While it might not feel like it outside, it’s officially fall in Southern California, which means autumn activities and seasonal foods like apple tarts and pumpkin pie. As the weather becomes cooler, it’s all the more reason to cozy up with a comfort meal, and our team has some recommendations for new additions to your local list of spots to try.
- Also see: The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in August 2026
Here’s a look at nearby eateries to try around Los Angeles and Orange counties and the Inland Empire, according to our reporters.
Steak frites — Bloom Restaurant + Bar, San Juan Capistrano
As a reporter dedicated to covering the restaurant landscape, I often find myself dining alone. Solo. Just me. And, for the most part, I enjoy it. Ideally, I’ll nab a seat at the bar where I can eat in peace, avoid monopolizing a table and scroll in between bites sans judgment. One of my favorite perches is Bloom in San Juan Capistrano, smack dab on the corner of Camino Capistrano and Old Mission Road.
On a recent visit, I ordered the steak frites: a 10-ounce prime flat iron steak cooked medium-rare and sliced against the grain. The beef arrived rosy, tender and savory, finished with a melting pat of herbed butter. A generous tangle of herb-seasoned fries soaked up just enough of the steak’s juices. Dining alone does have its advantages – no one was there to ask for a bite.
— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter
- Butter and Cream Bakery’s First Timer Pizza in Los Alamitos. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Butter and Cream Bakery’s First Timer Pizza in Los Alamitos. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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First Timer Pizza and Half Burrata + Pepperoni + Honey and Half Elote Pizza — Butter + Cream Bakery, Los Alamitos
Could a bakery known for its custom-decorated cakes also make pizza? At Butter and Cream Bakery in Los Alamitos, the answer is definitely yes. When I went in to pick up my pizzas, owner Nataly Stein was in the shop that day, and her enthusiasm for this part of her business venture is contagious. Stein said she hopes more people come to try her pizzas because they’re made with premium ingredients and worth sharing – and they absolutely are. My family and I had a movie night to enjoy the pizzas, but they ended up being the stars – no crust was left behind.
I took home two of their pies, the First Timer – half pepperoni garlic and half crispy potato – as well as a half burrata, pepperoni and honey, and half elote. While you may think that potatoes and elote are an interesting selection of toppings, Butter and Cream Bakery totally make it work. As a lover of dipping my pizza in ranch, the bakery offers its own homemade ranch, which is also worth trying.
Butter and Cream Bakery’s pizzas at its Los Alamitos location, 11196 Los Alamitos Blvd., are available Wednesday through Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. You can also order online at bcpizzas.com.
— Christina Merino, Local Reporter
Mile High Apple Pie — Apple Annie’s Bakery & Restaurant, Oak Glen
For years I’ve wanted to visit the famed Oak Glen for apple picking season and the dream finally came true this September. One of our stops on the road trip was none other than Apple Annie’s Bakery & Restaurant. Naturally, we had to get a slice of the apple pie from the restaurant, and we opted to get a scoop of ice cream with it.
The pie was decadent and flavorful, especially when you got the perfect bite of cinnamon apple, vanilla ice cream and flaky crust topped with sugar.
As far as seasonal flavors go, this pie was a personal reminder that while pumpkin may be the mascot of fall, apples are the true star of September.
— Carolyn Burt, Audience Engagement Producer
Diver Scallops — Poppy & Seed – Anaheim
Scallops look simple, but too often they are botched at home or in lesser restaurants. And a bad scallop can range from a golf ball substitute to a threat to the digestive system.
Perfect scallops, like the ones from chef Michael Reed’s kitchen, are a delight and should be ordered whenever possible. In a recent visit to what has become a north Orange County favorite, our server justifiably raved about two other mains featuring duck and pork, but she insisted that the menu’s highlight that night was the diver scallops dish.
It was my wife’s birthday, so we ordered all three.
Each dish delivered robust, complex flavors, but the scallops indeed were the stars. They were cooked to the just-right level and were accompanied by corn three ways: a sweet corn velouté, charred corn with some pork mixed in and a little popcorn for salt and crunch.
My wife enjoyed it so much that she saved half a scallop and some of the corn trifecta to add to her next day’s lunch.
— Todd Harmonson, Senior Editor, Orange County Register
- Lobster roll from Hook and Anchor in Dana Point. (Mercedes Cannon-Tran/SCNG)
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Lobster roll from Hook and Anchor in Dana Point. (Mercedes Cannon-Tran/SCNG)
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Lobster Roll — Hook and Anchor, Dana Point
When I saw this was touted as the best lobster roll in California, I had to try it for myself. I won’t lie. I was not disappointed and was so happy that this was served as a warm-style roll with melted butter. The lobster roll ratio was really fair for the price, and the fries were delightfully crispy. I don’t know that it’s the best in California, but it certainly was the best that I’ve tried so far.
I also ordered the lobster cocktail since it was the first time I’ve ever seen that offered on a menu. The lobster was fresh and plentiful, and honestly, it came with some of the best cocktail sauce I’ve ever had.
I will say the restaurant itself is a little bit unassuming as it is in a strip mall. Since I was visiting the beach already that day, I was definitely in the mood for seafood and was really happy with everything that I got. I will be returning to see what else Hook and Anchor has to offer.
— Mercedes Cannon-Tran, Local Reporter
Pappardelle with braised lamb ragu and toasted pistachio — H.O.M. Italian Eatery, Woodland Hills
No other restaurant has endeared itself to the San Fernando Valley more than H.O.M. since it opened just over seven years ago. Claudio and Gio Morra, brothers whose family has been involved in the Los Angeles dining scene for decades, bring you into their clan’s Naples roots with their friendly faces and amazing food.
Rotating menus seasonally, their new pappardelle pasta with lamb ragu and toasted pistachio may be one of my favorites. Deeply rich, the dish might be best shared for two. But the homogeneity of flavor is hard to ignore.
H.O.M. is just as perfect as a casual weeknight spot as it is for special occasions. They even have a secret menu of classic Italian favorites if nothing on their fall menu catches your eye. You’ll leave with a hug from staff that treats diners like family and a full belly.
— Benjamin Royer, Lakers Reporter
Dulce De Leche & Coffee Tiramisu — Emilia, Redlands
Emilia is a new restaurant that’s generated some buzz in Redlands. It describes itself as “Mexico, reimagined.” The menu leans toward the cuisine of Vera Cruz with a focus on seafood, with specialties that include grilled octopus with chimichurri.
But it found room for an “Italian classic” with its tiramisu, which is the most wonderfully cloud-like take on this dessert I’ve ever tasted. The espresso and cocoa flavors really come through.
The cost is $12, and a meal will start in the $25-$30 range.
— Fielding Buck, Restaurant Reporter
Musubi — ‘Ai Pono Cafe and Exit 8 Bodega, Costa Mesa
Spam gets all the attention, but the rice deserves top billing too. At ‘Ai Pono Cafe and Exit 8 Bodega, located across the street from each other, Hawaiian-born Gene Villiatora understands that a musubi’s foundations merit as much care as whatever sits atop it. And his musubi are, for me, the best Orange County has to offer.
- ALSO SEE: 5 places to find very, very good musubi in Orange County
The Spam and hot dog iterations are good places to start, though Korean chicken and Portuguese sausage are just as good. These modest bundles of rice, meat and nori deliver a satisfaction more elaborate dishes often miss. Best of all, you can find them at two places in Costa Mesa.
Mula de Bruma — En Cultura Ahumadero BBQ Bar, Anaheim
I appreciate beauty but also see it as a danger sign.
To clarify, this is when it comes to booze. There’s nothing dangerous about my wife’s smile or a Caribbean sunset, but a pretty bottle of tequila or a gorgeous cocktail often should be avoided.
For the former, it frequently means mass-produced swill. For the latter, it can be a sign of stomach-turning sweetness.
Fortunately, I didn’t see this blackberry mule before I ordered it on a stop for pre-dinner drinks on the patio outside the Anaheim Packing District. The mix of mezcal, gin and ginger beer over crushed ice made for a delicious, refreshing cocktail with bite, and it was topped wth blackberries, mint and a flower to create one of the best-looking libations I’ve had in Orange County.
Thankfully, looks weren’t everything.
A quick confession: We’ve only enjoyed drinks at En Cultura because we’ve had reservations at neighboring Poppy & Seed, but the Mexican-inspired barbecue smelled incredible. Next time.
Blue Crab and Spicy Tuna Onigiri — Onigiri Time, Pasadena
Onigiri Time has been on my list of places I need to visit for a minute. The street cart is a hidden gem of Pasadena, located not too far from Vroman’s Bookstore. I stopped by on the way to the office one day, picking up two onigiri for myself, blue crab and spicy tuna, and one for a friend, bulgogi beef.
I also happened to be there the same day the business owner, Tone Choe, was and he made the experience all the more delightful. It’s clear that he’s passionate about what he does and wants his customers to have the best possible experience.
All three were delicious and good-sized portions. The rice was perfectly cooked, the seafood was fresh and the pull-apart packaging ensures the nori stays crisp. Part of the fun of the dish is pouring the creamy wasabi sauce on top. It was the perfect midday pick-me-up.
Army base stew (budae-jjigae) — Yuk Dae Jang, Irvine
This Korean chain has turned into a regular Friday-night haunt for me and my friends. Our go-to of late is the ration-based Army Base Stew, or budae-jjigae, a hearty dish whose generous portions and unassuming ingredients make the case for ordering together. Its origins, however, are less festive: In the lean years following the Korean War, cooks near U.S. military bases combined American processed meats (including sausages and Spam) with kimchi, rice cakes and pepper flakes (gochugaru). The dish became a comfort-food staple.
The one at Yuk Dae Jang comes with sausage, ham, ramen noodles, tofu, mushrooms and an umami-packed broth, all of which is kept bubbling over a portable burner at the table. Noodles provide the slurping and rice cakes offer chew, with plenty of salty morsels of meat in between. An ideal dish for the coming winter months and incoming El Niño fracas ahead.
Lavender goat cheese and fig pizza, rosemary garlic fries with lavender ranch, frozen lavender lemonade — 123 Farms, Cherry Valley
To say that I was pleasantly surprised that the food was so good at this festival would be an understatement. I opted to try as many lavender-themed food items as I possibly could. I tried the lavender fig and goat cheese pizza, where I added prosciutto, which was definitely the right choice. I also paired it with a lavender lemonade, garlic rosemary fries, and a side of lavender ranch.
I think if you’re gonna go out to Cherry Valley to see the beautiful lavender fields and enjoy the festival, you’re definitely going to want to stay for the food. Not pictured are also lavender-themed cocktails, wine, and beer. For the assortment that I tried, everything was really good and paired really well with the lavender.
It really is magical to be there at night with all the twinkling lights and the purple lights that light up the lavender fields.
Guava Dragon Smoothie — The Real Juicery, Tarzana
There’s been a recent trend of “overflow” smoothies, where the smoothie is just so jam-packed into the cup that it comes out of the lid. It’s a fun visual to demonstrate just how thick the smoothie is. Main Squeeze in Santa Monica got the first wave of attention for the new style, and now The Real Juicery in the Valley has been getting some love online.
I opted to go with the guava dragon, which included pitaya, pineapple, strawberry, mango and guava nectar. They were not messing around when it came to the overflow. I had to grab a spoon to eat the top part before it melted.
The smoothie itself was exactly what I needed to cool down on a hot day in L.A. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and packed with flavor. It’s always nice to find a viral spot that lives up to the hype.
French toast — Le Hut Dinette, Santa Ana
When my San Francisco friends deign to pay me a visit (for many an SF denizen, mustering up the courage to venture south of the Grapevine is no small feat), I usually ease them into Orange County by suggesting we meet somewhere in North County. Santa Ana is always a good bet. During a recent visit, a friend, his pooch and I made a beeline to Le Hut Dinette for Sunday brunch.
Among the many choice dishes from chef Ryan Garlitos’ kitchen is the French toast. A thick slice of Japanese milk bread from neighbor 61 Hundred is soaked in egg custard, griddled deep golden brown, then topped with ember-roasted strawberry jam and a quenelle of vanilla bean-speckled Chantilly cream. Crispy at the edges and custardy at its core, it made the case for crossing the Grapevine far better than I ever could.
See more of our round-ups of the best things we ate in Southern California.
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in August
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in July
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in June
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in May
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in April
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in February
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in January
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in 2025
The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in 2024
