Orange County Restaurant Reviews

Reviews are the sole opinion of the reviewer, who is not associated with any fragment of the restaurant industry in any role other than as a consumer. Star ratings (0-4) are based solely on food quality and restaurant atmosphere without regard to price.

Asia Noodle Cafe The Marketplace at UCI, 4187 Campus Dr., Suite M171, Irvine, CA 92715; (714)854-8826
Considering that the menu has an obvious Japanese and Thai origin, it is stunning just how bland the food is. The "Paat Thai" in particular was flavorless; the Miso Ramen was devoid of anything resembling a salty flavor. Even the Thai tea lacked sweetness and creaminess and seemed to consist of some nonfat milk poured into rather bitter iced tea. (1/2) -DW, 13 Dec 94
Noodles, soup or rice bowl, $4-5.

Café Concerto 2675 Irvine Ave., Costa Mesa, CA; (714)642-8450
The southwestern decor and service are there, so once they get the high-powered microwave oven, everything should be great. What I mean to say is that the lasagna special my friend and I each got was still cold in the center. In fairness, the lasagna was quite good after the waiter took it back to the kitchen for another round in the nukifier. This is a reasonable lunch spot where the goal is to have acceptable food and stronger ambience. The passion fruit iced tea is a barely tolerable concession to the yuppie clientele. (**)-DW, 30 Nov 94
Entrees, $5-8.

Charo Chicken 401 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA; (714)722-8400, delivery.
additional locations in Seal Beach and Long Beach
I hate to say it, but if you've seen one rotisserie chicken place, you've seen 'em all. Small, less than comfortable dining area. (*1/2)-DW, 29 Nov 94
Meal combos $4-6.

Darios Italian Restaurant/Chicago Pizzeria 2430 S. Bristol Ave, Santa Ana, CA; (714)557-5950
Up until the early part of 1995, this was a B.J.'s Chicago Pizzeria, which also has sites on the Balboa Peninsula, Laguna Beach, Honolulu - places which are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Santa Ana. So they finally dumped the site. Our crew rolled in for a lunch on a Friday, about one o'clock... and were the only souls there except for the waiter. I don't say the waiter and the cook, because it took over 45 minutes to make our pies even though we were the only people there. The Alfredo Chicken pizza was so bland as to defy expression; their Works pizza not much more palatable. They've got Bud on tap... and in bottles they've got Amstel, um... Bud. Yeah, and Amstel. And garlic bread made out of big hotdog rolls. (*)-DW, 26 May 95
Deepdish pizzas, medium $10-14, large $12-16.

Ferdussi 3605 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana, CA 92704; (714)545-9096
Ferdussi is a relatively upscale Persian restaurant. The decor is subdued and the lighting somewhat dim (at least for dinner). The traditional appetizer of peels of onion and butter on unleavened bread doesn't leave much room for improvisation. The spinach-based soup I had, complemented with noodles, yogurt and onion and garlic chips, was quite a shock to the system. By the time I reached the end of the bowl, though, I had come to appreciate its flavor. The entree of lamb fillet shish was excellent. The lamb was lightly seasoned and tender and the vegetables were ever so slightly burned about the edges - enough to impart a seared flavor without leaving you in the land of charcoal. My companions' lamb chop and beef fillet shishes were also very appealing. The portions of meat and balsamic rice were generous; the vegetables were not very prevalent. The lemon-basil salad dressing caught one of my friends by surprise - you may want to get it on the side. (***)-DW, 29 Nov 94
Entrees including soup or salad, $10-15.

Gyro King At IFJ, 4881 Birch St., Newport Beach, 92660; (714)752-4976; fax 250-4976;
Not a bad gyro. The plates include the Turkish tabouleh and brown paste, so to stay authentic you'll have to stick with the pita sandwiches and the baklava. By the way, the real name of IFJ is "Plaza de Cafés", but we call it "International Junk Food" or "International Food Joint". Other than the cookie and ice cream place, the rest of the places in IFJ are substantially worse than Gyro King. (*1/2)-DW, 22 Dec 94
Sandwiches, $4. Plates, $5-6. Baklava, $1.

Los Primos Cantina 488 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; (714)650-1486
additional locations in Huntington Beach and San Clemente
Large amounts of food on the cheap. Great logo - the painting of it on the tip jar is quite impressive. (*)-DW, 13 Dec 94
Taco or burrito combos, $3-5. Serious burritos, $3-5.

Los Tacos Bristol & Jamboree, Newport Beach, CA; (714)955-1136; fax 955-1105
Good selection of tasty burritos full of fresh vegetables. Uninspiring pinto beans and rice; the urge to be "healthy" has overcome the need to put enough fat into the side dishes to make them taste good. The plastic chairs and high tables in the dining area are clearly designed for rapid turnaround. (*1/2)-DW, 29 Nov 94
Burritos, $2-4.

The Olde Ship 709 N. Harbor, Fullerton, CA; (714)871-7447
First things first: the Olde Ship has about twenty beers on draft, all of English, Irish, or Scottish descent. Since we had to wait twenty minutes for our table, we had ample time to peruse the beer menu while hanging out at the bar. But the key to this British pub isn't the beers - there's plenty of places in Orange County with a fine selection of the Queen's suds these days - the key is the food. British food is usually synonymous with torture. Not at the Olde Ship. The spicy meatloaf, Scottish bridie ("Bagpiping Hot"), and corned beef and cabbage all kicked butt. In particular, the brown gravy was incredible, and even though the carrots had been boiled within an inch of incineration, the succotash was tasty (particularly when mixed up with the potatoes and gravy.) Seasoning wise, they are constrained by the type of cuisine, and salt is the order of the day. Fortunately, they know when to stop, and a tempting array of horseradish, mint jelly and so forth is available on the table. The bread pudding was okay, but the desserts of the day might be much better. (***1/2)-DW, 13 Jun 95
Dinners, $6-10, pints, $3.50.

Pan Asia 369 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; (714)646-4644
Pan Asia is a Mongolian barbeque. For the uninitiated, that means they bring you a bowl of frozen, thinly sliced meat. You then go to a buffet and messily stack more vegetables than you can reasonably imagine in/on top of the bowl, and top it off with several ladles of various sauces. The cook then fries the whole shebang and hands it back to you in your original bowl. It's great. The cabbage soup and mini-eggroll that come standard with the dinner, however, are a different story. The soup was some of the best cabbage soup I've ever had, but I still had no interest in finishing the bowl. The fried wontons are quite good, particularly with the orange sauce provided on your plate, as are the mini-pita loaves of bread (which you may stuff with some of your barbeque as well). The fried shrimp are fried breaded shrimp... I wouldn't bother. The decor is extremely busy but the place it tucked away in a strip mall, so the effect is not overwhelming. The staff can be (overwhelming, that is), particularly when you have demonstrated that you have no idea what is going on. (***) -DW, 6 Dec 94
Lunch, $4-5. Dinner, $6-7. All-you-can-eat, $8.

Papi's Deli 20048 Santa Ana Ave., Santa Ana Hts., CA; (714)979-3051; fax 979-3053, delivery
Sandwiches served with a pickle and one of those useless 1/4 oz. bags of potato chips. Large selection of breads/sandwich rolls; a definite cut above Subway. (**)-DW, 29 Nov 94
Sandwiches, $3-5.

Pick Up Stix 1112 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach, CA; (714)650-7849; fax 650-7755, delivery.
additional locations scattered all throughout the county
I hate to say it, but if you've been to one healthy Chinese chain restaurant, you've been to 'em all. This one has the advantage of being in the Westcliff Plaza and having some nice picnic tables outside. I've never figured out why these places are as expensive as they are. (**)-DW, 29 Nov 94
Entrees w/orange slice, almond cookie & fortune cookie, $6-9.

Planet Hollywood 1641 W. Sunflower, Santa Ana, CA 92704; (714)434-7827
The Planet is a movie version of the Hard Rock Cafe, although the food is a cut above its musical counterpart. A varied selection of sandwiches, pizzas and salads of consistently high quality make it tough to make a bad choice. The drink descriptions and movie paraphenalia are a good enough reason to go once, but after the novelty wears off you are left with a slightly overpriced restaurant full of kitsch. The desserts are sinfully delicious. (**1/2) -DW, 4 Dec 94
Entrees and sandwich plates, $7-13. Novelty mixed drinks, $6. Desserts $5.

Red Robin 1307 W. Sunflower, Santa Ana, CA 92704; (714)432-1111; fax 432-0141
The Robin has a wide selection of burgers that are artery cloggin' good. Burgers are served with (refillable) steak fries by default, but you can opt for fruit, which is usually a couple slivers of melon. The menu also includes chicken breast sandwiches and some salads, a few of which are relatively heart healthy. While I generally stick with the iced tea (it's brewed strongly and is quite flavorful), there is a selection of frou-frou drinks you can take your chances with. (**) -DW, 15 Dec 94
Sandwiches w/fries, Dinner salads, $5-8.

Shooter's Tequila Bar and Grill Baker St. at Bristol, Costa Mesa.
Shooter's has several pool tables and televisions. During football games the sound on the main TV gets turned on, otherwise a DJ spins whatever is popular. During Monday (and Thursday) night football games a buffet with a wide selection is provided, including quite a bit of fruit and vegetables. The normal menu is severely fat oriented. Each french fry is individually capable of inducing a coronary. The chicken wings are fairly spicy, but the wings are served whole which is not very wieldy when they are both hot and covered in sauce. The main bar has about twenty taps; for some reason soft drinks cost $2 and only have about six ounces of soda. buffet (**1/2) menu (1/2) -DW, 1 Dec 94
Hot sandwiches, $4-5. Pints, $3-4.

Smok'in Taco Costa Mesa, CA 92627 on the east side of Newport Blvd. between 20th and Del Mar
Closed Mondays -- and now closed permanently. Lousy location.
Very cheap and good tacos served in a friendly and casual atmosphere. Decor is Mazatlan grotto style with benches and a couple of couches. Chicken, Carne Asada, Carnitas and shredded beef tacos (no fish when we were there) for a buck fifty each with chips are a great deal. Each taco comes standard with onions, tomatoes, salsa, and cilantro. Avoid the Nachos as they are a velveeta fest; although this may change since Gregg gave the counter guy two thumbs down. (**1/2) -SM, 1 Dec 94
Killer surfer place. The jukebox is most triumphant, featuring real rock'n'roll. The salsa is a weird green/tomato mix which tastes pretty good. (**1/2) -DW, 20 Dec 94
Two tacos, chips and a soft drink, $4.

Taco Mesa 647 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; (714)642-0629
Terrific daily specials. The rice and beans are quite acceptable considering their healthy aspirations. Avoid the milkshakes (they suck). Back to the specials - count on them for zesty sauces and an impressively colorful presentation. The taquitos are sloppily delicious as well. Don't even bother trying to get a seat in the lovely Tecate folding chairs between noon and 1:30. (**1/2) -DW, 29 Nov 94
Entrees w/rice and beans, $4-6.

Thai Touch 2616 San Miguel Dr., Newport Beach;
Bright lighting and awful background music (Zamfir doing Christmas carols) were the minuses. A tasty chicken panang was a little heavy on the peanut flavor, but the chicken itself was tender and quite delicate; the vegetables were lightly steamed and extremely good. The presentation was a bit strange - rice in two ice cream scoop domes above splayed fingers of chicken breast. The pineapple fried rice featured a wide selection of ingredients and was also good, if a bit eclectic. The waiter warned us away from ordering higher grades of spiciness, but 4 (on a scale of ten) was only mild/medium. (***) -DW, 5 Dec 94
Entrees with steamed rice, $10-15.

Thai Spice 615 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; (714)548-4333, delivery.
We call this "The Pad Thai Place" because that's what you order. End of story. After a dozen visits I tried one of their curries, and it was good, and I promptly went back to the Pad Thai. Warning: the hot really is. The Thai tea is very sweet. (***1/2) -DW, 29 Nov 94
Pad Thai, $5.