14 Best Restaurants in Orange County and Catalina Island, California

Inside the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Spa is celebrity chef Michael Mina's sophisticated steak house. It's a local favorite for American classics presented with a dramatic flair. The flavorful menu items pair well with wines from an extensive international list. Start with a complimentary amuse-bouche, before ordering a generous lobster pot pie for two or steaks perfectly cut and cooked. Save room for the Basque cheesecake adorned with edible flowers on a swirl of caramel sauce.

This beloved Crystal Cove Historic District restaurant features an umbrella-laden deck just a few steps above the white sand. You can sip a very good mai tai, mule, or margarita at the Bootlegger Bar, while waiting to enjoy ahi tacos, ahi poke bowls, or a Beachcomber Kobe burger. They offer beach chair rentals and you can reserve your own fire pit for s'mores.

For a taste of Hawaiian flavors like freshly caught seafood with a macadamia crust, this homage to surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku is a prime people-watching spot. Order a mai tai with crispy coconut shrimp or fresh ahi tuna fish tacos. Be sure to save room for a slice of the Kimo Original Hula Pie, with chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted macadamia nuts, and whipped cream. Every Monday they offer a Burger and Beverage special with a choice of one of six different gourmet burgers for $19 from 4 to 9 pm. They also offer a Chef's two-course prix fixe menu for $29 on weekday afternoons.

Overlooking the harbor, this open-to-the-sea-air patio is the preferred spot to dine on freshly caught fish, savory chowders, and all manner of shellfish. Order a swordfish steak, the lobster roll, or the sand dabs if they are on the menu. Save room for homemade Key lime pie or java mud pie. The dining room has a nautical vibe. Fishing rods serve as room dividers, and plank floors lend a casual feel inside and out. Vintage black-and-white photos acknowledge the island's famed sportfishing legacy. Happy hour offers craft beers, potent cocktails, and tasty bites like fried calamari and oyster shooters.

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.

Each morning this gelato shop, located in back of the charming Peppertree Lane shopping center, makes fresh small batches of artisanal gelatos and dairy-free sorbettos in a variety of appealing flavors.

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 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. Both eateries are open to the public without a park ticket.

This family-friendly restaurant is fun for classic rock lovers, with murals and photos of rockers like KISS, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones lining the walls. It's located just down the street from Knott's Berry Farm, serving messy bacon cheeseburgers, rockin' wings, and a variety of pizzas. Since “Brews” is part of the name, there is a wide selection of local craft beer offerings. 

This great coffee shop, located in a historic Craftsman-style building, is part gourmet pantry and part global dining adventure. It's a must-stop for your every picnic need.

Unaffiliated with the fast food chain of the same name, this Southern California landmark sitting on a bluff off of PCH is the perfect spot to get a quick breakfast burrito, tasty Cove burger, fish-and-chips, or a seared ahi sandwich. The menu also includes a vegan Impossible burger, banana date shakes, and root beer floats.

Dine alfresco on the patio to enjoy locally sourced dishes with a glass of wine or artisanal cocktail at this all day eatery at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. The seafood platter with mussels, oysters, poached shrimp, crab meat salad, and cocktail sauce is a favorite. Other dishes include a chopped Cobb salad, seared scallops, and Korean fried chicken tenders.

Stop by Sugar 'N Spice for a Balboa Bar that is a slab of vanilla ice cream dipped first in chocolate and then topped with your choice of other sweet treats. It's also home of "The Original Frozen Banana" created back in 1945. They also have a frozen cheesecake an frozen tiramisu on a stick, plus ice cream cookie sandwiches.

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 you'll 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.