Phil Trani’s

WE love PHil, his food and find interesting people here… The music was outstanding… WE look forward to his 5 course wine tasting — it will include his famous melt in your mouth sea bass… Can’t wait to get there again!

Great Resteraunt and a wonderful staff. If you go around the walls of this place you will see all sorts of sports memorabilia. What a treat. Although the several mark Sanchez photos sort of lowers the stellar pictures of legends and hall of gamers affixed to many treasured spots on the wall
As far as the food goes it is all amazing. Both seafood and carver offerings are great. I personal like the chicken piccata or the veal Marsala

This place is definitely for a crowd over 50, but I enjoy the food, drinks, and atmosphere. The service can definitely improve, but other than that… a lot of happy elderly people here!

I had an awesome time last night dancing with my mom and her date to live music. It was nice to have selections of upbeat and slow songs. My food that I ordered was also delicious. I got the seafood pasta dish. It had huge shrimp, fish, and mussels in it. My mom also had a giant and filling salad that she said tasted great too. We loved visiting here all of the customers were friendly and enjoying speaking to one another. This restaurant is a gem. We will definitely be coming back again. My only suggestion is offer larger sizes of glasses of water. The little glasses are cute but when you’re dancing you drink water quickly and those glasses just were not cutting it. Overall excellent, fun, restaurant and venue.

Thought I’d take my husband here for his birthday dinner. Big mistake!!! Had 6:30 reservations, we were seated on time. Restaurant was very quiet, many opened tables. Ordered the shrimp cocktail and since we checked in on Unilocal,received the free fried zucchini which was delicious. We ordered dinner however by 7:45 we still hadn’t received it! Took over an hour for our filet and sea bass to come out. Dinner was bland, no flavor what so ever. Then, my dinner came with a baked potato but my husbands didn’t and that’s when our waitress told us there were problems with the baked potatoes. How do you not have baked potatoes at 7:30!on a Saturday night and the restaurant wasn’t ever full! His potato came finally out with sour cream on it… Wrong! Our waitress never stopped by our table and asked how anything was. We waited for our bill for quite a while, she finally dropped it off but never asked if we wanted dessert. The best service was from the busboy, Riga, I believe his name was. He deserved the tip tonight which I happily handed him personally.
Don’t think we’ll be going back anytime soon.

Had the best grilled salmon and sandabs ever last Fri along with the best entertainment
From the Dave Alcanter
time ever at Phils!

Going to Phils is like going back in the day to an elegant place to have a delicious quality dinner at a reasonable price, hang out in the bar where you will find people you know and listen to great entertainment on the weekend. Phil himself is warm, personable and a wonderful cook. Try the Josh Cabernet and try to go when the band Flyer is playing everything from Lady Antebellum to Leonard Skynerd to songs you remember from your teens, like Classical Gas.

Had the filet which was perfectly cooked. The wait staff was very good. My party all had a fabulous time that night. Flyer was playing & we danced all night. A memorable evening c

Always a good time at Phil’s. I’ve always had a great meal… calamari is always good and Chilean sea bass was perfect! The bar area was so fun with a great band playing. The wait staff is always attentive. I love going to Phil Trani’s for a good time!

We happen to love the ol steak house décor‼ so much more quieter than most new restaurants! My San dabs were awful‼ and I swear it was instant mash potatoes. Regular fish and chips would have been way better‼‼ sword fish was a bit fishy but juices and we had to order a sauce with it or it would have come dry‼ a little broccoli was added to the plate and ask for dressing on the side cuz it was dripping wet with dressing‼ Leary to pay those prices again only to be disappointed.

Great service; Trish really took care of us. First time here and love the ambiance and the food was great! :)

The best restaurant I’ve ever been to…
I love Phil.
Been coming here for years…
Brett Hundley.

I was in recently for a belated Valentine’s dinner. Pleasantly surprised. We arrived upon opening and enjoyed our meal. Cocktail, appetizer, soup/​salad, and entrée lasted an hour and a half. They were not crowded when we arrived, but the lot was full when we left. I just don’t think this place intends you to dine and dash. Free appetizer was a bonus. Clam chowder was different??? But is was not bad either. Restrooms were small and could use some attention. I’m in my mid 40’s and we were the youngest customers by at least a decade. We will return, a little over our budget for frequent visits.

I’ve been to Phil Trani, several times and have finally decided to leave a review. We have always sat in the lounge area since we alway go to see the live entertainment while having dinner.
Tonight, 3^rd Degree was performing and they were outstanding!
The service as usual was poor. It started off pretty good, and once we complained about the food the service went down hill.
We ordered scallops and salmon plates. The vegetables and baked potatoes were cold on both plates. The salmon was over seasoned and over cook.
Our server (Mary) started off ok then became rude once we complained. Mary, was not only rude, but took it a step further by rudely tossing our check on the table.
Mary, when a customer complains do not take it personal as you are not the cook. Try to be accommodating for the poor quality of food.
If you are looking for a night out with live music, this is an okay place to go.
The food is on a scale of 1 to 10… a 2 and I’m being nice. The service is a 2 also.

This place is a hidden gem. I passed by this place several times and had no idea it was there. My boss treats us for lunch and dinner here sometimes. The service is always superb. The fresh bread baskets they give you while waiting for your food are really good. Everything on the menu is good. I really enjoy their Swordfish and their Halibut. I’ve also tried their Caesar Salad with Pot Roast. It was different, but tasty.

The service is incredibly slow…
Seating waited 10 min. waiting for waiter to take order another 15 min, then wait for food for almost half an hour… It’s lunch and the place is just half way full?
And when you start to eat, waiter starts to show up and ask questions with your mouth full…
Food is just so so and flies are flying around on our bread and food.
Very bad experience and nope, won’t go again.

I went here for lunch with some coworkers. We had a reservation for 12 and the hosts and servers were very attentive
My colleague recommended the wild herb Chilean sea bass. I got it partnered with the mashed potatoes and was very pleased. The fish was very fresh and the flesh was not dry. It was very flavorful and I would definitely get it again.
My coworkers got drinks and said they were good but definitely on the strong side.
I’d love to come back for a more personal dinner and see what it’s like.

I have been trying to formulate in my head what I would write about this restaurant. Other than the fact that I think anyone who is posting negative reviews is nuts. They must have this restaurant confused with some place else. If they had a room they were renting out as living space I would live there with my three cats and we would live off the calamari. Do you think they’d rent out a dining room? Would probably be cheaper than the place I have now. And my cats and I don’t eat very much. Maybe there is a manager I can talk to.
In any event, my boyfriend and I came here for dinner with my boss and his wife, and attorney of 50 years and the other secretary with whom I work. They suggested they take me and a guest out to dinner for my birthday. I’d gone out with them before for Thanksgiving back in 2013 and I had such a blast. This year they wanted to take both myself and my boyfriend out.
We all started with a drink and the calamari. I can’t remember the last time I had calamari that good. The sauces on the side were good as well. There wasn’t a single calamari left on the plate.
I ordered the rack of lamb with mint sauce. I take pride in my ability to cook all things meat in my own kitchen. I have made lamb before and am very good at making it. However, this lamb almost reduced me to tears. I have never in my adult life had lamb that was so succulent and juicy and tender and flavorful. And if they’d given me a tub I’d have filled it with that mint sauce and taken a bath in it. Just fabulous. The Caesar salad that came with it and the steamed vegetables were equally good. I was totally floored that such a place could be so good. My boss, his wife, and my boyfriend all had steaks. I had a bite of my boyfriend’s steak and it was ALMOST as good as the lamb. It melted in my mouth. I also tried his mashed potatoes, and they left nothing to be desired.
For my birthday our waitress brought me a vanilla sundae with cherry-​chocolate drizzle and nuts. My boyfriend, my boss and his wife all finished the meal with coffee and I had some milk.
All-​in-​all, it was a wonderful evening full of fabulous food and I felt very loved. I can’t wait to come back here. I have absolutely no complaints. Only that I haven’t been back since, and it was only about two weeks ago!

ATMOSPHERE (5 STARS):
Reminds me of a Palm Springs supper club from the 80s, and the golden etched mirrors remind me of the second living room in Grandma’s house (the one nobody used), and the sports memorabilia and movie poster front reminds me of Sunset Beach’s Harbor House Café. That said, the place is so undeniably «Long Beach» that it feels like the Joe Jost’s of steakhouses. The place screams «I’m 55!», and with the Hawaiian shirts It seems like a recently retired car show crowd came in for lunch. Come on a Friday and Saturday night and you can hear the cover band from the huge, dark and seedy bar area play just loud enough to make your aunt move her shoulders around, itching to dance, but quiet enough to hear everyone talk about that guy over there with the brown hair and grey eyebrows.
COCKTAILS (2 – 5 STARS): Depends on the bartender. The first time: nice and strong, like a cross-​fit feminist’s handshake. The second visit (11÷1÷15), my vodka cranberry was weak. A ten dollar drink should not be weak. If it’s weak the third visit, I’ll likely change my rating to 4 Stars overall because a cocktail over $ 10 shouldn’t be weak in a five star restaurant.
SERVICE (⁵⁄₃ STARS): The service is outstanding, but they seemed understaffed (busy) so you may have to wait for that second drink or refill. Second visit: friendly Rigo was on point, refilling our water and iced tea.
FOOD (4 ½ STARS): Interesting iPad like backlit menus. Fried zucchini was a good portion of hot, yummy potato chip-​sized zucchini with parmesan and ranch. Dinner salad was a total little boy/bachelor’s dream: a no-​nonsense pile of almost entirely iceberg lettuce swimming in dressing. Baked potato was drenched in sour cream, with enough green onions to choke a grizzly. I’m not joking– I took a picture. They were everywhere, like green Tribbles. My 8 ounce filet mignon was a perfectly cooked medium rare, juicy, and not overly salted or seasoned, with just enough vegetables to pretend you’re eating healthy. The free bread came with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream, but it was pretty salty. Second visit: confirmed the zucchini is excellent, and the calamari was one of the best (esp. for beginners). The 7 hour pot roast and pasta was tender without being fatty. The pasta with salty, watery sauce as a stand-​alone was average, but mix it with the roast (which is how I imagined it) and it’s like a pot roast rigatoni.
MISC: Huge parking lot right off the 405, quirky and comfortable waiting area, free appetizer with Unilocal check-​in, live music Fridays and Saturdays, cool underused patio.
With the unique décor, big portions, stiff drinks, the place screams, «My dad would love this place.»

My coworkers and I met up for some lunch. We were all looking forward to eating here, as most of us had never been (including myself). There’s free parking right next to the restaurant. I did not see any valet. I’m not much of a drinker, but my coworkers did bring their own wine. There’s a $ 12 corkage fee. The décor falls somewhere between old school and stuck in the 80’s. The vast majority of the clientele is over 60.
The good food (2 items)
— Free bruschetta with checkin — I was the only active Unilocaler amongst the group, so I scored us the free appetizer. It contained excellent flavor in both the marinara sauce and garnishes. The marinara was rich and savory; the accompaniments were soft and fresh. The bread was crisp and well seasoned. At the time I thought it was a sign of good things to come.
— Calamari — not as good as the bruschetta, but still good. Slightly over battered. The calamari was fresh, firm, and slightly chewy — not chewy in a bad way — rather, a good texture.
Miscellaneous:
The Sprite tasted funny. I asked Ashley (a manager who was assisting us) to switch to Coke, and she said Phil uses RC Cola instead. So I got some weird Sprite substitute, and had to stick with it because I knew I didn’t want RC Cola either.
The two good items were shared appetizers. My main items (chowder and ribeye) and third shared item (scallops) were all subpar (to put it nicely).
The bad food (3 items)
— Clam chowder — this was the worst clam chowder I’ve had in a long time. It was thin, and tasted stale. The consistency was water-​like. There was no saltiness or creaminess whatsoever. It’s like they dumped it straight out of a can, and made it even worse by adding water to it. This kitchen should be ashamed to have put this out. I hope Phil Trani reads this and makes changes because this clam chowder was absolutely horrible. I don’t even remember the last time I didn’t finish a cup of clam chowder. I can’t adequately describe how hurt I was by this, because I love clam chowder. What a buzzkill. Sadly, it was only the beginning of a downward spiral.
— 10oz ribeye — to be fair, I opted for charbroiled, not blackened. But I didn’t know «charbroiled» meant «no flavor whatsoever.» It’s as if they didn’t season my piece of meat at all. No salt, no pepper, no butter basting, nothing. I’m positive this was not a prime piece of meat. It was cooked to the correct doneness (medium rare), but many of the pieces were unchewable. This occurs when a cheap piece of meat is cooked medium rare or rare. This was probably select grade or lower. It was more of a 16oz bone-​in, but the size didn’t compensate for the lack of quality and seasoning. Another disappointment. (The rice pilaf was good. It had a light, hearty savoriness. You know you’re in trouble when the rice pilaf is the best part of your steak entrée.)
— bacon wrapped scallops — Cathy (our server) let us order this as an appetizer instead of the full meal price because we didn’t need the sides. (It confused us for a split second on the bill because it appeared as «shrimp cocktail.») I was really looking forward to these based on some good looking pictures on the Unilocal page. Unfortunately, they were overcooked. There was no desired sear. The inside was not soft as it should be. The texture was rubbery and hard-​to-​chew throughout. The best thing on this plate was the onion strings (seriously, how sad).
To be fair, here’s the entrees I didn’t try, and my coworkers’ feedback:
(Gene and Dan were able to order filet, despite it not being on the lunch menu.)
— Gene’s filet: so-​so
— Dan’s filet: excellent
— David’s blackened ribeye: average
— Ken’s walnut crusted rack of lamb: excellent
— Selina’s linguine with clams: not good
Collectively, we consumed a vast array of hits and misses. Unfortunately for yours truly, most of my meal was a miss (soup, entrée, and shared entrée).
The service was slow because they were jam packed by a lot of walk ins. (We had a reservation for six people, but had to wait a long time for our entrees.) Cathy and Ashley were sweethearts. They did their best to accommodate us. They didn’t contribute to the two star rating; the food did that all on it’s own. If anything, Cathy and Ashley saved Phil Trani’s from receiving a lone star.