K’ya Bistro Bar

This is NOT about the food, but about the horrific aftermath.
My husband and I dined here on Friday, February 19^th and was served by TAYLOR. Our bill pre-​tax was less than $ 75 and I tipped him over $ 12 (a 17% tip). I received a notice from my credit card company that Taylor UPCHARGED my credit card giving himself a tip of over $ 20 (an OVERCHARGE of $ 8)! PLEASE BEWARE OF HAVING HIM AS A SERVER!!!
We were so upset because he seemed like a really nice guy only to have him think we were completely stupid and wouldn’t notice if he increased his tip amount! Thank goodness for my credit card company for noticing the unusual tip amount and notifying me, otherwise I may not have caught this!
The food was delicious and everyone was accommodating and friendly. But this has ruined our experience and I only hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else at this establishment. Bottomline, STAY AWAY FROM TAYLOR (beefy, brown-​haired Caucasian guy who looks like he spends a lot of time at the gym).

Love the vibe in here! It’s very loud and lively, and on select days they have live music. All of their menu items are «small plates» so they’re meant to be shared and also not the only thing you’ll be eating. The garlic shrimp is declines as are the lobster rolls. I love fries period so their truffle fries hit the spot! I leave a happy foodie. I always order a few small plates and feel filled and satisfied. Make a reservation if you can because it can get busy!

One of my all time favorite spots! Great ambiance, a nice selection on the menu and very affordable. Their bacon wrapped dates are AH-​MAZING! Definitely a great spot to check out.

My fiancé and I came here for the Valentine’s dinner they had this weekend. We left pretty disappointed.
1. Our server was very unprofessional. Not introducing herself. Awkwardly standing around without saying anything. Didn’t pour the wine for us. Left menus on the table, even when the entrees were out. Didn’t come by our table for at least 30 minutes at one point.
2. They were out of the salmon bruschetta so we ordered the foie gras. Disgusting. I have had foie gras before but this was not good.
3. The portions were ridiculously small. I know this place is all about small plates, but for $ 100, I expected to leave not feeling hungry. People saying they’re tapas to share… they are definitely not enough to feed even one person.
The only thing we really enjoyed was the wine, which we can get anywhere.
Overall, I am very dissatisfied with this place. I felt robbed and it honestly kind of ruined our romantic night out. It was the service that just turned us off altogether.

Wow.: this is one of my favorite tapas restaurant! The food, wine and service is amazing and they always have some live entertainment when you walk in!
I ordered the filet minion and oh my… I would have ordered 100 of these! The meat is so tender and is placed in a bead of cauliflower purée with sautéed spinach and the. Topped with blue cheese!!! Heaven in your mouth
Next small plate I shared was the blackened sea bass. I’m not much of a fan for cooked fish but wow, these guys changed that for me! (Well it’s the only place I’ll order this at) such amazing flavors served in a cast iron skillet! It’s to die for!
Then of course I shared 2 desserts!
Dessert 1: Classic Cheesecake with fresh berries and I’m taking fresh! This was amazing if your in the mood for something traditional but the next dessert will blow your mind!
Dessert #2: Bread Pudding, just order it! This is the best bread pudding I’ve had, and I have had a lot! They top it with salted Carmel and it come out all nice and hot, so comforting!!!

Excellent food! Tapas style to share! Must try Steak Tartare, Foie Gras, bacon wrapped dates, and smoked salmon.
I would skip the filet mignon tips

K’ya Bistro Bar in Laguna Beach — 4 stars
I enjoyed my meal at the K’ya Bistro. The salmon was delicious, as were the appetizers of ahi tuna on chips, red wine meatballs and a mushroom and cheese puff. The flourless chocolate cake for desert was outstanding. The service was very friendly and efficient. I would return.

Taken my wife here a couple of times now. It’s located on the ground floor of a hotel to the right of the lobby. The best way I can describe it is specializing in tapas, or small plates. Since most of them are smaller portions, the prices are affordable as well. My favorite so far has been the Truffle Risotto which was still more than I could manage with the other things I had ordered, and ended up taking some home. Great place to try a variety of ritzy food without breaking the bank.

Happy hour is always enjoyable here in K’ya Bistro, the top of the roof has a lovely view of the ocean. (First come first served). Can’t complain about the food either because it’s always delicious. We’ve had grilled octopus, lobster risotto, pan roasted chicken breast, chicken empanada, heirloom tomato caprese, smoked salmon, lobster bisque risotto. So, even though that’s not the entire menu, we’ve at least had a variety in what they have to offer. Enjoy, relax, and take in the view and experience.

My fave restaurant in the Laguna area. My cousin brought us here while we were visiting from NYC. Everything was done so well. soo yummy! You can order anything here and make out happy and satisfied!
LOVE this place!
What we ordered: (EVERYTHING)
–Truffle Fries
— Bacon wrapped dates
— Seafood Chowder
— Lobster Mac and Cheese
— Lobster Risotto
— Lobster meatballs: Amazeballls! The mushrooms were really memorable

Amazing food!!! The ahi poke is to die for! I also enjoyed the kale salad and the salmon. I would recommend to try everything on the menu but don’t order more than 2 or 3 appetizers for yourself alone. At k’ya, best is to order everything on the menu and share with a large group of people… You might not want to share until you’re belly up though! This place is that good! Highly recommended!

Happy Hour go to. All of the dishes are small (tapa) so make sure to try a variety of different things.
Happy Hour deal was awesome, 1 drink = 50% off any item on the menu.

First timer here and I was impressed with the atmosphere. Upon arrival you walk into a mini bar on the left. The restaurant seating is the on the right. And if you walk further in, there is a huge comfortable couch with a lit fireplace and a live acoustic guitarist singing. A very lovely setting!
The fireplace was warm and mesmerizing, it was hard to leave as I sat there listening to drunk conversations and watching the fire dance.
We got seated almost immediately. Our waitress was on point. She filled up my glass constantly and was always checking in.
Sweet potatoes fries, rating ³⁄₅
The fries were good, however the sauce that came with it wasn’t impressive. Ask for ketchup instead.
Lobster risotto, rating ⁴⁄₅
This plate is nearly perfect. Portion size is humanly possible to finish. The lobster pieces are huge, definitely fresh.
Brownie ice cream bars, rating ⁴⁄₅
The top layer is hard chocolate coated filled with vanilla ice cream. The second bottom layer is a rich chocolate fudge brownie and it comes w/​a side of salted caramel sauce. Seriously an amazing mixture of sweet and salty.

If I was living in this area, it would have been my favorite restaurant to go. The portions are appetizer size so you get to taste more than one item. We ordered scallop wrapped with bacon, and lobster risotto and farm salad. The scallop was my favorite. It was flavorful with a creamy sauce. The salad had my favorite ingredient ‘Date’ and blue cheese mixed with onions, cucumber and lettuce. Very colorful salad. The ambiance is nice. The restaurant actually is a part of a hotel that is called La Casa Del Camino. It is a beautiful hotel with a rooftop, so after you are done with your meal you can go upstairs and enjoy the view of the ocean.
The prices are reasonable. With two drinks (red wine) and three meals the bill came about $ 61.

Yay for tasty food at this tapas-​style restaurant. Biggest downside is that it was very loud.
— Tuna tartare: super fresh tuna, well marinated and served with crispy wonton skins
— Buffalo mozzarella salad: fresh and juicy cherry tomatoes sliced in half, with rich and tasty mozzarella. Perfect amount of balsamic too, so yummy
— Lobster mac and cheese: a bit too rich (creamy and buttery) for my taste, served with bread crumbs on top
— Flourless chocolate cake: came a bit too dry, so it stuck to the sides of the cup. found the white chocolate raspberry ice cream to be a bit too sweet
— Banana bread pudding: buttery and rich, imagine banana bread that’s got a good chewy texture to it. Warmed and buttered, served with lightly sweet vanilla ice cream
Food came out quickly, service was friendly. Expect it to be dark and loud in there, but definitely would come back :)

Had the desires to check out Laguna on a Sunday afternoon. We were in the mood for something «different» this was fairly different from conventional fast food joints, they’re food was also well above average.
Ambiance
Parking | It gets pretty tricky here. It always depends on the day, weekends are always tough. If you’re lucky, then street parking. Best bet is neighborhood parking which is a good 5 – 10 minutes away but timing isn’t limited.
Seating | According to the room, the occupancy is 120. The seatings are all inside. There is a place on the roof but I am not sure if they’re the same.
Feels | Quite a charming place. As you enter, the left will be the bar with some tvs on the sports channel. Next to it is a fire place, a great place to be just in case if you’re a bit wet from the beach right outside. On a Sunday evening, we were also greeted by live acoustic performance in the lobby. In the restaurant, is a lightly dimmed room playing light alternative music. On the wall are historic painting of the city of Laguna.
Food:
Porcini Mushroom Penne — (Recommend)
My favorite out of my other orders. The sauce was not watered down but properly thick and flavorful.
Brussel Sprouts — (Recommend)
What makes this order of brussel sprouts stand out is the extra crisp of crumbs added to this entre.
Ahi Poke — (Recommend)
Served fresh and the chips are not your everyday chips. My only issue is that I wish there was more.
Smoked Salmon Bruschetta — (A-​OK)
Two slices served, strong flavor but too much arugula in my opinion.
Customer Service | Solid. Our server was attentive and our food came in a fairly reasonable time.
Overall | 4.5 stars. I can’t hate place. The price was affordable, food was delicious, and the location was awesome. The music and food was on point. It’s a great place to check out on a date night or self care day.
TL;DR Tips:
* They only have Cholula hot sauce and Sriracha
* Happy hour is literally 1 hr only and it changes seasonally, all meals are family style, so be sure to order at least 2 for yourself.

I have been to the rooftop bar multiple times but this was my first time dining at K’ya. I’ve clearly been missing out!
We started with the strawberry basil martini (yum!) and a ½-​off bottle of wine (such a great deal, especially for a Saturday night!). The evening was off to a great start just with drinks alone =).
In terms of food, we decided to order less so we could get two desserts. We ordered the following:
— Beet salad (3.5): I thought this was good, particularly the dressing and the amount of goat cheese in the salad, but it wasn’t the best beet salad I’ve had. I wish there were more beets in the salad and less tomatoes.
— Spicy Penne & Sausage Pasta (4): The taste was good and the price couldn’t be beat for the amount of pasta you got (good-​sized dish compared to some of the others I saw at other tables).
— Spiced BBQ Meatballs (5): I thought these were delicious! I could have ordered another to share.
— Peanut Crunch Bars (4): I thought these were a great balance of crunch, peanut butter taste, and caramel. Nothing on the plate was too overpowering or too sweet.
— Cheesecake with Berry Sauce (5): We really enjoyed this. I wanted to eat more but was too stuffed to eat the last 1 – 2 bites, sadly. Fortunately my date took care of it — it would have been a crime to leave any of this dessert behind!
Service was great and the pricing was more than reasonable, which is why I gave this dining experience an overall 5 rating. I can’t wait to eat here again!

OC restaurant week dinner menu $ 40:
Wild Hawaiian Ahi Poke (Onion, seaweed, avocado, spicy soy): 4 stars
Good portion of fresh pieces of ahi & sprinkles of masago fish eggs made this dish yummy.
Cajun Spiced Shrimp (Polenta, tomato, garlic butter): 3 stars
Shrimp was over seasoned & bit burnt on the sides. Seasoning on this dish was spicy and had a kick at the end too.
Organic Yellow Beet Baby Tomatoes & Feta Salad (Greens, candied walnuts, white balsamic vinaigrette): 3 stars
This salad needed more pieces of yellow beets & the dressing was too heavy & tart.
Kale Salad (Avocado, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, lime vinaigrette): 2.5 stars
The vinaigrette was very heavy in this salad but the kale was very fresh & the texture is nice.
Lobster & Truffle Risotto (Lobster-​cognac cream, herb crust): 2 stars
Risotto was buttery but on the plain side & there wasn’t enough pieces of asparagus to compliment the risotto. There was no smell or taste of truffle in this dish. Shavings of Parmesan cheese did little to add flavor to this dish.
Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee: 4 stars
Very light & fluffy consistently but a little too liquidy compared to other crème brulees that I’ve had before but the top was not burned which is great.
Service: B–
Attentive service but when I asked for my left overs to be boxed, she just handed me a box & a bag to to do it myself. I thought that this being such a fancy place with all those waiters just hanging around doing nothing that maybe they’d do it but I guess not.
Décor: B
Inside is a lot smaller & crowded with tables & chairs than I expected because after I looked at the place from the outside it looked to be spacious but I guess not.
Overall: 3.5 stars
I looked at the prices of the items on the regular menu & compared it to the OC Restaurant Week menu & they were about the same & the only thing that you’d really be saving on would be the ½ full glass of house wine that came with the OC Restaurant Week meal.

I came here for oc restaurant week. Parking was really rough and hard to find on the streets.
I ordered the lobster truffles. Also grabbed the filet minion. Lobster truffles were delicious. Came out nice and warm. The filet was delicious and tender but it came out cold! It wasn’t warm! I would give it 5 stars if the meat came out warm.
Very loud inside! Fun atmosphere.

K’ya Bistro Bar is amazing! The restaurant is somewhat small, and it is always jam packed. In fact, don’t expect to walk in for dinner on a weekend without a reservation. I came to K’ya on a Saturday to celebrate my relative’s birthday, and were extremely happy with the dining experience and the food.
We ordered about 10 items for a party of 7. We started with the the coconut shrimp and hummus and pita, which were both very delicious and easy to share. Then, we ordered the lamb leg, lobster risotto, bacon wrapped scallop over creamed corn, truffle fries, and braised beef. The lamb leg was cooked perfectly to a medium. The flavor was on point and has a side of mashed potato with au juis drizzle over. The lobster risotto was also amazing. It had the lobster flavor and was not over-​cheesy. The bacon-​wrapped scallop was nicely charred on the outside and absolutely delicious. The truffle fries is also another great item that smells good, tastes good, and has a generous portion. The braised beef was the only disappointment in the night. What was supposed to easily shred and be juicy was actually a piece of rubber-​like meat.
We finished off with the hawaiian ahi poke, chicken empanadas, and the bacon wrapped dates. The hawaiian ahi poke was not too salty, has a sweetness to it, and was made very well. It is also served with a few chips that you can eat with the poke. This was one of the best items here. The chicken empanada was very toasty, and was a delicious finger-​type food. Finally the bacon wrapped dates were toasted very well. The blue cheese is not overpowering, and the bacon was nice and crunchy.