The 11 Best Romantic Restaurants in Orange County (2024)
Want to find the best romantic restaurants in Orange County? We’ve got you covered with the most iconic and well-known restaurants in the area.
Orange County is full of romantic restaurants whether you’re looking for fine dining, something cozy, a historic restaurant, or a good ole steakhouse.
There are restaurants overlooking the ocean, restaurants where you can be seated by a warm fireplace, and plenty of places that are quiet enough to actually enjoy your meal.
Planning A Trip? Use Our Favorite Resources Below!
👉🏼 Accommodations
👉🏼 Tours/Experiences
👉🏼 Flights
👉🏼 Car Rentals
Best Romantic Restaurants in Orange County
These are our favorite romantic restaurants in Orange County that are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, honeymoons, and even weddings!
1. Five Crowns
Address: 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona Del Mar, California 92625
I may be biased, but Five Crowns is the most romantic restaurant in Orange County.
It’s where JP and I were married!
But what makes it romantic is it’s charm.
It’s a replica of one of England’s oldest country inns, making it a landmark in Corona Del Mar.
Five Crowns is warm and cozy with fireplaces, authentic antiques, and period paintings.
There are several distinct dining rooms including the greenhouse and the garden.
This award-winning restaurant has been a staple in this area since 1965.
They are known for the prime rib, but you’ll definitely want to try their Pride of the Crowns salad, macaroni and cheese side, and a chocolate souffle for dessert.
They also have a wonderful cocktail and wine selection.
JP’s go-to drink here is always the Old Fashioned.
2. Orange Hill Restaurant
Address: 6410 East Chapman Avenue, Orange, California, 92869
Orange Hill Restaurant is a hilltop restaurant with amazing steaks and views.
Being situated in the hills of Orange County, you’ll get views of Catalina Island, Downtown Los Angeles, Disneyland’s fireworks, and the California coastline.
As you enter, you’ll be greeted with cascading waterfalls, koi ponds, and a fireplace.
3. The Anaheim White House Restaurant
Address: 887 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, California 92605
The Anaheim White House Restaurant is a fine dining Italian Steakhouse.
Chef Bruno Serato has a regular presence at the restaurant, which has a rotating menu of daily specials.
We dined here for our 5th anniversary and it was an all-around wonderful experience.
Dinner started with drinks.
I had a glass of red wine and JP had the Old Fashioned.
For our starters, we shared a salad and some shrimp and grits.
For dinner, I had a bowl of the Penne Carbonara and JP had the Osso Buco, which was one of the chef’s specials the night we were there.
Since we were there to celebrate our anniversary, we were surprised with a special dessert trio and champagne!
I highly recommend trying the souffle for dessert.
I have a video of them pouring in the chocolate ganache, creme anglaise, and Chantilly cream and it is my most viewed Instagram reel ever!
4. Summit House Restaurant
Address: 2000 E. Bastanchury Road Fullerton, California 92835
Summit House is designed to be a re-creation of old English inns.
It opened back in 1989 and has been a popular date night spot and wedding venue ever since.
Similar to Five Crowns, Summit House is known for their prime rib, which also comes with yorkshire pudding, creamed corn, and creamed spinach.
5. THE RANCH Restaurant & Saloon
Address: 1025 E. Ball Road, Anaheim, California 92805
THE RANCH Restaurant is a California Michelin Guide restaurant.
It was named Restaurant of the Year for the city of Anaheim, Best Steakhouse by LA Times, Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for nine consecutive years, and is home to Orange County’s most exclusive selection of popular and rare whiskey.
6. Mastro’s Steakhouse and Mastro’s Ocean Club
Address: 633 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, California 92626 and 8112 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, California 92657
Mastro’s is very popular in Southern California.
The Steakhouse is in Costa Mesa and the Ocean Club is in Newport Beach.
I’ve personally only been to the location up in Thousand Oaks though.
Your meal will start with a complimentary bread service.
For drinks, I recommend checking out their wine selection or enjoying a craft cocktail like the Old Fashioned.
If you’re going to the steakhouse in Costa Mesa, you’ll want to try their Filet Mignon.
You can get it at the Ocean Club too, but I would personally try one of their seafood options instead.
Lastly, for dessert, it is so hard to choose just one.
They have Key Lime Pie, chocolate cake, and a bread pudding.
I equally loved them all.
7. Las Brisas
Address: 361 Cliff Dr. Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Las Brisas was voted the Best Waterfront Dining in Orange County.
They offer Southern California cuisine infused with Mexican flavors.
While dining here you can enjoy panoramic views of the coastline in Laguna Beach.
8. Marché Moderne
Address: 7862 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92657
Marche Moderne is a fine dining restaurant along the Newport Beach coast.
They offer a mix of modern and rustic French cuisine.
Enjoy dinner and drinks in the main dining room or at the bar.
9. Orange County Mining Co.
Address: 10000 Crawford Canyon Rd Orange, CA 92705
Orange County Mining Co. has been a landmark restaurant since opening in 1974.
This steakhouse is rustic, cozy, and casual.
Being in the hills, there are great panoramic views looking down at the rest of Orange County.
Their menu has a decent variety of foods you’d expect from a Western style steakhouse, plus some trendy dishes.
Your meal will start with the best cheesy bread.
For appetizers, the standard house salad is good and so is the Fried Mac n Cheese.
The Miner’s Filly is their signature entree.
It’s a filet mignon with mashed potatoes and you get to choose the topping for the filet.
They have toppings like béarnaise sauce, bacon wrap, sautéed mushrooms, Oscar topping, blue cheese, or herb butter.
10. Napa Rose
Address: 1600 Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, CA 92802
Napa Rose is easily the most romantic restaurant at the Disneyland Resort.
It’s located at the Grand Californian Resort & Spa.
They have an eclectic menu with offerings like braised rabbit with cheddar bacon biscuits, blackberry roasted American buffalo, and desserts like upscale chocolate s’mores.
11. The Cellar
Address: 305 North Harbor Boulevard, Fullerton, California 92832
The Cellar is located in Downtown Fullerton.
It’s been named OC’s Best Hidden Secret.
The restaurant may be a little hard to find, but it’s located in the basement of the former Historic Villa Del Sol.
They’ve been winning all kinds of awards for over 50 years.
The Cellar has been named OC’s Best Restaurant of the Year, Cocktail Bar, Romantic Restaurant, Ambiance, Wine Selection, Bartender, and more.
I recommend pre-gaming your dinner with some drinks and snacks at the bar.
We tried the red wine and the smoked old fashioned.
They are known for their lobster bisque and they also have a really good mac n cheese.
Once you’re seated at your table, I highly recommend the 10 oz filet mignon for dinner.
It comes with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.
We like to share our meals, so this is what it looks like as a split plate.
Dinner also comes with a complimentary bread service.
They bring a combination of cheese bread, caramelized onion bread, and a traditional french roll.
You should definitely get the extra side of brussels sprouts, which also has bacon and maple syrup.
Now for dessert.
You have to get the chocolate soufflé with the Grand Marnier sauce!
We were celebrating our anniversary when we ate here, so we also got a cute anniversary crème brûlée.
More Amazing Dining Experiences in Orange County
I will add more to this list over time, but for now here are some of the other more unique dining experiences in Orange County.
✅ Best Steakhouses in Orange County
There’s a little bit of overlap between romantic restaurants and steakhouses, but the list of steakhouses is even larger than this one!
✅ Best Birthday Restaurants in Orange County
Being local, we’ve spent plenty of birthdays in Orange County.
These are the best restaurants for birthday celebrations.
✅ Best Italian Restaurants in Orange County
From super upscale fine dining to casually family restaurants, there are a ton of great Italian restaurants all over Orange County to try on your next visit.
✅ Best Restaurants in Orange County With a View
Ocean views and mountain views can be found all over Orange County.
These are the best ones with the best restaurants.
✅ Best Mexican Restaurants in Orange County
From road side taco trucks to upscale fine dining, Orange County has some of the best Mexican food you can find outside of Mexico.
More Romantic Things To Do in Orange County
Why stop with just dinner?
Orange County has some great sunset views, hidden gems, and weekend getaway itineraries.
➡️ Best Night Views in Orange County
From Irvine to Dana Point, there are plenty of great vantage points throughout the county.
From the hills to the beach, you can’t go wrong with any of these.
➡️ The Best Weekend Getaways in Orange County
Orange County has something for everybody.
Foodies, theme park enthusiasts, winos, golfers, spa lovers, and more can all enjoy a weekend getaway in Orange County.
➡️ Best Hidden Gems in Orange County
A fun date night can include checking out some hidden gems throughout Orange County.
These places are much less visited than most places you’d associate with Orange County.
Conclusion: Best Romantic Restaurants in Orange County
As you can see, there are nearly unlimited options for romantic restaurants in Orange County and not just along the coastline.
