230 Forest Avenue

I had come to this spot when I had lost my friend, when she went off browsing the shops. Last I heard, she wasn't much hungry. I was browsing through their tempting flavors I had set my eyes on, like their Kung pao calamari and fisherman's chowder. After I located her, because my phone had died, we had made it back here to dine. She wasn't much hungry so we decided to share the main couse and their Kung pao calamari appetizer. It was delicious, but my friend thought it was a tad salty she kept dipping it in her water to wash off the ponzu sauce. I thought it was tasty with the sauce. It had calamari pieces, diced Japanese eggplants, shishito peppers, peanuts and red hot chili peppers. Then our special halibut fish had came out. The presentation was beautiful, so picture worthy. It was delicious as well with their mashed potatoes and some sort of mango vegetable salsa to eat it with, it gave so many flavors to add to their flaky halibut. It also came with two wonton type chips to maybe scoop the sauce with. We enjoyed the fish and my friend kept asking what kind of fish it was. We had two servers and both were excellent filling my friend's water, while I enjoyed my ice tea with my meal. She also enjoyed a glass of white wine. Then for our dessert, we shared a croissant bread pudding, which came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with triple berries fruit. It was decadent and we both enjoyed it with the ice cream. The bread pudding was warm and sweet, while the ice cream was cold and washed down all the sweetness. The berries were of blueberries, blackberries and sliced strawberries, were fresh as the ones I get from the farmer's market!! We fully enjoyed our meal here and decided to come back next time to try out others on their menu. We highly recommend this place.Thanks 230 Forest Avenue team for having great service and coming up with your special halibut dish, which sounded and tasted very delicious!!

In and around Forest Avenue is a mecca of dining destinations for just about any palate with options from the refined to the more casual. 230 Forest avenue sits above mid center and the Chef has created a bunch of menu options that are about as creative as they are tasty.For this visit, I decided to try their lighter/lunch offerings and moved forward with selections from their appetizer offerings. On this Saturday before noon, seating was easy sans a reservation and was able to dine at a table on their patio area. The staff here were extremely friendly and were extremely accommodating and helpful with prompt service.There were three items of particular interest on this occasion and my guest and I settled on: Wagyu Beef Carpaccio; Spicy Tuna Crudo and Shoestring Truffle Garlic Fries with fresh Aioli dip. Each of these items were very carefully and impressively prepared and served. My first sampling was the crudo that was very nicely displayed. The Tuna was very fresh and plentiful making it difficult to consume with a single bite. The first two that I had was a little short on the spice, but the last sampling was more to my liking. The Carpaccio came second and this item was very good both in quality and taste. It had all the accompaniments to enhance the flavor including greens, sauce, capers and cheese. They were very generous on this item as far as portions go, so be advised if you are having an entrée.The Fries were a nice, "crunch, " to enjoy with these dishes that were more refined. Cooked very well, seasoned very well and unable to finish given the portions of everything else. This combination of things for lunch or say a Happy Hour would be a great time for a fun gathering down in Laguna Beach.This area of town is a favorite location for me and I would visit more for dinner than anything else. That said, this chance to enjoy the sun and the scenery worked out well for a Saturday destination. Overall, 230 Forest Avenue is a place that I would recommend for lunch . . .I'll have to advise later once I've dined for dinner. They provide many options for many palates and have a very fun vibe for lunch or dinner. I suggest you give it a try, they care deeply about quality products, preparation and presentation. Bon Appetite!

If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong -- Jenny WeberI thought for sure I had added a review for 230 Forest. But I must have been wrong...And I have been here with a few different friends, mostly women because men are just wrong ;-) And over the years, it's always been consistently good. Plus sitting on the patio, lovely people watching ambiance and a view of Main Beach. Favorites on the menu include the bacon wrapped dates, wagyu carpaccio, oysters, lamb chops, onion soup, truffle fries...basically the plates for sharing. Beer list is interesting...East Bros. and North Coast are represented. Wine list is basic with a few interesting finds. Last time I was there the bottle I brought was corked so I ordered the Alpha Omega second wine and it was decent. $25 corkage. Recommended!

Right on the promenade, we weren't expecting much from a typical american cuisine but wow were we blown away. I haven't had food with so much flavor that wasn't overly seasoned in so long, just cooked so beautifully with the right ingredients. Highly recommend the Chicken Milanese and Fish & Chips.

Date night with the boyfriend on Saturday night. Small place but with extra seating in the patio/tent out front. We sat for cocktails first. I got the Amalfi Coast martini, a nice light lemon. I imagine it as the perfect drink during the summer! I highly recommend starting with the warm Parker House rolls. OMG delicious!! There is a charge ($6 for 4), but I think it's well worth it! We both started with the Caesar salad which was nothing special. Large portion...probably should have split it with my boyfriend. The boyfriend ordered the Reserve Skirt Steak, which he loved. I had a taste and it was delicious. I probably would have ordered it medium. He got medium rare and it was more like rare. I ordered the Chicken Milanese and expected a very thin, breaded pounded chicken breast. What came was a good sized thick chicken breast with a drizzle of pesto and lemon buerre blanc sauce. The combo was yummy. I asked for a bit extra sauce on the side and was glad I did. It came with sauted spinach which was nicely done, not mushy. Our server was excellent...wish I remembered his name! Not too intrusive; just the right amount of attention. We brought our own bottle of wine. Corkage was $25.We are definitely going back as there are 4 or 5 other things I'd like to try.

This was a great dinner spot in the downtown area! Definitely busy on a Sunday night, but snagged some bar spots.Staff was attentive and super friendly.The menu has a lot of great sounding items on it and we could have ordered so many other dishes if we weren't full. Really enjoyed everything we ordered: Brussels sprouts, lump crab man n cheese, and fisherman's chowder. Brussels were perfectly crisp and had delicious flavor. Mac n cheese could have had more crab and been a tad less creamy underneath, but the flavor was great and I really liked the noodle shells. Generous portions of halibut in the chowder, which also had a great herby flavor. Would recommend for a nice dinner!

Went here a few weeks ago before seeing a show nearby and the vibe down this street was popping and I ended up eating outside which was nice to enjoy the weather and more relaxed environment Service was great and very attentive by our waiter and food was really good especially the tuna appetizer crouton things lol I am butchering the name but the food was great and everyone was very nice there I would eat here again and make another reservation

Visited 230 Forest Avenue today with my grandmother for lunch today. I've been to Laguna so many times, but haven't ever walked down this road. I'm not usually a fan of the roads turned into restaurant extensions, but this road has some charm with it. The restaurant felt like a cute little Parisian restaurant with a 21st century flair. We were in kinda a rush, so we ordered right away. We ordered Fish and Chips and a Wedge Salad. The Fish and Chips that my grandma ordered were very tasty she said. She said she could tell that the quality of the fish for $28 was really good. The portion was large as well. The Wedge Salad I got and I added the lemon grilled shrimp to it. The presentation of the dish was pretty and the taste was good. I usually order wedges at steakhouses, so it's hard to compare. I would have liked the lettuce to be colder as it gives it that crunchy effect. Overall I thought the service and food were really good. Next time I have to come around dinner time to check it out. My rating is 8.5/10.

Pretty good restaurant on Forest. No wait for indoor dining on a Saturday night, short wait for outdoor/patio area. I was able to watch most of the Dodgers game on TV from my seat on the patio.Decent menu choices on both food and drink. I had the French dip sandwich was that delicious. Service was fast and efficient.

Drove in from Palm Springs for the day. We were greeted & seated right away (it was 3pm-ish). Husband ordered their French Chardonnay while I had a Vesper (both were smooth). We started with the succulent Fish stew & savory Maui Onion soup. Neither disappointed. Followed by the Garlic Salmon for him, Halibut fish & chips for me. Our server Keith was patient & chill when it came to bringing entrees AFTER we thoroughly enjoyed our appetizers. The Chef/owner Marc was visible & welcoming. We had a lovely exchange with Lucy the restaurant's GM (who we observed actively overseeing whatever needed tending). In all; one gets the impression that EVERYONE from Hostess, Chef, Servers or Mngrs are ALL there (happily) to insure your dining experience is memorable. Well done!