Broadway By Amar Santana

So the bone marrow here may be the richest dish I have ever eaten. Eyes rolled back in my head so good. My wife made the mistake ordering the bone marrow as an app. She should have ordered it for her main. Heck, your best bet here is probably just sharing 4 – 6 apps and skipping the main dishes. I ordered the octopus to start and it was delicious. A nice char, good sauces with it, great dish. My wife had the bone marrow. It came with bread, braised oxtail and salt and once you put it all together, BAM. Heaven. Stuffed, my wife finished with the Hamachi sashimi which was clean, fresh and light. Just what she needed.
I ordered the beef cheeks. The waitress told me they are prepared differently, in a carnitas style. I was intrigued and went for it. I guess they are slow cooked and pulled, then crisped up on the flat top before serving. It was tasty and an interesting preparation but I probably would not order again. I wanted to try the duck, the raviola and a few other apps next time we visit. Our server was also great. Very attentive. Can’t wait to return.

What an amazing experience!
Delicious food, good drinks and excellent service.
Nice atmosphere… modern and has a good vibe. Everything was spot on. I will definitely come back and highly recommend this place.

YUM! One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a long time. The atmosphere is nice but still laid back and comfortable. The bar area looks perfect to enjoy one of their signature cocktails or some wine and cheese.
We ordered the Egg Yolk Raviolo for an appetizer which was delicious. I’d definitely recommend getting a few starters because this one is pretty rich. One raviolo was a perfect amount for me but I so wanted more!
I got the Roasted Chicken Breast for dinner which I know may not sound like anything outside of the box. But the skin. Ahhh… and the risotto with asparagus. I had to force myself to stop eating. So good!
Hostess was nice and friendly. Service was great and accommodating. I will definitely be back soon!

What a great experience. I mean the food is hands down amazing. The flavors… outta this world. Our waitress was so genuine and literally sat down with us to go over the menu and answer any questions we had. I had the skirt stake — amazing! And my bf had the beef cheeks and he ate everything. We were welcomed by the manager too who was so nice. Overall fantastic experience and we will def be going back! :)

Truly transformative culinary experience. The food is very fun creative evoking the flavors of Spain and the Mediterranean. The octopus appetizer is not to be missed. We had Chef Santana personally serving us and personally overseeing all aspects of his kitchen. The attention to detail is everywhere

Delicious! Great cocktails, delicious food and fun atmosphere. I had the beef cheeks which were amazing!!! I’m not a huge fan of beef so this was a random order for me but I’m SO glad I did. We shared the fries and Brussels sprouts which were delicious! I tried my friends chicken and steak which were both cooked perfectly as well.

I brought my husband for his birthday last weekend. We loved it! Service and food were top notch, and the prices were great for all we got.
We started with the Japanese Hamachi Sashimi and Egg Yolk Raviolo for appetizers. They both had a lot of flavors going on, but all all worked great together. I don’t think I could pick a favorite between the two.
For dinner I had the Beef Cheek and he had the Skirt Steak. The sauces served with both meats were delicious, especially the brown butter squash purée with my pumpkin spice gnocchi. His meat was fantastic, neither of us cared for the shishito peppers though, there was nothing special about them.
We split the Brussels Sprouts with Chinese Sausage. Seriously, best Brussels I have ever had, and I order them everywhere. The sweet & sour sauce on them was fantastic.
For dessert we had the Lemon Ricotta Fritters and Chocolate Praline Crunch with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. The fritters were light and the candied lemon on top was a great touch. The chocolate dessert was very good, but VERY rich, and we couldn’t finish it. If you like salted caramel, you will love that ice cream.
We were both in love with our meals and said we will return, I hope soon!

Our second experience here was not as great as our first. The Branzino dish was dry and nothing special and the lamb was very salty. The best part of our meal were the Brussels sprouts on the side but yet those were very heavily salted as well. Overall we left their disappointed and thirsty. Nothing impressive for the price scale. If I’m paying this much, I do expect to be at least a little wowed but the dishes lack creativity and does not leave any lasting impression.

Food exceptional.
Service sucks.
Things have noticeably changed since Chef Amar opened up Vaca. Overall– the food is still great! Worthy to compete with any LA or NYC restaurant.
Just hoping service improves and they’d be worthy of 5 stars!

3.5 Stars. Unfortunately I didn’t get the whole dinning experience that evening but what little I had was delicious.
B: Bone Marrow was okay — very buttery, dense texture, you can taste the natural flavors but I would have preferred it a tad bit more seasoned
A: Brussel sprouts — heavily seasoned, I loved it except it was a little too sweet with the carmelized onions
A: Lamb Shank — tender and nicely cooked. I liked the chinese green beans :)
I wish I had more to try but next time. Will be back :)

I went here for a birthday dinner, and loved it. I commend the staff. The service was excellent, from the friendly hostesses to our server, Michael. They did a great job keeping my water glass full, which I seem to always have a problem with! The décor and design of the restaurant were also executed very well.
Amar was in the house that night, but wasn’t schmoozing tables. He was alternating between overseeing the kitchen, chatting with a herd of Real Housewives of Orange County type women at the bar, and watching himself on «Top Chef». :)
The food was delicious. I started with the octopus and then had pork. Both were creative, well-​presented and packed with flavor. My cocktails were also very good. They made sure to remember the birthday girl with a dessert, and we all had a great experience.
I think Amar Santana is very talented, and am looking forward to also trying his restaurant Vaca in Costa Mesa. Broadway is a winner.

Food: absolutely 5 stars. Delicious.
Service: 1 star. This is why:
We had dinner reservations for 4 ppl and the hostess checked us in — she was superb. It was all downhill from there. The sommelier came by without introduction and asked if I was looking at the wine list (it was closed) when half our party had not arrived. I didn’t know if he wanted to use the list bc I had no clue he was the sommelier. When our party arrived, and we asked for the sommelier, 20 minutes went by and no show. As for the server, he kept trying to pour my very pregnant friend wine all evening, even after she ordered a Virgin drink and informed him she is pregnant. In addition, here is my conversation with the server when ordering a drink:
Me: I’ll have the half bottle of whispering angel rose.
Server: No, we don’t have that.
Me: it’s on your menu.
Server: (grabs the wine list out of my friends hands and looks at it). Oh, it must be new.
There was no «my mistake» or any apologetic gestures at all whatsoever.
With that said, the food is fabulous. We had duck confit, octopus a la plancha to start. For the main, we had lamb, pork delmonico, salmon and branding with a side of Brussels sprouts. For dessert, we had the chocolate crunch cake — amazing!
Overall, in my opinion, Broadway has a price point of Andrea in Pelican Hill but the service is very much poor/​lacking. I’d go back at some point but would most definitely make sure I don’t get the same server.

Been here a few times now and with each visit it is better!
Had the octopus a la plancha, Hamachi sashimi, pork belly, oysters on the half shell, lamb shank, salmon, beef cheek and ravioli with egg yolk.
Can say everything is great– portions on apps are small and pricey but worth every bite. Ravioli and cheek are my favs.

First time here (celebrate wedding anniversary)
I made a reservation first then found out that they had a chefs table where you can see the action of every dish being made by the cooks and head chef. I changed our reservation from a regular RSVP to a tasting menu so that we could be certain to sit up at the chefs table. According to the hostess, if you order the tasting menu, then your seat is certain at that table.
The tasting menu was about $ 100 per person and $ 55 for the wine pairings.
First course: seafood gelee (squid) and broth from the seafood with cucumber kimchi.
Second course: white bean stuffed into dumplings (like dim sum)
Third course: pan seared salmon with a potato cake
Fourth course: duck confit paparadelle pasta with pickled veg
Dessert: doughnut balls covered with sugar, honey for sauce and a cherry ice cream
Everything was really tasty and executed precisely. It’s a place that really puts so much effort into each dish.
Most of the dishes that we saw that evening being pumped out the kitchen were the skirt steak with shishito peppers, branzino, and brussel sprouts.
I found that the restaurant was warm because the cooking was all happening right there so if you are like me, enjoying a few glasses of wine and sitting at the chefs table, you will be a little toasty and hot at times.
There is only one restroom for women and men so there will be times where you are sitting in the hall waiting for the next person. I always find that to be a little awkward for me.
I would definitely go again to the restaurant. If you aren’t getting the tasting menu it’s affordable in that you can order a couple dishes and share with your company.
Park for free in the bank parking next door if you come after bank hours.

I went there two times back to back during my visit to Laguna beach. The experience was exceptional, I sat at the bar and had great cocktails, oysters and exceptional appetizers. My second time I had the hamachi app and the skirt steak.
I think this is the best spot in Laguna Beach, the staff was very profesional and the service was flawless.

The tables are a bit close. You can easily have a conversation with your neighbor – unintentionally. However, the food makes you want to focus on your plate. And what a big plate it is – literally, a nice healthy portion. The servers, water, bussers and runners were all very courteous. No showing by Chef Amar tonight. But we will be back for those wagyu beef cheeks, so maybe next time!

The highlights: first course – duck confit and octopus. Second course: lamb shank and side of Brussels sprouts. Dessert: chocolate hazelnut with ice cream (I asked for horchata ice cream). Cocktail: Veruca Salt
Service: perfect. Very attentive, knew all the details to our items and questions.
I’d love to go back to sit at the table near the grilling (the chef’s table?) But if Amar is opening a Spanish restaurant in Costa Mesa, I’ll go there before going back to Broadway.

Wow one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile!
Moscow Mule (⁵⁄₅): very tasty and refreshing. $ 13
Octopus (⁴⁄₅): cooked perfectly and loved the olive cream sauce it was served with, just wish it came with more octopus. $ 19
Marinated Skirt Steak (4.5÷5): steak was a little chewy but delicious, the au jus was fire. The potatoes and shishito peppers complimented the meat very well. $ 32
New York Steak (⁴⁄₅): a little pricey but good, my bf ordered this but subbed everything for the skirt steak sauce and sides instead. $ 43
Overall the food was fantastic and our waiter was on top of everything. Will definitely be coming back when in Laguna. Great spot for a date night.

Every time I’ve been here has been out of this world. They remember their regulars and take excellent care. The food is incredible, remarkable service and fun ambience.
My favorite OC dining experience.
Thank you Ahmed!

Absolutely blown away!
The restaurant was warm and inviting. Maybe seating was a bit tight, but we had early reservations and were lucky there weren’t any patrons sitting by us at the time. The service was impeccable; our plates were cleared out after finishing each dish. Everyone was so helpful and ran things very smoothly for us even if it wasn’t their table, that they were waiting on. We shared a variety of dishes, and they were equally delicious.
Chilled foie gras
Spanish octopus
Pumpkin bisque w/​foie gras tortellini
Free Range Organic egg yolk w/​duck prosciutto
Summer mixed grill-​lamb, quail and sausage
Pumpkin bread pudding
From the presentation, to the unique flavoring and combinations; each dish was spot on and was quite a delight for my palate. I can’t wait to come back and taste more of Amar Santana’s clever creations! Also, heard he will be competing on The Food Network’s Top Chef, so if that’s any indication of how amazing his work is, then please don’t hesitate on booking your next reservations for one unforgettable meal :)