I wanted to continue on with our travels in Huntington Beach to highlight some of the restaurants we were able to try.

We were able to get some great recommendations from SurfCityUSA.com we loved each and every restaurant they sent our way, and my foodie self, kids, and husband all approved!

Sandy’s Beach Grill is the perfect Beach side restaurant right off the Pier, and beautiful ocean views.  The location and ocean view definitely add to the experience!  The cuisine is inspired by the region and the menu has the basic burgers and fries, sandwiches and salads, but also holds a but of sophistication in each dish.

Their layered seafood cocktail has lobster, shrimp, and an orange chili sauce.  And, I am completely convinced that it was invented just for me.  It was heavenly, and this seafood lover was so pleased!

The popcorn shrimp was also very good! A nod to buffalo chicken wings shrimp style, which is exactly my style, and my husband got the fish and chips, and my eight year old got the pork tacos, which he exclaimed was the best he’s ever had!  There was a great selection for kids, and Sandy’s is definitely a new family favorite that we will come back to time and time again!

Oh, and I can’t forget the best part!  Their homemade churros were to die for!   They came out freshly cooked, and nice and hot with a chocolate sauce to dip them in.  The inside has some fresh lemon zest which gave it a nice flavor!  I also stole a few bits of my families Sandy’s signature s’more they ordered, and I am still dreaming about it.  I didn’t know if it was something I’d like, but boy was I wrong, it has a graham cracker brownie with chocolate ice cream and a marshmallow fluff.  I loved it!  I could have eaten that a few times over.  They really mastered taking the basics to a whole new level at Sandy’s.

Location and Details:

Sandy’s Beach Grill

315 Pacific Coast Highway

Huntington Beach, California

714-374-7273

This popular new restaurant in downtown Huntington is an Italian food lovers dream come true.  It is very authentic, and everything is homemade with the best organic ingredients.  It has a very Italian vibe, (the waiters even spoke Italian) and was a popular spot.  The ambiance was very nice, and I’ll admit I was a little worried to go with the kids, but it was actually a very family friendly place, my kids enjoyed their homemade pizzas, and gelato of course!  And, I even saw another family or two with young children.  I got the lobster ravioli which was homemade and very flavorful.  I never skip a chance to try a creme brûlée, and theirs did not disappoint.

We enjoyed some lovely appetizers including a burrata salad with greens, tomatoes, and olives, but the real star of the show for me was the meat, cheese, and olive platter they put together for us.  The Italian meats and cheeses were good and authentic and hit the spot!

If you are a true homemade Italian food lover, this is the right spot for you.

Location and Details:

Cucina Alessa

520 Main Street

Huntington Beach

714-969-2148

3) Another great spot that I also highlighted in a previous Huntington Beach Travel post is Pete’s Sunset Grill.  

The location is beautiful at the Hyatt Regency, and the name is accurate, they face the ocean with some beautiful sunsets!  The food is inspired by local favorites and from destination surf spots around the world.

One of my favorite things we ate, maybe in the entire trip was the Druken Goat Cheese appetizer.   When I read Goat cheese I was thinking it would be the typical soft goat cheese, but instead it was a Spanish goat cheese that came in slices topped with raw honey and marcona almonds.  It was amazing, my kind of dish!  I will definitely be recreating this one in the future until I can get back to Pete’s and have it again!  The restaurant is very kid friendly and has a kids menu for the little ones.

Location and Details

21500 Pacific Coast Highway (located within the Hyatt Regency)

714-845-4775

I got the zesty lemon blueberry pancakes, and normally I’m a savory breakfast person, but they were so good!  The rest of my family go their breakfast buffet with a large variety of options.  Made to order omelettes, fruits, cereal.  A great option since there is something for everyone!

Location and Details:

Watertable Restaurant

21500 Pacific Coast Highway Huntington Beach (located within the Hyatt Regency)

5) Another family favorite was Fish Camp.

The Fish Camp restaurant is exactly what you’d think of when you think of a beach town restaurant.  There are large fish hanging on the walls, and fresh seafood on display.  I like the set up of ordering at the counter then sitting down.  When eating with a family sometimes the waiting can be an issue, or if you are pressed on time with all the exploring, it is nice to get to business and get the food out quick!

It was just the right place for our seafood loving family.  My two youngest are quite the crab connoisseurs, and shared the king crab legs.  They licked each shell clean, and had happy bellies.

They offered shrimp skewers and scallops which made me happy, and my eight year old loved the salmon, and husband ended up with sushi.

It was nice to have a little something for everyone, and some fresh vegetable options for the family.  Eating somewhat healthy while on vacation is still important to me, and it was nice to see them get in a few vegetables amongst all our vacation treats.

Location and Details

16600 Pacific Coast Highway

Huntington Beach

562-592-2267

We ate well in Huntington Beach, and it was nice to branch out and try some new spots and discover some places that we know we will be back to time and time again!

I hope this helps you find some of your new favorite places to eat in Huntington Beach too!

See more of our adventures in Huntington Beach in the following posts:

Huntington Beach Hyatt Resort

8 Family Friendly Things to do in Huntington Beach

See our other California adventures here.

For more ideas and resources on things to do in Huntington Beach, be sure to visit SurfCityUSA.com!

Thank you SurfCityUSA.com for all the great recommendations and restaurants, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Continuing on with our travels in Southern California, we made our way to Huntington Beach.   There is just something about that ocean air, it heals everything I’m convinced.  No trip to Southern California is complete without a visit to the beach.  Huntington Beach was the perfect place to relax for a few days, and enjoy the beautiful California sun.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa.  It was such a beautiful location right on the Pacific coast highway, and the grounds were impeccable.  We had the most gorgeous view of the ocean from our balcony that the entire family enjoyed.

This is the perfect place to take a break from any of the southern California parks to like Disney or Knotts Berry Farm.  I like doing a park for a day or two, then heading off to the Beach for some more relaxing family time.

The Hyatt Regency is truly a Resort.  You could really just stay there and have all that you need.  They have three pool areas, one especially for kids with waterslides, and the water was nice and heated.  There are full spa services, restaurants, and an impressive fitness center.  You could truly spend all your time there, and relax.  My kids were in heaven!  We ending up getting a large 3 room suite, and the kids were so thrilled to have their own room and TV!  It was nice to be able to spread out more and have a bit more of a normal sleeping routine while away from home.

Outfit Details:

Necklace: Tai Pan Trading

Shoes: Old Navy T Strap Clogs (similar)

Watch: Arvo Wear

We advantage of the children’s pool, and  took a late night swim, and it was nice to warm up by the fire.

We were able to try a few of the restaurants on-site at the Hyatt Regency.

We went to Pete’s Sunset Grill for dinner on our first night.  The location is beautiful, and the name is accurate, they face the ocean with some beautiful sunsets!  The food is inspired by local favorites and from destination surf spots around the world.

Pete’s Sunset Grill was very kid friendly, they even brought out a blanket for our little four year old Thomas that fell asleep before dinner and took a nice nap on the bench.  The kids enjoyed the kids meal, and they even sent us with some food to-go for our tired traveler that was feeling a little under the weather.

My husband got the Char Siu Bowl with Shrimp.  I think what made the dish was the fried egg on the top.  I was a little jealous of his dish, it was really amazing!  A fried egg on rice with shrimp and vegetables, totally something we’d love!

One of my favorite things we ate, maybe in the entire trip was the Druken Goat Cheese appetizer.   When I read Goat cheese I was thinking it would be the typical soft goat cheese, but instead it was a Spanish goat cheese that came in slices topped with raw honey and marcona almonds.  It was amazing, my kind of dish!

We also tried the breakfast at the Watertable right off the lobby at the Hyatt Regency.

I got the zesty lemon blueberry pancakes, and normally I’m a savory breakfast person, but they were so good!  The rest of my family go their breakfast buffet with a large variety of options.  Made to order omelettes, fruits, cereal.  They loved getting to choose whatever they wanted, which meant lots of captain crunch was consumed.  While I vacation, I suppose.

After dinner our first night, we headed down to the beach for a beach bonfire.  I have always wanted to do a bonfire at the beach, so I was really looking forward to it!

We were met by a Hyatt beach attendant where he set up our chairs and bonfire, and provided all the fix-ins for s’more and hot chocolate.

At first it was a little windy and chilly, but as soon as the wind died down, and we could feel the warmth of the fire, (and hot chocolate in our bellies) we were able to roast marshmallows, make s’mores and tell campfire stories and snuggle by the fire.

It was exactly what I envisioned a California Beach Bonfire to be.  I think we will always have good memories from that night telling stories, and spending time as a family.  Vacation time is my absolute favorite, you always seem to remember memories from family vacations the most, which is why they are so important to me.  I hope my kids will always remember our fun times together and look back on them with fondness.

Thanks for the amazing stay Huntington Beach Hyatt Regency Resort, we really enjoyed our time and lasting memories we made. (all thoughts and opinions are my own)

For more information about the Hyatt Regency Resort and for ideas and resources on things to do in Huntington Beach visit SurfCityUSA.com!

See more of our adventures in Huntington Beach in the following posts:

8 Family Friendly Things to do in Huntington Beach

See our other California adventures here.