Laguna Beach oceanfront restaurants close as locals rage over resort redevelopment: ‘Some monstrosity’

Laguna Beach has lost two of its most beloved beachfront haunts — and furious locals fear yet another piece of the ritzy coastal town’s casual charm is being bulldozed along with them.

Driftwood Kitchen and its sister spot, The Deck, served its final meals on Monday, shutting down to clear the way for massive redevelopment — including a brand-new luxury resort.

The longtime oceanfront restaurants closed after Labor Day following a decade of service — where diners could scarf down jumbo crab cakes and High Tides practically in the Pacific.

Unlike other area eateries that have gone bust in recent years amid the soaring cost of doing business, owners wanted patrons to know that they didn’t close because they were drowning in red ink.

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen more than 50 restaurants in Laguna close for financial reasons — we want to emphasize that is not the case here,” Driftwood Kitchen wrote in an Instagram post.

The properties, part of a larger parcel of land that includes the Pacific Edge Hotel, will disappear as long-planned redevelopment commences.

The new, resulting resort, catering to high-end travelers, should arrive in about three years, it has been reported.

Right now, regulars are seeing red.

“Another charming, vintage, coastal Orange County icon being bulldozed and replaced with some monstrosity,” one commented on a local’s social media account. “I don’t understand how this is happening. What’s next in Laguna? An Amazon fulfillment center and an AI facility?”

“Laguna is slowly losing its charm and turning into a money hungry resort conglomerates,” another lamented.

Others vented that big business is ruining the small beach town, stripping it of its character.

“No one wants to go to the places that look like Santa Monica x 20,” a local sniped.

“This is a huge loss, poor decision,” another local mourned online. “It was popular. Truly sad.”

The Deck launched in 2012 and the Driftwood Kitchen a year later, earning awards, hosting charity galas and shucking nearly a million oysters during its time there.

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The land reportedly changed hands in 2024 — when developers Dune Drifter purchased the property for $80 million.

The new owners have been working through the permitting and approval process with the city since then — and are now ready to break ground.