South Laguna's loudest best-kept secret: a cult wagyu smash burger and a Mediterranean-New American cottage menu
South Laguna's loudest best-kept secret hides inside a small beach cottage on Coast Highway. AhbA is a Mediterranean-New American kitchen with a cult following, and its double wagyu smash burger is the dish that went viral. Reducing the place to that one item, though, sells the rest of the menu short.
AhbA is an all-day beach cottage: Mediterranean-leaning plates, New American comfort, weekend brunch, and the burger that made it Instagram-famous. The room is small, casual, and unapologetically loud. On a weekend night you feel the wait list in the space. This isn't fine dining pretending to be casual. It's a neighborhood cottage doing a lot of things well, and one thing that draws a line out the door.
The AhbA burger is a double wagyu smash patty with caramelized onions, American cheese, pickled Fresno chilies, and aioli. It earns the hype. But the menu runs well past it: whipped feta and hummus to start, plates like salmon tagine, braised lamb, and rigatoni, plus a real brunch on weekends. Order the burger, then order like it's a Mediterranean restaurant too, because it is.
The Wagyu Smash Burger. The viral one, and worth it. Balanced enough that you taste the beef.
The Mediterranean plates. Whipped feta, hummus, salmon tagine, or braised lamb, depending on the night.
The bar. Craft beer, natural wine, and handmade cocktails. They take drinks seriously despite the casual format.
Location: 31732 Coast Hwy, South Laguna Beach. Service: Lunch and dinner daily, with brunch on weekends from 9am. Reservations: Available through their site; walk-ins welcome. Parking: Minimal, so plan to park on the street and walk.
This is the right restaurant for the right night, and the wrong one for a quiet anniversary dinner. You're going for a loud little cottage, a burger (or a tagine), a natural wine, and people who don't mind a wait. Go right at open, or after the dinner rush clears, and the wait shortens considerably.