Restaurants in Lancaster

At Persia Cuisine, variety is key: kebabs come with lamb, chicken, or salmon, and there’s specially steamed basmati rice seasoned with saffron, plus sour cherry rice, or lima beans with dill rice. While variety defines the appeal of the eatery’s kebabs, a special process defines the signature taste and texture of its rice. First, the staff boils away the starch, then, they steam the rice to make it fluffy. With all the menu options, though, guests always find one constant—the dishes are healthy, containing antioxidant-packed sumac spice, fresh vegetables, and herbs. Persia Restaurant offers special events at certain times, too, whether a simple lunchtime buffet showcasing a slate of hot options or Saturday nights when belly dancers entertain guests by teaching them what was once thought to be impossible: how to look elegant while belly-flopping into a pool.

Authentically prepared in true Philly fashion, the cheesesteaks at Downtown Philly Cheese Steaks smother 100% beefsteak with melted cheese, tomato, onions, and lettuce. The Downtown Philly menu offers much more though, with tasty fare ranging from 100% sirloin char-broiled burgers to gourmet pizzas, Stromboli, and more than 10 varieties of salads. The menu also displays 12 styles of hoagies and grinders including the genoa salami hoagie and the chicken cordon bleu hoagie.

Though passed down through several generations, the family recipes that serve as the basis of Thai Chefs Restaurant’s menu retain the delicate balance of sweetness and spice that characterizes Thai cuisine. Other influences that span Southeast Asia also show up across the menu, whether in colorful curries or stir-fried noodle and rice dishes that blend vegetables with your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. When they aren’t dousing short ribs in their house-made barbecue sauce, the restaurant’s chefs craft vegetarian entrees around strips of silky tofu or marinated animal crackers.

The casual dining room seemingly draws its inspiration from the profusion of steamy curries on its tables. Swathes of pale yellow and bright red enshroud the walls, which play host to stenciled artworks depicting tropical-island motifs. Helical sculptures dangle from the ceiling’s tiles, turning in the breeze that passes through the restaurant every time the door opens or the dragon napping in the air ducts sneezes.

Tucked away in the Ojai Valley, well-concealed paths wend past copses of lush trees to the popular garden sites of The Ranch House. There, diners relax among gentle streams and verdant foliage within an oriental teahouse, or see if they know how to yodel upon two elevated redwoods decks overlooking the grounds. Alan Hooker, a chef renowned for incorporating herbs into simple, yet elegant dishes, founded the Eden-like setting more than 40 years ago.

Lauded on an episode of Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, his seasonal cuisine includes free-range chicken breast stuffed with brie and grilled swordfish steaks brushed with lemon thyme butter that make them too slippery for traditional mid-dinner duels. To complement those flavors, Alan assembled an award-winning wine list with approximately 650 selections. After their meal, guests can tour the rest of The Ranch House grounds, working off the meal as they stroll through the herb garden and bakery.

Everything at Ojai Beverage Company revolves around their drinks. That's because cousins and owners Jorge Alem and Joby Yobe grew up in the liquor business, and wanted to create a space for fellow aficionados to sample, purchase, and pair their wide selection of wines and beers. Their guests sample glasses of wine from local vineyards, cleanse palates between sips with bites of the kitchen's pulled pork sliders, olive tapenade, or burgers blended with a cabernet and rosemary reduction. Bartenders pour out 20 local and international beers such as Ninkasi's Sasquath Legacy WheatWine or Rodenbach Grand Cru's sour red ale. Once guests have found a vintage or beer they like, they can purchase it in the shop. To keep up to date on the shop's newest and most unique flavors, guests can also sign up for their monthly beer club which sends bottles of beers picked for their flavor or ability to christen a ship.

Itacho Restaurant has it all: delicious, incredibly authentic Japanese cuisine; friendly and fast service from the owners to the waiters to the native Japanese chef; and a cozy ambience with traditional Japanese tie-dye tapestries lining the colorful walls. For just $15, today's Groupon gets you $35 at the Zagat- and Michelin-rated Japanese hot spot. The place—a favorite among hipsters and Hollywood elite—has also been featured in LA Weekly, Gayot, and Los Angeles Magazine.