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Driftwood Kitchen, Laguna Beach, CA

Driftwood Kitchen

4.6 (1444)
$31 to $50
Seafood
619 Sleepy Hollow Ln., Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 53 times today

About this restaurant

  • Great for scenic views
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Driftwood Kitchen and Stateroom bar is a casual restaurant that serves ocean-to-table fare next to a lovely waterfront view. Helmed by executive Chef Rainer Schwarz, the menu showcases an eclectic selection of seafood dishes that highlight the diversity of the Pacific. Menu highlights include hand-shucked oysters, salmon, octopus, swordfish and lobster, prepared with nothing but the finest and freshest ingredients. Driftwood also offers alternative menu items for landlubbers, such as dishes made of chicken or steak.

Driftwood Kitchen and Stateroom Bar is open all through the week. In addition to its dinner menu, the restaurant serves brunch 7 days a week between 9 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. The airy dining room is a great place to enjoy a casual business lunch or a fun outing with friends. Driftwood Kitchen also boasts a bar, open from 9am - 10:30pm everyday.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Californian
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 9:00 am–2:15 pm Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Resort Casual
  • Executive chef
    Rainer Schwarz
  • Catering
    The Driftwood Private Room is just upstairs of the Driftwood Kitchen and State Room Bar, and offers sparkling ocean views. Inspired by the historical charm of the building, the rich dark hardwood floors and paneling, grey tufted chairs and bay windows, this ambiance offers a very private setting for your business or social gathering.
  • Private party facilities
    With unobstructed views of the Ocean, our unique ocean front property offers a spectacular location for special events and weddings of many styles and sizes. We are able to customize each of our unique spaces to accommodate birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, corporate gatherings, weddings ceremonies and receptions, or a day at the beach,
  • Neighborhood
    Laguna Beach
  • Cross street
    Coast Highway and Cleo
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Trolley stop Coast Hwy @ Cleo St, SB - Stop 14
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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What 1,444 people are saying

Driftwood Kitchen reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Orange County

    Great for scenic views

  • South Orange County

    Great for scenic views

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Driftwood Kitchen offers "great views" of the ocean and "delicious food" with a "varied menu," making it a top choice for brunch or dinner. Patrons laud the "friendly staff" and "fantastic service," while the beachfront location adds to the allure. Despite some service inconsistencies, the overall experience is "amazing" and "highly recommendable."
1,444 Reviews
  1. Kimberly

    Orange County1 review

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    It was much too loud, difficult to hear. The chairs were not very comfortable and visibility hard from deep in the space. Was hoping for more. Request deck if you go.

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  2. David

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I’m not one to write many reviews. Not to be dramatic, but, this was one of the best restaurant/dining experiences I’ve had in my life. The host was kind enough to seat us at an outside table for a gorgeous sunset dinner. The waiter was excellent. Kind, helpful, and quick. Now, I’m not a seafood guy. But the oysters, lobster flauta, and surf and turf were all delicious. Drinks we good as well and came out fast from the bar. Not a local but if I was, I’d be a regular.

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  3. Will VIP

    Los Angeles3 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    We enjoyed the meal. Dish very fresh. Jumbo prawns were amazing. Service was good. Noise level extremely loud; we couldn’t hear ourselves talk. We had 2 screaming children, one behind me and one to the left of me that wouldn’t stop crying and screaming. That made the experience unpleasant and I couldn’t wait for my check so we could leave. I’d go back only if they ban children under age of two.

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  4. Rebecca VIP

    Los Angeles14 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    First off you can really only valet park, for $16.00. Otherwise, good luck finding a place to park. It is quite a search to actually find Driftwood, you have to go down through another restaurant and up stairs. Only found this out by asking a couple of people. Secondly, the food is meh, nothing to brag about. The room is very noisy. There are only a few tables on the outside. So good luck getting one. I do have to say our server was very personable and friendly. We came from Newport and the traffic that time of the day to get there is definitely not worth it. We have plenty of restaurants to choose from that are worth it and a lot let hassle to get to. Just wanting to try Laguna. Would I go back? No.

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  5. Leslie

    Los Angeles6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We returned to this restaurant after having had the best meal there, years ago, and to reconnect with an old friend. Even though Laguna is a long slog for us, (we live near Pasadena), we happily met our friend at the restaurant, and happily relived our previous great experience. We remembered the “best halibut in our lives” we’d had there, so we wanted to share the great place with our friend. He loved his big bowl of mussels!

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  6. Steve

    San Diego2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Good, but not as good as prior visits (all 2+ years ago).

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  7. Eric VIP

    San Diego1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a great vibe at Driftwood Kitchen! Great views, great food!

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  8. Ellen VIP

    Los Angeles34 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 22, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner was absolutely delicious! Every morsel was great. The only issue we had was parking was outlandish! $16 is crazy. It probably will prevent us from returning unless we go early enough to find parking elsewhere.

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  9. Barbara VIP

    San Diego5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 21, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great! However it was difficult to get either server or wait staff attention to clear table, ask if everything was okay, check if you needed more drinks or even a dessert menu. But very frustrating!

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  10. Jim

    Denver / Colorado11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Simply fantastic. Cannot say enough good things about Driftwood!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Driftwood Kitchen is rated 4.6 stars by 1444 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Orange County
  4. South Orange County
  5. Laguna Beach

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 53 times today
Google Map for Driftwood Kitchen

619 Sleepy Hollow Ln., Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Coast Highway and Cleo
  • Neighborhood
    Laguna Beach
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 9:00 am–2:15 pm Daily 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Resort Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Trolley stop Coast Hwy @ Cleo St, SB - Stop 14
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Rainer Schwarz
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Farm to Table, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Outdoor Firepit, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    The Driftwood Private Room is just upstairs of the Driftwood Kitchen and State Room Bar, and offers sparkling ocean views. Inspired by the historical charm of the building, the rich dark hardwood floors and paneling, grey tufted chairs and bay windows, this ambiance offers a very private setting for your business or social gathering.
  • Private party facilities
    With unobstructed views of the Ocean, our unique ocean front property offers a spectacular location for special events and weddings of many styles and sizes. We are able to customize each of our unique spaces to accommodate birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, corporate gatherings, weddings ceremonies and receptions, or a day at the beach,
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