While Cerritos isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of a food-centric town, they are quickly making their name known in foodie circles with so many great restaurants in the area.
Here’s our pick of the 15 best restaurants that Cerritos has to offer.
RiceString is the sister restaurant to the popular Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, which is widely consider the best Cambodian restaurant in Long Beach .
While Phnom Penh Noodle Shack has been in business for nearly 4 decades, RiceString is relatively new and opened in 2017. It goes without saying that RiceString is continuing the legacy of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack and is serving the community of Cerritos and the surrounding areas with truly authentic Cambodian food.
If this is your first time at the restaurant, we highly suggest the Phnom Penh, which is akin to Vietnamese pho and is made with pork bone broth and served with sliced pork, ground pork, stomach, liver & shrimp. It is truly a wonderful marriage of complex flavors.
And if you aren’t in the mood for noodle soup, they have a nice selection of other items, all of which are delicious. I have yet to try anything here that I dislike.
RiceString is one of our favorite Cerritos restaurants that never lets us down.
11803 South St, Cerritos, CA 90703
Aloha Stacks
If you are looking for one of the best places to get breakfast and brunch in Cerritos, look no further.
With 6 restaurants spread throughout Orange County, Stacks has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best breakfast spots in the region and that can be directly attributed to 2 factors, the quality of the food and the value given.
I ate here the other day with a friend and we order two breakfast entrees (breakfast burrito, omelette with a pancake) and the total, including tip, was only $24, which is quite a deal considering the food was excellent and you could expect something of similar quality to come out to at least $35 at another restaurant.
I’ve eaten here quite a few times and I have never been disappointed. The food has always been top notch and the service is impeccable. There might be a line out the door when you come, but they really do a good job of expediting the line and bringing out your food.
I highly recommend the breakfast burrito, the french toast or the pancakes.
11461 South St, Cerritos, CA 90703
Isla Cuban-Latín Kitchen & Rum Bar
Compared to the almost unlimited amounts of Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants in Orange County, Cuban food feels severely underrepresented. I can probably name you one or two restaurants off the top of my head and if I look on a directory online, I might come away with at most, 7 or 8.
Thank goodness Isla Cuban opened and gave Cuban food so much needed representation in the area. They opened their doors in 2019 and have already made their presence felt with their food, their drinks, their ambiance and their service. It is easily one of the best restaurants in Cerritos.
When it comes to food, highlights of the menu include the Ropa Viejas, which is shredded beef braised in salsa criolla, peppers, onions and tomatoes and served with sweet plantains and rice and beans. The Lechon Asado is pork that has been marinated for 48 hours in a garlic mojo criollo sauce and roasted to perfection and the El Cubano sandwich, which is a pressed sandwich that consists of roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and Cuban dressing.
They have a vast cocktail menu that has over 24 selections to choose from and leave some room for dessert because the Arroz Con Leche, the flan and the tres leches cakes are to die for!
30 Centerpointe Dr Ste 12 La Palma, CA 90623
Off Street Cafe
Off Street Cafe is one of the best breakfaast restaurants in Cerritos.
Offstreet has been family owned and operated for over 30 years and their commitment to making quality breakfast for the community has never wavered.
Whether you looking for a hearty steak and eggs or whether you are looking for something healthy and lite with their Healthy Scramble, they have something for everybody, vegetarian and vegans included.
My personal favorite is the chicken fried steak, which is one of the best ones I’ve tasted in all of Orange County. It’s perfectly breaded and seasonsed and the gravy compliments it wonderfully.
If you go here at peak breakfast and brunch hours, expect a line. Often you can skip the line, if you opt to sit at the countertop.
11020 Artesia Blvd Cerritos, CA 90703
Adobo Taco Grill
Adobo Taco Grill is a small hole-in-the-wall that is serving some of the best Mexican food in Cerritos.
The menu here is simple and to the point. You can order tacos, burritos, quesadillas or Vampiros’, which is a Sinoloan street food favorite. A vampiro is a corn tortilla that is grilled until its nice and crispy and layered with melted jack cheese and served with your choice of meats. It’s finished off with a nice drizzle of crema sauce. I highly recommend getting a few of these when you come here.
The meats here are deliciously seasoned and include carne asada, carnitas, chicken, lengua and cabeza. The portions size here are very fair and the prices are very reasonable.
Oh and one more thing, get one of their agua frescas, so damn refreshing! The melon is my personal favorite and the horcata comes closely behind.
5695 Woodruff Ave Lakewood, CA 90713
Nine Seafood Restaurant
Nine Seafood is like two restaurants in one. On one side they offer cajun seafood, similar in style to The Boiling Crab and Hot and Juicy Crawfish and on the otherside they offer Thai food; curries, pad thai and all.
It may seem odd to order a cajun seafood boil with panang curry and pad Thai, but Nine Seafood makes it work.
The secret to their success is that their food is incredibly delicious. Whatever you order here will be delicious and there is nothing on the menu that will disappoint you.
When I came here I ordered the shrimp and crawfish boil with the garlic butter sauce and it was amazing. It was just as good, if not better than Boiling Crab. We also ordered the fried rice and put some of the dripping from the boil on the rice and it was tremendous!
The prices are very reasonable and the servers are really attentive, efficient and friendly. What more could you ask from a restaurant? They easily deserve a spot on our roundup of the best places to eat in Cerritos.
11818 South St Cerritos, CA 90703
Thailicious
Thailicious is one of the absolute best restaurants in Cerritos when it comes to authentic Thai food. They don’t dumb down the flavors here like many other cookie-cutter Thai restaurants. Everything here could pass the taste and smell test on the streets of Bangkok.
Start with the classic Tom Yum Goong, an aromatic sour soup with plump shrimp, mushrooms, lemongrass, galangal and fresh chili for a refreshing starter.
Then take a menu detour with the Spicy Catfish, a tour de force of flavors and spices. Another can’t miss dish is the boat noodles, which is a harmonious marriage of complex flavors that will titillate your taste buds.
Save some room for dessert because their fried banana, with coconut flakes and ice cream is ridiculously tasty and is the exclamation mark at the end of a fabulous meal.
18902 Norwalk Blvd Artesia, CA 90701
LUV DDUK
If you’re on the hunt for unique Cerritos eats, look no further than LUV DDUK.
Every non-Korean’s first foray into Korean food is undoubtedly Korean BBQ and it’s a great starting place, because you get to introduce your taste buds to the different flavor and spices that Korean food is known for and is done in a way that is accessible to all palates.
The next logical step from Korean BBQ is comfort food and LUV DDUK is the perfect place for that introduction. The star of the menu is the eponymously named Luv Dduk, which consists of rice cakes, fish cakes, sausages, cabbage, mozzarella cheese and red pepper and is large enough to share between 2 and 3 people.
Another highlights of the menu is the army soup, which is a hot pot that is served with kimchi, spam, sausages and ramen noodles. A feast that should be tackled by at least 2 people.
Bring your appetite because you will need it here!
12243 Artesia Blvd Cerritos, CA 90703
Umaya Ramen
From the day it opened its door in 2013, Umaya Ramen has always strived to craft the best bowl of ramen to best of their abilities. Fast forward 10 years later, they have stuck to their core tenet and has clinched the title of best ramen restaurant in Cerritos and the surrounding areas.
While you can’t go wrong with any of the offerings here, we recommend the Umaya ramen, which is a pork based broth that has been labored over for many hours and is paired with chashu, spicy ground pork, seasoned egg, mushrooms and fish cakes.
They don’t call Umaya Ramen one of the best places to eat in Cerritos for nothing.
11318 S St Cerritos, CA 90703
The Nest – A Breakfast Joint
There are many options for breakfast and brunch in Cerritos, but there is one place that we recommend above all else and that’s Nest.
The menu balances breakfast classic with creative innovations. They do everything from fried egg sandwiches to breakfast poutine, where they take a bed of home-cut hand fries and pile it on with sausage, gravy, cheddar cheese and egg. It every bit as decadent as it is delicious.
They have a ‘Lifestyle’ menu that has options for vegans, vegetarians, keto and paleo conscious eaters.
One of the best things about The Nest is that each entree comes with a side and you can choose most anything on the menu as a side.
Being one of the best-rated restaurants in Cerritos, the weekend scene at Nest can be intense, so expect a long wait or stop by during the week instead and avoid the hassle of a line.
9260 Alondra Blvd Bellflower, CA 90706
La Tavolata
La Tavolata is, no doubt, one of the top Cerritos restaurants to enjoy authentic Italian food.
Tucked away in the back corner of a strip mall, La Tavolata may be small in size but it serving food that is big in flavor! The restaurant prides itself on making authentic Italian dishes that would make Grandmas in Italy proud.
Diners can choose from a wide selection of appetizers, entrees, pasta, sides and desserts. If you need some help with the menu, start with the Calamari Fritti, fried calamari served with tomato basil sauce and a creamy house dressing. Move on to the Pappardelle Vodka, a hearty pasta that is served with pink sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and grilled prosciutto.
And if you have enough room for dessert, the tiramisu or the freshly made gelatto will be the perfect finishing touch on a superb meal. There is no way that you are leaving this restaurant disappointed or still feeling hungry.
11688 South St #106, Artesia, CA 90701
L.A. Brisket
L.A. Brisket is one of the best lunch restaurant in Cerritos and as you can already guess by the name, brisket and barbecue is the name of the game at L.A. Brisket.
Its not your typical barbecue restaurant where you order meat on plate with sides. They serve their barbecue as sandwiches, in a rice bowl, on loaded fries or by the pound.
The brisket here is outstanding. It’s perfectly cook and stamped with the quintessential red smoke ring. The meat is tender, juicy and just drenched in delicious flavor.
The sandwiches are loaded with meat and served on a french baguette and slathered with spicy barbecue sauce. The rice bowl and loaded fries are also a great way to enjoy their meats.
18189 Pioneer Blvd Artesia, CA 90701
Belly Bombz Kitchen
Belly Bombz started from a conversation among friends and has grown from a food tent in a farmers market, to a food truck that traversed Southern California to the widely successful restaurant that it is today.
The menu is large with beer-centric foods like sliders, wings, rice bowls, chicken sandwiches and loaded fries. Don’t stress out too much over what to get – there isn’t a wrong order here.
The beer selection is vast with picks from all your favorite local breweries. IPAs, ciders, sours, lagers, it’s all there.
Consider this beloved eatery when looking for restaurants near you that offer delicious food, good drinks and a fun atmosphere.
11824 Artesia Blvd Artesia, CA 90701
Broth Shabu-Shabu
Broth Shabu-Shabu is one of the most popular restaurants to try in Cerritos.
Although many Shabu-Shabu purist will frown at the mention of all-you-can-eat and shabu shabu in the same sentence, just know that they yet experienced the excellence that Broth Shabu-Shabu has brought to the hot pot game.
Broth offers a choice of five different soup bases, ranging from the creamy tonkotsu to spicy miso. And when it comes to protein, the dinner menu offers 8 cuts of premium meats including beef toro, pork belly and Australian lamb shoulder.
After you are done choosing your broth and your meat, take a trip the buffet where you can load up on a wide selection of raw ingredients and sauces to complement your meats.
The AYCE cost $27.99 per person, but the lunch special runs $19.99. It’s quite the deal considering the quality of food here.
11221 183rd St, Cerritos, CA 90703
Amor Y Tacos
From the Outside Amor Y Tacos just looks like any other restaurant serving up Mexican fare, but it’s a totally different ballgame inside. Your first indication that this isn’t just any other Mexican restaurant is when you notice the eclectic mix of artwork strewn against the wall.
The second indication is when you sit down and look at the menu and see offerings like Mole Tots, Chile Relleno Burgers and Playa Amor Hatch Spaghetti.
The head chef Thomas Ortega is crafting some of the most innovative Mexican food in all of Orange County.
Don’t worry they have all your favorite classics too, featuring different takes on the usual suspects: carnitas, carne asada and al pastor.
Amor Y Tacos is truly a unique dining experience that will broaden your tasting palate and is easily places in our list of Cerritos restaurants that you don’t want to miss!
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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