LARSEN — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

Wow, wow, wow. If you're looking for a culinary experience that will leave you feeling truly satisfied, look no further than Larsen in Laguna Beach. My wife and I had the pleasure of dining here for our anniversary, and I can confidently say that this restaurant is nothing short of exceptional. First and foremost, the service at Larsen is absolutely incredible. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with warm smiles and a genuine desire to make your experience as enjoyable as possible. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and provided excellent recommendations. Throughout our meal, the service was attentive without being intrusive, and every need was met with promptness and courtesy. But let's talk about the food. Oh my goodness, the food! The menu at Larsen is a feast for the senses, with each dish showcasing the freshest ingredients and a true mastery of culinary technique. From the appetizers to the entrees to the desserts, everything was executed with precision and finesse. When we arrived and checked in at the reception desk we had the fortunate luck of meeting the chef, Leo. We told him that we were here for our anniversary and he quickly responded that he has the perfect main dish for each of us. We decided to go with it and boy did we make the right choice. It was absolutely divine. I particularly enjoyed the white fish, which was perfectly cooked and served with a heavenly sauce over a bed of black rice, dill, mushroom and some sautéed veggies that had me scraping the plate for every last drop. The New York steak was also spectacular as it had some sort of reduced red wine sauce over asparagus and grilled stubby carrots. And don't even get me started on the desserts. The chocolate soufflé was a true work of art, with a rich, velvety texture and a deep chocolate flavor that was simply divine. The presentation was also gorgeous, with a delicate dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Overall, I cannot recommend the Larsen restaurant highly enough. The combination of exceptional service and truly remarkable food from Chef Leo makes this restaurant an absolute must-visit for anyone who appreciates the finer things in life. Treat yourself to an unforgettable meal at Larsen - you...

Well a place in Laguna Beach, I would think would hold itself to a better standard. The first thing I noticed was the dilapidated condition the lobby was in as you walk through the old hotel to the Larsen which is in the back. It also smelled like fish and when you are at a place that sells sushi and seafood, it should not smell fishy.

I walked in to grab a drink at the Larsen around 530p. I asked the host if there were seats at the bar and we were directed to the "wrap around" bar that was near the out door patio, but it was not outside. After I observed it and was mindful of the fishy smell (which was not the ocean), I decided to go back to the host and ask if I could sit outside. I did see open seats. The host asked me if I had a reservation and I said no. The host looked at me and said if I didn't have a reservation I couldn't be seated. At this point I walked out.

When I got outside, I decided to check OpenTable to see if there were any reservations available. Guess what, there were reservations open from 645p moving forward. I do not understand why the host didn't just tell me, hey, you can go on open table and make a reservation. I thought that was dumb, but oh well. I made a reservation for 645p out on the patio. I walked around and visited the Wyland gallery to kill some time until the reservation. Highly recommend checking out the Wyland gallery, amazing!

I came back for my reservation time and was seated outside on the patio. I got served the drinks and the server was either new or could not remember all the spirits they had. I ordered my drinks of which the server brought out some olive juice for the "extra dirty" component of the drink. Well low and behold the glass was cracked and broken. Not sure if folks are doing quality checks before serving their patrons with broken glasses. Not a good look. Definitely do not like overpaying for lack luster service, broken glasses, and a place with an odor. The only reason I came back is because I wanted to feel the sea breeze, see the sunset, and knew I wouldn't be impacted by the odor in the building because I was outside.

I would recommend thinking twice before you decide to overpay at this establishment. Not my...

I am writing this review to share an unpleasant experience I had yesterday with the management when I visited this restaurant.

My boyfriend and I decided to stop by Larsen to have a bottle of wine and dessert. He was on crutches due to a knee injury, so we were trying to walk as little as possible. Since we parked across the street, we thought Larsen would be the perfect spot to take in the beautiful ocean views and share a nice bottle of wine. We were greeted by a snooty hostess who told us we could not sit outside unless we were having a “full meal” and that we could sit in the bar cocktail area instead. At first, I thought, “no problem,” but after not being greeted by anyone for over 15 minutes, I decided to ask for the manager to see if they would make an exception and seat us outside.

A manager named Isaiah, I believe, approached the bar looking confused as to why he had been called. After taking a look outside, I noticed that there were several open tables, so I asked him if he could please make an exception and give us a table outside, considering they were not in high demand and there was plenty of space. Not only did he have zero willingness to accommodate us, but he was also rude and insisted it was company policy not to seat us outside because we weren’t fully dining in. I could understand if the restaurant was on a waitlist or fully booked with upcoming reservations, but they weren’t. He simply did not care to accommodate us. He would rather have customers willing to spend $200+ on wine and desserts walk away simply because he did not feel like providing good customer service that day.

By the time I was talking to him, my boyfriend was already annoyed, and we didn’t even care to stay in the lounge anymore, where no servers had come to greet us. This was honestly a disappointing experience that left a bad taste, especially because my boyfriend was on crutches, and the whole issue could have been easily avoided. I think upper management should be more careful before hiring a young and subordinate manager to represent their brand. There are many upscale restaurants with views in Laguna and Newport Beach—don’t settle for crappy service just because...