The waitstaff was inattentive and the food was luke-warm. We had piles of dishes not taken away and had to ask repeatedly for specified dishes. Not a good experience. read more

I haven't been here for food or drinks only to dance and I am a huge fan of this location. I love how dark it is, the red lighting, and the old "vintage" decor. The one thing that throws me is the smell of seafood when dancing to house music on a random Wednesday night. I enjoyed watching and dancing with some of my closest girlfriends while Sandra Collins was DJing last night, the vibe was amazing! I hadn't been to this venue for at least 10 years; last time I recall coming here was to watch Crystal Stafford. I remember the venue used to feel more cramped. I don't know if they took tables out or moved things around, but I love how much more spacious the place feels. I'd dance here any day and wouldn't mind coming back for the lobster dinner one night either. read more

La Cave has been a favourite of ours for several years, our go to restaurant to celebrate special occasions. This is why when we had visitors in town recently that we drove in from out of town to La Cave. The vibe hasn't changed and we are happy for that. We ordered our drinks and the Margaritas we ordered were less than tasty (they used to be the best in town) and we won't order them again. All four of our dinners were disappointing, and we were sorry that we had made an effort to eat at La Cave. The server, a long time employee was less than attentive, our steaks were fatty and tasteless, the lobster chewy and the side dishes just tossed on the plates. Disappointing at any price but for the price they charge we won't be back. read more

I've been drinking and dining at LaCave for over 20 years. Birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines, graduations, or just a good night out. I was seriously disappointed this Valentines night on a date with my wife. Our server was young and apparently new. Most servers there are long term and pretty professional. We were seated for about 10 minutes before she came to our table to greet us and take our cocktail order. Even though it was Valentines, there were a couple empty tables and it wasn't any busier than any given Saturday night, so I assumed she'd plain forgotten about us. She took our drink order (Stoli/soda & Jack on the rocks). She came back a few minutes later to ask if my order was a Jack and coke. How hard is it to remember two very simple and common drinks? Her demeanor was that of a person who was either purely ditzy, or was putting on a ditzy act to cover her inexperience. Either way, it's unprofessional. As our drinks arrived, I ordered the sautéed mushrooms as an appetizer ane we both placed our dinner orders. I always get the rib eye but this time I ordered the 11 ounce New York Strip and potato with a salad and Caesar dressing. My salad looked like it came from one of those large 2 pound pre mixed bags that you can buy at the grocery store. She brought our entrees but no sautéed mushrooms. No explanation from her other than the ditzy act and an apology for forgetting. My steak was just okay. The cut was pretty thin, so it was a bit overdone, no big deal. After a few more rounds of drinks we got the check. Here's the shocker, $59.99 for an 11 ounce New York Strip! Thats more than their usual price for a 16 ounce rib eye. Normally the waiters bring out a cart with the menu items and tell you the price of each. This night they handed us menus but with no prices showing. Now I know why! I asked our server if that was a mistake and she said no, that they just raise their prices on Valentines. I paid the bill and spoke with the manager as I was leaving. Not about the poor and unprofessional service, but the exorbitant price for my steak. She said lots of restaurants in the area raise their prices for Valentines. Not true. Lots of the nicer restaurants serve a fixed menu on Valentines for a single price. No a la carte. They dont just double the price on their entrees like La Cave. She muttered that she'd convey my displeasure (to the owners I assume) at being gouged and that she had nothing to do with the price gouge. I wonder how many other customers felt bushwacked when they sat down with their Valentines dates only to find out they jacked up their everyday prices, just because they could. Pretty crass. I told the manger that I've eaten at plenty of OC restaurants known for their steaks and have never felt so ripped off. Again she muttered something about telling somebody about it, taking no responsibility herself even though shes been the maitre'd for years. I told her I was sorry that I'd never be coming back, not because I'm cheap, but because I felt like the victim of someone's "stick it to 'em" attitude in their management chain. Goodbye La Cave. read more

We came here to try a new restaurant and even though I was not impressed w the decore of this place I was impressed with their supper friendly server and was very suprised to find how yummy their food is. But I got to warn you their food seems to have alot of butter in it so not really made for healthy eating;) but we should come here time to time for the good music and great crab legs ! read more

Seriously THE BEST!!!! Melt in your mouth steaks, twice baked potato and to die for Martini!!!! read more

This place is a true jewel of Costa Mesa. Great food, service, and a cool cozy atmosphere. Vintage, and dark, private and old school. This place should be busier on weekdays, but it is easy to score a great table. Five Star! read more

La Cave - Steakhouses Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We dined here on probably one of the most busiest days of the year. We made reservations for a booth and unfortunately, our reservations weren't found upon arrival. However, the hostess asked us to wait and said she will make something happen. We waited about 15 minutes and then, we were seated. The energy was high and people engaged in exciting conversations around us. The menu is simple and its a visual menu. The waitress shows you the meals available in a case. I chose the petite filet and the lobster tail. It was brilliant and delicious. The meal is quite pricey but worth every penny in my eyes. This place is definitely great for a special occasion. I highly recommend to check this out. read more

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place for our Anniversary. After trying to figure out exactly how and where the entrance was -u have to ride a elevator to the restaurant. Once inside dark, dreary, old and filthy. We were sat in a corner booth right up against another group of people. There were no menus they wheel a cart around and show you what meats are available with a flashlight cause it is so dark. We ordered halibut and a steak. Shortly our salads came they were slimy and all brown horrible. I asked the waitress to please check them they were not edible. Then a guy came with a basket of burnt garlic bread. It was so burnt you could not even eat it. Another strike .. Then the food. Oh the halibut smelled fishy horribly fishy..which means it is old and the steak was on the plate with a potato that had been cooked the day before or that morning and reheated. No butter-you have to use the butter they had brought for the burnt garlic bread earlier is what I was told. This meal was $38.00 a piece total $79.00 for crap.. it was horrible. the fish stunk so bad I almost threw up and the steak was small not worth the money. I went to the restroom as well. I don't know how they get away with no handicap bathroom which I thought was the law. The stalls are so small u cant even wipe without standing up and there was water running on the floor leaking from somewhere. Absolutely crazy. I would never go back to this dump if I had to. IT is so tiny and dirty and dark. Not romantic cause makes you wonder what they are hiding keeping it so dark. No room to walk and the ideal of pushing a tiny cart around showing people there pick with a flashlight -we should of left then. Pass this place way to expensive -would get better food and service at the Sizzler. read more

My children took me here for Mother's Day dinner. They had been here before but I had not. I had lobster tail. It was perfect! The others had crab legs and rib eye. All our food was served "hot" which is not the norm in most restaurants. Excellent service. Friendly staff. I would definitely come back. read more

I had the rib eye, which tasted great. Definitely a restaurant with cool character. Only complaint is the price and lack of menu, you don't know the prices. read more

I genuinely enjoy this place. Something about the combination of ambient lighting, brick walls, and tasteful music just takes you away and makes you forget that yes, you are in the heart of Orange County. Patrons can actually hold a conversation and the drinks aren't watered down or exorbitant. As for the food - I must say that the twice-baked potato and the cheesecake are as good as any I've had. The steaks are excellent as well. Overall, I'm quite impressed. read more

Stay away! The owner "Mike" appears to be in need of psychiatric help or some kind of drug rehab or at the very least anger management courses! Ate there on NYE with 14 in our party. No menu and my friend who set up the reservation 2 weeks in advance inquired if there was a special menu for that night and was told "no." When the bill came it was $1100 and some change. The waitress was unable to provide us with an itemized bill, only a total, despite not bringing us menus when asked. It was complete chaos! 2 days later went back to try to rectify the bill, because we estimated our party was overcharged by almost $300. After pulling teeth trying to get anyone from that place to help us, the owner called my friend back the next day screaming at her. She was unable to deescalate this Mike guy who was ranting and on some kind of narcissistic rage or in a manic episode. He yelled things like "No one has ever complained about my restaurant!" "Do you know how well known I am around here!" "I'll fire that waitress who lied to you and comp your check, but do you want that on your conscience?!" "There's an up charge of $15 per item, everyone knows that!" He then proceeded to call back and leave a lengthy ranting message about how "restaurants work" and proceeded to explain in specific detail how much revenue he lost at on NYE, that the DJ costs $3000 and so and so forth and how dare us ask for any money back, as though we are his accountants. Needless to say I have never encountered anyone so inappropriate or egotistical I my life. The sad thing was that we all had a good time that night, food was nothing to rave about, but it was fun. Sadly we'll never go there again and deter anyone who wants to. Considering posting the long voicemail he left on YouTube so stay tuned... read more

Boyfriend took me here because he loves this awesome establishment...I understand why now that I've been. All we got was a shrimp cocktail and a couple cocktails. Holy cow!!! The shrimps were huge! The sauce was great but they didn't put much in the martini glass and they never came back around. I hope we come back as I am excited to try the whole menu. Place is literally dark and cavish feeling which is rad since it holds up to its name. Tnis was our first of three stops for hopping around the area and I was not disappointed. I also absolutely love how the menu is fresh meat on a cart brought to you...not a book or piece of paper to read and order off if. Nice touch and great ambiance:) read more

Went here a few weeks back....THIS PLACE ABSOLUTELY SUCKS!!! With a capital S!!! Went there for what I thought was going to be a romantic date and amazing night of food. The highly highly highly overpriced steak and lobster. They had to redo the steak 3 times and we finally just gave up. The lobster was so small I thought it was a crawdad and so so so dry. When we brought it to the managers attention, she took half off, after charging us to split the plate not even telling us there was almost a $20 charge to do that. This place is the worst. Worst $70 I ever spent on food and that's saying a lot. BOO LA CAVE! read more

I was searching on www.urbancougar.com (there is a legitimate reason) and came across La Cave as a Cougar Den of Newport Beach. I started cracking up because when you think about it, the entire city of Newport Beach is a Cougar Den (please see Island Hotel). Anyway, this place is kind of cool. There's this obscure door in the middle of a strip mall that leads you down a staircase underground and into a restaurant/nightclub (one star for cell phones actually working underground). It is very dark in here, which is probably an advantage for cougars. Around 9 p.m. or so they turn this restaurant into a bar and bring out the band and the dance floor. I'd say this place has a good nightlife, stiff drinks, on-the-prowl women, and hearty food (sort of Ruth's Chris style). read more

Let me start off by saying that I have dined at La Cave off and on for 40 years. Since I live out of state, I come back every time I visit California which is about every 2 years. The food is always awesome, and in that regard this latest visit did not disappoint. I always get a kick out of watching the Chef....he seems so laid back, and yet he manages to get the food out to a packed house with such aplomb and perfection. Unfortunately, however, the waitress nearly ruined my visit this latest time. There I was, with my mother and sister, who have dined here since it opened in the early 1960's. My mother and sister asked for some more garlic bread, and the waitress told us that we could either have a couple pieces of bread for free, or if we wanted another basket it would cost us....drumroll please..... three dollars. Now, this is a place where you don't order off a menu. You really don't know and you really don't care what the prices are. I knew it would come to around 200 bucks for a party of three, but beyond that I really prefer to enjoy the meal and the company of my dining companions. So, it kind of put a damper on things when the waitress literally started bartering over 3 dollars and three pieces of bread. I mean, come on....get a clue. You, the waitress, are here to make the customers' experience enjoyable and memorable. If the 3 three bucks is that important to you, just add it to the tab. Hell, I'm not going to notice, especially with no menu to reference the prices. In fact, if you had charged me 30 dollars for the bread, I still probably would not have noticed and my experience would have been much better. But no, she she had to spoil the atmosphere over a measly 3 bucks. Then, she cleared off the plates that we had been using for our bread and disappeared for a long, long time. I mentioned to my sister that it's probably just as well, because once you stop eating bread for a while you tend to kind of lose interest in it. However, my sister and mother told me that they still wanted more bread, so I kept my eye out for the waitress with the hope of flagging her down, alas to no avail. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she came back with three slices of bread and and at least a dozen patties of butter which we had not asked for, nor had we used any butter on our first round of garlic bread. I could only wonder if her delay, and the enormous amount of butter, was perhaps her way of sending us some sort of passive-aggressive message. Well, to wrap this up, I sent her a message of my own in the form of a 10 percent tip, precisely calculated to the exact penny. Normally I would have given her 25 percent, but apparently she's as nonchalant about providing good service as I am about the cost of the meal. Traditionally, La Cave has been a place to go and have a great experience without thinking about the cost. Unfortunately, it appears that this may be yet another great tradition falling by the wayside. read more

Hubby and I went here recently for the Monday night Frank Sinatra tribute. We called ahead for reservations letting our intentions be known and arrived at about 8-8:30, expecting to be in the thick of the show, but were told when we arrived that the music starts early on Mondays and was already over, due to it being a slow night. It seemed strange, but we kind of shrugged it off and decided to still take our seats. Strike two came during the drink order when I ordered a glass of champagne as listed on the drink menu, but our waitress gave some excuse and tried to suggest an exorbitant upsell and seemed irritated that we didn't "bite" at her suggestion. After that, she was dismissive for the rest of the night. I would call the wait staff mean or rude, but that wouldn't be fair, but describing her as looking down her nose at us is perfectly fair. I had ordered something clearly listed on their menu and she acted as if she had never heard of it before. My husband doesn't drink, so why would I want a bottle? The food ordering process is strange as described in other reviews, with just a cart rolled out to display the cuts available for the night with no prices. No suggestions by the waitress or help in deciding what seemed good that night, and definitely no specials mentioned, although they were advertised outside of the restaurant at the elevator. Without a menu (we forgot to write them down before coming into the restaurant) and no mention of specials from staff, did we really want to seem cheap and ask, subjecting ourselves to more of her wrath? Long story short; we ordered the Fillet Medallions and the Shrimp. No appetizers were offered, and the chef was out of there as soon as he finished cooking ours that night. The place was basically closing up at 10'ish and we felt too rushed to feel comfortable ordering dessert. Now I'd like to pose as a hypothetical question to all of the high-brow "foodies" out there: "What is so difficult about running a steak house?" I mean; it's not like you have to come up with original recipes and re-think some fusion theme or something. All you really need is a good butcher/seafood supplier, and a meat thermometer. That's why they are referred to as "chop houses". You can take the most expensive suppliers, since you know that it's just going to be passed on to the customer (especially if you don't show a menu), then you just have to know how to cook it. Most of us can do better on the backyard grill after visiting a good butcher. We ordered the Fillet medium, but it was over-cooked and dry. The sauce that came with it was a dark gravy packet from Von's with some mushrooms added. The shrimp was tough and served with a yellow oil that was not melted butter, and served at room temperature rather than warm. The twice baked potato was good, but I swear it was the same one that we get pre-made from Omaha Steaks. At this point, we had swallowed our pride and didn't mind asking for some A-1 for the steak and cocktail sauce for the shrimp, even though we got the anticipated eye-roll from our disgusted waitress. Being treated like "cheap-skates" by wait staff on a nice night out is not our idea of fine dining. Note to La Cave: Maybe we wouldn't have to order food like we were hillbillies if you offered food that was edible from the kitchen, rather than having to make us improvise. Even though our wait staff may not believe it; we are both quite accustomed to fine dining in the area, but we've never been treated like we didn't belong in other establishments in and around Newport Beach. I am giving this place two stars for the ambiance. This is a cool little set-up and if La Cave wasn't trying to intimidate people and present itself as better than its' customers that frequent it, I believe people would want to hang out at the bar and listen to good jazz on a regular basis. Trouble is; without good food and competent (or friendly) staff, it's just an over-priced hole in the wall. A lot of potential at this location, but it may be in need of new management to earn return visits from anyone other than their personal friends. read more

If I could leave zero stars I would. Owner is a nightmare. Screams and cusses at customers and at staff - in front of customers. Food is awful and overpriced. Avoid at all costs! read more

*La Cave on 8/26/11* I had never been to La Cave before but it's downstairs in what looks like an old office building/strip mall from the 60s. The atmosphere reminds me of the Regal Beagle from the show "Three's Company" back in the 80s. It has the main dining room which is very small with low ceiling (hence the name "the cave") and a bar/dance floor in the back room. The crowd was mixed-age but more on the side of late 30s to mid 40s. So, I guess you could consider it a cougar lounge. Moving on to why I'm giving it 2 stars... First, we (group of 5 guys) were seated about 20 minutes after arriving even though we had a reservation. Our server, Syd (skinny white gal, mid-30s), finally came to our table about 20 minutes *after* we were seated. She seemed a bit off, like either she had just been awoken from a nap or like it was her first day working there or maybe she was surprised that we were one of her tables that evening. She seemed confused all night which was odd. In any event, waiting 20 minutes to sit and then another 20 to be greeted kind of leaks the helium out of the balloon; you know what I mean? Anyway, I thought to myself, it's all about the food so eff the rest of it. Turns out the food and drinks sucked too. First, drinks. We ordered a round of Tequila. They literally brought us Tequila that was watered down. Next, we ordered 5 steaks (2 rib eye, 1 prime rib, 2 NY strip) and all were ordered medium or medium rare. The prices aren't cheap at La Cave (about $25 and up depending on the cut of meat) so I was expecting something great. When we finally got our steaks, they were all well-done and tough. The consensus around the table was the same - disappointing. Lastly, after dinner, we went to bar area in the backroom to watch this older guy perform mostly 60s classic rock hits. He was pretty good actually but it was basically karaoke, not a live band. So, La Cave gets 2 stars. 1 for their sauteed mushrooms and cheese bread and 1 star for the wait-staff (excluding Syd) as they were pretty attentive to the table (refilling water glasses, etc) but that's not good enough to earn a return trip. So, it's one and done for La Cave. read more

For our first Valentines day my valentine booked weeks in advance for La Cave. About 5 minutes after sitting down for our reservation in the secondary dining room I was appalled and increasingly agitated that a group of singles in shorts and t-shirts decided that La Cave's small intimate bar was the place they wanted to get hammered, throw high-fives, be disrespectful and obnoxious in the sight of all the other well dressed & well mannered Valentines Day couples. I know my Significant Other was probably spending a great deal of money, we had bought a nice red wine from the wine list, chose our dinners and had gotten dressed up, only to be slapped in the face that La Cave doesn't appear to have the same respect or standards for it's customers behavior. Management seemed to turn a blind eye to the loud group, wait-staff seemed to notice but did not remedy the situation.. I reached out for an explanation and got an email that "LaCave opened Valentines Day 1962 therefore the night you dined with us we were celebrating our 52nd year! We are sorry to hear you were disturbed by other patrons that night. We are hopeful you will be back to dine again soon with us. " I am a bit saddened that our valentines day got stomped on by a rowdy and disrespectful group of drinkers and think our next romantic experience will be celebrated elsewhere. Thanks but no thanks. read more

I'm glad people hate on this place, it keeps the crowd down so people who appreciate it and enjoy the food can get a table. For everyone who complains about the meat cart and lack of menu, I'm assuming you are hipster brats who have no culture. In the olden days, before the Internet and wearing glasses ironically, what you would call a classy restaurant, would have a meat cart where customers could pick out their cut of meat. Maybe ask your grandparents to explain this to you. As for the lack of selection on the menu people have complained about, this isn't Applebee's. If you want a choice of 40 different items this is not the place for you, this is an old school classic steak house. They have a small but classic selection of appetizers, steaks and fish, all are perfectly prepared and have always tasted great. For people who complained about presentation, again this is a traditional steak house - think Goodfellas but without mobsters. If my meal came out on some huge white plate with my food neatly stacked on top of each other with some foo foo greenery perched on top I'd be pissed. If that's what you are looking for go directly to your nearest hipster farm to table place where you will pay the same price for half the food presented in a sterile, generic environment. read more

La Cave - Shrimp cocktail! - Steakhouses Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

What in God's name are these people so excited about? I came here the night before Thanksgiving, and it was packed with people. Excited, screaming, loud, shrill ass people. I don't think the upcoming holiday was the cause for celebration, as most of the female patrons looked like they don't really eat all that often. This "bar" setup makes it plainly obvious that you are standing inside a restaurant. This is mostly because they don't move any tables out of the way. Its awkward, and makes the standing areas too crowded. The decor is alright. They have a back area with another bar, and a dance floor. The people are a strange mix. There is still some of that die hard OC fake blond/boobs/tan-ness going on, which is more entertaining now that everyone has jumped on the indie bandwagon. The problem is, these people wear indie clothes that give off a certain vibe. This vibe says "I read vonnegut and the fountainhead and am generally pissed off". In actuality, these people are super stoked to chug beers and yell spring break and dance to beyonce. Deception at its finest. The dudes here give off a rich guy vibe, but its safe to say they were probably not all rich. If you come here, get a table and participate is some mockery. read more

my husband and i enjoy la cave - every single time, we go! the steaks are amazing! thee best baked potatoes and ohhhhhh yes to shrimp cocktail ( looks more like, lobster! my husband loves the garlic bread- to walk in and always be greeted by beautiful " janet" - there is not a bad seat in the place--- service wonderful, last night we had the pleasure of blanca, bringing us all we could ask for ,always smiling and kind. la cave is cozy, romantic, timeless... thank you, shelly albany read more

You walk down into a cave like area, dimly lit to set the mood ;D, then you are presented with a tray of raw meat to choose which meat you prefer to order, after they bring you baked cheese bread full of savory goodness, and the meat is cooked to your perfection along with a delicious fancy baked potato. I absolutely love this place. read more

It was my wifes Birthday and she wanted Steak... called Mastros, Mortons, Ruth Chris, Flemmings all booked (forgot about Corona del mar places-duh). La Cave had an opening and 10 min later we were there. I have been eating here for years and have hit good and bad nights. The Waitress asked us if she could dote on us... wow what a change from last time. Service was great. We love the OLD SCHOOL ambience, reminds us of Bob Burns in Fashion Island. We eat out a lot and appreciate simplicity. The Martini and Wine were perfect as usual. We both had Ceasars salad which was ok, I would wish they would still make the cesars at the table in a wood bowl and make the dressiing fresh with the anchovy.. My Wife had the Filet Mignon and I had the Prime Rib. Both were excellents cuts of meats and prepared at the perfect temperature. The horseradish was excellent and cleared my sinus's, I cannot stand the other places which serve crappy horseradish. I had the twice baked potato..YUM! No room for desert this time. I was reading the other reviews and highly disagree about price, it is priced correctly for today. Go to Mastros if you think this is expensive they have $100 steak... whiners go to sizzler. Oh Yeah, pass on the fish! This is a steak house. read more

Well I came to see a band.......There is a lot to say about this place. Cons: First thing I see is the decor is very outdated, it starts at the front door leading down into the staircase. There are so many pros and cons. I am sure someone has covered it. I feel as if the place does not have an idea of its clientele. They have a fine dinning crowd overlapping into a hipster crowd with a band setting up. 100% ok with places changing for the clientele they wish to attract. But I was looking at the people watching the hipsters come in and the looks of disdain says these people will not be back or will have dinner earlier. Watch Restaurant impossible's flood tide episode and you will see the similarities, about decor and outdated practices. I really feel that the person who made this place great has moved or passed on and whomever is running now does not know what they are doing or they simply does not care. The wait staff is sloppy looking, especially in their personal attire, and general hygiene. I really hesitate when I see a woman with frizzy hair everywhere and thought I sure as hell didn't want any of it in my dinner. Since im on the staff subject, the staff looked like it has been there as long as the decor, which may actually be a Pro, having veterans. I also think you need some young blood to keep this place on its toes. Next, I picked up a menu and when I saw the prices, after a chuckle I came to the conclusion about their former glory, no place charging this much could stay in business this long if they didn't get it all right at one time. Pros: I looked at the dinners going by and I wanted to eat it, and it all looked great. A little too much throw it on the plate presentation wise. This one may surprise you: there is very little cell phone signal ( being that the place is located in a basement) I think its great for a classy restaurant to be able to keep cell phones quiet. you could probably get a text out and that fine just to say im here. no 3G so nobody is sitting there on Facebook. THE BAR WAS WELL STOCKED! Great Bourbon, Scotch and whisky selection. It drives me crazy to go to some bars and find a million different flavors of Stoli but not even covering the basics with more than one choice for a bourbon, whisky or scotch. The weirdest place was a sports bar? go figure. I was very happy to find that bartenders knew their stuff, I also don't like when someone stares at you like you got three heads when you ask for neat. There is as much wrong with this place as much as there is right. For the price I would pay here, why would I not go to Lawry's? That's this restaurants million dollar ? why would someone come here when there are so many great places on the water front , figure that out and this place could get back to its former glory. read more

We went with some friends to La Cave, my BF did reservations 2 weeks in advance, when we got there, they make us wait 10 min, no big deal, they were kind of rushing us, when the manager brought the check she said, YOU GUYS NEED TO PAY AND LEAVE because there is people waiting for your table, I told her, we were planning to leave anyways, there was no need for that rude comment, she kept asking us to leave , it was a Big drama, my BF asked why the other people is so much important that we need to leave, everything was so rude and so loud that people stop having dinner for look at the drama, I have never seen something like that, very very disappointed read more

Pretty expensive menu with average to low quality. I've been here on two occasions and have been dissapointed both times. The medaliaon steak is swamped in gravy to cover the fatty, flavorless, expensive pieces of steak and the fliet mignon is average quality with no flavor (had to add salt and pepper). My date got the lobster and was overcooked. The cocktails, garlic bread, and twice baked potato would be the only thing worth trying. read more

Well we had a horrible experience with the manager and owner giving some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced!!! This is the second review I have posted regarding our experience but they keep getting taken down.... We will see what happened with this one. read more

Pretty good steaks, not great but not very much better than good. Atmosphere and location is great. Excellent room/ space. Wine list was sparse on selections but managed to find something that worked. Just a quick note to any and all wait staff. When you bring out 2 of the 4 plates incorrect don't blame it on the patrons. And don't tell them it's not your fault because you repeat everything...Christine. Furthermore, don't tell the people who you gave the incorrect food to that they don't want the ribeye because the filet is so much better. It's a personal preference and not your place to pawn your fuck up on the customers...Christine. read more

I am not impressed with this place. While the ambience is kind of cool, I expected more. It is overpriced and not that tasty. Ever since I moved to the OC, I have heard many good things about this place....But, I have had better and would not go back. read more

Not sure if all other reviewers were drunk or have never been to a nice resturant before when writing their reviews but WOW - I know a good dinning experience and will pay for it and this was not it!! Wasted a good $300 on ordinary food at most and HORRIBLE service. DISAPPOINTING!!! Wow, for starters this 47th Wedding Anniversary for my parents was a bust!! The service (server primarily) was slow and unfriendly. The Menu was boring without alot of choice, even the salad (Cesar) was bad. Then to boot, they overcharged my credit card $50 - Watch these people!! No help in the situation from the resturant either. Crooks!! read more

08/13/08... So, I originally started the night out at my friends b-day get together at Kitsch but left around 1200 to meet up with my friends at La Cave. La Cave has a new night here on Wednesday's now. Don' know who the DJ was. However he was spinning good stuff. I can recall dancing to MGMT, Glass Candy and some old school hip hop and some funk.. It was fun.. Not fun that my glass of wine was everywhere. Like the floor, my friends on me.. I can't dance and drink... So... Yeah... Wednesday nights is fun at La Cave... The place was crowded.... One bad thing was that it stank like gnarly fish in here... (i showered it was not me) read more

Since when does a restaurant close on a Sunday night. Damn you owners of La Cave for your wack hours. My friend and I kept calling to make reservations but no one picked up. Someone needs to let them know that having a voicemail message with restaurant hours would alleviate a lot of headaches for other diners. read more

I have a lukewarm (but mostly love) relationship with La Cave, easily my go-to watering hole. Obvious reasons why I love La Cave: I can get my buzz on and not have to worry about getting pulled over because it takes me 5 minutes to walk home. Also, the vibe is always chill, I love that it feels totally un-OC with what its underground location, dark red lighting and that the bartenders pour the stiffest drinks in town at v. reasonable prices. Thursday's karaoke nights are especially festive thanks to a live band and it's a laid-back crowd, even if it can be a little on the hipster side. Someone else below described this place as seedy, but I'd like to think of it as rustic charm and between the atmosphere, the cozy backdrop and the live jazz, this ol' gal is a find in OC. The best part is no cover ever!! Oh also, there's a sorta-secret closet to hang your jackets right as you come down the stairs, on your right, before you hit the dining/bar area. My only gripe about this place ... is.the.god.awful.stank. The smell of dead carcass. And I loves me a good steak every now and then but this ain't a pleasant, off-the-grill aroma. It's more like the unmistakable stench of dead animal hitting you. The odor can't seem to go anywhere either. It's trapped in the main dining/bar area and just lingers the whole time. Best bet is to head to the back room where the ventilation seems to be better and the smell is less acrid. And of course, nothing like a few drinks to remedy the sitch. **Update 6/10: Went there with a girlfriend last night for dinner and this time, the smell wasn't so bad, maybe because we actually wanted to come here to eat and not just drink, heh. As others have stated, no menus here, the waitress rolled out a tray of meats and seafood for us to order from. You'll have to ask for prices (which startled our waitress that we asked, ha) but they range from $25 to $40. We opted for the ribeye, medium. Ladies, the red lighting in here makes your skin look flawless! (Why do you think there's red lights in all the strip clubs?!?) I was telling my friend that if I ever break out with a giant pimple but have to go on a date, I'd definitely come to La Cave. Steak was seared to perfection so it was slightly blackened on the outside but totally juicy, tender and flavorful on the inside. The twice-baked potato was delish, as was the two baskets of cheese bread we gobbled up. Bring lots of gum unless you want your mouth to smell like dead animal the whole night. read more

Btw if you come here on a Thursday night, they have a great Rock and Roll Karaoke night! They also have ample drinks! If you are looking for drink, please look for Brent, he is a great bartender!! :) read more

went here last night on a whim...which turned out to be a wonderful idea. take the elevator going down and the doors open up to a dark red cave like tavern. a chef with a tall white chef hat and knives in hand, orchestrates and prepares 1960's type steaks and double baked potatoes in the middle of the dinning room. you are seated in hidden alcoved red booths for your secret rendezvous [ or just a nice dinner if you want...] martinis and bachelor sounds fit for peter sellers off set. 'finally, in conclusion, let me say just this.' and then the check comes with an andes mint. the chef says 'have a nice evening...' as we wait for the elevator to take us back up into the future. till next time - dark red time machine la cave.. read more

Ever since having my 'last' steak at La Cave, I've become a vegetarian! Maybe I should thank them and give them a five star!

Best steak in town! Really romantic! Hubby and I had our first date here and every valentines and anniversary we always come back! Never disappoints! read more