A Missed Opportunity at Sandpiper at Oceana, Santa Monica, California: A Father’s Day 2025 Dining Experience

On Father’s Day, June 15, 2025, my family and I chose to celebrate at Sandpiper at Oceana, a restaurant nestled within the boutique 5-star Oceana hotel, part of the Hilton chain in Santa Monica, California. With its prime location across from the ocean and a reputation for elegance, we anticipated a memorable dining experience. Unfortunately, our visit fell short of expectations, revealing operational hiccups and missed opportunities for this charming venue. Compounding our disappointment, attempts to share constructive feedback with the hotel’s management have gone unanswered, prompting me to share our experience here on WorldlyDiscovery.com.

A Promising Setting with Reservation Woes

Eager to enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather, I booked a 1 p.m. reservation for a party of four through OpenTable, hoping to secure outdoor poolside seating. To my dismay, OpenTable indicated that outdoor seating was unavailable, so I settled for standard seating. Arriving early at 12:20 p.m., we were stunned to find the restaurant completely empty. When we asked a waiter about outdoor seating, he promptly accommodated us. This discrepancy between OpenTable’s system and the reality on the ground was baffling—why was outdoor seating marked as unavailable when the restaurant was deserted? This suggests a potential glitch in the reservation system that could frustrate other guests.

Service Struggles in an Empty Restaurant

Despite the empty dining room and the presence of two waiters, a manager, and kitchen staff, the service was surprisingly slow and inflexible. A simple order of guacamole took over 30 minutes to arrive, an inexplicable delay for a 5-star establishment with no other patrons. We requested basic items like avocado toast and a hard-boiled egg, only to be told the breakfast menu had switched to lunch. Given that the kitchen had avocado, bread, and eggs—ingredients already in use for other dishes—it was surprising that these straightforward requests required significant convincing or were outright denied.

Our main course, a chop salad with grilled salmon, was flavorful and well-portioned but took another 30 minutes to arrive. The waitstaff, while courteous, checked on us infrequently, and the gaps between dishes felt excessive for no apparent reason. For a 5-star hotel restaurant with no other guests, the pace of service was disappointing and fell far short of the expected standard.

A Gem in Need of Polish

Oceana’s Sandpiper restaurant is a gem of a location, with its oceanfront proximity and charming ambiance. It has the potential to be a weekend hotspot, drawing locals and tourists alike. However, our experience, which I’d rate a 5 out of 10, highlighted areas for improvement. Streamlining kitchen operations, training staff to be more responsive, and allowing flexibility for simple menu requests could transform this venue into the 9 or 10 out of 10 it’s capable of being. The management and ownership are missing a golden opportunity to elevate Sandpiper into a must-visit dining destination.

Silence from Management

Hoping to provide constructive feedback, I emailed the general manager, Diego Ruiz De Porras, on June 18, 2025, detailing our experience and offering suggestions for improvement. I also submitted the same feedback through the hotel’s website. As of today, five days later, I have received no response to either outreach. This lack of acknowledgment is particularly disheartening from a 5-star property and only deepens the impression of missed opportunities at Oceana. Engaging with guest feedback is a cornerstone of hospitality, and the silence from the management team is a further letdown.

Final Thoughts

Sandpiper at Oceana has all the ingredients to be a standout dining destination: a stunning location, a boutique hotel’s charm, and a talented team. However, our Father’s Day visit revealed operational and service challenges that need addressing. The absence of a response to our feedback only underscores the need for greater attention to guest experience. I hope this article encourages the management to take action, as I’d love to return and see Sandpiper realize its full potential. For now, I’d advise potential diners to temper expectations and perhaps call the restaurant directly to confirm outdoor seating availability. Truly, a missed opportunity at Sandpiper at Oceana, Santa Monica, California. Such a shame.