April 3rd - Latest Laguna Restaurant Features & Specials

Download: Version #6: Updated 4-3-2020 – Download & Print PDF of ALL Laguna Restaurant Options, including Hours + Specials

Above is your latest update on the 66 Laguna Beach restaurants still in operation. If you are an opt-in subscriber with me, it will just ask for your email address. If it doesn’t recognize you. it will still allow you to input your info to download the PDF. And if it doesn’t work (this happens on rare occasion, email me direct at Diane@TheBestofLagunaBeach.com.

This Week’s Biggest News: The Pantry (at Sapphire) Opens Under New Ownership

As restaurants are temporarily shuttering everywhere, it’s such a blessed and optimistic turn to see Sapphire Pantry’s new ownership actually do the opposite. On Wednesday, April 1st, Restaurateur Russ Bendel opened The Pantry, a portion of his new Sapphire operation in The Old Pottery Place.

Open 7 am – 3 pm daily, the new group is offering a limited menu of breakfast and lunch items, including an homage to Chef Azmin’s famous Wagyu burger. This food is significantly good! See my full story here:

And, other quick restaurant updates this week:

Family Menus Growing in Popularity

I can’t give you all the details here for space reasons but suffice to say that most of the dine-in restaurants prior to this crisis are now offering inventive family style meals, most of which include freezable options. I’m posting more information about each of these in my website, TheBestofLagunaBeach.com, but you can easily find all family style menu offerings at their websites, too. To date, these are the restaurants I know of with special family meal menus. Restaurateurs: If you’re not mentioned below for family meals, my apologies. Please don’t yell at me – just email me at Diane@TheBestofLagunaBeach.com with your details.

Family Meals – North Laguna Restaurants
Mandarin King
Reunion Kitchen – many additional family meals announced this week
Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill – new daily menus announced this week

Family Meals – Downtown & Restaurant Row Restaurants
Nirvana Grille – many additional family meals announced this week
Lumberyard – many additional family meals announced this week
Slice Pizza and Beer – 4-pack “design your own” pizzas
Broadway by Amar Santana
G.G.’s Bistro
The Cliff Laguna Beach

Family Meals – Central Laguna & H.I.P. District Restaurants
Avila’s El Ranchito
Roux Laguna Beach
Selanne Steak Tavern

Family Meals – Central South & South Laguna Restaurants
The Drake Laguna Beach

Margaritas Growing in Popularity, Too

Hopefully, we’re not all wasting away in our own Margaritaville here, but it seems that margaritas are definitely one of the more popular to-go cocktail options. While there’s a good chance you’ll find your favorite margarita to go somewhere, keep in mind the following:

Las Brisas is offering margaritas by the pitcher now.

Rasta Taco is still delivering a “margarita in a box,” which is every possible item you need to build your own margarita, minus your own favorite tequila.

Avila’s El Ranchito is offering three margaritas with the fourth one for just $1. They’re doing the same for draft beers, too.

Taking its cue from the “impulse buy” racks at every grocery store, Coyote Grill now has large mason jars of its organic, house-made sweet-and-sour lined up at it’s to-go window. Just $5, it’s an easy mixer with your own tequila and fresh limes (which they offer, too), and it stays fresh in your refrigerator for up to three days, or you can freeze in ice cube trays for later use.

And, just a shout out to our newly-opened The Pantry (see my other story here in StuNewsLaguna), which will soon be offering its own to-go craft cocktails, which are slated to become our own Laguna signature cocktails when they open Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook. They assure me that I’ll be one of the first they call to try their debuting Tequila Mockingbird.

Empanada Blitz, Go Figure

Last week, Owner/Operator and Chef Maro Molteni re-opened The Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill (with cool new website, too!) While his daily Family Style Meals have been selling very well, he’s been a bit surprised with the crazy number of to-go orders for his fresh-baked beef or mushroom empanadas. Purchase by the half dozen ($15) or dozen ($30). They freeze well for up to a year.

Chef Rainer Packs Up His Laguna Wagon & Heads South

On Thursday morning, Chef Rainer Schwarz announced that he’s closing his two restaurants here temporarily – The Deck on Laguna and Driftwood Kitchen. Until Thursday, he had combined their most popular menu items out of one kitchen and offered a significant “pop-up market” sale on weekends.

Happily, though, Chef Rainer has only moved a bit down the road, taking up residence at his Ocean Ranch Hendrix restaurant next to the Cinepolis movie theater. His pop-up market will continue every Wednesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and he’s offering a number of popular menu items along with a new Rotisserie Prime Rib Dinner every Tuesday through Sunday.

Zinc Cafe Takes a Pause

Longtime Laguna Zinc Cafe has also temporarily closed, but it’s possible it will return in the next few days or weeks ahead.

Owner John Secretan chose to shutter his large Zinc operation in L.A.’s Art District last week after growing concerns of COVID-19 in that area. This week, he closed both the Laguna and Corona del Mar locations, noting that he and his management need to look at “safer ways to serve you.”

66 Laguna Beach Restaurants Still Serving You

The number of operating restaurants in Laguna Beach is a continually shifting number. At my last check yesterday, however, I believe we still have 66 restaurants in operation, which includes the lovely new opening of The Pantry in the Old Pottery Place.

I’m always posting daily finds in my social platforms and updating my large Restaurant Directory on all restaurant hours, food specials and discounts here in Laguna Beach (confirmed closures are also noted on the last page). Opt-in at my website for the latest downloadable edition today, April 3rd.

Thank you for continuing to support your favorite restaurants and chefs of Laguna Beach! As a community, we will help each other through this.

P.S. Don’t Forget Your $5 Bloody Mary This Sunday. You Deserve It.

Remember: My favorite Bloody Mary in town hails from the Lumberyard. This coming Sunday, April 5th, when you order a $10 breakfast burrito, you get the Bloody Mary and all its fixins’ for just $5.