Watermark

Went here after our friends ran a marathon. As we entered it seemed empty until we were told to go up elevator.
Everyone was on the top deck. It had a great view. Our waiter was nice and personable. Mimosas were cheap as it was happy hour all day.
I had the eggs Benedict which was good. It came with potatoes which were too spicy for me.
I will be back

Fabulous food with fantastic service and then on UP to dancing upstairs after dinner. This is just about as GOOD as it gets!!!

This place is alright. Mostly caters to an older crowd. It gets very crowded on Weekends.

The watermark has several layers to it from décor to food and the people who work there.
It is conveniently located near the parking structure or the free parking lot behind the movie theater for you non-​Ventura veterans.
Holding a three level atmosphere you can start with a great meal, lounge with some delicious drinks and then dance on the top level to a live band. The décor is warm and dimly lit.
Appetizers:
–Deep fried calamari with horseradish and red pepper aioli — the pair of the sauces had me wanting more.
–Oysters on half shell– were gone real quick. Yum!
Main:
I had a medium 8oz filet mignon accompanied by two sides — I chose seasoned vegetables and sauté mushrooms. It was juicy and bloody like how I like it.
I had some of the four Mac and cheese as well which was also delightful
Dessert:
–Chocolate Indulgence includes Chocolate Crunch, Mousse, Ice Cream, Cookie and Sauce — the layers of flavor and textures made this a perfect dessert to me. As I’m typing I wish I had it I front of me now. :D
The chefs, bartenders and other staff know what they are doing.
I had a pomegranate martini — I usually like my martinis super dirty — it wasn’t super sweet but delicious
Every other drink I had there also was up to par. If you can choose more than one drink because the variety they have is something to take advantage of.
It’s also big enough to do some exploring the different levels. It’s fun to climb the floors and realize how much history that particular building has gone through.
Definitely a place to spoil someone you love or yourself.

8PM reservation following a party of 28 people. We were told that the party may not be done right at 8. 8:45 we got seated. We had a party of 10 people. My buddy ordered the lobster pot pie. My fiancé got the last one available. He tried ordering something else. They were out of it. I asked for the ribs… they were out of them. I asked to start with some oysters… they were out of them. See where I am going with this. I decided to not order. My buddy offered some of his filet. It had zero flavor along with the lobster pot pie which had no flavor. My friends wife’s fish was cold to the touch! We were literally an after thought of the party of 28. We had enough we asked for the manager. She bought us a round of drinks. We all stopped eating and asked for the check. The reason for 2 stars instead of 1 is because the manager helped out with drinks and some of the bill. The waitress was nice and she felt super bad. Wasn’t her fault but we will not be back.

Great staff, shrimp gogonzola eggs rolls are great, calamari is fresh and delish and I had the clam chowder and was very flavorful!

We went to both the restaurant and the lounge and they get different ratings.
Restaurant: beautiful building and décor, there was live music going on when we arrived, the mellow restaurant music type. I asked if I could have the spicy raspberry margarita just plain without the jalapenos, and the waiter said no because the drinks are pre-​made. I’m annoyed by senseless inflexibility like that. On to the food: husband had a steak, asked for garlic mashed potatoes on the side and that never came. I am a vegetarian, and there’s not many options on their menu. Ended up having the chile rellenos which are appetizers, so the dish was small and taste was ok. Nothing I’d crave after leaving. Dessert: husband had chocolate indulgence, which was way too sweet for me, and I had the cheesecake stuffed strawberries. I was expecting so much more! Two strawberries with a tiny bit of cheesecake, not really stuffed, but added to the end of the strawberry that is then dipped into chocolate. Disappointing. I don’t like nagging or leaving bad reviews, but I expected much more out of this place. It gets better though:
Rooftop: Nice menu with appetizers and small plates (like pizza), good drinks, excellent music. The night we went was Alaistair Greene and his band and we enjoyed it very much. People were having fun and dancing and service was good.
Conclusion: skip the restaurant, go to the rooftop lounge.

Enjoying Sunday happy hour and amazing music, food, and drink! I must give the most beautiful and great bartender Nikki a shoutout too! She is the best! Take care of her she works hard and makes the watermark experience even better. Most enjoyable place in Ventura according to me

Overall Sunday brunch experience was pretty good.
The Good:
— Building is GORGEOUS inside and out. There is a strong sense of history of many stories and memories made here, given that the building is from the 1800s.
— Food was good. We tried the (1) steak and eggs and (2) crab cake benedict. Steak was cooked to order perfectly at medium-​rare. Crab cakes were delicious and poached eggs were nice and runny, but the hollandaise portion was a but skimpy. Both dishes came with breakfast potatoes which were seasoned well.
— Drinks were delivered timely. Bloody Mary was the fanciest one I’ve ever seen — it had 2 olives, both a lemon and lime, plus an asparagus spear! I tried the pineapple mimosa (other choices were orange, cranberry, or pomegranate) and they were quite generous with the champagne!
— Service was friendly and our server checked on us multiple times to ask if we needed anything. He also was very knowledgeable about the menu.
The Bad:
— Although the food was tasty, it took a while to get to our table. When we first arrived, we were sat in between 2 tables who were already grumbling about how long they had been waiting. So, we knew we were gonna be in for a lengthy wait.
— The price point is just a notch above what I think fits for some of the entrees. Expect to pay between $ 17 to $ 21 for just the brunch entrée alone. The cost will prevent me from coming back here more than I would like, especially since there are so many other options in the $ 10 to $ 15 range along Main St.
Street parking only. Keep an eye out because most of the street spaces are in the «pay to park» zone, so you’re required to pre-​pay at a machine, then go back to your car to leave the paid ticket on your dashboard.
Note: I believe there is a dress code in effect here, except for Sunday brunch.

Went here for a birthday party. We ended up leaving the area. Overpriced drinks, senior crowd (dads/​grandpas dancing, hitting on women much younger…), tight space, difficult to order drinks.
Might be exciting for the small town of Ventura but one to skip if you have better options.

We have been coming to the W20 lounge almost every Saturday night since our first date in October. That is the day we met Lindsey and she has taken care of every time she is there. She is always nice and takes good care of us. I wish the bands would rotate a little more often. «The Bomb» is a good band but it’s hard to see them almost every week. We feel like the crowd is good for us because we are in our 40’s. The crowd is professional and the we like the atmosphere. We feel safe with the security team. Keep up the good work.

Watermark is in one of the most beautiful buildings in Ventura. The downstairs restaurant is warmly lit with old world architecture and paintings, creating a comfortable romantic setting for any occasion. I found the food and cocktails to be the best Ventura has to offer, hands down. They have a variety of delicious culinary offerings for multiple course servings of California rancho cuisine. My favorite dishes were the signature salad, crab cakes and sea bass. The staff at Watermark provides great service and ensures that you are well taken care of.
If you are looking for a fun place to enjoy an evening in the artistic aesthetic of this beachside town I highly recommend Watermark! There is also an awesome top floor that features live music throughout the weekend.

Can not review the food service but we have stopped in twice now for an evening night-​cap of either an alcoholic drink or this last time on a cold winter night I had a decaf espresso. Both times we have sat at the beautiful old bar downstairs in the main dining room.
Service good. Atmosphere good. Drinks good. Only thing I would complain about is the prices. If you can’t make it to The Watermark for happy hour then you better open up your wallet pretty wide… Or stay home and not complain about it.

My wife and I had heard great things about the Watermark from several locals and were really excited about trying this restaurant. I booked a table for our anniversary dinner and we were slightly disappointed by our expectations.
The restaurant was really beautiful and had a very classy look to it as well as friendly wait staff. The service was a little on the slow side and the waiter forgot my drink order.
My wife ordered the scallops with herb rice. She loved the scallops but didn’t like the flavor of the rice and it was cooked a bit to much on the side of al dente.
My lobster pot pie had a nice flaky crust and the lobster was fresh. The only problem was the bits of lobster were few and far between and the sauce was ok.
Perhaps I have become a bit of a food snob but nothing out of our 3 course meal gave my taste buds that wow factor I had hoped for.
Don’t get me wrong the food is good but I don’t think it deserves a crescendo and standing ovation.
To finish off the dinner the waiter handed a bouquet of flowers to my wife and she smiled and said «did you have anything to do with this?». I smiled back and said «no but I wish I could have taken the credit». A few minutes later the maitre’d came to the table to remove the flowers because it was a mistake. He apologized and compensated us with a chocolate covered strawberry.
Now that I have been there, done that, I am ready to try something else on my list.

Review for rooftop lounge: h2O.
Super last minute plan to go to Watermark last night, but I’m so glad we did. I apologize for not writing a review sooner, but this wasn’t my first time to this venue. When we walked up to the main entrance around 9p, there was already a bouncer outside ready to check IDs. I had asked if there was a «dress code» for tonight and his response was, «there usually is but you guys are fine.» I was wearing flats with jeans and a track jacket… while my husband wore a cotton hoodie, jeans and Nikes. Pretty chill, not the expected normal fancy-​shmancy recommended attire.
In order to get to the rooftop lounge you walk through the dinning area, pass the bar and into the glass elevator. From there you go up 3 floors and the doors open to the rooftop lounge over looking Downtown Ventura. Definitely a nice view at night with the city lights and noise of hustle and bustle of the night crowds. The only downside about this place is that it is quite small, but it’s the only indoor-​outdoor rooftop bar/​lounge in Ventura. The lighting makes the feel a lot more intimate but at the same time inviting. The bar is to the left as you exit the elevator. Come early for a table, booth or even a stool at the bar. This place gets packed, but it’s always different. Some days I’ve seen Friday more busier than Saturday and vice versa-​either way, plan to get here early. People tend to hold on to their area for the whole night because once the live music starts, the fun starts.
I would have to say the crowd is of all ages, mostly late 30s and up, aka the more sophisticated crowd. If your in your late 20s or younger don’t be surprised to be the minority of the group. Anyway, for the most part every time I’ve been here it’s been fun.
The drinks are pretty tasty. The food is yummy, but expensive. They serve appetizers not full on dishes, so if your looking to eat main dishes stop by the restaurant downstairs first then head up for some drinks and dancing.
My favorite thing about H2O is the live music, I like Reggae night and the RnB cover bands.
Will I return to H2O, absolutely!

The food downstairs didn’t strike me as being extraordinary, but the upstairs bar is kinda ultra cool. I say kinda because while the bar itself is pretty and lit up and mermaid-​lovely, the scene is not so ultra cool, unless it’s your thing to get crowded in by a dull lot of overweight grownups with more disposable income than an eye for style. ijs.

Fur sure, this is a BEAUTIFUL setting to dine at! Located in downtown Ventura, CA along Old Town Main Street, I gots ta spoil The Wifey with something more fancy shmancy than our typical haunts in the 805. As The Watermark is one of the few eateries around us that requires dressy attire, I assumed this offered the appropriate setting to celebrate our anniversary. Recent Unilocal rants sure hinted that things have changed for the worse here, but I was hoping this was just misperceptions, and I was willing to give ‘em a chance. Parking is either street parking or there is a parking structure behind the building close by. Reservations were made a week in advance and had no issues on arrival. The interior layout makes a great first impression. On this Wednesday evening things were pretty empty. Also, so much for «requiring» dressy attire as I was the only one rockin’ a suit. Collared shirts, polos, and t-​shirts & jeans were the norm for men on this visit. «Laid back Cali» is more how the clientele roll here. Maybe the dress code is enforced during the weekend?!? No big deal, though, so we ordered a few things.
DEEP FRIED CALAMARI: Eh. Batter was soft and easily flaked off during handling. Calamari was on the chewy side. Definitely had better elsewhere.
SEA SCALLOPS: Wifey felt it to be undercooked and taste was underwhelming. Nothing good to say about the sides of Brussel Sprouts or the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes either. Eh, at best.
GRILLED LOCALLY CAUGHT SWORDFISH: Unfortunately, probably the worst swordfish I’ve had. Overcooked, dry, tasteless and the succotash it sat upon had a flavor I definitely did not care for. The chutney topping wasn’t enough to save this dish. Had to chase every bite with their flavorful Four Cheese Mac :(
FOUR CHEESE MAC: Saving grace of the visit. Ooey gooey Mac had a quality homemade taste with a nice crusting on top. Only thing we could recommend on the menu on this visit.
Sure was expecting MUCH more than what we experienced here. Upscale?!? Uh,…hardly. Maybe seafood items aren’t their forte, and we should have stuck with the turf options. Service seemed preoccupied with taking care of the bigger parties here. Our food was even brought out by some guy in blue jeans, T-​shirt, and kitchen apron. Enough was enough. Nothing here was making this day as special as it should have been. In its heyday, friends & coworkers use to rave about this eatery. I can see why this is no longer the talk of the town. Should have listened to Unilocal here :(
Proceed with caution.

Came here for Mother’s Day for the wife after a day of thrifting. Nice old building with open air rooftop and live music. Certainly the beginning of a nice experience. Couldn’t get Mother’s Day brunch seats so our only option was happy hr rooftop.
Started with the Gorgonzola egg rolls, and hoping as I type here that it gets better from here. Really poorly executed dish. Couldn’t find any Gorgonzola in the egg roll which reeked of being frozen which wouldn’t have mattered. Shrimp bland and rest of the ingredients provided little harmony. Spring mix thrown on the plate as some type of garnish and only made the egg roll soggy. Final bad idea was Shelis bbq sauce. Cant think of a worse sauce accompaniment. And if this isn’t enough, the egg roll contents were so small in relation to the skin that most of the skin was uncooked.
Next onto the Thai lettuce wraps. Wife had to order something else she found them so unappetizing, and she will eat anything without complaint. Had to order chili in its place which was good, and attempted to order another one and at that point they were out at 315 in the afternoon.
Ordered margarita pizza which was decent, and the sliders which were recommended by our new server Lindsay who was pleasant, and they were ok. Final item was French fries, which really were more like French fry bits and pieces covered in garlic salt.
Don’t know what’s going on here but they need a new management team. Maybe kitchen nightmares or restaurant impossible. Really would want to come back but the food isn’t good. Prices and music is but this is a restaurant that will ultimately be judged on its food, and that’s not a good thing here.

I have made several visits to both the Watermark and The Rooftop lounge. This visit confirmed why it is my go to date night steak house. My mother and sister came to town and wanted to dress up and go big. I decided to make reservations and make it happen.
The ambiance, live music, and service is consistently upscale, but not the stuffy snobby service you can sometimes get at a higher end place.
Our server, Linda, was attentive and knowledgable, and well, pure awesome. She recommended the crab cakes which was one of the best calls of the night, the other was the sauce… keep reading.
Mom and Sis split a New York Steak, and I had the Ribeye. We shared the sides of Garlic Mashed potatoes and Sautéed Mushrooms. The Mashers didn’t have the strong garlic flavor that I love, so if that’s what you’re looking for, try the four cheese macaroni and cheese instead (had it last time, yummy). We also had the brandied peppercorn sauce on the side, that was recommended. The steaks had so much flavor, it wasn’t needed, but the sauce itself is so yummy, you can’t help but want to put it on everything, so I used it for my mashers.
The portions are huge so sharing is the way to go ladies, especially if you would like desert. We had the Vanilla crème brûlée. It was large and I am glad we shared that too. It was just the right amount of sweetness that had us all savoring our last bites, as we should.
My family can be quite picky, finicky, and well, you get the picture. Mom and sis both called home to their husbands after dinner and raved about it, just as I always do. Love it.

I really enjoyed this restaurant. It was my favorite choice in Ventura. Located right on the main drag, it is a gorgeous old building. We started with drinks in the top floor bar. Drinks were just okay, but the view and the ambiance made it totally worth it.
The food in the main part of the restaurant was delicious. Everything was a little pricey but quite good. To be honest though, what stood out most was the building. It was once a jewelry store and then a bank and it still has gorgeous wood work. Its a great place to get dressed up and have a swanky dinner.