Great food and excellent view and service. Interesting fushion menu. Attentive servers. read more

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Food: 1 star, not even close to any high-end OC restaurant standard. The $32 hamburger is worse than the Stand. Service: 3 stars, ok, not great, just ok. It is apparent they are short-staffed. View: 5 stars, spectacular, you cannot find a better view in any OC restaurant. Wait: 0 star, OMG, waited 45 minutes for the $32 hamburger! Average: 3 stars (ok, my math is not that good!) Remember, you are here for the view, so just put up and shut up with any issue or complaint you may have, enjoy the view! For price: check out their menu: winequest.com/zerotouch/RitzLN/ read more

Raya - https://winequest.com/zerotouch/RitzLN/ - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Ordered: Summer Peach Pana Cotta/ Achiote Salmon/ Piloncillo Shrimp/ Raya Pulled Jidori Chicken Salad/ Truffle Fries . Review: One of my favorite lunch spots. Delicious lunch with ocean view. Each ordered dish is carefully decorated as if creating artwork. Love their presentation. Each dish will arouse & pleasure your taste buds. Ahh~~ what a healing experience. read more

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Beautiful ocean view! Always love to come here... haven't been to raya since pandemic and glad it's just good as always! Must mentioned their fantastic service! Food was good and you get big portion of food for what you pay for. Valet parking available for $5 read more

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Started with the swordfish dip; very Floridian & I'm into it. I was just saying that the west coast doesn't do fish dips! I had the mariscos macho for my meal & i finished it.. seriously considered drinking the last of the broth! I want another! The banana bread dessert was a little too raw for my liking, think slimy banana with soggy bread; i wouldn't order again. If you're looking for a view after 5, wait until the time change in Spring or until your eyes adjust 30 minutes into the meal when the tip of wave might catch your eye. read more

Came here to celebrate my sister in law landing a full time job. We got there at 7pm on Thursday night - Our wait experience was not the best as they originally told us 15-45minutes and we checked in after waiting an hour and they told us 5 minutes as they cleaned off some table then we checked in again after waiting 20 minutes only to find out they accidentally marked us as already sat so good thing we went up to check! We were so hungry and upset because we had been waiting what felt life forever. It was a little past 830 by the time we were finally sat. THANKFULLY the manager on duty offered for the first round of drinks on him so we ended up getting some $$ off our bill. Aside from the terrible wait experience, the service was pretty good & the ambience is beautiful as it overlooks the ocean (although we missed sunset as planned due to our extended wait :( The food itself was bomb. I tried a little from everyone's plate the only thing I didn't care for was the chicken - a little dry for my liking - my husband had to dip it in the mashed potato's to eat it. I had the sea bass which as 4/5 it wasn't as flaky & melt in your mouth as I've had at other restaurants but the side accompanying it were bomb. The shrimp appetizer was probably the best thing we ordered along side the Buddha bowl which had nice flavors. The crab mashed potato's and mushroom sides were pretty satisfying. I wasn't a big fan of the swordfish dip but it was my first time trying swordfish so wasn't sure what to expect. read more

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My mom and I went for the spring tea party at Raya. The ambience was unbeatable, and we happen to catch the floral installation there, which was just stunning with the ocean backdrop. The tea selections were excellent, and our waiter did a great job of explaining the selections. The amount of food we got for a tea party was extravagant, which we were glad about because it is definitely pricey. Four stars only because it's not super accessible on a regular basis, otherwise, if you can afford a splurge, this was an amazing activity for me and my mom. read more

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The food is pretty good and also the service. I would probably suggest them to improve the ambient. They have music but is extremely low that you can't really hear it and all you hear is other tables conversations. The mash potatoes are wow! A must must must. read more

Some of the food items were good and the ambiance would be lovely in daylight (with the ocean not far)... but the chicken came undercooked as did the USDA prime steak (asked for medium and got rare). For the steak, not such a big deal but the chicken brought worries of salmonella. read more

Beautiful view of the ocean, excellent service and gourmet food, We went to celebrate my daughter's birthday and we were surprised by the beautiful Easter decoration ! A must see if u r in the area ! Will go again read more

The service and view are top notch. We were seated right by a window with the most amazing view. We started off with delicious cocktails, tamarind margarita, Diego and Frida old Fashioned, Paloma and a blackberry mocktail for the man child. The sweet potato fries with added truffle sauce is a must, thank you to Cody the manager for the suggestion. The smoked swordfish dip was smoky and delicious. The wagyu beef tartare was so tasty. The Gochujang wings were also a hit. We will be back soon. read more

This is the proof that there is a beach view restaurant in LA with actual great food. Sunset time window tables are usually booked out. read more

Raya - New York Strip Steak 10oz, Lobster Enchiladas, Heitz Cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Came downstairs for a late night snack and this place was packed for a Tuesday night! All the seats were taken and only standing room was left. Albeit, it was during a conference and the majority of the people in the bar seemed like conference going people. The drinks were good and legit as the bartenders did not skimp on the alcohol. I wanted to order from the menu but was told the regular menu stopped being served at 9:30pm so I had to order from the Late Night menu instead. I ordered the House Poached Jumbo Prawns which were a tad bit salty and underwhelming for 4 pieces at $21 an order. However, I was a lot happier about the desserts we ordered. The Matcha Sponge Cake was heaven and tasted very matcha and loved the shiso granita that complimented the whole dessert well. The yuzu yogurt sorbet was also a winner! The earl grey and tonka bean ice green were only meh! Raya Bar is a great hangout place late at night to chit chat and get small bites to eat! read more

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We spent our first wedding anniversary in this restaurant. It was lovely!! The view is exceptionally beautiful and the food was very delicious. I highly recommend this place for any special occasion or just a date night out :-) read more

Raya - Beautiful sunset view - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

Very nice place would return Love the food Great service Set up a special table for us 2 so we could still see the windows & sunset Had a nice birthday here read more

Great view and good is clean and tasty. Decent options. Price of a burger is over 30$ but I guess you are paying for the view. Service is excellent. read more

I had both breakfast and dinner here on Thurs 8/25/22 and both were very disappointing. I don't mind paying a lot, when the food is cooked well, but the kitchen- and wait- staff are both lacking. My eggs Benedict arrived way too runny: even the egg white was watery. Ick. The English muffin was under toasted and meh: Definitely not Thomas' brand. It was not hot, and the hash brown potatoes were utterly tasteless: they need to be salted, and peppered and given some life... And cooked more crisp better, because they were at proper temps. Had I not been with a client, I would've sent it back. My dinner was also disappointing: $54 for 3 scallops, I don't mind. But the dollops of mashed potatoes were room temperature at best, And the scallops were not entirely hot inside. I did send that back, but the second time was not much better. Perhaps the kitchen is too far away, perhaps the wait staff is not quick on the ball: it certainly did take them a lot of time to deliver the plate, while my guest ate her meal...even though the dining room was nowhere close to full. One other issue: the wait staff is not nearly as polished as you would expect: our waiter was nice enough, yet I certainly would not have hired him for an elegant restaurant. Upgrade the team at every level. (I will commend the stout middle-aged Hispanic woman who was the assistant to the waiter; She did notice when some thing was a mess and tried to get the waiter's attention.) read more

Great view of the ocean, especially around sunset. It's conveniently located at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna. Ate the multi-course special at the time - that included oysters, beet & avocado carpaccio, achiote chicken, and topped it off with dessert and a standard glass of wine. The food falls a bit short of great, as the absence or minimal amounts of seasoning, dressing, and garnishes left some parts of the meal tasting a little more bland than it appears initially. Staff was okay, the restaurant was empty for the hour, and had to wait and chase down the almost non-existent staff. However, when they were present afterwards, they were nice and tailor a personalized experience for the rest of the dinner. Pretty happy as it was - overall, a good experience, okay staff, food was solid, and pretty in it's presentation. Good place to eat if you're staying at the hotel and want to have a good lunch or dinner with a great view. read more

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This is a really cool place to sit after we ate at 180 outside to have coffee also views are amazing and beautiful inside and not a lot of people so it's private. However if you want a window seat inside you will have to do the full service menu and it's the same menu as outside at 180. Quick review was just for you read more

Raya - My friends and I have Bailey's and cappuccino - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

When booking this reservation, I went to the Ritz Carlton website (as we were staying there for the evening). It directly linked me to OpenTable which gave two options for dinner: 8:45 or 9:00pm - we chose 9pm. We were meeting friends who got to the restaurant early and the host told our friends, she'd been calling me to let me know I needed to come earlier because they stop serving food at 9:00pm. I never received a call, but quickly came to the restaurant early (which was already a little off putting). I was greeted and asked if there were any food allergies or if it was a special celebration. We told her we just got married yesterday and she congratulated us and say us at our table. We had Mary as a server (she's was lovely), but the overall dining experience was very mediocre. To be asked twice (both when making reservation and arriving at restaurant) if it's a special occasion and then nothing was celebrated.. no dessert, no special seating, no decoration, seemed quite odd (especially at the price point). Unfortunately it was disappointing and we wouldn't come back. Three stars was all for our service! She was awesome! read more

The lunch was excellent, shrimp were fantastic along with the Cesar salad, our waiter Ryan was awesome. The views are beautiful. Breakfast Quevos Rancheros were the best I've ever had and Chris our waiter was awesome. Excellent service and excellent ambiance. read more

We just had one of the best meals ever at Raya. Chef Irving Nunez is so creative with the wonderful but unique Mexican flavors. Each dish was beyond our expectations. The desert Salt Creek Summer was the best. It's a vegan desert but was wonderful and refreshing. Dean, our server was excellent and was on top of everything. read more

Its sucha a disappointment that a restaurant this renowned can not fulfill a month old reservation properly. I had booked a month in advance and specifically mentioned that i will need a window seat and still there were no arrangements. We had to wait 1 hour for the window seat and it was already dark by the time they said they have the seat available. I was told that they are cleaning the seat for us and it took more than 25 mins for them to clean. We had to cancel our reservation after waiting more than an hour. Thank you Raya management for ruining my special occasion. read more

The food and service was amazing. Had the lobster and crab enchiladas. I enjoyed the meal, when returning will try other items on the menu. read more

Raya - Lobster and crab enchiladas - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

We have been continual customers of Raya for a few years now. We reserved a table on line and were told that the window tables are on a "first come, first serve" basis. We made sure to get to the restaurant early and we were told that the window tables were to be booked ahead of time! We were not seated by a window. This was not only disrespectful but also terrible customer service!! After our meal, we left and noticed that 2 of the window tables were still empty. This is disrespectful and uncaring. See below: You've received a new message from RAYA at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel! Dear Mr.Prince, We would like to inform you that our window tables are on a first come, first serve basis. We will try our best to honor all window table requests, but it is not guaranteed. Raya Team read more

Food: the oysters were a bit above average. The other dishes were excellent. Desert was more than what we expected, it was fantastic! Service. very attentive to clients. My drink was escorted with a rose. A graceful and welcoming crew. (Dean our waiter was wonderful, very friendly and always smiling) Ambience: everything was beautiful the aesthetics of the restaurant were average. My expectations fell short. I would have liked better silverware (lightweight and less bulky ones would have added to the flavor of the meal). Also, I don't appreciate my Macallan on the rocks served with plastic straws. Sad to have missed the sunset. The view would have been exceptional with a sunset dinner. read more

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While the overall Dana Point Ritz Carlton experience sadly did not blow my mind (note that I cannot really afford these places, so I was very ready to feel spoiled and used to the Ritz lifestyle), our favorite part of our stay was probably the food and service at Raya (Beside the event we were there to attend, of course : ). We interacted with Luis, Miguel and Cesar in separate dining experiences and they all were very professional and pleasant. This restaurant has a gorgeous ocean view and we got seated by the window every time. It is relaxing, and also fun if you pay attention to the surfers. The menu options are very limited, but they are tasty and creative without feeling pretentious. You can expect to spend about $35+ per person for breakfast. *** Be informed that they don't have self-parking, just valet. read more

Kudos to JOSH!!! The assistant server. First of all get there early to enjoy the sunset, and surprisingly the mark up price on the wine is not that high at all! Like 50% on some fine napa valley sauvignons like my fav Silver Oak!! And I have to mention Josh he was assistant server I think, but wow! Down to earth really gregarious with a sincere smile, your know. He's not like one of those servers who throw food at you then just barely smile as they bring the check bc of tip, Josh really made us feel welcome! And I can tell wherever he goes he will be appreciated! Thanks Josh I left a $97 tip and asked the female sever to make sure your get at least $40 but who knows what she decides to do. Keep up your great sincere attitude and good luck in future endeavors!! read more

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While the view and the food itself was good, my experience here left me not wanting to return. First, we arrived and checked in 5 minutes before our noon reservation for 2. The hostess informed us our table was being cleaned and would be ready at noon. Perfect. 15 minutes after 12, we checked back, as we were still waiting to be seated. She looked up our reservation again and said our table was still being cleaned as they were switching from breakfast to brunch, even though they took our noon brunch reservation. Finally, after watching several tables seated, at 12:27 we asked again. She asked what our name was again, looked it up and then finally sat us at 12:30. The brunch is prefixed, and they took our full order at the same time. They brought our starter and then literally 4 minutes later came out with the appetizer and tried to clear our starter that we'd taken one bite of. We asked them to please wait. Within another less than 10 minutes, they were back with our main course. We said we hadn't even gotten to the appetizer yet and they needed to space out the courses to give us time to actually eat, as each time, they were attempting to clear the prior course that we only had time to take a few bites from. This really put a damper on what was good food, a beautiful view and nice servers. read more

My wife and I were staying at the Ritz to celebrate my birthday and decided to try this place. Big mistake. Our server, Sommer, was wonderful. The problem is the food was far from it. My wife loved the shrimp appetizer and would get it again. The "Salvadoran cheese rolls" were just so so, and the Caesar salad was average at best, and way overdressed. My wife had the cod and it was awful. The fish was mealy and didn't taste good at all. The fish was overcooked and bad bones in it. Whatever it came with as a side was not good either. Terrible. I had the tiny 7 oz filet and it was the worst I've ever had. I actually didn't finish it, the first time ever. It came with a bizarre mushroom dish on the side that was putrid. It honestly looked like a " face hugger" from the Alien movies. It didn't taste any better either. Just disgusting. Again, our waitress Sommer was wonderful. She didn't charge us for the crappy $72 steak, so that was nice. She did charge us the $50 corkage fee, even though they knew we were celebrating my 50th birthday and were not happy with the meal. Won't ever go back and don't recommend. read more

Went in for dinner on Tuesday night just before sunset. Had no trouble getting a table right by the window with ocean view. They have so many gluten free options which is always a bonus for us with hubby being gluten free. Ordered the hamachi, octopus, ahi tacos and beef tartar. The beef tartar is not considered gluten free but is if you don't eat the ciabatta that comes with the dish. Four small plates for perfect amount of food for us to share. Hamachi was our favorite. The fish was so fresh and it was so creamy and perfect with the avocado slices and ponzu sauce served on top. Octopus was cooked to perfection so the texture was tender and enjoyable. I found the ahi tacos a little salty but my husband enjoyed them. Beef tartar was disappointing. It was bland and didn't have much flavor. Would absolutely go back again for the ambiance and try other menus. The view is really what makes this place so special. read more

We had a private dinner in their private dining room planned here for a group of about 15 people on a Saturday night. This was an incredible experience to say the least. The food was phenomenal and the service and drinks were also great. We came to celebrate an engagement - I would definitely recommend coming here for any special occasion and renting out their private dining room. They customize their menu according to your needs and wants which was super nice. read more

Food is ok . But customer service is an embarrassment ! The guy Justin is nice but the other one named Dianne is so RUDE! And her friend who I didn't get the name of is also not nice at all. read more

We had reservations for dinner on a Saturday night. We asked for a window seat but there was a wait list so we opted for the 2nd row by the window. The view is amazing and the perfect spot for watching the sunset. Bring your sunglasses! I had the steak and it was very good. My husband had the salmon and he was happy with his choice too. The swordfish dip and ahi tuna ceviche appetizers were very good too. We had the churros and flourless chocolate bar for dessert and all the plates were empty. A nice bottle of wine to top it all off and it was the perfect dinner! read more

I was visiting the area for the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna as a part of a weekend birthday celebration. The food was excellent as was the service and ambiance of the restaurant with outstanding views of the beach and sea. I can thoroughly recommend this restaurant. read more

Carson is the best hostess I've ever encountered in a restaurant establishment. We were in a big pinch for a special corporate dinner and he made absolute magic happen! This is truly the best 5 star diamond service I've ever received. The Ritz is truly lucky to have you Carson! read more

Staff is amazing, very friendly and accommodating. View is just as impressive. Food is good, not amazing but it may be because we had such a wonderful experience at a different restaurant the night before. Octopus was pretty good and preferred the salmon to branzino. read more

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: $$$$ My friend had her birthday dinner at RAYA and the vibes were spectacular! They had large windows that looked out to Dana Point and the sunset there was just unreal. The food was pretty good and the seafood was sooo fresh But the view was just truly so amazing that it made our whole dinner so perfect. My only complaint is how long the food took, but overall this is a perfect spot for a dinner with family or friends! The price point is pretty high for what you are getting, but definitely worth the splurge if you are celebrating a special occasion or wanting a really nice dinner view. Achiote Salmon: The salmon was so fresh, tender and soft. It was cooked so perfectly and practically melted in my mouth. The sauces and vegetables on it paired really well with the salmon and did not take away from the freshness of the fish. 8/10 Dry Aged Prime New York: I did not expect myself to enjoy the steak as much as I did. The steak was so tender and so flavorful. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare. I loved the caramelized onions and the sauces that came with it. It added a good depth of flavor and tanginess to the steak. It was not too overpowering. My favorite was definitely the mashed potatoes! These were probably the most creamy and smooth mashed potatoes I have ever had, we had to order more on the side. We did have to add a bit of salt and pepper for extra flavor though. 8.7/10 Grilled Spanish Octopus: This was so yummy! The octopus was so fresh and had the perfect char on it. But what surprised me was how delicious and decadent the mojo rojo sauce was. If I could I would bathe in it. It had the perfect creaminess, tanginess and sweetness to balance out all the elements in the dish. 8.5/10 Raya Caesar: This was an average caesar salad, nothing special about it. It was a really nice dish to start with. 7/10 Salvadoran Cheese Rolls: I was a huge fan of the goat cheese butter and honey! The goat cheese was not too overpowering and the honey on it added the perfect amount of sweetness. The Cheese Rolls reminded me of cornbread which I wasn't a huge fan of, but it did pair really well with the goat cheese butter and honey. 7.5/10 Blackened Tuna Taco: I was not a huge fan of this. I thought it was really underwhelming and lacked depth and intensity of flavor. It was quite bland. The fish was really fresh though. 5/10 read more

Very beautiful view, delicious food but super slow service. They got busy and we waited forever for our check.

We are inside but felt totally Safe. The tables are very spread out and everyone was wearing a mask. We had the salmon and new York steak and the kids got fajitas. Everyone loved their choices. Our view was amazing and the service was great! We are staying at the ritz and although our overall stay has been disappointing. This dinner was the highlight for sure! read more

Raya - Sunset view from Raya! - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California