Nick’s Laguna Beach

Ultimate Laguna spot to get good food. Can get pretty busy and servers do their best but if it’s crowded expect to wait. Can’t beat the ocean breeze and good vibe. I don’t mind waiting a bit.

I came here on a nice afternoon and was greeted with genuine and warming smiles! Decided to sit at the bar and my server/​bartender was amazing! Got both the asparagus fries and deviled eggs! However my favorite dish was actually my main entrée which was the sea bass! My bartender recommended it and she was spot on about it being amazing! Will definitely come back after a nice day at the beach or hike!

Unbelievable place. The butter cake is the best. I don’t like eggs but I have being craving their fabulous fried deviled eggs. Great food. Amazing service. They’ll always take care of you.

We went here for a special occasion — and the staff at Nick’s knocked it out of the park! A+ service, warm, relaxed atmosphere… and the food — amazing! We had the bacon deviled eggs to start — unique and flavorful, we savored every bite! For the entrée, my daughter ordered the Bistro Plate which was a petite filet mignon, served on garlic toast, with a bistro salad and a cup soup. She loved it. My husband had the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. The portion was ENORMOUS. But I really won dinner with the Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass. My goodness, I have never had such a perfectly cooked piece of fish in my life.
But really… save room for the butter cake. Insane.
Can’t wait to go back!

I always enjoy myself when I come to this place. I absolutely love Laguna. I love that they have natural skylights and the round bar is pretty cool. The drinks are pretty good! I think it depends on the bartender. But overall it’s a wonderful experience !! and right outside the door is Beautiful Laguna which reminds me of back home in Hawaii sometimes when the Sun is setting on a good day!!! ;)

I expected a long wait when I went on a Saturday morning but for two the wait was maybe 10 minutes. It’s right across from the ocean, you just have to cross a light so it’s a good place to wait while they call you.
I ordered the Jefe Breakfast Burrito sans bacon and it was the most delicious and filling burrito I have ever had, I was definitely full the rest of the day and thinking about how happy I was with my meal.
On the side we ordered hash browns, they were good nothing too innovative but really what can you do with hash browns to mess them up.
My friend got the Belgian waffle with fruit and fresh whipped cream and while I only had one (amazing bite) I could tell that they were delicious too!
I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

Made reservations which is totally recommended! Got right in on a Saturday night! Food was soooo good! Margarita was good but more ice then drink and was very pricey for what you got! Everything was perfect and my hubby said it was the best salmon and broccoli he has EVER HAD!
Thumbs up Nicks

Warm Butter Cake * Warm Butter Cake * Warm Butter Cake
You have been apprised.
The evening began with Asparagus Fries, described as crispy parmesan crusted spears served with a buttermilk ranch dipping sauce.
Followed by a, not-​to-​be-​missed, Pan-​Seared Chilean Sea Bass prepared with lemon beurre blanc, sautéed spinach with garlic & slivered almonds, accompanied by whipped mashed potatoes. Delicate, but firm, the Chilean sea bass is expertly executed.
The accompanying quasi boring Prime Rib Dip included, mayonnaise, and red wine au jus, which was served on a brioche bun. Although not awful, not memorable either.
However, the Rib Eye Melt constructed with sliced ribeye, Swiss cheese, red wine onions, mustard bacon sauce, grilled parmesan sourdough, served with a creamy horseradish was as advertised — carnal.
Velveteen morsels of Truffle Shells and Cheese is sautéed with cremini mushrooms, sharp white cheddar, cream sauce, truffle oil, and topped with an herb crust. It works.
The surprisingly delicious Warm Potato Salad was prepared with fresh basil, roasted corn, haricot vert, Nueske’s bacon, cracked black pepper, and tossed in a creamy caper olive vinaigrette. Mama likes.
Chillin’ like a villain.

Best place in Laguna beach!!! It is everything you could possibly want
sass, style, great food, it could go day or night for a good spot
I had the steak sandwich, the asparagus, the artichoke, all of it was insanely delicious!
the have 1 serving champagne! it was so great! I love this spot.
went for lunch and dinner and both times were amaze

A truly enjoyable dinner!
The 4 of us had reservations on a Saturday night at Nick’s, located in the heart of Laguna beach. A nice restaurant with booths lining the sides and a nice bar in the center and a bustling kitchen. Get dressed up for a classy night, or just a casual dinner…
We shared a couple bottles of wine and started out with their fried deviled eggs and roasted artichoke which were great! Though I didn’t try it, their salads looked great. I went with their filet mignon and loaded baked potato. Quite honestly, my expectations were high based on the appetizers and ambience, but wasn’t wildly impressed with my entrée.
Nonetheless, service was exceptional! From the hot towels to our cheery waitress… The service made our night!
Prices were about $ 50 – 60 a person for a complete meal with appetizers, entrée and a couple wine bottles… As expected for a great night out!

As on point as it gets. The service is amazing, and when I was eating the food, it was like angels singing. Can’t wait for my next trip here.
PAN SEARED CHILEAN SEA BASS is prepared to perfection– crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Paired with a lemon beurre blanc makes this my go-​to entrée selection.
FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLE is one of their staple dishes. and it is HUGE. So delicious and indulging. There’s vegetables in this dish, if you consider corn and potatoes «vegetables» ;)
Also the BLACK AND BLUE MOJITO is da bomb. Like the freshest berries picked from a farm and straight into your cup basically. I don’t even know.

Thank you Unilocalers for the recommendation– we are so glad we came here! Food and service were top notch :)
Lucked out with no reservation — came at 6pm on a weekday, was told 45 min wait, would text when table became available, 10 min later got a text because somebody else cancelled
Asparagus fries — ⁵⁄₅: I don’t think you could mess anything up that is fried; delicious paired with the ranch sauce
Fried deviled eggs — ⁵⁄₅: I normally don’t like deviled eggs but this was so good; topped with bacon crumbled
Cioppino — ⁵⁄₅: an AMAZING big bowl of hearty seafood soup; we were told by the waiter they separate cooking the broth from the seafood so the fishy taste isn’t there; this was insanely good… And served with this sourdough bread that just melts in your mouth when dipped in the soup; that bread is so good too!!!
Prime Rib Dip Sandwich — ⁵⁄₅: amazingly tender melt in your mouth roast sandwich with accompanying Au jus sauce; got the accompanying salad which was equally delicious with the mustard bacon dressing
Service was outstanding — our waiter gave great recommendations, kept our glasses refilled with water, kept us aware of when our food would be out, asked about any allergies after we ordered, and even folded my napkin back on the table after I left it in the chair to use the restroom
Will definitely definitely come back here if we return to Laguna Beach!!!
Keep up the good work — it’s no wonder this place got so many good reviews.

The hubs and I took a mini-​vacation down to Laguna Beach for a special occasion. I saw Nick’s had pretty good reviews on Unilocal,so we decided to check it out. The ambiance is nice — dark, romantic, and intimate with an open air feel, so you really get to take in the beach breeze.
However, the food isn’t exactly on point. As an appetizer, we ordered the grilled artichokes. This was probably the best dish of the night, as it came served with a nice aioli and the artichokes themselves were perfectly steamed to just the right tenderness. For my entrée, I ordered the filet mignon and a baked potato, which most New American places have no problem executing. Unfortunately, the steak was rather dry here, which probably explains why they topple the meat with tons of salty butter to mask the texture. I was really disappointed in this. My husband ordered the cioppino, which was much better than my dish — although it seemingly had the opposite problem, as I found the dish to be undersalted and too tomatoey for my liking. Sadly, the most memorable thing here was the delicious bread that accompanied my husband’s cioppino! The bread was definitely bomb, but I’m not sure I’d pay so much for bread and grilled artichokes alone. I’ve heard their brunch is pretty good, so I would possibly come back to try that, but I definitely wouldn’t come here for dinner again, as I feel there are much better places in South OC for celebrating special occasions!

A hidden little gem tucked away on PCH in Laguna. Oh, it also happens to have the best French Dip I’ve ever had (see pictures)! Nick’s really is the epitome of understated chic. Started with the single barrel margarita. A friend and I split a good old fashion burger and the french dip. The burger tasted like a gourmet version of Bob’s Big Boy, a California classic. The clientele are dress from casual chic to shorts and t-​shirts. If you’re looking for a taste of Laguna, Nick’s is it.

Came here with a friend Saturday morning before going hiking. There was no wait, and we got seated on the patio. Whenever I go out for breakfast I always love to order the eggs benedict. Something about the runny yoke that I’m hooked on.
Saw the Short Ribs Benedict and I knew I immediately that I wanted to give it a try. I’ve never had it with short ribs before. Wow, am I impressed. It was delicious! I’m sad I’m from out of town, because I would definitely get this all the time. I ordered a side of fruit with my eggs as we were going hiking after.
I left feeling very satisfied and not overly stuffed, as I often do when I order my eggs benedict with hashbrowns.
Wish I could come back here more often! Yum

I am obsessed with their veggie burger! I know, I know, a veggie burger but honestly it’s so damn good I crave it once a week. They even give you the option to add bacon. And a pro tip if you’re feeling naughty** you can add their parmesan sourdough bread for a few dollars extra instead of the bun.
Nick’s is a clean modern space. They have great cocktails, including their Bloody Mary that has orange juice in it for a refreshing flavor and topped with fried blue cheese. They serve classic bottled Coke and Diet Coke.
Great staff from hosts to bartenders. Usually there is a short wait from 15 – 45 minutes at the most, but if given the option to sit at the bar instead of waiting, do it. We did that the last time and enjoyed it just as much. Nick’s prices are reasonable. And although I stand loyal to their veggie burger, their fish tacos, prime rib sandwich and fish specials are all excellent as well. If you’re in Laguna Beach, you have to try Nick’s!

Nick’s Laguna Beach is the smallest location that I’ve been to out of the Nick’s chain. I’ve also been to the Manhattan Beach and the Long Beach location several times. The wait at this location is always pretty long. About 2 years ago, I tried eating here on a Saturday night, but the wait was almost 2 hours long. On a recent Saturday afternoon around 2pm, the wait was 45 minutes for a group of 5. We started to walk around since we had some time to kill, but we got a call less than 5 minutes later saying that the party before us cancelled so our table was ready. Perfect timing!
/​/​FOOD /​/​
Ribeye melt: I love getting the ribeye melt! I ordered the ribeye medium rare and it came out perfectly! The cheese bread is delicious, the meat was tender and the horseradish cream gives it another element of flavor. You can order the ribeye melt with either a side of fries, potato salad, or the house salad. I chose the house salad since I like the salad dressing and it’s nice to have something healthy with something so oily and heavy.
Chilean sea bass: The sea bass was so tender and silky smooth with a nice sear on the outside. It was served with mashed potatoes and sautéed greens. The flavor was perfect since you don’t really want too much flavor that will overpower the sea bass.
Overall, I really like this location. The service and food were on point. The only downside is parking can be difficult on a busy day and the smaller sized restaurant causes the wait times to be longer.

***GET THE BUTTER CAKE***
I dined alone here after a work-​type training, and as expensive as it was (by my standards, anyhow), it was worth every penny.
The service was good, but what really set this place apart was their dazzlingly interesting cocktail selection (maybe I’m provincial in my cocktail wanderings, but I’d never had cucumber vodka before) and their butter cake.
Yes, butter cake. I could easily write a whole review just about the butter cake, which is large enough for about four people to share. I ate a few bites of mine, took it home, and proceeded to make two more full meals out of it. I’m not sure how to describe this cake, except to say that I am usually not a cake person, but that I would drive hours to get my paws on this butter cake again. It’s brown sugary, buttery, light but somehow custardy… shoot, now I’ve drooled all over myself just remembering the grandeur of this doggone cake.
***GET THE BUTTER CAKE***

I had super high expectations for this place, and it was decently good! I had the clam chowder soup and the salad. Both were good, but not overwhelmingly good. My sister got the steak and soup, which she enjoyed.
The service was very so-​so. Our waiter was off and on. We asked for our soups to come first, but they said it was not possible with the steak lunch. Okay, I understand… I guess? There were times I went a while without getting my water filled but it happens. I just personally didn’t feel like I got as good of service as I expected, so I felt a bit disappointed.
And like I said, the food was good. But I personally was not blown away by it. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing and should come back to try something else… I am not sure. I left feeling a little bit unsatisfied with my experience.

Nick’s is a great restaurant/​bar right in the heart of Laguna Beach with delicious food with an open patio with a great ocean breeze. Everything we ordered was excellent. I like when a restaurant is consistent and delicious throughout their menu. There is no need to have a large menu if you have a selection of outstanding dishes that you do well.
For starters, it seems like everyone and their mother was ordering the deep fried deviled eggs and the asparagus fries. Both are deep fried so if you are on a diet, just don’t. I liked the deviled eggs because the outer crispy crust gives the appetizer a twist. The asparagus fries are good but I got full after one of them… and my pee still smelled later!
The prime rib dip was excellent. The meat was tender and easy to bite through unlike many french dips out there. You get your choice of sides and I chose the vegetable side (corn).
I also got to try the salmon dish. The salmon was cooked perfectly but what stole the show was the kale! So flavorful and tasty. I’ve never had kale that amazing before.
To finish your meal off you need to order the butter cake. LOVE. Nothing left to say. Dense butter cake that is moist inside and crispy on the outside. Perfect.
Prepare to eat when you come to Nick’s. Their food is all delicious and the prices are not exorbitant! Nothing to complain about. Everything was great.