Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Aliso Viejo / Laguna Niguel

We’ve loved The Tea House on Los Rios for so many years now. Celebrated birthdays and just being with loved ones here. The food is great, the teas are AMAZING, the service is always wonderful and the whole experience leaves us happy and cared for and always anticipating our next visit. Highly recommend them.

We were so excited to visit Splashes since the remodel and we were pleasantly impressed! We started with a cocktail in the new lobby lounge that overlooks the ocean. What an outstanding use of this location that use to be hotel suites. Next it was on to Splashes where we were met by Julian (from Paris) who found us a marvelous table overlooking the picturesque sunset. Julian is a great ambassador for the hotel and Splashes. Our Waiter was Patrick from Buenos Aires, Patrick and his server Jose have been with the hotel for years and were very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. We started with the lobster bisque, this is a must have when visiting Splashes, it was outstanding! Our dinner was beautifully presented and delicious. I had the sea bass special for the evening, it was tender and buttery and it melted in my mouth. My wife had the halibut which was also outstanding. We ended the evening with a shared Baked Alaska, it was the perfect sweet treat to complete this great evening. We can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed our experience at Surf and Sands Splashes. We will be back very soon!

Great customer service would recommend to anyone trying to eat some Italian food

It was my first time dining with RCW. After reading numerous reviews, I decided that RCW was the best place for dinner. From the moment I walked in, I was impressed by the ambiance and energy of the place. It wasn’t too rowdy, but it wasn’t too quiet either—just the right balance where you can enjoy a private dinner while still being surrounded by lively company. The food was beyond great. We started with the Brussels sprouts, which absolutely blew my mind, and then moved on to the Cowboy Steak and Filet Mignon. For dessert, we had the Whiskey Bundt Cake—an absolute must-try when you visit. Be sure to pair it with their coffee; you won’t be disappointed. We also tried the dessert wine, which had distinct chocolate raspberry notes, though those flavors only came through after a strong hit of alcohol (lol). The only downside of the night was the service at our table. From the moment we sat down, it took 20 minutes just for the server to come over and take our drink order. Even after placing the drink order, it was another 20 minutes before they returned to ask about appetizers—by which time we were already ready to order our main dishes. I believe the manager noticed because she personally came over to take our dessert order. It seemed like she had seen us sitting there, twiddling our thumbs while waiting for the server. I had read reviews mentioning that the service at the Ladera Ranch location was subpar, and unfortunately, I have to agree. Other than that, I highly recommend visiting this place just for the food! Thank you to the manager on duty who noticed us sitting there uncomfortably. She is definitely service-oriented and genuinely cares about taking care of the customers.

We enjoyed a wonderful Valentine’s Day lunch of freshly made guacamole and chips along with ribs for appetizers. The main course was a delicious grilled chicken plate featuring fingerling potatoes with an amazing cream dressing! Our server was very attentive and helpful, providing us with all the modifications requested of our meal. The ambiance was great, the view spectacular, and overall feel of warmth in all of the staff we encountered! A perfect place to celebrate the occasion, and we will definitely return in the future!