Montego Restaurant & Bar

Montego Restaurant & Bar in San Juan Capistrano
By Cathy Villafana

Located in San Juan Capistrano, on the corner of Ortega Highway and Rancho Viejo Road, Montego Restaurant & Bar offers a stylish, yet relaxed atmosphere where great food and live entertainment converge. Owner Chad Dickey hopes that customers indulge in all that Montego has to offer—top-notch food, service and ambiance.

My friend and I feasted on a number of items from their menu. First, we tried the Ahi Ceviche comprised of layers of pico de gallo, guacamole, then sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. We followed with the Rib Fingers (a must from the Happy Hour menu), offering fall-off-the-bone meat and a sweet barbeque sauce reminiscent of my days living in Texas.

From the gourmet burger selection on the Burger Madness Menu, we sunk our teeth into the “Black & Blue.” Amazingly, the smoked applewood bacon, blue cheese, caramelized onions and baby arugula were not overwhelmed by the half-pound of beef. Kudos to Chef Dennis for this achievement!

Moving to the lighter side of things, we enjoyed the Spinach Salad where cayenne-spiced walnuts provided the perfect balance to the raspberry vinaigrette. We also sampled the beautifully cooked Thai-influenced Salmon Filet marinated in a tamarind soy chili glaze, served with sticky rice and vegetables.

In addition to the delicious food, Montego serves up live music throughout the week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you can enjoy your meal accompanied by the soothing sounds of live jazz. Of particular note is Tom Morey, creator of the Boogie board, who plays jazz regularly on Wednesday evenings. Plan for a late dinner on Friday or Saturday night, then stick around and get moving to the fun and familiar sounds of various retro cover bands until midnight.

Montego is open from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Don’t miss the daily Happy Hour specials from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Live jazz starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and live bands kick off at 9 p.m. on weekends.

Montego Restaurant & Bar
27211 Ortega Hwy., Ste. B
San Juan Capistrano
949. 481.2723
montegorestaurant.com