Food & Drink in Huntington Beach

Brunch, lunch, and dinner are served seven days a week at Bodhi Tree Vegetarian Cafe, where the menu offers numerous healthy ways to break bread sans MSG, cholesterol, and non-vegetarian ingredients. Ignore the allure of seductive chickens with an appetizer of eggless egg rolls (four for $4.95; eight for $8.95), sip curry noodle soup ($7.95), or savor sizzling black pepper steak ($11.95). All entrees are vegan, which means that diners can lock their lips on crispy “chicken” sandwiches ($6.95) or slurp pho ($7.95) without worrying about them not being vegan.

Diners take the reins and forge their own meals at Ka Shabu, an upscale Asian-style fondue joint in downtown Huntington Beach. Premium meats such as Kobe and Angus beef, chicken, salmon, and shrimp simmer in pots according to Ka Shabu's cooking guide before guests fish out the morsels and dip them in customizable sauces alongside fresh veggies, udon and rice noodles, and steamed white or brown rice. Even though all the meal-preparing power and palm-reading information lies in patrons' hands, Ka Shabu's friendly attendants always wait nearby to assist with any questions. Inside the eatery, wood-accented tables and chairs surround a grand open kitchen and a bar that serves up martinis and flavor-infused sakes.

Strands of hanging lights illuminate the yard outside Beach Pit BBQ's low-slung bungalow, where guests gather at picnic tables to enjoy Southern–style barbecue. Pit masters smoke the meat for 12 hours over indirect heat from hickory- and pecan-wood-burning ovens that give pulled pork, beef brisket, and whole chickens rich flavors. Diners get a complete rustic meal rounded out by classic Southern sides that range from jalapeño-cheddar cornbread to sweet-potato fries. The restaurant slathers their slow-cooked selections with a variety of housemade sauces, including a golden mustard sauce praised in Orange Coast magazine.

The vibe is laid-back as patrons settle into adirondack chairs around the outdoor fire pit or inside at gingham-covered tables the perfect size for arm-wrestling contests to decide who gets the last rib. Youngsters gambol about a play area enclosed by a white picket fence and sit at kid-size picnic tables to enjoy their meals. The eatery strives to give back to the community by sponsoring fundraisers and catering local events.

Hurricanes Bar & Grill has been pouring out 22 taps of brewed satisfaction for landlubbing locals since 1992. Prep palates for culinary ironman competitions with esophageal calisthenics in the form of 25 appetizers. Taste buds are engaged in a game of hot potato with an order of poppers, in which fire-roasted jalapeños are stuffed with a cream-cheese-and-cheddar filling, beer battered and deep fried ($5.99), and a bite-size United Nations holds assembly in the southwest eggrolls served with avocado cream and chili cilantro sauce ($6.99).

Citysearchers and more than 130 Yelpers give Tuna Town Sushi Bar and Teppan Yaki Grill an average of 3.5 stars. More than 1,050 Facebookers like it.