EATS Kitchen & Bar
Hotel Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine
949-225-6780
Choose the attractive, fire-pit patio for the best ambience at Irvine’s retooled business hotel restaurant…
Website: http://eatskitchen.com
Neighborhood: Irvine, Orange County, South County
Category: Californian, Fusion/Eclectic/Global
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 […]
Website: http://boathousecollective.com/
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
The Blind Pig Kitchen & Bar
31431 Santa Margarita Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 92688
949-888-0072
Lakeside seats, terrific cocktails, and daring fare by young chef Karl Pfleider are earning local love for this rare gastro-canteen in Rancho Santa Margarita…
Website: http://www.theblindpigoc.com
Neighborhood: Rancho Santa Margarita
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Early Bird
Morningside Plaza, 1000 E. Bastanchury Road, Fullerton, CA, 92835
714-529-4100
Imaginative breakfasts washed down with in-season, single-origin coffee make this humble hang Fullerton’s newest sleeper for the foodie crowd…
Website: http://www.earlybirdoc.com/
Neighborhood: Fullerton
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Playground
220 E. 4th St, Santa Ana, CA, 92701
714-560-4444
Chef-owner Jason Quinn puts his food truck life in park with this buzzy storefront in Santa Ana’s fast-evolving downtown scene…
Website: http://www.playgrounddtsa.com
Neighborhood: Santa Ana
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Three Seventy Common
370 Glenneyre St., Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-494-8686
Confident chef-owner Ryan Adams reboots the former Sorrento Grille into a straightforward bistro with rich, hearty eats prepared with local goods…
Website: http://www.370common.com
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, 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…
Website: http://www.cafehiro.com
Neighborhood: Cypress
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Fish in a Bottle Sushi & Grill
1205 E. Imperial Highway, Placentia, CA, 92870
714-528-4000
Sleepy Placentia gets some modern chow at this maverick mom-and-pop cafe that supplements California cuisine with elaborate, innovative sushi rolls…
Neighborhood: Placentia
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Japanese, Restaurants, Sushi
Sapphire Laguna
1200 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-715-9888
Chef-owner Azmin Ghahreman satisfies locals and visitors with globally inspired large and small plates at lunch, dinner, and brunch…
Website: http://www.sapphirellc.com
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach, Waterfront
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
The Golden Truffle
1767 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA, 92626
949-645-9858
Classic cocktails are fresh news at maverick chef Alan Greeley’s 32-year-old bastion of improvisation…
Website: http://www.goldentruffle.com
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa, South Coast Metro
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
The Wild Artichoke
4973 Yorba Ranch Road, Yorba Linda, CA, 92885
714-777-9646
Chef-owner James D’Aquila and his winsome crew raise the culinary bar at this teensy, modest storefront…
Website: http://www.thewildartichoke.com
Neighborhood: Yorba Linda
Category: Californian, Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Italian, Restaurants
Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille
854 Avocado Ave., Corona del Mar, CA, 92660
949-760-8686
Ongoing nips and tucks keep this perennial favorite fresh. The fare remains reliably coastal and fresh: sole with yuzu-lilikoi butter…
Website: http://www.tommybahama.com
Neighborhood: Corona del Mar
Category: Californian, Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
True Food Kitchen
Fashion Island, 451 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA, 92660
949-644-2400
Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid is translated into a globally varied parade of healthful starters, salads, sandwiches, and entrees…
Website: http://www.truefoodkitchen.com
Neighborhood: Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Organic, Restaurants