Coastline at L’Auberge Del Mar

We were at Coastline for the Mother’s Day Brunch and the food was once again amazing! We were there previously for the Easter Brunch at L’Auberge and this time, it was just as spectacular. A few items on the buffet menu that were stand outs were the chicken with spaetzle, Eggs Benedict and the braised Short Ribs.
I loved the mini desserts since I was able to try many different kinds! The mini pineapple upside down cakes and derby pie’s were so cute and wonderfully delicious. The mini chocolate lava cakes were simply the best! For the price, this was a great value and wonderful treat for us to enjoy the great outside area with mom!

This review is for Easter Brunch and unfortunatley it is not good. At $ 90 per adult ($ 30 per child under 12???), I expected far better food, accoutrements, and design display choices. I also would’ve expected bottomless mimosas given the fact the price was so high. The restaurant was quite empty so that might have been my cue to leave. The space is quite nice, being on the water, and the service was quite good, don’t mistake. However, the buffet menu didn’t really knock us on our feet.
Lowlights overall:
— very overpriced!!! I completely regret coming here. For 2 people, a bottle of presecco, the bill was well over $ 300, with gratuity included. Terrible mistake!
— why would you charge children 12 and under AT ALL? That is just ridiculous, given adult pricing.
— no fresh berries as part of «fruits /​light breakfast» (only strawberries, pineapple, papaya) — it’s Easter, people. We had to scavenge blueberries and blackberries from the dessert /​shortcake station to drop them into our bubbly.
— I heard the lamb was dry and there was no (traditional) mint jelly served with it?
— the host was handing out carnations with a message attached to return mother’s day. I get that it’s some symbolic flower of mother’s day but– really? A carnation? What year is this? Seems a little commonplace. Step it up!
Highlights:
— lovely view!
— I heard the mashed potatoes were clearly made from scratch.
— great service, this team deserves credit. Very hospitable.
— I had asked if they could make eggs benedict from the buffet vegetarian since they were all on disply with ham, and they gladly put that together for me from scratch.
— cheese display was lovely
— dessert startion was good: little bites of sweet and chocolate gems, a shortcake bar, cookies galore.
Sorry, but I will not be back for the food.

Four of us ate lunch at Coastline yesterday. We had recently discovered this lovely restaurant and really liked its menu, which had some truly delicious selections that were also good values. Unfortunately, the menu changed this week; the food is definitely not as interesting or flavorful and is definitely not a good value. The blackened shrimp tacos were one of the best things on the menu before, and an incredible value with lots of delicious shrimp at $ 18. The new tacos have bland skimpy fillings and are definitely not worth $ 6 each (the price would be fine if they were as good as the old ones). Very sad as this was one of our new favorite spots to hang out – great ambience and service, and previously great food:(Hope they go back to the old menu.

I so want to give this 4 stars, but the food just does not warrant it. Everything else about Coastline is amazing — the setting is gorgeous, the air is wonderful, the service is very good, and the ambiance is perfect. If only they can get the food right.
Here is what I was able to try over the weekend:
All Kale Caesar — Pretty good. I recommend adding the salmon. It on the tough side.
CAB Burger — Also reasonably good.
Salmon Cake Burger — I would not order this again. Did not enjoy it at all.
Grilled Chicken — Also quite good. Just not great.
Flatbread — I like it.
Fries — They’re fine. Just not amazing. Sort of like the rest of the food.
I recommend Coastline visits the Delano (South Beach) to try to mimic their poolside menu. It’s much better. And Auberge deserves to have food that is much better.