Restaurants in Seal Beach

Chefs at La Cocina pick fresh ingredients sourced from the surrounding area to build Mexican and Cuban plates as colorful as the eatery's bright orange walls or a firework-filled piñata. After rounds of fresh ceviche or ham croquetas, rustic wooden tabletops fill with made-to-order rice dishes such as the palomilla empanizada—thin-pounded top sirloin steak breaded and pan-fried—or stone mortars known as molcajete filled with chorizo or seafood and fresh cheese. For dessert, chefs hand-craft creamy flan or natural shakes made with mango or tropical mamey fruit. A tiled chair rail runs along the restaurant's tangerine walls, which are studded with Mexican-style art and framed photographs of famous burritos that have visited the restaurant.

Brooklyn Pizza Works is a two-time recipient of Orange County Register's Best Pizza award, and its staff has adorned hand-shaped dough with fresh toppings since 1979. More than a dozen specialty pizzas sprawl across texture-imparting stainless-steel screens within a convection oven, which can cook up to 25 pizzas in six minutes, the same number of pies a hot laptop can cook in six years. Signature circles arrive loaded with toppings such as crushed garlic, canadian bacon, and marcella wine. The kitchen team concocts each slice with whole-milk mozzarella sprinkled atop house-made crust and sauce. In addition to pizza, 12 varieties of stuffed calzones and classic Italian entrees such as eggplant parm, lasagna, ravioli, and a plentitude of pastas satiate palates. Brooklyn Pizza Works can also supply picnics, graduation parties, and going-back-to-law-school celebrations with eats from the catering menu.

When he cofounded his first sandwich shop in 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca planned to use his profits to pay his way through medical school. But the combination of quality ingredients and friendly service at the shop—then called Pete's Subway—proved so popular that nine years later, he and his partner found themselves in charge of 16 locations across Connecticut, and Fred left behind his doctoring plans for a career in business.

Today, Subway restaurants number over 34,000 around the world—almost as many shops as there are sightings of Elvis buying cold cuts. At each location, staffers pile sliced ham, marinara-slathered meatballs, and other fillings into halved loaves of bread before customizing handhelds with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and other healthy toppings plucked from chilled containers behind the counter. Salads free crisp veggies from bread's overprotective embrace, and crunchy baked chips or apple slices accompany entrees to tables. Subway's website also facilitates health-conscious eating by listing each item's nutrition information and fastest mile time online.

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.

The aromas of Provençal cooking permeate Bistrot Massilia’s red-walled dining room, where vintage posters and photographs summon up the nostalgic atmosphere of a French country bistro. In the kitchen, chefs sizzle traditional delicacies such as escargot and frog legs in butter, or brown meaty entrees such as oven-roasted pork tenderloin, braised lamb shank, and sautéed salmon. Lighter fare such as crêpes and omelets round out offerings for breakfast and lunch. In addition, a guest sommelier pours out imported vintages during themed wine dinners the last Wednesday of every month.

After leaving home for Hollywood at age 14 and donning a butcher's apron, Uncle Henry opened his own deli in 1959, helmed today by his nephew and great-nephew, George and George Gaul III. Beer steins hang on the back wall above an old-fashioned marquee menu as staffers in red aprons pile sandwiches with pastrami, roast beef, sharp cheddar, sauerkraut, and other fillings in Whimpy, Super Size, and 13-ounce Baby Bomber portions. Uncle Henry's also caters special events with gargantuan party subs, and rents out sturdy kegs large enough to keep parties quenched or 8-bit plumbers from attacking pet Donkey Kongs.