Looking for the best Santa Ana food?! Let this article be your guide.
Santa Ana, California is a true melting pot of flavors.
Located in Orange County, it’s a city where vintage diners meet trendy food halls, and where the micheladas are so good they deserve their own passport stamp.
Whether you’re chasing bold bites, creative cocktails, or just the perfect spot to sit and savor, Santa Ana’s food scene delivers.
Their food is so good it even has recognition from Michelin for places as humble as a taco shop.
If Santa Ana had a slogan, it might just be “no passport required.” The food scene here is a global adventure without ever leaving the city limits.
From Oaxacan moles to tiki cocktails, droolworthy burgers to matzo ball soup, you can taste the world one block at a time.
Santa Ana features a Culinary Passport and yes, it comes fully stamped with flavor.
Before we dive into the food, let’s talk about the drink of this Southern California city: the michelada. A cocktail consisting of beer, clamato, hot sauce, and lime.
Santa Ana takes its micheladas seriously, and the options range from classic spicy versions to creative renditions with tamarind rims and sugar-filled skewers.
The best way to taste them all? Head to Santa Ana’s Michelada Guide to learn about all the best micheladas all across the city.
Here’s your delicious cheat sheet to the best places to eat, sip, and savor.
Lola Gaspar
Lola Gaspar is one of the OGs of the Santa Ana dining scene.
Nestled in the Artists Village, this cozy spot serves up Spanish and Latin-inspired small plates and craft cocktails.
Their tacos and cocktails are the stuff of local legend and best enjoyed on the patio under the string lights.
From the menu of senoran flour tortilla tacos stuffed with various meats, we opted for the carnitas and suadero (prime brisket) fillings, both of which were irresistible.
But it’s not just the meat that is the star.
We ordered the mushroom and avocado quekas quesadilla, which featured a hand-pressed Mexico City-inspired masa, as well as the roasted sweet potato taquitos de camote.
Come for the food and stay for the cocktails, it’s the perfect place for both great food and cool vibes.
If you’re following the Santa Ana michelada guide, their traditional michelada is delicious and features a homemade mix.
For something fancier, order a mole-inspired old fashioned or a mezcal drink featuring pineapple, cilantro, and serrano chile.
Café Cultura
Café Cultura is where coffee meets culture, and brunch meets beer-filled michalada’s.
Order their michelada flight to sample four different styles, featuring clasica, cultura, mango, and aguachile.
Pair it with a pan dulce or empanada, and linger in their colorful, welcoming space.
If you’re needing to start your day with coffee beans over booze, this is also an epic stop.
The specialty lattes feature a number of latin flavors like cajeta (Mexican caramel), horchata, abuelita mocha, rompope Mexican eggnog, and dulce de leche.
We opted for the cajeta and it was unlike any other latte we’ve ever tasted, and so good we would go back for seconds.
Get a coffee to go and head around the corner to their new panderia, Pan Y Cafe, for a match made in heaven.
Pan Y Cafe
Don’t miss a stop at Pan Y Cafe. This Santa Ana panderia is an elevated, yet unpretentious, take on a traditional Mexican bakery.
Grab a tray and some tongs and pick the pastries that you can’t resist.
All of the pastries are made with quality ingredients and organic flour, which creates flavors that are prepared with extra love.
After wandering the pastry cases for quite a while, we finally decided on three items.
The seasonal pumpkin pinole chocha which featured corn flour, a roll de guayaba that had the perfect kiss of guava puree and mascarpone, and the chorizo cheddar biscuit that had the most satisfying balance of spice and savory.
Whatever pastries you put your tongs on, you can’t go wrong!
Their pastries at this panderia are just as good as your favorite French bakery, without the expensive price tag.
Sonder
We can’t get enough of Sonder. The lofi vibes of the record player transported us back to Japan.
This chic spot feels like a lush cocktail bar, but delivers some really elevated dishes alongside craft cocktails in downtown Santa Ana.
Many of the menu items are served on skewers, just like a Japanese yakitori restaurant.
We loved the scallops with chili crisp, the oyster chicken thighs topped with traditional tare sauce, and the oh-so-tender pork belly skewers.
Our favorite bite was the bone marrow and caviar oginiri. A rice ball wrapped in seaweed nori that featured a taste of little luxuries.
Feeling like just a drink and a snack? Get a big bowl of their homemade sichuan fries.
They’re topped with Japanese furikake and a sichuan spice that will leave your tongue tingling.
We can definitely see this restaurant getting some awards in its future, it is that good!
This is one of the best restaurants for a date night or to celebrate a special occasion.
Benjie’s Deli
Benjie’s Deli is an old-school Jewish deli that’s been slinging comfort food since 1967.
The pastrami is piled high, the matzo ball soup tastes like a grandma’s hug, and the reuben balls (yes, reuben balls!) are deep-fried bites of joy.
You can find corned beef and pastrami served in about a half a dozen ways on the menu.
Order the triple decker for a pastrami and corned beef sandwich that could feed an army – or maybe a party of four.
The sandwich is gigantic and served with the most perfect french fries, a mix of extra crispy exterior and a light and fluffy interior, they’re so craveable.
Don’t forget the crispy latkes because if your lips aren’t covered in applesauce and sour cream, you’re not doing it right.
Benjie’s is so great, it’s honestly better than most deli’s with big lines in New York City.
Alta Baja Market
Alta Baja Market inside the 4th Street Market is where California meets Mexico – almost literally.
It celebrates the cuisine and products of both regions.
From Mexican wines to artisan pottery, with local art on the walls and regional pride on every shelf.
Choose from one of over 14 micheladas. From traditional styles to new-age concoctions featuring wellness additions like blue spirulina and activated charcoal.
In the heart of downtown Santa Ana, it’s half market, half cultural experience, and all flavor.
Twisted Tiki at McFadden Public Market
When life calls for rum and whimsy, the Twisted Tiki answers.
Hidden inside McFadden Public Market, this tropical hideaway serves elaborate tiki drinks in ceramic mugs so festive you’ll want to start a collection (and you can, they even have a tiki mug designed after the historic Santa Ana watertower).
Ever since our travels to Hawaii, we have been obsessed with Li Hing Mui (a Chinese Plum that is a mix of sweet and sour and found in dishes across the Aloha state). Read more about it in our guide to the 27 Best Things to Eat in Maui.
We ordered both of the tiki drinks featuring li hing mui: the Kanaka Rita, a tropical take on a margarita, as well as the Freshwater Oasis, which spotlighted Japanese whiskey, yuzu liquor, pineapple, and lemon.
Looking for extra flair? Add on an upgrade to get it in a tiki mug, add fire, bruleed fruit, or a boozy float.
Whether you’re there for happy hour or a nightcap, sip something with an umbrella in it, then wander the food hall for bites from the local vendors.
It’s like a mini vacation in a glass.
Hammer Burger
Hammer Burger is a Santa Ana legend in the making.
Their burgers are smashed to perfection crispy edges, melty cheese, and house-made sauce on a soft potato bun.
With a number of variations to choose from, there is something for everyone.
We opted for the Calibama smashburger topped with an onion ring, white BBQ sauce, and American cheese.
If you’ve got beef with beef, they even feature chicken sandwiches.
The fried chicken sandwich was essentially an entire massive schnitzel patty nestled between a bun and complimented with pickles and their own signature Hammer Sauce.
Add fries and a cocktail, and you’ve found burger nirvana. It’s simple, classic, and ridiculously satisfying.
These burgers may be the widest and crispiest smash burgers we’ve ever seen!
CaliLicious Crab and Brews
We would be remiss to discuss the Santa Ana michelada guide without a moment of admiration for the creations at CaliLicious.
Yes, you can get a standard michelada, but how could one resist their Pelon Pelo Chela?!?
This gigantic work of art features two beers and the michelada flavor of your choice.
Choose from nearly a dozen options, from standard tomato, to mango, to tamarind, to guava.
We chose to complete the drink with the mango flavored michelada mix, it perfectly complimented the sweet, snacky spread on the top of the drink.
From sour gummy worms, to a mix of snacks, to chamoy lining the rim of the masterpiece, it was almost too beautiful to eat.
Ponzu Japanese Sushi Bar
When we were unable to get a seat at the much sought after omakase dinner in Santa Ana, we discovered Ponzu Japanese Sushi Bar and we’re so glad we did.
Social media users are touting this restaurant as a more approachable and affordable Nobu, and we can see why.
The fish was absolutely top-tier. Be sure to order the triple belly sashimi.
Featuring sashimi from tuna toro belly, salmon belly, and yellowtail toro, you’re getting to experience the most flavorful slices of the fish all in one elegantly plated dish.
Another must-order appetizer is the Sky Special. Crispy fried shisho leaves are topped with spicy tuna, masago, and eel sauce.
It’s crispy and delicious, like a reimagined take of the popular crispy tuna rice with an added layer of flavors.
The Japanese A5 wagyu is served in a cloche blanketed in smoke, creating a theatrical display at the table.
They also have a wide variety of carpaccios to choose from. The salmon carpaccio was another wonderful dish that was served in a flavorful sauce and topped with fresh garlic.
Sushi lovers won’t be disappointed at Ponzu.
From deli classics to tiki cocktails, Santa Ana proves that good food and good vibes go hand in hand.
So bring a big appetite, your curiosity, and maybe a stretchy pair of pants because one thing’s for sure: in Santa Ana, there’s always room for one more bite.
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