Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking

The server was awesome but the food was not like it used to be. Fried calamari was flavorless and the dipping sauce was pure horse radish.Then $24 for a gumbo bowl that had more rice than gumbo, with found 4 little pieces of sausage.And to top it off styrofoam cups for a $60 bill for 2 people.

Yummy! We stumbled on this place after shopping at SouthCoast and it did not dissappoint! The servers were very friendly and accommodating with great attitudes. The fried shrimp po boy was delicious. The right amount of seasoning on the shrimp to contrast and complement the vegetables/lettuce/sauce. The bread was the right density and softness. The house gumbo was also very good. They let you pick the spice rating from 1-10. The 7 has a good kick to it which doesn't linger. I'd probably go down to a 5 or 6 next time.We went around 2 pm on a Sunday and we were the only patrons. A few more tables filled up while we were there but it was a good atmosphere overall. I enjoyed watching them cook on their pots.

I loooove a good pan roast and Ritter's is the best only in the area. Perfect seasoning, spice not too much cream in the pan roast. Very balanced. My only gripe is the TERRIBLE service. One weekend I tried to order and Ritter's was closed for some reason. Today, I tried to place an online order around noon. Online ordering was closed until 1:30. I thought that was odd, I tried calling and nobody picked up until the third time. Once I arrived for pick up, the restaurant was not even close to being full, phone ringing and nobody picking up. There were 3 employees running around right in front of me and nobody greeted/noticed me. The worker finally noticed me and looked surprised. I was literally standing at the entrance! There was a family that was very annoyed because the servers kept ignoring them. WTH is going on?!?!?! I love your food but please get new staff. It's been consistently bad service.

I rarely crave pan roast but when I do, I always go to Ritter's for it. There used to be Kettlebar in Anaheim that would serve pan roast, but I believe they closed and I would've still preferred Ritter's over Kettlebar anyways. The flavor is so good and buttery. It always hits the spot with the amount of flavor and spice my husband and I get spice level 10. Their ratio of pan roast to pieces of protein is perfection and although level 10 spice is their highest, we feel like it could be more spicy that's a preference thing though. He loves getting it with rice and I'm a fan of getting it with pasta. We share one entrée of the house pan roast and would still have leftovers. Maybe it's because we get their apps too. His favorite app is their fried okra with the sauce that comes with it and I really like their seasoned fries. Calamari is good, but it's a mood thing for us and isn't necessary every time we come. We also love the sweet butter that comes with the bread. Service is good and attentive when we're here!

I've never had Cajun food as good as this. The flavors mesh together in a wonderful blend of salty, savory and garlic. I highly recommend the pan roast. Some say there's not enough rice to the ratio of the sauce but I differ. Once the rice is mixed into the sauce it's the perfect ratio. Of the pan roast, my personal favorite is the chicken and sausage. You get the seafood Cajun flavoring mixed with the smokiness of the andouille sausage. The Ritter's chowder is the best clam chowder I've ever had. The pieces of clam, shrimp and crab are the largest I've seen. When you add the spice level, it'll give you the kick you never knew you needed. The restaurant is a little smaller in size, so larger parties may have some difficulty seating quickly during the busy hours. But is it worth the wait? Absolutely.