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Best View. I have been here a few times with family and it is always a great time. A breath taking view while you eat it is an amazing atmoshere. The food is also really good but not the best
Very Long Wait, Lousy Food, Zip Presentation & Ambience.
If seated appropriately, the ocean views and sound of the surf are still memorable, in spite of construction noise and obstacles. But what has happened to beautifully presented, excellent food? It
was altogether missing on each of the four plates served for lunch to my party yesterday. What utter disappointment swept over each of our faces yesterday as we stared at large white plates with non-exceptional entrees, completely void of any kind of garnish or embellishment to enhance presentation; especially after waiting an awkward long hour for the food to arrive!!
As a long time resident of Orange County, I have happily frequented The Beach House in Laguna for many, many years. But that only compound the tremendous disappointment experienced by my guests and myself at lunch there yesterday.
I remember exquisitely inspired unique dishes served with the kind of presentation you would expect from a one-of-a-kind restaurant: small edible flowers, lush herbs, plates with colorful, swirled sauces to show off the chefs wonderful, signature creations. All of this served within a reasonable time frame of about 20 minutes by servers that didn't evaporate after taking your order. We did our best to be polite, but to pay so much for so little is as aggravating as eating sand with one's meal.
I can't imagine what has happened to make a once renowned beachfront restaurant so passe. And since I see some favorable reviews alongside the negative, a hit-and-miss reputation is still one not worth owning. My prior experience there with guests also had a long wait, but the food was still a sensation and capable of overcoming the long wait. That is no longer true. Sadly to say, this former regular patron will not be returning to the once glorious Laguna "Beach House" Restaurant.…
BAD, BAD, BAD YOU KNOW IT !. My wife made a reservation at the Beach House in Laguna for dinner for 2 on my birthday a week and a half before hand. She called the day before the dinner to confirm the reservation, everything was fine. But when we showed up they did not have are name on the list and were looking at us like we were crazy.…
Good early bird values, great view & location, friendly service..
On our most recent visit to this restaurant on July 8th, 2008, we arrived early enough to order from the early bird Sunset Dinner menu. The prices for the items on this menu are approximately half
of their counterparts on the regular menu --- I definitely recommend giving the selections on this menu a try as all represented very good values for the high quality preparation that this restaurant offers. Our four selections this evening from this menu were the Sand Dabs, Lobster Tail, Fillet Mignon, and Chicken Marsala --- all were fresh, hot and flavorful.
We sat on the far corner of the outermost desk, just above the beach & surf only 15 feet below -- the view was excellent, although some of us had to wear visors because there is no shelter from the sun in this section of the restaurant.
We particularly enjoyed the service that was provided. All of the restaurant employees that we encountered, from the hostess to the waitress were very friendly. Our waitress was named Mary and we think that her bubbly personality made the dinner even more enjoyable that evening. She happily went that extra mile to assist us with some special needs related to the elderly members of our party. She was also very helpful in explaining menu items and making sure that they were prepared just the way we asked for them to be prepared. She helped us save a few dollars by recommending the ordering of a 'split' bottle of Spanish sparkling wine for only $7 instead of ordering two glasses of white wine for much more.
In sum, we will return to this restaurant the next time we visit Laguna Beach for the value, food quality, the noteworthy view and the exemplary service. I'm rating it as 'highly recommended' for folks visiting Laguna Beach.…
Good food, great service, great view.
My husband Jerry and I were given a gift card for Beach House by friends who used to live in Laguna and loved the restaurant but we went with some trepidation because of the mixed reviews about food
and service. Apparently the restaurant has cleaned up its act, gotten rid of the "smell" a couple of people mentioned and hired more and more professional servers.
Our experience was so pleasant it felt like our anniversary. It was Thursday between 5:30 and 7:00 when early birds get the cheaper worms. Our waitress, Jewel, couldn't have been more attentive or more personable, even though she was quite busy. She even took pictures for us. There seemed to be plenty of competent and cheerful servers and busboys around.
My poached pear and goat cheese salad (on spring greens with a plethora of nuts and dried cranberries) was superb--and filling. My husband pronounced his clam chowder "very good" and my spoonful of it tasted buttery. He had no complaints about his prime rib (a few ounces smaller than the more expensive one served later in the evening). It was chewy but flavorful, cooked to Jerry's specifications, with no gristle. My salmon was as good as any I've had and so was the sweet sauce. (I've forgotten what it was called.) The veggies were cooked well. The potatoes au gratin we both ordered tasted great, plenty of cheese, but parts of my potatoes were dark gray, for some reason. Good iced tea.
We were so full (and we'd reached the $50 limit on the gift card) we didn't try the desserts but the chocolate lava cake looked yummy.
We were sitting on the deck at an intimate table for two--perfect weather--and got wonderful pictures of the sun setting into gray clouds. We both would definitely go again.
And the bathrooms were clean.
So there.…
