Penguin Cafe in Laguna Beach

We often come to Penguins when we are in town. Usually busy, but the food is good enough, and the prices are good so we put up with it being crowded. Today, unfortunately, was not the best. Waited over 15 minutes at the bar for our order to be taken. Never came back to refill our water glasses, and we waited over 20 minutes after the meal...still no bill. Had to track down someone to help us and then another 10 min for them to take our payment and bring us back change. We also were charged extra for blueberry pancakes but were never informed there was an extra charge. We ended up being there for over an hour for a meal that took less than 20 minutes to eat. Hope it was just a bad day for them and not a sign of their regular service.

Found The Penquin Cafe to be the same age as me ... Been here since 1942 . My two over easy, grilled fresh spinach & toast was super energy ! The place is very noisy but who cares . 20 conversations

Awesome local joint. Good food and affordable.

Cute atmosphere, sweet staff members and an amazing view. I'm glad I finally was able to give this place a try!

Food was great, really enjoyed the pancakes and bacon. Only issue is the tight seating.

Really yummy!... I ordered the huevos rancheros and it was delicious, even though I ordered without cheese or sour cream it had a lot of flavor, the beans were very good!!! Also, the service was great! Totally recommend this place 👌

I don't like giving small local establishments bad reviews but let's just compare it to Nick's right down the street. Nick's prices are almost exactly the same. Might be $1 more per meal. At Nick's you don't have to sit on top of other guests. Nick's is air conditioned. One could argue that Nick's food is a bit better quality and more interesting. The biggest difference is the service. Nick's gets a 5 on service. Penguin gets a 1. This is mostly because of the older lady who has an attitude. She acts like she's doing you a favor and she really doesn't care that you're there or if you return. It's also because of inconsistent service and general lack of attention to customers. Next week we'll try another new venue or go back to Nick's.

Food was good, place was small. Probably best for couples

Sabrina was my waitress and she was five star. The pancakes were excellent. They do great breakfast. I ate the "griddle" plate. I would eat here again. It has a bit of a divey feel to it but with mom and pop feel.

We were visiting from Canada and we were impressed by the excellent service here and the delicious breakfast we had.

Best burger I have had in a long time

Food was delicious and the service was exceptional.

Good food, great prices, and personable staff...

Awesome as always. Favorite breakfast place!

Friendly service, cute spot for breakfast after a morning beach walk. Coffee was decent and the food was fresh and delicious.

Too long of a wait for tables on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant

. . . I enjoy a breakfast here with each and every visit I make to my "home town" . . . especially during the weekend of the Laguna Beach High School "All Class Reunion Picnic" at the park over looking the Pacific Ocean . . . With a smile

Was our favorite breakfast joint while staying in Laguna Beach. The cafe is small and old, but the food is just good and service friendly. Don't expect fancy or modern or espresso drinks. Burgers were also good. Definitely 5 stars for what it's meant to be: a low key seaside cafe.

I thought I would have a great experience because of the reviews, but I was mistaken. My toast and my wife's ranch arrived towards the end of our meal and when I asked for a refill of my coffee, I was told that there was no more. Our waitress was not as welcoming as the other two who were there.

Staff was very friendly but we felt it was overpriced for what you got. The omelette was pretty small for that price. The French toast was really thick but lacked a lot of flavor. I might come back to try lunch menu,but definitely not for breakfast

The chorizo breakfast burrito was delicious! Their homemade salsa is perfect with it! My sons french toast also fantastic. Great cozy little place and friendly staff.

A rare diner type restaurant, both food and atmosphere

All around great people and food

Went in for breakfast, got some french toast and eggs and it was all just... Ok. Okay service (the waitress seemed grumpy) and the okay food, truthfully it was kind of bland but their hot sauce was great. Good for a quick breakfast, but wasn't memorable. But they're pretty dog friendly which is a plus!

This is a great place to great some wonderful breakfast! The staff always kept our drinks full and were very kind!

Greasy bacon. Lousy homefries

I had a great breakfast served up quickly and hot by friendly servers. The historic place had a great vibe from a crowd of regulars.

Great tasting and great people

I love this place ! I have been eating here for 35 years. Penguin is part of the Local flavor in Laguna

Mom and pop feel, small breakfast cafe.

Fantastic little spot. Great food, steps from the ocean

Nice little place we found near our hotel. Place was small but the service and food were good. I ordered the 3 egg breakfast with bacon. Wife ordered poached eggs, which she said was very good.b

Old dependable, old style burger and malt joint with great breakfasts. Sabrina and her charming stall are well known in the town. We all hope the Penguin survives the current rush toward gentrification. If it closes or moves to another town, Laguna Beach will be the poorer as the result.

Very small place and not a lot of room or seating. I came about 1030am on Saturday and managed to find a couple open seats. French toast and bacon were excellent. Probably could have made the potatoes more crispy but still very good. Good coffee and service I don't think there is a rest room

Breakfast wasn’t very good - soggy toast, greasy eggs, mushy potatoes, gooey oatmeal. No one in our party of 4 had good food. Service was fine. Prices were high, especially for the sad quality of the food. Two of us left with upset stomachs. Will not return.

Great for Breakfast & Lunch. Wonderful food. Great atmosphere!

Old school diner. I've been going to this place for 35 years and it has stayed the exact same over the years. Nice in a city where everything is about what's bright, shiny and new. Go for the experience of what old school Laguna was like.

Great food, friendly staff and reasonable prices.

Great Breakfast. Service a little slow.

We always eat there on our last day in Laguna, perfect way to end a week on the beach, the food is awesome!!

I love the people, the service, the decor, and best of all? The coffee is amazing! Thank you!

Nice place for breakfast, friendly staff.

Cute little cafe by the seashore.

OK food, prices and service, not great.

Very yummy food, great customer service.

Great old time atmosphere. Cute decor. Yummy 50's type food. Easy side street parking.

At the risk of revealing a best-kept secret, I am putting in a plug for one of my top faves in Laguna. This is the place the locals eat. The food is great and reasonably priced.The other reviews below do a great job of describing it and I would add that there is a free parking lot in the back if you are early/brave/lucky. It has at least a dozen spaces and despite their request for local construction workers to not park there, is usually filled with pickup trucks.The burgers are on par with your best burgers anywhere. The breakfasts are dependable and tasty. The atmosphere is old Laguna. Check egos at the door and don't forget to tip the hard-working wait-people.Remember, this is breakfast and lunch only, closing by early afternoon. Weekends, you can expect a wait.(Originally posted to Yelp 02–19-2011)

The breeze bowl, oatmeal, and fruit bowl were awesome. Great service and wonderfully quaint vibes!

Breakfast with a secret ocean view out the back

Great prices and good comfort food. We stopped here for breakfast while in Laguna. they had the usual greasy breakfast diner foods. We were very disapointed to find out the bathroom was out of service. Being miles from our hotel, on foot, and no one letting us use a bathroom made this very inconvenient. You could tell mostly local regulars came in here to eat.