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Iva Lee's Restaurant

555 N El Camino Real, Ste E, San Clemente, CA 92672-6745
949-361-2855
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Ranked #18 of 103 restaurants in San Clemente
Price range: RM64 - RM91
Cuisines: Cajun & Creole
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Restaurant details
Good for: Romantic, Bar Scene, Special Occasion Dining
Dining options: Dinner, Reservations, After-hours, Dessert
Dining style: Casual Dining
Cross street: Avenida Palizada
Transit: Bus stop nearby
Description: Come on in, have a sit, and set a spell. Welcome to Iva Lee's. Iva Lee's is a southern style dinner house featuring Southern cuisine, live music & full bar. Iva Lee's offers great specialty drinks like Hurricane's, Mint Julep's and the famous Georgia Peach Martini. It also has a great wine list. Chef Christopher Starr creates dishes from various regions of the South and is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He creates great dishes such as grilled pork chop with a brown sugar pecan glaze & pan seared scallops over Anson Mills cheesy grits with sauteed Southern vegetables.
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44 reviews from our community

86% Recommend
    25
    13
    2
    2
    2
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
5 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2013 via mobile

We ate at Iva Lees the night before Mother's Day, I was pretty impressed. The French bread and cornbread on the table to start was great. My husband and I split an amazing french onion soup and the pork loin I had was delicious. My husband had the baked chicken and he loved the BBQ sauce. We shared a wonderful... More

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San Clemente, California, United States
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
37 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 March 2013

I told my wife we could try something new this week and we chose Iva Lees and Im glad we did . I stopped by ealy during the day and made a reservation and was told that Saturdays were tough and the patio was the only option but the Louisiana style menu looked good so we gave it took it.... More

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See 19 more reviews by Kelly C for San Clemente
San Clemente, California
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
7 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 February 2013

I've tried Iva Lee's 9 times over the years. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the great chefs in New Orleans who have shared their recipes with us, but I consistently leave wishing the food and service were better so I could refer more of my guests there.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 8 more reviews by fredadanzig for San Clemente
Vancouver, BC
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
4 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 January 2013

My wife found this little gem while we were vacationing in San Clemente. We took both our kids (5, 2) to the restaurant and was greeted with a friendly smile upon our entrance. I was really impressed with the decor and even more so with the live music playing. Both entree's were superb and we even came on during a... More

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California
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
7 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 January 2013

This is a small friendly place with great food and music. Eric makes the best martinis anywhere. The food is unique and tasty. Love this place

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San Clemente, California
Top Contributor
70 reviews 70 reviews
27 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 December 2012

need reservations, small but very cozy. Excellent service, awesome food presentation, very formal, meals I think start at $25, but good for a special occasion.

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See 12 more reviews by beckyjake123 for San Clemente
Laguna Niguel, California
Top Contributor
71 reviews 71 reviews
18 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 43 cities Reviews in 43 cities
73 helpful votes 73 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 December 2012

Iva Lee's serves really good New Orleans style food in a lively atmosphere. The live jazz/blues music and the dark hues really makes you feel like you're in New Orleans, not San Clemente. The food also hits the mark. Shrimp and grits, jambalaya, short ribs, and a good comination of seafood and meats is really tasty. The service was slow... More

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San Clemente, California
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 November 2012

Small restaurant with great southern food. it can be highly recommended. Its the best southern food choice in south orange county.

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Las Vegas, Nevada
Top Contributor
65 reviews 65 reviews
36 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 October 2012

The menu is exceptionally inviting and intriguing. Bear in mind this is Cajun style, so spicy is spicy. Knowing that I would scale back the spice next time. There was live music. The live music was too loud for my taste, but it was in the bar where the patrons really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Definitely worth a visit.... More

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See 16 more reviews by DaraJG for San Clemente
Chicago
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
19 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 September 2012

It's good when someone gets to live their dream, better still when that dream is a first class restaurant and best of all when said restaurant is full of people enjoying creative and exceptional food well served. Such a place is Iva Lee's. I have been three times, including hosting a large party for dinner. Not a miss anywhere along... More

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