The Top 100 Restaurants Near MoonGoat Coffee Roasters
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Rank 1. Oliver's Osteria
Italian
A sun-lit room near the Pacific Coast Highway where Chef Erik De Marchi draws on Italian tradition without pretense: zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta and anchovies, bucatini all'amatriciana that tastes both familiar and alive, house-made desserts that close the meal on an honest note. The banquettes and bar invite lingering.
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Rank 2. Marché Moderne
Modern French
The Marneaus' dining room glows with the confidence of a place that knows exactly what it is: a modern kitchen fluent in French tradition, where coq au vin and lobster flambéed in Courvoisier emerge from an open kitchen with the same precision as the house charcuterie sliced on a vintage Berkel. Seasonal cocktails and generous wine pairings bracket meals that feel both familiar and alive.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 3. Selanne Steak Tavern
Steakhouse
A converted house on Pacific Coast Highway offers multiple dining rooms—Loft, Wine Library, Tavern, Terrace—each with its own rhythm, though the bar hums loudest. The beef arrives tender and marbled, finished with butter and expertise; seared mushrooms in Madeira reduction and creamy potatoes complete the picture. This is steakhouse comfort executed without apology.
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Rank 5. Raya
Pan-Latin
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Rank 6. Bourbon Steak Orange County
Steakhouse
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Rank 7. Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens
Californian
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Rank 8. Kahani
Modern Indian
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Rank 9. Truly Pizza
Californian
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Rank 10. Bello by Sandro Nardone
Italian
Low light and large canvases frame an open kitchen where Sandro Nardone, drawing on his Italian heritage and mastery of wood-fired cooking, executes contemporary dishes with precision. Pizzas emerge blistered and austere; house-made rigatoni in guanciale and tomato sauce carries just enough pepper to sing. A room designed for lingering, and food that justifies every moment.
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Rank 11. Heritage Barbecue
Texas Barbecue
Daniel Castillo's barbecue shop in San Juan Capistrano draws crowds at dawn for Texas-style smoke and ritual. Brisket arrives charred and lustrous; a bowl of brisket chili paired with cheddar-jalapeño biscuits follows. The devotion here runs deep, and deservedly so.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: California · Daniel Castillo
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 12. Sushi Ii
Sushi
A spare coastal room overlooks the highway while the chef moves through kaiseki's ceremonial rhythms: tofu crowned with Bafun uni, belt fish paired with dashi-simmered tomato, nigiri of wild flounder and baby sea bream rendered with surgical precision. Seasonal Japanese imports and local catches arrive meticulously composed, each plate a small argument for restraint and timing.
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Rank 13. Knife Pleat
Contemporary French
Nestled above the fashion boutiques of South Coast Plaza, this third-floor dining room glows with the warmth of an open kitchen and a sheltered patio. Chef Tony Esnault's French foundation—steelhead with fennel, barley risotto with chestnut—yields gracefully to global inflection and composed desserts that taste of clarity.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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- LAist 2024 · Smashburger · Best Bites
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #91 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 15. Fable & Spirit
Californian
Overlooking Newport Harbor, this bistro marries seaside elegance with unfussy cooking, from inventive vegetable dishes to a showstopping 12-hour Kurobuta porchetta. The room crackles with the energy of diners who come for more than the views.
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Rank 16. Shootz
Asian/Hawaiian
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Rank 17. Mayfield
Modern Mediterranean
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Rank 20. CHAAK Kitchen
Yucatán Mexican
Smoke and spice from the Yucatán arrive in Tustin through careful hands and an understanding of the peninsula's layered culinary traditions. Charred habanero salsa clings to crisp corn empanadas; cochinita pibil, marinated in citrus and achiote, yields to a fork beside fresh tortillas. It's cooking that takes its ingredients and history seriously, without performing either.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 21. A Restaurant
New American
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Rank 22. Vaca
Rustic Spanish
Amar Santana's rustic tapas bar in Costa Mesa pairs an extensive Spanish wine list with consistently executed small plates in a quirky dining room where the semi-open kitchen holds court. The bikini sandwich—jamón ibérico, Manchego, truffle oil on grilled bread—and golden croquetas de pollo suggest a place more interested in precision than spectacle.
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Rank 23. PhởHolic
Noodles
At this Westminster pho shop, beef broth simmered with anise achieves an almost meditative sweetness, drawing everyone from grandparents to Gen Z devotees. The kitchen forgoes shortcuts despite gentle prices, sending out massive bowls of uncomplicated, deeply satisfying comfort.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · Fifty Under $50
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Rank 25. Nardo
Southern Italian
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Rank 26. Nep Cafe
Modern Vietnamese
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Viet Nguyen
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 27. Hook & Anchor
Seafood
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Rank 28. A&J Restaurant
Dim Sum Chinese
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Rank 29. Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine
Traditional Vietnamese
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
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Rank 30. The Ranch
Steakhouse
An urban steakhouse playing cowboy without irony: beef-forward, but anchored by vegetables from their own farm. The prime rib arrives impossibly tender with cast-iron potatoes and horseradish; popovers come with homemade tomato jam. A place built for sharing and for appetites that match its generous portions.
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Rank 31. The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar
Californian
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Rank 32. Populaire Modern Bistro
Modern French
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Rank 34. Terrace by Mix Mix
French/Italian/Filipino
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Rank 35. Lola Gaspar
Mexican
Downtown Santa Ana gastropub where Chef Luis Perez's streamlined menu—handmade tortillas, masa-based quekas, churros—reflects a deliberate turn toward quality. Grilled tomato and dried chili salsa tops tacos filled with carnitas and shrimp; vegan mushroom quekas come with confit potatoes and guacamole, cheese optional. The editing is ruthless, the execution isn't.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Citrus marinated chicken taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 37. Phở 79
Noodles
Phở 79 has been ladling oxtail-enriched broths since the early eighties, earning its reputation as a Southern California standard. The spartan room with its yellow walls fills nightly, a small price for broth that justifies the wait.
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Rank 38. LSXO
Vietnamese
Tucked within Huntington Beach's Bluegold, LSXO trades ocean views for a cooler, louder energy—a speakeasy with real conviction. Pork, shrimp and crab dumplings arrive with a peanut-spiked black vinegar that catches fire; the cháo, a silky broth of crab and white fish, justifies the difficulty of getting a table.
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Rank 39. Alta Baja Market
Mexican
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Rank 42. Albaraka Restaurant
Palestinian Middle Eastern
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
- Eater The 38 Essential Orange County Restaurants
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · #32 · The 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
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Rank 44. Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar
Californian New American
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Rank 45. Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen
Regional Mexican
The cooks honor regional Mexican traditions through refined dishes like citrus-kissed achiote pork panuchos, refusing substitutions because they know what they're doing. An open storefront spilling onto Orange's antique-lined street and backlit tequila shelves create an warm, unpretentious setting.
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Inside a nondescript mall corridor, Chef Ben and Ayako Sato run an intimate sushi counter where the menu changes nightly by hand. Kanpachi arrives barely kissed with heat and finished with yuzu; firefly squid yields to tender flesh beneath nori and scallion. What matters here is not the setting but the deliberate care—warm service, precise technique, a kitchen that understands restraint.
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Rank 48. Sababa Falafel Shop
Middle Eastern
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Rank 49. Fonda Moderna
Mexican
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Rank 51. Kareem's Falafel
Middle Eastern
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Rank 52. Alebrijes Grill
Mexican
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Rank 53. Taco Nazo
Ensenada-Style
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Rank 54. Taco Mesita
Mexican
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Rank 55. Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Tijuana-Style
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Rank 57. Bandito Taqueria
Tijuana-Style
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Rank 58. Carnitas Uruapan
Mexican
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Rank 60. Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen
Pakistani Indian
Chef Imran Ali Mookhi wields spices with precision, letting beef sirloin kebabs and Khan biryani sing on a menu that respects carnivores and vegetarians alike. The bright, hip dining room and craft mocktail bar make this South Asian outpost a welcome anomaly on a Mexican-dominated stretch.
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Rank 61. Ramen & Tsukemen TAO
Noodles
A modest storefront in an open-air mall houses bowls of ramen made with uncommon care. The spicy red miso arrives rich and creamy, noodles snappy beneath the surface; the chicken broth runs lighter but no less purposeful. Twenty seats, no pretense, every visit a reason to return.
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Rank 62. Poppy & Seed
Modern Southern
Inside a greenhouse bar overlooking citrus trees and herbs, Michael and Kwini Reed compose dishes from local farms and waters—shrimp over creamy grits, charred eggplant with steak tartare, Brussels sprouts candied with bacon jam. The setting enforces what the kitchen already knows: restraint and regional sourcing can feel like luxury.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Michael Reed
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 63. Koi Japanese Cuisine
Japanese
In a Seal Beach strip mall, experienced chefs command a spare sashimi counter where regulars arrive like family. Orange clams and pristine kampachi give way to delicate nigiri—seabass kissed with yuzu kosho, scallop crowned in uni—while tempura-fried zucchini flowers stuffed with scallops bridge the meal like a palate-cleansing interlude. The place trades trend for craft and rapport.
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Rank 64. Tiendita
Mexican
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Rank 67. Tacos Los Cholos
Mexican
- LAist 2023 · Tacos · Best Bites
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Filet mignon tacos · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 68. Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana
Neapolitan Pizza
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Rank 69. Paradise Dynasty
Chinese
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Rank 70. Kaori Sushi
Sushi
Lanterns crowd the intimate dining counter at Kaori Sushi, tucked into a Fullerton strip mall where the chef's nigiri—golden eye snapper, toro with wasabi, saba layered over shiso—proves the setting irrelevant. The focused menu balances sashimi's clarity with cooked experiments like mara udon and crab risotto, each plate executed with restraint that rewards close attention.
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Rank 71. Sushi Nikkei
Nikkei
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Rank 72. Angel's Tijuana Tacos
Tijuana-Style
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Rank 73. Tacos Los Cholos
Mexican
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Rank 74. The Attic
Refined Southern
A Craftsman bungalow on East Broadway shelters dining rooms appointed with brick fireplaces and floral wallpaper, where Chef Cameron Slaugh's plates marry Southern tradition with restless technique. Fried chicken and gumbo anchor a menu that pivots toward refinement—bubble and squeak, roasted cauliflower with cracked oats—before closing with powdered beignets and strawberry compote.
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Rank 75. Ammatoli
Modern Middle Eastern
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Dima Habibeh
- Los Angeles Times 2025 · The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 76. Selva
Colombian-Inspired
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Rank 77. Amor y Tacos
Mexican
Thomas Ortega brings fine-dining precision to his native Cerritos, where handmade tortillas and house-made salsas meet unexpected flourishes—Coca-Cola glaze on pork belly, Doritos scattered across chilaquiles. His tacos range from crisp beer-battered cod to charred al pastor, each one executing a playful fusion of Mexican tradition and American invention.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Short rib taco · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles
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Rank 78. Forn Al Hara
Middle Eastern
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Rank 79. Chiang Rai
Northern Thai
Inside a forgettable storefront lies a colorful, quirky dining room where Northern Thai specialties shine. The khao soi arrives as thin egg noodles topped with raw ribeye, then blanketed in hot curry broth that cooks the beef to silken tenderness—a dish that justifies the detour to Tustin.
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Rank 80. Nettuno
Coastal Italian
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Rank 81. Ellie's
Southern Italian
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: California · Michael Procaccini and Stefano Procaccini
- LAist 2023 · Totti · Best Bites
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Rank 83. Tacos Lionydas
Mixe-style
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Rank 84. Rajdhani Restaurant
Traditional Indian
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Rank 85. Sonoratown
Sonoran-Style
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Rank 86. El Barrio Cantina
Mexican
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Rank 87. Perro Exquisite Taco
Sonoran-Style
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Rank 89. Taco Nazo
Ensenada-Style
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Rank 91. Arturo's Puffy Taco
Tex-Mex
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Rank 92. Taco Nazo
Ensenada-Style
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Rank 93. Eat Joy Food
Taiwanese Chinese
Tucked behind a Rowland Heights shopping center off the Pomona Freeway, this Taiwanese restaurant pairs soft piano and generous spacing with a tome of a menu dense in seafood and delicate consommés. The three-cup chicken and salty fish fried rice arrive glossy from the wok, their flavors precise and unhurried.
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Rank 94. Luyu Dumplings
Chinese
A shopping-center back room where refrigerators hum and knife work echoes—this is dumpling devotion stripped to essentials. Handmade wrappers encase fillings like pork with lotus root or lamb with fennel; chewy noodles gloss with scallion oil. Comfort is nil, but the food speaks with quiet authority.
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Rank 95. Sushi Yuen
Sushi
Sushi Yuen delivers refined omakase at modest prices, opening each meal with silky shirako and miso black cod that signal the chef's restraint and precision. Seasonal nigiri flows from Japan; a finale of preserved persimmon atop house-made panna cotta lingers.
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Rank 96. Valle
Modern Mexican
Chef Roberto Alcocer's modern Mexican kitchen overlooks Oceanside Pier, its tasting menu balancing whimsy—corn chowder ice cream, mushroom tetelas—with genuine flavor. A fireplace warms the dining room, while wines from Valle de Guadalupe anchor an ambitious list.
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Rank 97. Tacos La Rueda
Sonoran-Style
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Rank 98. Tacos Baja
Ensenada-Style
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In a strip mall in La Puente, Manohar's Delhi Palace serves unhurried Punjabi cooking with a warmth that extends from kitchen to table. The samosas arrive impossibly crisp, the chicken tikka masala glossy and restrained with spice, each plate suggesting a chef thinking more about balance than bombast.
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Rank 100. Tacos La Carreta
Mexican
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times 2024 · Chorreada mixto · The 101 Best Tacos in Los Angeles