Great service, everyone was friendly and made us feel welcome. Loved the atmosphere of this diner, very laid back and enjoyable. The food was good nothing spectacular, definitely would go back. read more

Delicious breakfast! Coffee was decent! Bacon cooked perfect! Potatoes could use some season salt but will be back!

Every time I come to Laguna fabulous experiences are waiting around the corner! The Penguin Café is so cozy and classic, going on 50 years now. We were instantly greeted by our lovely host Deanna. She is such a sweet person and we remember seeing her a year before when we visited. She reminds my wife of her dear aunt.We met the owner as well and she is such a wonderful person. They certainly create a welcoming atmosphere. The dishes are simple yet very satisfying! You cannot go wrong with the huevos rancheros or the O'Brien. The O'Brien offers skillet potatoes with flavorful peppers and eggs. Add tasty ham for a delicious breakfast. The huevos rancheros is served with delicious homemade refried beans and fresh avocado. Get it with a side of corn tortillas! Great food, wonderful people and a comfortable ambience equals a real winner! read more

Penguin Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Penguin Cafe is the type of local Laguna place where you can feel at home, even if you're not having a great day. It's kind of like Hukilau Cafe from 50 First Dates. I can remember coming here as a kid, and Sabrina has kept up the local vibe passed down through the years. The corner counter seat has an ocean view and the green tamale omelette is da kind! Breakfast at the Penguin is an institution! Come in early enough and you might see the mayor! read more

Penguin Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I wanted to like this place a lot more. The breakfast I got was pretty tasty, nothing special but I don't regret getting it, either. The waitstaff were great, helpful and attentive, and the location and atmosphere are charming. My complaint is how cramped it was. I understand a small place trying to get as many people in as possible, but this was nuts. My partner had people constantly bumping him on his side of the table due to a narrow aisle, and behind me there was a bar. Like, right behind me. So close I couldn't lift my hand from my lap above the table without my elbow bumping the fellow sitting on the barstool behind me. There were about 5 inches of clearance. A more customer-focused experience would've been appreciated, as this was really uncomfortable for both of us. read more

The sweetest little retro cafe is a staple in Laguna Beach. Diner fare in a cozy setting with quaint penguin decor! The laid back atmosphere will make you feel right at home. Service is always helpful and friendly! read more

I have a soft spot for vintage diners, but it seems the food at the Penguin has gone downhill in recent years. Located on PCH in Laguna Beach, this mom and pop cafe has been open for breakfast and lunch daily since 1968. The interior is adorable, with original mid century details, and lots of penguin imagery. The place is tiny, so seating is limited, but on a Sunday at 10am, there was no wait for a table. In fact, it was suspiciously empty. I was pleasantly surprised to see a small 100% vegan section on the menu, a rarity at most greasy spoons. I got the Avocado Toast, which was edible, but not good. The dish consisted of a small slice of low quality sourdough topped with avocado mush, diced tomatoes, and raw baby spinach. It's nearly impossible to mess up avocado on bread, but this certainly was not worth $7. My boyfriend got an egg/bacon/potato breakfast, and barely touched it. The potatoes were mushy and soaked in oil, and the bacon inedibly burnt. We also ordered a pancake, which was gross. Thin and porous, the consistency was spongy and flavorless, and the exterior was burnt. The coffee was good, and service was friendly. I wanted to love the Penguin, but unfortunately have no reason return. read more

Penguin Cafe - Avocado Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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We got the breakfast hamburger and the huevos rancheros. Also a coffee. Everything was really good and the service was quick and friendly. He sat outdoors which was nice. I loved everything about this restaurant read more

Love this place! Such a great selection and friendly staff. Everything they make is good. Definitely a gem!

In a popular town like Laguna Beach, every place you go will be priced according to visitor demand. but not this place, this is a little gem right on PCH, just past the bust strip of LB. it's small and the only open just past lunch on Sunday. we only found this place because of Yelp. Came here for a post-hike brunch. There was a short wait, just a couple of parties ahead of us. By the time we were seated, the wait was a lot longer. The restaurant is so small, maximum occupancy must have been less than 30-40 people. Our party of 4 were seated at a booth...a SMALL booth. The table top barely had enough room for all of our plates and cups of coffee. They serve a good variety of breakfast and lunch items. I went with the Garden Omelette (minus the cheese) which comes with spinach leaves, tomatoes, avocado and topped with sprouts. I chose pinto beans as my side choice with toasted english muffin. This plate cost just under $9. The food was good and satisfying. Not overly big or small, it was served at the right proportion. My only gripe is that during the entire time we were there, we were never offered coffee refills. It was only when she brought us our check were we able to get a refill. Other than that, i would still come back here for a weekend brunch! read more

Penguin Cafe - Garden Omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Based on a yelp nearby search, we decided to come to Penguin Cafe to get some breakfast. Four stars overall swayed us into believing the food would be better than average. We came in on a Saturday morning and it was packed. The cafe is a hole in the wall diner which I appreciate especially in Laguna Beach. We opted to take our orders to go because the wait for a table was just too long. Plus, the inside seemed rather... stuffy and claustrophobic. We ordered a breakfast sandwich, corned beef, and eggs/bacon. The food came out, we went to our hotel... opened the boxes and meh... everything looked discombobulated and... burnt. The potatoes were wayyyy overly done and almost charred... the corned beef was too salty... the sandwich was decent. Definitely not the best breakfast place, but I imagine the selection is rather limited in this area. read more

Decent, small, pretty clean cafe with nothing fancy that has been around Laguna Beach for the longest time ever. The decor is a little old school and absolutely tiny but take a look around and there's decorated penguins everywhere! There's a tiny parking lot behind the cafe that's shared with a few other shops and street parking if you can find it. a little further out. My friend who is a Laguna Beach native brought me here for brunch and we ordered the mini combination each - it was priced very very reasonably at $8 and came with french toast or pancakes, eggs, sausage or bacon, and hash brown. read more

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Came here on a Sunday at 11 am for brunch. There were 3 of us, we waited a good 30 minutes to get seated. Understandable since the place is small. Max occupancy sign read 38. Service was slow, food was mediocre, and we had to ask several times before they refilled our coffee. I ordered eggs benidect and a side of sourdough toast. The toast came out 20 minutes before the rest of our food came out. PROS: - decently priced diner for Laguna - good location CONS: - small restaurant, limited seating -slow service -street metered parking read more

Love this cute little Mom and Pop breakfast place. Get up early head over to the coast and run on the beach then walk over to Penguin Café and grab a great breakfast. My personal favorite are the banana pancakes and the eggs benedict, my husband loves the Huevos Rancheros and if he isn't in the mood for that he will get their bacon and eggs. Eggs always made the way you like them, bacon crisp and tasty... Mouth drooling as I type. I can eat breakfast all day! Coffee is pretty damn good too. We have always had great service here, but we are pretty much always here early :). We like to sit at the counter. It is a small place but the atmosphere is lovely. Looking at the cute drawings of penguins made by kids and enjoying the morning. There seems to be quite a few regulars because when they walk in they get greeted by name. I love places like this. One of my favorite places in Laguna Beach. It's not fancy shmancy like a lot of the places in Laguna... but definitely a place we love to come to. Who doesn't love a good breakfast? read more

Don't do it. Staff is nice. Food was cold. French toast was not cooked and served cold. Oatmeal was cold. Bacon good.

This cafe was mediocre at best. As we were riding down PCH the breeze blowing through our hair, we decided to stop for breakfast. I quickly yelped breakfast and Penguin Cafe came up as a top rated place. I decided we would try it out especially since the name is cute. As we walked in I realized the only cute thing about this place was its name. The decor was from at least 4 decades ago and there wasn't so much cleanliness about this place. I honestly was disappointed already but decided to order the breakfast sandwich and the French toast. My boyfriend ordered the breakfast burritos. The dishes were all OK but not fabulous. The potatoes were terrible. They were hard and some even cold. I wish they would put more effort into the potatoes. The breakfast sandwich was edible but there was globs of mayo that I had to wipe off. I can't say much for the burrito since I didn't try it. But I did notice my bf didn't finish it and he has big appetite. Overall 2.5 stars for the food and I am rounding down due to their cleanliness. read more

Penguin Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Excellent dine in service from Heidi. Had corned beef hash and sourdough toast--Delish comfort food hit the spot! Hot chocolate was bomb. Cool location & atmosphere plus so friendly! Clean bathroom & iconic decor...A true gem!! read more

Had a hankering for a Penguin fix this morn. Could not decide what I wanted so created my own lil' buffet of French Toast, Blueberry Pancakes, perfectly Crisp Bacon, Ham 'n' Swiss Omelette, a little coffee, a little OJ and life was just right. It looked so good that as I was sitting outside folks stopped and took notice. I unfortunately turned into the worst customer ever, did not walk the dog long enough before coming to breakfast, did not have the dog in her usual carrier, and the little furball's anxiety shot out the roof with all the great activity and friendly neighborhood vibes. I eventually packed up my food to go (admittedly not as fast as I probably should have) and apologized to my neighboring diners for the disturbance (truly should have bought them all their breakfast in hindsight). But Sabrina, the owner, was ever as gracious a host as could be in helping to pack things up and check out all the while with a smile on her face (masked up of course but she's one of those smile with your whole face kinda gals so you see it in her eyes), and was so gracious as to note, it's been a rough year for us all and even the dogs have been on edge Will always be my favorite hometown haunt read more

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Laguna beach, CA. I'm giving this place five stars because I've been coming here for 35 years. Now that Sabrina is cooking the food has really improved. Everything suddenly tastes better. The salads are more than iceberg lettuce. The burgers are tasty and juicy. The service is always great , where else can you ask them to cook you up a chili and cheese omelette? I usually don't come here in the summer or on weekends. I like to walk in and get a booth. I miss the days of the double patty huge chili size, but that was probably not a healthy choice. The newer version is smaller and not so much to eat. Lately I opt for the half sandwich with salad option. The coffee here will wake you up. Please take note here that this is not a fine dining establishment. It is basic breakfast and lunch, if you are fussy or looking for a gourmet experience go somewhere else. read more

Would highly urge you to go elsewhere. We ordered an omelette and it was slimy, undercooked and barely any egg. The fries were old and cold. We also ordered the French toast with whipped cream and strawberries, instead we got cold French toast, no whipped cream, and instead of strawberries, we got a mixed fruit bowl (which is the only reason they earned any stars because the fruit was fresh). Experience at the establishment was also disappointing. The women who helped us looked lost and confused. What a waste of money. Don't do this to yourself. read more

Breakfast with my wife at the Penguin Café. There is typically a line and signup list not because of the ambiance - reminiscent of 'greasy spoons' in my wasted youth - but because the food is great. My wife ordered the Huevos Rancheros and I opted for the Carne Asada with eggs. Both selections came with grilled potatoes, frijoles and filled the large plates upon which they were served. My wife found the salsa topping a bit too spicy - the menu says "on the spicy side." I asked for, and received, additional salsa served in a squeeze bottle that added a nice tang. Both meals were "muy bueno." There is no problem recommending the Penguin Café. The service was friendly and attentive. The prices, $8 and $8.50, are hard to beat in an upscale local like Laguna Beach. read more

Penguin Cafe - Carne Asada and eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Love love this place! We always make it a point to stop every time we are in town. The best breakfast in Laguna Beach. Price is very reasonable and the staff is really sweet and friendly. They make sure they take good care of their customers! Thank you! Very rare you will find a place that has a good ambiance, good food and good service all in one. read more

French toast was under cooked and still had runny egg. Wait staff seems like they were all inexperienced, they didn't clean our table, bring any extra napkins, syrup with my meal, took a long time to pick up our check to pay. Etc. overall a bad experience read more

Excellent customer service! Blueberry pancakes are the bomb! California Eggs Benedict is rich, but yummy!

This place has been around since 1942 - so yes it has some wear n tear (some cool old things/somethings need updating) but, it also has some really good food to offer. We enjoyed the burgers and a hot dog named "The Bird" - food came out rather quickly and was hot n tasty. Service was very good too. Overall, an old classic to visit in Laguna Beach. read more

Came in for a late breakfast. Food was amazing, it was a bit to get it but surely worth the wait!! I'd definitely come back! Friendly waitress!! read more

Friendly, old-school greasy spoon with okay food and good prices. There are places that try to emulate an old greasy-spoon by getting old fixtures and art then putting together a homestyle menu. Then there are places like this, where they hung that faded art 40 years ago and just left it there. Trendy, expensive towns are full of the former, while podunk or dead-end mill towns are full of the latter. Oddly, the Penguin Cafe is the latter too. After sampling a bunch of dishes I can say the prices are the best around, the food is okay - likely top-notch in the 80s but standards have moved. The drip-only coffee is pretty good, the service friendlier than most greasy spoons, and the decor is as authentic as it is awful; like so "we don't give a damn" that it's entertaining just to look at. For what my opinion is worth, the French Toast was the best of the dishes we had. Overall, we like it. The Penguin Cafe is an important bullwark against gentrification in this town. I hope it stays this way for decades. read more

Penguin Cafe - Drip coffee and kitchen staff stand out amid incredibad decor. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Yummy and quick brunch. Reasonable prices. The people were nice and friendly. Cute drawing of penguins. The place is a little old and outdated read more

Penguin Cafe - Cute kids drawing - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I'll need to disagree with recent posts I saw. My waitress Janet was so nice - helpful and cool - to a visitor. Had the Denver omelette and smoked sausage. Quick, hot, great flavor and good coffee. If you're visiting Laguna I say for bfast - 'Heck yeah'. I also saw the great people at Laguna Art museum - if you have time and like art - that's a MUST. read more

Weekend breakfast, cheap and cheerful. Don't bring your service pup. They aren't part of the American Disability Act followers. I'm sure there're on the way to some sort karma for that. Located on pch the quaint older establishment is a sweet, cheap place to eat. Feel free to share your thoughts on the food. What you see is what you get. read more

I really wanted to like this place. I mean I like Penguins so why wouldn't I like a place named after them, right? ;) Recently a Buddy and I were on a MC ride down PCH through Laguna Beach and stopped-in here for a bite on a Sunday morning. Yes we probably arrived at prime time but were able to find a table quickly. We were given menu's and our drinks quickly. A few minutes later a Waitress (who may have been the owner as she seemed to be running the show) arrived to take our orders. My friend had a question about one of their combo's and he was told roughly "What you want to know is written right there!" Uh, yeah thanks the Dude I was dinning with is older and didn't have his glasses. Food arrived and it was just meh. The Pancakes I ordered looked more like Crepes (really thin) and my scrambled eggs were runny. My friends French Toast looked excellent, I probably should have ordered that. read more

Affordable spot for a quick breakfast near the beach. Laid back and good healthy options.

My daughters birthday happened to land shortly after everything shut down and she wanted to redeem her 17th bday by having a half birthday brunch. We ended up eating at Penguin Cafe. Our server was really sweet! Food came out quickly, and was delicious! After we were all stuffed on breakfast it was time to cut the cake. Our server brought out a cake knife and clean plates and forks. She even had some candles for us! We had a great experience and would highly recommend! read more

I'll start with the positive, the pancakes had good flavor aside from them being burnt. The price was very reasonable for the amount of food they give you. Unfortunately, pretty much everything my husband and I ordered was over cooked or burnt. We both got the combo which had eggs, pancakes, potatoes and meat. My husbands sausage was black, both of our pancakes were over cooked and very dark, the potatoes were burnt and tasteless. The service was fast and friendly. UPDATE: we received a message from the owner apologizing for their grill issues and they offered us a refund. We thought that was a super nice gesture, wish we would have caught them on a better day. read more

Penguin Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

This place is decorated with penguins everywhere. It is a simple place to get a delicious breakfast. It doesn't fit too many people, and there is a wait, but you don't end up waiting too long. I actually found this place on yelp and it lives up to its reviews. Thanks fellow yelpers for guiding me to right place where I can get some delicious breakfast that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. What really caught me was the banana pancakes. I just love them. Ever since having them at tip top cafe in Kauai. I order the Griddle Combo and got the two pancakes with it and added banana. The pancakes were moist and you can really get the banana flavor out of it. My fiance got the Penguin O'Brian and he enjoyed that too. Service was great and we will definitely return again. Quick tips: Best to come in a group no more than 4 and if you pay in cash you get 10% off your bill. read more

Did a mobile order on my way into Laguna for a breakfast burrito - my food was ready a few minutes earlier than expected. Great customer service, friendly staff. Breakfast burrito was bigger than I remembered, which was pleasant. Def recommend their sauce/salsa for the breakfast burrito. Thank you! read more

Wow just ordered from this place to go. No utensils in the bag. Bread was wrong and this is what they consider toast. Very, very disappointed. Looks like I received someone else's leftovers. Food was subpar at best. No flavor. Pancake was paper thin. read more

Penguin Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

I have had good experience every time I come here. One star for the casual and relaxing atmosphere. It's a good place to go with your best company or family to come enjoy traditional American breakfast before going to the beach, which is right behind the shop. But not too good for big group though because this place is called "a hole on the wall." The next star is for the food. It is good, not a lot, but it's enough to keep you active the whole afternoon at the beach. Third star: staffs are friendly and helpful. Last star: adorable penguins everywhere!!! The only reason I deducted a star was because my utensils were all dirty this time. read more

Penguin Cafe - I made a penguin out of their delicious pancake :) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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The food was great. Honestly best breakfast in laguna. Loved their coffee and friendly customer service. Wasnt much of a wait for food. Would definitely recommend eating here read more

I would give no stars if I could. My husband and I own a service based business in Laguna Beach. Today after many raves about this café decided to go there for breakfast. Huge mistake. We asked if we could sit at the breakfast counter as there was only 1 person sitting there and were told yes. The waitress that was I think working that area never acknowledged us, never asked if would like something to drink, never said, hey I'm a bit busy but will be right with you, nothing. Another couple sat down next to us, and bam she was right there with orange juice for him. So, after sitting there for 15 minutes this other waitress asked the counter waitress to wait on us, she turned around and walked away. We left and had a great breakfast at The White House, where the food was excellent as was the service. Needless to say, we will never go to the penguin again! read more