Watermarc

What a special place! So sad :-(

My wife and I loved spending one of our evenings at the Watermark during our frequent stays in Laguna Beach. I guess change is inevitable. Hopefully the new owners of a new restaurant at that location provide a presentation equally enjoyable and delicious.

This is why I can't lose weight!!!! Look at this delicious, amazing, incredible burgers and short rib Benedict!! You know what; if I have to close between being thin and missing out on this, then I choose chubby all the way!! All joke aside, we official call this the best burger we have ever had, i'm salivating thinking about it now. The ambiance is chic, service was superb and the meal...

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There's SOMETHING in the WATER at WATERMARC, that Keeps us Coming Back for More!

WATERMARC, Laguna Beach, California!

Located in the Heart of Downtown Laguna, my Husband & I absolutely adore the location! You can enter from the PCH, or through the cute alley, named Peppertree Lane!

We normally are lucky and get a seat at the small bar area, but I also enjoy dining at their 2 large communal tables!

The main dining room has such a fabulous open air feeling and great views of Laguna's DT activity! There is intimate dining upstairs & also outside patio seating in a lively alley setting!

Look for their Daily Kitchen Board Specials, right as you enter! Chef Marc Cohen's Menu is Innovative, with a Focus on California Coastal Comfort dishes, featuring Seasonal ingredients & Fresh Seafood!

I love all the Creative Grazing Plates on the Menu! These Tapas are perfect for Sharing, & I sometimes order a couple as my meal! I also Highly Recommend their Chilean Sea Bass, Scottish Salmon, Filet 3 Ways, and Seafood Paella! Not to mention, they have an Extensive & Impressive Wine List!

Service is Exceptional, we have never had a bad meal, and Always have a Memorable Dining Experience here at WATERMARC!

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Good food and service overall, but at this price point it could've been better.

The hubby and I were in Laguna Beach for a special weekend and were looking for a place to have dinner. We saw this place had pretty high ratings so we decided to check it out. I made reservations and they do this thing where when it gets close to the date they call you and tell you to call back to confirm. I personally hate this system; why make things inconvenient for the customer? Why not just say call us back if you have any changes or can't make it? Anyhoo, we get there Saturday night and were taken to one of the small tables by the window facing PCH. We were early enough to catch the last bit of the sunset, which was nice. The ambiance was pretty casual and a little loud, but it wasn't obnoxious.

We started with some wine and cocktails and ordered a variety of items to share. Their Roman style gnocchi and steak tartare were great, the tartare especially--one of the best I've ever had. I got an order of fresh oysters, which came with a lime granita on top. I didn't care for the sweetness of the granita AT ALL and scraped it off the remaining oysters, so that was kind of a bust. My diver scallops with cauliflower risotto was good, but the risotto was pretty meh. The cauliflower pieces were a little crunchy, as if they'd just been thrown into the risotto, not really integrated into the dish, and it was quite bland. Our server was really on it but disappeared at the end, when we wanted to get our check. All in all just an OK experience; with so many good restaurants in the area I won't be rushing back.

Consistently outstanding service, food and ambiance. We sat upstairs this time and loved it. It is so serene and lovely with trees growing between the buildings hanging lanterns on the branches. The food is so good. I had the trio of filet mignon, which was cooked perfectly and absolutely flavorful. My husband had the seafood paella and he enjoyed every single bite. We also shared the spatzle Mac and cheese, which was unique and creamy good.

We shared a wonderful ricotta appetizer and had a perfectly made creme brûlée to finish the meal.

We celebrated our 20th anniversary and I wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else. Perfect place for a special occasion.

I tried out brunch here today. Our table ordered the fish tacos, fish and chips, and the tuna melt. The fish tacos were the least flavorful out of the three. Fish and chips were bomb! Perfectly fried, not too much breading. The tuna melt didn't have much mayo, which was great. And they didn't skimp out on their portions!

For appetizers, we ordered the burrata and mozzarella as well as the oysters. Oysters were not very tasty and the burrata was good, but not great. We did enjoy all of our cocktails though!

Gorgeous restaurant right on PCH located by the main beach.
We came here for my birthday lunch which was really a perfect choice along with a day at the beach.
The restaurant is gorgeous, really love the decor, classy, but not stuffy.
Service is great, very friendly and efficient, food was ready quickly and presented nicely.
Prices are bit high, burgers start at $16 and go up to $20 depending if you add cheese or any of their other suggested toppings.
They were fantastic and very much worth it, just more of a splurge than something you would indulge in more often.
The veggie burger also good, but a bit mushy, I would order something else next time.
Not a huge fan of their fries, but the salads are fantastic, as are the tater tots.
Excellent brunch menu I will have to return for next time, so many great items on their menu, very much worth checking out!

We use to love coming to this place. Last time was 1.5 years ago and there were 8 of us, sat upstairs. Service was excellent.
Today...Ordered a TUNA MELT so how does one go wrong with this dish?? Well a tuna melt means it's grilled and typically comes with cheese. WATERMARC a TUNA MELT sandwich is tuna and a layer of melted cheese in it, usually eaten hot. THIS WAS FAR FROM IT! Paid $16 and subways is better. Imagine a grilled cheese but add some delicious chunks or blend of tuna mixture. WATERMARC pls call it simply a sandwich bec that's what this is! So disappointed and should have gone to SLAP FISH down the road to have a lobster grilled cheese. It's not the price, it's a very upset patron for not getting her tuna melt the way it should be prepared. FAIL!!!

I remembered this place fondly from a few years ago: very friendly service, good food and ambiance. This time, the experience was fine but not wow'ing. There are plenty of cute spots on the main strip of Laguna Beach; this one is pretty pricey for the main meals.

The salmon nicoise salad ($21) was good - though not really a salad per se, but more of a grilled salmon atop a bed of greens and some veggie sides. The salmon was a little too charred on top but still good. I did very much enjoy the warm bread in the bag and the bacon dates (if you like that sort of thing). I do remember that many of their small plates were quite tasty. Their main dishes, including paella, were all mostly around $30+ so opted for the salad. There are also other small plates that you could share if you're watching your bottom line.

A plus is that there's a gelato place right next door.

Matt B. and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary Saturday night with a lovely dinner at Watermarc in downtown Laguna Beach. Reservations don't appear to be hard to get, but they are probably necessary during peak weekend dinner hours. We were able to book a 7:00 table just a few days in advance, but the restaurant was very busy when we arrived--I overheard the host telling people there was communal seating available, but that the regular tables were fully booked.

We were a little late for our reservation, so Matt dropped me off to claim our table before going out in search of parking. If you're driving to dinner, be warned that the parking situation might be terrible. There's no valet, and downtown Laguna is packed on a Saturday night. I waited for Matt for like fifteen minutes after I sat down. Thankfully, our server Wade was very friendly and welcoming. He checked in on me while I waited, and once Matt arrived, he was quick to get him a drink.

Wade was a great host throughout our meal, and I found the restaurant very pleasant and comfortable all around. The atmosphere was lively and relaxed, appropriate for a nice upscale spot in a Southern California beach town.

We enjoyed our dinner, starting with a fresh, crusty loaf of bread served with a fancy butter spread made with a red wine reduction, blue cheese, and shallots. We shared two hearty starters, and I'd recommend them both. The burrata mozzarella was rich and milky, served with herb pesto, aged balsamic, and an heirloom tomato panzanella--a bright salad of bread, tomato, onion, and cucumber, with some frisée to top off the whole dish. The gnocchi was excellent--big, soft Roman-style dumplings presented in a small baking dish with fried rosemary and a decadent gorgonzola Mornay.

Watermarc seems to specialize in seafood, so we opted for the dayboat scallops and one of the night's specials for our mains, the wild ivory king salmon. The scallops were delicious, firm and creamy with a neat sear, served with sofrito and a flavorful lobster risotto. I was less into the ivory king salmon, which seemed overcooked to me. It may be, though, that this was just a meatier, denser fish than I was expecting--I'd never had white salmon before, and was surprised to find it drier and less flaky than I typically enjoy my salmon. It came with a citrusy, buttery sauce over a cranberry citrus cous cous, though, both of which were quite delicious.

Wade brought us dessert on the house to commemorate our anniversary--a very sweet touch for a nice restaurant, where I'm sure people are celebrating shit all the time. This was Abuela Irma's flan, complete with a cute little candle. The flan was on point, a smooth, caramely custard finished with roasted grapes and an almond tuile.

If you're looking to get a good seafood dinner in Laguna Beach, Watermarc is a solid choice. We had a great time celebrating our anniversary and especially appreciated the warm service.