Around Orange County, there are a variety of amazing restaurants. From March 6th to 12th, many Orange County Restaurants are participating in OC Restaurant Week, which allows restaurant goers to go on “the ultimate restaurant adventure,” as they can “go on date nights all week, explore luxury menus, [and] explore new restaurants” (ocrestuarantweek.com). As high school students, we need to reward ourselves for our consistent hard work in school and extracurriculars, so during this week, we should definitely check out some of these restaurants. While all of these restaurants are amazing, here are some restaurants relatively close to Yorba Linda and highly recommended by students.

Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen in Brea and Irvine has a “latin-menu” that “adapts the culinary heritage of Mexico and Latin America to a fresh, modern style.” They have been featured in many news sites for their unique and delicious food, such as KTLA 5, CBS, and Orange County Register (chachaslatinkitchen.com). Hannah Bucklin (12) believes they have “good decor” and “good Mexican food,” which is “perfect for a casual birthday party.” For their OC Restaurant Week menu, they have a $20 lunch, which included a soup or salad as well as an entrée, and a $35 dinner, which included an appetizer, entrée, and entrée. 

CUCINA enoteca in Newport Beach and Irvine “is known for combining the flavors of Italy with the organic freshness of Southern California.” Their standout menu items include “sharable luxury house made pastas, innovative pizza, cleverly crafted large plates, an elevated selection of antipasti, and dolci” (urbankitchengroup.com). Amber Han (12) visited this restaurant recently and states that “the ambiance was pretty nice,” and there was “quality food and good service.”

Flemings Steakhouse in Newport Beach has something for everyone with “premium Prime steak options, best-in-class seafood, and innovative plant-based options” (flemingssteakhouse.com). Personally, I have been to Flemings multiple times, and their food has been nothing short of delicious. Everytime I go there, I am taken aback by the delightful and savory flavors of their entrées and their sophistication and sweetness of their desserts. For their OC Restaurant Week menu, they have a $60 menu that includes a starter, such as French Onion Soup, Caesar Salad, or Flemings Salad, an entrée that includes many quality steak and seafood options, and a dessert, which includes their famous Key Lime Pie, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. 

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que in Brea, Lake Forest, Orange, and Tustin prides itself over having “authentic southern bar-b-que” that is “cooked low and slow” which is “smoked in house with hickory wood for hours and hours on end.” They have won multiple awards for their bar-b-que, such as OC Registers Best of Orange County for 19 years in a row, Best BBQ in Orange County Region in 2021, and multiple different restaurant of the year awards (lucillesbbq.com). I have also been here many times, and I have loved the bar-b-que each time. They have an expansive menu with quality food for everyone. Hannah Bucklin adds that their “lemonade and banana pudding is amazing.”

While these four restaurants are incredible, there are many other standouts on the OC Restaurant Week list, which you can find on the OC Restaurant week website. During the week of March 6th to 12th, make sure to go with your friend or family to some of these delightful restaurants.