Laguna Beach Restaurant Recommendations

I’m taking my sweetie to Laguna Beach for a weekend getaway at the end of April to celebrate her ‘milestone’ birthday.

We’re staying at the Inn at Laguna Beach.

May I tap into the board’s experience with local restaurants for a Saturday night dinner recommendation? The food and ambience are more important than wine considerations. It doesn’t have to be high end and we are quite open on type of food. I would prefer that it be in LB so we aren’t driving far. If we could walk to dinner that would be a bonus.

Starfish looks interesting. Others?

Thanks very much!

Starfish would be a long walk, and I wasn’t impressed.

Others will chime in, but I like Alessa, which is steps from your hotel on Forest.

We always enjoy San Shi Go often. Sushi, not expensive and a short walk south on PCH.

These are all fantastic. * means walking distance

Studio at the Montage - very high end with prices to match. But service, food, ambience, and views at sunset unmatched.
Tabu Grill - fantastic food and fun vibe. Recently changed chefs, but IMHO hasn’t missed a beat.
Cafe Zoolu - small place, very Laguna Beach. Locals kinda place.
*Broadway- fairly new, less than a yr old. We liked it a lot. Kinda loud. Reasonable wine list.
*230 Forest - good food, fun location, right in the heart of LB
*Watermarc - same as 230 Forest. More tapas style, great for sharing many small plates.
Sapphire - right on PCH. Patio is really fun if it’s not too cold.
Starfish - I differ with Dietz. I liked it. Same owner as Tabu Grill, but Tabu is much better. There are better choices.

I also recommend Sundried Tomato Cafe or Zinc Cafe for breakfast/brunch and both walking distance.

For a special occasion, I don’t think Studio at sunset can be beat.

K’ya upstairs the best sunset views for happy hour.

Really like the food at Nick’s but it’s noisy, next to watermark

Nirvana Grill is awesome.

Very solid info here, I might have typed that myself

I would also add that Loft at Montage is a nice option. Go mid day, ask for the Studio list, order a bottle of Champagne, sit on the patio and have them make you a cheese plate. They have nearly 100 cheese choices with killer accompaniments (they have 30+ honeys from all over the world). Then take a stroll along a beautiful part of the coast.

Thanks guys! I may have to extend our stay by a few days to get out to all these places!!!

Keep them coming!

I was not really impressed with Starfish (and it’s not within walking distance of your hotel). Broadway and Three Seventy Common would be my choices in the area. Both are loud and kind of a scene, but the food is exciting and they both have good drink programs – fun places to be on a Saturday night.

No love for Splashes?

It’s been awhile since I’ve been there. Great view. Food was just ok. I think they cater to tourists who care more about the view and decor than food. Maybe it’s better now. Have you been recently?

Been a while since I ate there, like 7 years, but it was good then. Just curious what others thought.

It’s a great bar for sunsets, maybe better than K’ya IMHO.

Liked 230 Forest, loved Studio at the Montage (full disclosure, we were staying at the montage for free, but paid for some food)

We ended up going to Nirvana on Saturday night. Great choice! Food and service were excellent.

Our starters were mushroom raviolis and I ordered roasted creamed corn. The creamed corn was delicious. Roasted corn taken off the cob and seasoned with cilantro and chili oil. A sprinkle of cotija cheese on top along with some cold creme freshe (sp?).

Entrees were pork shank and swordfish - both were delicious, esp. the shank. Fall-off-the-bone tender and done with root vegetables and bacon. Unique and memorable.

We had Sunday breakfast at Splashes. Hard to beat the view and my lemon ricotta pancakes with huckleberry syrup were unusual and outstanding.

All in all, a wonderful weekend get-away. Sunny and 76 degrees - no complaints there!

Again- thanks for the recs.

Jen and I went to Rock’n Fish yesterday, as she’s a bit of a halibut-whore, and supposedly the halibut is great there. Well, it wasn’t, however, I had one of the greatest restaurant dishes of my entire life there, so I have to throw out a huge recommendation to any who want a restaurant in Laguna Beach, Manhattan Beach, or Downtown LA.

The jambalaya is NOT for purists, but it is absolutely incredible. The seafood is incredibly fresh (although you REALLY have to hunt for the clams - it seems they put just the shells in) and delicious, and the ‘spicy Cajun cream’ sauce really makes the dish. It was the perfect combination of flavors and textures, and while the portion is plentiful, it’s not too big, which is good because I freakin’ destroyed it.

They have a good beer selection there as well, with mini flights that you can line up and sample. I enjoyed Chechvar and Old Speckled Hen, in particular. The wine list is very odd - primarily three price tiers, with dozens of wines priced at either $50, $75, or $100 - only a few cellar wines with random pricing.

That really doesn’t sound too good.

Sounds like they’re missing a tier.

Finally made it to Broadway in Laguna. Wow is this place good! No make that great! Went with 6 of us and we all ordered apps and entrees so got to try a little of everything. First off I had a shrimp over sea urchin risotto over squid ink - unbelievably delicious, licked my plate. Blue crab salad, watermelon/feta cheese, roasted and pickled beets. Again all very creative and very delicious.
Entrees were roasted branzino with a cauliflower emulsion, Jidori chicken, lamb shank (very light broth and meat fell off bone), new york steak.
Wine dude was very casual and very good. Prices not too insane for Laguna and they do have corkage again for $25 per as long as not on their list. They also have parking next door for free.
Sitting at the chefs table next time I go, its actually a 6 seat section of the bar that is right on the line and there is no ordering, food just comes out. Looked pretty good.

Will be up there in Sept and was checking the website for Broadway and saw their corkage policy:

Our corkage fee is $35 per 750 ml with a maximum of two bottles per table

Still looks like a great place. Any idea how much the chef’s tasting is?

I was told $25 per if not on list and limit 2. Tasting menu is $70ish + for wine pairings. Great food, comfortable space
Enjoy

I do recommend the cocktails there as they are really good and interesting. One of my favorite places.