Orange County and Catalina Island Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Orange County and Catalina Island - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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10 Recommendations
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1. Bear Flag Fish Co.
$ | |Expect long lines in summer at this indoor--outdoor dining spot serving up the freshest local fish (swordfish, sea bass, halibut, and tuna) and a wide range of creative seafood dishes (the Hawaiian-style poke salad with ahi tuna is a local favorite). Order at the counter, which doubles as a seafood market, and sit inside or outside on a grand patio. This is one of the few restaurants in Southern California with its own fishing boat, so there's a good chance some line-caught local fish will be on the menu. Oysters are a great choice, and the fish tacos topped with the homemade hot sauce are not to be missed. This restaurant is so popular that it opened two other locations at Crystal Cove and Huntington Beach.
3421 Via Lido, Newport Beach, California, 92663, USA949-673–3474Known For
- Fresh catches thanks to restaurant fishing boat
- Fish tacos with homemade hot sauce
- Craft beers
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2. Cañadas Grill
$ | |Serving up authentic Mexican cuisine, the family-owned Cañadas Grill is where the locals go. Don't expect fancy decor or tableside service; this humble mom-and-pop shop is tucked into a tiny urban strip mall in an untouristed area, and shows fútbol matches on the corner TV. The menu is huge, filled with everything from the regular suspects to more localized specialties. Whether you want to start the day with a breakfast entree like chilaquiles (fried tortilla pieces covered with eggs and carne asada) or end it with a molcajete (a stone mortar filled with a meat-and-vegetable stew), Cañadas has you covered. The superstar dish is carne en su jugo (beef in its own juice). Wash down your meal with beverages like hibiscus aguas frescas, fresh juice, a michelada, or Mexican bottled sodas.
3721 E. Anaheim St., California, 90804, USA562-494--4903Known For
- Super-authentic Mexican cuisine
- Carne en su jugo
- House-made salsa
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3. Catalina Coffee & Cookie Company
$ | |There is no Starbucks on the island, so the Catalina Coffee & Cookie Company is very popular in the morning. While you're grabbing your coffees, lattes, and mochas, you may want to kick-start the day with fresh-baked pastries, a hot breakfast burrito, or one of their custom made-to-order bagel sandwiches. Sit outside at one of the tables in the quaint Metropole Market Place.
205 Crescent Ave., Avalon, California, 90704, USA310-510--2447Known For
- Dark chocolate pistachio bars
- Bagel sandwiches
- Popular breakfast spot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Open daily 6–4. -
4. Gelato Paradiso
$ | |Each morning this gelato shop makes fresh small batches of artisanal gelatos and dairy-free sorbettos in a variety of appealing flavors. Located in back of the charming Peppertree Lane shopping center, there is a small outdoor patio where people gather to enjoy the authentic Italian gelato after a day at the beach or to cap off an evening.
448 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, California, 92651, USA949-464–9255Known For
- Authentic Italian gelato
- Fruit flavors
- Patio gathering spot
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5. Nomad Asian Bistro
$ | |Nomad Asian Bistro draws an army of dedicated locals to feast on Chinese halal dishes featuring hand-pulled noodles (at a nominal extra fee, but worth it in every way). Nomad offers a wide range of conventional and inventive options, with abundant vegetarian and gluten-free choices in addition to classics like short ribs and shrimp. Be warned: if you order the sesame flatbread and aren't paying close attention, you'll inhale it all and ruin your appetite. Wash down your meal with a glass of their housemade, fresh-pressed ginger beer. The restaurant's ample size makes it a great option for large parties, and free parking is abundant—a rarity in Long Beach. Patio dining is available.
6563 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., California, 90803, USA562-430--6888Known For
- Delectable house-made noodles
- Bargain lunch specials
- Sizzling rice soup that really sizzles
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations recommended on weekend nights -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Shake Shack at Crystal Cove
$ | |This Southern California landmark sitting on a bluff off the PCH is the perfect spot to get a quick breakfast burrito or pancake combo. During lunch and dinner they make tasty Cove burgers served with a side of French fries or coleslaw, fish-and-chips, and a seared ahi sandwich. The menu also includes a vegan Impossible burger, banana date shakes, and root beer floats.
7703 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Coast, California, 92657, USA949-464–0100Known For
- More than 30 different shake flavors
- Incredible ocean views
- Small parking lot with 30-minute limit
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7. Sugar 'N Spice
$ | Balboa Island |Stop by ice cream parlor Sugar 'N Spice for a Balboa Bar—a slab of vanilla ice cream dipped first in chocolate and then in a topping of your choice such as hard candy, chopped nuts, or Oreo crumbs. Other parlors serve the concoction, but Sugar 'N Spice claims to have invented it back in 1945.
310 Marine Ave., Newport Beach, California, 92662, USA949-673–8907Known For
- Inventor of the Balboa Bar
- Frozen banana
- Local institution
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8. Taco Loco
$ | |This may look like a fast-food taco stand with salads, quesadillas, and nachos on the menu, but the quality of the food here equals that in many higher-price restaurants. Some Mexican standards get a seafood twist, like swordfish, calamari, and shrimp tacos. Other favorites include blackened mushroom-and-tofu tacos, salads, and bowls. They also offer a vegan menu with veggie tacos, hemp blackened burgers, and bowls. It stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. All seating is outside, making this a great people-watching spot.
640 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, California, 92651, USA949-497–1635Known For
- Vegetarian and vegan tacos
- Sidewalk seating
- Surfer clientele
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9. The Stand Natural Foods
$ | |Since 1975, this old-school, artsy eatery in Laguna provides healthy, organic vegan salads, bowls, burritos, tamales, veggie burgers, pita pocket sandwiches, fresh fruit soft serve, and smoothies.
238 Thalia St., Laguna Beach, California, 92651, USA949-494–8101Known For
- 100% plant-based vegan food
- Brown rice burritos
- Nut-milk shakes
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10. Wahoo's Fish Taco
$ | |Proximity to the ocean makes this eatery's seafood-filled tacos and burritos taste even better. The healthy fast-food chain—tagged with dozens of surf stickers—brought Baja's fish tacos north of the border to quick success. The Wahoo protein bowls combine grilled chicken, fish, or tofu with rice and beans while the Hawaiian onion ring burrito is filled with teriyaki steak and Maui onion rings. Vegetarians will want to order a Wahoo salad with a scoop of guacamole and loads of veggies.
120 Main St., California, 92648, USA714-536–2050Known For
- Organic ingredients
- Hawaiian onion ring burrito
- Casual beachy ambience
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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