Restaurants near Ocean Center

Awesome Eastern European food. A real gem. Server was very informative and engaging. Portions were huge. Very casual and unpretentious vibe for such elevated cuisine. Better food than most fine dining/white tablecloth restaurants. Prices seem low for the outstanding quality and portion size. It’s in the Oceanwalk complex of tourist traps and bars/clubs geared to younger people and families with children. Has a few wine and beer selections, but would benefit from a full bar and expanded beer and wine list. Perhaps the only true foodie destination in that area. And the only authentic Eastern European food in within 20 miles. Worthy of driving in from Ormond, Port Orange, or New Smyrna. While we tend to avoid the area due to the crowds and expensive parking, we will definitely be back, and soon!

Christmas Eve Dinner engagement. Everyone was amazing except for 1 waiter not servicing our table. I was preparing to propose to my sweetheart at the end of diner and moved my chair closer to her to be more intimate for the moment and I know I was in the isle but it was going to be a brief moment and I was rudely interrupted a server immediately while I was prosing. I completely understood why but the rudeness of this individual was completely uncalled for. As an attempt to briefly explain the purpose of my position was to propose. I moved my chair back and lightly tapped the server on the should to request his attention and a brief moment to explain he immediately got defensive and abruptly DO NOT TOUCH ME. I apologized by my approach was not to offend or make a scene but everyone else around us noticed his demeanor. I explained what I was preparing to do and he responded too bad you are not going to block the isle way. I quickly realized this serve was going to create a scene so due to the nature of the situation I would step away and return to my sweetheart and finish my proposal. Later our servers and the manager came to apologize and offer a free desert and anything else the could do to make the best of the moment. I am grateful for all the service and the manager’s attention to make the best of moment that was to be very a positive romantic moment for us. We are from Columbus, Ohio where there are 3 amazing Hyde Park Restaurants and we usually dine during special family moments and frequent romantic dates and will continue to dine at those locations where we are a valued customer and provided superior service and exceptional food. Maybe this server was having a bad day but he had no right to destroy our evening with in a split second. I truly hope management will address this servers behavior and not allow him to ruin another couples special moment. If the manager of this location in Daytona Beach received this review I’m sure he will know.

My wife and I debated eating Christmas Eve dinner at home, but at the last minute, I received an email from the Chart House promoting their Christmas dinner prix fixe menu. Mindful of the need to shop and purchase food, prepare it, and then clean up afterward, we opted quickly to dine out. We do frequent the Chart House for special occasions and are never disappointed. This was no different this time. We made an advance reservation on OpenTable, arrived a bit early, and with a minimal wait time, we were seated at our table with the requested window view. Our server, Austin, greeted us and thanked us for dining with him on Christmas Eve. My wife and I both ordered Prosecco cocktails and savored the fresh baked rolls and crackers that were brought to us. My wife opted for the Chilean Sea Bass entree, whereas I selected the filet mignon with grilled shrimp surf and turf. We both selected New England clam chowder as our starter course and the chowder was full of clams, which is rare to find in most chowders that typically have more broth than clams. My wife was delighted with her Sea Bass, and my filet was cooked to perfection with a delectable charred taste that added great flavor to the beef. The shrimp were the jumbo size and totaled six in number, accompanied by what Chart House calls 3 mashed potatoes, which I presume meant a combination of three different types, which were delightful as well. The filet cut was appreciatively large and cooked to perfection. Topping off our dinner, we both enjoyed Chocolate Lava Cake, accompanied by a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect dining experience, we had a water view, and it confirmed that our decision to eat out was the best idea of the night. Austin was attentive, and personable and took the time to snap our pictures at the tableside so we would be able to have a permanent record of our delightful evening for many years to come.

Everything was incredible and the food was delicious! Going back again tonight!