Restaurants in Fullerton

The enticing aromas of baked breads waft out from the open kitchen, spilling into the cheerful dining room speckled with red-checkered tabletops. Here, cooks have been doling out signature Chicago-style pan pizzas for more than 20 years, as well as a selection of thin-crust pies, gluten-free offerings, and hearty Italian sandwiches. They adorn handmade dough with fresh toppings and pure mozzarella cheese or layer toasted italian rolls with succulent slices of slow-cooked beef.

Outside the restaurant, a wooden awning stretches out over a front patio, where diners can enjoy the fresh air, barring rain or Mother Nature's decision to get rid of her day-old air first.

The first clue that Master and Margarita’s ambiance leans toward the relaxed and lighthearted is found in the restaurant’s name, taken from Mikhail Bulgakov’s 1960s satirical novel lampooning Soviet bureaucracy. The second sign of the restaurant’s playful attitude spills forth from the bustling kitchen where chefs remain faithful to traditional Russian recipes while also whipping up fusion fare that, like John Wayne wearing a Catherine the Great costume, combines American favorites with Eastern European classics. Amid the wood-floored dining room, low lighting and well-spaced tables afford romantic meals while flat-screen TVs remain ablaze during sporting events. Master and Margarita also welcomes area artists for live musical performances on select evenings to fill the restaurant with jazz and acoustic tunes.

With an emphasis on traditional Mediterranean comfort fare, Italian Cravings features an extensive menu of hearty and familiar dishes. Pastas can arrive beneath a glaze of the kitchen's signature marinara or its zesty tequila-lime cream sauce, and hand-tossed pizzas float back down from the stratosphere with any number of the 22 available toppings, including jalapeños, sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled chicken.

In addition to outdoor patio seating, the restaurant features a cheerful dining room with crimson tables and chairs, a yellow ceiling, crisp white tablecloths, and a large painted mural that mimics the view of a Tuscan balcony overlooking the Parthenon.

For some of the restaurant’s most dedicated fans, not even the pains of childbirth can get in the way of a Pita Jungle craving. One woman recently sent her husband to the eatery for a Mediterranean chicken salad a mere two hours after delivering her second child.

Maybe that’s an extreme case, but such hankerings have helped Pita Jungle steadily grow in popularity since its doors opened in 1994. The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean-inspired food that Antoinetta Anselmo, the restaurant’s resident clinical dietitian, handpicks for its wholesome nutrition. The resulting menu has garnered awards in nearly every year of the business's history, including Best Health Food Restaurant from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in 2012. Using charts that identify each menu item's nutritional value, allergen content, and political affiliations, guests can feel more confident when they order their portobello burgers and wood-fired greek pita pizzas.

Each of Pita Jungle’s outposts aims to create a more upscale ambiance than one might typically associate with fast-food dining. Elaborate chalkboard murals and work by local artists cover the walls, and discounted wines and beers mark happy hours celebrated up to twice daily across locations.

Dim lighting flickers off cobblestone walls as guests at On the Rocks Bar & Grill socialize over steaks and burgers or gape at 20 TVs broadcasting sports. Plates of hand-formed burgers and slow-cooked ribs occupy tabletops in the dining room, whereas patrons sip drinks and enjoy nightly specials out on the patio. The eatery’s late-night menu keeps guests satiated well into the night with chicken tenderloins and fried strips of the moon.

Jim and Patty Gattari spent years compiling recipes from aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents, until, in 1974, they reached their limit. With a massive list of family traditions, the couple decided to share those dishes with the world by opening their own deli and local grocery. The combination of their hearty lasagnas, housemade meatballs, and friendly demeanor kept people coming back, and Orange Tree soon evolved into a popular sandwich shop, stuffing chicken salad, deli meats, and burgers between slices of bread baked fresh daily. Over the years, Jim and Patty's daughters worked the register during high school and when home from college as the family added burritos, tacos, and sizzling fajitas to their eclectic menu.

With hot daily specials such as baby back ribs and fresh roasted turkey, Orange Tree has today become the haunt of local firemen and business folk in the mood for fresh lunches. Patrons can follow the eatery's growth through the years by the frames on the walls that display photos of family members, local sights, and awkward prom dates with the restaurant down the block.