Sadly, the food and service at this restaurant have declined. After my most recent visit I am not planning to return. Food was awful (bland, skimpy, with dry meat that looked as if it had been sitting out all day) and service was practically non-existent. The place was completely empty. Sorry, but a good location will only get you so far.
cmickelsen
I had heard good things about this restaurant but wasn’t really impressed. The service wasn’t great we waited for a long time for anyone to take our order and for a check. Drink slow they never come back to refill drinks and it feels dirty
psudino
We stopped here on our food tour for a cup of coffee or tea. The drinks were well prepared and they had a nice setting near the sidewalk. A casual place that fits the SoCal vibe.
gutowj
Went back for more during our short trip to NB. Our son crushed the waffles w strawberries + whipped, wife had breakfast burrito, and I had the house sandwich which is pulled pork, avocado, and a fried egg. Delicious!
Anika N
Super good:) i had the kale and spinach salad and my favorite the crispy brocoli. i’ve been trying to find the recipe for it haha. Awesome location and very friendly service:)
kathyh303
We go to the Balboa Pier often on our walks but had yet to visit Balboa Lily's. What a treat and the servers were great. We ordered a breakfast burrito, omelet, and two coffee drinks. Then of course my husband got a biz call that he HAD to take and it lasted over 20 minutes. Our sweet server brought him a fresh new hot coffee and offered to heat up his eggs! My burrito had CHORIZO in it and no potatoes so SCORE on that dish! We will go back again - forget boring Wilmas and the VI (Village Inn.)
GaryFleishman
We went for Lunch and the Omelet looked good but my Lilly's Salad had very little Lettuce, but it had Quinoa, Tomatoes, Broccolj and a lot of Chicken. It was good, not great. The Waiter and Waitress made the visit very enjoyable.
mollymocat
Great seating by the open window, great burgers and broccoli. Everyone's meal was delicious. Staff was super friendly!
TravelWithJerome
Listed as a Coffee and Tea house, we stopped in for a Bruch Time meal with no reservations on a weekend. Of coarse we had to wait but it wasn't that long...considering weekends can be extremely busy on Balboa Island. For Lunch, I had "Nick's House Sandwich". It's a pulled pork a sandwich with a fried egg on toasted rye bread and an avocado smear, served with some grilled vegetables. Everything on the menu is along the lines of a healthier choice, branding themselves as Farm Fresh to the table, but you can still order the French Fries if you desire!! For my coffee I had the Signature "Salted Caramel". Lily's does brand themselves as, Featuring "Kean Coffee Artisan Roasters" and my brother, a Newport local, assures me that is a good thing!! I'm not a big coffee drinker, and I do have to make my drinks a little sweeter, but I enjoyed it all the same. The restaurant is quaint with big open windows giving you that outdoor dining feel. If you are from a warmer climate I suggest keeping your hoodie or sweater close by.
Rick
Our first visit to La French Touch was for Valentines day which was absolutely splendid. We immediately set a dinner for the following weekend with our good friends to share the experience. The menu is creative and very authentic French Cuisine, the service is friendly and professional and the ambiance is very inviting. It looks like we have found our favorite local French Restaurant - magnifique !
We went here to celebrate Valentine's Day. The atmosphere was quite as it was not very crowded the evening we were there. We were quite sure what to expect from a restaurant on the Newport Penninsula, but the food was excellent. We started off with the Gratineed Scallops. They were really good! For our entree's we had the duck and the lobster. Both were really great! The wine list was mostly French wines. With the help of our waiter, we selected a wonderful choice. As we normally drink California wines it was a fun change of pace. Overall our experience was really good. We would definitely go back again!
Mymauiwine
We dined on Valentines Day which I realize is not a good time to judge a restaurant. It was a pre-fix menu. The lobster butternut squash soup was excellent. I had the duck and it was good but not great. My husband had the halibut snd said it was a bit bland. The dessert looked great but we took it to go as we were full. We will go back at a non holiday time to try it again.
Mika
Went for NB restaurant week. We were pleasantly surprised that they added their Salmon and Clams to the entrée choices. It turned out to actually be "Salmon and Clam" but was a decent size serving overall. The Filet en Croute was large and tender with all the extras normally found with beef Wellington. Both entrees were cooked perfectly, juicy and to order doneness. Salad was not memorable, mixed greens missing the tomato medley, just a couple of really hard sour green grape tomatoes. The dressing was excellent, a light evoo and balsamic. The profiteroles dessert was actually huge and yummy, but the crème brulee was to die for. The best I've ever had.
Andre
Visited during restaurant week and had the dinner menu which included escargot, filet mignon en croute and creme brule. Everything was excellent. Nice to see an upscale restaurant in the area. I hope their pricing won't scare off too many customers, especially the summer tourists.
parkit
Went for the dine Newport Beach restaurant week to celebrate my husband's birthday and the food was tasty but very pricey (it was the $50 option) for what you get. I'm sure if we went without the special menu it would be more. Service was ok where it took long periods of time to get they appetizer (escargots), entree (filet mignon) and dessert (creme brûlée). Took over 2 hours for our food when we place our order within the 5 minute we sat down. Also they didn't know what beers they had and their wines were more than Fleming's. Then we got told we need to leave because they needed the table for the next reservation. Not a polite excuse me we need the table but a “my next reservation is here we need the table” statement. It was a so-so experience for a really small restaurant but wouldn't go back. It's a one and done food experience.
Sadly, the food and service at this restaurant have declined. After my most recent visit I am not planning to return. Food was awful (bland, skimpy, with dry meat that looked as if it had been sitting out all day) and service was practically non-existent. The place was completely empty. Sorry, but a good location will only get you so far.
I had heard good things about this restaurant but wasn’t really impressed. The service wasn’t great we waited for a long time for anyone to take our order and for a check. Drink slow they never come back to refill drinks and it feels dirty
We stopped here on our food tour for a cup of coffee or tea. The drinks were well prepared and they had a nice setting near the sidewalk. A casual place that fits the SoCal vibe.
Went back for more during our short trip to NB. Our son crushed the waffles w strawberries + whipped, wife had breakfast burrito, and I had the house sandwich which is pulled pork, avocado, and a fried egg. Delicious!
Super good:) i had the kale and spinach salad and my favorite the crispy brocoli. i’ve been trying to find the recipe for it haha. Awesome location and very friendly service:)
We go to the Balboa Pier often on our walks but had yet to visit Balboa Lily's. What a treat and the servers were great. We ordered a breakfast burrito, omelet, and two coffee drinks. Then of course my husband got a biz call that he HAD to take and it lasted over 20 minutes. Our sweet server brought him a fresh new hot coffee and offered to heat up his eggs! My burrito had CHORIZO in it and no potatoes so SCORE on that dish! We will go back again - forget boring Wilmas and the VI (Village Inn.)
We went for Lunch and the Omelet looked good but my Lilly's Salad had very little Lettuce, but it had Quinoa, Tomatoes, Broccolj and a lot of Chicken. It was good, not great. The Waiter and Waitress made the visit very enjoyable.
Great seating by the open window, great burgers and broccoli. Everyone's meal was delicious. Staff was super friendly!
Listed as a Coffee and Tea house, we stopped in for a Bruch Time meal with no reservations on a weekend. Of coarse we had to wait but it wasn't that long...considering weekends can be extremely busy on Balboa Island. For Lunch, I had "Nick's House Sandwich". It's a pulled pork a sandwich with a fried egg on toasted rye bread and an avocado smear, served with some grilled vegetables. Everything on the menu is along the lines of a healthier choice, branding themselves as Farm Fresh to the table, but you can still order the French Fries if you desire!! For my coffee I had the Signature "Salted Caramel". Lily's does brand themselves as, Featuring "Kean Coffee Artisan Roasters" and my brother, a Newport local, assures me that is a good thing!! I'm not a big coffee drinker, and I do have to make my drinks a little sweeter, but I enjoyed it all the same. The restaurant is quaint with big open windows giving you that outdoor dining feel. If you are from a warmer climate I suggest keeping your hoodie or sweater close by.
Our first visit to La French Touch was for Valentines day which was absolutely splendid. We immediately set a dinner for the following weekend with our good friends to share the experience. The menu is creative and very authentic French Cuisine, the service is friendly and professional and the ambiance is very inviting. It looks like we have found our favorite local French Restaurant - magnifique !
Restaurantji Recommends
We went here to celebrate Valentine's Day. The atmosphere was quite as it was not very crowded the evening we were there. We were quite sure what to expect from a restaurant on the Newport Penninsula, but the food was excellent. We started off with the Gratineed Scallops. They were really good! For our entree's we had the duck and the lobster. Both were really great! The wine list was mostly French wines. With the help of our waiter, we selected a wonderful choice. As we normally drink California wines it was a fun change of pace. Overall our experience was really good. We would definitely go back again!
We dined on Valentines Day which I realize is not a good time to judge a restaurant. It was a pre-fix menu. The lobster butternut squash soup was excellent. I had the duck and it was good but not great. My husband had the halibut snd said it was a bit bland. The dessert looked great but we took it to go as we were full. We will go back at a non holiday time to try it again.
Went for NB restaurant week. We were pleasantly surprised that they added their Salmon and Clams to the entrée choices. It turned out to actually be "Salmon and Clam" but was a decent size serving overall. The Filet en Croute was large and tender with all the extras normally found with beef Wellington. Both entrees were cooked perfectly, juicy and to order doneness. Salad was not memorable, mixed greens missing the tomato medley, just a couple of really hard sour green grape tomatoes. The dressing was excellent, a light evoo and balsamic. The profiteroles dessert was actually huge and yummy, but the crème brulee was to die for. The best I've ever had.
Visited during restaurant week and had the dinner menu which included escargot, filet mignon en croute and creme brule. Everything was excellent. Nice to see an upscale restaurant in the area. I hope their pricing won't scare off too many customers, especially the summer tourists.
Went for the dine Newport Beach restaurant week to celebrate my husband's birthday and the food was tasty but very pricey (it was the $50 option) for what you get. I'm sure if we went without the special menu it would be more. Service was ok where it took long periods of time to get they appetizer (escargots), entree (filet mignon) and dessert (creme brûlée). Took over 2 hours for our food when we place our order within the 5 minute we sat down. Also they didn't know what beers they had and their wines were more than Fleming's. Then we got told we need to leave because they needed the table for the next reservation. Not a polite excuse me we need the table but a “my next reservation is here we need the table” statement. It was a so-so experience for a really small restaurant but wouldn't go back. It's a one and done food experience.