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Orange County, California

These are the best things I’ve eaten.

I eat at a lot of restaurants. These ones are the BEST.

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Ben Brode in the kitchen
Latest review

Best Khao Mun Gai in Irvine

Poached chicken is certainly the least appetizing chicken, but MAN this place makes up for it in taste. Rooster & Rice is Brode's Best.

August 6, 2026 · 1 min read

Brode’s Best winners

Your taste buds will be like ‘yo’

Every review, newest first

August 3, 2026

Best Katsu in SoCal

Tonkatsu Marushichi is not just the best katsu I've ever had, it's some of the best food I've ever had. If I'm driving past Torrance, I'm stopping here.

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July 8, 2024

Best Brunch in Orange County

There are no shortage of Brunch restaurants in the OC, but I find most of them to be pretty bad. Santa Ana Brunch Club bucks the trend and has truly remarkable Brunch.

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July 8, 2024

Best Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup in OC

Noodle St has an unassuming name, and it doesn't look like the food would be especially good, but over and over again I'm blown away by their dishes.

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January 23, 2024

Best Coffee Shop in Tustin

Tustin has delightful coffee shops, including another Brode's Best for their Hojicha Latte: White Sparrow. But Raised By Lions is something truly special. Brick walls, insane lattes, and, for those…

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December 31, 2022

Best Phở in Orange County

I used to have Pho 79 as the top Pho place in Orange County. However, I've recently been way into Súp Noodle Bar by Kei Concepts. Their normal Pho is great, but if you order off menu and get the…

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December 31, 2022

Best Hojicha Latte in Orange County

This quaint little coffee shop reppin' Old Town Tustin is straight BONKERS. I meandered through their menu and then finally decided to try what yelp was losing their MIND about, the Hojicha Latte. It…

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December 31, 2022

Best Pita Bread in SoCal

Pita bread is good and all, but had never reached the level of blogging, until I tried the sourdough Pita from Lodge Bread.

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November 19, 2020

Best Spicy Miso Ramen in Orange County

Look I had to break out the Ramen winners into sub categories because there is SO MUCH good Ramen here. For the best spicy miso, you have to go to inside the Mitsuwa grocery store and find a little…

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November 19, 2020

Best Shoyu Ramen in Orange County

Orange County is a hot spot for Ramen, especially Costa Mesa, which has been referred to as Ramen City, USA. So it follows that the best place for Shoyu Ramen is there, in a tiny, cramped shopping…

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November 10, 2020

Best Mexican Food in California

If you want the best Mexican food, you need to get closer and closer to Mexico. And way down near the border and native to San Diego County is Lolita's Mexican Food. Emblazoned on the wall is the…

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November 10, 2020

Best Philly Cheese Steak in OC

The ultimate comfort food, Philly cheese steaks combine the perfect amount of cheese, meat, and bread, in a gooey, delicious sandwich. The best in OC is Philly's Best, and with a simple menu and…

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November 6, 2020

Best Frozen Pizza

Frozen Pizza?! Most of 'em suck. But this pizza, from Lou Malnati's in Chicago, is something else. Lou's is also my favorite deep dish pizza place, and they flash-freeze their parbaked pizzas and…

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October 27, 2020

Best Birria in Orange County

When I worked at Gina's Pizza, the cooks used to make a spicy soup each morning for breakfast. I loved the soup and had been searching for something like it for years. When I found La Súper Birria…

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October 27, 2020

Best Restaurant, period

I have eaten at some fancy ass restaurants in my life, but none of them beats out this Beverly Hills icon: Lawry's The Prime Rib. This is the restaurant that spawned the Lawry's seasoning empire, but…

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October 27, 2020

Best Fried Chicken in Orange County

It's Korean Fried chicken, and it's inside a Korean grocery store. If you can find Furai Chicken, I think you'll see why it's earned the title of Brode's Best.

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October 27, 2020

Best Italian Food in Orange County

I'll be honest, the Italian Food in Orange County kind of sucks. However, Tutto Famiglia is good enough that it breaks through the haze of bad Italian to become one of Brode's Best.

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October 27, 2020

Best Yakitori in Orange County

It can be hard to find a table at Honda-Ya; the line is often hours long. But once you make it through the door, you're in for a long night of eating small skewers of delicious meats. The experience…

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October 27, 2020

Best Ddukbokki in Irvine

I haven't been deep enough to know if this is an "all-OC" Brode's Best, but it's a at least the best I've had in Irvine. The Ddukbokki is spicy and sweet at Chan Chan Food House, and is a phenomenal…

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October 27, 2020

Best Donuts in Orange County

This one's not even close. The best donuts are at Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee. Shit, they're probably the best donuts in California. Hand's down, these are Brode's Best.

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October 27, 2020

Best Afghan Food in Orange County

There's actually a few Afghan places in the OC, but I've been going to Chili Chutney since it was a 2-table hole-in-the-wall next to a convenience shop in Lake Forest. They've since upgraded to a…

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October 27, 2020

Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I've tried The Melt. I've tried Grater Grilled Cheese. I've tried The Grilled Cheese Truck. None of them hold a candle to the ancient Brode recipe, which I'm calling Brode's Best. Ok maybe I'm biased…

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October 27, 2020

Best Cold Korean Soup in Orange County

Korean food is super good, and one of my favorite dishes is a cold soup called Naengmyeon. There's some pretty bad places to get this dish in OC, but there is also one great place, and it's Brode's…

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October 27, 2020

Best Hot Korean Soup in Orange County

Korean Food is manyfold, and while the most popular of Korean dish is KBBQ, there are many other Korean foods that are less common here in Orange County, and they are absolutely worth trying. If…

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October 27, 2020

Best Kosher Deli in Orange County

Not that there's a lot to choose from, but it would be an easy decision regardless. The Kosher Bite is Brode's Best!

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October 26, 2020

Brode's Best!

I've been thinking about creating this site for a long time - I have such PASSION for delicious food, and love sharing my passion with others. My friends and family always make fun of me for…

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CLOSED

These were the best, right up until they shut their doors.

December 31, 2022

Best Korean Egg Sandwich in Orange County

When I visited Korea last year, egg sandwiches could be found everywhere! I was excited when I saw the first Korean egg sandwich shop open up in Irvine: Flippoly. Since the initial location, they've…

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October 27, 2020

Best Burger in Orange County

Look I wouldn't blame you if you felt this one should go to In-N-Out Burger. I think In-N-Out is probably #3 on my list. Number 2 is TK Burger. Number 1 is the Playground Burger, but I'm not sure you…

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October 27, 2020

Best Poke in Orange County

Ten years ago, you couldn't find Poke in Orange County. Now there's a Poke place every few blocks. The best one is a tiny lunch spot oddly named Wow Bento. Only open on weekdays for lunch, but…

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October 27, 2020

Best Hot Dog in Orange County

Hot dogs are not "trendy" right now, but that doesn't stop the Dogzilla food truck from serving up Brode's Best.

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October 27, 2020

Best Thai Food in Lake Forest

Thai food. So good, right? There are plenty of excellent Thai places, but the most excellent in Lake Forest is Spice Thai. I judge a Thai place on their curry and their coconut milk soup, and while…

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October 27, 2020

Best Creole Food in Orange County

Creole and Cajun food are uncommon in Orange County, so it's great that one of the few Creole restaurants here is also a showstopper. Roux Creole Cuisine may not have much competition, but that…

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October 27, 2020

Best Chicken Tenders in Orange County

Chicken Tenders: the blandest food. Made from the worst part of the chicken, tenders are usually marketed to people who can't handle flavor. Spice-C is a whole different story, and for this reason…

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October 26, 2020

Best Tacos in Orange County

EDIT: This place is under new management and wasn't as good in my last visit. For now I'd say the jury is out if this is still the best. My heartache is immeasurable.

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