Guide to SoCal

I love pizza.  When I take the family on vacation we always go out for pizza at least one evening.  It’s a great way to have a nice casual evening where everyone can relax and have an enjoyable time.

When I’m in an unfamiliar town, I’m always nervous about going to a new place to eat.  Below, I have listed a number of good places near disneyland.  I hope you find this helpful.  Please post your comments on the places that you visit for others to benefit from.

First off, do not eat the pizza at the Disneyland Resort.  If really don’t want to eat any of the other food in the parks, the pizza will do.  But, if you’re looking for good - even decent - pizza, you’ll be disappointed with what is offered inside the parks.  You’ll also pay way to much.  You’ve been warned.

If you want a pizza place that you can walk to from the Disneyland Resort, you’ll find one on the Northeast corner of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Ave.  The pizza is not great, but it’s much better and cheaper than what you’ll find inside the park.  I am including it on this list because it is in walking distance.

Also walking distance (just North of the Disneyland Resort on Harbor Blvd.) is Big Top Pizza.  Do not go there.  The food is no good.

If you’re looking for the safety of a franchise location, there is a Round Table Pizza (my favorite pizza franchise) about 10 minutes South of the Disneyland Resort.  From the resort area, travel South on Harbor Blvd. and you’ll find Round Table in the shopping center on your right at just before Garden Grove Blvd.

If you enjoy New York style pizza, you have to go to Ritchie’s at the Block in Orange.  The Block is a large outdoor shopping center that you should probably check out on your trip anyway.  At the Block you’ll find Dave & Busters, a small bowling alley, a Vans store with an indoor skatepark where you can watch from a balcony, and many great restaurants.  Ritchie’s pizza is one of my favorites.  The Block is located just South of Chapman Ave. and the 5 Frwy.

Lastly, I’m going to recommend Lamppost Pizza in Orange.  They are a small franchise and their pizza is great.  They are a little bit further from Disneyland Resort, located on Chapman Ave. East of the 57 Frwy.  They are a sports themed restaurant and always have games playing on their televisions.  They also have some video games for the kids.  I am a little hesitant to recommend this place because last time I went there, the dining room was a little bit run down.  The pizza was great, though, so it makes my list.

Take it from a pizza lover, you can’t go wrong with any of the places on my list!

Southern California has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  Staying in a Newport Beach Vacation Rental is an ideal way to enjoy the beaches, but there is much more to do.  I’ve lived in Orange County most of my life and have been fortunate enough to have done it all.  Below is a list of things you must do while staying in your Newport Beach vacation rental.

Ride the ferry boat to Balboa Island and get a Balboa Bar.  For those who don’t know, a Balboa Bar is a vanilla ice cream bar hand dipped in chocolate and rolled in a topping of your choice (e.g., sprinkles, nuts, etc.).  They are a Balboa Island tradition.  Dad’s Donuts is pretty much recognized as setting the standard for these treats, but there are many shops on the island where you can get them.  The island is very small so you can’t miss these treats.

Rent a paddle boat and cruise around the bay.  This is a great way to enjoy the area.  Newport beach looks different when viewed from the water.  If you’re lucky you’ll even be able to get up close with one of California’s most famous acquatic residents - the California Sea Lion.  From your Newport Beach vacation rental, head to the ferry stop and you’ll find several paddle boat rental shops.

Eat at Joes Crab Shack on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  This restaurant has a great family-friendly atmosphere.  The food is great and the prices are reasonable.  It’s not fine dining, but you’ll have a good time.

If you’ll be staying in your Newport Beach vacation rental during December, don’t miss the boat parade.  Days and times vary year to year.  The parade takes place around Newport Harbor and features everything from yachts to dingys all decked out for the holidays.

Of course you Newport Beach vacation rental stay would not be complete without visiting the beach.  You can’t go wrong anywhere along Newport Beach.  I recommend going near the Newport Beach Pier.  There are a few shops next to the pier so it’s convenient to grab lunch during your stay.

That’s it for the “must do” list.  Now for a listing of some of my other favorite things to do around Newport Beach: go deep sea fishing from Davey’s Locker in Balboa, visit the OC Marketplace (swap meet), eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory, have a Pizookie at BJ’s Pizzeria in Balboa (this probably should be on the must do list), go to the OC Fair (in July/August), walk or bike alongside the sand on the bike path.

Disneyland restaurant food is notoriously expensive.  While the experience of Disneyland dining is nice, it is certainly not worth $20 per person.  Even worse, the Disneyland food quality (except in a few locations) is poor.The experts don’t eat at Disneyland restaurants because they know it is a waste of money.I don’t recommend avoiding Disneyland restaurants for your entire trip.  Some of the nicer Disneyland restaurants are definitely worth visiting (more on these in later posts).  However, if you just want to grab a quick lunch or dinner, you will pay too much and get poor quality if you eat Disneyland food.What Disney won’t tell you (but all the locals know) is that there is a strip Mall just across the street from Disneyland.  You’ll pay half the price of Disneyland food and the food quality is much better.  It’s the secret alternative to Disneyland dining.
In this strip mall is a Subway, Pizza (including by the slice), Mexican, Chinese.  Everyone knows what Subway is like.  I’ve eaten at the Pizza place many times and the quality is much better than what you’ll find in Pizza Port.  A lunch special is about $5 compared to $10 for the equivalient Disneyland food.To get there, exit the Disneyland main gate (don’t forget your hand stamp) and go left (away from Downtown Disney).  As you get to the end of the property, go right at Harbor blvd.  The strip mall is half a block down on the opposite side of the street at the corner of Harbor and Katella.  It’s a nice 5-10 minute walk along the palm-tree lined Harbor blvd.A family of 4 can expect to save about $30 and you’ll be able to avoid the crowds and enjoy some good quality food.

Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante located in downtown Fullerton is one of the best family restaurants in all of Southern California.   

The menu includes a wide variety of traditional Italian dishes.  I’d like to tell you how good they all are, but I always get the Calzone because it is so good!  It is a little pricey, but is large enough to easily feed 2-3 adults.

The atmosphere and decor are the big draws of this Fullerton restaurant. 

If you enjoy classic Hollywood items, you’d be interested to know that the restaurant was founded by Steven Peck (famous Hollywood dancer).  Photos of famous actresses and actors from the past are found throughout the restaurant.

The main dining room has tables on the floor and balcony seating around the perimeter of the room.  The room has the feeling of eating in an Italian marketplace.  Every inch of the walls and ceilings are cover with relics from Italian arts and mock Italian storefronts.  Words can’t describe the scene, everywhere you look there are puppets, statues, paintings, flags, faux blocks of cheese and deli meat, carnival masks, pictures, wine bottles, etc. 

Basically, it is one big celebration of Italy and the arts.  There is so much to look at and talk about, you and your family will have a great time.

The restaurant is located about 10 minutes North of Disneyland in Fullerton.  So, it’s not too far to drive if you are visiting the area.

I can’t recommend this place enough.  It’ll be an experience you’ll never forget.

Angelo’s & Vinci’s Ristorante
550 N Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 879-4022

If you’ve been to Angelo’s and Vinci’s, please leave a comment about your experience.

110 E Santa Fe Ave, Fullerton - (714) 526-6801

The Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Fullerton is easily one of my favorite family restaurants.  The food is great and affordable and the environment is uniuqe and family friendly.

Don’t let the name fool you, Spaghetti isn’t the only thing on the menu.  Spaghetti is certainly the specialty of the house (I highly recommend the Manager’s Favorite with Marinara and Mizithra Cheese), but a wide range of traditional Italian dishes are also offered (Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana, Fettuccini, etc). 

All of the dishes are as good as any fine italian restaurant.  Expect to pay around $9-10 per person.  This price is very reasonable considering it includes a drink, all you can eat fresh bread, soup or salad, and the famous Old Spaghetti Factory Spumoni ice cream for dessert.

The value you get for your money alone is enough of a reason to visit, but my true reason for rating this Fullerton restaurant so high is the atmosphere. 

The restaurant is located about 10 minutes North of Disneyland off of Harbor Blvd directly adjacent to the Fullerton train station (they are located in the same parking lot).  While wating for a table, my kids love to walk over to the station platform (accessible from the restaurant sidewalk) and watch the trains and passengers come and go. 

The train theme is carried into the restaurant itself.  Inside one of the dining rooms is a real train car converted with dining tables inside.  From some tables in the restaurant, you can watch the trains pulling into the Fullerton station through a large window.

Adding to the family friendliness of the Old Spaghetti Factory are the wood floors and casual dining setup.  You won’t find any cloth napkins or table linens.

Please share your opinion of the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant by commenting on this post.