and was told no reservation. I called the third time spoke with the manager and he told me that we could get a reservation at 1030 in the morning and we had to be separated. We had wanted 12:30 so I asked if there was any chance we could come later since I have two small children and it's tuff to get there so early. I asked if there were any cancelations could they call us and move up the reservation I got no call so we went at 1030. I Was Grateful he fit us in since it's the only place my husband wanted to go for his birthday but we we arrived the place was almost empty there were many empty tables that stayed that way until we left. I was disappoint that they had not let us know we could come later. The food is ok nothing super great no surprises and kinda a small selection for a $32 brunch the best thing is the view and the champagne, its a great view of the city and our waiter was great he kept our tables clean and our glasses full.

Had a delectable dinner. Prime rib with mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms. Heavenly. Will definitely try their Sunday brunch soon.

I didn't care for the complimentary cheese bread though.

I love this restaurant! The ambiance was very comfortable and inviting. Everything you see on their fabulous menu was a little bit pricey, but once you taste it, you can definitely say why? It was a wonderful restaurant with inventive good cooking, a cozy atmosphere, and helpful and good looking staff. Highly recommended!

Smoked salmon app was great had chicken and pork ribs for dinner ribs were ok chicken was good soup and salad was well stocked with lots of choices

great food ,service and 10 star view go at night its amazing

Our server was the sweetest waitress by far. She has excellent customer service skills. The food was amazing. Beautiful view of the city.

Great steaks with amazing soup and salad bar. The view can be amazing as well!

Ate here for a funeral lunchon, the food was amazing and the atmosphere here is great! It's like eating at a Disney land ride.

Amazing food , amazing views amazing service. I would highly recommend it!

Very nice place banquet room air could have worked better but was still a very nice place. Food was great

Our waitress provided great service and was very friendly. My steak was cooked right and they have an amazing soup/salad bar. We got to enjoy the beautiful sunset and they weren't rushing us out of there. Very relaxing and enjoyable time.

Nice view of Orange County from up on the hill. Good food.

This particular time the steaks were not cooked exactly the way we liked, but that said this is still pound for pound the best place in OC to grab a steak.

Terribly disappointed on Thursday with that so-called buffet:
Daughter lied to when she called two weeks prior that there would gluten free options...NOT!
Food was cold!
Food was salty!
Food was EXPENSIVE!
The whole setup resembled a post-funeral offering to guests who had just paid there final respects to a long lost cousin.
OCMC we're from Vegas where Buffets RULE! We know Buffets...and you're NO BUFFET!

While it was a tad expensive, everything was superb. The Tomato Salad was excellent. The steak and vegetables were prepared to perfection. This is one of my favorite places while I am on the expense account.

The best food and atmosphere ever! Our favorite place in Orange Coubty! Get the Miners Philly!

Upscale restaurant With a spectacular view and nice decor. I ordered prime rib every time and it came with soup and salad bar.

Seriously overpriced. You're paying for the view. And the steak was just average

We were just there for this Thanksgiving, my wife, me and some of our family. The service was the worst we have ever had at any restaurant. We waited 30 minutes to get seated. Our drinks took for ever to get and when we did get them, they were for another table. The Prime Rib was way over cooked and dry. The turkey was also overcooked and dry. The deserts were way too sweet. The pecan pie was watery. When I complained to the Manager about these problems, he said no-one else was complaining so it must not be that bad. We will never be back to this place. If you like good service and good food, DON'T GO HERE!
A VERY DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE. TWO THUMBS DOWN. VERY POOR MANAGEMENT!!!!

The place has gone downhill... no pun intended. Food quality is not great. Cleanliness is terrible.

I'm giving them a four out of five and I'll tell you why they deserve 5 but they're not going to get you know why because you can't get anything to eat or drink till 4:30 in this place they're a little expensive but again you can't beat the quality of food and they got one of the best wine collections oh my goodness you can pair any bottle of wine to your meal and you will be satisfied

The mining company has significantly gone downhill in the years. Though the staff is friendly, if you're ever seated beside the kitchen you will hear them being rather obnoxious especially in the galley. The service, despite being pretty empty on weekdays can be incredibly slow. Finally, take a look at the menu closely, $22 for the salad bar yet any entree, for example the grilled chicken, is only a dollar more and includes the salad bar as well. Really? Get yourself together ocmc, 22$ for a soup and salad bar? At least the view is nice. But you'll still never be Orange Hill.

Disappointed. The service was excellent. The quality of food has dropped. It seems as if there is a lot of cost cutting. No need to go back

Loved the place and food was good just not enough staff to
serve the size of the crowd..

Bartender was very nice! Had a drink before dinner, sat at a lovely table with the view. Our waitress was on top of it, she spaced out our meals perfectly, very friendly. Food was delicious! Definitely coming back!

Takes too long for food to be served and the steak I ordered wasn't cooked to how I ordered. The place is beautiful. But needs to work better on little details. I would go again for a second review but the price gets me iffy

I was a first timer here and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. I had a steak with great mashed potatoes.