The 7 Best Restaurants In Buena Park, CA

Buena Park is in the center of it all in sunny California. Located 5 miles from Disneyland, 15 miles from gorgeous, sandy beaches and 20 miles from Los Angeles, Buena Park is the ideal place to stay for your Southern California vacation. Whether you’re looking for adrenaline-inducing roller coasters, miles of beach, or vibrant city life, Buena Park has it all.

Buena Park is also home to the state’s first amusement park, Knott’s Berry Farm, which itself has become a foodie destination. In Buena Park, you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants in Buena Park with something for all ages and tastes. Whether you’re traveling with foodies or picky eaters, you’re sure to find something to please everyone.

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The 7 Best Restaurants in Buena Park

Broken Yolk Cafe

8010 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States // +16573854901

If you’re headed to Knott’s Berry Farm, the Broken Yolk cafe is the ideal spot to fuel up for the day before heading into the park. Conveniently located close to the entrance to Knott’s Berry Farm, this is one of the breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurants in Buena Park that has everything you could ever want and then some.

The menu is huge and if you arrive hungry like we did, it can be overwhelming. Our server helped us navigate it by pointing out that the menu is divided into sections to make your decision easier. They offer all of your standard breakfast dishes, omelets, pancakes, french toast, eggs Benedicts, as well as so much more.

The Broken Yolks Cafe menu also includes a Healthy Side Up section for those wanting a lighter and healthier option. Since we were headed to ride roller coasters, I opted for one of these choices.

I ordered the Feta Avocado Toast and added two poached eggs on top. The tantalizing picture on their menu sold me on this item and it did not disappoint!

The thick-sliced artisan grain bread was lightly toasted and topped with fresh avocado slices, a healthy mound of arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, and crumbly feta cheese.

It was decorated with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. This artistic touch added a sweet touch that complemented the saltiness of the feta cheese.

To accompany my meal, I ordered a flight of Bloody Mary’s. I don’t often get a Bloody Mary so, of course, I wanted to sample them all.

Each of the four varieties had its own unique flavor but all four were tangy and delicious. My favorite was the one that came with a bacon slice for garnish.

My partner tried the Hash Skillet, which was the perfect hearty start to the day. It came with home-fried potatoes sauteéd with corned beef hash, onions and bell peppers and was topped with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and green onion. Needless to say, we left satiated and ready to take on the day.

Mrs. Knott’s

8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States // +17142205055

Mrs. Knott’s famous fried chicken is the reason that Knott’s Berry Farm exists. Her husband Walter decided they needed to give their guests something to do while they waited in the long line-ups to taste her delectable chicken. This is how California’s first amusement park was born.

Located outside of the actual park, you don’t have to pay to enter Knott’s Berry Farm or do any of the rides if you don’t want to.

However, if you are enjoying the park and decide to eat at Mrs. Knott’s for lunch and want to return to the park afterwards, be sure to get a stamp before you leave or you won’t be able to reenter.

The wait for a seat in the restaurant was over an hour so we decided to order from their grab-and-go. Our fried chicken was flaky and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, exactly how you want your fried chicken to be.

The mashed potatoes and gravy were smooth and creamy with an overwhelming flavor of creamy butter. Healthy? No. Decadent and delicious? You bet!

I really enjoyed the coleslaw side that accompanied my meal. It wasn’t drowning in sauce as coleslaw sometimes is.

The biscuits were light and fluffy and served with Knott’s famous boysenberry sauce. I saved mine for last as it was like having a light dessert after my fried chicken meal.

In case you haven’t heard of boysenberry before, it’s pretty famous in these parts. Rudolph Boysen and Knott’s Berry Farm founder, Walter Knott, created the boysenberry when they experimented with mixing loganberry, raspberry, and blackberry.

The boysenberry is a must-try while visiting Buena Park and I recommend the pie. It’s definitely one of the best restaurants in Buena Park.

Il Fiora

6980 Beach Blvd H-304, Buena Park, CA 90621, United States // +17146767475

This Italian restaurant is located inside The Source OC, which is Southern California’s premier dining and entertainment district. Here, you’ll find a multitude of eateries, many of which are Korean. If you are looking for authentic or fusion Korean food, this is the place to go.

Our group of six was looking for more of a fine dining experience so we opted to try Il Fiora for dinner. We ordered several different appetizers and shared them so we could sample more of the menu. Dining family-style is one of the benefits of going to dinner with a large group.

The Caesar Salad arrived first and I was surprised at how large it was. It’s made with candied bacon and it’s definitely a shareable size.

The Calamari arrived steaming hot and crispy and was served with a garlic aioli. While they were both good, the standout appetizer was their Seafood Salad which came with crab meat and shrimp atop a bed of mixed greens and served with their homemade dressing.

For our mains, half of us ordered the Gamberetto Rosa and everyone really enjoyed it. This fettuccine pasta dish consisted of shrimp, garlic, onion and a delightfully creamy rose sauce.

The Bolognese was fettuccine served with ground beef, mushrooms, garlic, onion and red peppers. The standout entree was the Carbonara with its crispy pancetta, onion, garlic, raw egg yolk, cheese and cream sauce. It was the ultimate decadent pasta dish.

I will note that while our entrees were fantastic, they did not arrive all at the same time. Service was quite slow and we had to inquire about our meals more than once.

Some of the members of our group had almost finished eating when the final entrees arrived. If you are in a hurry, I would suggest checking out one of the many other dining options found at The Source OC. There are tons!

The Source OC

6940 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621, United States // +17145218858

With The Source OC being Buena Park’s premier dining destination, it deserves its own highlight in this article.

There are 49 different restaurants at The Source and they range from coffee shops to fine dining. The majority of them don’t open until 11am, so note that this isn’t the ideal spot for eating breakfast.

If you are a Korean food enthusiast, you’re definitely going to want to add The Source OC to your itinerary.

Here, you’ll find a multitude of Korean restaurants where you can enjoy both traditional Korean as well as fusion dishes.

Not just Korean BBQ and ramen, other Korean dishes you will find here include fish cake soup, soufflé pancakes, spicy rice cakes, gimbap, soondae, and shabu shabu hot pot. For a sweet treat after your meal, try a delicious pistachio donut.

Porto’s Bakery & Café

7640 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States // +17143672030

This Cuban Bakery has been around since 1963 and it’s extremely popular. No matter what time of day you decide to dine here, it will be busy so I suggest that you plan accordingly.

The Los Angeles Times recently named Porto’s Bakery & Café the Best of the Southland so you know it’s going to be good.

When you enter Porto’s Bakery & Café, you will notice several different line-ups. Take note of what they are all for so you don’t have to line up more than once. There are no servers at Porto’s Bakery so you must line up and order your food before sitting down.

After you place your order, you will be given a table number and someone will deliver your food to your table once it’s ready.

There is seating both inside and outside. Since it was a beautiful sunny day in California, we opted to enjoy dining outside on their patio.

Wanting an authentic Cuban experience, I ordered their Cubano sandwich with Cuban soup. The sandwich was served heated up and panini-style so the cheese was melted and gooey. The hearty Cuban soup was very thick and filling. Both were very flavorful.

We also ordered the seasonal Turkey & Gravy Potato Balls® that Porto’s is famous for and I can see why. They are decadent little balls filled with what tastes like Thanksgiving dinner all rolled up into a ball. Yum! If you visit during the fall season, these are a must. It’s one of the best restaurants in Buena Park.

The Cauldron Spirits & Bar

8028 Beach Blvd ste b, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States // +17144842733

We visited The Cauldron Spirits & Bar for cocktails before heading into Knott’s Scary Farm one evening and it was such a fun bar to experience. They offer inventive cocktails and pub-style bites, making them the ideal spot for a pre-or-post dinner stop. Their motto is ‘eat early, drink late.’

This 17th-century, witch-themed bar was named the Best Neighborhood Bar and I can see why. When you enter, you are transported back in time to a French-inspired pub complete with antique furniture and a cauldron.

The French theme is apparent in their menu as they serve paté and escargot, neither of which are very common to find on a menu.

I was delighted as escargot just happens to be one of my favorite appetizers. I also recommend trying their homemade bacon jam served with fresh toasted crostinis. You can never go wrong with bacon jam.

Due to its popularity, they opened an outside bar called Purgatory Patio where their sign states that you ‘might as well drink while you wait.’ There is no seating in Purgatory, but they have tables where you can rest your drink.

We enjoyed a cocktail here while waiting for our table. I ordered the Chupacabra which consisted of Mezcal, Lemon-Jalapeno Shrub Syrup, and ginger ale. I love the smoky flavor of Mezcal in a cocktail and this one was spicy, smoky, different and delicious.

While Cauldron Spirits & Bar does not take reservations, they do have a waitlist on Yelp. I recommend adding your name to the list before you go or you could spend a long time in Purgatory. Definitely one of the best restaurants in Buena Park.

Gaucho Grill

5980 Orangethorpe Ave, Buena Park, CA 90620, United States // +17147073829

Currently on Yelp’s list of the top ten restaurants in Buena Park, Gaucho Grill is an Argentinian steakhouse best known for its meat. They offer a twist on tradition so don’t expect an authentic Argentinian experience.

Offering a variety of cuts of steak, you have two options when ordering your meat. You can order a la carte or Gaucho style, which includes two sides. Aside from steak, they also offer chicken skewers, burgers, empanadas and more.

My partner and I ordered their Calamari to start and it was perfectly crispy and came with the sauce drizzled over the top instead of on the side. It was creamy and tangy and complimented the crunch of the Calamari.

For our main dish, we ordered an Ojo de Bife, a 30-ounce bone-in Ribeye to share. We ordered it Gaucho style with the mashed potatoes and Gaucho veggies which were seasonal vegetables with sea salt and a balsamic drizzle.

The sides are a generous size and easily shared. Our steak was slightly overcooked, but the seasoning on it masked this and we enjoyed every bite.

Restaurants in Buena Park Wrap Up

I bet you’re hungry now, aren’t you? I certainly am after reminiscing about all the amazing meals I enjoyed while in Buena Park, California. If you ever find yourself in sunny SoCal, be sure to try some of these award-winning eateries. A must try eatery amongst the best restaurants in Buena Park.

Visiting other destinations in California? Check out our other delicious guides:

Kathryn Anderson

Kathryn Anderson is a travel and wellness expert who runs the award-winning travel blog Coffee and Mascara as well as contributes to a variety of publications as a Freelance Journalist. This former Fitness Instructor shares expert advice on how to infuse balance into travelling so people can enjoy fun and fulfilling vacations without derailing their healthy lifestyle goals. She sits on the Board of Directors for the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association as the Social Media Chair. Follow her adventures on Instagram.