Restaurants
Boathouse Collective
1640 Pomona Ave., Costa Mesa, CA, 92627
949-646-3176
This quirky hang is a restaurant and private-event venue from local artist Clayton Peterson. A pastiche of up-cycled shipping containers and post-and-beam construction, the space is also an indoor-outdoor affair with frequent live music by local and touring acts. Mathieu Royer is executive chef, cooking a supertight and ever-changing menu of eclectic fare that’s in […]
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Brick
216 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA, 92672
949-429-1199
The menu of authentic, season-based cuisine says Italy, but the unfussy setting and beach-casual regulars make for a solid California vibe…
Neighborhood: San Clemente
Category: Pizza, Restaurants
Broadway by Amar Santana
328 Glenneyre St., Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-715-8234
Boy wonder chef Amar Santana and industry vet Ahmed Labbate decamped Charlie Palmer to create this urban bistro…
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: New American, Restaurants
Brü Grill & Market
23730 El Toro Road, Lake Forest, CA, 92630
949-305-5757
Ambitious, with 350-seats, this suburban indie goes all in for craft and microbrews, crackerjack cocktails, and pub food…
Neighborhood: Lake Forrest
Category: New American, Restaurants
Brunos Trattoria
210 W. Birch Street, Brea, CA, 92821
714-257-1000
One of North County’s best venues boasts advantages that are fairly rare in these parts: thoughtfully executed Italian cuisine…
Neighborhood: Brea
Category: Italian, Restaurants
Brussels Bistro
222 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-376-7955
Loud and lively, this bistro brings a bit of Belgium to Orange County, with traditional beers on tap and an authentic menu…
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: Belgian, Restaurants
Café El Cholo
840 E. Whittier Blvd., La Habra, CA, 90631
562-691-4618
It’s combo-plate heaven at this venerable local chain that started in Los Angeles in 1927…
Neighborhood: La Habra
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Café Hiro
10509 Valley View St., Cypress, CA, 90630
714-527-6090
Hiding out in Cypress, chef-owner Hiro Ohiwa caters to a devoted following who admires his formal French training and Japanese aesthetic…
Neighborhood: Cypress
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Canaletto
Fashion Island, Newport Beach, CA, 92663
949-640-0900
From the cognoscenti of Il Fornaio, this is the perfect SoCal vision of an upscale Italian trattoria…
Neighborhood: Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Category: Italian, Restaurants
Carmelita’s Kitchen de Mexico
31441 Santa Margarita Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 92688
949-709-7600
This lakefront sprawler offers top-notch Cal-Mex fare from the culinary vision of owner Clemente Heredia Jr. and the kitchen of exec chef Jose Colin…
Neighborhood: Rancho Santa Margarita
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Carmelita’s Kitchen de Mexico
217 Broadway, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-715-7829
This is the boutique version of Rancho Santa Margarita’s sprawling shop, but both offer top-notch Cal-Mex fare from the culinary vision of owner Clemente Heredia Jr., a third generation operator…
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar
1580 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA, 92802
714-774-4442
Dead center in Downtown Disney, Catal is the Patina Group’s nod to Spain’s Mediterranean cuisine…
Neighborhood: Anaheim
Category: Mediterranean, Restaurants, Spanish/Tapas/Basque
Cedar Creek Inn
20 Pointe Drive, Brea, CA, 92821
714-255-5600
A gorgeous patio, welcoming lounge, and attractive dining room lend upscale charisma to this handsome eatery…
Neighborhood: Brea
Category: American, Restaurants
Chapter One: The Modern Local
227 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA, 92701
714-352-2225
This first gastropub to open in downtown Santa Ana draws a diverse, sociable crowd for serious drinks and the savory dishes that complement…
Neighborhood: Santa Ana
Category: Gastropub, Restaurants
Coyote Grill
31621 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-499-4033
A great scenic stop on your weekend drive down Coast Highway, Coyote Grill is a Mexican-American diner with a million-dollar view…
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach, Waterfront
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Cucina Alessá
520 Main St., Huntington Beach, CA, 92648
714-969-2148
Despite the exit of its founding chef, this two-story trattoria maintains a solid following thanks to a veteran crew at ease with the original menu and recipes that still attract a loyal following for housemade pastas, feather-light pizzas, and breakfast omelets…
Neighborhood: Huntington Beach
Category: Italian, Restaurants
Cucina Alessá
6700 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA, 92661
949-645-2148
Despite the exit of its founding chef, this trattoria maintains a solid following thanks to a veteran crew at ease with the original menu and recipes that still attract a loyal following for housemade pastas, feather-light pizzas, and breakfast frittatas…
Neighborhood: Newport Beach
Category: Italian, Restaurants
Darya
South Coast Plaza Village, Costa Mesa, CA, 92704
714-557-6600
Don’t let the chandeliers and acres of marble deceive—this convivial Persian dining room isn’t staid or formal…
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa, South Coast Metro
Category: Persian/Iranian, Restaurants