13 Best Restaurants in Orange County and Catalina Island, California

Grab a stool at this little snack bar on the Green Pleasure Pier for people-watching while drinking a draft beer and munching on a burrito, fish-and-chips, or signature buffalo burger.

Located in what used to be the Victor Hugo Inn, Las Brisas is now a Laguna Beach landmark restaurant. Sit on the expansive patio to take in the spectacular coastline views while enjoying signature margaritas and coastal Mexican cuisine with a California twist. Look for the lobster Benedict for breakfast and brunch and the whole grilled fish served with black beans, rice, salsa, and freshly made corn tortillas for dinner.

Cordelia Knott's fried chicken and boysenberry pies drew crowds so big in the 1930s, that Knott's Berry Farm built a park to keep the hungry customers occupied while they waited. The Western-theme restaurant serves crispy home-style fried chicken, along with handmade biscuits, mashed potatoes, gravy, and Mrs. Knott's signature chilled cherry-rhubarb compote. The adjacent Marketplace has a grab-and-go counter to order and take home Knott's fried-chicken dinners.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Beach culture flourishes in this Crystal Cove Historic District restaurant, thanks to its umbrella-laden deck just a few steps above the white sand. This is where you can sip a really good mai tai at the Bootlegger Bar, while waiting for your chance to sample ahi tacos, Maine lobster pasta, or blue crab–stuffed salmon. They offer beach chair rentals and you can reserve your own firepit for s'mores.

Walk through the quaint Laguna Beach artist village to get to the Cliff and its 180-degree views of Main Beach and the Pacific coastline. The multilevel dining patios serve hearty breakfasts and coastal seafood favorites for lunch and dinner. Firepits, outdoor heaters, and blankets keep diners warm when the marine air grows chilly in the evening. This is also a popular happy hour spot where people stay to enjoy the sunset and then remain for dinner.

It may be worth hopping the Amtrak to San Juan Capistrano just for the chance to have breakfast or lunch at one of Orange County's most beloved restaurants, located in a historic board-and-batten home dating back to 1881. This café sits practically on the railroad tracks across from the depot—nab a table on the patio and dig into a hearty breakfast featuring seasonal items, such as the smoked bacon scramble with wilted rocket and apple fried potatoes. During the week there is an a la carte breakfast and lunch menu. On weekends, there is a set two-course menu for $45 per person. 

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.

A local favorite in the morning and throughout the day for organic heirloom coffee and hand-blended fine organic teas, Urth also serves health-conscious food as well as pastries outside on the charming garden patio looking out at the Laguna Art Museum across the street. For lunch and dinner, they offer a variety of salads, soups, bowls, pizzas, and signature sandwiches. Heartier fare includes a Mediterranean platter, Urth tamales, lasagna, and an Asian-style nori plum rice wrap. There is a children's menu, too.

It's always brunch time at his small Laguna Beach institution where—from 7 am to 4 pm—you will find reasonably priced breakfast-to-lunch (okay, brunch) items that include everything from signature quiches, poached eggs, and homemade granolas, to healthy salads, homemade soups, quesadillas, and pizza. All the sweets are homemade, including the megasize brownies. There are some gluten-free and vegetarian items, too, including a Zinc Rubenesque on rye bread made with beets. A large beverage menu includes lattes, lemonade, beer, mimosas, and red and white wines by the glass.