Cedar Creek Inn

Went to this place with some coworkers during Happy Hour. Hands down, the WORST place to come if you enjoy good customer service. Food sucks, management sucks and drinks are overpriced. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, it’s an absolute SHIT HOLE. This was my second time coming to this location and last time I went here, we got some food and drinks during happy hour and we were served complimentary bread with our drinks. However, this time we asked for the complimentary bread again and the waitress ended up charging us for it and refused to take it off our bill because they’ve «never served free bread in this location.» After calling the manager, she had the same attitude towards this situation and ended up finally taking it off the bill. Worst service of my life.

Food was pretty good for 1 o’clock brunch. I had the French dip with french fries. My sister had the salmon with green beans and mashed Potatoes. The service was OK the waiter was not on cue my friend asked for water several times. Overall the food was pretty good. Especially the warm the coconut cake that my sister had with vanilla ice cream. I would come back to try other weekend brunch items.

This restaurant has great potential!
The ambiance is really nice, homey yet also classy. Kind of a cabin feel with fireplaces, outdoor seating is comfy and well thought out. But… something just always seems missing here.
The menu offers a nice variety and everything looks super delicious, however upon presentation I tend to feel like the follow-​through never happened.
A lunch meeting brought me to Cedar Creek for the first time. I’d always wanted to try it, but never really had the opportunity. Here it was! So, I ordered a Caesar salad and the Crab Cakes. The salad was crisp and nice but presentation was lacking a bit and, quite frankly, a bit boring. Crab Cakes sounded amazing… with jalapeño sauce! The cakes were not crunchy on the outside and the inside was mushy, the jalapeño sauce was not spicy at all. The flavor was fine and all tasted *good*. Overall, it was an enjoyable lunch but I think my expectations were high given the prices and the ambiance.
So, back again I went for The Hunny’s office party. We had a limited menu (which is fine and totally understandable). First, we walked in with a very important client and told the hostess what party we were with. She had NO clue what we were talking about, deer in headlights look. She didn’t even go ask someone or anything just shrugged and smiled as if to say «it’s okay because I’m young and cute». We decided to just take a seat at the bar until we found others. We were served our drinks right away with a smile! However, the bartender was more interested in other patrons/​buddies than us and we had to wait quite a while to order another round… in fact we stopped a waitress walking by to see if she would order it for us. Sadly, that worked.
We finally found his company out sitting on the patio, it was a chilly night but we didn’t feel cold at all. Very lovely out there, heated perfectly and seats were comfortable and relaxing. There was a little appetizer bar set up for us with shellfish and other finger foods. Our waiter knocked it out with drink orders! Out here they kept the rounds coming! (I’m guessing it was because it was an office party with an open bar and that helps with their tip?)
Anyway, we ordered. I would say that 85% of us ordered the Swordfish. It was smothered delicately in an absolutely wonderful sauce with capers. This was HANDS DOWN the best Swordfish I’ve ever had! So delicious! My boyfriend doesn’t even like fish and he wished he would have ordered it! We all raved about it!
Other items were chicken and some sort of burger. Nobody at my table ordered the burger but a few did order the chicken and all said it was very dry and lacking flavor. The swordfish plates were practically licked clean and the plates with chicken were wiped off by the busboy in the kitchen, I presume.
On my last, and probably final, visit I ordered the Spinach and Salmon Salad. It seemed like it was going to be a safe option and looked like it was going to be loaded with a circus of fun flavors. My review for the salad = Sigh. :(
I’m going to agree with some other Unilocalers that this food is mainly boring in flavor. It’s sad really, because the menu options could be fantastic! I also think that the staff may need a bit more managing and supervision by someone who wants this place to succeed. Being preoccupied by your social agenda is obvious when being observed by patrons, and I will say that this was happening here especially with the evening staff at the bar and the hostess area.
I may or may not be back, but if I do go back it will be by someone else’s urging. It’s just «eh» to me, just «okay».

Had brunch with the wife for Valentine’s. Great food, nice ambiance, and very friendly and quick service. Definitely coming back to try dinner soon!

Great service and polite staff. Patio setting was so tranquil and inviting. Food was delicious. Will have to save room for their coconut cake next time!

We hosted a bridal shower at Cedar Creek, Brea, and had a wonderful experience!
The managers were very helpful in helping us select the menu and appetizers.
The area they gave us was VERY nice and arranged so comfortably. The food was delicious. The servers were so kind, attentive, and friendly. I think the guests had a good time and
most importantly, I think the bride-​to-​be was happy!

Amazing! Came here for my dad’s birthday it was our first time. Very nice inside. The service was great and we didn’t wait forever for our food. And it was the best dinner we all have had. Everything cooked perfect very flavorful. We were so happy when we left and we were talking about how pleased we were the whole ride home.

Did the bar grub last night, outstanding! Zuni Rolls are off the hook and the Fig and Prosciutto pizza (4 small slices, good bar bite size) simply rocked. The wife had the House Salad with sliced grilled chicken (huge serving) and I the Grilled Cheese and Short Rib Sandwich with Onion Rings was outstanding. Excellent, excellent grub. Tim, our bartender and long time employee, is exceptionally conscientious in tending to each customer. Friendly, attentive and a pleasure to work with. Cocktails are free poured and Tim subscribes to the No Short Pour Policy, as he should. Although we sat at the bar near the house serving station, we wanted for nothing and his tip reflected such. Good job, Tim.
The husband and wife musical dual that plays each Friday and Saturday are just simply the best. They perform songs in the lounge that make the evening very relaxing and comfortable, wonderful musicians and performers.
By the way, you can order off the full house menu if you so desire. The lounge has somewhat limited table and bar seating, so be patient as it is first come, self seating, but worth the wait. The lounge is a great place to chill and graze on a Friday or Saturday night because of the great music, perfect service and wonderful food. This is my second review of The Creek in as many weeks, I think we are back as regulars. We’re going «Up the Creek,» as long as they keep doing what they’re doing.

Ok foodie snobs, standby to standby. I have been engaged in a self-​imposed boycott of Cedar Creek Inn, Brea, for four plus years now. I am a local, I have money to spend on dining to anywhere I choose. But I became very bored with Cedar Creek for two reasons, the menu was boring and the food served was absolutely inconsistent, troubling so. I could order prime rib one night and get a piece of shoe leather, the next time, perfectly cooked and tender. I found that level of inconsistency to be quite consistent. (Consumer lesson #1) I am a food snob, I don’t expect perfection every single time, but for the money I spend, I don’t allow for a lot of wiggle room. We as consumers are paying damn good money for services and I simply expect the food to be served in a reasonable time and I expect quality, flavor and hot food for top dollar, high end restaurants. And frankly, I RARELY have a problem at anyplace I go. To my fellow food consumers, DO NOT allow ANYONE to bully you into accepting crap food or service.
As with my fellow Unilocal peeps, I did a review of Cedar Creek on Saturday when a friend suggested we catch a show and grub at Cedar Creek. Immediately I captured in my mind, the music from the shower scene of Psycho. I checked wth the wife and she suggested we give it a shot because it has been so long and another friend had recently dined there and said all was well. So in checking the Unilocal reviews, it appeared (objectively) that a large majority of the food reviews were very good. However, I saw a pattern of poor service ratings that alarmed me. (Consumer lesson #2) There is no way and no how will I ever tolerate a food server who has «an attitude.» We all have bad days, but you don’t bring it to work if you are in any kind of service industry. I can stay home and be verbally abused by my wife and no cost. But I will be damn if I am going to a restaurant to get treated like trailer trash by a food server or their assistants. I RARELY every have that issue, but if I do, they picked the wrong person as I will immediately call for a manager and I won’t mince words. Additionally, if my service is mediocre with a splash of attitude or slow service that is because a server is checking her email/​messages, but it is borderline to complain to the manager and the meal itself was really excellent, a very simple solution. You reflect your displeasure in your tip, no exceptions and perhaps grab the manager on the way out. «Hey Steve, you kitchen was on their game tonight, excellent chow. But your food server blew and her tip reflected it.» They give him a quick rundown. I guarantee that was not their first complaint.
The Cedar Creek menu has been completely revamped since my wife and I last dined. Wonderful lunch, bar and dinner menus, something for everyone. A HUGE improvement. Kudos to the decision makers, you done good.
Tonight, I had the meatloaf. Perfectly cooked, excellent ingredients, ample portions and sides. The wife had the Stuffed Chicken, excellent but just a tiny bit dry, but no cause to send it back, quite tasty. A little more sauce would have fixed that. My buddy had the Cedar Plank Salmon. I hate salmon, makes me gag. She forced me to try a bite, it was wonderful. I would order that in a heartbeat and photograph my consumption for historical purposes. No oily or gamey taste. Great smoke, perfect seasoning. I was shocked. Her boyfriend had the special, John Dory with a butter sauce. Just as good as the Summit House and the risotto was outstanding. An absolute outstanding meal. AND THE SERVICE WAS PERFECT, ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I am sorry for not catching our server’s name, but she rocked. Food was served promptly, as ordered, she followed up with us after every dish and a quick in-​between for wine/​beer refills and just asked if we needed anything. The house was virtually at 100% the entire time we were their, but our service never was subpar. EXCELLENT SERVICE, thank you Mam.
A shout out to the night manager, Jackie (I hope that is correct). I stopped to commend HER on the meal. The manager sets the tone, they hold everyone to a standard, they are at fault for tolerating a problem employee or poor food coming out the kitchen as it is their responsibility to make sure everything is running properly. As such, they rarely receive any commendations when things are right. Well Jackie, you are doing your job and you are doing it well and I commend you.
The bottom line, my personal observations and experiences at Cedar Creek is what ever problems were of the past have been corrected. Great menu, great service, great value, great food. Can’t wait to return. I call ‘em as I see ‘em.

The food here is delicious however the customer service is spotty which seems to be a common issue based on many of the other reviews. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful — very romantic.
The prime rib was very tasty & cooked perfectly rare which was a real treat. The coconut cake was the best cake of any kind I’ve ever had.
The customer service was hit or miss — our waitress was very cool but when we initially arrived we couldn’t get the host to acknowledge us as he was on the phone for several minutes — not even a quick nod to let us know he saw us/​would be with us in a moment. Multiple other people have mentioned that the host/​hostess station is a weak point for this establishment so hopefully management takes some action to resolve that. Same thing with the waiter that brought our salads — he popped them on our table & walked away without asking if we needed anything else (water refills or fresh pepper). Over all is pretty inconsistent whether the employee you have to deal with at any given time will be friendly/​pleasant or will be curt/​rude.
Overall if you are coming for a specific dish or once in a while I would say give this place a go but making it a regular spot is less likely.

This review is for service only.
We were a party of 4 celebrating a birthday. We ordered drinks and o’derves. Our order was taken and salads were brought before we could finish our o’derves. Our main course was quickly brought out and I had to actually finish my salad while holding it as there was no room at the booth. It was a very rushed experience.

Dear Server,
When a customer asks for a glass of rosé, please don’t aggressively offer white zinc because «it’s pink, too» and then defensively proclaim your «over 3 decades of experience» after a customer responds with that those are two different wines and then follow up with a sweet German white wine recommendation which again was incomparable. You became confrontational and made us uncomfortable.
Please do not hover over your customers with plates of food in your hands while impatiently waiting for your customers to move their salad and bread plates for you.
Dear Chef,
The «Short Ribs» was pot roast. It was okay but not short ribs. The Jon Dory special was delicious. Wish I ordered this like my fellow diner. Green beans were perfect.
Dear GM,
The distinct bacterial «old sponge» odor permeating the dining area and the front of the house was unappetizing.

Very disappointed with my dinner tonight. The waiter recommended the special halibut. It was so dry and had no flavoring. When the waiter asked how everything was I made a funny noise and it was almost like he didn’t even realize I was unhappy because he said great and I said no. I asked for more of the sauce that was on it and he brought lemons too. I used the lemons and sauce with lots of pepper and salt to doctor it up best I could. I then wanted some more lemons and waited and waited and waited for the waiter to check on us. I finally asked the bus guy to get him and I got some more lemons finally.
The waiter was just odd with my mom to. She is older and I ordered for her but she had some questions. He could have addressed her and explained but he didn’t. And then he was like bothered that I didn’t know what one thing was.
I tasted my moms New York Strip and it was not flavorful at all… albeit she got it medium well so I don’t know how it would have been medium rare.
This is my first time here… I won’t go back.

I love when restaurants try to convince you that, «this is the way it’s always been,» when your memory tells you otherwise. Cedar Creek Inn Brea​is a restaurant my family and I have visited every Thanksgiving for the past four to five years. They’ve always had the same pre-​fix menu for Thanksgiving that includes a relish plate, either a salad or soup, your entrée (either a healthy portion of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & cranberry sauce; prime rib or salmon) and a dessert (pumpkin pie or holiday pie) — in that order.
Our server asked us if we’d like anything to drink and I asked for a wine list. She brought over the wine list and it only showed bottles. I asked our server if they sold wine by the glass and her response was, «you asked for the wine list, so, I brought you the wine list.» I responded in my head, «ok, smart a*s b*tch,» but I responded out loud, «yes, but I thought it would also show the wines by the glass. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.» She replies, «that’s ok, I will bring you that menu.»
Now, our food arrives and apparently, I hadn’t realized I stepped into some bizarro world where the relish plate comes after we were well into our entrée, which was about half the size it had been in previous Thanksgivings. How do I know this? We had absolutely zero leftovers, where in years past, we had an ample amount of leftovers to take home and feast on for the next few days.
Then the kicker of it all was that there was no dessert included. Now, a simple, «yeah, we’re really sorry, but we don’t include dessert anymore,» would’ve been fine, however, our server insisted that it had been that way for the past four years. I mentioned to her that, «my memory must be playing tricks on me.»
And then I started thinking: how does one specifically remember something not happening for four years? I can see, the server saying something like, «it’s been that way for a couple years,» or, «the past few years,» but to recall a specific number of years something hasn’t happened makes no sense to me. And then it hit me: maybe the servers were fed that line in the hopes that the patrons would believe it and not think twice about it. Well, I must apologize because that did not work.
Why try and deceive your customers? And since I abhor when servers tell me, «this is the way it’s always been,» or, «this is how it’s been for the past four years,» when I know that that isn’t the case, I cannot in good conscience go back to Cedar Creek Inn because that’s the way I’ve always been — at least for the past four years.
(Take this post for what you will — go to Cedar Creek Inn, don’t go to Cedar Creek Inn, it doesn’t really matter, but just know that this happened to me and that it is not a reflection on their food. It is a reflection on them as a restaurant and also that I don’t go to restaurants that try and deceive their customers. And if you need a restaurant to go to, I can recommend you places that do don’t pull this…)

Went here for the first time last week. It’s definitely a place for the snowbirds.
Ordered the organic chicken breast, which turned out to be kind of dry. On the side I got mashed potatoes, which were heavenly, and broccolini which was nothing special.
Would go back here for the mashed potatoes alone, and to try other things. I’ve heard that they have good salads.

Quality food cooked classically. My only complaint was that it was «boringly» classic, like a really well made dinner at home. For example, the chocolate cake had chocolate chips and was moist and delicious. But, instead of chocolate chips, add some chocolate covered espresso beans or some Kahlua in the frosting. Another example, the seasoned Filet Mignon… add a touch of truffle or red wine glaze instead of just garlic butter.
Portions were medium sized, which is pretty good for an upscale restaurant.
Super quiet restaurant with good service.

I came here for a private party and was pleasantly surprised. Their private room/​patio is spacious and airy, perfect for cool weather nights. If the weather turns to cold there’s a large gas fireplace to warm things up. Our group’s prix-​fixe menu was full of traditional American fare like a house salad with apples, spiced walnuts, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. Entrees consisted of a tender, honey-​herb chicken with silky smooth mashed potatoes and vegetables and a bold coffee crusted charbroiled New York strip with a whiskey sauce, also with potatoes and vegetables. A creamy white chocolate raspberry cheesecake ended the meal.

Quick: Good food, nice place
Pros: Coconut cake, wedge salad, bread sticks
Cons: Mains are fair but not spectacular. Salmon, braised beef, La Paz Pasta
Cedar Creek Inn is a beautiful establishment, a bit on the elder lodge side but elegantly so. A great place for friends to get together for a celebratory dinner or intimate get together. The venue is nice and spacious. Service was good, a great all around place to be.
The food should meet expectations all around. My personal favorites are the coconut cake, which must’ve been hit with a moisture bomb because we were just feeling that yummy cake slice. Surprisingly I found the wedge salad very good. Crisp and refreshing and their breadstick game is good as well.
The main dishes were ok, but not top notch, as the expectation is set with the look and feel of the venue. Salmon and braised beef were adequate in my opinion. The La Paz Pasta was actually disappointing on flavor. It wasn’t very rich in flavor and didn’t really have any character. Hard to describe.
Overall I would return to Cedar Creek. I had a good time there and enjoyed the food reasonably.

The customer service here is impeccable! Which is the reason why I gave it one star. They have nice live music as well. Really nice workers who are super friendly and accommodating.
However, the food is not good. I ordered their prime rib and It was probably the worst one I’ve ever eaten. All fat, no meat, and bland. Their dessert options are hugely portioned so it’s good to share if you want a quick bite of sweets +1 star.
However, that’s all I can say about the food here. Sorry Cedar creek.
I felt like I was eating inside a retirement home. I couldn’t swallow my food. I was literally the youngest person there. All 55+ senior folks dining here on a random Wednesday night. I wonder why…
Will not come back again to dine here.

Oc Restaurant Week Lunch Menu
Lobster Cappuccino: 4.5 stars
Not overly salty which I like because most places make it way too salty which isn’t good for your health. There was small pieces of lobster in this bisque. I did not taste any of the brandy cream that was supposed to be in here, I guess it’s very light.
CCs Planked Salmon: 4.5 stars
Salmon was moist & well done but the glaze tasted too much like soy sauce & salty instead of maple soy glaze. The whole grain mashed mustard potatoes was delicious because the mustard seeds gave the mashed potatoes a nice mustard after taste.
Coconut Supreme Cake: 4.5 stars
Very moist coconut cake so if you like coconut then you’ll love
this cake. The vanilla bean ice cream was good with flecks of vanilla beans.
Service: B+
Attentive & nice service but she forgot to bring out the complimentary birthday ice cream & brownie.
Overall: 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this OC Restaurant Week, I will definitely come back to this restaurant to try the regular menu. I wish that other restaurants would follow & make it a good experience for customers also.