Ahba

Saying a restaurant feels like a house party is a total cliche, but in the case of Ahba, it’s shockingly accurate. Housed in an old beachside cottage, this indoor-outdoor spot in South Laguna is filled with young beach-bum couples sharing natural wine and bobbing their heads to ‘70s funk. There’s an impromptu bar in the back and seat-yourself tables strewn throughout the cottage’s nooks and crannies—people don’t so much dine here as they do post up in a corner and eat. Ordering at the front counter can be a little confusing, but the food at Ahba is unmatched. We love the gooey smashburger with chiles, and any of the vegetable-heavy small plates, like sweet potato with dill chimichurri or burnt broccolini with pickled shallots. Make sure to hit the quirky retro cocktail room next door (previously home to a Swiss engineering office) for a mezcal bee’s knees on the way out.