Cafe Laguna Taking Prime Beachside Space in Downtown Laguna

Cafe Laguna, an all-new concept with a first-ever opening, is replacing The Mare Culinary Lounge in downtown Laguna’s Holiday Inn, at 696 S Coast Hwy. Owner Mohammad A Honarkar Jr., who’s currently in the alcohol licensing process, confirmed the news with What Now Los Angeles (WNLA).

While The Mare Culinary Lounge was known in the downtown area as a high-end Italian restaurant, Cafe Laguna is bringing things closer to home. Honarker told WNLA that the restaurant will focus on more American cuisine — “California food,” in fact. There will be a focus on casual food and breakfast.

On Monday, Honarkar gave WNLA a rough opening timeline for the beginning of next year but did not immediately provide additional details surrounding the incoming restaurant.

The Mare Culinary Lounge, a restaurant from Chef Alessandro Pirozzi, closed its beachside doors in early-2020, a rep for the Holiday Inn told WNLA over the telephone Wednesday. They blamed the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the shutter.