Fine dining in Laguna Beach

Where these restaurants are

Four of the six are in the Village, the downtown blocks around Forest Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Glenneyre Street: 230 Forest Avenue, Broadway by Amar Santana, Romeo Cucina and Tango. Sapphire and Sélanne Steak Tavern are farther down South Coast Highway in the HIP District, the stretch between Anita Street and Bluebird Canyon. Two center on a named chef, Broadway by Amar Santana and Tango. One is a steakhouse, one is an Italian kitchen with a seasonal menu, and two lean on California cooking and seafood.

Chef-led and multi-course formats

Two places describe a set or multi-course experience. Broadway by Amar Santana has six seats at a chef’s table beside the open kitchen, and Sélanne Steak Tavern runs VIII, a 20-seat room with one seating each evening. Tango says its menu changes daily and pairs wine with its tapas and mains, and Romeo Cucina lists nightly additions beyond a seasonal menu. Chef Azmin Ghahreman opened Sapphire, which changed owners in 2020 and says its menu changes with the seasons. Sélanne’s site also lists private dining for groups of up to 12, with a customized multi-course menu and paired wines, and names its settings: the Loft, the Tavern, the Veranda, the Wine Library and the Sunset Terrace.

Steaks, seafood and the water

Sélanne, Broadway and 230 Forest Avenue all list steaks. Sapphire and 230 Forest Avenue both put oysters on their dinner menus, and Broadway opens with a raw section. For a table with a view, the oceanfront restaurants page covers rooms by their views and sunset spots lists the lookouts. For menus built around fish and oysters, see seafood restaurants, and for pasta and pizza, Italian and pizza.

Reservations

Policies come from each venue. 230 Forest Avenue and Broadway by Amar Santana link reservation pages, Romeo Cucina has a reserve button, Sapphire books through OpenTable, and Sélanne links a reservation page while keeping its bar first come, first served. Hours and menu prices are not printed here because they change; use each venue’s own site.

Parking and the trolley

Downtown parking is meters and city lots, which the parking guide explains. The free Coastal Route trolley runs along Coast Highway through downtown and on to South Laguna, so it passes Sélanne and Sapphire on South Coast Highway; the getting around guide has the routes. If you are pairing dinner with gallery hours, the art walk page covers the first-Thursday gallery evenings and where to eat nearby, and restaurants in the Village lists every cuisine downtown. For the stretch past Anita Street, see restaurants in the HIP District.