OC Restaurant Recs

Balboa Peninsula/Balboa Island:

Breakfast:

  • Mayor’s Table for a bougie breakfast ($$$)
  • Malibu Farm for a healthy breakfast in a nice location ($$)
  • Ruby’s Diner for a cheap breakfast with a view (kid friendly) ($)
    • Order an Oreo milkshake
    • Pro Tip: sit inside, it smells like fish outside, and make sure you use the restroom before you go because the nearest restrooms are the public ones near the park at the base of the pier
  • Banzai Bowl for an açai bowl ($)
    • Order a small banzai bowl with apple juice

Lunch:

  • Bear Flag Fish Company for a decent fish taco and a coconut in a nice location ($$)
  • Lighthouse Cafe good for a cool location (kid friendly) ($$)
  • Luke’s Lobster for lobster rolls ($$)
  • TK Burger ($)
    • Order a cheese burger but instead of ordering it with fries, order onion rings and then put the onion rings inside the burger
    • Pro Tip: they have good ice here, so get a drink 

Dinner:

  • Nobu for bougie sushi ($$$$)
    • Pro Tip: order the crispy rise spiny tuna lettuce wrapped (they used to serve it this way, and it’s inexplicably so much better)
  • San Shi Go for authentic sushi ($$$)
  • The Dock for intimate date night in a nice location ($$$)
  • Molo for bougie Italian ($$$)
    • Everything is good, just don’t leave without getting a tiramisu
  • Crab Cooker for King Crab legs in a kitschy little restaurant ($$$)
  • Ho Sum Bistro for Asian-fusion ($$)
    • Order the wonton soup, the coconut shrimp, and the Ho Sum salad if you like spicy food

Bar:

  • Topside roof deck at Lido House ($$)

Desserts:

  • Balboa Beach Treats for a Balboa Bar ($)

Unpopular Opinion:

  • Neither Palmia, Skal, Alta Coffee, or Cannery serve good food

Newport Beach/Costa Mesa:

Coffee Shops:

  • Daydream for chai 
  • Coffee Dose for chai 
  • Salty Horse for chai and banana bread
  • Moongoat for chai 
  • Stereoscope Coffee Co. for matcha 
  • Lagu Cafe for “french toast” and a matcha

Breakfast:

  • Plum’s for a large selection of delicious breakfast foods ($$)
  • Haute Cakes Caffe for pancakes and delicious orange juice ($$)
  • Chaupin for pastries and baguette ($)
  • Moulin for pastries and baguette ($)
  • Sidecar for the best doughnuts ($)
    • Pro Tip: you have to go on Wednesdays now if you want the maple bacon
  • Shirley’s Bagels ($)

Lunch:

  • RH Ocean Grill for an elevated lunch in a great location ($$$)
    • Order the prosciutto & délice board and the mini lobster rolls with caviar 
    • Pro Tip: you usually need a reservation and will feel under-dressed if you’re casually dressed though there’s no formal dress code
  • R + D Kitchen for a sit-down lunch at the mall ($$$)
    • Order the french dip sandwich
    • Pro Tip: put your name in an hour before you want to eat and then shop
  • Din Tai Fung for bougie dim sum ($$$)
  • Mario’s Butcher for an amazing burger ($$)
  • Super Pollo for a Mexican rotisserie chicken ($$)
    • Order the lemon garlic chicken 
  • C’est Si Bon for sandwiches ($)
  • Sugo for a slice of pizza ($)

Dinner: 

  • Knife Pleat for haute cuisine ($$$$)
  • A Restaurant for a fancy steak ($$$)
    • Order the soup, it changes seasonally but is always excellent with a basket of bread, the heart of palm salad, and a classic banana split 
    • Pro Tip: go on a Monday for the chicken pot pie 
  • Vaca for paella ($$$)
    • Order the vegetable paella
  • VOX Kitchen for asian fusion ($$)
    • Order the Saltado Filet
  • Tabu Shabu for shabu-shabu ($$)
  • Hanuman Thai Eatery ($)
    • Order the Gai Toff Hai Yai
    • Pro Tip: Doordash, the location isn’t great 
  • Mi Casa for Mexican ($$)
    • Pro Tip: this place is great for when you have a large party but don’t want to spend a lot of money 
  • BB.Q Chicken for Korean fried chicken ($$)
    • Order the honey garlic wings 
    • Pro Tip: Doordash, the location isn’t great, and the serving size is large so it’s a good meal to split between two people
  • The India Cafe ($)
    • Order the butter chicken with garlic naan 
    • Pro Tip: Doordash, the location isn’t great 

Unpopular Opinion:

  • Neither Farm House at Roger’s Garden, JOEY Newport Beach, Sushi Roku, or Ospi are good

Corona Del Mar/Newport Coast:

Breakfast:

  • Rose’s Cafe for a breakfast burrito ($)
  • Parakeet Cafe for a healthy breakfast and a strong matcha ($$)

Lunch:

  • Bamboo Bistro for solid Thai food ($$)
  • Sugarfish for nigiri ($$$)

Dinner:

  • Marché Moderne for bougie french food ($$$)
  • Javier’s for bougie Mexican food ($$$)
  • Five Crowns for dinner with an older crowd ($$$)
  • Foretti’s for bougie Italian food ($$$)
  • The Quiet Woman for dinner and live music ($$$)

Unpopular Opinion:

  • Mastro’s Ocean Club is only good for the views and the side dishes, the steaks are overpriced and the butter cake is not even that good
  • Beachcomber Cafe is likewise, only good for the views 

Irvine/Tustin/Laguna:

Brunch:

  • Las Brisas for brunch with a view ($$$)
    • Order the lobster enchiladas 
  • Poppy & Seed for fried chicken and waffles ($$)

Dinner: 

  • Baekjeong KBBQ ($$$)
  • Chiang Rai for the best Thai food ($$)

Cocktails:

  • Strongwater ($$)
    • Pro Tip: make a reservation and dress like a pirate