Restaurants in Huntington Beach

Skewered cuts of sirloin, brazilian sausage, and pork ribs rotate slowly over a sweltering grill, their savory juices producing a rhythmic hiss as each drop hits the metal. This is churrasco, Xodó Grill's specialty. Once the traditional Brazilian barbecue has roasted to a tender finish, the staff slices off juicy morsels for customers to pair with 12 types of salads and a slate of hot dishes from the colorful buffet. Heaping plates of fried yucca, picanha, and cheese bread await the scales, which customers use to pay by the pound and Lady Justice uses to smuggle extra cuts of steak.

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.

Executive chef Thomas Crijns of Brussels Bistro teams up with fellow Belgian Philippe De Smedt and French restaurateur Thierry Perreau to give his seasonally inspired menu of Belgian-style cuisine a French twist, earning the restaurant recognition as one of the 2012 Top 10 Orange County Bistro Restaurants in Gayot and named Best French Fries in 2008 in OC Weekly for their signature side with dipping sauces. With live jazz music each Tuesday through Thursday and DJs spinning music under pulsing colored lights Fridays and Saturdays, it is not surprising that OpenTable also took notice of the spot and awarded Brussels Bistro the Diners Choice for Late Night Find.

While known for its late night offerings, Brussels Bistro features a menu of lunch fare including quiche Lorraine packed with gruyere cheese, tomatoes, and bacon and savory ham-and-cheese crepes. Diners may opt to share their bountiful pots of mussels and Belgian-style fries on the sunny outdoor terrace while sipping one of nine Belgian beers on tap or 15 bottled varieties each served with a signature glass etched with its family tree.

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.

Husband and wife team Ray and Heather Breitwieser opened Raymond’s California Bistro after many years spent in the restaurant biz, stocking up on experience at long-standing, popular restaurants such as The Rusty Pelican and The Yard House. They decided to open shop for themselves to serve hearty and wholesome California and Italian dishes that feature fresh seafood and crisp veggies in a space with, as they put it, an “at-home” feel. Their menu includes pasta dishes such as linguini with clams, grilled rib eye entrees, and Californian salads with poached pears and freshly panned nuggets of gold.

Charo Chicken fire-grills an array of sharable meals and Mexican-influenced cuisine that can easily fit into a healthier diet. With the eatery’s fit-fare menu, diners can select lower-calorie offerings such as the Fiesta ensalada entree salad, corn on the cob, and vegetarian black beans, which are more digestible than carnivorous black beans that simply eat each other. Opt for dine-in or delivery, or order catering for special occasions.