C'est La Vie - Laguna Beach, California

Moris Zarbafian

Pessimo cibo e pessimo servizio dolci rimanenti dei giorni precedenti con la frutta surgelata. Un esperienza da dimenticare.

Leslie Martinez

This is a great little restaurant! My mom and I chose to eat outside and watch the sunset. What we didn’t know is there is only one or two good tables to watch the sunset, the rest are covered by walls. The staff was amazing though! Quick and observant. Even gave us the option to switch to a bigger table. The patio was packed. You’d have to be fit to walk through the crowded tables. The decor was cute, an ancient French vibe. The food was wonderful. The salmon was cooked perfectly, not many restaurants can pull that off. Will definitely return when I’m in town, but maybe for brunch next time.

R C

So the service was great, but my food was so/so. I ordered a cajun grilled chicken sandwich and Lorraine quiche. The quiche was amazing. The crust was amazing, and my ham was flavorful, and it was fresh. My cajun chicken on the other hand was not so tasty unfortunately, I didn't get my grilled onions and it just kinda starting falling apart throughout, was expecting spicy cajun sauce but It was tomatoe based sauce; just messy, made it soggy with the actual tomatoes. Fries were good, just not seasoned or anything. Pricy for that type consistency and just underwhelming. Will try again on my next visit. Great service nonetheless. Thank you!

Camille Rios

The service was great. The food presentation was beautiful, but the taste wasn't quite there for the salmon, mashed potatoes or brussel sprouts, not much seasoning. But everything else tasted great. The fresh bread with butter was very yummy. The desserts were very yummy also. Location of this place was great, right on the beach. You could sit inside or outside and enjoy the sunset. I'd recommend this place if you're looking for a nice view to eat on the beach.

Oy Sohn

이것이 인생이다! 식당의 이름에 걸맞는 식사였습니다.
살면서 좋은일만 겪을순 없겠죠. 하지만 오늘 식사는 정말 황당함의 연속이었습니다.
저희는 12시 즈음에 방문했고, 식당 입구에 있는 런치 스페셜을 보고 들어왔습니다. 런치 스페셜은 메뉴판에 있는 일반 메뉴에 비해 4~5불 가량 저렴했기에 좋은 선택이라 생각했습니다.
그런데 막상 식당에 앉았을 때 받은 메뉴판을 보니 런치메뉴가 없습니다. 그리고 밖에 나가서 보니 런치스페셜 입간판이 없어졌습니다. 직원에게 문의를 하니, 런치메뉴판을 주는 대신에 본인이 폰으로 찍은 런치 메뉴 리스트를 직접 읽어줍니다. 보여주는게 아니라 읽어줍니다. 영어 듣기평가 처럼요. 메뉴를 들었지만 어떤 메뉴인지 이해가 가질 않습니다. 저희는 원어민이 아니니깐요. 사실 한국어로 메뉴를 들었더라도 이해하긴 힘들었을겁니다. 그 런치메뉴 사진을 보여달라고 하니 싫다고 합니다ㅋㅋ 그래서 서버가 갖고 있던 사진을 제 폰으로 찍어서 보고 난후에야 주문할 수 있었습니다.(이때 사진을 찍어놓길 정말 잘했습니다)

음식은 괜찮았습니다. 기본으로 제공되는 바게뜨도 맛있었고, 햄버거, 아보카도 새우 샌드위치도 나쁘지 않았습니다. 다만 주문했던 콜라에서 수돗물 맛이 심하게 났습니다.

식사를 마치고 빌을 받았는데, 서버가 런치스페셜 가격이 적용되지 않은 빌을 줍니다. 아까 찍은 사진에 나온 런치 메뉴와는 가격이 다른걸 확인하고 컴플레인하니 그제서야 런치 가격에 맞추어 8불 할인해 준다고 합니다. 정말 황당하죠. 손님이 많으면 모를까, 담당하고 있는 테이블이 불과 2~3개밖에 안되는데. 고의로 이런거라 생각됩니다.
게다가 다른 서양 손님이 들어오니, 안내하면서 런치메뉴를 주겠다고 하는걸 들었습니다. 저희한테는 자기 폰에 찍은 메뉴 사진을 ‘읽어’ 주며 설명했던 메뉴인데, 서양 손님은 그냥 아무 요청없이 멀쩡한 런치 스페셜 메뉴판을 받습니다. 인종차별일지는 확실치 않지만, 불친절함은 확실하네요.
참고로 저희를 담당했던 남바 서버는 키크고 잘생기고 선그라스를 썼습니다. 스타일은 좋지만 서비스는 스타일과는 정 반대네요.
C'est la vie! 불친절한 서버를 만나는 것. 이것도 인생이겠죠?
인생은 내 의지대로 흐르진 않겠지만, 일단 이 식당을 거르고 저희가 겪었던 일을 겪지 않는다면 한결 더 행복한 여행이 될겁니다.
영수증 첨부하니 모두들 참고하세요.

This is life! The meal certainly lived up to the restaurant’s name—unexpected and frustrating at every turn.

We visited around 12 PM and noticed a “Lunch Special” sign at the entrance. It seemed like a great deal since the specials were $4–5 cheaper than the regular menu. However, once we sat down, the lunch menu was nowhere to be found. Stepping back outside, we realized the sign had been removed.

When we asked the server about the lunch menu, instead of giving us a menu, he read the items out loud from a photo on his phone—like an English listening test. As non-native speakers, it was difficult to understand. Even if the menu had been read to us in Korean, I doubt we would’ve fully grasped it. When we asked to see the photo instead, he refused. Yes, refused! In the end, I had to take a picture of his phone to figure out what to order (a photo I’m very glad I took).

The food itself was okay. The complimentary baguette was good, and the burger and avocado shrimp sandwich were decent. However, the soda tasted heavily of tap water.

The real issue came with the bill. The server charged us the regular menu price, not the lunch special. Thanks to the photo I had taken earlier, I was able to point this out. Only then did they offer an $8 discount. It felt deliberate, especially since the restaurant wasn’t busy—there were only 2–3 occupied tables.

To make matters worse, I overheard the same server offering a physical lunch menu to Western customers without any fuss. Meanwhile, we had to endure him “reading” the options off his phone. I’m not certain if this was discrimination, but it was definitely poor service.

For reference, the server was tall, well-dressed, wore sunglasses, and looked stylish—but his service was the complete opposite.

C’est la vie! Meeting rude servers like this is just part of life, I guess. But if you skip this restaurant and avoid the experience we had, your trip will certainly be a lot happier.
I’ve attached the receipt.
take a look and decide for yourselves.

Reza Momeni

I had a USA-style breakfast here—good, not amazing. It was busy during Christmas, but the outdoor seating with stunning Laguna Beach views made it worth it!

VW. RICH

Great service, great food,
We've been coming here for years when we're in town. Our waiter has worked here for 30 years and is always pleasant and attentive.

Caden Lee

Best french nion soup ever! Service is nice and the view is incredible! Try the pasta because it is very good. Definitely recommend!