Mozambique (Laguna Beach)

Danielle:

One of my favorite places to go on Sundays is Mozambique in Laguna. I usually go on holiday weekends so I don’t have to worry about work on Monday. This night usually attracts a crowd with the same perspective and has been packed each time I've gone. Sunday nights are reggae nights. Live music is also happening on other weekend nights as well, but reggae just creates the atmosphere for fun and mingling.

I first found Mozambique when on a serious hunt for any African food I could find to “get my fix” after a few trips to South Africa. I love the food here and have never had a dish that I didn’t like. I absolutely love the peri-peri chicken (tip: order an extra side of the sauce for some spicy dipping). It comes accompanied with salsa, but this isn’t just any salsa. It’s more like a tropical fruit salad. The chunks of fruits are large and juicy.


Might I also suggest my favorite cocktail...the African mojito:

I love the crowd here because it has proved to be the potpourri of OC. There are younger, older, mixed ethnicities, etc. Typically, the crowd is chatty, so if nothing else, you can always settle for good food with good company. They also offer happy hour daily which makes it an ideal spot for sitting and sipping while waiting on the sunset.The ratio of men to women is pretty equal too.

Each time I’ve gone, I’ve met at least 1-2 people from Africa (various parts). How shocked they usually are to find out that I’m a regular in that part of the world. It feels like this spot attracts a more international crowd, and my friends from Africa another countries living in LA even know this spot.

On a side note ladies, if you are into tall, dark (true African), + handsome, this could be your spot.

Food: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★☆

Price: ★★★★☆

Ambiance: ★★★★★

Overall: ★★★★★

Candice:

This was a special detour from our weekday happy hour and we stopped on by to Mozambique in Laguna Beach on a Sunday over the Memorial Day holiday.  I have been to this restaurant twice previously and both times thoroughly enjoyed the vibe and soulful atmosphere.  The food has been consistently good and I love getting the Peri-peri chicken meal.  This was my first time to happy hour there and for a complete $10 meal, it was quite the deal. Although I could go into great detail about the Per-peri chicken, it is enough to say that I chose a popular traditional dish and it was both hearty and flavorful.  Additionally, I seem to order this meal each time. Our main focus for this happy hour was not the food in particular, but to enjoy a Sunday night out knowing that there were no morning deadlines to meet.  The martinis were well made and also very reasonably priced for happy hour.  The people watching here was also pretty great especially since there is a considerably big bar area with live music, which happened to be reggae that night - so the ambiance was particularly energetic.  Even though there were no special connections made for me that evening, I had such a great time drinking and dining amongst a group of friends. The service had overall been a bit slow, but it was obvious that our waitress had a lot of tables to attend that evening so it was understandable.  I would highly recommend a visit to this place if you have never been before, and especially during one of their lively entertaining and musical evenings.

Food: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Price: ★★★★☆

Ambience: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

Classic Q (Newport Beach)

Candice

Ooooh-la-la.  What a pleasant surprise this little gem turned out to be.  Ah, how I do love big sporting events at a sports bar, and this happened to be the night of game one of the NCAA tournament. There just always seems to be a pretty solid guarantee that women will be far outnumbered by the men and on this particular evening, the ratio ended up being about one female to every six men.  Not too bad, nope not too shabby at all.  Perhaps by now those of you who actually follow our blog are wondering why we, or maybe just I, get so excited when I enter a room and feel the testosterone encapsulate me. Well, try working with mostly women (and busy little children) 40+ hours per week and then tell me it isn’t welcoming to have men around, even if it is just to appreciate the sight of them.  So tonight was another good evening of men watching – there were just so many of them!  And not too bad of a crowd I might add.  We found a cozy spot near the end of the rectangle shaped bar where we could view all those in front of us but unfortunately not the best view of those behind us.  Regardless, there were plenty of tables throughout the restaurant that was occupied for most of the time we were in attendance. 

To be honest, I wouldn’t have given this place much notice with its somewhat dingy sign looming over the street, but as I drove by I noticed their patio area was quite crowded so it drew my attention.  The parking lot was a bit challenging to get to and the lot was full when we arrived, however there was plenty of nearby street parking.  As for the food, well, I made a bad call.  I wouldn’t typically recommend ordering pizza at a sports bar but I will admit that I was craving pizza for some unknown reason and thought I would give it a shot.  Although I consumed over half of it, I will confess I was driven by sheer hunger.  The crust was alright but not much anything else. I would definitely not recommend ordering this again.  As for the service, I would like to report that I am a bit surprised (but very pleased) at the superior level of overall service by the bartenders, wait staff, and anyone else working there because it was a very busy (or seemed like a very busy restaurant and bar) evening.  The service was not lacking at all and we were constantly attended to by both our bartenders (a male AND a female bartender – thanks both of you!) despite the fact they were constantly filling restaurant orders.  Although Danielle and I did not get the most optimal seating to interact with other patrons, there will no doubt be another visit to this establishment.  Finally…we are beginning to find some decent happy hour places after months and months of “research” (thanks Jenn H for your recommendations and following our blog so regularly!) – and not only do we continue to be receptive to all our followers’ feedback, comments, and suggestions, but we also sincerely appreciate all of you curious minded people who are interested in being  part of our entertaining journey! Until the next adventure…

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★★★

Price: ★★★☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

S Factor: ★★★★☆

Danielle

Finally! A crowd! Hallelujah!

We started out at Ten because happy hour goes until ten on Tuesdays. We wondered if perhaps that would draw a crowd. Nope. I walked in and just stood there looking for an open spot. There was no one working at the hostess stand for the 10 minutes or so I stood there. Needless to say, I was already turned off. Candice walked in and mentioned a place down the street that had a crowd….my interest was piqued. 

When we drove by Classic Q, I realized I had passed this place so many times without noticing it. That could be a bad sign….we decided it’d be a great night to try it out since the game was on. I was pleasantly surprised to find a full parking lot and equally full bar area when we walked in. All I ask for in OC these days is just a crowd. That’s a nice start. Well, the other pleasant surprise? We were two of the few women there. I loved that the women who were there seemed normal with 100% genuine parts and un-botoxed to the hilt. 

We found the only two open barstools at the bar. The location wasn’t ideal but doable for such a late join. The service was awesome and the bartenders worked their butts off filling the servers’ trays and attending to the patrons at the bar. Maybe some of the “trendy” establishments could take some lessons....

Anyway, I ordered the sliders with sweet potato fries. Delicious? No, but I ate it like it was! By that time, I was starved. It’s your typical bar food quality, but the menu was extensive to be a “bar-like” spot.

We are looking forward to going back here for another game night. It seems an ideal spot for men from the nearby businesses to stop in for a beer sans the pretentious atmosphere of other close-by spots. 

Food: ★★☆☆☆

Service: ★★★★★

Price: ★★★☆☆

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

Overall: ★★★★☆

S Factor: ★★★★☆