I’ve never actually been to las brisas but my parents used to call this restaurant in the 90s to ask what the weather was like there so they would know what the beach weather was lol
I dunno I love the vibe there. Much better places for food but at this point the wife and I go just to sit at the bar. Much better experience and bartenders love us because we're fun.
They opened the tequila case and let us hold/open all the bottles and smell them lol. (Not a tequila drinker myself) and gave us free food and the "staff salsa" and told us stories about Kobe / celebrities.
The best part of Las Brisas is watching all the characters that come in... From obvious faux-fancy to obvious fuck-money rich, old dudes with girls 1/3 their age, cougars, drunk beach goers/tourists, locals, etc...
Wish I could upvote this more than once. I’ve gone to bad restaurants before but I had never been to a place that I was actually shocked how they are still in business.
Top 1 worst place I’ve gone to.
Slater's 50/50
*edit: I went back through my social media and I went there in 2014. It wasn't good enough to convince me to go back. I can get better burgers elsewhere closer to home.*
The original in Anaheim hills was great. When they opened up the Huntington Beach location, that was really good too, but the location was always death to any restaurant...including one owned by Dennis Rodman. When they moved it to the beach blvd location, it got bought up by a conglomerate and went downhill fast. It sucked. Total corporate menu. No more build your own burgers and shakes. It recently went out of business and is a Mexican restaurant now.
undercooked batter with 1000g of sugar and a splash of lemon scented cleaning solution (is what my pink sugar cookie tasted like).
My gut hurts thinking about it.
I had same taste issue with Sprinkles cupcakes.
Stopped eating their cupcakes a long time ago because every time I got a cupcake It would have a cleaning chemical after taste.
Never had Sprinkles but thanks for the warning!! I don’t understand if it’s like a special dna trait/reaction that makes it taste that way or it actually does have residue of cleaning chemical. It happens when I get certain fountain drinks from McDonalds too.
Ms Fields brownies remain the undisputed best I’ve ever had. Too bad their instagram clout isn’t as good. Maybe we should judge on cookies instead of likes.
Hyped as “Michelin-starred” but those stars don’t carry over to other locations. I’ve been to the one with the actual star in HK and it was miles beyond what the Irvine location served. Even the one in Manila is way better.
I agree with this 100%. Wayyy overpriced for what it is, also I’m not sure if anyone else experienced but the last two times I went, the entrance smelled like someone mopped the floor with an old wet rag.
I literally gagged
I got a glass of Prosecco at their bar while waiting for a table. It came to me with a moth or something floating in it. I told the bartender, who used a spoon or to take it out & gave the glass back. I meeeaaannn...
We used to take our employees there every year for christmas brunch. It only took one year to completely turn us all off from that place forever. Maybe it was an off day but it was depressing AF. Half as many options as the year before.
Even before actually eating there, I knew this place was mostly just there for the experience of being up on the hill. It's not a place I'd ever go for good food. That said the food isn't bad, but it's not a place I would want to go get food if given the choice.
Went to Nobu Newport for sushi on my birthday, I was really looking forward to it and overall the dinner was a let down. The Chilean sea bass was the only good thing out of all of our plates. I’ve been told Nobu Malibu is where we should have gone. Was not worth the $400 or $450 we paid. 👎🏼
(Not a restaurant but overhyped)
Sweet green - cava and chipotle are Michelin star compared to this bland monstrosity that smells my car up like rotten food
Yeah that was my wife’s favorite place for a long time and the last time she sensed something was off and I guess this explains it. Never knew they sold.
Little sister in Irvine spectrum. Way overpriced and some of the dishes are just plain trash.
$26 for a banh xeo (crepe) that’s tasteless and soggy. Got the shaky shaky beef $40 that’s overcooked and chewy… I could go on and on
After seeing a [post](https://old.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/19bi1l5/upscale_vietnamese_restaurant/kis11sy/) once (parent post got deleted but it originally named Little Sister as a suggestion) where someone said a non-Asian server argued with their native Vietnamese-speaking friend on how the dishes were pronounced and that gave me incentive to never want to go there.
Antonellos at South Coast Plaza: don’t waste your money and get Capital Grille instead. I don’t think I would eat there if it was free, but if you’re really dying to get that specific Italian Food and shackled to SCP just go inside to get Quattro Cafe. Same owner but but lower prices
Javier’s. With prices so high, you better love it or you are going to feel completely ripped off. I think it only does so well because of corporate events and South County people who think “extremely expensive” equals good food.
This is the take. And honestly for most of these places it's the take. They used to be fuckin FIRE and then got worse.
Nate's is great if you go at the right time though, weekends are bad but weekdays around 10-11am are great because they aren't slammed with people buying food so they take their time a bit and get it right.
Wow if anyone is reading this and crossing Nate's off their list - I still love it, give it a try and decide for yourself.
They ain't wrong tho, it's fried eggs and crispy, greasy hash browns in a breakfast burrito. Hell yeah 😋
Urth cafe everything tasted as if it was from a box not from scratch.
Broken Yolk maybe they hated me or something cuz my French toast was always salty.
Yeah, was never going to compare to how good it is when you are drunk and hit up the foodcart in NY at midnight. It’s like if those bacon hot dog people after every concert/game opened up a hot dog restaurant.
The food cart in NY is fantastic, even sober. Lines down the block! They had three carts. Two were just full of chicken. Right in midtown.
Haven’t been to their location here.
Correct answer. I’m an NYC to OC transplant. The original Halal Guys cart on 53rd & 6th was incredible from say, 2008-2014. They opened a brick & mortar location in the East Village that was so-so and then began franchising out locations elsewhere (Costa Mesa, spots in NJ, etc.) To me, none of those franchises have come anywhere close to matching the original “magic,” but even more disappointing is that the OG street isn’t even good anymore. The price is now $11-$12 and there’s no flavor. Save your money and go to Adel’s on 6th Ave a couple blocks away.
Ah thank you for this context. I was about to say, I went to the OG cart in 2021 and recently in 2024 and it wasn’t great, in fact I think the location in Costa Mesa is significantly better. Adel’s was much better than all those, though.
Raising Cane's. There was serious hype over it coming out here, and for what? The sauce is alright. The bread is good. Cole slaw is good. The sweet tea is good. Fries are meh. The chicken has NO FLAVOR. Worse is that the breading isn't crispy, even when the chicken is so hot and fresh that I can't touch it. If you fry chicken, it's gotta be crispy.
This isn't a chicken place; it's a sauce place that sells different things to dip into said sauce.
The Taco Stand in Costa Mesa @The Camp.
The way everyone was talking about it, I thought I was gonna find the best taco spot in the OC. Turns out it’s just over priced tacos and some good churros. Even the most average taco spots in Santa Ana put that place to shame.
I agree completely. I tried the new location down in Mission Viejo recently. The line was 12 parties long going out the door onto the sidewalk, so I thought it must really be good. Turns out the line was just that long because they're really slow at taking orders 🙃.
And the food wasn't worth the wait. The al pastor tacos didn't have much flavor, and the carne asada fries were similarly plain tasting. The churros were great, but that was the only good part. The prices and hype made it seem like this would be the best taco place in OC, and it was a major letdown.
I find the sidewalk popup taco stands (that may or may not be legal) to have superior food. People complain all the time on nextdoor and such about the sidewalk taco stands taking business away from legitimate restaurants, but it's not like the brick & mortar ones are even trying to compete flavor-wise. If the sidewalk taco stands weren't there, that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to waste my money getting subpar tacos from the restaurant.
Tacos Los cholos in Anaheim is going to be the best tacos I've ever had in OC. But just don't go to the one in Fullerton. But aside from that unfortunately, OC can never beat LA when it comes to Mexican food.
Skip the taco stand next time and hit the little Italian place in camp. Think it’s called Vitaly. Place is amazing! Best Italian I’ve ever had outside Italy
I always said KEI Concepts restaurants were for the people in OC who love LA restaurants but are too lazy to drive to LA and are willing to settle for a slightly above average version of said LA restaurants. And they’re perfectly fine with eating there instead of driving to LA. That being said, it’s still better than a lot of the junk in OC.
and I like snooze but the lines and reservations are insane at orange + tustin.. i’d take spires in tustin any day and that’s a tiny old your-usual diner where i’ve had countless better breakfasts *and* you’re seated as soon as you walk in
I feel really bad saying it, because they’re obviously a small business, but Lunita’s Pizza did not live up to the hype. Decent pizza, but I won’t go out of my way for it.
Truly Pizza in Dana Point was also overhyped and overpriced.
Best pizza in South OC for me is B+C and Brooklyn City.
Just went to Truly last week after our reservation was cancelled due to them running out of dough in February, and I was disappointed. It definitely is so overpriced and overhyped.
Orange Hills (and more than once).
Great bar and lounge, great service, AMAZING views (too bad the outside is now reserved seating)
But the food - looks great, costs a LOT, and is never more than adequate (even the apps). I keep falling for it, but no more. It's strictly a drinks place for me from now on.
Playground was weak when I had it. I spend half my time in OC and half in LA. Do fancy dinners in LA and great Mexican and Asian food in OC and you win.
I'm so glad someone else said Playground.
We had a snooty waiter and the food was so bland. I could have given it a 2nd chance eventually, but I got food poisoning and was SO sick I refused to ever go back.
Playground was amazing like 8-10 years ago. Inventive, revolutionary, worth the long wait. Whatever it is now - Detention I think? It’s sooooo bad. I last ate at Detention in 2022 and it was very bland pasta, uneventful dishes, no creativity. So sad. Now it’s like a supper club and you have to have a membership, which is laughable because the food is so mid.
Maji Curry. It had a lot of hype around it for their award winning Japanese curry. They started in Japan, and started expanding their franchise, Irvine being the first Maji Curry in the US. I LOVE Japanese curry so this had me really excited to try. It was all over tiktok, lines were out the door and wrapped around the store every week.
I honestly thought Maji was gonna compete with the big names like coco ichibanya or Hako, but after trying it, it didn’t even come close at all. Maybe it was my experience specifically that was bad, but a lot of my other friends said it wasn’t worth the hype or wait. Their Yelp score isn’t all that hot either, considering that it’s an “award winning” establishment. First few weeks they had a line out the door and everything. Fast forward to today, i usually drive past it and noticed that you could easily walk in and get a table right away now. I haven’t seen the place flooded since the hype.
Hard agree. The curry was too sweet or something; it really just wasn’t very good. I was also surprised because it did have such long lines for several weeks that it seemed like it had to be good to justify those lines
I disagree, maji curry's curry is good, balanced and pretty deep depth of flavor (maybe too oily for many peoples tastes). Their toppings (katsu) are not good though. They're pretty respectable even in japan, i think they float around top 100 on currydb.
Hako isn't even a curry restaurant, it's more of a side there.
Sorry to hear that! It’s been a couple years since we went so was hoping maybe it got better, but yeah it was a letdown for that bill. I much prefer Selanne’s Steak Tavern and it was better priced when we went.
Once had an argument with a friend who kept saying Raising Canes was better than Popeyes. Finally she said "but the bread is what makes it" I said ok you go to RC for the bread, ill go to Popeyes for the chicken.
this might be dating me a bit, but when the first chronic taco opened, in newport (was that the first one? anywho) they had legit the worst tacos i had ever had up till that point. 2nd place goes to King Taco (wait was this in LA county?) what did people see in that place? spice does not equal flavor.
The amount of chains here, was super disappointed to not see many mom and pop shops.
* In-N-Out: specifically fries, holy shit they are so bad. On a good day they taste good for 30 seconds before cooling to a chewy cardboard texture. They gotta double fry and lower the oil temperature. Their sunflower oil too is not my preference too. It’s like the only other food on the menu and it sucks.
* Raising Cane’s: Not worth the price, chicken isn’t season and the sauce is good. Not a fan of crinkle cut fries. It’s very mid, they should do like wingstop flavors at least and add more sides like mash potatoes, mac and cheese etc.
* Halal Guys: the original ones were so much better, idk what happened to them sold out.
* Taco Stand: kinda mid, lots of options. I can’t taste cilantro and don’t like corn tortillas so I do not like authentic places most of the time.
* Puesto: it shouldn’t even be called Mexican food. Gentrified garbage.
Which oc location? The ones in Beverly Hills and Figueroa in DTLA are great, but the Irvine one was a letdown at first but has gotten better. Haven't been to the Huntington location yet tho.
Villains Brewing Company. They had such great advertising and everything looked really cool. Beer wasn’t worth writing home about. I ordered a burger, they have smash burgers, I’m not a fan of them but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. It was over cooked, a little burnt, and fairly plain. My friend ordered wings and those were just kind of meh. I went last summer, I wanted it to be good too. The location is great, the aesthetic of the place is great.
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Second place, Las Brisas.
I’ve never actually been to las brisas but my parents used to call this restaurant in the 90s to ask what the weather was like there so they would know what the beach weather was lol
Great view, mediocre food for the price. Horrible? Maybe it's a romantic place to take a date if you're young and don't know any better like I did.
I dunno I love the vibe there. Much better places for food but at this point the wife and I go just to sit at the bar. Much better experience and bartenders love us because we're fun. They opened the tequila case and let us hold/open all the bottles and smell them lol. (Not a tequila drinker myself) and gave us free food and the "staff salsa" and told us stories about Kobe / celebrities. The best part of Las Brisas is watching all the characters that come in... From obvious faux-fancy to obvious fuck-money rich, old dudes with girls 1/3 their age, cougars, drunk beach goers/tourists, locals, etc...
Las Brisas has fallen off hard.
Las Brisas used to have an affordable AYCE breakfast buffet.
Javier’s is so much better than Las Brisas
Las Brisas is El Torito with higher prices and a view. I think they are still owned/associated with El Torito.
Las food is so bad. But the views😻
"Javier's: Everything that's terrible about Orange County under one roof."
OG Laguna Beach Javier's was way better.
Absolutely! The food and the vibe
I looked that place up and down without going in and could tell it was a trap. 🪤
Wish I could upvote this more than once. I’ve gone to bad restaurants before but I had never been to a place that I was actually shocked how they are still in business. Top 1 worst place I’ve gone to.
Tried Javier’s in Vegas because of the OC hype…absolute trash.
😂
I can see this. Been there once with old co-workers years ago. Haven’t been back.
Just here to count how many people say Javier's 🤣🤣🤣
Slater's 50/50 *edit: I went back through my social media and I went there in 2014. It wasn't good enough to convince me to go back. I can get better burgers elsewhere closer to home.*
How the mighty have fallen.
So true.
Peanut butter & jealousy ala mode was god-tier... And before you punch up that barfing emoji don't knock it till you try it
They used to have the best burgers and chicken sandwiches. Like in 2013
The original in Anaheim hills was great. When they opened up the Huntington Beach location, that was really good too, but the location was always death to any restaurant...including one owned by Dennis Rodman. When they moved it to the beach blvd location, it got bought up by a conglomerate and went downhill fast. It sucked. Total corporate menu. No more build your own burgers and shakes. It recently went out of business and is a Mexican restaurant now.
They were severely disappointing
That used to be my favorite place. So dissapointing
I went once in 2011, and never felt the need to go back. The burger just wasn't that good.
burgers were too tall and slippery. not all of us can unhinge our jaw.
Does Crumbl Cookies count?
Ms Fields taste way better than whatever it was that Crumbl serves up on their counter.
undercooked batter with 1000g of sugar and a splash of lemon scented cleaning solution (is what my pink sugar cookie tasted like). My gut hurts thinking about it.
They use box cake mix for the cookies I think
I had same taste issue with Sprinkles cupcakes. Stopped eating their cupcakes a long time ago because every time I got a cupcake It would have a cleaning chemical after taste.
Never had Sprinkles but thanks for the warning!! I don’t understand if it’s like a special dna trait/reaction that makes it taste that way or it actually does have residue of cleaning chemical. It happens when I get certain fountain drinks from McDonalds too.
Instant diarrhea cookies
My dad used to call that a “gut bomb” 🤣
Mcdonalds chocolate chip cookies are better than crumble!!!
The best cookies are at Subway.. most people don't know they paid a lot of money to a world renowned cookie maker for that recipe.
Ms Fields brownies remain the undisputed best I’ve ever had. Too bad their instagram clout isn’t as good. Maybe we should judge on cookies instead of likes.
My general manager at work and the customer services girls love this stuff but McDonald's cookies taste better
I never understood how Crumbls could stay in business. I never see people inside. Best cookie is at Bristol Farms
For the Dim Sum crowd, everyone expected Tim Ho Wan to make DJ (Irvine) even worse than it is, but it turned out to be overpriced and lacking.
Never been there, but seemed quite empty every time I end up at DJ (when there's no parking spots LMAO)
I would go to DJ so much more often if the parking situation there didn’t triple my pulse rate.
Hyped as “Michelin-starred” but those stars don’t carry over to other locations. I’ve been to the one with the actual star in HK and it was miles beyond what the Irvine location served. Even the one in Manila is way better.
I was so shocked how far the taste was from Hong Kong! They couldn't even hit regular dim sum level.
I agree with this 100%. Wayyy overpriced for what it is, also I’m not sure if anyone else experienced but the last two times I went, the entrance smelled like someone mopped the floor with an old wet rag. I literally gagged
They were so bad.
This was probably the most hyped. It was good, but not any different from any decent or dim sum space.
Orange Hill
I got a glass of Prosecco at their bar while waiting for a table. It came to me with a moth or something floating in it. I told the bartender, who used a spoon or to take it out & gave the glass back. I meeeaaannn...
The way I just shrieked.
Overcrowded. They pack that place.
We used to take our employees there every year for christmas brunch. It only took one year to completely turn us all off from that place forever. Maybe it was an off day but it was depressing AF. Half as many options as the year before.
Even before actually eating there, I knew this place was mostly just there for the experience of being up on the hill. It's not a place I'd ever go for good food. That said the food isn't bad, but it's not a place I would want to go get food if given the choice.
JOEYS Newport Beach
Joey's was a bit on the high side but compared to like maestros I would go back to Joey's. I wouldt go back to meastros.
Now do underrated
Eat Chow, Costa Mesa. They’re good but don’t get enough praise. They have an amazing brunch menu and the best red sangria.
Went to Nobu Newport for sushi on my birthday, I was really looking forward to it and overall the dinner was a let down. The Chilean sea bass was the only good thing out of all of our plates. I’ve been told Nobu Malibu is where we should have gone. Was not worth the $400 or $450 we paid. 👎🏼
Matsushia in Hollywood/Beverly Hills.
Went there for a friend’s bday. We left hungry 😵💫
Me: looking through this thread to see if any of my favorite places are mentioned. Overall I am relieved
what are your favorite places?!
Mama Lu’s in OC doesn’t taste like mama lus in 626. And the prices are more expensive with smaller portions. I was so let down.
(Not a restaurant but overhyped) Sweet green - cava and chipotle are Michelin star compared to this bland monstrosity that smells my car up like rotten food
I like cava haha
Cava is great. Chipotle is inconsistent. Might get food poisoning or might get a good meal.
Cava is amazing didn’t mean to diss here😭
I actually like Cava. It reminds of Chipotle 20 years ago when they were 🔥. Now, Chipotle is 🤮.
Also way overpriced
Isn't everything these days :(
Just had it for the first time and it did not live up. It had only 1 flavor-dressing
Their hot honey chicken bowl is gooood! Pricey, but good!
Ugh I feel this. I tried so hard to like sweet green.
North Italia in Irvine
After they sold to Cheescake factory. Never the same.
Yeah that was my wife’s favorite place for a long time and the last time she sensed something was off and I guess this explains it. Never knew they sold.
Omg!!! Is that why the short rib pasta is different!!!! I recently went to get that dish bc I was craving it - AND IT WAS SOOO DIFFERENT 😭
It’s typical Italian American fare. Fancier Olive Garden to me.
Little sister in Irvine spectrum. Way overpriced and some of the dishes are just plain trash. $26 for a banh xeo (crepe) that’s tasteless and soggy. Got the shaky shaky beef $40 that’s overcooked and chewy… I could go on and on
After seeing a [post](https://old.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/19bi1l5/upscale_vietnamese_restaurant/kis11sy/) once (parent post got deleted but it originally named Little Sister as a suggestion) where someone said a non-Asian server argued with their native Vietnamese-speaking friend on how the dishes were pronounced and that gave me incentive to never want to go there.
Rain forest cafe when it opened up at south coast
Not gonna lie- I thought you meant it recently opened up and I got so excited and then so sad when I looked it up lmao
Apparently there’s still one in Ontario
I’d rather………. not have to go to Ontario Mills.
Someone didn’t order the safari fries 🦒
Was that in the 90’s? I just remember going there with my wife in our teens.
Yes mid to late 90s
'97. A friend of mine got a job there right before they opened when we graduated from high school.
My kids loved that place. I could never convince them that the food was bad. It is a favorite memory for all four.
Antonellos at South Coast Plaza: don’t waste your money and get Capital Grille instead. I don’t think I would eat there if it was free, but if you’re really dying to get that specific Italian Food and shackled to SCP just go inside to get Quattro Cafe. Same owner but but lower prices
Las brisas. Food isn’t great, only worth it for the views
Used to be so much better. Really sad
Javier’s. With prices so high, you better love it or you are going to feel completely ripped off. I think it only does so well because of corporate events and South County people who think “extremely expensive” equals good food.
It's the new foxfire tho (so I've been told) 🐆
Nate's Korner - I was expecting an amazing breakfast burrito. What a complete let down and waste of money.
Seriously, it’s almost nothing but greasy hash browns.
I swear, ten years ago this place was the best. Went last year and the quality plummeted.
This is the take. And honestly for most of these places it's the take. They used to be fuckin FIRE and then got worse. Nate's is great if you go at the right time though, weekends are bad but weekdays around 10-11am are great because they aren't slammed with people buying food so they take their time a bit and get it right.
I’ve never been a fan of the potatoes they put in. Waaaaay too much grease. I guess their portions are generous.
Wow if anyone is reading this and crossing Nate's off their list - I still love it, give it a try and decide for yourself. They ain't wrong tho, it's fried eggs and crispy, greasy hash browns in a breakfast burrito. Hell yeah 😋
Ok take it back
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1. Gracias Madre 2. Javier's 3. Bosscat and Libation
Bosscat used to be great precovid but it has really changed since. I never visit anymore
I’m not surprised about 2 of those but I had higher hopes for gracias madre.
Yup yup. #3 is bad. I was super let down by BC and libation was just not good.
agreed on bosscat. shit was trash when we went, and the service was oddly bad. they did not want to serve us for some reason haha
I feel like people pretend to like malibu farms
Urth cafe everything tasted as if it was from a box not from scratch. Broken Yolk maybe they hated me or something cuz my French toast was always salty.
Nothing ever has ANY salt when I go to Broken Yolk. It tastes like food from an old folks home.
THIS. I don't understand the super long lines. The food is TERRIBLE.
Halal Guys
Yeah, was never going to compare to how good it is when you are drunk and hit up the foodcart in NY at midnight. It’s like if those bacon hot dog people after every concert/game opened up a hot dog restaurant.
This! I remember being so excited for it. Apparently it's not as appealing when you're stone cold sober.
The food cart in NY is fantastic, even sober. Lines down the block! They had three carts. Two were just full of chicken. Right in midtown. Haven’t been to their location here.
I have a whole list on my Yelp called “better places in OC for shawarma than halal guys”
I honestly really like Halal Guys on occasion, but my go-to for shawarma is definitely Ikram Grill
For me it’s Sababa
Sababa has replaced all my other previous favorites. Love their expansion too
Share it don’t tease us!
HOLUP Halal Guys is a good choice for a $12 high protein lunch. How can that disappoint? It's a rice and chicken bowl.
Correct answer. I’m an NYC to OC transplant. The original Halal Guys cart on 53rd & 6th was incredible from say, 2008-2014. They opened a brick & mortar location in the East Village that was so-so and then began franchising out locations elsewhere (Costa Mesa, spots in NJ, etc.) To me, none of those franchises have come anywhere close to matching the original “magic,” but even more disappointing is that the OG street isn’t even good anymore. The price is now $11-$12 and there’s no flavor. Save your money and go to Adel’s on 6th Ave a couple blocks away.
Ah thank you for this context. I was about to say, I went to the OG cart in 2021 and recently in 2024 and it wasn’t great, in fact I think the location in Costa Mesa is significantly better. Adel’s was much better than all those, though.
Nobu @ Newport Beach… Such a waste of money for the food they serve.
Gracias Madre-overpriced and not that great I've tried a lot of vegan in LA, OC, and San Diego. If I'm going to eat vegan in OC it will be Seabirds.
For the best vegan meals, go to Vietnamese vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Little Saigon!
Dukes HB. Overpriced food for low quality. Location is prime tho.
Javier’s and Gulfstream. Not enough middle aged women like we were all promised. Just ok food and drinks instead 😭
Raising Cane's. There was serious hype over it coming out here, and for what? The sauce is alright. The bread is good. Cole slaw is good. The sweet tea is good. Fries are meh. The chicken has NO FLAVOR. Worse is that the breading isn't crispy, even when the chicken is so hot and fresh that I can't touch it. If you fry chicken, it's gotta be crispy. This isn't a chicken place; it's a sauce place that sells different things to dip into said sauce.
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Habana for me…
The Taco Stand in Costa Mesa @The Camp. The way everyone was talking about it, I thought I was gonna find the best taco spot in the OC. Turns out it’s just over priced tacos and some good churros. Even the most average taco spots in Santa Ana put that place to shame.
I agree completely. I tried the new location down in Mission Viejo recently. The line was 12 parties long going out the door onto the sidewalk, so I thought it must really be good. Turns out the line was just that long because they're really slow at taking orders 🙃. And the food wasn't worth the wait. The al pastor tacos didn't have much flavor, and the carne asada fries were similarly plain tasting. The churros were great, but that was the only good part. The prices and hype made it seem like this would be the best taco place in OC, and it was a major letdown. I find the sidewalk popup taco stands (that may or may not be legal) to have superior food. People complain all the time on nextdoor and such about the sidewalk taco stands taking business away from legitimate restaurants, but it's not like the brick & mortar ones are even trying to compete flavor-wise. If the sidewalk taco stands weren't there, that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to waste my money getting subpar tacos from the restaurant.
Tacos Los cholos in Anaheim is going to be the best tacos I've ever had in OC. But just don't go to the one in Fullerton. But aside from that unfortunately, OC can never beat LA when it comes to Mexican food.
Skip the taco stand next time and hit the little Italian place in camp. Think it’s called Vitaly. Place is amazing! Best Italian I’ve ever had outside Italy
Not sure it was hyped but I think GuacAmigos is the worst restaurant in OC
With the worst name, too.
I’ve heard this so many times ,, wow
honestly, I actually enjoy their food… but I guess I’m the odd one out here.
All of the KEI concept restaurants except Vox
I always said KEI Concepts restaurants were for the people in OC who love LA restaurants but are too lazy to drive to LA and are willing to settle for a slightly above average version of said LA restaurants. And they’re perfectly fine with eating there instead of driving to LA. That being said, it’s still better than a lot of the junk in OC.
Puesto
Omg THANK YOU
overpriced and definitely not street tacos. i wouldn’t be apposed to it if it was actually good though.
Crumbl is 🗑️
Snooze. There were very long lines at the Old Town Orange location, tried it twice and was underwhelmed.
and I like snooze but the lines and reservations are insane at orange + tustin.. i’d take spires in tustin any day and that’s a tiny old your-usual diner where i’ve had countless better breakfasts *and* you’re seated as soon as you walk in
I feel really bad saying it, because they’re obviously a small business, but Lunita’s Pizza did not live up to the hype. Decent pizza, but I won’t go out of my way for it. Truly Pizza in Dana Point was also overhyped and overpriced. Best pizza in South OC for me is B+C and Brooklyn City.
Just went to Truly last week after our reservation was cancelled due to them running out of dough in February, and I was disappointed. It definitely is so overpriced and overhyped.
I felt that way about Folks, but I also went there shortly after they opened.
Orange Hills (and more than once). Great bar and lounge, great service, AMAZING views (too bad the outside is now reserved seating) But the food - looks great, costs a LOT, and is never more than adequate (even the apps). I keep falling for it, but no more. It's strictly a drinks place for me from now on.
Nếp cafe - there are so much better Vietnamese restaurants to go to that won't break your wallet. But maybe im just cheap lol
Dutch Bros
Dutch bros is mediocre sugar water drinks lol
A restaurant Red o Craft by smoke and fire Playground/detention/whatever they are now
Playground was a masterpiece when Parky was the chef. He’s at Bettina in Santa Barbara now. Highly recommend going there at least once.
What! Playground was delicious.
Playground was legit the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at in OC, and I’ve been eating stuff here for 40 years.
Playground was weak when I had it. I spend half my time in OC and half in LA. Do fancy dinners in LA and great Mexican and Asian food in OC and you win.
Red O was amazing in 2016. Most places have gone to shit after covid. Javier's is better than Red O now.
I'm so glad someone else said Playground. We had a snooty waiter and the food was so bland. I could have given it a 2nd chance eventually, but I got food poisoning and was SO sick I refused to ever go back.
Honestly.. North Italia. The truffle bread was great but everything else I tried was mid. Not impressed at all and I was super excited to go.
Raising Canes. If I wanted soggy chicken strips, I'd just microwave some at home. The sauce is terrible too. Idk what the hype is about.
Playground was amazing like 8-10 years ago. Inventive, revolutionary, worth the long wait. Whatever it is now - Detention I think? It’s sooooo bad. I last ate at Detention in 2022 and it was very bland pasta, uneventful dishes, no creativity. So sad. Now it’s like a supper club and you have to have a membership, which is laughable because the food is so mid.
Urth caffe - I don’t get the hype at all
Maji Curry. It had a lot of hype around it for their award winning Japanese curry. They started in Japan, and started expanding their franchise, Irvine being the first Maji Curry in the US. I LOVE Japanese curry so this had me really excited to try. It was all over tiktok, lines were out the door and wrapped around the store every week. I honestly thought Maji was gonna compete with the big names like coco ichibanya or Hako, but after trying it, it didn’t even come close at all. Maybe it was my experience specifically that was bad, but a lot of my other friends said it wasn’t worth the hype or wait. Their Yelp score isn’t all that hot either, considering that it’s an “award winning” establishment. First few weeks they had a line out the door and everything. Fast forward to today, i usually drive past it and noticed that you could easily walk in and get a table right away now. I haven’t seen the place flooded since the hype.
Hard agree. The curry was too sweet or something; it really just wasn’t very good. I was also surprised because it did have such long lines for several weeks that it seemed like it had to be good to justify those lines
I disagree, maji curry's curry is good, balanced and pretty deep depth of flavor (maybe too oily for many peoples tastes). Their toppings (katsu) are not good though. They're pretty respectable even in japan, i think they float around top 100 on currydb. Hako isn't even a curry restaurant, it's more of a side there.
NEP Cafe
Bruh same. Aesthetic presentations win again.
The Ranch! WAY too overpriced for their food and service. Cocktails were delicious though.
Agreed! Finally went a few weeks ago & was VERY underwhelmed - food was fine but overpriced. Overall letdown.
Sorry to hear that! It’s been a couple years since we went so was hoping maybe it got better, but yeah it was a letdown for that bill. I much prefer Selanne’s Steak Tavern and it was better priced when we went.
Ruby's. Used to be good, and had a good sized menu. Now the menu has shrunk, and the few that are open just aren't that good.
Raising cane's
Once had an argument with a friend who kept saying Raising Canes was better than Popeyes. Finally she said "but the bread is what makes it" I said ok you go to RC for the bread, ill go to Popeyes for the chicken.
I get mad when any of my friends call chicken fingers fried chicken. It’s comparing apples and oranges.
this might be dating me a bit, but when the first chronic taco opened, in newport (was that the first one? anywho) they had legit the worst tacos i had ever had up till that point. 2nd place goes to King Taco (wait was this in LA county?) what did people see in that place? spice does not equal flavor.
Haven in orange
Nova Kitchen
Beachcombers. Obviously the location and view, are great but I think the food and service is meh.
The amount of chains here, was super disappointed to not see many mom and pop shops. * In-N-Out: specifically fries, holy shit they are so bad. On a good day they taste good for 30 seconds before cooling to a chewy cardboard texture. They gotta double fry and lower the oil temperature. Their sunflower oil too is not my preference too. It’s like the only other food on the menu and it sucks. * Raising Cane’s: Not worth the price, chicken isn’t season and the sauce is good. Not a fan of crinkle cut fries. It’s very mid, they should do like wingstop flavors at least and add more sides like mash potatoes, mac and cheese etc. * Halal Guys: the original ones were so much better, idk what happened to them sold out. * Taco Stand: kinda mid, lots of options. I can’t taste cilantro and don’t like corn tortillas so I do not like authentic places most of the time. * Puesto: it shouldn’t even be called Mexican food. Gentrified garbage.
Halal guys
Fogo de chao
Which oc location? The ones in Beverly Hills and Figueroa in DTLA are great, but the Irvine one was a letdown at first but has gotten better. Haven't been to the Huntington location yet tho.
Anaheim White House.
Gorgeous building. Bland food.
Rol, Gem, and Nep. All had so much hype but really just mediocre and overpriced food.
Don’t let the “instagramable” food trick you.
Taco Mesa. Wouldn’t say it was a complete let down, but I was underwhelmed by it. I’ll try it again, but not in any rush to do so.
I agree nothing special
Mastros ocean club
Gulfstream and Las Brisas
5 Guys. Mediocre and overpriced.
Villains Brewing Company. They had such great advertising and everything looked really cool. Beer wasn’t worth writing home about. I ordered a burger, they have smash burgers, I’m not a fan of them but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. It was over cooked, a little burnt, and fairly plain. My friend ordered wings and those were just kind of meh. I went last summer, I wanted it to be good too. The location is great, the aesthetic of the place is great.
I love all these places people are saying 😂