A must-visit spot for food lovers! The ambiance at night is lovely, although you can't fully appreciate the view after dark. I can only imagine how stunning it must be during breakfast or brunch hours. Definitely make a reservation, and valet parking is highly recommended since street parking can be a bit tight. Now, let's talk about the food... WOW! Every dish was beautifully presented and thoughtfully crafted. You can tell a lot of creativity and attention goes into each plate. The cocktails were equally impressive--perfectly balanced and delicious. This is one of those places where the presentation is almost too pretty to eat! The only area with room for improvement is the service. While everyone was pleasant, the attentiveness didn't quite match the exceptional food and atmosphere. There were small details that were missed, such as delays in getting water, ordering drinks, and having silverware and a steak knife ready when the food arrived. Our server seemed a bit distracted and not as warm or engaging as expected for a dining experience of this caliber. That said, the food absolutely stole the show and made the evening memorable. With just a little more attention to service, this place could easily deliver a truly outstanding experience from start to finish. Looking forward to coming back and seeing it reach its full potential! read more

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Went here for oysters and some drinks... got there at 8:15 because they said last call was at 8:30. I was sat and ignored for 15 minutes Place smelled like fish and needs renovations as well... read more

Driftwood Kitchen is a gem of a restaurant in Laguna Beach, California. It is a dressier, date night experience, although it does have a semi-casual bar as well. There is a small indoor restaurant, a narrow outdoor restaurant patio overlooking the water, a dark wood grain bar with leather sofas, and a front entryway seated patio with a fireplace. Reservations are highly encouraged! We made ours day-of and were lucky to be able to do so. We were having drinks at The Deck, which is an outdoor bar experience that connects to the same building as Driftwood Kitchen, and the server for The Deck can make reservations for you for Driftwood Kitchen. Our experience was great! The host was wonderful and accommodating. Our server knew the menu well and made good recommendations throughout on food and drink. We were celebrating a birthday and they treated us to a bit of their toffee cake which neither of us thought we would like and both of us actually adored. We had a salad and appetizer, which were simple but tasty, as well as the surf and turf. Honestly, the surf and turf was a little bit small and didn't blow us away, but it was well prepared and provided enough food for the evening. We then walked down to Forest Street and the other nightlife there. So this area is in walking distance of the main Laguna Beach strip. If you drive be prepared to valet because street parking is, per Laguna Beach usual, incredibly limited. If you are able to Lyft or Uber, that would be your best bet. Overall, we had a really wonderful experience and will come back here for a special occasion in the future! read more

Driftwood Kitchen - View from the patio during the sunset. - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Great service, great ambiance, great food! Loved this cute little restaurant. They have beach front access which was so nice after eating. I brought my family visiting from Canada and they absolutely loved it! If you are undecided where to try while in Laguna. Give this place a try you won't regret it. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Soooo good!! Service is excellent as well! I had the frittata and my friend had the Benedict!! Outstanding! Their coffee is best I've had!! Will go back again!! Oh and the view???? Amazing!! read more

We came here to celebrate Mother's Day the day before the actual holiday, and it turned out to be such a wonderful experience. The food was delicious, the view was absolutely beautiful, and our waitress -- a wonderful redhead whose name I unfortunately can't remember -- was amazing and made our visit even more enjoyable. Aside from a little hassle with the reservation process, everything else was excellent. The atmosphere, service, and overall experience made this a place we would happily come back to again and again. Definitely a solid choice for a special meal or celebration! read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Inside table for 6. - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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The service was great. The food was delicious. The ambience was amazing. I was celebrating my birthday I had a wonderful dining experience because of our server Chris. My friend & I had a fabulous time. I recommend this awesome restaurant. read more

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Beautiful view. Delicious food. Friendly and efficient service. Valet parking. Reservations. Took my partner for Father's Day. It was wonderful! read more

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Driftwood Kitchen is a special place to me. The views are incredible, my mom would have loved it. From the host to the servers, everyone is friendly. JT, Matt, love those guys, and of course, the bartender Juan! He really knows how to pour a glass of Veuve! The food is consistently amazing, super fresh eggs, and upscale dishes. The blueberry pancakes are so yummy! I love their toast too, I know that's so weird because what is it about their sourdough? But it is just absolutely the best sourdough I've tasted. I was so sad to hear of Chef's passing. My prayers go up for his family and friends. read more

We came here a few minutes before opening and had the whole restaurant to ourselves, with a beautiful view of the beach in the morning. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Snow crab omelette and lobster hash were delicious. They were on the richer side with a very generous portion size - great to share with big groups. I could see how this place would be packed during regular hours... I mean look at that view! Highly recommend Driftwood for brunch, but you should come early or make reservations in advance. read more

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Parking is on the street or there is a lot to valet in. Inside is nautical & lovely lighting in the evening. The outside on the deck is small but with an amazing view over the ocean. Got the butternut squash gnocchi & the sea bass which was incredible. Service was fast & prices were decent! read more

This review is for the Thanksgiving buffet. Parking is valet or street parking. For starters, I tried the gem salad (had candied beets, goat cheese, and pomegranate vinaigrette), grilled vegetables, shrimp, octopus salad, crab cake, shredded crab, and tuna sashimi. The gem salad was pretty tasty, although it had a little too much dressing for my preference. The shrimp and octopus salad tasted fresh. The tuna sashimi was soft, but wasn't the freshest. The crab cake had some egg pieces on top, so that was yummy! I also enjoyed the shredded crab! It was soft and sweet, but the sauce was a little too spicy for me. The carving station had turkey and prime rib. I got a lot of dark meat for the turkey, so the pieces were soft. The cranberry sauce ran out, but I tried the gravy, which didn't have a savor or rich enough flavor for me. The prime rib was pretty tender. My favorite entree was the salmon! It was sooo tender and fresh, and the gribiche sauce was unique. For sides, I tried the green bean casserole and the honey and thyme glazed carrots, which were both solid For dessert, I tried the chocolate chip cookie and marble cake with a large scoop of chocolate sauce! The cookie tasted buttery and was soft in the middle. The marble cake was pretty good, but not exceedingly special. Price was $125 per person, but it's a holiday plus you get the beach views, so the buffet was a nice experience. read more

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Went to Driftwood Kitchen last minute for brunch. They used to have a great vegan hash on the menu, but unfortunately there are no real vegan options anymore. I am not a fan of places where you simply remove the cheese from a dish to make it vegan, don't replace it with anything else, and still charge the same price. It just feels like an afterthought rather than a true option. I did have a watermelon mocktail which was actually pretty good. The inside was really loud though, and it was hard for our table of four to hear each other. There were also no tables available outside when we arrived. That said, the location really is beautiful and the ocean view is great. One thing to note is that it is valet only, and we ended up waiting quite a while to get the car back. Overall: great location and views, but I wish they still offered a thoughtful vegan dish like they used to. read more

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Recently ate here for my friend's birthday. Arrived to find an almost empty restaurant at 1:30. We were seated outside and it was a beautiful day. Our server came pretty quickly and took our drink orders. He came back in a timely manner to get our food order. Our food came out hot and as ordered. We enjoyed sitting outside and had a bird friend sit on the rail behind me for a while. I'm sure he was looking for some food. If you're looking for Michelin star food you will want to go elsewhere. If you want great service, an amazing view and ambiance this is your place! Will be returning I'm sure! read more

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We ordered quite the feast. Best food in the city. Juan had amazing service and overall this was the date we needed, thank you! Also ocean view and relaxing!! read more

Driftwood Kitchen - We ordered quite the feast. Best food in the city. Juan had amazing service and overall this was the date we needed - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Very sad. What used to be a place that took pride in their product, it has gone the way of other restaurants which believe they can live on location alone. Eggs Benedict with incredibly over cooked eggs is a deal killer. While they were poached by definition, they were hard as any hard boiled egg on its worst day. It pains me to write such negativity but I'm trying to be as nice as possible with the two stars. read more

Every time we stay at Pacific Edge hotel we come here for breakfast every morning. The breakfast is SO good and not worth going anywhere else. We also come because of Juan. He is the BEST. read more

My favorite meal I've had here and prob top 5 in my life. Service was impeccable, I wish I would've gotten his name to give him a shout out but he was so sweet, incredibly attentive, had the best recommendations based on what our preferences were. And the food was fantastic! I am not sure I will fully recover from how amazing everything was read more

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Our experience at this restaurant was absolutely dreadful. We were seated right next to an open door, and the cold ocean breeze from 9:30 am blew right in on us. To make matters worse, they couldn't remember to close the door, so we had to change our seats. The menu was incredibly limited, offering only a few options for breakfast. I decided to order the eggs Benedict, but when they arrived, they were freezing cold. They were so hard and overcooked that the yolks turned into crumbles when I sliced them in half. Who serves food like this to other humans? I wouldn't serve it to my dog. If I were to make food at home and serve it to my friends, I would be ashamed of it. The staff seemed completely indifferent to the situation. I would definitely avoid this tourist trap. read more

We ate there a couple of months ago and it was fine. the other night, my birthday, we expected it to be the same. The lamb which I ordered medium rare came out dry and overdone. The waitress said after that they don't cook it medium rare. Why didn't she tell us before? We ordered fish and warned the waitress that we wanted it not dry and overdone or we would send it back. It was overdone. What an unfortunate birthday dinner, Probably, we will not return read more

So, my mother in law passed a few weeks ago, dragged my wife out of bed for mother's day brunch today at one of her favorite places, Driftwood. Everything was fine, then I overheard the manager "Steve" complaining to our waitress, Bianca, about us being at the table too long. She then rushes over with our check and reminds us there's a "90 minute limit" on our table. My wife heard it too. We both felt embarrassed and uncomfortable by his ear-shot statement. We immediately pay, almost $500 for 3 people, and move up to the bar, and the bartender "Jose" is rude to us. Won't wait on us. Won't make eye contact, won't acknowledge us. Lucky Dillion comes over and saves the day. Totally helpful. Totally friendly. To the Driftwood GM, what gives? We've never had a bad time at Driftwood in the 11 or so years we've been patrons. Then to be pushed out by a "manager"! It wasn't like we were not paying for our drinks, there was no bottomless mimosa offering. If he treats guests like that, how does he treat your staff?? Sorry Bianca and Dillion, your hard was work ruined by sour team members. read more

A beachfront restaurant. The outdoor seating area was a bit small but it was still nice to enjoy the weather and view. We ordered 3 dishes: - Crispy Brussels Sprouts & Shishito Peppers - Scottish Smoked Salmon Bagel - DK Benedict with Steak Some places make the dishes very salty, especially the crispy brussels sprouts, but I liked how this place didn't. The service was okay. Recommend making a reservation ahead of time read more

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Visited Driftwood Kitchen on an early Wednesday morning and was able to get a table very quickly. The servers were up beat and seemed to enjoy working there. My server specifically was knowledgeable about the menu and told us that everything was delicious. Started off with a simple espresso martini which was expertly made and refreshing. Also ordered the Blueberry pancakes, and the DK Benedict with steak and the DK Benedict with crab cakes. Moment of silence for the pancakes!!! They were fluffy delicious, warm, sweet just all around amazing. I would go back over and over again for these pancakes. The DK Benedict with crab cakes were tasty. The crab cakes were a great size and flavorful. The DK Benedict with steak was not my favorite. The steak itself was a bit overcooked and I was surprised that there was lettuce on the Benedict. The lettuce completely threw me off, because it was under the steak it was soggy - and it really did not add any value to the dish. Lastly tried the French toast which was decent, was not a fan of the granola crust. Overall I would recommend this place for a nice weekend brunch with friends or family. I will definitely be going back for those pancakes! read more

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We decided to give Driftwood another chance! We made a reservation and arrived about 50 minutes early to try and get an outdoor seat for the sunset -- totally worth it. The view was stunning, and we ended up waiting around 50 minutes, so arriving early definitely helped. We split the surf and turf -- I'm eating low-fat right now, so I just had the lobster, which was amazing. I also got the potatoes again, and they were just as good as I remembered. My boyfriend enjoyed the steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and the flauta. The little hearts near the flauta were such a cute touch -- we really appreciated the extra detail. Our waitress, Devon, was incredibly sweet and super accommodating with my dietary restrictions, no hesitation at all. That kind of thoughtful service really stands out. Always a wonderful experience at Driftwood -- great food, beautiful views, and genuinely kind staff. read more

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I would love to give this restaurant 5 stars based on its beautiful interior and setting overlooking the ocean but the service and food fell short. We started off with the tuna carpaccio and crab cake. The tuna was great but the crab cake was just meh. We ordered the parker house rolls & fingerling potatoes for the table and they were great. My husband & daughter ordered a caesar salad and the sea bass. My son got the surf & turf and I got the lobster carbonara. The sea bass was definitely the best dish. The surf and turf was just ok and my carbonara was just not good. I've never had carbonara with no flavor. I'd love to tell you how the Caesar salad was but they delivered them after the entrees so we asked them to take them off bill - the only response we got on not getting our salads before our entrees was "gotcha" - overall the meal & service was not worth the money unfortunately We will not likely return read more

One of my fav places in Laguna! The view is out of this world. Love the octopus starter, the cocktails and this chef is just incredible his food is all so delish!! Such a great place for sunset or two tvs in the lounge if you want to watch the World Cup! read more

Stunning views, consistently delicious, and the perfect brunch spot Driftwood Kitchen continues to be one of my favorite Laguna Beach gems, and our recent brunch in the main dining room was another reminder of why it's a go-to. We brought our parents here for a weekend visit, and they were completely impressed from the oceanfront views to the warm service to the consistently delicious food. The chilaquiles were the star of my meal: perfectly balanced, with just the right amount of spice and incredible flavor in every bite. I'm still thinking about them. The pineapple mimosas were bright, refreshing, and such a fun twist on the classic brunch drink. We also ordered the Brussels sprouts as a starter, and wow were these were so good I genuinely want to learn how to make them at home. Crispy, flavorful, and a perfect opener to the meal. Between the breathtaking views, reliably great food, and an atmosphere that feels both relaxed and special, Driftwood Kitchen delivers every time. Highly recommend for brunch, especially when you want to impress visitors. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Chilaquiles - Brunch Menu - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

Minus 1 star for parking. There is no parking...only valet, as least that's what it appears. You have to park on the metered street. Ordered: 1) Avocado toast: 3/5 tasted just what you expected 2) Grilled prawn and street corn chilaquiles: 3.5/5 the shrimps were tiny...when I think of prawns, i think of large shrimps. Regardless, great service and great view of the ocean! read more

Review #1013 - Really great service and excellent dinner spot for breathtaking sunsets. Located right up on the beach make sure you request one of the 4 balcony tables. We had a delicious dinner and dessert. There is only valet parking so be prepared to walk from a ways away or just valet. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Sunset from their balcony. - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

After 10 years of being opened, and 3,000 reviews, I think it is time for Driftwood to receive a huge makeover to it's building, menu, and staff training. While maintaining it's values or it's vision, I hope that Driftwood continues to strive for excellence. The location is off PCH and the signage is barely non-existent as you turn down a dodgy driveway at night. It is difficult to spot as there isn't a lot of lighting and seems like you are driving in a motel parking alleyway. There is a Valet and they did not disclose there were two entrances for the main dining area or the patio area. Atmosphere: After walking up and down the stairs through the patio area, we were greeted with a hostess and were immediately sat down with our reservation. There were about 8 other tables eating and our seating was towards the middle. There was an unlit Christmas tree and some lighting ropes on the ceiling. However, one of the biggest wishes I have for Driftwood is to modernize their dining room with decent lighting. My table had to take out our flashlights to read the menus. I also did not appreciate that my chair was tightly placed between walkways where people bumped into me. Menu: It is a bit confusing when we see a happy hour drink menu when we can not even order from it in the dining room. It should be on a separate menu only place by the bar area. Service: Our waitress was very kind with explaining the sizing of the appetizers, drink ingredients, and menu items. Food: While some of the dishes we ordered were flavorful, other items we ordered were very salty and fatty. The seabass was flavorful and cooked well and some of the appetizers liked the least were the Brussel sprouts doused in sauce made the dish very soggy. While our table left full, I don't think we were eager to come back. read more

A very nice fine dinning spot in the beautiful city of laguna beach! We came here on a Saturday night around 7:30, walked past it at first and was redirected by staff at the deck bar lol! The outside was very cozy to walk into and when you first walk in, it's like a rustic cabin that turns into an old fashion lighthouse...very on theme. For drinks we started with a glass of Chardonnay and a drink I ordered called the passionate one. The wine was a clean Chardonnay and the passionate one was like a traditional mimosa with a fruity twist to it! We ordered the meat and cheese board to start. 95% of it was to our liking, ran out of the bread they provide fast with the heavy amount of cheese they put on the board. My wife ordered the steak and I ordered the lobster carbonara. Both were amazing and above par, 2 large onion rings on the side of the steak is a hardy combo, steak sauce was a lot like a high class ketchup (not our favorite). To our opinion, does not pair well with these type of steak. Lobster was good, pasta was alittle undercooked. There was also a loud group of teenagers at another table that in my opinion should have been kicked out. I'm still going to leave a 5 star review since this place was amazing overall!! If you see my other reviews you'll know I'm picky when it comes to fine dining, and just because some things were not EXACTLY to my taste, does not mean it earns itself less than 5 stars. Thank you driftwood kitchen for an amazing night! read more

Unfortunately, our experience at Driftwood Kitchen was disappointing. The food was underwhelming, and the service felt overly pushy. After our meals were delivered, our server never returned to check on us or see if we needed anything. The valet staff was also rude, which set a negative tone from the start. The only genuinely friendly and welcoming employees we encountered were the two female bartenders, even though they were not serving our table. Additionally, the windows were noticeably dirty, not from ocean spray or condensation, but visibly unclean, which detracted from the otherwise beautiful view. Overall, the experience did not live up to the restaurant's reputation or location. read more

The ambiance is wonderful. Most of the tables have ocean views. There are some tables outside, but it was too windy to be comfortable. This restaurant actually DOES take reservations, which was important to us. There is a bar in the back, and the restaurant was not crowded at all, so it was disappointing it took so long for my martini to arrive. We already had bread and water. I looked across the room, and saw our server standing there. After I caught her eye, she went up to the bar and brought my drink. Come on, ya gotta have good cocktail service at a beachside restaurant! By this time, we had been sitting at our table over ten minutes. I ordered the scallop/mushroom/potato entree; it was delicious, with five tender scallops, veggies perfectly cooked. My husband ordered the Jidori apricot chicken dish; it came w/ some sort of rice included. He asked for mashed potatoes instead, and the server flatly told us there were NO substitutions or changes to the entrees. "The chef doesn't like it." Really?? Since when is it a big deal to sub out potatoes first rice??? This restaurant has a lot of potential, but puleeze better servers and more flexiblity on sides! read more

Came in for a weekend dinner. The place has an amazing ocean view, and it didn't disappoint at sunset. Menu offers a lot of fresh seafood, we ordered the oysters to start, the Chilean seabass and the blue crab risotto. Wow generous portions and tasted delicious. Staff was pleasant and great vibe. Check it out. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Chilean seabass - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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This was such a wonderful experience. Unbeatable view and great service. Very attentive and kind. The food was also so good! Definitely recommend the brussel sprouts and the sea bass is to die for. Adding this place to our favorites. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Sea bass and sticky rice - decadent! - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Everything about my experience at Driftwood was 5 stars. After reading the reviews I saw it was best advised to arrive extra early for your reservation if you want to try to get one of the few patio tables for sunset. The restaurant opens at 5, our reservation was at 6. We checked in at 5:15. Sunset was scheduled for 6:30. The host let us know that we would get the first table that opened on the patio as they have locals that arrive right at 5 and take the patio tables. No problem we waited at the bar and had a cocktail and chatted. About 6:00 the host came to us to let us know a couple of the tables got boxes and he's watching for us. At 6:20 none of the tables had gotten up (they were waiting for the sunset) he offered us a two top right inside, we declined hoping someone would get up so we could catch the last of the sunset. He said in the mean time we were welcome to walk out there and take pics of the sunset. (Took full advantage of that). Unfortunately no table opened up before the sunset. (Lesson learned make the 5:00 reservations for a 6/6:30 sunset and be the first one there to get a patio table) this was no fault of the staff. However we didn't want to sit outside as it got darker so they quickly sat us at a table inside where the manager (I'm guessing) thanked us for our patience and apologized for the wait). He kindly brought us 2 more cocktails on the house, totally unexpected and unnecessary but very appreciated. We ordered. I got the spaghetti carbonara and my friend got a salad and Thai shrimp. Everything else as absolutely delicious. I wish the portion had been bigger, but if it had I wouldn't have had room for dessert. I got the banana bread pudding and kk friend got the sticky toffee cake with bacon. Again, both were absolutely delicious. I didn't even talk about the views. The views were phenomenal it was clear enough to see Catalina as the sunset and the beach below was quite. It was perfect. We enjoyed the food, atmosphere and service. I am definitely adding Driftwood to my list of sunset view restaurants to visit when people are in from out of town. read more

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This was actually my first time dining here. We decided to come here before we head off to the festival of arts and the pageant of the masters. Because of that we were very early for dinner however, it worked out perfect! The views from here are beyond stunning! Our server was also quite fantastic tonight recommending one of our favorite dishes, the Seabass. What was unique about this dish was how they cooked the rice. In this case, it was like a sticky rice ball and absolutely It paired so well with the Seabass!! I only took photos of my SeaBass and unfortunately my photo of our shared pasta dish turned out blurry however, I'll post it anyway. I think this is a great restaurant. I cannot wait to come back. read more

Driftwood Kitchen - Our shared pasta dish... sorry it's so blurry. It is delicious though. - Seafood Near Me - Laguna Beach, California

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Came here to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary and had a wonderful brunch with a even better view our server Bianca was so wonderful and even brought us a complimentary desert, we will DEFINITELY be coming back for more anniversaries to come. 100% must visit restaurant. read more

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We came back for a post-Valentine's Sunday dinner hoping to relive a great 2019 experience. It's gone far downhill. The surf and turf was the headliner disappointment. The steak had a large grey band with a burnt exterior despite ordering medium rare. Asparagus was fine, nicely toasted, but the lobster sauce was forgettable. Oysters arrived with no variety names listed, one small fork for the table, and one dud that was half meat. Shells weren't even scrubbed. For what they charge, that's inexcusable. The lamb chops came out well done and bone dry. The whole plate was incoherent: chalky pesto, an overly breaded croquette, and an eggplant larb wrap that added nothing. None of it worked together. Service matched the food. Our server picked up plates right next to our glasses. Valet was fine but we had to settle the check outside rather than at the table. Staff left exterior doors open and never came back to close them. We wanted to love this place again. We won't be back. read more

I made a reservation for my wife's birthday , And I invited some friends a relative. The manger had no idea to pass the information to our waiter, the service was not good and the food was OK. I'm gonna make the long story short, On Saturday 7 PM the restaurant was half empty , I asked our waiter if we can have bread and butter before we start the order appetizer and dinner, the waiter told us that they are out of bread and butter, anyway, I was very disappointed from this place and for the money I spent we could've gone to the much better restaurant . read more