This restaurant is amazing!!!! Reading some of these post are so funny getting upset cause you couldn't sit out side yes it is a busy restaurant but the food is amazing what do you expect!! The hostess are so nice and treat you as if your the only one that matters we came about ten minutes before our reservation an was quickly seated the service was fast and our waiter was super nice and welcoming Alessandro shortly came out and gave us a big welcome into his restaurant probably one of the best Italian restaurant I have been in!!
Review Source:This restaurant has excellent food. Â Beef carpaccio, calamari, mushroom pizza, and all of the pasta dishes are fantastic. Â It's a bonus that prices are very reasonable. Â It's a surprise that a restaurant with this food quality is in a Holiday inn. Â Be sure to check out happy hour too.
Review Source:Mare Culinary Lounge...what a joke! Â I hope this review gives you great insight into what a horrible experience you'll have if you attempt to dine here. Â My party had a reservation booked and confirmed for 7:30 to sit in their outside area. Â Since its Laguna beach and my party had all visitors to town, we wanted to make sure we could eat outside and booked the table at Mare because they confirmed an outside table was available. Â Arrived 15 minutes before our reservation to be told to head to the bar to grab a drink while they get the table ready. Â Then, at the time of our reservation the hostess walked up to let us know that if we wanted to eat outside we had to wait another 35 minutes to an hour. Â Then, the hostess mentioned she had a table inside that could be ready soon if we opted to eat inside. Â At this point if we wanted to eat dinner at a reasonable hour we had to take the inside table. Â Now here's where the real fun begins. Â
First, the acoustics inside suck. Â You literally had to yell to the person across the table to be able to hear them. Â After letting the hostess know that it was wrong not to plan properly and get us a table outside (per the reservation made) I, in some way expected a manager to apologize and possibly offer a free appetizer or round of drinks (not that it was needed), but to make the experience better, a manager should have at least apologized. Â This never happened.
As for the food. Â I give the appetizers a good grade. Â The burrata was tasty and the bottle of wine we had was ok. Â As for the main courses....yuck yuck and one more time yuck! Â Its like the chef went to the supermarket across the street, bought some frozen dishes and pasta and went heavy on the microwave. Â Another funny thing that happened is the table next to us complained about the shrimp they were eating and asked to know where the shrimp came from. Â We next saw a waiter bring over a bag of frozen shrimp that you can get at your local grocery store. Â The table next to us wasn't that amused and both our tables shared a little giggle as we were both having a below average experience. Â Basically, nothing tasted fresh and service needed an upgrade. Â I feel at a restaurant of this nature they should at least remember who ordered what so that hot plates don't need to be shuffled around when the food arrives. Â As you can tell...this restaurant failed on many levels.
To wrap this up, I was very taken back by the lack of respect by never getting an apology or any type of communication saying we were wrong and we apologize for messing up your reservation. Â I think the main thing that would have smoothed everything over was a little communication by the manager to at least say let me make this experience better....maybe a round of drinks on the house, appetizer, or just saying we're sorry would have gone a long way. Â Instead, I had to ask to speak to the manager after the meal was over since the hostess's didn't give any message to the manager. Â Oh..the manager happened to be the Chef and owner Alessandro Pirozzi. Â This guy just doesn't get it. Â Spit out nothing but nonsense and I can tell why the restaurant was empty soon after we were seated. Â
Save yourself money and head to any other establishment in Laguna for a great meal. Â I recommend the restaurant 230...simply amazing :)
Another small tibit for ya...for a fine establishment as Mare claims to be, the bathrooms (both men and women) were nasty. Â My family members visiting town were scared to enter.
This place is amazing!
I stopped in last week with my wife for happy hour.
I felt like we were sitting at the kitchen table of of an old friend eating some of the most spectacular food I have ever had.
I am an east coast guy and a bit of a snob regarding Italian food.
Everything we ate exceeded our expectations. A simple thing like a meatball is raised to new heights.
Luigi took care of us he was exceptional in every way.
I can't wait to go back
My friend made a reservation at this restaurant for his friends and family to eat at after he proposed to his girlfriend. Â Apparently two days in advance is not enough time for this restaurant to get its act together. My friend called to confirm the reservation TWICE today. We arrived about 10 minutes early and let them know we were there. Â After being reassured that the table would be ready soon, we were told we could wait in the bar. Â Maybe they think their bar area is much larger, because in reality sending 10+ people into a tiny hole isn't a great idea. Â The waiters practically ran us over and didn't say a word. Â Next, the hostess avoided eye contact with us so she wouldn't have to answer about why our table wasn't ready for 15 minutes after our reservation time. Â
When we finally got seated, we were squeezed into tables that were obviously made for two people but had about 4 place settings at each. Â I couldn't even hear the waitress over the obnoxiously loud music. Â We ended up having a couple extra people come, and when I went to ask the hostess if we could have another tiny table, there was already someone complaining about their horrible experience.
Another friend was already fed up with the service and asked to speak to the manager. Â He came out of the kitchen and told two of his servers to make sure we were taken care of. Â He then proceeded to tell us that we could have appetizers and he would take care of them. Â We were billed for the appetizers. Â And the service did not improve. The draft beer came in a tiny glass and one person from our party got brought a glass and a bottle of beer. Â For restaurant that claims to be all-that and a bag of chips, you think they could pour the beer.
An hour after our reservation, we finally got our orders taken. Â My friend that had already complained asked for bread FIVE times before it was finally brought out.
Here's the only good part of the review: the food was delicious. Â Although do not use the online menu as a guide because the actual menu is different and the prices are higher.
At the end the waitress gave us attitude because we had not asked for split checks at the beginning of the meal. Maybe she forgot because we ask as soon as we were seated. We also found charges for things we had not even ordered and had to correct the bill.
I would never go back to this restaurant. Â It was a horrible experience and I will be warning people to stay away from it. Â It was a special night for our friends and we would've gotten much better service at Ruby's or any other restaurant that knows anything about customer service.
I like this place the food is very good & the service was amazing the girl at the bar was great!!! loved bar area...
The only thing is that the food portions are very small.. & the management is not so great.. they definitely need to upgrade management.
Manager was rude & didn't look professional.
Overall good experience at this location, definitely going back soon purely because of good service in bar/location & food.
Let me start off by stating the food we had here was actually pretty good. Â The restaurant was recommended to me for our rehearsal dinner, so we thought we'd try it out. Â Our server was helpful and when the manager found out we were there to try the restaurant to see if it would work for our rehearsal dinner, he was very attentive to us, almost too attentive. Â He recommended we have the dinner on their patio which they were remodeling and would be finished in time. Â We estimated 30 to 40 guests, so we were not a small group by any means and assumed most restaurants would be glad to have us. Â We were referred to their catering manager Beth to discuss arranging a menu and reserving our date. Â This was a 2 month process to review menu options, mostly because she was so slow in responding which required multiple follow ups on our end to see where we were in the process. Â We were initially given a menu, along with a set price per person including no charge for reserving the patio. After tossing around some different ideas for making changes to the menu, Beth pressed us to change the dinner to Thursday night instead of Friday. Â We informed her multiple times that did not work for our timeline with people coming from out of town. Â After a full month into the process, Beth sent an email stating that they recently remodeled the patio, which she and the manager already informed us and was the reason they recommended us using the patio, but now they were going to have to charge us a patio rental fee. Â Once again, this was after we were already informed of the remodel and our quoted price without the minimum charge. Â We took this as a slap in the face as we had a large group and our order was not small by any means. Â We had 3 appetizers for all of our guests, salad, 3 menu items to choose from for dinner which were on the higher end of their menu, one of which was a custom order, plus dessert, not to mention what 30-40 guests would order at the bar. Â We informed Beth that was not a part of our original quoted agreement and requested her to honor it. Â Furthermore, our rehearsal at the venue was early, so we were scheduled for dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 at Mare before their Saturday evening rush. Â Beth said she would have to check with the owner/chef Alessandro to see if they could "accomodate" us. Â After further follow up, we finally received the okay to proceed without the patio charge. Â Another two weeks went by when Beth informed us that they had a prior reservation to us on the patio. This was incredibly precarious and convenient that suddenly there is a prior booking to us, mind you, we had been in negotiations of this event for two months ourselves. Â I could understand that if there was a one off conversation and then when she took another look at the calendar realizing there was a mistake; unfortunately, this statement was not credible at all as we had been discussing our event for a two month period. Â So either this was an absolute lie, or Beth is the absolute worst catering planner. Â I decided to contact Alessandro to see if dealing with him directly might save our event at this location. Â He informed me he was unfamiliar with the sitaution and promised he would follow up the next day. Â I NEVER heard from Alessandro again. Â
If they would treat our large group in this manner, how do you think they will treat a small dinner reservation for two? Â I surveyed the other reviews on yelp and you'll see the majority of people find the food is good, but the bad reviews all tend to focus on the terrible service experience they received. Â They wasted over two and a half months of our time, so we are moving on to find another venue that will care about our event as much as we do. Â We certainly will tell everyone we know to never visit this restaurant.
4.5 Stars--Lacking in 5 due to delayed waiter service and a couple other minor problems but I can totally overlook them because of the quality of the food.
To Share's:
Prosciutto and Barrata- Creamy, delicious and enough to share with a group of 4.
Cuori di Zucca- Butternut squash in brown butter sage sauce. Â The sage is candied and to die for. Â Great flavor and also enough to share with a group of 4.
They serve small bread pieces with a pesto sauce--amazing.
Paste:
Our group shared 3 dishes.
Limoncello infused Mafaldine--this was my favorite but not my order! Â Brilliant lemon flavor and delish lobster. Â Highly recommend!
Black Ink Tagliolini--heavier than it sounds. Â One downfall is we received 2 pieces of shrimp and they weren't tiger shrimp. Â Lots of clams though and great flavor.
Fresine Lunghe- great for the eggplant lovers! Â The basil really shined.
Great location for touring Laguna Beach and it's across from the ocean. Â Fantastic date location. Â
The ambiance feels fancy but you don't have to dress up to eat here (which I like). Â I think with it being a part of the Holiday Inn, it brings the fancy down a notch :)
Chilean sea bass was a crispy perfectly done piece of art with multiple veggie aspects. Beautiful and delicious. I guess they were busy but they forgot my request for lemon and a taste of their moscato. Otherwise they did a great job of taking care of our large party. The decor was beautiful. Very modern.
Review Source:Stumbled on this place because it was right across from our hotel, Pacific Edge, and we got in late. Â The front desk mentioned them because they supply the room service to the hotel. Â I wasn't expecting much, but was far from disappointed. Â There was a slight wait between courses, otherwise the wait staff and chef were very friendly.
The pesto dip and bread were a nice and light start to the meal. Â We ordered the limoncello infused malfadine (lobster pasta), shrimp risotto, and lasagna. Â Although the first two dishes were highly recommended by our waitress, the lasagna was the highlight. Â While I didn't have a chance to try it, I also heard from other tables that the Mamma Mia (meatball appetizer) was a must.
Located in the Best Western Hotel In Laguna, this place was a hidden gem as they would say.
The service was incredibly warm and genuine. The manager also came out during the last half of our meal to talk to us about the food and the service.
The food was fresh and absolutely delicious. One of my favorite places in Laguna Beach to eat. Definitely worth it!
I almost didn't eat here, as the restaurant is in the lobby of a Holiday Inn! Â I felt like... Uh Oh... I don't like hotel food, usually, and... it's a Holiday Inn...
However... we sat down and ordered up some things to share and I must say it was GREAT. Â The service was great, too. Â The chef even came out and talked to us...
The Carpaccio of Organic Heirloom was deilicioso... Â but... the mushroom risotto was nearly orgasmic...
The salmon seemed a tad over cooked, but we didn't care because the meal, overall, was perfect.
Incredible! On every level.
Ask for Luigi as your waitperson.
Let him order for you.
If you see Alessandro ( Chef/owner) and you will as he generally visits each table to make sure you are experiencing the finest Italian food in the world, smile because you won't be able to anything else! Â He is special. as is the food, service, atmoshphere!
Who would think that "the restaurant at the Holiday Inn" would be at the top of anyone's list. I guess things are different 'round here.
Sit outside in the courtyard, for sure. Big trees, fresh air and fire add to the atmosphere.
The dining experience is relaxed and paced. Enjoy an hour or three sipping cocktails and nibbling on squash ravioli appetizers before diving into the specials.
The bar inside gets hoppin'. Enjoy the people watching!
Locals know if you can't get a seat at the owner's Alessa's, then walk the few blocks to Maré for, almost, the same menu. It's a hidden gem off the main drag of downtown and I can already tell people are swarming.
The food is beyond spectacular - beyond. And the service is top-notch, best in the business. Try everything on the menu (meaning, everyone order a different dish so you can share) because it's all so flavorful, fresh and authentic Italian cuisine. Whatever you imagined the dish might taste like, it's 10 times better. And the desserts! Holy cow...lick.the.spoons. I'm drooling just imagining the tiramasu.
Best of all, it's by the beach so you get diners who are casual during the day to dressy for night time. But for dinners, people go all out to look nice. It feels right for this place. And they have a beautiful courtyard they share with the hotel. It's beautiful.
Went back again. Â Last time, it was a fiasco. Â This time, they made a lot of improvements since we were there, so here's the review:
Service -- waited 20 minutes before some saw us! Â Ordered drinks, then waited 20 minutes before they came and we could order! Â 2 stars for this :(
Carpaccio was the best, ever. Â 5 stars.
"pizza" thing was sucky. Â 1 star.
over all, 2 stars.
I had lunch here today for my friend's graduation celebration. The place was fairly empty and quiet. I would say the ambiance is definitely fancy here. The food and service was exquisite. I don't know if the dinner menu gets more expensive, but lunch for such a nice place is affordable at around $20 something per dish.
The bread with the pesto is so good. We had the mushroom and cheese something appetizer, and that also was very good. Something so simple also.
I had the wild mushroom risotto with chicken and Gorgonzola. It was delightfully creamy without being sickening. I couldn't finish the whole plate and ended up bringing it home for dinner. My friend's parents and sister had seafood linguine and that was also very good.
They seem to handmake their pasta here and it definitely shows.
The only thing I need to say is that they do not have free parking, everything around this area is metered parking. And no matter what, do not I repeat DO NOT PARK AT RALPHS. My friend parked there and they towed her car. It was not even 2 hrs. The city takes this parking thing seriously and it is strictly reinforced.
Was out in the area and I came here for our anniversary dinner after we saw the reviews. Â Made reservations and when we got there we waited close to 90 minutes after our reservation time, which was a real buzz kill. Â They were extremely busy that night, but it was very irritating that I had made a reservation few days in advance and still had to wait that long.
The food was good, but our night which started off amazing ended at Mare to a dismal end. Â Best part of the meal was the cocktail we both had that got us in a better mood whlist blasting music down PCH.
Service was ok, food was pretty good, and they will make you wait on a Saturday night for over an hour if you have a reservation and then tell you "you shouldve come last night, it wasnt this busy.' Â I will never recommend this place nor will I ever consider going back.
My wife and I love this place. Every dish that we've ordered is fantastic. They also bring out bread in the beginning with some kind of pesto olive oil dipping sauce, it is amazing.
My wife had the salmon and she loved it. I had the chicken fontal and it was really well done. The potatoes blend perfectly. Â My daughter had the meatballs, and frankly I was jealous, they looked really good and she loved them. If you go here, you will not be disappointed.
Had dinner here the other night.An appetizer of sea bass"crudo"(Raw sea bass which was supposed to"cook"on a hot plate was ill prepared.Plate was not hot but lukewarm,bass was raw and tasteless.Main course of chicken milanese was overcooked,dry and also tasteless.
Won't be back soon.Service was good.
Unexpectedly stopped by this little lounge nested within Holiday Inn. My friends couldn't get into Kya, so we decided on making reservations at Mare. At first glance, the modern , fresh restaurant gave a very nice vibe to start our dinner. We were seated in the patio area since the space was larger. The only thing we all complained about was that there wasn't enough heating in the patio area. It gets super cold at night..so my advice is just bring a sweater just in case you stop by this place.
We received complementary bread which was fresh and seasoned with rosemary. The "green dipping sauce" was just basil, olive oil, and some vinegar. I have to say that sauce was very addicting nor too salty. Our group continued getting seconds soon after.
The happy hour menu wasn't much of a happy hour, but the selection was decent. My friends and I ended up ordering the pizzas, calamari, pink farfalle pasta, eggplant pasta, and dessert, which included both a chocolate souffle and tiramisu.
My favorite appetizer of that evening was definitely the calamari. Very crispy, hot, and tasted fresh, plus the calamari wasn't too chewy like other places. I also my pink farfalle pasta, so creamy and savory. My friend's eggplant infused pasta was pretty unique. The pasta noodles were a deep purple since it was made from eggplant, and was cooked in a tomato sauce, which gave it a more sweet and savory taste to it.
The best part of our meal was probably the dessert. The tiramasu was my favorite of the night! It had Kaluhua liquor and as an added bonus the manager Victor gave us extra wafer rolls for our table. I thought that was so kind of him. He also gave me more of that "green sauce" which I kept asking for throughout the night.
Service was AMAZING. Probably one of the best I've encountered out of many restaurants I've been to. If there is one thing that would keep me coming back is the service. The staff treated us so well that evening, which really enhanced my dining experience at this restaurant. Definitely a place I would recommend to anyone visiting Laguna Beach and looking for an beautiful, intimate restaurant to have dinner.
The hubby and I came here for breakfast. Â He got the steak and eggs and omg, they had a BIG steak came out juicy and perfect. I got a few bites and it was delicious, perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper no need to add anything. Â I had the chicken panini and it was good/ok. Â You can't really go wrong with a panini but it wasn't really what I was expecting. Â I was expecting more of a Panera Bread Panini where they cut it in half. Â This came out kind of like a sandwhich that was cut into 4 squares. Â The vegetables that they used for fresh but too much arugula in the middle like a side salad? I'm not sure since there is no dressing. Â I threw it away.
We also came here for dinner for my 30th bday and it was really yummy. Â We got the Lamb with risotto. Â It was like a bit of amazingness in every bite!!! Â The meat was slightly undercooked and paired with the buttery risotto which did not disappoint! Â I loved the sauce that it came with and would dip my bread in it. I didn't care too much for the pesto olive oil that the bread came with though. Â It was actually a really big portion that could be shared for two people.
The butternut squash dish was a little on the sweet side but I liked it a lot! Â The only thing I wouldn't get again was the eggplant infused pasta dish since I thought it looked weird and didn't taste like it was anything special. Â It was black b/c the eggplant infusion. At first, I thought it looked like bugs! Â We actually didn't eat much of it and just let it go. Â Next time, I would probably try the salmon pasta.
For desert, we shared the Oreo cookie gelato. Â I felt like I had over 1000 calories for the meal but hey, you only turn 30 once! Â I was really tempted to order some champagne/wine but couldn't since I was nursing the bebe! Next time for sure since they had a good list and prices seemed reasonable.
I do not like this location at all, it's downstairs from a Holiday Inn on PCH in Laguna Beach and adjacent to a swanky Ralph's  grocery store.  Ambiance outside this location is negative 5 stars but inside is a tad better in an updated modern themed restaurant serving good cuisine.  It's 3 star A-ok food and will not blow your socks off nor is it likely to impress a date or anything like that but the staff is super nice and they do their best.
Review Source:Finally, I managed to come out and try Mare, after reading so many rave reviews about it. Thank god I have a roommate who's always down for a foodie adventure!
The place was fairly empty on a Tuesday night (kind of to be expected, really), but I'd prefer that to a crowded place anyways.
The menu is one of those gems where everything sounds so great, it's kind of annoying having to narrow down your choices to just one or two dishes. We ended up starting with the prosciutto and burrata - it was gorgeously presented, on a wooden plant - a massive pile of creamy mozzarella on a bed of greens, next to a heaping of perfectly salted prosciutto, accompanied by two bread-like crackers. It was delicious, an excellent start to the meal. The bread-to-burrata ratio was a little off, so we ended up piling it on top of the warm focaccia they brought us (along with a plate of pesto to dip it in, a nice change from the usual oil-and-vinegar).
For my entrée, I went with the black ink tagliolini with manila clams and black tiger shrimp, mostly because I wanted to try something different. While it was unlike any dish I've had before, it was good - the contrasting color of the dark pasta with the sun-dried tomatoes and seafood was quite nice, and it was seasoned perfectly.
I can't wait to come back to try more of the amazing sounding creations!
The fried burrata was DELICIOUS!!! We also had the Crispy Soppressata Pizzovale and Pink Farfalle
Everything was really good...my only complaint (taking away the 1 star) is that the food was very salty. Â It wasn't noticeable at first, but a few bites in, which every dish, got to be overwhelmingly salty. Â I am thankful that my water glass was being refilled often.
Also, the house-made salame on the pizza tasted a bit gamey, which I've never tasted in other salames.
I came in with huge expectations due to the great reviews, but we were disappointed.
Our server was waaaaaaay overloaded. It took us 25 minutes just to get a glass of wine. She was nice, but seemed like she had too many tables last Saturday night. 2/5
My seabass special was great! 5/5
However, my date's ribeye was chewy and overcooked, and his asparagus was stringy. He would've sent it back, but we waited so long for our food as it was, we were starving and didn't want to deal with it. 1/5
We ended on a good note with the creme brulee. 5/5
Sadly, I doubt we'll return due to the poor service and sad ribeye/asparagus.
**This review is for the Lounge **
Went for happy hour on a Sunday night with 5 friends and sat in the lounge.  Great atmosphere, decor and live jazz music for a fun vibe.  Service needs some work.  We had a large table and while there were not many tables in the restaurant we felt we constantly had to chase down our waitress who wasn't very helpful in making any food recommendations (you eat where you work...right??)  We sticked with the happy hour menu and while the food was tasty, there wasn't a large variety....ended up with primarily  "carb" type apps. Â
Full menu sounds delicious and getting good reviews so we will be back to give it a full dinner experience.
I brought my mom here for her birthday a few months back and wow, did we enjoy it! The manager is so nice and makes you feel so comfortable. He came up to our table and was talking to us, I felt like he was an old friend I've known forever! Their drinks were great. Now...the food...WOW!!
I'm a huge Italian restaurant snob. I have lived in Italy for several months out of the year growing up and my dad used to own an Italian restaurant so I am very picky with Italian food. However, Mare's food is as authentic as it can get here! We ordered the calamari as our appetizer. They also fried olive and jalapenos along with the calamari and it was delicious!! I'm not a huge jalapeno or olive fan but I'm pretty sure I demolished it all.
I ordered the Dolce e Gabana as my entree which is pasta with salmon and tomato sauce. Wow, the fish and pasta were both so fresh!! You can tell they make their own pasta.
Sadly, I haven't had time to come back here but I definitely do want to come back! I came here on a weekday during the day for lunch with my mom. I would like to come back on a Friday or Saturday night, it seems like it would be a lot of fun.
If you're looking for authentic Italian food with great service and a great atmosphere, I highly recommend this place!
They certainly do not need my review to validate their restaurant!
But it is THE TASTEIST, FRESHIEST, and just PLAIN BEST food you can have in OC/LA area. I frequently dine at nicer and better quality restaurants but Mare is absolutely is one of the best!
You are treated like an Italian family member and the vibe is really chic and fun!
My husband tells me he can eat here for the rest of his life and will not complain EVER!
Went to brunch there for brunch with a friend on a Sunday morning. Awesome.
Atomsphere - relaxed sunny Laguna beach area. can't get any better. great LIVE BAND on Sunday's. nice for any kind of meal.
Food -
Panini: SMOKED TURKEY BREAST is my favoriate. You can taste the real turkey slices inside unlike those cheap and authentic. It is quality turkey. I like it with extra lettuce and tomato. The crispy slice of bacon certainly gives the panini a special twist.
Panini: GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST would be the pick if you simply can't decide which gourmet you are going to try today. The roma tomatos (read: yum) and pesto is one of a kind. The panini as a whole is original and refreshing.
MARE HOUSE SALAD: fresh ingredients, not too heavy on the dressing. loved it. You can also order a small salad for $2 when you order a main course.
Pasta:
You can't go wrong with any of the pastas. One of the best in town.
TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE: It is pasta with slow cooked meat sauce. The meat was so tender it literally melts in your mouth. The wonderful blend of the meat and the pasta was so unforgettable, I could not wait to go back. (My family, including me, were never fond of pastas. But this one completely changed our mind. Definitely worth 5 stars.)
MARE FRENCH TOAST: unlike other "toasts," Mare's special french toast uses BAGUETTE bread served with berries and almond slices. With this special condenced milk-ish sweet yet not too sweet sauce, I was begging for more after the 3rd piece. It is a must if you come to Mare.
Luigi also gave us a SORBET sampler just to try it out. My friend said it was one of the best sorbets he has ever had. I concur.
Service - true, try to sit in Luigi's section. He'll take care of everything ;) A little bit spacious on weekend mornings, but it will soon be full when lunch and dinner rolls around.
Parking - may be a little tricky. street side parking. bring quarters. 15mins for every $0.25.
After reading the reviews, I was anticipating a great dining experience. I took my family on a Saturday night for my wife 20th anniversary. I also brought a great bottle of wine; the corkage was only $15 (bonus!). Appetizers were good; pizza and calamari, but the entrees are what suffered. Three of the four meals were ill prepared, flavorless and dry.
Needless to say, we were not impressed with the service either. Very, very slow... Sorry Laguna, you have better than Mare.
We loved the excellent quality of the food and the service.
Our group of 7 ordered a wide variety of food and everything was fresh and tasty.
We are foodies and love the complexities of a well prepared dish.
The food here was freshly made and fresh tasting.
The service was also beyond the norm.
My daughter didn't care for the black ink pasta, so they were more than happy to credit our bill and bring her whatever else she wanted... quickly and with an honest apology.
Beautiful
We will be back :)
The only negative issue was the parking, which is quite far away, fine for us (we like to walk) but not cool if you are disabled or have difficulty walking on the uneven street and sidewalk.
Foodies in Laguna are always looking for the next best thing to hit our area. Â And it has - right downtown inside the Holiday Inn - Mare Culinary Lounge.
Chef owner Alessandro has done an amazing job with an upscale look, beautiful bar and outdoor area, not to mention the creative menu.
If you can do it, please sit in Luigi's section. Â He's brilliant with describing everything down to the last drop of olive oil. Â
We did 3 of the starter specials including a carpaccio of branzino, stuffed, battered and deep fried squash blossoms and a shrimp something. Â All delicious.
Entrees were lemonciello linguine with lobster, thin veal saltimbuca style, lasagna with meat balls and another fab pasta dish.
Our waiter suprized us with Oreo cookie gelato.
So great place, great food, fresh pasta made daily, can it get any better? Oh live entertainment Friday and Saturday nights, live jazz Sundays.
For more great Italian - go to Alessandro's other restaurant - Alessa's in downtown Laguna.
My husband and I had drinks, appetizers, dinner and coffee here on a Saturday night, and feel we had a good overall sampling of the experience at Mare.
Three stars in this case is because we feel a bit taken advantage of with the daily special. We listened to the appetizer specials from our waiter and changed our order from the menu appetizers to two of the specials the waiter mentioned. When we got our bill, those two appetizers were $22 for sea bass carpaccio + $18 for stuffed and fried butternut squash blossoms. $40 for 2 apps? Really?
For perspective, the 8oz filet mignon center cut on the menu is $26 with 2 sides included. The chicken and salmon entrees are $17 and $18 respectively--both of those with sides included. Regular appetizers on the menu (which we switched from) average $11.
See attached photo of our receipt. We had 3 alcoholic drinks and two coffee drinks post-dinner, so we've not averse to spending for extras at a meal out. But while the cost of the apps on special was not deceptive, it was not in line with costs on the rest of their menu, and is at best misleading. It left a bad taste in our mouths. No pun intended.
Last, I understand that specials are just that: 'special,' but there was no mention of expensive ingredients like truffle mushrooms or lobster tail that would leave a diner to expect a higher-than-normal price.
PROS: Service was great. We saw the chef milling around talking to people. The manager struck up a conversation with us and was helpful and charming. We sat outside on the patio that is in the courtyard of the Holiday Inn, and it was a very warm atmosphere.
CONS: Prices of specials not in-line with the rest of the menu. Customer beware, I suppose. I have never before left a restaurant feeling like I was taken advantage of.
This place is a gem! Â We read the reviews which captured our interest. Â On a late Saturday lunch, around 2 pm, the place was somewhat empty. Â I find it intimidating to go to empty restaurants. Â
However, we were greeted by a friendly host (Luigi). Â I ordered the Chicken Milanese... Incredible! Â My new favorite! We also ordered the Wild Boar pizza... Delicate and tasty!
Alessandro was very friendly and shared some freshly made sorbet with crispy salt flakes. Â At first I thought it was odd... Wow! Â The contrasts really wake up your taste buds.
Don't be intimidated if the place is sparse, go in and try it. Â I recommend the Chicken Milanase. Â Fantastic!
The place is clean, fresh, and the staff is friendly. Â Well done.
This is another great restaurat in Laguna Beach, located right next to the Holiday Inn. The back patio area of the restaurant actually connects to the Holiday Inn.
For starters, this place has great bread (soft and warm) with a delicious green pesto dip.
Mare also has all of my favorite foods:
Carpaccio of Organic Heirloom with burrata
- Really flavorful, fresh thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes served on a warm plate, so it was different from most tomato/mozzarella salads & i just love creamy burrata with arugula
Burrata Fritta over pomodoro sauce
- Did I mention how much I love burrata?! This dish was a generous portion for two to share and a unique way to have warm foccacia bread crumbs covering a ball of fresh burrata
I had the special of the night, which was a pan seared crusty on the outside but soft on the inside Sea bass  with some argula and artichoke. The sea bass was delicious and cooked perfectly, however the argula salad was a bit over salted.
For dessert, there was tiramisu served in a very interesting way in like a tall glass that was foamy and had the taste/essence of a tiramisu, but it was light, not heavy nor cake like. If that makes sense... it was good!
Lastly, the owner/chef Alessandro graciously came by our table (as he did with all tables) to check on us . He was so sweet and even gave us a shot of limoncello to finish the meal!
Overall, awesome dinner experience; it wasn't busy for a Friday night, but I'm sure as more people find out about this gem, it'll soon be fully packed.
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