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    230 Forest Avenue

    4.2 (1k reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 8:30 pm

    230 Forest Avenue Photos

    Business Info

    230 FOREST AVENUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - 230 Forest Avenue

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    House Cheeseburger
    Amanda M.

    Stopped in for the first time for lunch and it was a lovely experience. We opted to eat outside on the patio on lower Forest and it was a beautiful day in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. The dining area inside looked really nice but we couldn't resist the beautiful day and peek at the ocean. We started with the warm Parker house rolls and they were almost the best rolls we've ever had. They had a flaky almost croissant type texture on top with thick pieces of sea salt, while soft and fluffy inside. Absolutely to die for. We then split the cheeseburger and fries and it was really good. All fresh and delicious ingredients but could've used a bit more flavor via an aioli or sauce of some kind, which is personal preference. But the burger was juicy and perfectly cooked. The thin and crispy fries were great and just the way I like fries like that. The service was warm, friendly and efficient. Would love to go back for dinner and try more of the menu - it has some really great looking main dishes. You know the drill for parking anywhere near Main beach in Laguna, so plan accordingly.

    Chopped seafood salad, so good!
    Sanela S.

    Amazing service and good food. As a pescatarian I had limited options, but those few options were good ones! The seafood salad was actually loaded with seafood, very filling on its own. The salmon entree was amazing, just perfectly seasoned. The sizzling shrimp appetizer was cool but very underseasoned. I wish they seasoned and sautéed the items a little more. I also had a passionfruit mocktail which was tasty. I'm happy they offered non alcoholic options. Our server was so awesome, I wish I remember his name! He was very knowledgeable on the food preparations and was able to tell us right off the bat if something was not in line with out dietary restrictions. They have indoor seating, but we chose to sit on the patio with the heat lamps. It was very cute and romantic, perfect for a date night. My husband and I would love to come back for another date night!

    Reese G.

    Overall good food and refreshing drinks. The shrimp weren't bad but needed some additional flavor, while the dates were delicious! The cucumber cocktail was clean and perfect for lunch. The ceasar salad was a miss and lacked flavor while the 3 specialty tacos were some of the best I've had in a long time. Our server was attentive and on it for anything we needed.

    Chicken Milanese
    Karen G.

    Service 5/5 Ambience 5/5 Food Preparation 5/5 Food flavor 4/5 Everything was insanely well prepared but missing a flavor element. Not sure if it was acid or umami that was missing, regardless the preparation was well executed. The scallops melted into your mouth. The lobster was fresh and delicious. The bacon dates! Like crack!!!

    Fish n chips
    Steven B.

    230 Forest Avenue is a superb restaurant on the main street at Laguna Beach. Located right near the beach with both indoor and outdoor seating. The hostess and our waiter were great, and they continued to check on us and fill our iced teas. We ordered the fish n chips and the chipotle lime chicken and both were great. Even our iced teas were great. We sat outdoors and had a great lunch. I highly recommend this restaurant if you visit Laguna Beach. Enjoy.

    Toasted Garlic Salmon
    Lauren P.

    Wonderful service, beautiful atmosphere, and fresh food. Myself and two others came for lunch recently, and were seated immediately. Our server was so friendly and remembered my friend from her previous visits. We started with a few drinks. I recommend the Albarino, a crisp white. I ordered the Toasted Garlic Salmon entree. The salmon had a delicious crust on top which was absolutely divine, and the salmon was cooked perfectly (medium). The quinoa had great flavor, especially with the addition of the salsa verde. I had a bite of the halibut special- it was light with good texture. The brown butter gnocchi were perfectly chewy and the brown butter in the sauce really came through. We completed our meal with the pistachio crème brûlée. Not too sweet, creamy, and flavorful.

    Their cab
    Rosa V.

    Went here with my son and husband, and this place was outstanding! Food: We started with the Calamari Kung Pao as an appetizer -- it was flavorful and perfectly cooked. My husband had the burger, which he really enjoyed -- juicy, well-seasoned, and cooked just right. My son had the fish and chips. I had the special of the day, the Halibut, and it was absolutely outstanding -- fresh, beautifully prepared, and full of flavor. We'll definitely be coming back! Service was great

    Fish n' Chips
    Vinitha V.

    We didn't know where we wanted to eat so we just walked around laguna and checked out their menu and was very imp by their seafood options. They also had a fish taco special which is what i got and i absolutely loved it. The fish was cooked perfectly and all the toppings paired perfectly in the taco. Their drink selection was really good and i really enjoyed their margaritas. The fish and chips were also very delicious. Our waitress was every sweet and i appreciated that she checked in on us every once in a while.

    2 Square by Alpha Omega
    Sidney S.

    If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong -- Jenny Weber I thought for sure I had added a review for 230 Forest. But I must have been wrong... And I have been here with a few different friends, mostly women because men are just wrong ;-) And over the years, it's always been consistently good. Plus sitting on the patio, lovely people watching ambiance and a view of Main Beach. Favorites on the menu include the bacon wrapped dates, wagyu carpaccio, oysters, lamb chops, onion soup, truffle fries...basically the plates for sharing. Beer list is interesting...East Bros. and North Coast are represented. Wine list is basic with a few interesting finds. Last time I was there the bottle I brought was corked so I ordered the Alpha Omega second wine and it was decent. $25 corkage. Recommended!

    Filet, cooked rare and perfectly, along with lamb chop appetizer in the back.
    Hanna C.

    I've been frequenting the spot since I was in my late teens and have always enjoyed their offerings. They make a mean French onion soup and I love getting a plate (or two) of their lamb pops - although I think they just call them lamb chops on the appetizer menu now. My other favorite is the oyster plate with pomegranate granita, although the oysters are not consistent; sometimes they have the smaller petit oysters but the last time, they only had one petit and the others were larger and a little more chewy. On our most recent visit, we noticed the chops were more fat than meat so that was a little disappointing as well but the were cooked nicely. Service is usually decent, sometimes the servers seem a little less than enthused to be there but we will continue going back. Dog friendly!

    Scallops w/Broccolini
    Robyn K.

    From the drinks... to the apps... to the meal - everything was outstanding. I feel so bad that I didn't get our servers name. He was so awesome! At the moment, I am having so many issues with food and things I have to stay away with... It's such a pain to go anywhere, let alone put that pressure on a server or a restaurant to deliver. After listing all of the foods/ingredients I need to avoid at the moment... Our server didn't miss a beat. He said he didn't think any of that was going to be a problem, and that he would help me navigate through the menu. And not in a "you should be fine" kind of way- but in a "we can absolutely make this work" kind of way. My hubby is already planning our next date night here- and believe it or not, he is harder to please than me (because he typically prefers eating at home). I love that this gem is a 15 minute drive up the beautiful coast from our home. Right now, here are the foods I need to avoid: *Gluten *Meat glue (yes, you read that correct- and it's more commonly used in restaurants than you think!) *Canola oil (used in nearly every restaurant and in nearly every marinade/vinaigrette/sauce) *Dairy *Certain veggies *Certain herbs Thank you 230 Forest Avenue for going above and beyond, you've got a very happy customer for life

    Carpaccio
    David Y.

    In and around Forest Avenue is a mecca of dining destinations for just about any palate with options from the refined to the more casual. 230 Forest avenue sits above mid center and the Chef has created a bunch of menu options that are about as creative as they are tasty. For this visit, I decided to try their lighter/lunch offerings and moved forward with selections from their appetizer offerings. On this Saturday before noon, seating was easy sans a reservation and was able to dine at a table on their patio area. The staff here were extremely friendly and were extremely accommodating and helpful with prompt service. There were three items of particular interest on this occasion and my guest and I settled on: Wagyu Beef Carpaccio; Spicy Tuna Crudo and Shoestring Truffle Garlic Fries with fresh Aioli dip. Each of these items were very carefully and impressively prepared and served. My first sampling was the crudo that was very nicely displayed. The Tuna was very fresh and plentiful making it difficult to consume with a single bite. The first two that I had was a little short on the spice, but the last sampling was more to my liking. The Carpaccio came second and this item was very good both in quality and taste. It had all the accompaniments to enhance the flavor including greens, sauce, capers and cheese. They were very generous on this item as far as portions go, so be advised if you are having an entrée. The Fries were a nice, "crunch, " to enjoy with these dishes that were more refined. Cooked very well, seasoned very well and unable to finish given the portions of everything else. This combination of things for lunch or say a Happy Hour would be a great time for a fun gathering down in Laguna Beach. This area of town is a favorite location for me and I would visit more for dinner than anything else. That said, this chance to enjoy the sun and the scenery worked out well for a Saturday destination. Overall, 230 Forest Avenue is a place that I would recommend for lunch . . .I'll have to advise later once I've dined for dinner. They provide many options for many palates and have a very fun vibe for lunch or dinner. I suggest you give it a try, they care deeply about quality products, preparation and presentation. Bon Appetite!

    Chips
    Ann L.

    My friend and I went for lunch and decided to split the fish and chips. The entree includes two large deep fried halibut filets, shoestring French fries along with a large helping of coleslaw, plenty of food to share. The fish was moist and cooked to perfection, the fries were crispy and delicious but the coleslaw was very salty. We sat in the outdoor patio located in the street. It is a great people watching spot. The patio is dog friendly. Our server was attentive and friendly and kept our ice teas filled.

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    9 months ago

    Hands down the best restaurant in Laguna beach! Truly a gem, do not miss this place. The fries and martinis are to die for.

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    Ask the Community - 230 Forest Avenue

    Is there valet parking?

    No they only have normal parking.

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    The Deck On Laguna Beach - Burrata salad

    The Deck On Laguna Beach

    4.0(2.3k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Took my mother-in-law here for her birthday and we all had such a great experience!…read more We got there around 4-4:15pm and had about a 20 minute wait, but we were able to find a high top table that we got to sit at and were able to order drinks from the bar, so that helped to pass our time. We got seated at our table at our table around 4:30p and had the most perfect view of the ocean! *we went on a Friday night and noticed the patio cleared out about 4:45-5pm and I didn't appear to have a lot of people waiting during that time. The main patio was covered with umbrellas, so once you are seated for dinner, there was plenty of umbrellas for shade and heaters for when it got a little cooler. For our food orders, and as recommended by our server, we went with their seafood options and ordered their Pacific Ceviche for an appetizer and for Entrees my husband got the Roasted Halibut and me and my mother-in-law both got the Scallop and Shrimp pasta. We all loved our dishes and were very satisfied with our choices. Their menu does have non-seafood options, but why not to try what they're most prominent for? They don't have a dessert menu, but they heard that we were celebrating mom's birthday so they brought us a little Toffee Cake to share and enjoy...and for a place that doesn't have dessert, the cake was pretty delicious. Such a cute place all around. My husband and I can't wait to go back! Parking - they have valet parking available right in front of the restaurant or theres street metered parking in the surrounding area.

    a bit difficult to find and is really small. i didn't eat here because of how busy it was. it was…read moreso busy there was someone in the way at the end of the stairs. wasn't a big fan of the environment. probably not a place for younger people or something because older people that were there were staring, of course i know it's not the restaurants fault just saying. got there around 5pm put name on wait for 2 people and was told about an hour. i was told to not order from the bar while i waited, never heard of that before as i also work at a restaurant. not sure what the policy is here for that. i was ok with waiting, but i went back to ask for a table by the rail since i was waiting a bit already anyway. the lady in front of me put her name down and was told her wait time would be 30-40 mins, so i was confused why hers was shorter than mine maybe the wait time changed and i'd wait less? anyway i told the host my request to sit by the rail and she said it would be a little longer, but that's ok that's what i expected. i actually never received a text that my table was ready and i thought maybe it was the wrong number put down, but who knows. kind of disappointed because i saw this place online a year ago and was excited to finally try it. i didnt get to and just went to eat somewhere else

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    237 Ocean Avenue - My favorite patio!!!Patio+Palomas+Empanadas=Heaven!

    237 Ocean Avenue

    4.5(75 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    We came on NYE. There was music happening at 9pm, but we…read morecame early and missed it. That was our fault. We were the only ones there. The experience was all over the map. The owner served us initially, and he was really friendly and funny. We ordered a bottle of wine, and some cocktails. We put in some salads and an appetizer, they were really really good. But after that, our server (the owner we were told) left, and another server introduced himself. The new server was inattentive. He sat chatting with the other servers at the bar, leaving empty glasses and empty plates on the table. We had to flag him to come back to fill water. Having been myself in the service industry for years, my biggest pet peeve is when servers sit and chat where you can see them, and when they do come, they don't do a sweep and take care of things on the table. We had to put our empty glasses and trash on a side table. It was weird. The bolognese had hardly any meat in it. It was mostly tomato and onion. I've been to Argentina. Meat is a staple. Also weird. We ordered dessert and after waiting for 5-10 minutes, the server came back and told us they were missing crucial ingredients to make it. The owner came back at the end and was really gracious, but all in all, I think the execution was lacking. The service was not great. The food was 3.5/5 I love to support small business, perhaps we will try again another night.

    Karaoke Tuesday was a disaster! It's all about money…read more We spent $120 on drinks for 3 people. Plus Tips. We were on the Q. Until we're NOT. Because (they actually announced) someone paid more. Go ponder.

    Photos
    237 Ocean Avenue - Wednesday Wine Dinners

    Wednesday Wine Dinners

    237 Ocean Avenue - Italian Wine Importer Ciro Cirello sharing his favorite Italian wines paired with chef Leo's 4 course meal at our Bartoletti Wine Dinner

    Italian Wine Importer Ciro Cirello sharing his favorite Italian wines paired with chef Leo's 4 course meal at our Bartoletti Wine Dinner

    237 Ocean Avenue - Chef Leo's creations

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    Chef Leo's creations

    230 Forest Avenue - bars - Updated June 2026

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