Restaurants in La Habra

As sunlight pours through the lace curtains of McKenna's lemon-yellow tearoom, hostesses deliver light treats and 37 types of tea to frilly, glass-topped tables. Triangle-cut finger sandwiches, cheese- and vegetable-filled quiches, and leafy salads flaunt their fresh ingredients on the restaurant’s chinaware, which sit alongside steaming teapots that transform lunches into sumptuous high teas or shift blame after ill-timed wolf whistles. The shop unfurls its tearoom and garden patio to a myriad of private events, hosting elegant celebrations for bridal showers and children's birthdays, which get magical enhancement with appearances by Snow White and other fairy-tale characters. After nibbling on teatime dishes, patrons can peruse the selection of gifts, accessories, and shabby-chic housewares in the gift shop to help commemorate their outing without filling pockets with Devonshire cream.

From their oceanside locale, executive chef Katsuo Nagasawa and the staff at McKenna's serve up a menu of fresh seafood, oysters, sashimi, and natural organic steaks. As cool breezes drift in from Alamitos Bay or the giant snow globe in the back, live entertainment occupies eyes and eardrums amid happy-hour specials. McKenna's also regularly holds special events, such as packages that celebrate the Toyota Grand Prix or the Congressional Cup and other regattas.

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.