Where to Dine in Tustin, California | 11 Top Tustin Restaurants

Tustin, often known as the City of Trees, has a rich history of agriculture, including orange, apricot, and walnut trees. Although most of the orchards have been lost due to urbanization, a rich heritage is still alive and thriving in various areas across the city. Several great examples of this legacy may also be seen in Tustin eateries.

Tustin, founded in 1927 by a Northern California carriage company, is also home to two dirigible hangars. The biggest wooden constructions ever erected, these blimp hangars were utilized during WWII and the Korean War and are listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. Tustin Legacy is a premium business, industrial, and residential complex built around these hangars. Tustin Legacy offers a new way of living while honoring the past.

Several of the restaurants on our Top 11 List are well-known Tustin establishments with a long history. All of these exceptional eateries are located in the heart of Orange County, in or near the city’s oldest and most recognized monuments.

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Tustin’s Old Town

Tustin is one of Orange County’s oldest historic towns, with structures going back to the 1880s. They are located along Main Street and El Camino Real. If music and a forest of light-wrapped trees aren’t enough to entice you through the streets of Old Town Tustin, these eateries will.

Tustin’s Finest Genuine Italian Cuisine

Italia’s capital is Rome.

714-544-0273611 The Real Camino

Tustin’s first and only family-owned Italian restaurant is Roma dItalia. Dominic Corea, a great carpenter who assisted in the construction of several of the buildings in Old Town Tustin, decided to open a modest Italian restaurant with his wife, Nina.

Every morning, Dominic baked fresh bread, while Nina offered family recipes and homemade pastries at the restaurant.

Sauces for Romas Signature Pasta meals include creamy Alfredo, marinara, garlic and olive oil, white wine, creamy basil, beef, and marsala. You won’t be disappointed whether you order angel hair, manicotti, or any of the other twelve types of pasta on the menu.

Our vast and genuine cuisine includes chicken, veal, and fresh fish, as well as specialities, pizza, hot sandwiches, salads, and speciality bread.

Romas just added a new red wine to the menu. Rather of trying to sell me on the flavor, they provided samples of two wines so I could make my own decision. That is what I mean by service!

The restaurant is now owned by Dominic and Nina’s children and grandkids. Yet, Nina Corea’s Piece of Paradise may be enjoyed every day. The red-checked tablecloths and exceptional service make this an unforgettable Italian dining experience. You’ll be singing That’s Amore as you walk out of this top Tustin restaurant.

Tustin’s Finest Seafood Restaurant

The Tustin Garage’s Black Marlin

714-929-7427560 The Real Camino

Looking for a place to dine in Tustin? Thursday nights at The Black Marlin, you can get a head start on the weekend with seafood and jazz. Live entertainment is arranged for Thursday through Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.

The Black Marlin, Bar Fish House Restaurant, is housed in the historic Tustin Garage, where patrons were treated like royalty back in 1915. Motorists got a mini-service on their cars, including windshield washing, in addition to fuel. The Black Marlin still provides the same level of service today!

In this iconic Tustin eatery, seafood reigns supreme. Chef Specialties like Pork Belly Brussel Sprouts, Blackened Rock Shrimp Risotto, or Rockefeller-style cold oysters on the half shell will tempt you to dine at the Black Marlin. You can also get fried oysters and oyster shooters.

House specialities include salmon fillet, ahi, trout, two types of pasta, baby back ribs, steak, Surf n Turf, and chicken.

The two huge scallops and two big shrimp I had were exceptional, gently grilled on the exterior and served over a bed of sautéed spinach and cranberry goat cheese polenta. I’ve never had such massive, wonderful seafood.

The Brunch and Lunch menus include the iconic oysters, as well as a variety of omelets, sandwiches, soups, and fresh salads.

Happy Hour and the Senior Menu are married throughout the week in the afternoons, with fantastic pricing on beverages and selected menu items.

Cocktails are handcrafted with worldwide themes and animal names ranging from dogs to mules. A large selection of beers and wines are offered by the glass or bottle. You may bring your own wine for a corkage charge (free on Mondays) and the purchase of an entrée (if its not offered at The Black Marlin).

If you indulge in the dessert menu, you will be in sugar bliss. The greatest way to conclude your dinner here is with a Memphis Donut or crme brle.

Best Bakery and Cafe

Cream Pot

714-665-8239602 The Real Camino

Cream Pan’s main attractions are pastries and bread. Customers often form lines out the door to get these delights. Yoshinori Inada created his famed custard-filled strawberry croissants in 2002 and has since been a fixture on the Tustin restaurant scene.

As you go inside Cream Pan, you feel energized. Overhead signs and display cabinets brimming with merchandise make it simple to choose.

Mountains of exotic desserts covered with powdered sugar tempt you. Desserts include tarts, cakes, custards, and biscuits. Then there’s the doughnut selection. Consider settling down with a 12 pack of small cream puffs!

They do, however, provide a variety of savory pastries and rice dishes in addition to sweets.

Five varieties of house-made brick bread are available. These extra-large square loaves come in premium white, whole wheat, sesame, Yama, and raisin varieties. Additional bread options include baguette, Challah, ciabatta, multigrain, and walnut rolls.

If you can’t decide which sandwich to order from the menu, the Sandwich Box is the perfect answer. It is a combination of ham, turkey, egg, and tuna that has been properly cut and arranged in the correctly proportioned box.

Snowball-sized steamed buns enclose delicate pork or chicken fillings and are delightfully positioned at the checkout stand.

Order ahead of time, particularly around the holidays, to avoid disappointment. Cream Pan will have you going back for more; it is unquestionably one of the greatest places to dine in Tustin.

TustinVegan Vegetarian Restaurant

Rutabegorz

W. Main Street 714-731-9807158 W. Main Street

Do you want a healthier alternative to standard restaurant dining? When it comes to vegan or vegetarian dishes at Rutabegorz, you don’t have to forgo flavor.

Tustin’s famed health food restaurant first served guests in 1970. Although it began as a hippie hangout offering solely coffee and pastries, they now provide seasonal specialties, soups, salads, bagels, wraps, and sandwiches. Beer, wine, and cocktails are also available.

Seasonal specialties such as the Mediterranean, Farmhouse, Southwest, and Chimichurri Bowls are vegan or vegetarian. They are served with pita bread or, if gluten-free, without. For an extra fee, you may add a protein such as chicken, shrimp, turkey, or vegan chicken.

The quinoa, black beans, and maize quinoa patty was brimming with flavor and delivered on a toasted burger bun. Melted bleu cheese, BBQ sauce, French fried onion rings, lettuce, tomato, and avocado were also included. The flavors mingled well and met my want for a burger.

The relaxed setting and unique environment provide a dynamic and pleasant experience at this speciality Tustin restaurant, which offers both patio and indoor eating.

Enderle Institute

Enderle Center, one of the few privately owned retail complexes on the west coast, retains the charm of small-town shopping. The property, which dates back to Herman Enderle’s arrival in Orange County in 1892, is home to numerous notable Tustin eateries.

Enderle Center is a popular facility year-round, including vintage classic automobile displays, regular summer entertainment, and holiday events.

Best Modern and Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine

Zovs Bakery and Bistro

17th Street, 714-838-885517440

This iconic restaurant is defined by its upscale flair. In 1987, Zov Karamardian established the family-run Restaurant and Bakery. Zovs has become a culinary institution as a result of her skill, with an award-winning bakery, cooking workshops, catering, and more.

The typical Mediterranean mezze is always on the menu. Delicious and creamy hummus, lebni, tabouli, babaganoush, muhammara, or red pepper feta dip are among the options. The Mezze Platter includes filled grape leaves, Armenian string cheese, fresh veggies, marinated olives, and warm pita bread in addition to the things listed above.

Rosemary Lamb Chops, Kebobs, and Zovs Famous Golden Lentil Soup are among the other Mediterranean-inspired meals. There’s an Artisan Charcuterie Board and other modern appetizers, as well as a Moroccan Salmon Salad with mjadarah (lentils and rice) and tart balsamic dressing.

Sunday was absurd. The Dessert Menu has three delectable desserts: Salted Caramel Budino, Campfire Cake, and others. You may also get the Gelato Trio. If none of these appeal to you, go to the Bakery.

Unique works of art make Zovs Bakery’s dessert display a must-see. Every eye-catching option has been meticulously created and presented.

On Friday and Saturday nights, there is a daily happy hour with live music. You’ll be delighted you discovered Zovs restaurant in Tustin, with its cocktail specialities and vast beer and wine selection.

The Most Delicious Clam Chowder

The Crab Steamer

17260 E. 17th Street 714-573-1077

The secret preparation for seafood at The Crab Cooker is hot mesquite broiling. This top Tustin restaurant’s mission is to locate the greatest seafood to give its clients. And you can see that success when you come in the door and see all of the fresh, delectable fish available for purchase and take home.

Crab Cooker’s initial store in Orange County began in 1951, and their Tustin site opened in 1992. This family-run restaurant specializes on Pacific-caught Dungeness crab, Alaskan red king crab legs and claws, King Salmon, locally caught White Sea Bass, Alaskan halibut, and Mahi Mahi. You may see and purchase a variety of fresh seafood in the case at the entrance of the restaurant.

Every day at 7 a.m., the ingredients for their famed clam chowder are added to the vat. Their secret recipe calls for potato, tomato, green bell pepper, onion, and an abundance of clams. If you’re in the area, you may notice the aroma of mesquite floating through the air near Enderle Center.

The Romano Potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes with cheese; the hand-kneaded Fishermans Bread; and, of course, a bowl of Clam Chowder are my favorite meals at The Crab Cooker.

The atmosphere here is retro casual dining, with the earthy flair of eating from paper plates, a paper placemat, and plastic cutlery. Maybe not elegant, but unquestionably one of the best places to dine in Tustin.

The Best Japanese Sushi Restaurant

Uoko

714-838-230017582 17th Street, Suite 100

Uoko Japanese Cuisine is frequently rated well for its cuisine, service, value, and environment. Uoko is a Tustin restaurant that offers traditional sushi, kappo (culinary arts), and Japanese food.

Shrimp and vegetable tempura, steamed dumplings, calamari, seaweed salad, soybeans, and miso soup are among the appetizers.

Tuna, shrimp, eel, mackerel, roe, scallop, yellowtail, octopus, and crab are among the sushi and sashimi options available by the piece on a paper menu. Hand rolls fashioned with pressed seaweed and ornamental greens that might be spicy or crispy.

It’s always fun to sit at the sushi bar. While drinking hot sake, I appreciate witnessing the cautious and exact preparation of the fish and rice. Typically, dishes are ordered and delivered one at a time, allowing you to relish the experience.

Meat teriyaki meals, as well as Udon and Soba noodle bowls and hot pots, are available for those who want their food prepared.

On a recent visit, a young guy seated next to me chose his favorite dish off the menu: fish cheeks. When a 15-year-old orders fish cheeks, you know they’re going to be delicious.

Desserts include custard and my personal favorite, green tea ice cream, which is a time-honored way to end a typical dinner at this Tustin, CA restaurant.

Tustin Legacy’s District

The District at Tustin Legacy provides several excellent eating options while celebrating history and looking forward. Those are two of my favorites.

The Most Elegant Wine Bar

The Vineyard

714-258-7600Park Avenue

The Winery’s understated and stylish decor is ideal for a business meeting, wine tasting, or birthday party. The ten-year-old wine bar and restaurant has received honors and awards for its exceptional service and unique presentation of California regional food.

The wine program has 650 wine varieties held in climate-controlled vaults, based on a gastronomic experience in wine country. While choosing a wine match for a dinner, the wait staff directs and delivers a sample to help.

Tuna, oysters, crab legs, and shrimp are common ingredients in California regional cuisine. With appetizers like pig belly lollipops, salads, prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, wild mushroom and blue cheese flatbread, and an enticing charcuterie artisanal cheese board, the dinner is complete.

The usual menu has grilled or slow-braised meals from the sea and land, as well as a cauliflower steak for vegan guests.

Nightly specials, on the other hand, take you on a wild goose chase with wild game or poultry. It might be venison from New Zealand, elk, buffalo, Louisiana alligator, rabbit, pheasant, quail, squab, or partridge.

We dined on seared Opah, a Hawaiian fish that was one of the evening specialties. The fish was topped with microgreens and served on a bed of spinach with small potatoes, pea pods, and a butter sauce. We matched it with a refreshing Sauvignon White from New Zealand.

If you’re searching for a vibrant and stylish dining experience in Tustin, The Winery is the place to go.

Tustin’s Finest BBQ

Lucilles

+1 714-259-12272550 Park Ave.

At Lucilles, regional influences rule supreme. BBQ meats and sides embody the culture and tastes that have grown so famous from Hatch to St. Louis, and all the way down the southern U.S. border.

The characteristic green chilis used in the spice added to Lucilles pulled pork and garlic fries are grown near Hatch, New Mexico.

The aromatic and spicy Hatch Green Chili Garlic Fries, a Premium Side, are a French fry lover’s dream. Another Premium Side is a gently flavored Cauliflower Rice that is served in a small saucepan and is pretty tasty. Each of these were added to my Three Meat Bar-B-Que Combination, along with supple, meaty baby back ribs, lean and succulent St. Louis Spareribs, and Pulled Pork.

Lucilles’ famed handmade biscuits, which come with every meal, are a delicious way to begin. If there are any left, they make a delightful dessert, flaky and warm, served with apple butter.

Southern Fried, Mardi Gras, and Nashville Hot Chicken are all great ways to celebrate the South. Bayou Cajun Shrimp, Jambalaya, New Orleans Gumbo, and Southern Fried Catfish & Shrimp transport you to the bayou, all while dining at one of Tustin’s top restaurants.

Lucilles is a Tustin popular restaurant for a full and savory supper.

Tustin’s Finest Brewhouse

Tustin Brewing Co.

13011 Newport Avenue, Suite 100 (714) 665-BEER (2337)

This sports pub is the place to be for casual meals, an exceptional selection of craft beers, and on-site brewing, particularly on game days. Weekly specials, All Night Happy Hours, Mug Club Mondays, and Taco Tuesdays are just a few of the reasons to come here for a good time.

For Cask, Nitro, and Growler Fills, the Draft Selection contains an Oregon cider, as well as a stout and a cider from Colorado. All of the drafts on the menu are from California. There’s a San Clemente lager, a Huntington Beach speciality wood-aged beer, and IPAs from Santa Rosa, Escondido, and San Diego. Tustin Brewing Company has porters, wheat beers, pale ales, IPAs, and stouts on tap.

An comprehensive variety of appetizers will keep you satisfied as you drink craft brews and watch a game on the big screen Televisions.

Traditional American beer bar fare such as fish and chips, fish tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza are available on the regular menu. So, on a recent visit, we decided to try something new.

My spouse chose the Sausage Platter, while I chose the Golden Spike Linguini. Of course, we shared, and both dinners were delicious. The large, grilled sausages with acidic sauerkraut, scarlet potatoes, and tangy whole-grain mustard complemented my vegetarian spaghetti well. The recipe included equal parts tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and pasta, so it wasn’t heavy at all. It was topped with grated parmesan and a little butter sauce.

Tustin Brewing Company, one of the greatest restaurants in Tustin, is the place to go if you want a casual, laid-back ambiance with wonderful cuisine.

Tustin’s Finest Greek Cuisine

Christakis

13011 Newport Avenue 714-731-6600

This award-winning restaurant, which has been providing traditional Greek food since 1996, accurately represents Greece. Christakis Greek Cuisine’s kitchen prepares fresh homemade dishes every day. This concern and attention to detail reflect the family’s genuineness and honesty in your eating experience. The environment and decor are welcoming, as if you were welcomed into a little Greek house.

Lunch and supper menus include traditional mezes like as hummus, tzatziki, kopanisti, calamari, spanakopita, and dolmades.

Salads may be ordered with olive oil and vinegar or their wonderful thick house dressing of Greek yogurt, spices, and crumbled feta cheese, with or without chicken and lamb.

Since I couldn’t pick between numerous meals, the Christakis Combination came in handy. It comes with two lamb chops, pastitsio (imported macaroni topped with seasoned ground beef and baked with bchamel sauce and shaved cheese), and dolma (grape leaf stuffed with ground sirloin, rice, and herbs with a lemon dill sauce). The sweet and subtle taste of nutmeg was quite agreeable to me.

Of course, no Greek lunch would be complete without a slice of classic baklava. This delightful delicacy is made with honey, crushed almonds, spices, and filo bread.

Live Mediterranean-style music on Wednesday nights and live European-style music Thursday through Saturday evenings provide a sense of being in Europe and at home in Greece.

Its award-winning wine menu features a spectacular selection of Old World white and red wines from Greece, Spain, and France. From their New World wine selection, they offer red and white wines from California and Oregon vintners.

If you want to experience the friendly and real vibe of Greece, Christakis is the place to go.

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Which of these Tustin restaurants do you want to try the most? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below!