Laguna Beach Restaurants

Location is awesome right on the ocean. Choice of seating indoors or outdoors. Cocktails were good; red wine and entree were average and therefore felt were not a good value based on price paid.

Great good but noisier than we remember. Surrounded by groups that had been drinking, it was hard to hold a conversation.

Great service and delicious food! Really enjoyed our dinner here

Amazing Food! Service and Atmosphere is so great!

If you dine out often (and we do) you begin to notice certain “food patterns.” There’s “not good,” “good,” and “very good.” And “beyond good” is where 230 Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, California, comes into play. This downtown Laguna location on Forest Avenue only a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean is a very inspired experience indeed. And lucky us, we also had “Carlos” at our table. He cares about his customers, and it shows. I mean, when is the last time your server stopped to talk to you about other subjects besides the food? He works perfectly paced and fun, which is always a good thing. I keep harping on this in my reviews: You can’t train people to “like” customers. It’s a “behavior,” and not something you can “learn.” “Carlos” is the real deal. Indeed he’s so good we booked another reservation at 230 Forest a few days later and requested him to be at our table. FOOD & AMBIANCE: So, here we go: Genuine, fresh food with sharable portions. We had the Crusted Alaskan Halibut, which was fabulously crusted on the surface yet delicate and sumptuous on the inside. It was served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, paired with an excellent Caesar Salad with freshly baked croutons. Both entrées were magnificent. The Vesper cocktail (very James Bond) and a buttery Chardonnay were delicious and “great pours” (full to the top of the glass). And since it was our anniversary we also shared a scrumptious pistachio crème brûlée. Very good! Then there’s also the subtle, casual, semi-elegant ambiance (indoors or outside)and the hustling, ultra friendly vibe. Very nice! It’s an easy menu to navigate and everything on it looks tasty (and it probably is based on what we saw and heard from neighboring tables). PRICES: About $100 for the two of us, but this included two well-made drinks. I’ll stop here. I could go on and on. We’ll be returning for sure! Thanks “Carlos” for an outstanding evening!