Restaurants to Hit Up When You're in the OC & Beyond

After a recent trip to some of my favorite places in Southern California - and exploring new ones - here are a list of restaurants that offer mouth-watering eats too delicious to pass up! Click on the restaurant names to check out their Yelp pages & enjoy!

1. Splash Cafe - Pismo Beach

This is such a great place for seafood! Their clam chowder is the best in the west. They have cute clams painted in and around the building to make sure people know. My boyfriend got the Killer Cod Wrap Special with avocado, and hence the name, he died and went to heaven! Definitely a fun stop for lunch if you're hanging in Pismo or driving through. Most likely, there will be a line out the door, but it's worth the wait!


 
2. El Matador - Costa Mesa

If you are looking for some delicious Mexican grub, drop into El Matador! It might not look like much from the outside, but with colorful pinatas hanging over the booths, the inside is fun and vibrant! Not to mention the food. Delicious guac and authentic Mexican food - you can't go wrong with anything on the menu.


3. The Attic - Long Beach

A delightful place for breakfast, lunch or dinner, located in a Long Beach house. This cozy home converted to outstanding restaurant - offers a variety of creative dishes and drinks. Take the Mac & Cheetos for example, where we dug into creamy mac and cheese with bits of bacon, and covered in flaming hot cheetos on top!

4. Javier's - Santa Ana

This place is so good! My girlfriend is a lover of red meat, so we shared an incredible steak after an order of chips and guacamole. I also got the best strawberry margarita I've ever had! The salsa is also good. It's the perfect place to stop to or from the Orange County/John Wayne Airport, resting off the Pacific Coast Highway in a cozy, yet modern, oasis hideaway.

5. The Pizza Press - Anaheim

 (photo courtesy of Pizza Press website)

Walking distance from Disneyland, it's worth taking a lunch break outside the park. Custom pizzas are made in a woodfired oven and are $10 each for a big personal pizza (about 6 slices) that includes any and all toppings for the same price. Outdoor seating offers a refreshing break from the D-land crowds and greasy, over-priced park food. 


6. Java Point Coffee - Huntington Beach

 Quick breakfast on the go before hitting up the beach - Java Point is your go-to. Fresh bagels, delicious chai (believe me, I'm a connoisseur) and although I'm not a coffee-drinker, I hear it's pretty darn good! So pick up a latte, check out the surfboards and hit the sand!

7. Cafe Orleans - Disneyland

If you happen to be making a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth - as I always do when south of Bakersfield - stop at Cafe Orleans. Located in New Orleans Square (between Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion), this is one of the best sit-down restaurants in the park. It can be hard to sit down and eat a good meal in Disneyland, but last time my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary there (hence my button) and got treated to some AMAZING Mickey beignets. You can see them over-exposed under the lettering on the photo, but believe me they are delish! We licked the plate clean.