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Irvine's Best Restaurants

12/28/2017

Best of Irvine Restaurants

By Irvine City News staff

It’s one of the questions that we’re asked most: What are the best restaurants in Irvine? Our answer is that... it depends. 

A cop-out, we know. But not everyone wants cutting-edge cuisine. Some want the comfort of familiar food, others eclectic global dishes. Many seek family-friendly options or best spots when on a budget. 

Irvine City News staff writers will provide our list in a future issue, but for now we’ve culled through critic’s picks and online popularity contests from several sources for a selection of local restaurants named “best” by critics or the crowd.

Nextdoor favorites
Popular online social network Nextdoor.com recently launched its Neighborhood Favorites, “an annual awards program that allows neighbors to recommend and recognize the most-loved businesses in and around their neighborhood.” 

Here are winners from the Irvine area announced in November 2017.

PIZZA PLACE
Northwood Pizza
4900 Irvine Blvd.

First Class Pizza
6420 Irvine Blvd.

Square One Pizza
5789 Alton Pkwy.

BURGERS
In-N-Out Burger
4115 Campus Dr.

Habit Restaurants
14474 Culver Dr.

The Counter
6416 Irvine Blvd.

MEXICAN
Taco Rosa
13792 Jamboree Rd.

Super Mex
14370 Culver Dr.

Javier’s Restaurant 
536 Spectrum Center Dr.

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH
Stacks Pancake House
14421 Culver Dr.

Mimi’s Cafe
4030 Barranca Pkwy. Irvine

ITALIAN
North Italia
2957 Michelson Dr.

CUCINA enoteca Irvine
532 Spectrum Center Dr.

Square One Pizza
5789 Alton Pkwy.

BAKERY
French’s Bakery
14443 Culver Dr.

85C Bakery Cafe - Irvine
2700 Alton Pkwy.

Champagne French Bakery
4628 Barranca Pkwy.

CHINESE
P.F. Chang’s
514 Spectrum Center Dr.

Sam Woo Restaurant
15333 Culver Dr.

Capital Seafood Restaurant - Irvine Alton
2700 Alton Pkwy.

AMERICAN
Urban Plates
13380 Jamboree Rd.

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
13290 Jamboree Rd.

California Fish Grill Inc
3988 Barranca Pkwy.

ICE CREAM SHOP
Stricklands Ice Cream
4523 Campus Dr.

Yogurtland
13260 Jamboree Rd.

Creamistry
3972 Barranca Pkwy.

BAR/PUB
Bj’s Restaurant
13130 Jamboree Rd.

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
13290 Jamboree Rd.

TAPS Fish House & Brewery
13390 Jamboree Rd.

STEAK HOUSE
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
2961 Michelson Dr.

Houston’s Restaurant
2991 Michelson Dr.

BARBECUE
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
57 Fortune Dr.

Lucille’s Smokehouse Barbeque
23760 El Toro Rd.

Famous Dave’s BBQ
13122 Jamboree Rd.

OC Register Bests 
In September, the results of OC Register’s Best of Orange County 2017 reader vote named Square One Pizza Café in Irvine for having OC’s best pizza, best happy hour and being the best family friendly restaurant. Other local restaurants that did well in the Best of OC voting include:

Best Sunday Brunch
#1 Taps Fish House & Brewery
13390 Jamboree Rd. 

Best Burger
#2 The Cut Handcrafted Burgers
3831 Alton Pkwy. 

Best Steakhouse
#3 Ruth’s Chris Steak House
2961 Michelson Dr.

The Register’s award-winning restaurant critic Brad Johnson includes North Italia and Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana on his list of best pizza in the county.

Brad Johnson’s authoritative list of the 75 best places to eat in OC included these Irvine restaurants:
19. Ootoro Sushi 
 2222 Michelson Dr. 

23. Bistango
19100 Von Karman Ave.

44. North Italia
2957 Michelson Dr.

OC Weekly Best of OC 
Critics and food writers for the alternative weekly included several Irvine restaurants among their 2017 favorites.

BEST DESSERT
Zov’s
“It’s OC dining royalty, of course, but way underrated for its desserts, especially at its Irvine location.”
3915 Portola Pkwy.

BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT
Best Foods
“The sweetbread soup is the best offal dish in Orange County: earthy and milky and delicious.”
2626 Dupont Dr.

BEST MARGARITA
Taco Rosa
“Whether sipping with a gourmet Mexi meal or imbibing during happy hour, Taco Rosa’s slew of margaritas are perfect for whatever the occasion.” 
13792 Jamboree Rd.

BEST KOREAN BARBECUE
Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong 
“Meats are top-notch, and those grills with the built-in side troughs are a work of genius.”
14160 Culver Dr.

BEST VEGAN RESTAURANT
Butterleaf at TRADE Food Hall
“Vegetarian and vegan cuisine should taste as good as any other, and Butterleaf’s mission is to prove it.” 
2222 Michelson Dr.

BEST FARMERS MARKET
Irvine Farmers Market
“With one of the most comprehensive and varied collections of food retailers in SoCal, it’s easy to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday in the Mariners Church parking lot.”
5001 Newport Coast Dr.

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Irvine welcomes Habana

12/1/2017

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Habana, Part I: Pastries in a soon-to-be signature pink box

The long-awaited new spectrum restaurant includes an amazing bakery sure to be an a.m. Irvine must 

A SELECTION OF PASTRIES AND A CAFE CUBANO

By Irvine City News Staff

In one of our early issues, May 2016 to be exact, we ran a feature called “The Summer Eat Sheet: Irvine’s Top 10 New Restaurants.” On it we listed then much-anticipated spots that included Puesto, Kona Grill, Angelina’s Pizzeria Napoletana, Adya and Meizhou Dongpo. All are open, though several took longer than expected.

The last on that list to open is Habana. We said it would debut summer of 2016. OK, so we were a bit off on its opening date, which turned out to be November of this year. Finally! Well, the wait was worth it, though the owners who had to pay rent to everyone’s favorite local landlord during the 16-month delay might wonder. 

Irvine City News will review the full-service, sit-down aspects of the stunningly designed and intricately detailed restaurant in a future issue, as will every other Orange County publication that covers restaurants. We need to take time to get to know the lunch and dinner menu and let the staff and kitchen get comfortable and work out any opening issues.

Our first look instead is focused on the brand-new bakery, a key part of Habana whole. 

Whether it’s a pre-office hours meeting, a quick bite and coffee or a more leisurely pace in the morning, many of us depend on and love a morning repast. Because where does one get breakfast at the Spectrum Center? There are the chains, of course, including Corner Bakery, the eBar outside Nordstrom, Ruby’s, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and a Starbucks. 

Nearby there’s not much more. We like S’wich Bistro across from Blizzard HQ, and Whole Foods grab-and-go breakfast has its place in our morning rituals.

But there’s certainly nothing in Irvine that compares with the Habana experience. The bakery opens at 7 a.m., and that early hour is key. Starting weekday breakfast service at 8 or 9 a.m. is not enough. We hope Habana sticks to the early hours and allows its morning audience to grow, which we believe it will.

For those who know the Spectrum to be a parking nightmare, especially with the construction ongoing, at this early hour it’s nirvana. The bakery has its own entrance on the 5 Freeway side of the center. Park anywhere, walk in and one is transported to an experience both classic and contemporary.

The entrance patio and one just beyond the bakery are beautiful. Palm trees, tropical tile and vintage-looking furniture make the area an Instagram-appropriate setting. The bakery café itself has high ceilings and beautiful light streaming in through large windows and open doors. 

The space is stocked with a beautifully curated selection of goods more usually found in Miami, from Cuban chocolate, candies and snacks to Latin American sodas and bottles of Spanish wine. There are newspapers for sale, which of course we heartily endorse, and the design includes two vintage televisions showing loops of old-school sports stars and celebrities, including Roberto Clemente and Carmen Miranda.

There’s selection of coffees, including café Cubano and café con leche, and an entire case filled with lovely house-made pastries, including some that I’m told are Cuban delicacies. The fruit tarts and passion fruit croissants are early favorites among the many sweet bites sampled do far. But when it comes to breakfast, we prefer more of a savory dish.

Habana does not disappoint, with a selection of several rich and satisfying dishes, including a breakfast sandwich with roast pork called Medio Dia; a delicious version of the hipster dish du jour, avocado toast; and the Ropa Hash Bowl, which is made with Habana’s signature ropa vieja stewed beef, along with an egg, red pepper Hollandaise and potato hash. This menu also includes a decadent French toast a la Habana: cornflake crusted brioche soaked in rum custard, served with guava jam and coconut syrup.

We do wish they’d add a few veggie-friendly choices to the menu. The Cazuelita de Mi Abuela is delicious, but the rustic dish is a bit bread-heavy for those looking for something light.

It’s fast-casual ordering, but the service was prompt, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The hot dishes are eat-in only, with the exception of the breakfast sandwich, while the coffee and pastries can also be ordered to go.

One of the smartest things the owners of Habana did was design a lovely to-go box for the pastries. It’s a gorgeous rose gold color, and has a Habana logo in metallic script prominently set upon it. 

We fully expect a box of goodies from the new morning star to be the new trend for what the stylish and savvy co-worker brings to share at office or the hostess gift to bring to the garden party. 

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Irvine's Best Restaurants

Best of Irvine Restaurants

Irvine welcomes Habana

Habana, Part I: Pastries in a soon-to-be signature pink box ​

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Habana, Part I: Pastries in a soon-to-be signature pink box