Which restaurant on this list holds a Wine Spectator award?

Selanne Steak Tavern, in Laguna Beach, is the only restaurant on this list with a Wine Spectator award, a Best of Award of Excellence dated 2026. The wine program is exceptional: 400 selections and a 3,000-bottle inventory, with California and French strengths.

Which neighborhood has the most restaurants on this list?

The neighborhood Laguna Beach has the most restaurants on this list: Selanne Steak Tavern, Splashes, and Nick's Laguna Beach. Broadway by Amar Santana is the restaurant from this list in Downtown Laguna Beach. Wine Gallery is the restaurant from this list in South Laguna.

What wine styles are named on this list?

California and French strengths are the regional strengths named on this list, at Selanne Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach, with 400 selections and a 3,000-bottle inventory. Wine Gallery in South Laguna includes its own Mile 216 wine on an extensive list.

← Laguna Beach

Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers in Laguna Beach

Selanne Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach is the one restaurant on this list with a Wine Spectator award, a Best of Award of Excellence. Its list runs to 400 selections and a 3,000-bottle inventory, with California and French strengths. Every restaurant on this list carries an exceptional wine program and an extensive list.

Wine Gallery in South Laguna adds its own Mile 216 wine to an extensive list, with wood-fired pizzas, small plates, and a la carte service. Broadway by Amar Santana in Downtown Laguna Beach keeps an extensive list beside progressive American cooking with French techniques, in a la carte, prix fixe, and small-plate formats. Splashes in Laguna Beach pairs an extensive list and craft cocktails with oceanfront coastal seafood, a la carte and prix fixe. Nick's Laguna Beach is an 80-seat classic American steakhouse in Laguna Beach, with an extensive list and a la carte service.

How this list is chosen: Restaurants holding a Wine Spectator Restaurant Award or rated as having an exceptional wine program, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.

Broadway by Amar Santana
Exceptional wine program
Broadway by Amar Santana sits on Glenneyre Street in Laguna Beach, where the chef's reputation — built through Top Chef recognition and a career in serious American kitchens — meets a coastal California dining scene that punches above its resort-town weight. The room draws on that tension between beach-town ease and technical ambition, placing it in a distinct tier among Orange County's fine-casual options.
Nick's Laguna Beach
Exceptional wine program
On South Coast Highway, Nick's Laguna Beach occupies the kind of position that neighbourhood regulars quietly claim as their own — a gathering spot where the pace slows and the drink matters more than the spectacle. Sitting in the middle of Laguna's walkable dining corridor, it draws both locals and visitors who want a familiar room without the resort-hotel formality found elsewhere on the strip.
Selanne Steak Tavern
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence · Exceptional wine program
A Michelin Plate-recognized steakhouse on Laguna Beach's Coast Highway, Selanne Steak Tavern pairs a serious beef program with one of Orange County's more considered wine lists: 400 selections, 3,000-bottle inventory, and California and French strengths. At the $$$ cuisine tier with a formal dinner-only format, it occupies the upper end of the South OC dining bracket.
Splashes
Exceptional wine program
Perched above the Pacific on South Coast Highway, Splashes occupies one of Laguna Beach's most commanding coastal positions. The kitchen works California's proximity to notable seafood and produce against a backdrop of global culinary technique, placing it in the tradition of Southern California's ingredient-forward fine dining. For visitors to Laguna Beach, it represents a benchmark address alongside a tight field of serious local restaurants.
Wine Gallery
Exceptional wine program
Wine Gallery occupies a storefront on South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, placing it within easy reach of the town's gallery district and coastal dining corridor. The format suits occasions that call for something more considered than a beachside casual, sitting in a mid-tier niche between the area's steakhouse flagships and its neighborhood bistros.

Planning restaurants for wine lovers in Laguna Beach

Which restaurant on this list holds a Wine Spectator award?: Selanne Steak Tavern, in Laguna Beach, is the only restaurant on this list with a Wine Spectator award, a Best of Award of Excellence dated 2026. The wine program is exceptional: 400 selections and a 3,000-bottle inventory, with California and French strengths.
Which neighborhood has the most restaurants on this list?: The neighborhood Laguna Beach has the most restaurants on this list: Selanne Steak Tavern, Splashes, and Nick's Laguna Beach. Broadway by Amar Santana is the restaurant from this list in Downtown Laguna Beach. Wine Gallery is the restaurant from this list in South Laguna.
What wine styles are named on this list?: California and French strengths are the regional strengths named on this list, at Selanne Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach, with 400 selections and a 3,000-bottle inventory. Wine Gallery in South Laguna includes its own Mile 216 wine on an extensive list.