Fullerton is a foodie haven. There are some many damn good restaurants! They have amazing Japanese, Korean, Italian, Mexican and more. And with the myriad of dining options in the area, it can be an overwhelming process of choosing a good place to eat. But have no fear! I’ve hand picked thirteen of the best places in town to grab a bite to eat.
Don’t eat for a day before arriving to Mr BBQ, because you are going to need all the space that you can get. This is the best all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in town and is easily one of the best restaurants in Fullerton.
All your favorite meats are here. From beef brisket and ribeye to wagyu beef belly and spicy garlic pork butt. All the meats are marinated wonderfully and nothing is ever lacking in the taste department.
The service is attentive and efficient, with the servers constantly checking to see if you need more meat or if they need to change out the grill or resupply the banchan.
On top of it all, they serve beer towers! The lunch ayce is going to set you back $25.99 and dinner is $34.99.
305 N State College Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92831
Roman Cucina
It only takes one visit to see why locals are crazy about Roman Cucina and why it makes our list of the best restaurants in Fullerton.
Roman Cucina is a family-owned and operated restaurant that takes pride in serving authentic, home cooked Italian comfort food.
Their story starts in 2001 when brothers, David and Giovanni Roman opened their first restaurant in Sunset Beach. With the success and fanfare from their first restaurant, they were able to open another location in Fullerton and finally another in Laguna Hills a couple years later. With each iteration of the their restaurants, they have been able to maintain the quality and consistency that has made their restaurant a household name in Orange County.
The menu at Roman Cucina boasts an excellent array of soups, salads, sandwiches, specialty pastas, seafood dishes, lasagna and more. Just know that anything you order here will be absolutely delicious. My favorites include the pepperoni garlic bread, chicken parm, sausage bolognese, shrimp scampi and the lasagna bolognese.
Leave some room for dessert because the spumoni and canolli are out of this world!
211 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92832
Early Bird
Early Bird serves up THE best breakfast and brunch in Fullerton and all the residents know it. There’s always a line outside and the average wait time can get up to an hour and half. But is it worth it? Absolutely!
The food here is incredible, its inventive and it is just really high quality and that can be attribute to the their philosophy when it comes to sourcing ingredients and crafting their recipes.
All ingredients are locally sourced and raised in California. Each dish they serve is made from scratch and nothing is frozen, jarred, or canned, and that is what separates them from the rest of the pack.
The menu has all your breakfast favorites like pancakes, waffles, eggs benedicts and more. Some of their unique offerings include Carnitas Chilaquiles, which is two eggs, roasted carnitas, avocado emulsion, fried tortillas in ancho chile sauce and with queso fresco. The Duck Confit Hash
is sunny side up eggs with arugula, skillet potatoes, white raisins, onions, scallion and croutons.
Whatever you order it is guaranteed to be filling and delicious.
1000 E Bastanchury Rd Fullerton, CA 92835
Holdaak Fried Chicken
The chicken sandwich craze took over America with a frenzy like no other. From the hot chicken sandwich in Nashville to the Popeye’s chicken sandwich frenzy during the pandemic and now Holdaak is interjecting the American cuisinal consciousness with their sandwich that weaves Asian flavors into this iconic sandwich.
Holdaak’s chicken sandwich consists of two perfectly crisp chicken tenders that is topped with their veggie slaw (pickled daikon radish, sliced jalapeño, and onion slaw) and generously layered with their aptly named “comeback” sauce. Everything sits between two warm brioche buns and one bite out of this sandwich will illuminate your taste buds. One bite of their chicken sandwich and you’ll know why it’s one of the best places to eat in Fullerton.
Besides the chicken sandwich they serve chicken tenders, which rivals that of Cane’s and chicken wings that should be in contention for next year’s Super Bowl party. And lets not forget about the fries that are perfectly seasoned and are perfectly textured.
1201 S Euclid St Ste B Fullerton, CA 92832
Matador Cantina
Matador Cantina has been serving their wonderful modern take on Mexican food since 2009 and has firmly established itself as one of the best restaurants in Downtown Fullerton.
Chef David Dennis has created a menu that blends traditional Mexican classics with contemporary leanings.
You can find all the usual suspects here tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchilladas, quesadillas, along with more unique entrees like chorizo ravioli and the carnitas nenedicto.
In addition to their daily lunch and dinner services, Matador offers Champagne brunch, served Saturday and Sunday. Happy hours are on Sunday-Fridays, 2-6pm and Taco Tuesday have generous specials on all tacos and beers.
111 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92832
The Cellar Restaurant
If you’re looking for one of the best restaurants in Fullerton perfect for an anniversary or a special date night out, The Cellar is the restaurant for you.
As you walk down the narrow stairs and through the doors of The Cellar, you will be instantly transported to another time and place where things were a lot more simple.
The interior of The Cellar was designed by Gene White, the artist who conceptualized and crafted Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean in 1969.
The mood here is romantic with its dim candle-lit lighting, cavernous walls, rich red carpet and red velvet booths.
The menu features French inspired modern cuisines like lobster bisque, Nordic blue salmon almondie, venison tenderloin, as well as steak and porkchops.
The bar program here is also top notch with bartenders who really put in the effort to craft some fine cocktails and drinks.
If you are looking for a place to nurture the embers of a newly lit romance or rekindle the love of a forgotten past, this is the place to do so.
305 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92832
Chicana Vegana
Vegan food has come a long way from where it used to be! Long gone are the days when you could only order a garden burger, tofu scramble or fake chicken nuggets. The vegan food scene has expanded exponentially and restaurants dedicated to only serving vegan fare has really stepped up their game with the quality and offerings of their food. Chicana Vegana is one of those restaurants.
Their menu is Mexican-American inspired fare and one glance at their offerings will show you why they are one of the best vegan restaurants in Fullerton.
From their Cali Dreamin’ Burger to their Cali Bae Rito to their Asada Fries, everything here is full of flavor and will fool even the meatiest of meat eaters.
Other highlights of the menu include the loaded nachos, chili cheese fries and the Philly melt. Leave some room for dessert because that tres leches cake is a symphony of flavor!
113 E Commonwealth Ave Fullerton, CA 92832
Kopan Sushi & Ramen
Kopan Ramen prides itself on its broth which starts with a base of pork bones, fat and collage and is labored over for more than 16 hours, which results in a rich, savory and creamy consistency. The chasu that comes with the ramen is fatty, super tender and just melts in your mouth. The combination of the broth, the chasu and the noodles is just divine. Kopan can easily place as one of the best ramen restaurants in Fullerton.
And they also serve sushi, really really good sushi too! It’s not often you find a top notch ramen place that also serves really quality sushi, but Kopan somehow manages and I’m often conflicted when I visit the restaurant on which I want to indulge in.
141 E Commonwealth Ave Fullerton, CA 92832
Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana
Fuoco Pizzeria has been opened since 2012 and has made a name for itself as one of the best pizza restaurants in Fullerton and maybe all of Orange County. It’s a family owned operation, where the singular craft of producing brick-oven pizza has been passed down from grandfather to father and from father to son.
When the brick oven was crafted using volcanic sand from Mt. Vesuvius and Santa Maria bricks from Campania, you know that they take things seriously here and the results can’t be denied. The pizza here is extraordinary.
Every pizza on the menu is truly outstanding and worthy of telling your pizza-snob friend who claims only the best pizza comes from New York or Italy.
101 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92832
Kentro Greek Kitchen
Located in the heart of Downtown Fullerton, Kentro offers authentic Greek food in a modern and welcoming setting and is one of our favorite Fullerton restaurants.
The menu has an excellent array of soups, salads, spreads, pitas and entrees to choose from. There are also a number of small plates that are perfect for sharing.
Highlights of the menu include Chicken Souvlaki, Kalamakia, Psari Tiganito and the Mousaka and all the dishes are prepared by the hands of a very talented kitchen.
Leave some room for dessert because their selection of sweets is excellent. We tried the Loukoumades and the Galaktobouriko and they were damn tasty!
Mr Katsu
Mr Katsu specializes in one thing, katsu sandwiches, and they do that one thing very well. Mr Katsu’s sandwiches starts with a perfectly deep-fried pork cutlet that is wedged between two thick slices of buttered soft toast and cushioned with their homemade slaw. Next there are 11 different path that the sandwich can take, from Habanero Pesto to Pesto Curry, any of these paths will undoubtedly lead to a glorious flavor experience.
They also have a nice selection of sides including potato puffs and the indulgent WTFF (What The Fuck Fries), which is a bed of shoe string fries topped with marinate kalbi, sauteed kimchi and slathered with their ‘party sauce’.
It’s easy to see why Mr Katsu deserves a spot on our roundup of the best places to eat in Fullerton.
3165 Yorba Linda Blvd Fullerton, CA 92831
What’s Up Men
Fullerton is slowly becoming the mecca for ramen in Orange County. There seems to be a ramen restaurant on every corner and these are not just run of the mill ramen restaurants, they are very good ramen restaurants that are some of the best in Orange County. What’s Up Men is one of those restaurants.
They don’t call What’s up Men, one of the best places to eat in Fullerton for nothing. The ramen here is superb. The broth is intensely delicious and full of flavor. The noodles were the perfect texture and had the right amount of firmness that allowed the broth to soak on its surface. All the toppings (chasu, egg, fish cake, green onions) completely harmonize with the broth and the noodles.
I got my ramen with a side of the pork chahan fried rice and it was the best decision I made that month. That fried rice is incredible and a perfect pairing for someone with an appetite.
Ensenada’s Surf N Turf Grill
Ensenada’s Surf N Turf Grill easily gets one of the top spots on our list of the best restaurants in Fullerton because they make some of the best tacos in town.
You don’t need to travel to Ensenada to get authentic flavors of Mexican coastal seafood, Ensenada’s Surf N Turf Grill is making the folks in Baja proud with their fare. Fish and shrimp tacos, ceviche, fried fish, seafood cocktails, its all here.
The fish tacos here are some of the best in Orange County. The batter is light, cripsy and not too oily and the fish is delicate and flaky. The ceviche and the shrimp cocktail is extremely fresh, flavorful and refreshing and the burritos are hefty and delicious.
They also have Taco Tuesday and Fish Wednesday deals. You really can’t go wrong here!
2931 Nutwood Ave Fullerton, CA 92831
Pickled Monk
And not but not least, we have Pickled Monk a pub/sportsbar/gastropub that has become a local favorite to unwind after a long day of work and is one of the coolest casual spots to eat in Fullerton.s
Pickled Monk has a novel concept when it comes to beer. They start you off with a tap-card which is linked to your credit card. You take the tap card to the beer station and you pour your own beer after tapping the card. The selection of beer here is impressive and worthy of a nod from even the snobbiest of beer snobs. IPAs, stouts, lagers, sours, ciders and ales, they are all here.
Lets not forget about the food, the food here is absolutely delicious!
Some highlights of the menu include the Monk Burger, which is a thick patty served with bourbon-bacon jam, dijonnaise, bleu cheese, arugula and sandwiched between a buttery brioche bun.
The Bacon Wrapped Brats is a sizeable cheddar & jalapeño stuffed brat served with green kraut, monk mustard, tomato, grilled onions, pickles and placed in a pretzel roll.
The Carnitas Poutine is a bed of waffle fries served with tender carnitas, salsa verde, sour cream, cilantro and fresh herbs.
And the atmosphere here is fun and laid back and a great place to catch some sports with friends and new friends that you will meet there.
Mariska is a recovering attorney who gave up her professional job to discover new perspectives of life while traveling in a 2009 Ford Transit.
She has been living the van life for 3 years and has not looked back since.
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