Maro Wood Grill — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

During my wonderful night at Maro Wood Grill, I kept forgetting I was at a restaurant. I felt more like I was at a dinner party at someone’s house. As it turned out, that is actually the goal of Maro Wood Grill in Laguna Beach, CA. This small restaurant has a relaxing and friendly atmosphere with a covered outdoor heated patio that sits 28 along with seating for 8 inside by the kitchen. Executive Chef Debra Sims’ menu is a fusion of modern and rustic food that is kissed on a wood grill. All food is locally produced, they serve grass fed beef, and everything is made from scratch. Inspired by Argentina, Chef Sims appreciates pure simplicity over the lost art of cooking over an open fire. I tried the tasting menu which included: Mushroom Ceviche & Grilled Sourdough, Grilled Fennel & Fig Salad, Ñoquis with Herbs & Grilled Tomatoes, Wood Grilled Oysters, Rockefeller with Burnt Lemon Wedges, Mesquite Lamb & Baba Ghanouj, Flat Iron & Chimichurri, Short Rib with Roasted Vegetables, Grilled Fruit with Passion Fruit Curd, and Banana Bread Pudding Bites.

While everything was amazing, the star of the night was the lamb from Australia. I asked what was the secret sauce that makes it taste so amazing. It turns out that it was just grass feed and cooked on wood grill. Who would of thought that would make that much of a difference? Trust me, you have to come here and try this. While the lamb was the star, the desert is award winning. The Banana Bread Pudding Bites have won a Golden Foodie Award for Most Delicious Dessert in Orange County the past two years. It is also up again for the award this year and we will find out in a couple weeks if it wins again. Chef Sims even brought out their past trophy for us to take photos. It’s a pretty heavy trophy.

I can write about how amazing the Banana Bread Pudding bites were, but the awards speak for itself. You have to know it is delicious when it wins back to back awards…and possibly a third. I hope it does. I would suggest when you visit to ask to talk to owner Mariano Molteni “Maro” who can tell you tales of growing up in Argentina where he gained a great appreciation for fresh, natural and healthy food. Also, ask Executive Chef Debra Sims if you can see the Golden Foodie award and ask about the wood grill. Just like dinner parties, its fun to talk...

Nestled along the PCH, Maro Wood Grill is a place I passed by, but fortunately one evening my friends and I sat down for an early-evening dinner and refreshments. Boy were we glad we did! It was a bit on the warmer side temperature wise and our server brought our pitcher of sangria which the timing was only beaten out by the taste. Also the funny thing was as the evening continued our server continued to refill our glasses so we lost track of how many times we swam refreshingly through the evening is Maro’s sangria …great service!

The Grilled Fennel & Fig Salad prepped my palette well, as well as the Ricotta Noquis with Grilled Tomatos. What followed was Maro’s own “Oyster Rockefeller” where my taste buds could really identify with Maro’s wood grill technique. I must confess I didn’t let a morsel slip away with this course as I even remember biting through the burnt lemon wedge by accident! It was just that good. As I’m a fanboy of the carnivore world, Maro’s Mequite Lamb and its tender short rib dishes were selections that let me appreciate my Paleo-ish style of eating …unga-bunga on these meat dishes, Maro!

As more sangria helped send my fine cuisine into my stomach, we were treated to Maro’s Executive Chef entering our dining area to give us a history of Maro’s cooking style, and, of course, its prestigious accolades. It was no wonder that our dessert for the evening had already won back-to-back Golden Foodie Awards, as my taste buds were delighted. It seems that I was not in the minority as perhaps a week after our visit to Maro, our dessert received a three-peat Golden Foodie Award!

I look forward to visiting Maro and treating my wife to a special evening of fine cuisine in a nice casual atmosphere, with an award winning team and service!

Thanks, Maro Wood Grill … and see...

My first thoughts when my boyfriend and I entered were why it was so empty when the surrounding areas are packed with tourists? Athmosphere Is very nice, music isn’t too loud and it smells fresh. The space itself is modern, chill, colors well coordinated, I can imagine it being somewhat romantic in the evenings if the tables weren’t so tight.

Twenty minutes flat and our two Maro Burgers were out, they were tender, juicy, flavorful and the side of potatoes complimented it so well. I would have preferred that salt and pepper be on the table as they could have use a tad more seasoning. Our waiter was pretty quiet and didn’t smile once which isn’t nessecary but idk at least try haha. Chefs were really nice dudes. Bathroom for customers only but really clean and well lit.

My conclusion to why it was so dead on a busy Sunday afternoon was the price. It’s local and organic (which is why I chose and like this place) but if its not selling as good as it could maybe perhaps some portion compromises? 17$ burger could be a 12$ burger if you remove the bacon and make the burger 10% smaller, remove a couple of tables. A GOOD burger is a GOOD burger and it will sell more often for the right price. It was a special day for us but we are young artists who can’t afford to spend 45$ on two burgers and potatos every week. All in all it was worth it and was a great dining experience and I plan to go again when my...