Finally made it here last weekend after wanting to check this place out for so long and it…read morecompletely lived up to the hype! The vibe is super cool and energetic. The skull heads art with the fog effect were such a fun touch for our kids. Everything we ordered was delicious, the portions are huge (definitely come hungry), and the Lapu Lapu drink is incredible. Even though the restaurant was completely packed, our server Alex was super attentive, and brought such a fun, awesome energy to our table. We had the best time and highly recommend (make sure to make reservations)!

As one of the oldest tiki bars in both the country and the state, Royal Hawaiian thankfully lives…read moreup to its historic status. Opened in 1947, the place has closed and re-opened intermittently under different owners, and most recently underwent a historic renovation process that more-or-less returns it to its origins. What you'll find here is a tiki bar that feels less like a time warp into another dimension, but rather, one that returns you to a time when tiki bars were full of things that evoke both Hawaii and the rest of Polynesia. This environment pretty much demands a rum-based cocktail and several patrons (including the band) appeared to have gotten well into the spirits. From a seat at the bar I enjoyed not just the music of the 3-person band, a good view of the surroundings, and a Nui Nui (cocktail, $19) but also a shared Spam Musubi ($7.95, excellent) and extravagantly lengthy Lumpia ($19.95). The Musubi, as indicated, was delicious and though I hadn't the appetite, I watched another bar patron sharing a fabulous looking order of poke nachos. So the drinks aren't the only reason to come here. Probably for good cause, the Royal Hawaiian isn't a late-night place. On Friday and Saturday they close at 10pm and on other days at 9pm. With a lively atmosphere, great cocktails, and some really interesting food options, the reborn Royal Hawaiian is a fun and worthy spot to at which to spend an evening.

Plumeria Cafe is Hawaiian-Californian perfection. The vibe is so relaxing - beautiful outdoor…read morecourtyard, feels like La Jolla more than a strip mall in the OC. Food is incredible. I got the Loco Moco with the fresh Angus chuck patty and it was better than anything l've had in Hawaii - perfect egg, amazing gravy, huge portion. My friend had the Fruity Pebbles French Toast and Ube Coconut Pancakes - both insane. Chilaquiles are sublime too. Service is fast even when there's a line out the door, staff are super friendly and hard-working. Coffee is actually good too, which is rare for brunch places. Fair prices, dog-friendly patio, and they do takeout quickly. This is fusion done right. Go early on weekends - line moves fast but it gets busy for a reason. Can't recommend enough!

We wanted to check out this location because we like the food at the Newport Beach location but the…read moreline is always so long and they don't take reservations or have the waitlist. It was Labor Day and we called as we drove down and they said would only be about a 10 to 15 min wait. But we waited outside at least 35 minutes before we were allowed to come inside to place our order. They have plenty of open tables and lots of people working so it was definitely curious as to why they keep everybody standing outside for so long. Once inside, our orders placed and we sat down the food came out pretty quickly and it was accurate. All of the servers are warm and friendly and the food tasted great. You can see our comments under each of the pictures. I would have given a five stars if we didn't have to stand outside for so long especially because they were plenty of tables open inside and outside. But it would be five stars for the food taste and quality and the friendliness of the servers.

Pure "platinum" chowder on display here…read more.. I was still recovering from an illness but my palate was returning so I wanted soup. SMOKED PHO: -- this may be my only way to have pho moving forward -- the beef broth is delectable -- the crimson red in the rib tender delicious rib meat is perfectly cooked accounting for more cooking in the warm broth -- light on smoke -- ample sprouts, greens and noodles -- not too salty -- utterly fantastic -- nice portion of meat -- nice large portion but not jumbo RATING = A+ GARLIC BUTTER NOODLES: -- one marinated egg -- very creamy -- light towards medium garlic I feel but I will judge again when my palate and sniffer our fully back -- ample arugala -- medium portion size RATING = A STAFF are kind and efficient.

Not bad, but definitely not the most authentic Vietnamese food I've had. The pho was a little…read morelackluster and needed quite a bit of extra sauce to really bring out the flavor. The meat was delicious, though--super tender and probably my favorite part. The shaking beef was tasty, but the flavors didn't really come together. It felt like the ingredients were just thrown together rather than really blending into one cohesive dish. The egg rolls, on the other hand, were great. No notes!

The salmon quinoa bowl was very good and plentiful…read more I had the salmon chimichuri and my husband had the plain salmon one and they both were good. The restaurant is always busy.

Sure, here it is without the em dash:…read more Overall, SeaSurf Fish Co. was a good experience, and I'd give it a 4/5. We tried the Shrimp California Roll, poke nachos, french fries, and raw oysters. The oysters were easily the highlight. They were fresh, flavorful, and definitely the best thing we ordered! The poke nachos were tasty, and the fries were good as well. The Shrimp California Roll was just okay for me because there was way too much rice, which overpowered the rest of the roll. Overall, good food with some definite standouts. I'd come back, especially for those oysters!

Great food and ambience! Nice big bar. Nice booths…read more The French Onion soup was excellent, nice and bold. The Lumberyard Planks (fried zucchini) were good. We preferred ranch instead of their lemon aioli. The ribs were hit or miss. One precut section was overcooked and dry. The remaining sections were wonderfully nice and tender and delicious. The BBQ sauce was the molassesy kind I like. They had New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The Pizza Port Blonde beer was fine.

The restaurant has a really nice atmosphere. It has a warm steakhouse vibe with dark wood and…read moreleather seating, and everything felt clean and well-designed. Unfortunately, the service did not match the setting. We weren't greeted for about 10 minutes and had to flag down our waitress to place a drink order. She was very friendly and seemed to be trying her best, but things were consistently missed. Our food took about 40 minutes to arrive. My Cuban sandwich was essentially inedible due to very tough, rubbery meat and very little flavor. My husband's Impossible Burger was good, but it came with pickles after being ordered without. My son ended up not eating at all due to the long wait. We ended up just paying and leaving with my son and I not eating. The space itself is nice, but between slow service, repeated mistakes, and poor food quality, it was a disappointing experience overall.

Absolutely loved my experience at Starfish Laguna Beach! I came in for a dinner and honestly had…read morethe best little night treating myself. I ordered the crab wontons, potstickers, sushi, and finished with the chocolate chip bread pudding -- everything was delicious and beautifully done. The crab wontons were especially addictive! I paired everything with a lychee martini, which was refreshing and dangerously good, and an Old Fashioned that was perfectly made. The vibe was EVERYTHING. The music was the perfect mix of melodic EDM with just the right amount of bass -- upbeat, sexy, and atmospheric without being overwhelming. It completely elevated the experience and made sitting there enjoying dinner and cocktails by myself feel like a whole vibe. My server Eddie took such great care of me! He was so warm, attentive, personable, and made me feel completely comfortable dining solo. The service and the teamwork displayed among all the staff was polished without feeling stuffy, and the atmosphere had that perfect Laguna Beach combination of upscale, sexy, and relaxed. And do NOT skip the chocolate chip bread pudding. Such a perfect ending to an already amazing dinner. Delicious food, gorgeous cocktails, amazing music, great energy, and exceptional service. Starfish officially made my foodie list. I'll absolutely be back!

Excellent everything. Outside patio is perfect, quiet and intimate…read more Menu is superb. Entrees, appetizers happy hour is to die for. Service is outstanding, reservation time is respected with no additional waiting.

First time at BF, here are some thoughts:…read more -I'm not a big seafood guy, so my goal was to order something with fish, instead of a burger, etc. -We got pico de gallo as an appetizer. The chips were ok, and the pico was delightful, very tasty! -I got the BF burrito with panko crusted white fish. It was quite good, and very filling. I could easily have shared it for my meal. Not a big fan of the Tommy sauce. Overall cool experience and recommended.

Food was decent. Good selection. So you order and take that stand with your number and wait at…read morethe table. But the service was not good. I ordered two tacos, got one. I waited for 15-20 min and when my food came it was not warm. So obviously sitting around. My wife ordered a glass of wine, and literally 30 min later I went back and asked where was our wine and they said you need to go to the bar and get it. They never told us that. So turns out our glass of wine was sitting there at the end of the bar for the past 20 min or so. The people working here don't seem to care. Not coming back.

We had a wonderful dinner experience the other night. Service was excellent, especially Charles our…read moreserver. They had a wide selection of food for everyone. I got the bistro plate which included a petite fillet, salad and soup. At my age, it was a perfect amount of food. My wife ordered the salmon plate, which was really good. Nice piece of salmon with mashed potatoes and an awesome flavored sautéed spinach. We finished it off with a warm butter cake. It was decent. A little dry but still yummy with the vanilla ice cream. Overall, a really good done experience. Definitely will be back.

Excellent dinner for my oldest son's engagement dinner! From the moment we entered with a nice…read morebottle of wine and the manager getting it on ice right away for me, to the sommelier opening the bottle of 2003 Dom and making it fun, to the excellent service by Dominic. Nicks comes through as one of OC's hot spots with a well deserved reputation. I had the Cioppino which was Wow good they loaded it with fish and shellfish. I would 100% order this again. My wife got the piccata which I know is a favorite here. Very well done and a huge portion. We started with the deviled eggs which were not my fave with the deep fried whatever in them. I get it, a crunchy take on the ubiquitous deviled egg. But I'm a purist by nature. One of the better multi chain restaurants in OC. I cannot wait to try the SC location close to my house.

+5/5 A friend said…read morethis is the best poke place he's ever had and I had to try it . The staff was friendly and portions were generous. I got a large bowl for 5 scoops of fish on top of a salad base. Everything was fresh and delicious. I appreciate the included sides. Great value and taste. Will definitely be back. One of the best poke bowls I've had in OC

The worse poke we have ever had. We both got larges and instantly got a strong bitter taste and…read morekept getting bitter bites we had to throw it away without eating much. The fish was cut in huge stringy pieces and slightly mealy in texture, and the avocado was just a huge blob/half a whole avocado. How embarrassing to serve that. Oh and the rice was hot, who is not normal or appropriate for poke. Also, the seaweed salad had a yellow hue, we've never seen that and eat that often at various other places. To top it often the service was horrible. Two men working there were throwing metal containers and slamming stuff, and were so rude to customers. Any poke place that had a promotion for free poke if you finish some $60 worth of it poke is not a quality establishment. We will never be back.

Alex is the poke lord. Excellent food as always, it cannot be underestimated, alex is the poke god…read more I'm not his friend I swear, his service was just very welcoming and lent well to the visit. Been here a lot of times.

I'm a picky eater. And as a pescatarian who takes her quality of fish rather serious I am very…read morepleasantly surprised with how fresh the fish was! Also loved how they had unlimited toppings which include FRESH MANGO!!! the medium ($16) is also pretty affordable for how much food you're getting. Should you visit, there's beach parking and a few spots to overlooking the ocean!