We talk a lot about Orange County’s big budget restaurants because they serve great food and have the moneyed presence to make their personalities known.
But if you’re as invested in good food as I am, you occasionally come across a small hometown-style restaurant that’s doing all the right things. If you’re lucky, the restaurant becomes a favorite.
That’s the case for Mollies Country Kitchen in Laguna Niguel.
We were introduced to this sweet oasis of friendliness and terrific food by our friends from Nellie Gail, Judy and Richard Maggio, who accompanied us, along with 12 others, to China in late October.
One day, when we were heading to the Great Wall, the conversation turned to OC’s less expensive eateries that serve good food.
The Maggios proved a wealth of information. Almost as soon as we got home from the trip and unpacked our suitcases, my husband Patrick and I were in Mollies, investigating for ourselves one of the Maggios’ recommendations.
First you have to find Mollies,not necessarily the easiest task on the first try. It’s on La Paz, half a block from Aliso Creek Road.
The restaurant is tucked at the end of a nondescript line of storefronts. You’ll see by the facade that there’s a cuteness factor here. It’s not a place for pretentiousness.
There aren’t too many restaurants around with pink, white and teal color schemes and flowered wallpaper as their backdrop decor. Inside, Mollies’ homey atmosphere makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
There are several booths upholstered in teal vinyl with gray marbled Formica tabletops. A separate part of the room has white tables and chairs. Ceiling fans twirl at slow speed, further creating a relaxing mood.
We first went to Mollies for dinner and discovered a big menu of American and Mexican specialties. During several visits, we’ve worked our way backward and discovered that there’s equal reason to have a wonderful breakfast or lunch here as well.
We’d already been told that Olivia and Antonio Jiminez were the founders of the restaurant, now 20 years old. Tony, their son, and his wife now largely run the restaurant, carrying on the tradition of good food and gracious service.
We found that the Mexican food was famous with Mollies’ regulars. Everything is prepared fresh every day and made from old family recipes.
Two pages of the menu are devoted to the Mexican theme and most of the entrees come with fresh guacamole and sour cream (request some of the homemade salsa, too).
Huevos rancheros, scrambled beef and egg machaca, chorizo and egg as is or in a burrito make good breakfast choices, although there are 17 Mexican breakfast plates to taunt you.
Lunch or dinner Mexican-style includes almost every kind of enchilada, taco, burrito, relleno and tamale. Cravings for carne asada, carnitas, steak, fish or camarones (shrimp) can be happily sated at Mollies.
Breakfasts also are serious business. Freshly squeezed juice joins fresh fruit and all kinds of cereal. Hot cakes come in many styles and French toast and crispy waffles shouldn’t be missed.
Add to that plenty of egg dishes and combos that keep us happy. Incidentally, the coffee to perk you up is very good and I managed several refills.
If you opt for American-style specialties for lunch, another load of choices is on hand.
Generous burgers, a long list of cold and grilled sandwiches and many salads are presented nicely. There’s also a nice list of hot lunch specialties, including meatloaf, steak, pork chops, chicken, fish and roasted turkey.
There also are complete dinners where the fish and chips are worthy of jolly old England, the fried chicken satisfies my Southern longing, liver and onions are near divine, pork chops and tenderloin remind me of mid-America and a full roasted turkey dinner is just delicious at any time.
It took a long time for me to hear about Mollies, but I’m making up for it now. Mollies is giving us more good food than we would ever expect in this type of eatery.
There’s lovely pricing, very generous portions and delightful service that that makes Mollies a homespun cafe worth knowing.
AT A GLANCE: MOLLIES COUNTRY KITCHEN
Address : 27932 La Paz Road,
Laguna Niguel
Phone: (949) 643-9174
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday and holidays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Breakfast $3.99 to $9.99; sandwiches and salads 4.99 to $8.29; hot lunch meals $7.59 to $10.59; Mexican items $5.79 to $9.99; dinner $7.99 to $13.99
