Restaurants in Lakeside

Under the trained eyes of the chefs at BanZara Restaurant, tender pieces of lamb absorb the piquant spices in lamb khorma’s coconut gravy, while marinated chicken chunks cook over a charcoal griddle before being dunked into delicious sauce for a tikka dish. The culinary team also pulls from Indo-Chinese recipes, combining eggs with flavored chicken and cooking deep-fried dumplings with traditional Indo-Chinese spices. In addition to dinners, the chefs also craft a lunch buffet of new dishes every day of the week, which diners can sample while ensconced in the eatery’s leather booths or, if they ask very nicely, straight from the chef’s ladle.

Inside Cha-Cha's Cantina, margaritas flow freely from pitchers as late-night dance parties rage and music pounds against the exposed brick walls. The bar is known both for its huge water-pong tournaments and its Southwestern food, which includes fresh Maine lobster tacos and burritos filled with slow-roasted duck. On weekends, diners can stop by to brunch on bison flank steak with eggs and hash browns or just grab a zesty omelet to throw at a passing airplane.

At Kenji Hibachi and Sushi Bar, chefs are masters of every delicious part of Japanese cuisine, from fiery hibachi grill cookery, to delicate sushi creations, to beef noodle soup and chicken rice bowls. Sushismiths roll up seaweed, avocado, salmon, and softshell crab as hibachi chefs dazzle dinner guests with dizzying knifework, towering flames, and perfectly equitable portioning. Wall-sized murals of mountains and cherry blossoms ring the high-ceilinged space, where kimono-clad servers unveil appetizing plates of fried beef dumplings, breaded pork cutlets, and piping hot soba noodle soups.

Chicken Holiday Restaurant’s chefs pressure cook chicken and flame broil ribs, among many other meats and meats of the sea that they prepare. With carry-out and delivery options available, they fill orders for holiday buffets complete with 8 pounds of ribs, chicken, jumbo shrimp, and sides, along with stocking tubs of chicken with up to 100 pieces. The staff also heats up the kitchen by roasting old yearbooks on the oven burners or cooking flounder filet or scallop dinners with french fries and sides of fried okra and apple fritters. Two flat-screen TVs—55 inches and 60 inches—broadcast NFL games to complete the ambiance.

Sushi-O skillfully blends diverse flavors in its Asian fusion cuisine, from the creative sushi it's named after to hearty cooked dishes such as citrus-teriyaki steak. Malaysian sambal paste flavors fried rice, and black-pepper sauce can adorn udon noodles or an 8-ounce filet mignon. Blends of curry lend spice to chicken and seafood dishes. The sushi chefs approach their work with an artistic eye, arranging maki rolls into whimsical shapes such as hearts, scorpions, and President Millard Fillmore. Each meal can be accompanied by drinks such as sake, Japanese beers, and American microbrews.