French Restaurants near San Juan Capistrano, CA

“We got a great table next to the fountain at the terrace, we didn’t have a great expectations since we just picked the place for the setting but we were pleasantly surprised by some of the best informal French food we’ve had in the United States.The attention to detail in the ingredients used on their dishes is evident. The food seems to have been hand picked for ripeness and beauty. Everything was served to perfection. Attention to detail makes this one of the best restaurants we’ve been in a long, long time. It feels like having lunch in the Mediterranean.Service was great by the owner, we could have stayed there all afternoon enjoying the place. So far, the best reason to return to San Juan Capistrano.“

“Delice Breton is the gem I found a couple of years back. After trying pretty much every single croissant in OC I was extremely excited to finally have a croissant just like in France. Their food and pastries are high quality, food is so delicious. Don’t miss out and make sure to stop by this wonderful place.“

“I was looking for a nice breakfast location a little different than other places with good pastries and coffee. Came across this place and our experience was great.The owner is super nice and recommended pastry and the ham sandwich which was amazing and more importantly fresh!I highly recommend this little cafe totally worth experiencing the food and vibe.The variety of pastries are so great that can easily get everyone their own favorite item??“

“We had a dinner party for 12 to celebrate a birthday. Roux created a custom menu for us. They were ready when we arrived and the table was set beautifully. The wait-staff was courteous and prompt. The food was just amazing- from the appetizers to the entrees; everything was excellent. The cook even made a point of saying Hello. We will definitely be back!“

“We made reservations for Dublin4 and it seemed pretty wild so they walked next door and sat up at the high top at Wineworks. Such a better atmosphere. Both restaurants share the same kitchen and restrooms. And there’s a lot of similarities between the menus but this has the better options.I always complain that OC doesn’t have great food but this place knows the game. And the wine menu is excellent. I even had a Pinot Noir from Baden, Germany. All dishes were excellent and the service was even better. Only complaint is the parking is terrible so good luck, maybe the lot is bigger in the back.“

“Gorgeous cafe located on a beautifully renovated little corner of Dana Point. So many varieties of avocado toasts and mix of European and American style menu for all tastes. We had Avocado toast with arugula and Dutch Boy, they were both fabulous. All the staff that were serving us were super friendly and they looked genuinely happy to be there. One of my new favorite for weekend brunch.“

“Cafe Mimosa is such a cute and aesthetically pleasing environment to have a cute brunch with the girls. If you need a place to take some pictures for your Instagram posts then I would come here. The food was absolutely delicious! The pancakes with fruit was amazing! The fruit was super fresh and sweet! The protein hash was also yummy! The smashed potatoes were incredible! I would highly recommend get a side of them with your meal! 10/10 would come again!“

“Surprising find for breakfast, especially quality of the food. We shared the baguette with butter and jam. Simple - butter was really good. Natural omelette - cheese and herbs, was served with lightly dressed greens. Quiche too. Simple and tasty. Generous portions. Cappuccino reminded me of Europe.“

“For this small restaurant to be located inside the mall, it is such a nice find! The staff was very friendly and kind. I stopped in on a Saturday morning and it was not at all difficult to get seated. The space inside is relatively small, but they do a cute job at decorating and giving you a French cafe feel. The food was delicious and came out at a reasonable time! The servings are quite large and thank goodness because the food was so so good! I can appreciate the fast service that delivered great flavors!“

“We came to this place for some breakfast and were not disappointed. When we came in, there was no line, although while we were there, people were coming and coming. The food here is amazing, and we really liked the croissant and the croque madame. The service is quick, and the personnel is friendly.“

“A very charming cafe. My pain au chocolat was delicious as was the massive breakfast croissant. This croissant could easily feed two, as I could not finish it. The outdoor patio would be a fantastic place to split a bottle of wine with a friend and catch up. This location was well staffed too, which made the experience even better. I was just visiting SC but if I lived close, I would frequent this establishment often.“

“We needed a spot to meet that was about halfway between Long Beach and San Diego. Dana Point is always nice, and I picked Gemmell's based on some of the comments.WOW...The outside of the restaurant isn't very impressive, but the meal was fantastic.I started with the escargots - the menu says it best - "Farm raised Helix snails, sautéed with garlic, shallots, mushrooms and diced ham, in a rich burgundy sauce". Outstanding - the snails were tasty, and the burgundy sauce with the finely diced pieces of ham, mushrooms, garlic, and shallots was amazing. It will be hard to go back to plain butter escargots after this.My wife had the Chef Byron's smoked salmon appetizer - lots of thinly-sliced salmon with capers, lemon, and toast points. I had a bite and it was very tasty. The toast points were very light and airy - almost like biting into foam.My sister and I also shared the pate canard - also with toast points and aspic. Delicious!For our salad course, I had the wilted spinach - baby spinach leaves in a flambeed bacon dressing. WOW - we all agreed that I won that round. The spinach and dressing was rich and flavorful.My wife had the lobster bisque and said it was the best she had tasted. I tasted it and agreed that it was truly rich and full of lobster flavor. My sister passed on the salad/soup course - saving room for dessert later.For our main courses, I had the scallops. From the menu - "Eastern Sea Scallops sautéed in Garlic champagne butter sauce, vegetables and rice". The garlic champagne butter sauce perfectly accented the scallops, and the rice gave a break to the richness of the scallops and sauce.My wife had the chicken crepe (chicken and mushrooms sauteed and wrapped in a crepe) and I think I will have that next time - it had a great flavor and texture. The crepe texture with the chicken and mushroom pieces was a perfect mix.My sister had the "Chicken Elizabeth" - from the menu - "Fresh Tender chicken breast sautéed with artichoke hearts, garlic and gulf shrimp, In a citrus chardonnay sauce vegetables and rice". Another winner.Finally, for dessert, my wife had the Creme Brulee - served in a large ramekin with artistically arranged strawberries and blueberries. Again, she raved about the flavor. I had the blueberry tart, and my sister had the Meyer lemon tart - both were delicious and not too heavy.Prices were quite reasonable (actually lower than we would have expected for the quality of the food and the presentation).We are already planning on coming back. Even though it is an hour's drive from our home in San Diego, it is definitely worth the trip.This may be one of the best French restaurants in Southern California.“

“Breathtaking view through Laguna Beach Park onto the ocean. Overall experience was great. The service and the food were good except French toast we did not enjoy. The California omelet was really that’s tu as well as orange juice. Beautiful location, one of very few places that have patio overlooking the ocean and the beach.“