The Deck — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

I was so excited to try this place. I didn’t even get bothered when they told us we had an hour and a half wait. I thought heck ya, worth the wait, after reading the reviews. We sat down at the 45 minute mark. Ok, cool. View wasn’t great, we weren’t lucky enough to score a beach view, but no big deal. We’ve been on the beach all day. It was cold on the deck as all seating seemed to be outside and they only offered the heating lamps to the front row beach view tables. We waited for a server to greet us for what seemed like an excessive amount of time, even after she brought us our water and before she came back to take our orders… was a still quite a bit of time. But hey, I wasn’t complaining, the place was packed. We heard a server ask a table to get up and leave because they have a maximum amount of time of 1 1/2 hours due to 138 people on a awaiting list. WOW! I was not complaining, they were clearly slammed! We finally ordered. Our order was a bowl of clam chowder soup, the lobster quesadilla, a burger, and what I was most looking forward to and why I dragged my family there, the scallop/shrimp pasta dish! The soup came out at the same time the rest of the food did. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal. But….. the food was all cold, including the soup. I felt so rushed to get out. We tried to scarf down our food as quickly as we could, because when you sit down they place a card on your table that says the time you HAVE to be out by. Well, for someone who has tons of anxiety, let me tell you I was panicking trying to make sure we didn’t hold anyone of the 138 patrons behind us from eating. To be honest though I was so anxious I didn’t really enjoy my cold food. So ok. We eat. We were never offered refills on our water and after we ate we waited again for what seemed like an excessive amount of time to ask for a bill so we could hurry up and give up our table to the next guests. You would have thought they would have been more on top of it since they’re trying to herd people through. We get the bill… it’s decent for what we ordered. I paid and we got up. No change necessary I just wanted out, as I felt anxious already. Our server was just meh. Friendly enough because well, it’s her job. Commenting on the food… my sons lobster quesadilla was good, my scallop/shrimp dish was also good, even though it was cold, the shrimp had great flavor! My sons burger looked good. I would have went without the clam chowder had I known it would have been served cold and at the same time as our meals. We noticed that other tables were not served in this manner (ie receiving appetizers at the same time as meals). Would I go back? Maybe, if I got a table with a view? Yes, I would try the food again. It was a 5 minute walk from our hotel, so very convenient. Would I recommend it someone I knew visiting the area? Ehhhh, not likely. Oh. Did I mention how for the price of the food, I was surprised that all of our dish ware was chipped or broken?!?!! Shocking. And when I went to the ladies room? Oh my. No toilet paper in the stalls, it was all over the floor along with other trash and the sink was filled with sand. I was so sad that with those prices and ambiance it was such a run down and...

From the beginning, this place was just awful. From the valet, to the server, to the food, and right back at the valet. We wanted to have a good time to celebrate veteran’s day for my husband. We get to the valet, they have us sitting and waiting on these two ladies who are just chatting and not getting into their vehicles. The guys just tell us they will get to us in a minute and let these ladies just hold up traffic and they just stand there and watch the two of them chat it up. There is a 50 min wait, which is fine. We walked around the area and had a good time. We are really hungry when we finally get seated. Our server walked around and did not come to our table for at least 6-7 mins. Even though she makes eye contact with me several times between that time, she doesn’t say a word. She literally asks the table next to us how they are doing even though they are fine- with drinks and already ordered food, but still doesn’t come by our table. She finally comes over and takes our drink order, which is just water. She brings by plates and silverware separately, but does not bring our waters. Someone else drops them off another few mins later. We order a cheeseboard and it is filled with stale breads and funky tasting meats and cheeses. Even the mustard tasted like it had gone bad. We still ate it because this place didn’t seem to care if the food was to your liking or not and we were pretty hungry. Our salmon, burger, and kids mac n cheese were okay. Our server came and checked on/talked to us maybe three times the entire time we were seated there. After our meal, we went to grab our car from the valet. They moved the vehicle from a parking spot right in front to a different valet parking spot Down a ways and parked next to a car where the restaurant employees were loading alcohol into their vehicle. So we had to wait for them to load up their vehicle before we could get into ours. Like, what did we get ourselves into?! Instead of enjoying our time celebrating my husband, we were treated to one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. Please do not waste money or time here. We just moved here so we wanted to check this place out, but clearly, not a good time. We will...

We waited about 30 minutes to be seated, but it was more than worth it. When we were finally called, we were led to one of the best tables in the house, right along the glass on the cliffside patio, overlooking the ocean. We timed it perfectly, arriving just about an hour before sunset. The golden hour glow, the salty scent of the sea, the cool ocean breeze on a warm July evening…magic.

Our server was exceptional. Friendly, relaxed, and refreshingly honest. When I mentioned the lobster quesadilla, he gently steered me away (with a knowing smile), and instead recommended the seafood primavera: scallops, shrimp, and julienned vegetables tossed with angel hair pasta and served with perfectly toasted garlic bread. I’m very particular about scallops. Most places overcook them, leaving that rubbery texture that reminds me of chewing on a tongue. Not here. These were perfection. Thick, buttery, pillowy-soft, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The shrimp was just as good, neither over- nor undercooked. Whoever is in that kitchen knows exactly what they’re doing.

My wife ordered the white fish ceviche, which was bright, fresh, and full of flavor. I had a crisp Spanish white wine with beautiful minerality that paired perfectly, and she enjoyed a cucumber cocktail that was light and lovely.

The service struck that rare balance of laid-back and attentive. Everyone we encountered had a cool, casual, and upbeat energy that made us feel instantly at ease. Not the least bit pretentious, just good people serving great food with an unforgettable view.

If you’re in Laguna and want to feel like you’ve stepped into a seaside dream, The Deck...