Laguna Beach restaurants? (Huntington Beach, Orange, Corona: hotel, theater, college)

[SouperStar34]

I am looking for a nice restaurant with a GREAT view to take a volleyball team too. We would like to go either Newport Beach OR Laguna Beach. We have already spent some time in Newport... so Laguna would be top on our list. Looking to spend $15-30... we would be eating at night.

Any thoughts? Tomorrow is our last night in CA.

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by SouperStar34

I am looking for a nice restaurant with a GREAT view to take a volleyball team too. We would like to go either Newport Beach OR Laguna Beach. We have already spent some time in Newport... so Laguna would be top on our list. Looking to spend $15-30... we would be eating at night.

Any thoughts? Tomorrow is our last night in CA.

If its a youth team, try Ruby's at the end of the Huntington Beach peir.

For adults or teens, the classic view restaurant in Laguna is Las Brisas. You'll struggle to stay under $30/head there, but it is an AWESOME view.


Either way, you'll need a reservation for a Sat. nite.

[Coldjensens]

Las Brisas is definitely your best option, but that is more of a driking pickup place with a fancy restraunt, it gets crowded and loud. If you can go early, you are better off. No view after dark anyway.


The place accross the street fromt eh hotel laguna (this is the name or was) is nice if it is still there. I have not been there in years. great food especially soups. No view, but a nice location right in town just off the beach.

In Newport there was a place on top of a tall building called the View. It is in Fashoion Island. Fabulous views, bad food. That is another place that i have not been in years. I am not a fan of bad food. It may be gone.

The Pavillion in Balboa is really great. reasonably good food. The view is of Newport Harbor. You should arrange in advance to get window tables.

If you have time to plan it, you can charter one of the little boats that putters around Newport Harbor, they leave from Balboa right next to the Pavillion. You cna have dinner catered. My wife did that for my birthday a few years back. We had it catered by Pappa Hassans in Orange (fabulous Lebannese food - Shawarma - mmmmmm). It was my best brithday ever. I do nto know the cost but it could not have been much more than $500. We had about 40 people for around 3-4 hours. We did not have tables, but we sat on benches and had a really nice time.

There is a dinner cruise boat there too, but I think it is pretty pricey.

Is the Rueben E Lee still there? That is another mediochre food place, but a very nice view.

In Laguna Beach, most of the resturuants are on the inland side of the street. Beach side is too expensive.

Resturuant row along coast highway, just south of Newport Blvd all have nice views. Those resturuants go out of business and reopen under new names so often that i am not sure what is there right now. There was an Itialian place called Villa Nova there that we liked a lot, not sure if it is still there. All of those places are pretty pricey. Again it has been a while since I went there to eat.

Spagetti Factory on the peninsula is neat. No view but a neat affordable place. The same is true for Crab Cooker. There is antoher plce right there at the base of the peninsula that has a decent view. It also changes names regularly.

OUr all time favorite view dinner we called McDonalds on the hill. There is a McDonalds on coast highway near Corona Del Mar. You cna go up the street behind mcdonalds to the bluffs. There is a community theater building there whose parking lot is usually empty. Park there and eat your quarter pounders. Million dollar view for a five dollar price.

There is also a Rubys at the end of the Balboa pier in Balboa villiage (Newport beach peninsula). That may be a better option because it is a very short walk to the villiage and the fun zone is right there. Sometimes you can see pods of dolphins swimming just off the pier.

For a completely different view option, look at Orange Hill Resturuant and Orange County Mining Company in Orange. They are both on a hill and you can see all the way to the ocean when it is clear. In fact, when it is really celar, you can see all the way to LA. The mining company is less expensive, but Orange HIll might make a deal with you for a large group. Very nice food at both places. Mining company is mostly steaks and salads and very large portions.

[ehcsrop]

Reuben E Lee was a maritime museum for many years. The boat is gone now. Dismantled.

[Charles]

OK, while the attention is on this thread. Anybody know where these photos were taken? I think this is Laguna Beach somewhere, at some restaurant. Photos were taken around 1960 or early 1961. It's also possible (I hope not) that some of the images are reversed as I scanned these Kodachrome slides using a Nikon slide scanner and the slides may have been in backwards.

[Fontucky]

I see Larson.

[SouperStar34]

For a college volleyball team... How about between Blue Water Grill or Benihana?

[OC Investor2]

Originally Posted by Charles

OK, while the attention is on this thread. Anybody know where these photos were taken? I think this is Laguna Beach somewhere, at some restaurant. Photos were taken around 1960 or early 1961. It's also possible (I hope not) that some of the images are reversed as I scanned these Kodachrome slides using a Nikon slide scanner and the slides may have been in backwards.

This is in Laguna Beach. The restaurant behind the man in the second picture and the woman in the third, the building with the striped awnings, is Las Brisas. The rest appear to have been taken along the cliff top walk that runs thru Heisler park from Las Brisas.

If you updated the clothes those pictures could have been taken yesterday. It all looks pretty much the same today as then.

[Fontucky]

Wasn't Las Brisas something else back then? It was either The Stuft Shirt or Victor Hugo's, can't remember... too many drugs back in the day.

[SouperStar34]

For a college volleyball team (21 people)... How about between Blue Water Grill or Benihana? Blue Water grill would have better scenery, but Benihana has a more fun atomosphere. Any thoughts?