While Orange County might not exactly have what the rest of the country calls sweater weather — let’s go with long-pants season or closed-toe shoe weather — that slight chill in the air is enough to shift cravings. It reminds our palates that even here in the sun, winter has arrived, and with it a desire for hearty, bone-warming foods.
From spots serving steaming congee and classic chicken pot pie to tender meatballs and fragrant bowls of pho, here are nine restaurants in Orange County that will get you in the cozy mood, be it 65 or 75 degrees outside.
Butcher’s House
3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa; butchershouse.com
Highlights at this French brasserie include onion soup topped with an emmental granite, a Toulouse sausage dish with mashed potatoes and au jus, a beef cheek paired with mustard seed mashed potatoes.
But if there was a heavyweight champ of French comfort fare, it would be the cassoulet, and this Costa Mesa spot treats it with the care and reverence it deserves. It’s not just a stew; it’s a slow-simmered mélange of house-made sausage, duck confit and pork loin, all of it resting in a bed of Tarbais beans. True to the tradition of southern France, the hearty dish is twice baked in order to create that essential, shattering golden crust to unleash the savory warmth hiding within.
El Maguey
31481 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; elmagueysjc.com
This Mexican restaurant has been serving comforting fare since 1986. Guests can look forward to burritos galore, an adobada plate with chorizo and potatoes, enchiladas de mole and fajitas served with chicken, steak and shrimp.
But the soups are where this spot shines brightest during the chillier months. My favorite is the albondigas, a meatball soup that, due to demand, sells out quickly. When it’s snapped up, I opt for the equally tasty caldo de res. It comes to the table steaming and stacked with fatty, tender chunks of beef swimming in a savory broth, alongside carrots, chayote and half a corn cob. Use the accompanying tortillas (corn or flour) to sop up every drop or build your own juicy taco right there at the table.
Le Hut Dinette
730 Poinsettia St., Santa Ana; lehutdinette.com
Few eateries are as synonymous with coziness as the American diner. This one, conceived by the folks behind Heritage Barbecue, features fare by chef Ryan Garlitos who uses his Filipino-American heritage to influence his work with phenomenal results. Coconut creamed corn with chile oil and aged gouda, eggplant lasagna with smoked brisket bolognese and beef rib for two are a few rib-sticking highlights.
Of most importance, Garlitos’ patty melt, one of America’s greatest achievements, is the real star. It’s made with juicy ground brisket, caramelized onions, American cheese, pickles and a special sauce, all sandwiched between toasted milk bread baked next door from its neighbor, 61 Hundred Bread. Don’t miss out on the Japanese milk bread pudding for dessert.
ALSO SEE: Here are 10 places to warm up with comfort food in LA County
Oliver’s Osteria
853 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach; olivers-osteria.com
For those who want to go above and beyond the classic red-sauce joint, chef Erik De Marchi’s Oliver’s Osteria (and Oliver’s Trattoria, his 2023 Irvine spinoff) hits the mark. The parmigiana, a dish of baked eggplant layered with mozzarella, fontina and tomato sauce, is top-notch. And his pappardelle al mascarpone featuring a creamy mascarpone sauce with porcini and shiitake mushrooms, is an ideal cure for the winter blues.
However, the bechamel-based lasagna takes the humble dish to stratospheric levels. In lieu of the tomato-based meat sauce dolloped with ricotta lasagna found at many an Italian-American restaurant, the one here layers creamy bechamel with bolognese for a traditional Emilia-Romagna interpretation of the dish. The crisped spinach gives the lasagna the faint hint of lightness, but make no mistake: this is one deeply comforting meal.
Ospi
234 E 17th St., Costa Mesa; ospi.com/costamesa
With eight different types of pizza on the menu, ranging from the sweet-and-spicy soppressata with honey and chili to the deeply savory mushroom pie with smoked scamorza, taleggio, maitake mushroom and caramelized onion, Ospi, a relative newcomer to Orange County from a “Top Chef” alum, offers homey Southern Italian fare.
But for something truly memorable, I recommend the chicken parm. It’s essentially a butter chicken prepared in the “parm” style. It features a pounded chicken breast that gets fried golden-brown in a butter frier, then brushed with browned butter, followed by layers of mozzarella, a dusting of parmesan and a spicy vodka sauce. Also worth noting are the Neapolitan meatballs, spherical wonders of beef and pork highlighted with ricotta and pine nuts.
Pho 79
13220 Harbor Boulevard, Garden Grove; pho79.com
Noted as the first Orange County restaurant to win a James Beard Foundation award, this Little Saigon eatery is known for its pho. The lauded spot offers a variety of steaming bowls of its titular fare, including beef meatballs, chicken, shrimp and meat-free iterations.
Yet its oxtail pho, in particular, remains a standout. As food critic Brad A. Johnson wrote in 2017, “The oxtail is a massive bone with lots and lots of tender slow-cooked meat, more than enough to share.” What’s more, the lauded eatery’s famously complex broth adds even more rich, beefy flavor. Word to the wise: Get in line early, if possible. Pho 79’s oxtail has been known to sell out daily.
ALSO SEE: Where to find warming comfort foods in the Inland Empire
Pop Pie Co.
270 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa; poppieco.com
For bone-warming food on the go, this spot is a must-visit. Specializing in sweet pies and savory pocket pies, it’s the perfect answer when a leisurely, sit-down meal isn’t what you’re looking for. The menu is overall fantastic, but the savory highlights really shine. Try the steak and ale, red chili pork pie, a sausage roll (a criminally underrated snack) and the excellent chicken pot pie.
What makes its chicken iteration so good is its golden, two-pronged crust. As Johnson noted in 2019, this pie is “masterful ” because it technically has two crusts: “a sturdy short crust on the bottom to contain the fillings and a flaky butter crust on top.” Sweet pies, prepared like traditional round pies, include a salted caramel apple crumble and a chocolate chess pecan pie, to name two.
The Vox Kitchen
3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa; 16161 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley; eatvox.com
Part of the Kei Concepts roster of restaurants, the Vox Kitchen offers such warming fare as a mushroom and beef stir fry, house garlic noodles with garlic butter and scallions, rib-bone soup with potatoes, mushrooms and glass noodles. If you really want maximum comfort, its congee sets the bar for cozy, hearty fare. The savory rice porridge, ideal for sick days at home or particularly chilly nights, can come with either bone-in beef rib or crab. Additional accouterments include pork floss, fried garlic, onions, shimeji mushrooms, scallions and an egg yolk.
Yuk Dae Jang
3851 Alton Parkway, Irvine; instagram.com/yukdaejangusa
Pork-rib kimchi hot pot. Bulgogi. Purple rice. Dumplings. This Irvine spot offers Korean comfort food galore. Three notable dishes include seolleongtang, a rich beef noodle soup wherein Yuk Dae Jang simmers its bones until every bit of collagen and flavor surrenders to the broth. The result is both unctuous and milky, yet surprisingly light thanks to a sharp tangle of scallions cutting through the beefiness. The spicy beef noodle soup, or yukgaejang, is also a winner.
If you’re dining with a crowd, I would be remiss not to demand that you also order the budae jjigae (Army base stew), a bubbling, spicy hot pot packed with kimchi, spam, sausages, mushrooms, instant ramen noodles and cheese.