Longtime Dana Point resident here...
Lucy's El Patio Restaurant - great, inexpensive mexican food. Been there for many decades. Very busy on the weekends
Harbor House - Huge menu, something for everyone, reasonably priced.
Thai Dara - Great lunch special, about 6 bucks, lots of food.
Los Golandrinas - Great take out mexican. Check hours first, they close pretty early.
Laguna is very nice, but will be much more expensive, and much busier this time of year. Dana is a much sleepier beach town, with lots of great food. If you need a specific type of cuisine, let me know.
Hope that helps!