Did you forget to pick up a hard copy? Do you prefer to just read about it on your phone? We understand. So this is the quick and dirty (dry) summary that you’ll browse while standing in line for whatever meal you’re about to ingest. To view complete descriptions of the winners (including their respective […]
Best Of
Behold OC Weekly’s 2017 Best Of Issue!
For whatever crazy reason, the biggest issue of the year—184 pages!—is hidden behind a tab deep down on the left side of our homepage. Hopefully by now, anyone reading this post has already picked up a copy of the Best of 2017 edition. But we wanted to show this whopping endeavor the love it deserves […]
Best Batting Cages
Since 1961, aspiring big-leaguers have trekked to Home Run Park’s 20 cages to hit what’s dispensed via everything from slow-pitch machines (even a Challenger kid can hit one) to 90 mph lasers that forged generations of future pros. Even better, prices remain ridiculously affordable—a buck gets you 10 pitches, and you can get an hour […]
Best Place to Fly a Drone
A creep would say the best place to fly a drone is outside the bedroom window of a hot neighbor, which we’re both proud and disturbed to say happened to one of us recently. Given the human imagination, there are plenty of warped ways this increasingly popular flying camera machine can be abused. Let’s take […]
Best Chinese Restaurant
While it offers mainstream Chinese for the office-drone set, the truthfully (though boringly) titled Best Foods actually specializes in Shaanxi cuisine. Its most famous meal is the yangrou paomo, which finds pita bread boiled into a lamb soup—as hearty as it sounds. What Best Foods calls “Chinese hamburger” is really roujiamo, which eschews condiments and […]
Best Local Winery
Every year, radio legend Tom Leykis makes available his own Pedal to the Metal syrah, drawn from grapes in the Santa Ynez Valley. Not only is the wine a manifestation of the professor—bold, articulate and far more complex than you’d assume—but the sale of his vino helps Leykis continue his online radio show. Grab a […]
Best Japanese Restaurant
The sign above Costa Mesa’s Wafu of Japan near the 73 and 55 freeways simply states, “Sushi,” but don’t let the lack of signage creativity fool you. Inside this charming, small, neighborhood restaurant, chef Harry’s operation offers inspired dishes ranging from, obviously, sushi to baked dishes, teriyaki plates, salads and noodle soups. Local diners, who’ve […]
Best Indian Restaurant
Despite the hustle and bustle of trendy tourist traps and hipster enclaves that have taken over Anaheim Boulevard, chef Jagdish Saini’s Punjabi Tandoor continues to hold it down like the real G it is with its fabulous Northern Indian cuisine. 327 S. Anaheim Blvd., Ste. A, Anaheim, (714) 635-3155; www.punjabitandoor.com. Readers’ Choice: Clay Oven
Best Pie
Karen Uyeda exploded onto Southern California’s pie scene as one of the winners of KCRW-FM 89.9’s 2016 Good Food Pie Contest with her amaretto cherry pie with coconut oil crust taking first place in the vegan category. Uyeda’s cottage-food company, Sweetcie Pie, has become a full-time job and has her in high demand for puff […]
Best Seafood Restaurant
After a false start as a combo seafood-market/patio-seating eatery, Roe closed down to undergo a major renovation and expansion to include what used to be another restaurant next door. The result is an airy, sleekly designed bistro that serves the most inventive seafood in Long Beach and Orange County. The sashimi is of the highest […]
Best Local Brewery
Creating great-tasting beer takes skill, experience and craftsmanship, and all these attributes are evident in every style of beer that Chapman Crafted head brewer Brian Thorson and crew are brewing every day. Hello Again Lager is crisp and refreshing, Hop Jab Double IPA is smooth with tropical-fruit notes, and Schilling for Sterling is a Scottish […]
Best Tequila
There’s a reason why Herradura always got a shout-out in the comedias rancheras of Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema—because it was great then, and it’s great now. It’s Mexico in a shot glass: spicy, complex, profound, chingón. And while all of its offerings are great, spring for something rarer and buy the Herradura Reserva 2016 […]
Best Beat Producer
It’s long been confirmed that the future torchbearers of gangsta rap won’t be concerned with the same sounds as their forefathers. Just check out the music of Long Beach rap duo Crimewave 5150. Though the combination of gory street tales and caustic bars presented by JSNMSK and Yusuf are central to their skills as MCs, […]
Best Play
Is it fair to give this nod to a play that didn’t exist the second before the lights came up, was performed on one night and will never be done again? Probably not, but since director Josh Nichols (and his company, Spectacles Improv Engine) and his seven-person cast succeeded in creating one of the most […]
Best Movie Theater
To anyone who would question this selection, we ask you to remember before 2014. That was the year the nonprofit Frida Cinema moved into the Fiesta Twin space on Fourth Street in downtown SanTana. Pre-Frida, you could count on one hand how many Orange County moviehouses experimented with obscure, challenging and decidedly non-mainstream film titles. […]
Best Private Investigator
It’s not just A-list Hollywood celebrities or ultra-wealthy individuals who call Orange County private investigator Cameron Jackson when they need help. Your average husband or wife who suspect their partner of engaging in extramarital affairs know Jackson is particularly skillful at discovering the truth, often producing supportive money-shot pictures from the shadows. Through his C. […]
Best Skate Shop
While many skate shops have begun shifting to cater to an online crowd, Programme nails the best of both worlds by serving their far-reaching web following without sacrificing the intimate community feel of a neighborhood shop. Whether you’re a veteran skateboarder looking for new threads and shoes or a novice who needs a new, complete […]
Best Body Shop
You want proof that our Best Of picks truly represent the best OC has to offer and isn’t some advertiser-driven sham? Consider Fountain Valley Bodyworks and its baby sister, Bodyworks Express. They both won this award last year, and they are who our Mexican-in-Chief turned to after someone dented his beautiful 1979 Ford F-150 Supercab. […]
Best Edible
Culinary practices have progressed to the point that cannabis-infused cuisine is just as good—if not better—than non-medicated foods. Whether you’re eating infused candy, medicated pasta or herbal pastries, many edibles don’t taste like cannabis anymore (which is both fantastic and horrifying). Défoncé Chocolatier is not only the best medicated chocolate around, but it’s also easily […]
Best Cannabis Event
Here is the antithesis to those big pot festivals that are all about #dablife and getting as lit as possible. Instead, the Emerald Exchange explores the healing aspect of cannabis right outside in nature. Always located within the inspiring Great Outdoors, this festival is more hippie than hip-hop and features some of the best cannabrands […]
Best Pub Trivia
ANAHEIM BREWERY
