My husband and I decided to give this place a try for OC Restaurant Week. I looked in yelp and what really sold me were the raving reviews of the beignets. Ambiance- right by the harbor. You can see the boats and would be a nice brunch scene. We came for dinner so it was dark and nothing to really see. The dining area is very small. I counted 15 tables inside, but there's an outdoor patio that would be really nice when the weather permits. Service was great! I didn't catch our server's name but he was great. Always checked in and had our water glass full. There were knit 2 servers that I saw and they both seemed very friendly. He recommended the clam chowder and it was a great choice for me. Food- I started with a cup of clam chowder and I loved it! It could be a tad salty for some, but perfect for me. I could've ate another cup! My husband got the Caesar salad and said it was ok. Nothing special. I wanted to love my hanger steak but I didn't. I ordered med rare and it was med. The bottom also tasted burnt but the worst part was that the steak was not seasoned at all. Without the chimichurri it would be just a burnt flavorless taste. The mashed potatoes were VERY buttery. It helped with the lack of steak seasoning. The asparagus was seasoned nicely but overcooked. I probably wouldn't order again. My husband ordered the short rib that came with rice and roasted veggies. He said the meat was bland but the sauce was really good. It was a BIG portion, and well worth the price. He would order the short rib again, but with different sides. So you can get a free order of beignets with a yelp check in. I did that so that we could also order the lava cake and bread pudding. I wanted to try all 3. This was my first time trying bread pudding. It wasn't bad but not for me. My husband said it was good. The lava cake was RICH. I was shocked it didn't come with ice cream. I took the ice cream from the bread pudding to eat with the lava cake. It was very much needed. All in all, definitely a nice place to try. I'll be back for the clam chowder and beignets. I hope the other entrées are better seasoned. read more

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Kim truly exceeded my expectations with exceptional service! Her warm and welcoming demeanor made my visit incredibly enjoyable. I'm already planning to return with more people and highly recommend this place to my friends. Highly recommended! read more

Me and my girl got there, the two college aged looking girls were talking about their sexy night last night with some guys right in front of us, seated us, 30 min later, after maybe 20 waiters and waitresses make eye contact with us, we just decided to leave and cut our losses. Awful staff, awful experience. This place makes taco bell seem like fine dining! DO NOT COME HERE! read more

We wanted to have a lazy lunch and decided to come here. It was such a beautiful location and overlooking the marina, so lucky that we live in southern California as it's another beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy a leisurely lunch. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated promptly. We ordered clam chowder which was not a thick soup but it's how I prefer my clam chowder, this was really satisfying. Then Ahi tostada for appetizer, lunch entree was rib eye French dip with salad. We also had beignets courtesy of our Yelp check in. Everything was good. I enjoyed the beignets as it's light and fluffy. But, the best is service, shout out to Carlos. Definitely a place to revisit. read more

Lighthouse - Beignets - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Enjoyed Happy Hour there recently. Great service, view, food, and libations. Manager Andrew took the time to meet us and tell us about himself. We especially enjoyed their shrimp skewers and taquitos. I had a delicious frozen Piña Colada and my wife really liked her espresso martini. We plan to return on our next visit to the area! read more

The food and service were amazing. I couldn't finish my meal and was so bummed because I want it to eat it all. Customer service was great!

The Lighthouse cafe has a very nice view of the ocean as you're right next to a dock. You can see the boats and the park that is next to it. There is an option to dine outside or on the roof of the place but it does get pretty cold. The food itself is just okay. There isn't really anything fancy about the way they prepare the food. It's not like it's very wow I just come back and eat the food again. It's mostly for the view. One thing I would say taste special is the cinnamon sugar beignets as it's pretty fluffy and crispy but it's also very sweet. The service of this place is in a funny position. They come by and check on you often, but when you ask them for something, they forgot. I think I had to ask for ketchup like three times to two different people. I mean what's the point of checking up on you if they forgot to bring you what you ask. The bathroom situation is different, it's shared with the public park and dock. It's not inside the restaurant, so you will have to leave the restaurant, head towards the parking and it would be on the left side if you are looking at the parking lot. Parking isn't difficult here, but you'll see people circling to get a closer spot. The lot is big and it's not free. It's paid parking and I think it's like 5 dollars for 2 hours. There is also an app you can use to add more time if you need it. Overall, it's okay. Good to try it at least once to get the experience. You go for the view, not the food or service. read more

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I came here expecting a fun and casual dining experience given the location and the menu. Parking is $3.10/hour and yes, there is parking patrol here. Off the bat, I had a great experience with the hostess. She was pleasant and considered our seating preferences. I found out there was a Yelp waitlist that we could have used (my bad), so I suggest you use the waitlist before you come. My experience went downhill after I was seated. My observations on the servers is that they seemed to be in an environment that was extremely stressful and caused them to not be relaxed at all. My expectations for a casual dining experience felt very much uptight and impersonal. Maybe it's the 2k+ reviews? Maybe they are under a lot of pressure to perform? Maybe they don't like each other? Have rude customers? Maybe it's because Super Bowl Sunday/Valentines day weekend and they're working? I'm not sure, but it for sure felt like everyone was stressed and wearing this facade. The vibe was off! As for the food, my calamari looked like the sauce was handled poorly because it splattered on the lemon, around the dish, and was halfway full as if someone poured it out. It felt rushed, but then again, that fits perfectly with the vibe and how everyone was stressed to fit this "standard" of a restaurant with 2k+ reviews in Newport. The beignets, which you can get for free if you check-in, were phenomenal and made me feel so much better. I liked the avocado toast that I got, but I would much rather try something new on their menu next time I come. Anyways, I give a 3 star rating because the food IS amazing, and the location is beautiful. The back of the house staff did an amazing job with our meal. No hate on the servers by the way. They work really hard (saw multiple servers balancing several heavy dishes with just their fingers)! I made sure to ask how they were doing. It was concerning because it seemed multiple servers seemed stressed. read more

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Great location and views of the harbor (but only during the day). Nice ambience and upscale appeal but food was only mediocre. Came during OC Restaurant Week so was hoping to get a good meal since I've never been here. My red snapper was good but other dishes like the steak and chicken were very dry, per friends. I'm not sure if the food was cooked to order but tastes like microwaved since it came out fairly quick. Kudos to the ONE server who handled the service pretty well given how busy it was. The saving grace was the Cabernet which was a good selection on the special menu. That only was worth the price of the meal. I'm not sure if this was their best but definitely was disappointing. Maybe return for their regular menu. read more

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This is a great spot for brunch, especially for a special occasion -- and the fact that they take reservations is a big plus. What really makes this place stand out is the beautiful view, which adds something memorable to the experience. They also offer a solid variety of vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian options, which was a nice surprise. We visited early on a Saturday morning during the "No Kings" protest, and while it seemed the staff may have been a bit short-handed, they still managed to provide a pleasant experience. It also appears you have to pay for parking. read more

This was the first stop on our weekend getaway to Newport/Balboa Island. We had breakfast here at the Lighthouse and it was fantastic! The stunning harbor view set the tone and the food was delicious. We ordered the Seafood Omlet and the Breakfast Burrito with a Bloody Mary. The front door staff was welcoming and very cheerful, and our server was Omar who was very helpful and very pleasant. We would recommend the lighthouse 100% to any one who visits read more

No need to make a reservation at any time. The view is terrible, the food is odd, but the service is friendly. The restaurant is tiny, the concept is nice, the location is good, and there's plenty of parking space. However, the interior looks old, with dirty floors, plates, and even cauliflower. Upon arrival, the host acknowledged my reservation but didn't seem to care, as the place was empty anyway. Still, I let him mark our presence due to app policy. The interior is cozy, resembling someone's living room. Unfortunately, the view is marred by construction trash and metal barriers everywhere, with people smoking weed in the shared public space out front. The service is friendly but loud. The person who took our order was very amicable, though her voice carried throughout the restaurant. The waiter who cleaned tables sat beside us and cleaned loudly. The drink menu looks better than the food menu, but it's a cold day, and I didn't want to just drink there. ---Garlic clams: Fresh and tasty but tiny. Overpriced for mediocre-tasting clams. ---House-made chowder: Tasted like canned chowder with added fresh cream and salty bacon bits. ---Lobster mac: Soggy Fusilli Pasta drained in a creamy broth. Unappetizing plating looks like baby food with a bland boiled, dirty cauliflower on top. They could have removed the rotten parts. This place is good if you want a quick drink, but there aren't many good finger food options to go with it. read more

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We came here for a birthday celebration since we wanted a dinner with a nice view and this fit the bill. When we got there it was a lot less crowded than we thought which was nice cause when we sat inside it felt like we rented out the restaurant for the night. As the name implies, the restaurant is themed like a lighthouse inside which was a nice aesthetic. In addition to eating by the water it was exactly what we were looking for. I ordered the steak and I thought the steak was solid but nothing that blew my mind. The meat was nice and tender but other than that the flavors weren't that strong. However, our table also ordered a spicy seafood pasta and that is what really impressed me. Here the flavor of the dish was a lot more pronounced and the spice was a lot stronger than I thought (which was a really good thing for me since I love my spice). I feel like this was something that could be too spicy for some so be warned. Overall I thought that the place was nice and enjoyable but nothing about the place really wowed me. I think it is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been and you'll be happy you went! read more

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Came here for dinner on a Tuesday evening. We made a reservation for 6:30pm thinking it would be busy but it wasn't busy at all! We were seated immediately and helped by our waiter Dewy. Dewy was so great- he was kind, attentive, and gave great recommendations. We ordered the brussel sprouts, mahi mahi tacos (not on the menu but they are available if you ask!) and the swordfish. All 3 were great! Food was hot, well prepared, and portion sizes were good. For dessert we ordered the beignets and chocolate lava cake. The cake didn't come with ice cream but we were able to add a scoop for $3. The beignets were okay but too airy, they needed more substance. The chocolate lava cake was great however, and we were so glad we ordered the ice cream to pair it with. Overall this was a great dining experience. However I did take off 1 star because service was a bit slow. Also, the restaurant closes at 9pm but we were wrapping up our meal around 8pm, when suddenly we heard yelling and hollering coming from the kitchen. At first we thought maybe someone had cut themselves or there was a rat or bug that caused a scare. We asked the server if everything was ok and he mentioned that they were just happy to be closing soon and going home. I definitely understand that feeling of being excited to go home and finish work, but it continued for another 30 minutes until we left, and it was pretty distracting while we were trying to speak with each other to have to speak louder over the yelling and singing coming from the kitchen, or even pause our conversation entirely. Aside from that, I would definitely return here, especially later in the summer when it will be more bustling and the weather will be warm enough to sit outside on the patio. I can certainly see this place getting busy on summer evenings and warm weekends. read more

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Great views, amazing service, and delicious food. Came here on a Saturday morning for brunch with my husband, daughter, and friends and we will definitely be back soon. Glad we came early because parking was filling up at 10:30 am. There is also a super cute park and beach very close by. Overall 5/5 great experience visiting the Lighthouse. read more

Reallllyyyyy bad service. Small portions. Waiter pretty rude & not helpful. Took us an hour to get our check after we were clearly done eating, & only because we had to rudely flag our waiter down for it. Weird way to operate a restaurant. It wasn't even busy. read more

Cute place for brunch! I had heard about Lighthouse Cafe before, but didn't want to chance a lengthy wait on the weekends to eat there. Came here on a Monday for brunch (New Years Day observed) so was able to make a reservation, which I highly recommend! TIP: check in on yelp for a free order of beignets!! The beignets came out hot and were SO light and fluffy and basically melted in your mouth, totally worth it! I hope this yelp perk doesn't go away! I got the crispy chx sandwich, which was pretty yummy and came with fries and salad and the hubby got a French dip. Portions are on the large side and prices are reasonable, especially for Newport. The restaurant itself is pretty small, which explains the long wait on weekends. Parking is available in the lot or on the street and is not free. Restrooms are the public ones next to the parking lot, but are pretty clean. Would come back again! read more

Lighthouse - Beignets - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Made Yelp rsvn for 130pm today. After being seated waited a very long time for anyone to acknowledge us. Wait staff kept walking by without any greeting that someone would be with us shortly; not even water was brought. Finally someone came and said they could take our order. Not the experience of any prior visits. Would have/should have gone elsewhere but during my last visit was given a $20 off coupon. My fault was that I didn't notice it was good after 4pm so mgmt just denied using any portion of it. I'd have been happy with even $10 off since I'd come to this restaurant in summer only due to the coupon. That just made the overall experience even less satisfactory. read more

I enjoy the actual location a lot and the view is wonderful for brunch. I think the portions are great as well. They are rather large. I ordered the beignets which were fantastic to share, as well as the lobster Mac and cheese. I thought the food was pretty tasty and good value. This restaurant is a little bit busy and so it does help to have a reservation. Our server was friendly but she was definitely busy and it appeared to be a bit understaffed. read more

Lighthouse - Cinnamon Sugar Beignets, Lobster Mac, Classic Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Ambience was nice, the hostess was friendly. My husband ordered the nachos (he loves nachos and will order them if a restaurant serves them). My boy ordered the lighthouse burger with adding the fried egg, bacon and avocado. And my daughter just wanted fries and ketchup. Those were all worth 5 stars. I ordered the lobster Mac n cheese. I was expecting something creamy and cheesy and just gooey deliciousness. I unfortunately got something that was watery with a cheese like taste. Lobster was overly salty. This was my cheat mea for the month and it was thoroughly disappointing. Definitely not worth it. And unfortunately since I am the one taking the time to do this review I have it 3 stars. read more

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Service was great, it was a nice slow Monday night and the servers were attentive. It was great. Lobster Mac is 3/10 not good. Never seen anything like it, I thought it was dairy or gluten free or something because it was not flavorful, they need to use better cheese and noodles. The appetizers were all good. Bread, soup, calamari, coconut shrimp were all good. Nothing was above a 6.8/10 except for the cake. The ice cream cake was 9/10. Drinks were ok, 6/10 the prices here are good prices however, the right price. read more

Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Parking: super easy, don't forget to look at your license plate to be able to pay. Second floor seating is outdoors. A lot of babies, it felt homie! Free Beignets because I checked in :) and fresh and delicious. Fast and DELICIOUS food! It is very noisy. It's hard to carry a conversation. read more

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Th me view is really nice. Eat outside for a nice brunch. Inside for a romantic dinner . Main dishes needs to improve. The clam chowder is so delicious. Servers were really nice . read more

The staff was so polite and welcoming. This was my 1st experience with this restaurant and the experience was 10/10. The food was so delicious. So many great options to choose. I settled on the wings, lobster roll, and mimosas. Omg! Amazing. The ambience and esthetics was all i needed for a Sunday brunch. read more

Not a good experience. Made a reservation for outside, and was told we could not be seated until our entire party had arrived, "for the merit of the waitresses." What about customer experience? While we waited, we got to listen to many customers (with reservations) be aggressively told they would have to finish their meals within 90 minutes because of the restaurant's tight schedule. We were then seated in direct sun and treated rudely when we asked for a shaded table. The food was overpriced and mediocre. We were also restricted to a smaller Father's Day menu, which was not communicated when the reservation was made - only upon arrival at the restaurant. The only positive I can say about this restaurant is that the view is lovely. read more

First off.. there was parking!! I love that they have their own parking lot (shared with the marina). You still have to pay to park but on a Saturday afternoon where the weather was actually nice I was expecting there to be 0 parking. I made a reservation online but I think even without the reservation, the wait wouldn't have been too long. The view is really nice and just an overall calming environment. Service was quick and menu isn't too big where it's overwhelming but there's still a lot of options for whatever you're in the mood for. Mimosa was yummy. Couldn't tell if the OJ was freshly squeezed or not. Breakfast burrito was a decent size and was packed full! The lobster roll was so yummy! Poured the butter on top which made it 10/10. There was also a good amount of lobster so definitely worth it! I'll definitely be returning. read more

Lighthouse - The view - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Our food was fine, overpriced, but fine. Our waiter was lovely. The hostesses were rude as hell. The lighthouse was neat. read more

Lighthouse - Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Food is good. A bit cold when I received it but I still ate it. Service was great and prompt. The view is amazing. We enjoyed breakfast on the upper deck, outside dining. read more

Lighthouse - Steak & Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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We were a group of 8 and we were well taken care of. We got seated quickly, which was a nice surprise. We ordered, we got our food and everything was pretty much seamless. Among some of the dishes that were ordered were the Lobster Roll, Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, and Mahi Mahi Tacos. I got the Mahi Mahi Tacos and I was not disappointed. I liked the flavor and they were tasty tacos. The only thing I would have changed would be asking if I could substitute the salad for fries ... haha. I love me some fries. Lol. The salad was fine... I just really like fries. : ) Our waiter was great. Love the views your get from this place. Everyone enjoyed their meal and I had a wonderful experience here. read more

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I can't say enough about my experience I had today. I took my mom who is 86 to breakfast today and the manager Andrew Maranan was outstanding.He was kind patient, nice helpful and just a great human being. I've been to a lot of restaurants in Newport Beach and I have to say it was far the best service food and all around experience I have had. read more

Nothing could make me hate this place. I have been coming here for several years and the quality has always been consistently amazing. Not only is the food delicious, but the drinks they have are incredible. My favorites are the ones served in the giant mason jars. Utilizing the reservation system on Yelp is the best way to go. Unfortunately, you do have to pay for parking, but it's cheap and manageable. I do also love utilizing the private park/beach space adjacent to the restaurant as it's much less crowded than across the street. Also, our servers have always been fantastic. read more

Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Love it !! So so good . Great for your family and friends . Enjoyed it a lot . Definitely coming back in the summer . Great views and atmosphere read more

Love the ambiance, great service and the avocado toast w/salmon was really good! Great place for breakfast with friends.

The appetizers and the location/view are the best things here. We also had great service so I'm not sure what the other reviews mentioning bad service experienced. We came for dinner as a family of 4 and ordered: STARTERS: Grilled Artichoke - outstanding! It was perfectly cooked and came with 2 delicious homemade dipping sauces a balsamic aioli and a garlic aioli - 5 stars! Would order again in an instant! Truffle Butter Garlic Bread - also outstanding! Delicious! The bread was perfectly baked and fluffy and warm. The truffle butter was perfect and it had a bit of ricotta (which isn't my favorite cheese) but it was more truffle butter and I just scraped off the ricotta - 5 stars! Totally would order again Then when entrees and dessert came the meal took the turn to less impressed - hence my 4 star restaurant review. ENTREES Kid's macaroni & cheese - out of a box, uninspired, small portion, zero side dishes - 1 star Chipotle Shrimp Tacos - the chipotle flavor was too smoky and too spicy in a smoky way - I love spicy salsa and jalapeños but this smoky made me feel like I was eating BBQ shrimp tacos in the south and the smoky flavor was overpowering. At first I was sad it only came with 2 tacos since normally you get 3 but these weren't tasty and I didn't even finish the 2 I had. My husband tried them too and didn't like the flavor since it wasn't traditional chipotle - 1 star Seafood Alfredo - this dish had potential but was sooooo bland! Also some of the seafood smelled stinky and not fresh - 1 star DESSERT Apple Pie - not very flavorful, not many apples - 2 stars Bread Pudding - very dense and hard so much so it tasted stale - 2 stars However the Service was 5 stars and the View/Location was 5 stars. Next time if I did come her again I'd just order a bunch of starters since the entrees and desserts weren't good. read more

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Very good vibes. The food was overall pretty good, but nothing special for birthday other than beignets. read more

Lighthouse - Beignets - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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Went on a Tuesday evening and it was still busy at 6:30pm. They had outdoor seating with fire pits and heat lamps available. It was a bit chilly but the view was nice. The patio runs right into the harbor. Would suggest going at sunset. Had a few drinks to start, both very delicious. The scallops were cooked perfectly. I had the clam chowder bread bowl and I wasn't impressed. But I'm a stickler for a good chowder. And the serving size was underwhelming. However my friend got the wagoo burger and it was huge! Large portion of fries and a decent salad. Everything on the menu looked good and you're paying for the view for sure. read more

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This place is awesome . Highly recommend. Mary was a great server and Andrew the manager was the nicest guy ever! Go for good food and fun.

Food is amazing! Sophie was amazing the best server ! The best vibe ever with the boat around ! read more

Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Newport Beach, California

This used to be the place to be i found this gem when taking my niece to her Lifeguard program & im so glad i did. its really a slow tempo place as in your admiring the view the boats and you lose track of time . I wish the upper deck was available but it was not that day but the server was great i was stuck between two options that day & he recommended making me something off the menu which was good . Got to go back for that lobster roll & the signature lighthouse Benedict read more

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Come here for poor service and bland food and good views! We found hair in our food, unclean glasses for water, very delayed service read more