Restaurants in Fullerton

Linguini, penne, spaghetti, and fettuccini—the chefs at Carolina’s Italian Restaurant have been preparing pasta in its many incarnations for more than three decades. But their time-tested cooking techniques aren't the only reason for the robust flavors in their classic Italian cuisine. Ingredients are delivered five times a week, ensuring that each tomato is as fresh as the day its life coach finally coaxed it off the stem. Quality seafood and meats such as Atlantic salmon and new york steak put a finishing touch on many entrees.

After diners polish off their meals, they can indulge in a dessert such as housemade tiramisu or cannoli drizzled with chocolate syrup. Then, they can lean back and admire the wall murals of Italian countryside and verandas, or watch confused airplanes circle the ceiling's painted blue sky.

At the heart of Pepz Pizza & Eatery lies its owners' passion for bettering the community. They show their neighborhood love not only through fundraisers and discounts for the star student, but also with an atmosphere warmer than the sun’s feelings for coconut-scented tanning oil. The pizzeria's hefty menu gives diners loads of options, from specialty pizzas including the vegetarian and a chorizo-topped Mexican-style pie, to crisp salads tossed with barbecue dressing and chicken breast. Pasta, sandwiches, and the house secret-recipe "broasted" chicken hold their own on the menu to the unbridled admiration of second-string dishes at pizzerias everywhere. Once meals have wrapped up, parents can kick back and catch some TV as kids horse around in the arcade and game area.

The seasoned chefs at Tsunami Sushi augment their tableside cooking techniques with dazzling dramatics, including knife twirling and spatula slinging, as they slice, dice, and sizzle morsels of chicken, steak, and fish atop traditional Japanese teppanyaki-style grills. Sushi gurus also prepare fresh sushi and sashimi rolls as an alternative or supplement to cooked offerings. The full bar offers a lengthy list of liquid meal enhancers, including wine, imported beers, and sake. Valet parking grants patrons a reprieve from finding a space or learning the ancient art of sedan levitation.

Kamal Palace specializes in tandoori, a kind of Indian cuisine where meats ranging from jumbo shrimp to chicken are marinated and roasted in a traditional clay oven. The eatery has nestled in the Long Beach Marina for more than three decades, complementing its tandoori offerings daily with fresh curries studded with tender morsels of seafood, chicken, lamb, or veggies. Curry bases range from coconut cream to delicately spiced tomato. Diners can mop up the delectable sauces with fluffy naan and other flatbreads, which double as a cautionary tale for rolls prone to careless jaywalking. Wines and imported beers, including Taj Mahal and Flying Horse, round out the menu and delicately counterbalance the well-spiced cuisine.

Black-and-white photographs provide a stark contrast to Tasty Thai's bright fuchsia walls. The chefs strive to strike this same balance between bold flavors and delicate accents in their traditional Thai dishes. Accents of pineapple, lemongrass, and coconut milk appear in pan-fried noodles and fried rice. For many dishes, guests can choose from a host of proteins, such as chicken, shrimp, and tofu, then select a spice level, which, like lists of your favorite fingers, is on a scale of 1 to 10.

The creativity of Issara's Thai’s chefs is best expressed in their sauces. Cucumber-relish and peanut-plum blends imbue fried tofu and rotisserie chicken with vibrant, unexpected flavors. The restaurant's decor creates striking juxtapositions of its own, contrasting white brick with red banquettes. Patrons may bring their own wine in return for a corkage fee or a promise to help the head chef move into her new apartment next weekend.