Castaway

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1250 Harvard Dr
Burbank, CA 91501

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(818) 848-6691
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Reviews
( 11 )
( 21 )
( 12 )
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( 18 )

Best

I have been to tons of buffets and unlimited mimosas for Sunday Brunch but this restaurant by far is the best! Amazing view, you can sit outside or next to the window. The service...

Worst

Five of us had dinner Sunday night April 24, 2005 at Castaway. We were all excited to be there until we experienced slow service with lots of mistakes and awful food. We were ...

It could be great, it could be disappointing depends on what you expect. 10/23/2006

You have to know what to order and what to expect from this place.\r Their food is overall good if you stick with land.\r Castaway Mixed Grille was excellent - lamb chop/chicken/mignon were all great. \r Seafood Collage was ok - white wine cream sauce was blend, angel hair pasta and salmon were way too overcooked. Lobster and scallops were great. Mussels were very bad.\r Their service could be beyond horrible, but probably depends on your waiter.\r Our waiter was incredibly annoying and pushy. He ordered us to add sides instead of received order from us. \r Their place is nice if you go after sunset. They have awesome view. Pros: view Cons: bad service more
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Not too shabby... 8/22/2006

The restaurant had decent food, decent atmosphere, and a beautiful view at night. The waiter we had was friendly, although I did notice that the other staff members kept to themselves and didn't seem to lend a helping hand to othe staff. *shrug*\r It's either a casual place or a dressy place. Lots of events held at the restaurant such as weddings, proms and other formals. The outdoor patio is great for a view with fire pits and appetizer menu, plus drinks. Overall, I would go back. Pros: Beautiful view Cons: Kind of noisy because they allow children more
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Don't Valet Here 7/31/2006

This place is to be avoided because of the awful valet, and valet is mandatory at night. They put a huge dent on my driver's side door and panel, which I didn't see at the restaurant because they held the door open for me so that I would not see the accident. I noticed it as soon as I got out of my car at home but it was too late! Of course they refused to pay for it because I didn't assess the damage before leaving the restaurant. It was dark and they concealed the accident! United Valet Services in case you are wondering. more
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disappointing waitstaff 7/16/2006

This was a very romantic restaurant with a great view but we were very disappointed with the service. My husband made reservations here for our one year anniversary and we thought we'd be sitting by the window, but we weren't seated there but on the inside instead. The service was horrible. The waitstaff never came by to refill our water or iced tea glasses. My husband had to ask for bread which came complimentary with the meal. The food was delicious however, especially the raisin bread. I don't think we'd ever go back sorry to say. For the price we paid, we expected the service to be alot better than it was. Pros: romantic, great food Cons: bad service more
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TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT 6/9/2006

Under new management hasn't meant so much in a long time. We walked in and were seated immediately, this didn't happen the last few times we visited Castaways. The food was great. The new Manager visited our table, always keeping an eye on the service provided throughout the restaurant. \r \r If you've been disappointed in the past, it is time to go to Castaways. Pros: Food, service, atmosphere more
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Great experience 2/24/2006

I had the lunch buffet today (Sat.) and it was fantastic. There was more food than I could ever eat and the all of the food was excellent. It was a great value too at only $19 per person. I would definitely recommend going for a weekend buffet. Great ambience, great food, great view. What more can a guy ask for? Pros: food, view, entire experience more
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Incredible view, worst food ever 11/5/2005

Someday a real restauranteur will discover Castaway's incredible potential, and it will be an absolute must-visit. Until then, know that you're going for the view, view and more view. Avoid the food at all costs, but if you must eat, know it's going to be the equalivant of a food-court (appetizers), or rubber-chicken wedding buffet (dinners). We enjoy sitting out on the bar patio around the firepit, ordering an old-school umbrella drink. We leave to eat. Pros: view, patio, firepits Cons: food, food, food more
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GREAT VIEW, BAD SERVICE 9/13/2005

I've been to castaway a few times for drinks and i love the view. You can overview the Whole Burbank from there. The place is pretty and you can sit around the fireplace and chat with friends...So i decided to bring my Mom for her birthday...then the disaster came. I've made the reservation for 3 for WINDOW seat. When we arrive, they seated us rite away but the very rude hostess refused to give us the window seat that i asked for while there's plenty of empty table on the window seat. I was so pissed off and it totally make me in bad bad mood...even on my MOM's birthday. The food is just average and overpriced for that quality of food. Overall, the only good thing about this restaurant is the great view, so i highly recommend you to go for a drink..but not for a happy relaxing dinner~ Pros: great view, nice setting, romantic Cons: Worst service ever, Average food more
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Ambience over food 6/17/2005

Castaway offers a FANTASTIC view, and elegant setting. The food could be better. have been there before, and was seated within a few minutes of arriving (WITH reservations), but this last time was the WORSE. I had a large group (WITH reservations), but I checked in 1 hour early to wait for everyone else. Good thing, because we were FINALLY seated 45 minutes AFTER our reservation time. Granted there was a high school graduation that day, but the hostess was rude, and told us that they were ""preparing our table"" ... I had no idea it took 45 minutes to ""prepare a table"". I would have preferred a more honest estimate, so that we wouldn't have to ask every ten minutes. Thankfully our waiter was charming, and the food was out within minutes. Be sure you make reservations and get there early, because you will still have to wait. Pros: Ambience, View Cons: Hostess, Wait more
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StayAway 5/21/2005

At least 30 % overpriced, slow service at best, less than average food. Go for drinks, pay, and leave, have dinner somewhere else. Waited 40 minutes for a table, with reservations, then waited another 30 minutes for the appetizers, which never came, had the entrees and left 2.5 hours after we arrived. Music in an adjacent room was so loud, we couldn't hear anything from our conversation. A total disaster. Stay away. Pros: View Cons: service, food, price more
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Not the 'Castaway' of old 5/19/2005

Pretentious ambiance, grossly overpriced and uninspired menu, mostly absent inattentive waitstaff. The food was so unmemorable I can't recall exactly what we ate. It took us nearly 10 minutes after we were seated to get drinks, and another 15 to place our food order (which arrived half an hour later, stone cold). We received absolutely nothing without making at least two or three progressively plaintive requests (to a waiter who has mastered the art of moving through his station while avoiding all eye contact with patrons) for everything from extra napkins to refills on our coffee. This, while empty tables outnumbered the occupied ones during most of our meal. We wound up spending over $145 for dinner for 4 that would be right at home in Denny's for a third of the price. The view remains the best in the S.F. Valley, but it's debatable whether it's worth it. Pros: Great View Cons: Overpriced, Indifferent Waitstaff, Mediocre Food more
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Great view Terrible food. 4/24/2005

Five of us had dinner Sunday night April 24, 2005 at Castaway. We were all excited to be there until we experienced slow service with lots of mistakes and awful food. We were shocked that such a beautiful place would tolerate such blatantly awful food. If we ever go again it will be for drinks or coffee! Pros: view, location, decor Cons: food, food, service more
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Go for the early dinner specails 4/20/2005

They have only 4 or 5 selections on the early dinner specials, but the check winds up being les than half the regular menu price. Dinner for two, including a drink, the salad bar, entre, and desert is about $50. Food is above average, but nothing spectacular. The view is superb. The valets are idiots. more
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Dress to impress or else... 1/31/2005

This has got to be one of the worst dinners in my life. First of all, the valet parking employee decided to park the MBenz when I had arrived and WAITED for five minutes for him to come and get my car. Hello? Secondly, I made a reservation for a ""window"" table but the RUTHLESS hostess told me that I had to WAIT 45 minutes + treated me like 'crap'. Others, walked right in. That's not all, once I was seated in ANY table (30 minute wait), I was shocked to see nearly 3/4 of all window tables EMPTY. Stay Away for service. Pros: Ambiance, Great Mt. view, Food tastes great Cons: Rude hostess, Bias toward wealthy, Ignorant valet more
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On a Clear Day... 4/8/2004

...you can see forever, and that definitely applies in in the smoggy Burbank basin. This hilltop restaurant has a great view for drinks on the patio at dusk as you meet friends. During the Fall and Winter they'll even light the fire pits to keep you warm. The regular dinner menu at Castaway can often leave something to be desired...like quality, but I readily recommend the Sunday champagne brunch to friends. The selection is varied with several ""to order"" food stations, and the service accomodating. I can only fault the dessert table for it's selection of almost too many things to choose from. Pros: great buffet, excellent service Cons: valet only parking more
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Great place for drinks...but not food 10/22/2003

The food is really average. Overpriced and not memorable. But the ambiance is great. After they rebuilt it, they did an impressive job in making it look romantic. The view is better than the Odyssey in Granada hills and their are more fire pits. I think, this place is better as a romantic bar or after dinner coffee by the firepits. more
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Great View, Food Ok 7/24/2003

The view is great! Been here twice on Valentines day, proposed to girlfriend here. The food should be better for the price. Food is ok, but not great. If the food were great, this place would be perfect. Might be a better place for appies and drinks, and get main meal elsewhere. Yes, I will come back, but mainly for the romantic view and not for the food! Pros: Great View, Outdoor Patio Cons: Overpriced Food more
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Great View; Food OK 6/22/2003

We went for Mother's Day (brunch) and it was not what we expected. The brunch selection was large ranging from typical american to pasta and seafood, but most was a bit bland. I wasn't too impressed for the inflated [holiday] price tag. Definately overpriced for the quality of the food served. However, the view was spectacular. I would recommend having dinner elsewhere then coming here for drinks and a romatic setting. Pros: beautiful view, romantic, ambience Cons: overpriced, food quality: just ok more
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Nice view but mediocre food 5/7/2003

The ambience is great. The salad bar is excellent. The main courses are disappointing. We order shrimp scampi and chick and prawn paster which in my mind were difficult to mess up. They were way under my expectation. Remeber to avoid mesh potatoes. Dessert is good though. Best bet, finish you meal elsewhere and go there for desert to enjoy the incredible ambience. Pros: service, ambience, salad bar Cons: main course more
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Great food, OK food 2/19/2003

My husband and I went on Valentines day for dinner. The food was ok, but could have been much better. For the price and the type of restaurant, I expected more than boxed mashed potato's. The view was OUTSTANDING and the service good. Pros: The View, Service more
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Menu for Castaway


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Perched at the top of a long winding road, the Castaway offers views to behold. Book a patio table on a summer evening to watch the valley transform into an ocean of glimmering...

  • 3/7/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Fri-Sat: 11am-3pm, 4pm-11pm, Sun: 4:30pm-10pm, 9:30am-3pm, Mon-Thu: 11am-3pm, 4pm-10pm
  • Payments: Carte Blanche, Visa, Diner's Club, American Express, Discover, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Burbank
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