Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point, noted for its upscale American cuisine, will close permanently this month. After nearly 30 years in business at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Crown Valley Parkway, it will serve its final meal on Sunday, Jan. 14.
“It is with a heavy heart but also remarkable memories that we announce the closure of Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point,” Tim McCune, co-owner of Salt Creek Grille said in a written statement. “It was our hope to create an upscale steakhouse that was rich in culinary traditions but at the same time, a gathering spot that welcomed friends, neighbors, tourists and more with open arms and a warm heart at its core. We celebrated so many storybook moments and milestones with our guests and we will cherish those forever.”
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Opening on July 9, 1996, Salt Creek Grill played host to numerous weddings, events, hungry diners from Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel and beyond, and even to the titular housewives in an episode of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
“This restaurant was my second home and meant everything to me,” McCune added.
A 2016 Orange County Register article about the restaurant noted that “McCune attributes the restaurant’s success to a simple formula — fresh fish, sizzling steaks and burgers cooked atop a hardwood grill. A key part of Salt Creek Grille’s appeal is that everything is homemade with local ingredients.” Its contemporary American menu included wedge salads, burgers, filet mignon, baby back ribs, sushi and butter cake, to name a few.
Neither McCune nor restaurant representatives were able to answer why the restaurant made the decision to shutter its Dana Point location.
Salt Creek Grille restaurants in Valencia, California, and Rumson and Princeton, New Jersey, will remain open.
