Food & Drink in Signal Hill

Before filling up a plate at Hokkaido Seafood Buffet, take a moment to meander past the seemingly boundless rows of fresh crawfish, jumbo crab legs, and oysters, or to marvel at chefs as they toss steak and chicken on fiery teppanyaki grills. Stroll past the sushi station to admire sushi masters as they nimbly slice fresh fish and crispy vegetables into colorful specialty rolls, then saunter by simmering trays of pan-Asian specialties such as fried rice and crunchy spring rolls. The vast buffet abounds with more than 150 hot and cold items, many of which were made with seafood purchased directly from local fisherman.

Out in the spacious dining room, diners linger over last bites of creamy cheesecake and juicy strawberries in cushy booths, sipping imported beers and colorful cocktails. The bright space is decorated with nautical decor, including orange life preservers and impressionist pieces painted by local sea monkeys.

From 14-hour days during the beginnings of their first restaurant in Long Beach more than 37 years ago, Super Mex founders Manuel and Socorro Orozco built franchises across Southern California. Inspired by the local cuisine of the village he was born in—Villa Jimenez, Michoacan, Mexico—Manuel brought his passion for traditional Mexican food to California, where the business grew with a dedicated following of college students. Striving to craft dishes that taste homemade, Super Mex offers Mexican classics such as burritos, tostadas, and flautas.

A flavorful fusion of art, music, wine, and cuisine, Red dishes up a menu of contemporary American fare, organic coffee, and boutique vinos. Diners can train monocles upon the vibrant artwork adorning the walls while fixing forks into a specialty spicy quinoa pilaf served with either sautéed veggies ($11) or grilled chicken ($12). A tasty selection of gourmet burgers served with sweet-potato fries quells insurgent hungers ($9–$12), and a seared sesame ahi tuna topped with a miso vinaigrette swims succulently into the savor sectors of humans and gilled mariners alike ($18).

John Galardi started serving franks at the original Wienerschnitzel in 1961, and enterprising cooks in more than 350 franchise locations have gone on to doll up original, turkey, and beef dogs with an inventive array of toppings. Chili, kraut, pickles, pastrami, and other fixings leap onto handheld fare or become fresh characters in novels scrawled on napkins. Beneath chilly whorls of Tastee Freez ice cream, the eatery's menu shivers with soft-serve cones, sundaes, and shakes.

SUBA gets its East-meets-West feel from housing two master chefs under one roof: Executive chef David Santiago Sr., an expert in contemporary Spanish cuisine, brings experience from SUBA NYC and Boqueria in New York, while chef Shane Hollinger infuses sushi creations with flare from his native Hawaii. The menu features Spanish classics such as paella SUBA, a mingling of rice with fresh clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, chorizo, and more ($22), as well as reinventions of old classics such as the toro burger, mixed with chorizo and saucified with spicy mango salsa and habañero mayo ($9). Like a double major in biology and football, the signature sushi rolls combine unexpected ingredients, as exemplified by the light my fire roll's mixture of spicy tuna, cream cheese, tempura jalapeño, mango honey, and actual fire, as it comes flambé to the table ($14). Mark Richmond's Japanese tattoo-style art completes the eclectic ambience, making a visit to SUBA as tasty for the eyes as it is for the buds.