This is a stylish restaurant located in South Laguna Beach, often featuring great live music. The place is not very large but is exquisitely designed, making last-minute reservations difficult, especially on weekends. The hostess was very attentive and suggested we take seats at the counter table, where we could enjoy the same menu and music as the main dining area. My friend, who loves cooking, was delighted with the opportunity to observe the chefs at work up close. We thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes we ordered, and surprisingly, the hamachi of the day was even fresher and tastier than the highly praised tuna tartare. We've decided to visit once a month to explore more of their menu!

Absolutely loved our time at The Drake! The food, service & ambiance is just absolutely perfect. If you're looking to celebrate a birthday/anniversary or even going out with your beau for date night, this is the spot for you! We had a late reservation so I had an espresso martini, which was exactly what i needed. For starters, we ordered the tuna tartare and lamb lollipops - both were delicious! Tuna was super fresh & the lamb was so tender & cooked to perfection. Husband ordered the venison loin for his main & he was so happy with his choice - the poached pear & lindonberry was so good & gave it the perfect amount of sweet that the meal needed. I ordered the filet mignon with potatoes 3 ways. If you know me, I'm a sucker for potatoes thought that it was such a fun take for a side! Flavor was delicious and the filet was cooked a perfect medium rare. The star of the show is definitely their salted caramel budino - I told my husband that I would drive back to Laguna Beach just for that dessert. If you like salty, creamy, custard & caramel, THIS. IS. IT. Can't wait to come back for another meal at the Drake, we will definitely be back soon!

Shoutout to The Drake - A True Gem in Laguna Beach While we live in Colorado, I was raised in Newport Beach, and after attending our second funeral in a short time, our joy bucket was running low. My husband knew I needed music and a distraction, so he booked a reservation at The Drake--and wow, did they deliver. From the moment we walked in, the hospitality was next-level. The warm smiles, the energy, the vibe--everything signaled that we were in for a special night. We were given a few seating options and luckily chose the cooking bar near the live music. Best decision ever. Our server was fantastic, and the chef behind the counter personally introduced himself, sharing his recommendations and making us feel like we were at an intimate dinner party with friends. Then the music kicked in, the drinks flowed, and the entire experience transported us. The other guests at the bar were just as into it, and the whole room felt connected in the best way. Now, let's talk about the food. My husband ordered venison, and I went for the lamb--both could have been risky, but damn, they rivaled the best game we've ever had. Perfectly cooked, packed with flavor, and executed flawlessly. At the end of the night, the chef and son of the owner, Nick Gstrein shared stories The Drake's history. His passion and humility made us fall in love with this place even more. If you haven't been, go. Make the drive to South Laguna, it's NOT THAT FAR--and absolutely worth it. The food, service, music, and ambiance are next-level. Huge thanks to Nick and the entire team for making a tough time just a little bit brighter. We'll be back.

Went the day before Valentine's Day. Loved the live music, must go for the ambience! The food and drinks were all delicious as well. Would definitely recommend to others!

Came here on a Friday night after making a last minute reservation for 2. To our surprise it was a phenomenal experience all around. 1.The Filet and lollipop Lamp chops were out of this world. 2. Excellent service 3. Food was served very quickly on hot plates that allowed the steak and mashed potatoes to melt. 4. Nice jazz band (I don't even like jazz) Highly recommend!!

We decided to have Christmas Eve dinner here with my in-laws. I made the reservations for 7 pm on OpenTable pretty easily. We were excited to have dinner and live music. They have live music most evenings but check the schedule to make sure you catch the act when they are performing. It's hard to get a table in the main room, but we had a table in the bar area which worked out since they projected a view of the stage on the wall near where we were sitting. The outdoor area was enclosed with a direct view of the stage and had heat lamps so it looked fairly warm if you're worried about being outside. For Christmas Eve, we were presented the menu and ordered: lamb chops, chicken, NY fries, salmon, and pork chop. The food was really good and the service was great. My husband really enjoyed the lamb. The fries were perfectly crisp. The salmon was tasty and the pork chop was juicy. The music wasn't as disruptive as the in-laws thought it'd be. The vocalist sang a mixture of jazzy holiday tunes. We had a great time conversing and enjoying the ambiance. The restaurant has a lot of art deco elements which really add to the atmosphere. We also ordered the limoncello tiramisu for dessert. Our server, Taylor, was awesome. Parking on the street can be difficult to find. They offer Valet service for $7 so we took advantage of that.

The Drake in Laguna is such a vibe!! This beautiful restaurant is a bit of a hidden gem, located a bit further south than the busier parts of Laguna where most of the restaurants, hotels, and tourist crowds are. From the moment you arrive at the valet, the hospitality is top notch. On arrival we were warmly greeted by the lovely hostess, Jess, who showed us to our table and went over the specials. We were sat in the "patio" which was fully enclosed, very cozy, and next to the beautiful fire. Also a great spot to enjoy the live music! The entire restaurant is so intimate, I don't think there is a bad table in the house. Literally the perfect spot for a nice date night! Our server was Emily, and she was just amazing. Very friendly, personable and attentive. She shared some of her personal favorite menu items, and we couldn't resist and tried several of them... so glad that we did! Ok now the food...WOWZA! I can't even begin to describe how perfectly prepared and flavorful their menu is. Props to the chef!! Lamb lollipops: Must try! Cooked to perfection and honestly didn't taste very "lamby", if that makes any sense. Jumbo Garlic Shrimp: Holy smokes! The garlic toast beneath those bad boys.... the most yummy bread I have ever tasted in my life. Do not sleep on the garlic toast hiding underneath those shrimp. Filet Mignon: Ordered medium-rare and cooked to perfection. Did not disappoint. The mashed potatoes in the side were also very nice. Chili Lime Salmon: I generally don't care much for salmon but I really enjoyed this dish. It was tender, flaky and flavorful, and I loved the mango salsa it was topped with. The warm bed of jasmine rice was also a perfect compliment. Overall, I highly recommend The Drake for their excellent service, delicious menu, and cozy, romantic ambiance. Can't wait to go back!

What an experience! Incredible live band, Great service, food, and company? What else could you possibly want!? Beautiful restaurant incredible decor and service. We were seated right next to the band, which was a memorable experience. Tiger prawns 8/10 Filet mignon 10/10 Guacamole and chips 7/10 Fig salad 10/10 Sorbet 10/10 Salted caramel budino. 10/10

Made reservations for this place well in advance for my dad's 60th birthday celebration. We called because we were running about 10 minutes behind, but they said it wasn't an issue which we were very appreciative of. The hostesses at the front were a little interesting. Their vibes felt kind of robotic, not gonna lie. They weren't mean or anything, but it was kind of a weird interaction. Some things to note. The place isn't that large so the seating where the "live music" is is definitely a little tighter than I was expecting. Not that big of a deal, but I will say that they hand out huge menus here, and for 4 people sitting at a standard size table, there wasn't even anywhere to put our menus.. especially as appetizers and drinks came out. Our server, Tim, was friendly although also his vibes were interesting and a little different than what we are used to lol. In general, our interactions with both the hostesses and our server were just weird which we all noted as a party. Onto the food... my dad liked his filet mignon, which was the most important. My partner told me the white rice was overcooked that came with my mom's chicken dish. He ordered the halibut and said it was good but on the drier side. The wagyu appetizer was pretty good, although you can tell it's not A5. I actually enjoyed the pasta that I ordered. I appreciated that Tim asked if I wanted chili flakes to add to it since I love spicy. Another comment I have is about the live music. I really did book this place because of the fact that live music is played here on a lot of nights. The group that was up there were great, however my complaint is that I think they needed to do a sound-check because we couldn't hear the vocals that well. Lastly, I did want to point out that they added $40 to our check for the live performance. Considering our reservation was for 5:45, and the group doesn't start playing until shortly after 6:30, it's kind of waste in my opinion since you're not there long enough to really enjoy a good portion of music while dining. We were gone around, so I found that to be a bummer. ALSO, maybe this is my fault, but I don't think they should include the $40 in the subtotal before the tip option because then you're just tipping the server more than you need to (off of the $40 with it included in the check). I'd rate everything as a whole a 3.5/5 here.