What a surprise - after reading some of the reviews I did not know what to expect . We had a nice table inside but near the door so a lovely breeze . The food was very good and so was the service . We will be back !
The food was okay but the service was horrible! First the server was put out when we asked him about the dishes on the menu and we had to wave to get his attention a couple of times after he brought our food...He was not interested in giving us good service right from the beginning. After ordering an appetizer & our main course, we ordered desert and another glass of wine. We finished our desert before I had finished my glass of wine. I had about a half a glass left when our waiter came up and said that I needed to hurry and finish because there were other people waiting for a table. I was surprised that he said something because he didn't mention anything about people waiting for a table when I ordered the desert and wine. I told him I was going to finish my wine and then we would go. Right after he left, the hostess came up to us and said the same thing. By this time, I was furious! What kind of restaurant asks their guests to hurry up and finish and leave? I asked to speak to the manager and she wouldn't even come over and talk to me. So I tried to call the restaurant and got a recording. I left a message for the manager to call me back but its been over 24 hours and no one has called. The whole experience was unbelievable. This is supposed to be one of the nicer places to dine out in Laguna Beach but the food was only mediocre and the service was awful! Don't waste your time or your money going here.
After been told of how nice was the Orange County area, we were offered a dinner with a 93 years old grandma of a future daughter-in-law which turned out to be one of the worst experience and expensive dinner EVER attended too. Daughter-in-law booked this restaurant as it was recommended to her from friends. Highly mentioned was to see the sunset around 7 to 730 pm which supposed to have been the highlight of this celebration! Well this occasion was marred by the awful arrangements of the management team which after complaning too much on respect to delays, she didn’t even had the courtesy to apologize or making things better especially to the celebrant. However we were offered a basket of chips, (very thoughtful of her)!!! Drinks in bar were mish mush, mexican lager was flat, cocktails were overwhelmed with ice, glass of wine was 25% filled. Were they short of measure or this enterprise dont use measures? We had to pressurize waietr to take food order due to lateness of being seated, food arrived well presented and correctly, however one of dishes ordered was spaghetti carbonara with lobster pieces. It did sound very appealing but reality hit me when it appeared with a large fried egg covering the entire dish, the carbonara must have been unknown to chef of provenience or ingredients which didn’t appear to have egg yolk or bacon in it. As an Italian individual, this dish is an insult to the nation the way it appeared. Next the seared salmon did look good, but it tasted salty and very dry! Shame that the restaurant spoiled the occasion and hope their future will be better and rosey if they treat customers with respect and politeness by compensate what they do wrong accordingly.
The food is very good here. we had the grilled octopus and the butternut squash ragu. Both outstanding. oysters on the half shell very good also... Beautiful spot
We had reservations at Driftwood to celebrate my best friends 40th birthday, this past Friday. Meal was amazing, but service was exemplary! My husband requested a specific scotch and they actually had it! Ryan the manager on duty kept checking on us to make sure everything was good, and kept the scotch's coming! Overall just an amazing experience. Sea Bass was the BEST I have ever had! Ryan, come visit us in Nashville!
My husband and I brought out of towers for an early dinner. We were able to get same day reservations for dinner on our way. Wonderful view of the ocean with a gentle breeze from the open windows. Small outdoor seating available for 2 per table only. Parking is a bit tight. My husband dropped us and quickly found on street parking. Only valet at the entrance to the restaurant. We had the table for 90 min, we were not rushed at all. When you are dinning by the ocean I would highly suggest ordering fish only. The steaks/ribeye were just ok for the price $45. Small plate appetizers where enough to share . Salads were delicious and also shareable, Fresh baked rolls were amazing.
Our visit was for a family celebration/special occasion meal. It was my first visit, a return visit for my family members. Parking is a nightmare. We planned on valet, which was full. We lucked into a metered spot a couple blocks away. The restaurant appears to be several old houses joined together. Our dining room was large & noisy, with no social distancing or masks. We could hardly hear the waiter as he gave his spiel. We ordered a nice bottle of Chappellet Red Blend. Our waiter was quick to pour large glasses, so that the wine was almost gone before dinner. Everything is ala carte. Bread is not included. The appetizers we tried - Brussel sprouts, which were way too sweet; parker house rolls were a little dry/stale & not warm. Seared Diver scallops ($41) were three to an order. They were nicely seared, sweet, had very little grit, were barely warm and were a tad salty. The ahi tuna ($41) was good, though cold in the middle. Chilean sea bass ($49) was ordered by two in our party & they loved it. The dining room had a beautiful view of the ocean & sunset. I was told that the plumbing in the men’s room was overflowing, so I avoided the restroom.
We arrived in the AM for breakfast without a reservation. The downstairs had plenty of empty tables but we we were taken upstairs to a table positioned by a wall so that we had no view and then handed a card that said we had 90 minutes to eat. I understand that busy places have to fill tables but this felt a bit like cattle herding. We ordered a croissant and an omelet plate to share thinking that the bread would come first followed by the omelet. Both came which is fine but the server did not provide an extra plate, so we waited to get someone's attention which took a while. Then we had to flag down our server to get the check. The food was delicious, coffee hot and strong. The overall service and experience was a negative.
I brought some out of town friends who were visiting Laguna Beach for the first time. Our lunch was delicious and prices are reasonable. We had an omelette, alsothe mussels and the swordfish sandwich. The view is amazing, combined with excellent service from waiter Nick who was very attentive. If you request the patio you will be literally overlooking the beach. - or if it's breezy sit inside and the glass picture windows give a wide view of the ocean all the way up to Heisler Park.
Laguna does it best with its lovely views and amazing seaside inspired foods. I road-tripped to laguna from vegas for a photoshoot. After the shoot, we were starving!! I did a quick Google search and turns out, people LOVE this place! I see why: the service, food and views are amazing. They were able to accommodate us in a friendly way although we had no reservations. I’ll certainly be back to visit this place. The swordfish sandwich, the salmon, the granola French toast!! Everything was good!! Thank you Driftwood for an amazing experience!!