Ventana Grill Events Team Reviews

Pricey but we'll worth it. Our food was prepared perfectly. Steak, Salmon and fish and chips. Each person very happy with their meal.

Food was good if a bit pricey - the cost of a beachfront restaurant, I guess.
Wait staff was fine.
Reservations and Hostess had an attitude!!
Upon entering we spoke with the hostess. No we didn't have reservations. A couple behind us discussed their lack of reservations.
As we were being seated we requested a window table and were told it was reserved.
The reservationless couple were seated at that table about 5 minutes later. When we mildly complained, we got no meaningful response - "it was marked reserved on the computer". Upon leaving we asked the hostess about this and got the same answer. No apologies, just a blank stare.

Had a memorable dinner here the other night. Unfortunately we got here to late to enjoy their killer views, outside the windows was pitch black, but the food and hospitality of staff made up for it. I ordered a tasty rocks(once your in your 30's you realize the only drinks that should be consumed frozen are for kids and come from 7-11) margarita Cadillac style, I guess that means extra Grand Marnier, and a bowl of clam chowder to start. Pismo Beach is known for clams, if I remember my Bugs Bunny cartoons correctly, and these were big sized chunks of clam in a thick chowder broth, servers with the tastiest toasted cheesy ciabatta rolls. Also brought out were complementary fresh made soft tortillas and salsa varieties and cinnamon butter as a starter.
When it came time to order our server Nina really shined, she knew the menu inside out, and offered the evenings specials. The crusted pacific salmon was interesting me but I was kind of on the fence between that and the molcajete. She insisted I order the salmon, when I continued to hedge, she offered to bring me out anything else on the menu if I wasn't thrilled with it. That self awareness only comes from having total confidence in your sourcing of food and talented kitchen staff. This is how all restaurants should be, but so very few are. That she would take ownership of my satisfaction and I wouldn't have to ask for a manager, explain what was wrong, potentially risk an embarrassing encounter was all very impressive. I got the impression that the staff as a whole exuded that empowered and confidence, which in a vacation dining scenario was all the more impressive. And Nina was 100% correct, the pacific salmon was terrific. Finally after a great meal in a great setting, I did need to speak to the manager, Jonathan, to let Jim know what a great time we had at the Ventana, and we would definitely let others know. So if you happen to be in Piano Beach, and want something beyond the usual tourist trap fare, I highly recommend Ventana Grill.

Coastal mexican fusion at it's best. The flavours are unique and the specials are always interesting after you've tried everything on the menu. Fresh hand made tortillas! You can watch them making tortillas right in the restaurant, they serve them with condiments as a free app.

Came here for lunch and had a nice table at the window with an amazing ocean view.
Staff is very friendly and helpful. Service is fast and the food is nice.

The food was quite nice, however, belong to the higher price hire. The waiting time was about 30 minutes.

The people were very nice and made the evening more enjoyable with their presence

Food and view of the ocean was amazing. Recommend!

Excellent food and service, little pricy but worthed!

Yummy all the way around! Wonderful views of the water!! Food portions were good sized!

This place is beautiful inside and the food is done well and with finesse.

Delicious food, great service, and a beautiful view of the sunset!

We took some photos of the sunset while we waited for dinner here. They had outdoor seating and we waited over two hours for our food. We watched the sun go down and it was night time when we finally got our food. When we did get our meal, they apologized profusely saying how busy they are and that the cooks lost our order somewhere in the kitchen. They set it aside and forgot about us, so we got a 30% discount for the wait. I would think for that kind of wait, our meal would at least be decent, but it was okay. I ordered a salad and sopes, but it wasn't that good. I would consider the prices here expensive, but you are paying for the view not the quality of the food.
We would have left if we knew we were going to be waiting that long but we already paid for our food. At least we had a great view as we watched the sun go down.

Atmosphere, delicious, fresh hand made tortillas, great drinks and service.

The food was incredible. The drinks we're really tasty, and the view was glorious. No room for dessert.

ordered shrimp cocktail not your authentic Mexican cocktail. sauce was sweet yuk..

Seated quickly without a reservation for a sunset table. Good service. Good food. Great view.

Picture is of their back deck which is easily the best waiting area of any restaurant ever. Seriously, our short wait was almost a bad thing because of how nice it is out there.

Very nice experience. Excellent service. Fine and hearty cuisine. Beautiful setting.

So so so good! After second visit, I'm convinced that this place is worth the stop. Not only is the food great, the views amazing. I'd you can, try to get a window seat.

A very good menu variety and very consistent with their food and drink. Love the ocean view from every table.

Great views, fantastic service, and a tasty, diverse menu. Make a reservation!

The view from the bar is amazing! Make reservations in advance to avoid the wait time. If not I just drop in and have a brew on the patio enjoying the Pacific Ocean front row view in the central coast California!!! The food is high quality everything on the menu is gold!

Food was good, and our server was great.

The hostess situation needs work. We came in for the first time for early dinner, and the place only had a few customers. The hostess walked us to the worst table which is right next to the water/computer table the servers use during shift. We requested a table by the window so we could see the ocean. We were told by the hostess "no because they probably have reservations". There were about 6 or 7 open booths, and about 5 open tables closer to the water. Why were we put at the worst one? I verbally told her that I felt like this was the worst table. She just smiled like she didn't care and said "enjoy your meal". We were right about the horrible placement of the table. Servers kept just standing less than a foot behind our chairs for long periods of time while they observed their customers from a distance. Quite uncomfortable when you are having a romantic night out. The most aggravating thing about this was that after 1.5 hours almost all of the booths and tables were STILL EMPTY. Very unprofessional and frustrating.

All dishes were more than wonderful,
Real vue for money,
Service was outstanding, especially Sergio, was so helpful and prompt.
Highly recommended!!

Great cocktails while watching a giant pod of dolphins swim by! Awesome

Very good food at $$ prices. Lovely views of the ocean, truly a wonderful dining experience.

The food was gorgeous, worth the 40 minute wait for a table as we had not made a reservation.
Lovely outlook to the Pacific.
Staff were really helpful with the menu.

I went on a date there, it was amazing: eating delicious food with ocean view, couldn't ask for more!

Love it!
Just take a look at the pictures!
Nothing better than to eat with that view and some mezcal!

Stopped for the view which is great and the food is just as good as the view. Extremely clean, great staff. Their take in ceviche is interesting felt a bit more like nachos. Theis stake salad was really good.

Had the fish and chips for lunch with a glass of malbec--very good experience. Restaurant boasts beautiful views, good service, clean and inviting atmosphere.

The staff and the settings are fabulous! Great views of the ocean. The staff is awesome, from Sammantha the bartender to Bill the manager everything was a great experience.

Great Brunch and live music. Beautiful view and people.

Truly outstanding, fresh fine food , seated bass was inspired, squid fresh and seasoned to perfection.

Definitely on the fancier side of restaurant dining - it was perfect for a work event! We had a few of our colleagues who aren't based in SLO here for training so we wanted them to get a good meal while experiencing the ocean view.

First off, the view is gorgeous! There is an attached balcony that you can go out to and see the ocean, and there were whales!

We got a ton of starters to share and then everyone got their own individual dish. For the starters, we got the Alaskan halibut ceviche (tasty but hard to eat, I wish it was just a plate of ceviche that you can scoop some onto your place), sweet chipotle chili wings (simple, nothing too special - classic wings but I wish they were stronger on the chili and less on the sweet), and carne asada nachos (messy but super tasty, everyone seemed to like those). The waitress suggested we get two of each for about nine people. That was a good suggestion if we weren't going to get individual entrees, a lot of us were too full to eat after the appetizers. I think one of each would have been plenty.

I also ordered the sopa azteca, it was super flavorful and the perfect size. For my entree, I ordered the sauteed vegetable enchiladas. I wanted to go for a meat or seafood dish but I wasn't hungry enough for a heavier dish. However, the vegetable enchiladas were super heavy as well, I ended up taking it home and they were great for leftovers.

For dessert, we shared the mud pie and amaretto flan. Both were super tasty, but I'm glad I shared the different flavors with the group.

For the price, this place is worth it. Beautiful views, large portions, great variety. We used a limited menu for our group, and it was plenty. We were also able to modify dishes for a vegan option for someone at the table which was perfect.

I'd love to come back for another meal, maybe try out their brunch/lunch options!

We had a party of four, everyone was very pleased with the appetizers, entrees and bar drinks. The wait staff was very friendly and the view is gorgeous as well.

Great atmosphere, food, and service with generally reasonable prices as well. You really can t go wrong dining here.

Wow! What a wonderful location to experience the coastal view... It offers Ambience, the Menu has a diverse selection & the Staff are Welcoming & Efficient.
Dear Friends treated me to a Birthday dinner, which was topped off by an ice cream dessert with a candle. What a surprise
Jeff (our server)was attentive to our meal experience.
Thank you, Ventana Grill for a wonderful evening.

There were 3 in our party 08/18 2020 and we just loved our meals . We started with tha shrimp cocktail (wonderful) with chips and salsas also warmed tortillas with cinnamon butter. Entrees were fish and chips, hamburger and pork chop ,they were all cooked perfectly and tasted fabulous. Our server was FANTASTIC, so friendly and very attentive .

The view is what really sells this place. My wife ordered a southwestern salad. Kind of bland, no flavor or spice kick. Daughters scallops we average. Had bigger ones at the Ocean Grill, Avila Beach. Beer was good at $4 for the large glass. Margaritas tasted like non-alcholic drink. Probably will not go back.

Ventana Grill is a restaurant with good food and an amazing view. The view you get from being perched on the edge of a cliff is breathtaking. Their seafood pasta is reasonably priced and is a very large portion. It doesn't skimp on the seafood either!

This is our third visit that alone should say a lot

The waitress was appalling! We were there celebrating my wife's birthday. That waitress unprofessional and unbecoming of the position.

Will not be returning.

Perfect place!
Friendly waiters, magnificent views of the ocean and tender sea bass ...!

Great views, service and best of all the food was excellent! Try the carne asada nachos, you won't be disappointed.

Excellent food for a fair price. Marvelous view over the beach.

Great food, friendly staff, great manager Jonathan always visits the table to make sure everything is perfect!

Delicious food, wonderful atmosphere and an incredible view!!!

It was great like always for the past at least 7 years

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner and had a great experience. We were seated quickly and the staff were nice and attentive. We ordered sangria and margaritas for drinks, then we had the calimari (the chipotle sauce was great), swordfish special and shrimp & scallop. We were checked on often and the atmosphere was lovely.

Food was very good however the service was very bad! The hostess was unwelcoming, abrupt and unpersonable. Our waitress lacked personality and professionalism. The only friendly person was the food runner. He was very accomodating.

The best food in the best atmosphere with the best service so far in the states. If you are in the near do not forget to have diner here. The recommended starter was delicious, recommended T bone great, pork chop great. Desserts great. Price for this quality food, absolutely right and worth your money. If compared to the eifeltower restaurant in Las Vegas with the "famous" chef this is more tasty food for a better price. I am from europe and have been eating in a lot of restaurants all over the world.

this place is a high end wine & dine over looking the ocean. the food here is always great, the drinks are always great, and the service here is awesome! and when it comes to the price a couple buying 2 drinks each, appetizer's, and entrees, can easily leave paying $150 bucks but trust me it will be well deserved.im no slouch when it comes to my food n drink taste. at 6'2" 205lbs, with drinking experience and the appetite of a grizzly i can tell you the portions are plentiful, the drinks are not for novice drinkers, and all the food, condiments, drinks, etc, are all made in house. take your boss here and they will be impressed. take your significant other here an they will tell you how great of idea it was to come here. ventana grill will be around for a long time.

Great views at sunset! Lots of glass and an outdoor, wraparound balcony. Great service. Food was top notch!

Very good restaurant The food of good quality, the atmosphere is pleasant and the view is beautiful

Incredible setting. Even better food. Amazing cocktails. Very impressed, will be sure to stop by everytime we're in the area

Good food, good cocktails, priced right, excellent service.

AMAZING VIEWS!!!!

Great super good food. Friendly staff, reservation recommended.

Very good affordable food and a beautiful view of the Pacific

Fabulous food, inconsistent fast and slow service depending on if they notice you or not. Don't be afraid to grab a waiter if you've been waiting a long time. Did I say great food? Yep.

God food, good service, great ocean view, nice atmosphere !

Went with no reservation, waited for only half an hour near sunset, we got a perfect table with a great view. Both the bar staff and the waiter were some of the nicest people we've met, genuine and super nice and were an absolute pleasure to hang out with. The food was great, I managed about two bites of my main as the starter was so big. Luckily it was an insanely good salad, and i took it for me and my wife for lunch up to the big sur and it was still amazing. If you like the food, buy the steak salad for lunch for the next day, its amazing!!

Great food, awesome service (from Hannah) and will be back again!

Very good value for the quality of the food and the ocean view setting. Three of us had a starter and a main, one also had a beer, another a glass of wine, and the bill with tip came to just over $100. We didn t have room for desserts, the mains are a good size. The Azteca soup and the chowder are very tasty, and the sea bass is superb. Service is very good, and the waitress recommended a glass of a local Pinot noir that was excellent. One of our favourite meals in recent memory.

Beautiful setting. Staff was very nice. We came in around 3:30 for a late lunch /lupper and were able to get a table with ocean view and took some nice pictures. Food was tasty and overall great experience. The place was packed which is an indication how good it was. The only negative is I was not able to get through on the phone to make reservation. I kept getting an automated service. I tried several times. We ended up taking a chance and we got lucky to just walk in and get a table but would have preferred to make reservation. Would go there again in a heartbeat. If I lived there it would qualify as one of my favorites.

Amazing location, good food, great service. Saw the sunset during dinner... it was breath taking..

This place had great food. The view of ocean is awesome. I had some good tequila, I even chased it with a blood orange covered with cinnamon. Try it! If you make sour face after tequila, try it this way. Also get some good tequila. It should be smooth , no jose cuervo or montezuma.

Awesome food, service and friendly staff!! Would highly reccomend.