Beach House on Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach

We just got back from The Beach House...we've been there many times over the past 10 years and I have to say tonight it was not good at all. I ordered oysters on the half shell...they were supposed to come with a ginger sauce ...I got ketchup and I am not kidding...ketchup! I asked where the ginger sauce was, the poor server just said I'm sorry. I ordered the filet. What i got was no filet. I used to Chef in a restaurant ...I know a cut of beef. Not sure what this was! I sent it back due to the fact that I ordered it med rare and it was well cooked. Next cut I got was a fillet that was totally raw! The sides were cold! Don't know who was cooking tonight...but I won't be back... not for a long time! Get a new sat night chef. Who ever it was didn't care how the food came out...just wanted the sift over. By the way, the hostess you had on at 7:30, black dress, little red flats...needs to go. What a snootie girl. Needs an attitude check big time! Such a shame. Nice place gone to waste. Date: 5.7.11 At least the server took off the steak dinner. Gave her a nice tip!

I went yesterday morning for Sunday Brunch at the Laguna Beach House. My wife and I met with 3 others. We all ordered different items. I had the Filet Mignon with a truffeled holandase sause. What a joke! An over cooked egg served on a slice of reheated meat (unidentifiable) and no sign of truffels. Oh the english muffin on the bottom was the only thing edible.Yum! My wife had the Maryland Crab cakes with holandase. One had the the Lobster Fritatta. I just don't know where to start. It was truly the worse breakfast we have ever had. No one finished nor came even close to enjoying this travesty they call food. $125.00 later I and my party were disgusted and wished we had gone to Denny's. We had an ocean view but your packed in this place like sardines. I shouldn't of paid a penny for this embarrassing brunch. They should of paid me for trying to eat this mess. I truly can't believe they serve this food. To make this morning complete I paid the waitress who never brought back my change. How wonderful. Out of embarasment I didn't make a seen nor ask the waitress where's my money. I never saw her again after she took the money. She probably got in her car and took off. She received a 35% tip. I can assure you no one working there has ever tried this food. The chef shouldn't just be fired he should be executed by the owner. Do I even need to go into detail about how to cook an egg or maybe try some seasonings or fresh food. We thought we were all going a bit crazy here so we actually tried a bite of each others food. The Lobster fritatta was absolutely tasteless. No sign of Lobster at all in this dish. That was voted by all of us the worse of the worse. How about using fresh Lobster, Crab or even eggs. I believe this was all pre-cooked, frozen, and reheated in a microwave oven. I felt so bad for our guests we were treating and especially my wife. I was hoping for a wonderful experience here and a great day. Needless to say our day was ruined and I couldn't apologize enough. One might say why didn't you return your food. It would of been a bit over kill to return 5 dishes. What else is there to order there. At a good $20.00 a plate I would never reccomend this place to any one nor will I ever go to another Beach House again. I believe there are three Beach House's. I just hope the owner reads this and goes out for Sunday Brunch one day and tries his food. Or even better call Gordan Ramsey and your restaurant would be the next episode of Kitchen Nightmares!!!! Does Kitchen Nightmares have an emergency number. Congratulations Beach House. At 50 years old you made my number one for the worse food I have ever encountered in a restaurant. I'm a known recording artist and songwriter. Maybe one day I will write a song about this lovely experience at the Beach House.

The food wasnt bad and considering that it was a Saturday night, the order was taken and the food was received in a decent time frame. The prime rib was way too fatty, but if you could sort out the fat-the meat was good. There were no complaints about the filet mignon and the lobster and my swordfish was good. I had a little trouble with the creme broulee and after asking for room discount,it didnt show up on the bill. There was also the matter off them adding the gratuity even though the waitress tok her tip personally. I know monetary considerations are not part of how the food is,but it does color the experience.

Medicore Food - Great Location I'm sad to say that the beautiful presentation and the great salads in Laguna Beach are a thing of the past. I miss the special touch with the beautiful orchid on my plate. The new chef is not a compliment or a asset to our Laguna Beach restaurants. The good news is that the location is the same .....thank goodness the chef can't change that. The service is good and the staff is friendly. Our last hope is that he doesn't try to put blinds on the views! -Laguna Beach Local

As a loyal Beach House diner since the mid 70's in both the Laguna Beach and Dana Point locations - and even the now closed Palm Desert location - I was dismayed and disappointed with the changes to the menu brought about by their new executive chef. While the food is certainly good, it is not the Beach House for me any more. Gone is their signature clam chowder which was so white it almost looked like puffy white clouds in your bowl. The new version is off white, over-seasoned and had (scallion?) greens floating in it. Scallion greens in clam chowder? Gone is the soft, hot, oh-so-sour sourdough bread with the delicious crust replaced with quite good but also ordinary sourdough rolls. Gone also is the crisp, cool, Beach House Salad replaced with a trendy collection of salad greens, goat cheese, and orange pieces which while good is nothing special and does not live up to its price. In short, while the Beach House is still a good restaurant, and the view and atmosphere of the original location can overcome the new chef's experimentations, it is no longer a classic. Christmas Eve 2008, I continued a tradition of over 20 years enjoying a family dinner at the Beach House. ALL of our party were unpleasantly distressed later in the evening as we got to enjoy the chef's creative use of spices over and over again until about 3 in the morning. (What IS the secret ingredient in the a jus? Jus is supposed to be just jus - the prime rib diners were not happy. Hello Tums?) I'm afraid if the Beach House wants to continue on this disastrous voyage of exploration I will have to explore other restaurants. I am sure they will be successful but at their prices, how many fifty-somethings who can still afford $500 dinner parties can they afford to run off? The rain on Christmas Eve this year notwithstanding, the dining room was half empty. This has never happened in my 30 years dining there. In the last 20 years it has always been a problem to get in on Christmas Eve. Not this year. How much was weather, how much was economy, and really how much was stalwarts seeking a predictable dining experience elsewhere? Much success with your new chef Beach House but next year I'll be at Five Crowns or Chart House or Villa Nova or any one of the others who are not ashamed to look ahead from the vantage point of tradition instead of throwing out the tried and true in search of - what, exactly? Note that the ratings in 2005, 2006, and 2007 posted here on Yahoo are 5 stars. I travel all over the world and have easily recommended Beach House over 100 times and was right there with the 5 stars until this year which is, coincidentally, when they got their new chef. Five stars to 2 is not an accident, it is a murder!

It has a great location, but looks run down and needs a major renovation. The food is good, but not outstanding, and the service needs improvement. Thw waiters are not that friendly, and the hostess is not very interested in helping you.

This place was amazing. Not only was the food delicious but the servers were great and the view was breath taking! Most romantic sunset ever! The steak is one of the best I've had in a long time!! The dessert is one of the best in Orange County. It tasted good and looked good too! Deffiently reccomend this place!!! :)