PHOTO & STORY BY JONNY GARCIA
STAFF WRITER
The Temperatures are warming up, the summer is approaching and people who enjoy dining out will get out frequently and while there are many fantastic food places around Cypress, here are some of the best ones that you should check out and try.
Located just a few blocks away from campus, the Wagyu Meat & Grill in Buena Park (with an Irvine location as well) is a fantastic place to grab a rice bowl. Similar to chains like Flame Broiler and Waba Grill, Wagyu Meat & Grill offers Chicken, Kurabuta Pork, and the namesake Wagyu Beef as their meat selections.They also offer a variety of sides to go with your meal, such as cabbage salad and avocado. You can also buy meats by the pound to take home and cook yourself. It offers both indoor dining as well as takeout. If you go to the Irvine location, there are outdoor seating options available.
For a different kind of breakfast, Bruxie in Brea and Orange offers chicken and waffle sandwiches. It also offers waffles and chicken by itself if that is preferable. They have great dessert as well, with milkshakes made using custard instead of traditional ice cream. With special spices for their chicken and sides, Bruxie is worth a visit. You can dine either outside, inside (the Orange location does not offer this), or with takeout.
If you like all-you-can-eat food, I Can Barbeque in Irvine (with a Santa Ana location as well) is a Korean BBQ with a variety of meats, more than many other ones in the Orange County area. It offers a variety of sides, including their all-you-can-eat menu, for all sorts of different taste buds. They have a plethora of food to try, and it’s well worth a visit. Since it’s an all-you-can eat restaurant, to get the full experience you have to dine in (with indoor or outdoor patio options available), however, they do offer takeout meals as well.
Rather go to more traditional BBQ? Then Sauced BBQ & Spirits in Orange is the way to go. They offer multiple popular BBQ meats, ranging from chicken to brisket to pork. You can order just one meat with two sides, or get a combination of meat with sides instead. Sauced BBQ has both indoor and patio dining, as well as takeout options. They also offer sandwiches and hamburgers if those are preferred. Unlike other food places, Sauced BBQ & Spirits even offers an ax-throwing range.
If you don’t mind a drive into Huntington Beach, Stacked is a fantastic choice that lets you build your own burger, salad, sandwich, or mac-and-cheese. They have pre-made recipes you can order as well, but the fun is making your own perfect meal. There are so many different options, allowing for flavors of all kinds to be experienced. You can either order the food takeout, dine inside the restaurant, or outside in a tented area.
While Irvine is a bit of a drive away from campus, Mooyah makes the trip more than worth it. Serving burgers and hot dogs, it offers some of the best tasting ones you can have. Prices are very fair, and the atmosphere is cozy. Mooyah has a burger “Hall Of Dang” featuring their best custom creations, but you can build your own to fit your tastes. Mooyah offers takeout, as well as indoor dining. Outdoor dining is somewhat offered, as it’s located in a shared lot with shared patio dining with its neighboring restaurants.
In Anaheim, FiRe+iCe at the Garden Walk is a very unique spot to grab some food. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet with a bit of a twist. The raw ingredients are put out, and you take them to a grill to be cooked and prepared for you. There is dinner, with brunch available during the weekend as well. There are a variety of flavors of food, including American and Mongolian. FiRe+iCe has both indoor and patio dining, as well as takeout options.
Not looking for lunch or dinner and instead out for dessert? Check out Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Cypress, just a few blocks away from campus. Bruster’s makes their own ice cream daily, with a rotating menu consisting of a multitude of flavors from fruity to sweet. They have multiple options such as sundaes, milkshakes, and simple scoops. You can even order custom ice cream cake and pies! The locations are like booths, so there is no indoor dining, but they do have a seating patio if you’d rather enjoy your desert there instead of taking it back home.
