AhbA — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

Disappointed. Will not spend any more money here. My 3rd or 4th visit after moving to SoLag. Really wanted to like because I like to eat breakfast or lunch out once or twice a week and there's not a lot of options that are walkable in this area. Each time I've tried something different, tried to give this place a chance. Each time there's been something fairly significantly disappointing. This last visit I had the Cobb salad. What is that sad, dry, over-seasoned thing they put on the top? Is that supposed to be chicken? Someone's going to choke on that! So dry. And when I pay almost $25 for a salad, I think you could take a few extra minutes to slice up the giant lettuce pieces so that I don't have to spend an hour eating this salad. Dressing was unimpressive. Just nothing is that great. I've tried the burger. I've tried the avo toast. Definitely overrated, overhyped, overpriced place. People who go here and think it's delicious, apparently have not ever had truly delicious food. The service? Well there really is none. I always select a tip when the prompt comes up on the display, because I just like to support workers, but really you get nothing for this tip. I guess I feel kind of suckered into it. Someone who takes your order after you look at a menu on your phone because all they have is a QR code, and then someone randomly brings your food, could be quickly, could be a long wait. Nobody asks you if you need anything else, if you do you have to get up and go ask or look for it, nobody checks in to see if you're doing okay they rarely even speak to you when they drop the food off, just dump and run. Oh and it's not a rare occurrence that they are out of an item entirely or a key ingredient on the item you ordered, but rather than give a refund, they ask what else you would like, and don't offer any apology if a key ingredient is missing on what you ordered. I found this off-putting when it happened to me. Most of the employees won't look you in the eye and barely interact. Definitely nobody I would characterize as friendly or welcoming. By the way, if you're eating with someone else, don't expect your food to arrive at the same time. Seating is not especially comfortable or abundant. I enjoy the music when I'm alone, but if I'm with somebody it makes it hard to have a...

As a SoCal native, I decided to finally give AhbA in Laguna Beach a try this past weekend with a friend who’d had good experiences there before. We ordered the AhbA Burger.

Here’s the issue: I have a cheese allergy, so I ordered the AhbA Burger, not the AhbA cheeseburger. The menu did not list “cheese” anywhere in the burger description. After two bites, I realized the burger contained cheese. I double-checked the menu and confirmed it wasn’t listed. My friend flagged it to the waitress, who was kind and understanding, but then another male server abruptly approached our table and, instead of greeting us, demanded: “WHERE ON THE MENU DO YOU SEE NO CHEESE?” His tone was rude and dismissive.

When I showed him that “cheese” was not listed, he pointed out that “American” was included as an ingredient. Honestly, I assumed that was describing the onions or some other prep style, it wasn’t clear. Nowhere does it say American cheese. That’s a marketing failure, not a customer mistake.

At this point, I already felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. On top of that, the table was rusted and dirty, the couch seating was stained and covered in flies, and the whole atmosphere felt neglected.

Later, a third staff member came over, this time much more professional. He asked about my allergy and tried to problem solve, but the solutions offered didn’t really feel like customer service more like they were doing me a favor. I was told I couldn’t have a regular bun because of dairy, then offered a lettuce wrap instead. By then, the experience was already ruined, and all I wanted was a refund. They declined, so I ended up paying full price ($7 sparkling water + the burger) for food I couldn’t eat.

Overall, the lack of clarity on the menu, the rude attitude from one server, and the unsanitary seating left me disappointed. My friend wanted me to experience the “best of AhbA,” but instead I left frustrated and without a meal....

I recently had a rather disappointing experience at Ahba. Unfortunately, the evening was marred by several issues that left me feeling frustrated and undervalued as a customer.

Firstly, the seating arrangement is poorly managed. The restaurant allows patrons to reserve tables while still waiting in 20-minute line to order their food, which seems highly inefficient given their limited seating capacity. This led to a situation where people who had already ordered had nowhere to sit. Half of my group ended up sitting on the stoop of the adjacent building, which was uncomfortable and far from the dining experience we anticipated. Our group of six were only able to secure one table that sat two people. As our food was being brought out, we had nowhere to sit, and the small table couldn't accommodate all the dishes. This added to the frustration, as we struggled to enjoy our meal in such cramped conditions.

Moreover, the service left much to be desired. I ordered an item that never arrived, despite asking three different employees about it. Each time, I was assured it would be coming shortly, but it never did. I had to ask for a refund because the dish never arrived. This level of neglect is unacceptable, especially in a restaurant that prides itself on good service. To top it off, the food was mediocre at best.

The final straw was the response from the management. When I spoke to the manager about our seating predicament, she shrugged off the issue, stating there was nothing she could do about it. This lack of accountability and willingness to rectify the situation is concerning. If the manager cannot address such basic operational problems, then who can?

Overall, my experience at Ahba was far from satisfactory. The combination of mismanaged seating, poor service, and indifferent management made for a regrettable dining experience. I hope the restaurant addresses these issues promptly for the sake of...