The Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove Reviews

The Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove

Newport Coast, CA

4.4 out of 5 rating, 38 reviews

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4.4 out of 5 rating

4.4

Good

38 reviews

Recommended by 89% of couples

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Quality of service
4.6 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.6 out of 5 rating
Value
4.4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
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Abbie Sent on 05/11/2016

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Outstanding service and professionalism by all! A dream wedding......many thanks to all who helped! Believe me I noticed....the food was outstanding and we had so many compliments about the great wedding food!
Fiona Sent on 04/27/2016

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Erin and the staff at Beachcomber made our destination wedding absolutely perfect! I organised our wedding from Australia and Erin made me feel confident my wedding day would be all that I wished for! Every detail was exactly as we had discussed and the staff were happy and attentive to all of our guests. The location is amazing and our day was completely stress free thanks to the team at Beachcomber. We now have many wonderful memories of our wedding day which we will treasure for many years to come. I would highly recommend the whole team at Beachcomber to any future bride and groom.
Meghan Sent on 04/04/2016

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We selected the Beachcomber Cultural Deck as the site for our wedding ceremony and reception. This was one of the best decisions we made. It far exceeded our expectations in every way. The deck overlooks the ocean and provided us with a gorgeous view of the sunset and the sounds and smells of the ocean. The food was fantastic from the appetizers that were walked around during cocktail hour to the lobster crab boil for dinner all the way to dessert. Our guest are still talking about how good the food was. We had many guests that were gluten free and the beachcomber helped us to come up with options to make our menu almost completely gluten free. What truly made the beachcomber a great pick as our venue was the staff. We coordinated all of our details with Erin from the Beachcomber. She was extremely accommodating, had very good suggestions, helped us problem solve any issues, always responded in a timely manner and truly helped to make our wedding go very smoothly. This venue was spectacular, the food amazing and the staff genuine. Our wedding was absolutely perfect!

Allison Sent on 04/03/2016

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Working with Erin was an absolute breeze!! She fulfilled our every desire despite having to negotiate all the red tape that goes along with booking a state park for a wedding reception! We loved our venue choice and working with Erin was a definite added bonus.
Jameson Sent on 03/18/2016

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Erin Wurtz was absolutely amazing to work with! Planning a wedding is a lot of work with a lot of tough decisions, and she was there every step of the way to guide us. The day was perfect, we couldn't be happier with how everything went, and our friends and us had a blast! Thank you Erin for your patience, guidance and positive attitude!!! Too bad we can't get married more often! Don't worry we will find an excuse to work with you again!!!
Rebeca Sent on 02/10/2016

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Erin Wurtz and the catering management team at The Beachcomber Cafe made our event go off without a hitch! The planning process was smooth and they were super helpful via email and over the phone, always answering any questions that we had. They made our vision come to life and gave us alternatives in case the weather didn't permit us to hold the event outside. The food was incredible and all our guests enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the friendly staff!

We were SO pleased with our engagement party turned out! It was the perfect ambience for our vision: beachy formal. All our guests thought it was TOP NOTCH and so happy to have been invited!

THANK YOU ERIN & BEACHCOMBER TEAM!!!
User2439543 Sent on 11/23/2015

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The help we received in planning and executing the wedding diner for our daughter at The Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove was stellar. They helped us through every step, from getting the State license for using the Park and planning a beach side dinner for 100 guests. The service was on point as we were never lacking for anything. I highly recommend this venue. I enjoyed the personal attention we received from the catering department, with Erin leading the way and making sure all was in order. A great time was had at a beautiful venue.
Ann Sent on 11/22/2015

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We had an intimate wedding of 50 on the cultural center deck and it was just beautiful. This venue is perfect for anyone that wants to be near the ocean but not on the sand. The venue can hold more but if you're doing the ceremony and reception there, I'd keep it under 75. Food is great and the staff was excellent. Erin Wurtz was easy to work with and very responsive. Everything went smoothly day of. The state park is a little difficult to deal with and they charge you a lot! I think we ended up spending $4,000 between all the fees, monitor, and parking with them. They tell you to prepay for parking for guests ($15 per car) but if you're having an evening wedding, the lot opens up after 8p and guests can leave for free. What a waste of money we spent on that! It's worth it to pay for the shuttle to transport guests to and from the parking lot though. I would do it all over again here in a heartbeat.
Stephanie Sent on 11/16/2015

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Everything about our wedding at Crystal Cove State Park and services provided by The Beachcomber was perfect. Erin Wurtz made our special day a cakewalk. She was fantastic to work with and went above and beyond to help us out. I truly cannot say enough nice things about her and her staff.
User2428595 Sent on 11/16/2015

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This was an intimate 80th Birthday Open House celebration for 80 people, catered at the Beaches Cottage at Crystal Cove State Park. Erin and her Beachcomber Catering staff were professional and accommodating. The food was prepared perfectly, beautifully presented, non-stop, and WONDERFUL... no one left hungry. In fact, no one wanted to leave at all! Thanks to Erin's hard work. And the fellow managing the catering that day. Was a perfect day at the beach for our friends and families. Thank you.
Kristin Sent on 11/16/2015

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The food was excellent along with the service. They were on top of everything and we had an amazing evening.
Katrina Sent on 11/10/2015

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We had a great experience with the Beachcomber and all the people that we worked with. I would have the rest of my kids get married there. It was our first child getting married and they made it a memory that will last forever. I loved everything about it.
Debbie Sent on 11/09/2015

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We had a vow renewal on the deck at sunset and it was picture perfect!! The views are endless, the food was fantastic and the staff was very attentive. I would highly recommend this place to any wedding, vow renewal or birtday party. It truly was a magical evening without a flaw!
User2417785 Sent on 11/09/2015

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We had a company dinner on the promenade. Erin and her team were phenomenal. The entire event went very smoothly and everything leading up to it was effortless. Highly recommended if you are planning a dinner party or wedding!
Bokyeong Sent on 08/23/2012

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Wow!!! I can't believe how amazing our wedding was. Michelle Jenkins and Kristina Howard from The BeachComber Cafe are so helpful, they made planning our event so smooth and effortless. They made sure we had all the information we needed and covered all our bases for us. They were super flexible and easy to work with and their staff is super friendly and professional. The Beachcomber food is to die for and their pricing is amazing for the best experience you can ever ask for.

Thank you so much Beachcomber. You've made our special day a moment we'll never forget!
Laura Sent on 07/02/2012

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this is one of the most beautiful venues in california
Rashad Sent on 04/27/2012

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Michele Jenkins of the Beachcomber Cafe is a model of professionalism, efficiency and flexibility balanced with artistry, discretion and class. Would that all wedding coordinators look to her for inspiration.
The food at the Beachcomber is AMAZING, the menu had compliments from many of our guests who discern gastronomy from merely good food.
Mary Sent on 04/25/2012

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We had a truly amazing wedding at Crystal Cove! Our wedding was on South Beach and our reception was at the Beaches Cottage. Michele Jenkins from The Beachcomber Cafe was incredible to work with! She was very responsive and helpful throughout the process and made planning from a distance with a short time frame much easier. I also really appreciate the help from Kristina the week of the wedding and all of the staff support the day of the wedding. I was very focused on the details and everything went perfectly the day of the wedding. I couldn't have asked for it to go any smoother. I would highly recommend having a wedding and reception with The Beachcomber Cafe.
Angela Sent on 04/02/2012

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We had an incredible experience with the Beachcomber and would highly recommend them and use them again as a wedding venue suggestion for others. Very friendly, very helpful, very accomodating and easy to work with. Most beautifuly venue in Orange County if you are looking for a romantic beach wedding in my opinion. I've had many friends ask about the site since seeing photos and hearing aobut our experience. I had never been to the Beachcomber prior to our engagement and it is now a regular restaraunt we visit.
Brieane Sent on 12/02/2011

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We had an amazing experience planning our wedding with the Beachcomber team at Crystal Cove!

My husband and I would like to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to Michele and her team for making our wedding day absolutely perfect. Every single detail was exactly how we envisioned (if not better!), and Michele and her team did a truly phenomenal job to ensure that everything went smoothly and no one missed a beat.

Michele made the process easy and enjoyable! She was on top of every detail, and full of good ideas and vendor recommendations! The set-up the day of the wedding was incredibly organized and flawless, the food was delicious (the Chef was so fun to work with), and best of all -- it was all stress-free. Michele was flexible and adapted to last minute changes we needed to make, and made the entire wedding planning process easy and fun.

We are forever grateful to Michele and the Beachcomber team for orchestrating such a perfect day on our behalf. Michele was not only super organized, but calm, sweet, caring, and thoughtful throughout the entire process.

So many of our guests said that this was the best wedding they had ever been to, and some of the best wedding food they had ever had.

Thank you Beachcomber for making our day so special!!
Jessica Sent on 08/01/2011

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A beautiful location for a vintage beach style wedding! We decided to rent the beach promenade and it was gorgeous. Everyone on the beachcomber catering team was so professional, helpful, and on top of our requests throughout the day and through out the planning process. The taste and quality of the food was excellent. The catering manager Michele in particular provided spectacular service. She was able to be extremely responsive, flexible, make the little and big details that we wanted happen so seamlessly! It was a positive experience working with Michele and her team and we would highly recommend this venue and caterer to all future brides and grooms.
Andrea Sent on 11/02/2012

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Michele was really great to work with! She was very knowledgeable about the state's policies, etc. I will miss working with her :(
User881279 Sent on 07/30/2012

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I recently had my ceremony and reception here and it was amazing! The spot is beyond beautiful and my guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. The food was great; crab cakes were a HUGE hit! I would highly recommend this spot especially if you want a Cali beach wedding, although keep in mind that music can be a little difficult to coordinate since it's all outside and you have to compete with the waves.
Schiffern Sent on 11/03/2012

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The event was flawless thanks to Michelle from the Beachcomber. Last minute changes and requirements were handled quickly and with professionalism and she was by our side through it all to help make it a truly wonderful experience.
There was not enough food for everyone, thus the lower score in value.
Judi Sent on 12/06/2011

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I worked with Michele Jenkins to coordinate my birthday party at the Beachcomber on 11-11-11. She was incredibly helpful! My phone calls were returned promptly and Michele helped organize my party and added additional insight into having a party on the beach! I highly recommend her and the Beachcomber!
My guests all commented on the quality of the food and attentiveness of the service.
It was an amazing party and I can thank Michele and the Beachcomber for making it all happen!
User2577150 Sent on 04/14/2016

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The wedding location at the beaches cottage was amazing. Erin Wurtz was very helpful and always responded quickly to our texts and emails when we had questions. Overall the Beachcomber was a great venue!
Ashley Sent on 10/07/2013

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We toured The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove for our venue in November of 2012. We received a packet listing the different types of menues and options from the catering manager, Jennifer. We went back home, and decided we wanted to procede with them as far as venue/catering went. Jennifer was very hard to get in contact with all throughout the process. Once we signed the contract with her, we didn't hear from her again until the very end when she was ready to collect the final balance. I spoke to her assistant many times, and the things that I needed or asked of her, I never got. I put in multiple emails and phone calls to Jennifer and they were never once returned. I was very worried about this, but everything that the planner needed her there for, and as far as the day of, she pulled through. On the day of, my family and I arrived a little early. The crew was still in the process of set-up, but everything was coming together very nicely. The guys even helped me get into the bathroom without being seen last minute. I think one even helped brush off my train. My only complaint would be that there was some kelp or seaweed on the beach directly behind where the chairs were facing, it was rather unattractive. Oh, and how could I forget....the trolley driver....if I remember correctly, his name was Geoff, very rude! I remembered him being rude when we toured the property, and on the day of, he was raising his voice very loudly and being very rude and sarcastic to my family, especially my grandmother. That was just one bad thing, out of so many greath things that day! Everyone couldn't get over how great the food was, and how great the staff was. They really did an outstanding job. I will say, the week before when submitting our final payment, what was sent to us, was different than our originaly contract. It made a difference of about $300.00. I refused to send in a final payment until I got an updated statement. All in all, despite the few hiccups, it was amazing!
Erica Sent on 09/14/2013

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It was perfect!!! It was just the way I envisioned it... ALthough there are a fees from the state dept that began to add up that I wasnt aware of when booking the venu! But, overall a great value!
Alex Sent on 10/20/2012

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We wanted an outdoor wedding and Michelle Jenkins and the beachcomber came through. Our wedding was on the beach which was gorgeous and the reception was in the commons area. It was truly the wedding of our dreams. If you read this thank you so much Michelle.
Maria Sent on 11/11/2015

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Communication lacked in the beginning. but Erin picked up the slack. Tasting times were not convenient but food and venue was amazing.
Morgan Sent on 12/02/2011

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Crystal Cove Historic District is a beautiful and unique ocean front venue! We knew from the minute we emerged from the tunnel under PCH that we had truly found our dream venue. From the rustic and charming historic cottages, to the one of a kind 360 degree view of the Pacific Ocean, Crystal Cove is undoubtedly the most romantic place I can think of to be married. The catering services provided by The Beachcomber were first class. Michelle (the catering coordinator) was always available to answer our questions; usually responding within 24 hours. She was able to accommodate every suggestion and request that we had, and the finished product was better than I could have ever imagined. The catering staff at our event was polite, helpful and worked hard to make sure our guests felt welcome and taken care of. Many of our guests (even though they are OC “locals”) had never been to Crystal Cove before and were blown away when they arrived. Our out of town guests commented that they truly got the full “California” experience, and many plan to visit Crystal cove again in the future. All in all, it was absolutely the wedding of our dreams!
User2359408 Sent on 10/10/2015

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Amazing place. Very romantic. Loved the service.
User1927641 Sent on 11/18/2014

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The Beachcomber catering team provided what many of our guests (myself included) said was the best wedding food they had ever had. Do not miss out on the Ancho Chile Maple Glazed Salmon or the Ahi Tacos!

Jennifer and her staff were a delight to work with. The fact that they included all the rentals, setup and takedown along with the catering made the planning much easier. However, be sure the pay close attention to state park rules and permit requirements. Don't let those sneak up on you in the planning process!
Dan Sent on 08/29/2025

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Not informed about limited parking

This would be a five star review if they just told me prior to my wedding that my guests may have to park a half-mile away and take an Uber. If my guests knew this beforehand they would not have spent an hour searching for parking, covered in sweat for those who walked a half-mile and would not have missed out on hor deuvres and drinks available for the first hour. Someone paying 25 grand deserves that courtesy. That being said, the catering and venue were otherwise perfect. I'm hoping this review will ensure future customers are properly informed.
Tamara Sent on 11/12/2023

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$15,000 minimum for food and Bev

This post is just to make people aware there is a $15,000 minimum for food and beverages from beachcombers. They are an exclusive vendor and they price gouge because of it. I had a package for 65 guests that had a balance of $20,000 for food, drinks, tables, chairs, linens and they said that it needed $4,700 more to meet the minimum $15,000 in food required. This is not counting the facility rental or any other costs of the wedding just $25,000 for caterer, drinks, chairs and tables.
Meghan Sent on 02/27/2012

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We got married and had our reception up on the deck which was beautiful, but working with the State Park was a bit a nightmare. To begin with we had trouble just getting in contact with someone and over the course of a year while we were planning our wedding we worked with three different event planners for the site and they never told us we would be working with a new one, so it seems like they cycle through them. We were promised access to the room where the food would be served the night before the wedding and then the person at the front desk refused to let us in to decorate. They also threw away the top layer of our cake with the cake topper my Mom handmade which was very upsetting. They did compensate us, but that certainly doesn't replace it. You have to use their vendors and the sound system we rented through them was terrible, so barely anyone was able to hear the ceremony or the toasts. The food was great and the chef was flexible. I had my heart set on this location, but there is a lot to contend with when working with this venue.
Carolyn Sent on 01/28/2015

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****This review is for the catering

Beachcomber Catering is the mandatory caterer if you are hosting an event at Crystal Cove State Park.

If this was not our dream wedding location that meant a lot to us and our family, we would have run away kicking and screaming. Instead, we hired a wedding planner to deal with the headaches.

The manager is often unresponsive for months at a time, leaving you wondering if you're going to have food at your wedding. Every time you do get an estimated quote watch your numbers - we had increases and hidden fees all over the place. We caught them all, because I was an event planner in a former life and knew to look for them (this is also why we hired wedding planner!!!). Our lanterns, while they arrived, were never hung. They tried to hang them during the ceremony, and my wedding planner stopped them before they ever started. Our desserts were all kinds of wrong, and our simple plated salad was missing items as well. We didn't have nearly enough heat lamps, and they barely worked. The extra star is because people seemed to enjoy the food, even if they were cold while they were eating it.

They were hands down the worst vendor to work with, and left a very bad taste in my mouth. The event itself went off beautifully. I would do it here all over again... but maybe just the ceremony.
Lauren Sent on 01/18/2016

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- Flexibility
  1 out of 5 rating
I cannot express how disappointed I am by this vendor. It was such a beautiful location and it was alarming what horrible customer service the site provided. The entire process was a nightmare. Here is a brief list of events that occurred (not everything will fit: Left a huge hole in the sand and set up chairs on top of seaweed at ceremony location, ran out of forks for cake and wedding planner had to wash in the sink, nobody got cake because they hid it in the back, tried to get my credit card during reception to pay for photographers food even though the food had been paid for, My mom asked for help with a present table and Craig brought over a bench and slammed it down, Craig ran a board over my friends foot and she was screaming and never apologized or acknowledged what happened, Craig then dropped table and almost hit brother in law, cart to the ceremony that was designated to bride and groom was “being used for other things” and we had to beg for a ride from the state park, Beachcomber had permit wrong for ending time and shut down music 1/2 hour earl, unplugged the music and said “this party is over right now” as he shined light in his face (people started leaving), golf card dropped us off and then they left the cart in the isle as I walked down isle, Beachcomber was not available to be part of rehearsal. Jennifer said we would have to pay for another permit, staff would dump out full drinks (alcohol), ran out of rolls and salad, One of the staff was overhead saying "I hate talking to people", had to email multiple times about wedding set up and tables, furniture dumped in front of the house, not set up in any special manner. After wedding contacted Jennifer's boss Chris and met with him he gave me the run around too. Didn't return calls, so I had to keep calling him and he just kept making empty promises. Finally had to workout the dispute with my credit card company. Good Luck!

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