Tartan Room

Went here for my Husbands birthday, we love dive bar/​restaurants so we felt at home here. However, the food was off that night. The steak was so bland and dry that I could barely finish it. However, the ambiance, the waitress and the damn good Midori Sour made up for it. Hopefully it was just an off day, may try this place again.

Every town deserves a Tartan Room and I’m so glad Orange is worthy of an establishment like this because when I’m in an old crooner mood and want to hang somewhere a Vegas mobster might enjoy, I can rely on the Tartan Room. Sure it shares a parking lot with the cats-​only cat vet and ok it’s basically where the Von’s delivery dock would be but it’s still SO cool! Imagine a vintage steakhouse, with red vinyl booths, dark lighting, and deep martini glasses, then give a trashy-​well-​worn feel and you’re there! Stopped by last week and had the privilege of enjoying a cover guitarist who was doing the Eagles, George Strait, and Jimmy Buffet, it was really fun. The waitresses here are so lovely and nice too, they treat everyone with warmth. The only reason I had to deduct 1 star is the food, it’s medicore at best, but it’s also moderately priced, so expectations are low when your prime rib is only $ 22. Had it been a $ 39 prime rib, this review would have gone in whole different direction. The Tartan Room is amazing, best martini in town!!!

First time there and I say at the bar since I was alone. It was hard to adjust to the lighting since it was 12pm and bright outside. The inside was very pretty compared to what it looks like outside. It’s definitely somewhere you can go for a nice dinner out.
The bartender was very nice and friendly. There were regulars as expected at any lunch bar, and they were friendly too. I ordered a Stella and the bacon wrapped filet lunch with the twice baked potato. It was perfectly cooked and the sides were yummy. I ate quickly since I was on a short lunch but it only took about 20 minutes for the meal to arrive since arriving. I thoroughly enjoyed my first time and I’ll be back again. Maybe I’ll try their lobster or pasta next. Prices were what they would be for any nice dining experience, totaling $ 27.
Reason it was not 5 stars — lighting adjustment was hard and there was no one to ask if you would like a table or a self seating sign. Bit embarrassing if you just stood there waiting. Thankfully I knew I wanted the bar either way.

I don’t even know where to start with this place.
I get along very well with my parents but I am pretty angry with them for not telling me about the Tartan Room. Apparently they went many times while I played Nintendo being babysat in the 80’s but once my brother and sister were old enough, they stopped attending. About twelve years ago I called them after my first visit and said «Why haven’t you told me about the Tartan Room?» and they were befuddled at their own error since we have lived in Orange for so long.
So you have already seen the five stars. I freaking love this place. Dark. Throwback. STRONG drinks and fantastic appetizers. Your host, Mas, is also your proprietor. I have been going enough to be able to build a rapport with him. He is a great guy who really takes the quality and longevity of his restaurant to heart. I appreciate he has tried to preserve the chrm of the original location off of La Veta and Main near CHOC and St. Joes.
If you learn anything from my review, get the dinner salad with the Roquefort (bleu cheese) dressing. If you don’t like beets (I LOVE THEM) ask them to hold the beets. Its a simple dinner salad but I truly believe the dressing is to die for. Everyone I have mentioned this to thanks me. Do yourself a favor.
I usually order a surf and turf combo of a bacon wrapped filet with fried shrimp. My side is almost always a twice baked potato. I have had most specials which have always been fantastic and have pescatarian friends who enjoy the seafood offerings. I have failed to find something I did not think was excellent.
The service is fantastic with some of the servers/​bussers being long time employees. If you are looking for modern, upsell, same scripted questions and responses ala Chilis or Olive Garden, you have come to the wrong place. The servers, bartenders, and bussers are all old school and I find a true delight to interact with. This place could seriously be in 1960 if it weren’t for the patron’s attire and I mean that as a HUGE compliment.
Cocktails are strong, wine is priced well, and live entertainment is great on weekends. There are welcoming regulars at the bar and a disco ball in a separate dining/​dance room.
I hope this place never ever closes down. Mas if you are reading this, I will buy it and continue the legacy.
(Bonus points if you take your date to the Fling after this to continue the theme of your already awesome evening)

All previous reviews are still in effect but now the Thursday specials tend to include an Italian offering. I like the lasagna and the sausage + peppers. Check it out.

Been dying to go based on reviews! Our server was Kim and she was a doll. Nice and attentive but genuine and real. Cosmo was excellent and only $ 7 (are you kidding me?). Loved the dinner salad and the made-​from-​scratch dressing. I had the pork chops and they were nicely cooked and flavorful. Not a fancy place but quiet, strong drinks, decent food and fair prices. Will definitely be adding this local place to our rotation of restaurants in Orange!

It was our 36^th anniversary and my husband made the reservation. When we arrived, they had no reservation but the place could seat us. This is a tale of 2 different opinions. My husband ordered the top sirloin, French Fries, and a salad. He enjoyed his meal, but did not like the garlic bread, which was covered in something orange. Also the vegetables were overcooked and mushy. Because I am having speech problems and choking, I could not order the salad, so I chose the soup. It must have been out of a can. It had no flavor and was allegedly beef vegetable. I could not eat it. Tasteless. I ordered the beef oscar. For $ 30 I thought it would be tasty. But the filets were full of gristle and hard to cut. There was hardly any crabmeat on it and the stuffed potato was covered in the orange stuff. Luckily I will never try this restaurant again. My husband would, but I would not.

My quest to find a Monte Cristo sandwich that rivals the one inside of Disneyland. This time I was directed to the Tartan Room in Orange which serves a version of this iconic sandwich on the lunch menu. Once I heard about it being on the menu it was a must try for me.
This Monte Cristo is definitely different then the one at Disneyland. The sandwich at Disneyland is encapsulated in deep fried goodness. The one from Tartan Room is served on more of French toast style bread. That being said this an excellent rendition of a Monte Cristo. The bread was eggy, soft and fluffy without being too sweet. The slices of meat were tender and the cheese was melted and gooey. My only criticism would be too much powdered sugar for my liking. I very much enjoyed my meal and could easily order this again. Did it beat Disneyland? The answer would have to be no. They are two different styles of the same sandwich and I guess I am partial to the golden brown, deliciousness that comes from Disneyland. However if you are craving such awesomeness and cannot make it to the Happiest Place on Earth then this would be a fantastic substitute.

I ordered the prime rib rare with the twice backed potato and salad with there house blue cheese to go. My prime rib was more like medium and very chewy. Lacked flavor and the normal melt in your mouth I have had from other places. The potato I had high expectations after my Unilocal investigation and it let me down. It was dry and also lacked flavor. The blue cheese dressing was amazing and salad pretty big and colorful. I was really looking forward to some rare meet and got dry chewy instead with an excellent salad. I will not come back here again.

omgggggg chicken oscar soooooo yummy!!! mikes a great bartender, his personality makes it hard to leave! great place to dine and to have a couple drinks! i recommend this place to anybody and everybody! great hole in the wall!

An old and established restaurant with a staff that is welcoming and professional.
The menu is tried and true American, and has been refined over the years to bring
quality at a reasonable price to the diners.
My wife had the salmon special, I opted for the shrimp scampi.
Both entrees were superb! A soup or salad was included, and we both had Caesar salad which had a delicious dressing.
Portions are ample, and the wine very reasonably priced.
This is a great neighborhood go-​to place.
Oh, and the bar is active, with live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Went to Tartan Room for lunch today and I was not disappointed. Ordered the Chopped Beef Steak which was cooked to perfection with some Au Jus on the side. The Salad that comes with lunch is Amazing! It has Pickled Beets, cucumber, red onions, Croutons And ROQUEFORT salad dressing Tossed! Yum! Had a Very Nice Cocktail to make it complete.

What a waste of time, money, and hunger.
I would ONLY go back, for the bar, to sample the «strong» drinks I read about.
My boyfriend and I went for dinner on a Tuesday night. We walked in and there’s not an employee to seat you or one you even saw! A local fellow walked in behind us and said to seat ourselves. It took about 5 minutes to get a drink order in, and at least 10 more before our order was taken by the one elderly lady working as a waitress. Then forever to get your food! I’m sure she’s wonderful to locals and has been there forever, but her customer service skills were embarrasingly horrible. Never checked on us to refill drinks (a bus boy did occasionally, when they were already near empty), or how our food was or to clear our plate or to bring our check!!! Hello!!! I ordered the Prime Rib medium and enjoyed 4 brown bites. The rest was too pink to cut with the wanna-​be steak knives and after attempting to chew it, I spit it back out into my napkin! There was still about ¼ cup worth of fat I trimmed off too! The vegetables were also so bland. No seasoning at all! My guy ordered the beef oscar and that was of «Sizzler steak quality». The prices are so astronomically inflated, that even the coupon made the experience still unfathomable. I give this place 2 stars for the fried shrimp that was palatable and the seafood type soup (but watch out for the shelled crab they throw in there and can hide under the orange broth and break a tooth). Disappointed galore and this is the first time I’ve been so unhappy after many Unilocal bookmarked places I have, as a foodie.

They serve the number 1 prime rib in town. Definitely the kind of prime rib that I would love on a dinner date.
Service was also great bit bad on the middle but I think its also good.
The place also has nice ambiance. Great place.

My wife and I came for lunch. We started with cocktails, which were very good and reasonably priced.
We ordered the House Salad with Fresh greens with tomato, onion, beets and boiled egg. We had it with Roquefort Blue Cheese and it comes tossed. The salad was delicious. Lunch also comes with Garlic bread.
I had the Chopped Beef Steak (ground top sirloin), perfectly cooked, My wife had the pork chop with Apple Sauce, very good. We both had the Twice baked potatoes which were awesome!
Service was friendly and professional

I have lived in Orange since 1982 and never eaten here! What a diamond in the rough! The prime rib melts in your mouth. I think their prime rib was even better than the Ranch for about ½ the price!
Great coupon of buy one get ½ off.

Nice place, very dark inside. Pause a few seconds inside the front door to let your eyes adjust so you won’t walk into a table. Don’t ask how I know this!
Tip: For lunch get the Chefs Special Lunch. Great steak! Plus the stuffed potatoe is very good.
Service is slow and not that great but the food makes up for it.

Coupon for 50% off one dinner in local Clipper Magazine!
Located in the Von’s shopping center and adjacent to the Cat Clinic, you will find a door that is reminiscent of a dive bar. Wrong! Once you walk in, there is a pretty fancy restaurant and full bar.
~Prime Rib-​3 Stars
I had the pleasure of tasting both and end cut and the Texas rub. I ordered the meat prepared medium. I can’t put my finger on it but they were dry and I did not care much for the Texas rub. The meal came with your choice of soup or salad, toast and potato. The potato and toast were yummy!
~Kids-​3 Stars
Well, no kids menu but we did order the appetizer chicken tenders. This was not a bad option and came with plenty of chicken, carrots and celery.
~Ambiance-​4 Stars
I absolutely loved the American style restaurant that is a scene right out of the 70’s. It looks like it was recently remodeled and everything was newer and clean. This is a restaurant you would expect to see Frank Sinatra eating at.
~Service– 3 Stars
Service was nice and friendly but rushed. AOK.
Overall, 3.5 Stars. I am almost a fan!

The prime rib is fantastic! We love the salad and the bacon wrapped shrimp is the best! All the appetizers are great! The cocktails are strong and the atmosphere is intimate and the owner and staff are all very friendly. We love the Tartan room!

This is my first Eeeeewwwww review! :(
After 8 years I finally convinced my wife to give the Tartan room a shot. So now for the good– our server was super friendly and attentive.
Uhhhh that’s the nice part!
Place is super dark. No one to great you when you walk in. Had to walk past the bar to find a busboy to seat us.
This us a blast to the tasteless past. From the very below average garlic bread to the under seasoned steak, fettucini Alfredo with shrimp and sautéed mushrooms, the chef needs to learn how to use SALT! Food is possible cooked for the retired taste buds.
Now the worst, ordered the Queen cut Texas Style Prime Rib. I now know why they keep but soooo dark! Flavorless Prime Rib is seasoned in Lawrys and grilled. My prime rib was not medium rare but beyond well!!!
I did not send it back as I hate making a seen but let’s say my neighbors dog had nice chew toys when we got home.
Hard to find a decent cut of meat in Orange but I’ll keep hoping!