577 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
With some exceptions, I have come to a conclusion about restaurants that have spectacular views. Unfortunately, most are not very good when it comes to the food that they serve. They think they can just get by because people like to eat while taking in the breathtaking scenery. In OC, we have a couple of these restaurants; Orange County Mining Company, Las Brisas, Orange Hill Restaurant, Wind and Sea Restaurant, and Harpoon Henery's, to name a few off the top of my head.
My aunt and uncle had wanted to meet up with us for lunch, and they had requested that I pick somewhere with a nice view. I racked my brain trying to come up with some places that are known for their view, but also places that I had never been, so I could take the opportunity to write a review. Finally, I sent them three or four places I had found, and they selected The Cliff Restaurant in Laguna to try.
With the help of my good friend Darin, who runs one of the many parking lots in the city, parking was a breeze on this particular Sunday at noon. The Cliff is notorious for its long waits for tables, especially on days when the weather is beautiful in this seaside community. So I joined the waitlist on Yelp at just the right time to have our table ready at noon. We were called to the hostess stand at noon but were not seated until twenty minutes later, which was still way better than waiting in front of the restaurant for two hours, which is what they were quoting as the time to be seated.
The dining area is a multi-level patio with plenty of blue umbrellas to shield you from the elements as you eat. The view was as advertised. Magnificent and stunning are words that come to mind. I must not be the only one to think so, as everyone's instinct when seated here is to whip out their phones and snap many pictures. The setting brought to mind what I'd expect it feels like to dine along the Agean Sea in the Greek Islands, even though I've never had that pleasure.
The lunch menu at the Cliff is a one-page affair divided into starters, salads, burgers, sandwiches, seafood specialties, and Mexican-style items. Prices for mains range between $16 and $33, while appetizers will set you back at around $16. We were all hungry, so we made our selections rather quickly as we caught up on each other's goings-on. Let's see if The Cliff is just a pretty spot to eat or does the food match this exquisite view.
Jenny starts things off with the Soup of the Day ($6), which on Sundays is Lobster Bisque. They also have clam chowder every day, but it wasn't ready when we visited. Jenny reports that this bisque was okay but not as rich as others she has had, and there were no little bits of lobster running through it. However, the chowder gets a lot more love online, so that might be the way to go if you are in the mood for soup.
Cutting down on my writing time, three of my family members got the Fish and Shrimp Combo ($20). This fried combo consisted of three rather large shrimp, three pieces of cod, and a pile of fries. A good-sized plate, but unfortunately, the fish did not win many rave reviews from these three. They felt the breading on the fish was not as crunchy as they would have liked, and the fish underneath refused to give up that pop of flavor that would have compensated for that. The shrimp still had the breading issue but was way more flavorful and was their clear favorite. The fries were fine but unremarkable.
My aunt bucked the trend from the rest of her immediate family by selecting this Baja Burrito ($16). This burrito uses tempura Mahi Mahi as its base, adding shredded cabbage, pico de Gallo, white cheddar cheese, and chipotle aioli to fill the slightly grilled tortilla. Not the best seafood burrito my aunt has consumed, but passable.
Even though we were feet away from the ocean, Katie and I veered away from seafood at The Cliff, as she went with the Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich ($16). Everyone is doing a fried chicken sandwich these days, and The Cliff adds pickles and a spicy ranch to theirs. Katie liked the chicken, which was tender and juicy, but this needed way more of the spicy ranch to make it better.
Last but not least, I finally ordered the Prime Rib Dip ($21) after much deliberation. I probably should have gone with my first option. Unfortunately, this was not an excellent prime rib sandwich. The bread was hard, and the meat tasted less like prime rib and more like that dried beef that you get at the supermarket in the jar. The meat was more than likely leftovers from the evening before. Thank god there was au jus to dunk this in; otherwise, it would have been pretty hard to choke it down. That and the only other saving grace was the horseradish, which provided the only flavor I detected while eating this. The fries were okay and probably the star of this plate. Not a good sign when frozen fries are the best part of your meal.
Sadly, The Cliff Restaurant's food could not compete with its spectacular view. At best, the food is average, and as with my prime rib sandwich, way worse than that. The food took a while to make its way from the kitchen, so maybe they were short-staffed or just having a bad day. I thought the price point was more than fair, especially considering this neighborhood. Our server was fine but might have been stretched too thin, another sign of the labor shortage hitting the restaurant industry.
Out of five thunderbolts (because the largest cliff in the world is Mount Thor on Baffin Island in Canada, and it's named after the Norse god of thunder), five being best to zero being worst, The Cliff Restaurant gets 2 thunderbolts.
For more information about The Cliff Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.thecliffrestaurant.com/
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