The Mayors Table Pacific Pub & Kitchen
3300 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA, 92663
949-524-6160
Located on the site of the original Newport Beach City Hall, Mayor’s Table Pacific Pub & Kitchen is Lido House’s signature dining venue. Executive Chef Partner Riley Huddleston brings a decade of culinary power as a chef, mixologist, pastry chef and restaurateur to the Mayor’s Table with seafood and vegetable-forward cuisine. Menu highlights include a […]
Neighborhood: Newport Beach
Category: American, Restaurants, Seafood
Watertable
Hyatt Regency, 21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA
Here’s a rare bird, a hotel restaurant in a tourist resort that locals love for lots of reasons. Progressive takes on global dishes, tip-top craft cocktails, copious happy hours, and the steady hand of longtime chef Manfred Lassahn keep this venue on point. We return just for the white cheddar and thyme biscuits with seasonal […]
Neighborhood: Huntington Beach
Category: 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 […]
Website: http://boathousecollective.com/
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa
Category: Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Restaurants
Babette’s
7962 E. Coast Highway, Newport Coast, CA, 92657
949-715-9915
Born in East Hampton, this Pacific Coast sibling, open since October, is easily the poshest new girl on campus at Crystal Cove Promenade.
Website: http://babettesoc.com/
Neighborhood: Newport Beach, Newport Coast
Category: American, Restaurants
Moulin Bistro
1000 Bristol St, Newport Beach, CA, 92660
949-474-0920
Moulin is the passion project of Paris native Laurent Vrignaud. After 30 years in the action-sports industry, he lives his longtime dream…
Website: http://moulinbistro.com/
Neighborhood: Newport Beach
Category: French, Restaurants
Pueblo
3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, CA, 92626
(714) 340-5775
Chosen as Orange Coast’s Best New Restaurant of the Year in 2015, Pueblo is an O. C. first—a modern Spanish tapas bar with authentic dishes made with California provisions.
Website: http://pueblotapas.com/
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa
Category: Restaurants, Spanish/Tapas/Basque
Provenance
2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, CA, 92660
949-718-0477
Chef-owner-dreamer Cathy Pavlos rekindles her farm-to-fork childhood at this ambitious Eastbluff venue that includes a tricked-out kitchen and bar, and a 1,300-square-foot organic garden…
Website: http://provenanceoc.com/
Neighborhood: Newport Beach
Category: American, Restaurants
Ritter’s Steam Kettle Cooking
1421 W. MacArthur Blvd., Santa Ana, CA, 92704
714-850-1380
Chef-partner Mike Ritter and crew create Cajun-Creole magic in 12 steam-heated steel caldrons that cook seductive versions of gumbo, chowder, and the legendary Pan Roast…
Website: http://rittersskc.com
Neighborhood: Santa Ana, Santa Ana
Category: Cajun/Creole, 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
Selanne Steak Tavern
1464 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-715-9881
Anaheim Ducks star Teemu Selanne cements his brand with this stylish upscale steak joint in the vastly retooled French 75 space on PCH…
Website: http://www.selannesteaktavern.com/
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: American, Restaurants
Taco Maria
3313 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, CA, 92626
714-538-8444
Every dish is a marvel of deeply considered modern Cal-Mex cuisine from chef-owner and O.C native Carlos Salgado…
Website: http://tacomaria.com/
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa, Orange County, South Coast Metro
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Fig & Olive
151 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA, 92660
949-877-3005
Soak up the luxury of Cannes at Fashion Island’s stylish “import” that brims with beautiful people…
Website: http://www.figandolive.com/
Neighborhood: Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Category: Mediterranean, Restaurants
Wineworks for Everyone
26342 Oso Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA, 92691
949-582-0026
This near-hidden pocket bistro is a top choice for wine-centric cuisine in South County. A retooled menu by chef David Shofner…
Website: http://www.wineworksforeveryone.com
Neighborhood: Mission Viejo
Category: Organic, Restaurants
Neapolitan Pizzeria & Birreria
31542 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
949-499-4531
All about pizza worship and emphatically Italian, right down to the Molino San Felice flour and the glossy red Stefano Ferrara wood-fire oven imported from Italy…
Website: http://www.nealaguna.com
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: Pizza, 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…
Website: http://www.carmelitaskitchen.com
Neighborhood: Laguna Beach
Category: Mexican, Restaurants
Arc
3321 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, 92626
949-500-5561
Chef-owner Noah Blom’s vision for his “new American roast house cuisine” focuses on the allure of wood-oven cooking…
Website: http://www.arcrestaurant.com
Neighborhood: Costa Mesa, Orange County, South Coast Metro
Category: 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…
Website: http://www.brunosbrea.com
Neighborhood: Brea
Category: Italian, Restaurants