Situated on the west coast of California, Huntington Beach is best known for its beautiful beaches, world-class surfing spots, and the famous Huntington Beach Pier.
Home to famous Orange County attractions such as Huntington City Beach, the International Surfing Museum, Huntington Central Park, and Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, the coastal town also has numerous restaurants, eateries, cafes and bars for wining, dining and celebrating love. Here are some of Huntington Beach’s best spots for romantic dinners, intimate cocktails and watching the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean.
1. Baci Italian Restaurant
Baci Italian Restaurant is a cozy, neighborhood go-to spot for authentic Italian cuisine with live piano music on the weekends and a warm and romantic ambiance. Owned by Italian Angelo, the restaurant has been welcoming locals and visitors alike with warm hospitality and sublime cuisine for nearly three decades. Decorated to look like a classic Roman villa with pillars, vases and fresco-style paintings adorning the walls, the restaurant serves an extensive menu of delicious Italian dishes such as filet mignon with artichokes and cognac, lobster risotto, and fresh seafood platters heaving with a variety of locally caught fish and shellfish. Dishes are paired with a curated selection of fine wines from an extensive wine list featuring Italian and California wines. Baci Italian Restaurant is open for dinner only. There is live piano music 6 nights a week.
18748 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, California 92648, Phone: 714-965-1194
2. Basilico's Pasta e Vino
Basilico’s Pasta e Vino is a lively restaurant that offers a vibrant, friendly dining experience with classic Italian fare, casual wines, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. A local favorite with Huntington Beach diners, Basilico’s pride themselves on serving great Italian food ‘just like Mama used to make’ with dishes of housemade pasta and hearty sauces, wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood, prime beef and veal dishes, and specialties like spumoni and meatball sandwiches, and penne with sausage mushrooms and Alfredo Sauce. Ideal for a cozy, romantic dinner for two or a special celebration such as anniversaries, the restaurant is warmly decorated with photos of old-fashioned Italian émigrés, movie posters and colorful paintings, and Moretti beer mirrors. Basilico’s Pasta e Vino is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
21501 Brookhurst St, Huntington Beach, California 92646, Phone: 714-963-7980
3. BLK Earth Sea Spirits
Listed as one of ‘Orange County’s Top 10 New Restaurants,’ BLK Earth Sea Spirits is a fine dining restaurant in the Pierside Pavilion that specializes in dry-aged, prime, hand-cut Kobe-style steaks, fresh seafood and other from-scratch dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Featuring an elegant dining room with vintage-glam décor and a heated terrace with spectacular ocean views, the restaurant serves a menu of contemporary American cuisine with a distinct focus on fresh seafood, organic poultry, and certified Kobe and Wagyu hand-cut steaks. The sophisticated restaurant also offers an extensive bar menu of libations that include 24 beer taps and a custom beer taproom where diners can sample a range of brews, handcrafted cocktails made with top-shelf spirits, and a selection of casual wines from around the world. BLK offers an Express Lunch menu on weekdays, a weekend buffet brunch and serves dinner every evening against a backdrop of spectacular ocean views.
Pierside Pavilion, 300 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-960-0996
4. Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Bluegold
Located in Pacific City, Bluegold is a coastal California eatery that celebrates Southern California’s bounty by using local and regional ingredients and produce and integrating new and old-world cooking techniques to create outstanding cuisine. Named after the point where the sunset hits the ocean on the horizon, Bluegold serves a creative menu of farm-to-table fare prepared using locally sourced ingredients from the earth and sea. Dishes are cooked in a variety of techniques using steam kettle counters, open fire grills, and wood and coal brick ovens and a raw bar offers fresh oysters and sushi. Bluegold is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.
21016 Pacific Coast Hwy d200, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-374-0038
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5. Capone's Italian Cucina
Located in the Newland Center, Capone's Italian Cucina is a family-owned and operated Italian restaurant that serves traditional Mediterranean fare in a warm and welcoming setting. The family-run fixture serves a menu of sublime dishes like antipasti of Carpaccio di Manzo, Carciofi Fritti, and Insalata Panzanella, followed by entrées of risottos, pasta with various sauces, fresh seafood platters, prime beef, veal, and chicken dishes, and vegetarian options. Signature dishes include New Zealand rack of lamb, topped with bread crumb, parmesan cheese, and Italian herbs and served with a side of vegetables and the food is accompanied by an extensive selection of fine wines, craft beers, handcrafted cocktails, and top-shelf spirits. Capone's Italian Cucina is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and dinner only on the weekends.
19688 Beach Blvd #10, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-593-2888
6. Captain Jack's Restaurant
Captain Jack’s is a laid-back joint with kitschy décor and a casual vibe that serves classic surf 'n' turf and prime steaks. The family-owned and operated eatery has been serving the community for the past 50 years with delicious dishes of fresh seafood, steaks, salads and vegetables, and more. Signature plates include the popular Captain Jack’s Alaskan King Crab Legs, Linguine with Clams, New York Steak, Seafood Scampi, and New Zealand Rack of Lamb. The full-service bar offers a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, ranging from casual wines, craft beers and draft brews, and curated cocktails to soft drinks, and specialty coffees. Captain Jack’s Restaurant is open for dinner only, seven nights a week.
16812 Pacific Coast Hwy, Sunset Beach, CA 90742, Phone: 562-592-2514
7. Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Cucina Alessa
Cucina Alessá is a low-key, inviting Tuscan-style eatery in north Huntington Beach that serves classic Italian cuisine and casual wines. Boasting a bustling interior with an energetic vibe, the restaurant serves a menu of authentic Italian cuisine, ranging from housemade pasta and sauces, wood-fired pizza, prime steaks, and veal dishes, fresh seafood platters, and fresh salads and vegetables. Signature plates include mozzarella and prosciutto, butternut squash ravioli, homemade lasagna, and their famous tiramisu, accompanied by casual wines, craft beers, and curated cocktails. Cucina Alessá is open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
520 Main Street, Huntington Beach, California, 92648, Phone: 714-969-2148
8. Duke’s Restaurant and Barefoot Bar
Duke’s Restaurant and Barefoot Bar is a long-standing stalwart at the Huntington Beach Pier that is named for a surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku and renowned for serving authentic Hawaiian seafood menu in a casual space with ocean views. Honoring the legend and Surf City USA, Duke’s boasts a traditional Hawaiian beach house ambiance and style and serves a menu of fresh seafood and prime steaks grilled to perfection. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant has a main dining area and a relaxed beachside bar that serves a variety of handcrafted cocktails, craft beers on tap and by the bottle, and easy-drinking wines. Duke’s Restaurant and Barefoot Bar is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
317 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-374-6446
9. Mangia Mangia Restaurant
Mangia Mangia is an easygoing restaurant with a cozy dining room that serves traditional Sicilian and Italian fare. Owned and operated by two brothers from Sicily, the one-of-a-kind Italian restaurant has been serving the community for more than 15 years with a delicious menu of authentic Italian fare for lunch and dinner. The menu features appetizers such as mozzarella marinara, carciofo alla griglia, and their famous calamari fritti, an array of pasta with mouthwatering sauces, a fresh daily selection of seafood, and signature eggplant. The cuisine is accompanied by an extensive range of fine wines, craft beers, handcrafted cocktails, and top-shelf spirits from the full service bar, and the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
16079 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, Phone: 714-841-8887
10. Matsu Japanese Restaurant
Matsu Japanese Restaurant is a stylish eatery that serves traditional Japanese fare in a sophisticated, well-lit space. Established over three decades ago, Matsu has highly skilled Teppan chefs that from-scratch Japanese dishes such as freshly prepared sushi, teppan of shrimp, vegetables, cucumber salad, soup and rice, yakitori, sashimi, and more. The full-service bar offers a wide range of libations, including hot and cold sake, beers, red, white and sparkling wines, and soft drinks. Matsu Japanese Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.
18035 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-848-4404
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11. Mazara Trattoria Cucina Italiana
Mazara Trattoria Cucina Italiana is a casual, family-owned and operated Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach that serves specialty pizzas, housemade pasta and sauces, fresh seafood, and prime meat dishes in a laid-back, relaxed ambiance. Mazara Trattoria takes diners on a culinary journey through Italy with a menu of regional Italian cuisine and fine wines. Mouthwatering aromas carry diners to Puglia, Campania, Emilia Romagna and Sicily with dishes of rustic focaccia, frittura Mista, fried calamari and shrimp, linguine and lobster, veal scallopini, and panini, sandwiches, and calzone for lunch. Mazara Trattoria Cucina Italiana is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
18027 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-465-4874
12. Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Mona Lisa Cucina
Experience the exquisite tastes of Italy at Mona Lisa Cucina with authentic Italian cuisine prepared by Chef Dino and Francois and served in a warm and welcoming setting. The cozy, homey trattoria serves a menu of hearty Italian fare, such as bruschetta, baked meatball mozzarella, huge pasta bowls, wood-fired pizzas, fresh seafood and beef, and veal dishes. The full-service bar offers a wide range of libations, including hot and cold sake, beers, red, white and sparkling wines, and soft drinks. Mona Lisa Cucina is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday and offers weekday specials and Martini Thursdays.
9017 E Adams Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, Phone: 714-965-9900
13. Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Red Table Restaurant
Located in Huntington Harbour Mall, Red Table Restaurant brings an edgy interpretation of comfort food to the table with a menu of exciting yet approachable dishes, craft beers, and fine wines. Decorated with a unique collection of furnishings, rich textures, and handsome design elements, Red Table is a gastro-bar that serves a comfortably priced menu of contemporary cuisine, with signature dishes like Bacon Truffle Mac & Cheese, Spinach Artichoke Dip, No Bones Buffalo Chicken, and Shrimp & Shishito Pepper Skewers. Red Table Restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch, and Happy Hour, seven days a week.
16821 Algonquin St, Huntington Beach, CA 92649, Phone: 714-846-4700
14. Romano Cucina Sunset Beach
Romano Cucina is a family-run restaurant with a casual and comfortable atmosphere that serves a menu of authentic Italian cuisine in the form of shareable portions of traditional favorites. Boasting a low-key ambiance and friendly wait staff, the restaurant serves authentic and classic Italian cuisine with a delicious range of appetizers, fresh salads, house-made pasta dishes, and entrées to choose from. Diners are transported to Italy with dishes such as Veal Parmigiana, Spaghetti Marinara, Atlantic Salmon, Rigatoni Alla Siciliana, and Chicken Parmigiana. The bar serves a variety of wines by the glass or bottle, specialty cocktails and a unique selection of martinis. Romano Cucina is open for dinner only, seven days a week.
16595 Pacific Coast Hwy, Sunset Beach, CA 90742, Phone: 562-592-5552
15. Sandy’s Beach Shack
Situated directly on the Huntington Beach boardwalk, Sandy’s Beach Shack is a casual beachfront dining spot with spectacular ocean views. Exuding a mellow and relaxed ambiance with the 1950s inspired beach-party style, the seaside eatery serves an array of delicious food options ranging from ceviche, flatbread and dips, soups, sandwiches, salads, surf 'n' turf, and wood-fired pizzas. The bar serves an eclectic mix of beach-inspired beers on tap and by the bottle, casual wines, and classic cocktails made with top-shelf spirits. Sandy’s Beach Shack is open for brunch, lunch, and dinner Monday through Saturday and breakfast, lunch and dinner on the weekends.
315 CA-1, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-374-7273
16. Sebastiani's Italian Bistro
A longtime Huntington Beach favorite, Sebastiani's Italian Bistro is a classic Italian bistro and restaurant a quaint strip-mall on Warner Avenue that serves traditional fare and wine along with live entertainment. The restaurant serves both traditional and modern Italian dishes made with the freshest ingredients such as Bruschetta, Carpaccio di Manzo, Calamari Fritti, Spicy Chicken Empanadas, Spaghetti Bolognese, Rigatoni Alla Lauren, and Veal Parmigiana. Sebastiani's Wine Bar serves new wines from around the world and hosts excellent live entertainment, as well as monthly wine dinners and food pairings, cooking classes: and other special events, and catering services.
6078 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, Phone: 714-841-3619
17. Tanner's
Capturing the appealing nature of beach life, Tanner’s is a classy restaurant and bar with stylish, contemporary décor, a beautiful outdoor patio with spectacular ocean views. Exuding a summery, inviting ambiance, the restaurant serves a menu of New American and Southern California food inspired by a diverse array of culinary taste and flavors. Signature dishes include Pan Seared Diver Scallops with Bacon Crisps, Spring Pea Mash, Prime Flat Iron Steak with Black Bean Purée, and Roasted Salmon with Coconut Forbidden Rice. The full-service bar offers a wide range of libations, including beers, red, white and sparkling wines, craft beers, and classic cocktails. Tanner’s is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
21080 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-698-6130
18. The Black Trumpet Bistro Tapas & Wine Bar
The Black Trumpet Bistro Tapas & Wine Bar is a popular, relaxing nightspot in Huntington Beach that specializes in Mediterranean tapas with flavors from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Morocco. Boasting the ambiance of an underground dinner club with low lighting, intimate booths and a tall counter with bar stools and tables, the restaurant also serves traditional entrées such as handmade Italian pasta, Moroccan chicken tagine, and French rack of lamb. The full-service bar offers a wide range of drinks, including beers, red, white and sparkling wines, craft beers, and classic cocktails. Tanner’s is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Friday and dinner only on the weekends.
104, 7041 Yorktown Avenue, Huntington Beach, California, 92648, Phone: 714-842-1122
19. Romantic Restaurants Near Me: Watertable
Located right across the Pacific Coast Highway from the beach and spectacular ocean views, Watertable is a stylish restaurant with an intimate interior decorated with elegant décor and private dining tables, and an outdoor patio that offers exquisite views of the ocean by day and a star-filled sky overhead by night. Watertable serves a seasonal menu of new American cuisine prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients with plates of fresh seafood, prime beef and veal dishes, housemade pasta and fresh salads. Signature dishes include herb-grilled baby lamb chops, pan-seared scallops, prime New York steak and lobster tails, and grilled sea bass. The cuisine is accompanied by a distinguished selection of world-class wines and artisanal cocktails. Watertable is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, Phone: 714-845-4776
20. Vittorio's Italian Restaurant
Established during the 1960s, Vittorio's Italian Restaurant that serves classic Italian and Italian-American cuisine along with an excellent selection of beers, wines, and spirits. The restaurant has warm and welcoming interiors with red leather, glass and mahogany accents, and intimate dining booths and is ideal for romantic dinners and special celebrations. The menu features over 100 dishes of both favorites and new dishes, ranging from appetizers and antipasto to heart entrées of seafood platters, beef, lamb and veal dishes, housemade pasta and sauces, and wood-fired pizzas. Vittorio's Italian Restaurant is open for dinner only Tuesday through Sunday.
5921 Warner Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92649, Phone: 714-846-9606
21. Crivello Ristorante Italiano
Crivello Ristorante Italiano is a homely, neighborhood trattoria that offers a cozy, home-away-from-home spot in which to enjoy classic Italian fare. The relaxed restaurant has long a been a favorite among locals and is renowned for its paper-thin lasagna and traditional wood-fired pizzas that have diners returning time and again. The menu features traditional Italian fare cooked from old-country recipes with such as antipasti plates of bruschettas, meats and cheese, handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas, ample helpings of gnocchi and house-made sausage, and a renowned lamb shank special with risotto and grilled vegetables. A wine list offers easy-drinking wines to complement the food, and desserts shouldn’t be missed. Crivello Ristorante Italiano is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
19881 Brookhurst St, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, Phone: 714-593-9099
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22. The Recess Room
The Recess Room is a stylish gastropub with a rustic-chic dining room that can seat up to 148 guests. The bustling but comfortable restaurant has cozy window seats that offer intimate dining spaces in the evenings along with high tables near the bar and serves a menu of New American cuisine and small sharing plates. The menu features dishes like Maryland blue crab beignets, bone marrow mac ’n’ cheese, red curry mussels, veal dumplings, skirt steak with bok choy and ginger, and wild Scottish salmon. Desserts include a marshmallow-peanut butter-banana sandwich and a Cereal Milk Crème Brulée, made with heavy cream. The Recess Room is open for dinner only, seven nights a week.
18380 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, Phone: 714-377-0398
What are the 22 Best Restaurants in Huntington Beach, CA?
The 22 Best Restaurants in Huntington Beach, CA according to local experts are:
- Baci Italian Restaurant
- Basilico's Pasta e Vino
- BLK Earth Sea Spirits
- Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Bluegold
- Capone's Italian Cucina
- Captain Jack's Restaurant
- Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Cucina Alessa
- Duke’s Restaurant and Barefoot Bar
- Mangia Mangia Restaurant
- Matsu Japanese Restaurant
- Mazara Trattoria Cucina Italiana
- Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Mona Lisa Cucina
- Restaurants in Huntington Beach: Red Table Restaurant
- Romano Cucina Sunset Beach
- Sandy’s Beach Shack
- Sebastiani's Italian Bistro
- Tanner's
- The Black Trumpet Bistro Tapas & Wine Bar
- Romantic Restaurants Near Me: Watertable
- Vittorio's Italian Restaurant
- Crivello Ristorante Italiano
- The Recess Room
