Restaurants in Westminster

Pizza shapers at the family-owned Pappadoz eatery ornament freshly baked crust canvases with signature house-made tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a slew of gourmet ingredients. Specialty pies showcase barbecue-chicken breast or a medley of vegetarian toppings, and large calzones envelop mozzarella cheese and gourmet fixings like a warm parka zipped around a chilly parakeet. Freshly sliced 10-inch subs and pastas provide flavorful sustenance for pizza renouncers, and smoothies eschew added sugars in favor of natural fruits. Customers can perch upon stools within the cozy shop, connecting to complimentary WiFi and using a charging dock to keep their cell phones, laptops, and electronic tie racks working briskly.

When she took over the neighborhood café La Strada nearly 20 years ago, proprietor Lisa Ramelow threw herself into perfecting the Italian eatery's cozy family vibe. In the flag-draped dining room, old family photos bedeck the walls, and french doors open into the street so patrons can fling meatballs into the mouths of grateful passersby. Rich sauces of tomato, white wine, and lobster cream drape over pastas, chicken, fresh seafood, and wholesome vegetables atop red-and-white-checkered tablecloths. Guests can also pair cheesy slices of pizza and fresh forkfuls of antipasti with sips from a long list of carefully curated wines.

Under new ownership, Soprano's fills its menu with classic Italian recipes. Chefs top the penne con Sarge with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and a tarragon-cognac cream sauce and ladle rosemary demi-glace over braised lamb shanks. Soprano's also creates specialty pizzas such as the maui with ham and pineapple and the new yorker—simple slices of cheese with tomato sauce.

The crispness of the golden crust on Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken’s eponymous dish is what “sets this place apart,” according to LA magazine. Chefs fry poultry the old-fashion way, sizzling it in heavy-gauge stainless-steel drums whose intense heat seals in natural juices and ensures un-soggy crunch. Scratch-made country classics, including buttermilk biscuits and sweet-potato pie, round out the menu alongside veggie sides such as hand-shucked corn on the cob.

New Wave Restaurant transports diners back to the 1980s with a variety of 20th-century artifacts and an eclectic spread of American cuisine named after 80s icons, movies, and musicians. Upon walking through the Pac-Man-themed entrance, guests are consumed by a vortex of 80s memorabilia, which grants glimpses of authentic posters and framed records lining interior walls as Rubik's cubes and figurines of 80s characters pepper the checkered bar. A menu of finger-friendly eats such as the Ferris Bueller buffalo wings prepare palates for heartier fare, such as the Billy Idol bacon burger and Pee-wee Herman pasta. Additionally, themed events help amplify the multisense smorgasbord, including nights devoted to such 80s nostalgia as Star Wars and the passage of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Café Corleone's cooks transport the rich culinary landscape of Sicily to the United States through mouthwatering Italian pizzas, pastas, and desserts served in a warmly lit space. Head chef Alongi dazzles taste buds with a menu of seafood, steaks, and flavorful sauces made from seasonal ingredients. Inside, pictures of old Italy pepper the walls and tables frame house-made pizzas and elegant desserts with a dressy-casual outfit of checkered tablecloth. In addition to enrapturing palates with plates of fresh Sicilian fare, Café Corleone keeps eardrums entertained with live music from Ron Nardo and Terry Anfuso, who delight audiences each Saturday night with their renditions of jazz standards, Rat Pack hits, and dubsteb remixes of The Sound of Music soundtrack.