The 38 best bars and drinks in Costa Mesa (2024)

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Pretty much perfect in every category. The food and service were both excellent. Appetizers like the shrimp co*cktail and garlic bread, and sauteed mushrooms were all very good. The crab legs and teriyaki chicken were both very good, the salad and rice pilaf were also both very good vegetarian dishes. The atmosphere was very good, really matched the old-school aesthetic with crooner music but was kinda weird when they had a live musician come in, didn't do it for me. The service was excellent, drinks were frequently filled, among other things.

If ever you find yourself in the Los Angeles area, adding this restaurant to your agenda will be worth it!Let’s start with the good! Ambiance is perfect for a romantic date night. Low lighting, great live music, snag the corner booth by the stage for a perfect table to snuggle up to your love while you watch the band. The staff was friendly, attentive, and This cozy restaurant features a solo chef… yep just one for the whole restaurant, who is on display the moment you step off the elevator. It’s mesmerizing to watch him work his magic!The shrimp scampi is hands down the absolute best I’ve ever put in my mouth. Cooked to perfection and seasoned expertly, this dish will melt in your mouth. We also had the halibut and New York strip and their famous twice baked potato, clam chowder and a Cesar salad ( which actually has Blue. Cheese on it). Again everything, seasoned and cooked perfectly.Ok, now the bad, and this is a stretch. We had a reservation at 7:30 but they were so packed that we didn’t get sat until 7:45… I told you it was a stretch lol. Same goes for the ugly section. The only ugly part was that I was too full to try a dessert.This is a phenomenal can’t miss experience!

Had a wonderful date here a few nights ago. I was a little worried by the few recently negative reviews but I must say everything was wonderful. The atmosphere was top notch, and the steaks compare with some I've had in New York City steakhouses (For a fraction of the price too!) All in all, a great experience. I will certainly find myself back here soon.

La Cave... generally a good place to listen to live music or DJs.We loved coming here.We reserved a table, we were accommodated promptly, and had a nice table. Shortly into being seated, we were treated nicely by the Waiter.(Btw the Menu has no prices. Supposedly because the Shellfish prices fluctuate too much to have prices on the menu. According to our waiter)We were told they wouldn't show us the cuts of the meat anymore, since Covid restricted this. (Other tables did get the service of seeing the daily cut of meat served, maybe someone forgot about our table?)We waited not long for our drinks to arrive, the co*cktails were of ok flavor. Water was refilled promptly until halfway through our dinner.The main dishes came out after some time, and two guests at our table had to wait 5 minutes longer than everyone else for their Dish.When it arrived it was lukewarm and my Steak was so salty, I couldn't finish it. I was offered a new steak but kindly denied it. The Mushrooms were also very salty and are not market fresh more like frozen or canned mushrooms. The flavor was good, besides the salt.The steak had a nice cut and was tender but I had to stop eating after a few bites due to the high salt content. I asked my table neighbor to try and they said it was very salty. ( I assume this must've been a mistake since we never had any steak like this before)I also assume that it was a mistake that we were told by the band that they had to stop singing since some guests were enjoying the music and other people were waiting at the door. They needed the tables we were sitting at to accommodate these people. We weren't offered any more drinks halfway through dinner. Water was also not refilled after the plates had been taken away.

The best most romantic atmosphere at L Cave Steak House! Nice music, nice servants, bartender is great. Food is delicious and drinks are amazing! Dimmed red lights. Perfect for a date dinner. It’s pretty expensive, but its worth it! Menu doesn’t have prices on it. Be ready it will not be cheap, but if you want to impress your other half, thats where you should come and thats what you should spend. Quality is pricy! Enjoy!

This place has a really cool atmosphere and live music was great. As mentioned in other reviews, it's fairly pricey but the crab legs were delicious. I really couldn't decide between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately decided on 3 because a steakhouse, especially one boasting to the be the best in OC, needs to know what a filet is. I ordered the filet and they served me what looked like the ribeye. I asked if it was the filet waitress verified that it was. The gentleman next to me got the same thing and they told him it was the filet also.You can see from my photo, as well as comparing it to others on reviews that it's not a filet. It was fine tasting but was a little embarrassing that they either really didn't know or ran out of stock and were lying about it. Drinks at the bar to enjoy the atmosphere and music are the only thing I would come back for.

We came in with low expectations just because we had been let down before. But we were pleasantly surprised by the good food and extremely good service. Having said this... their drinks and bread need work. The old fashion was worthy of a dive bar, and the garlic bread was overwhelmingly cheesy. Old fashions are not to be served with a glass full of ice, IYKYK. The steak and lobster were well cooked. Live music was outstanding, and overall, it was a good experience.

The perfect restaurant to take your parents when they’re in town. Not kidding, your dad will love it as much as mine does. The waitresses are so nice and helpful with the menu. The atmosphere gives old timey mobster vibes. The food is delicious too!!! Over all a really fun experience and great meal.

We went here last night for the first time and I was absolutely delighted to find out that there was live music! There was a man playing the guitar and singing… my favorite!We started out with the Clam Chowder and it was pretty good, no complaints. Our drinks were ok. I had the Cave margarita and Matt had the Mule. We were served complimentary cheesy bread that was pretty good but not memorable.The main dish was delicious! I had the king Crab and Matt got the Ribeye. Both were so good! I can’t wait for the left overs for lunch! They brought out an extra leg because they thought I didn’t have enough! I couldn’t finish it all, I’ll be making a king crab roll tomorrow for lunch 🤤, Matt’s ribeye will be in a breakfast burrito, living the high life!We ended with the cheesecake, with chocolate… it was good, but didn’t take like it was freshly made, tasted like it was frozen.My only complaint is that there was a table of 4 sitting between us and the musician… they were SOOO loud! They took away from the wonderful music! If you’re going to be talking obnoxiously loud with your friends, do everyone a favor and go to the side of the restaurant that’s meant for conversation.., don’t go to the side where someone is singing and trying to entertain people only to have your loud mouth drown out the singing.

Great atmosphere, gives you that old school steakhouse vibe. Also some live music. The filet wasn't bad. The NY streak strip wasn't so great though. The steak strip bites were good. Be forewarned, the prices aren't listed on the menu. The Shrimp co*cktail, which was 4 large pieces were above par. But I don't think I'd come back here for the food. Ambiance and service yes.

1695 Irvine Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, USA•http://www.lacaverestaurant.com/•(949) 646-7944•La Cave steak house and bar reservations