Oceanfront dining is one of Laguna Beach’s main draws. Now it’s earned a bit of national recognition for it too.
Read more Federal judge awards $314 million to 3 Americans held and allegedly tortured in Venezuela
Splashes, the recently remodeled signature restaurant at Surf & Sand, has been named one of OpenTable’s Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in America for 2026, making it one of only six California Restaurants — and the only Orange County one — to appear on the annual list.
The recognition places Splashes alongside other Golden State hotel dining rooms like SingleThread (bearing three Michelin stars) at SingleThread Inn in Healdsburg and Sky Room at the Fairmont Breakers in Long Beach.
According to OpenTable, a reservation platform that allows diners to review restaurants, the list was complied using more than 10 million verified diner reviews, along with other dining metrics, including overall ratings and the percentage of five-star reviews.
ALSO READ: Inside Chrysalis, one of Orange County’s most personal dining experiences
The designation comes as hotel restaurants increasingly become destinations in their own right rather than amenities reserved for overnight guests. (Montage’s new Studio Mediterranean and Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach’s Bourbon Steak by Michael Minna being two prime, yet pricey, examples.)
Read more Mystery winner buys T. rex nicknamed ‘Gus’ for a record $50 million at auction
An OpenTable survey found that 61% of respondents said a destination’s food scene has influenced where they travel, while 60% of people planning a summer getaway said a hotel’s restaurant factored into where they decided to stay.
Hotel dining also appears to be drawing plenty of people who never check into a room. OpenTable found that 92% of those surveyed had eaten at a hotel restaurant without being overnight guests, a sign that many hotel eateries have turned into neighborhood joints as much as amenities for travelers.
Located along Coast Highway and directly above the ocean and sands (ergo the resort’s name), Splashes, which underwent a recent renovation along with the entire hotel, has long been part of Laguna Beach’s dining scene, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a menu focusing on coastal California cuisine and seafood. Menu highlights include squid ink capellini, poached sea trout, pistachio polenta and rack of lamb with pea puree.
California claimed five spots on this years’ list, including Splashes, SingleThread in Healdsburg, Sky Room in Long Beach, The Pony Room at Rancho Valencia Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, Gemma in Beverly Hills and the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma.
Read more Darline Graham, sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, will be sworn in to fill her brother’s term
The full list spans eateries in 23 states and Puerto Rico.