Top family-friendly places to eat in Buena Park

Buena Park is #SoCalsFunCity and one of the best places to take a family food tour. The culinary scene is second to none and can satisfy all generations while deliciously exposing kids to global flavors through cooking techniques, textures and presentation. There are abundant restaurants at any price range, many of which are within walking distance of hotels.

Tip: Check out the Visit Buena Park deals to start planning your next family food adventure with hotel packages and discounts.

Don’t miss our article, Best educational activities in Buena Park with kids.

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Culinary Delights – Best places to eat in Buena Park

Buena Park’s culinary scene is second to none. Deliciously explore global flavors through cooking techniques, textures and presentation. Most notably, Koreatown boasts 90 food options with plenty of opportunities to try a wide range of Korean cuisine (often called K-food).  If you’re not craving Korean food, there are lots of options of other worldly flavors to try, such as Argentinian grilled steak or Cuban baked goods made right in front of you, a true feast for the eyes.

Best Places for Breakfast in Buena Park

These are the best places for breakfast in Buena Park. Dining choices below serve, breakfast, brunch and lunch.

Porto’s Bakery and Cafe

This incredible family-owned Cuban bakery makes the most delectable cakes and pastries right in front of your eyes. There are so many fresh flavors to choose from, whether you’re craving sweet or savory. The bakers who pipe the icing or place the delicate toppings, have elevated their care and attention an art form. There is a great breakfast selection, including sandwiches made with light and crispy croissants, and decadent Torrejas (Cuban-style French Toast) topped with fresh fruit. This bakery is so popular, it offers valet parking.

We tried:

• Torrejas, made with thickly sliced Porto’s signature croissant loaf, topped with guava sauce and fruit, served with a side of whipped cream cheese. Amazing!
• Guacamole and Cheese Omelette Sandwich is served on a fresh butter croissant with shredded Jack and cheddar cheeses and house-made guacamole.
• Chorizo and Cheese Omelette Sandwich is served on a soft savory Cuban roll with shredded Jack and cheddar cheeses, Spanish-style chorizo, mayonnaise and mustard.
• Guava Strudel (Pastelito de Guayaba), a puff pastry with Porto’s signature guava jam. We had to sample these and we are so glad we did. A customer told us she happily drives more than an hour for these pastries.
• Porto’s house blend Horchata Cold Brew, Blue Jasmine Matcha Latte and the Yuzu Jasmine Lemonade.

Tip: Get here early before the lineups. Order online and take advantage of the valet parking. They can also ship all of their products, including cakes!

Porto’s Bakery is open from 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and is located at 7640 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park.

Watch Video: Porto’s Bakery is the best bakery in Los Angeles

Basilur Tea & Coffee

Known for its vast selection of high quality Ceylon teas and boba, Basilur Tea & Coffee offers a great brunch selection of lighter than air soufflé pancakes and afternoon tea.

The kids opted for the ube-flavored bear soufflé pancake, which is too cute for words and certainly put a smile on their faces. Ube, grown in Southeast Asia, is similar to a purple sweet potato except it has a sweet, nutty, vanilla-like flavor. The adults chose the original eggs benedicts also served on fluffy soufflé pancakes with fresh salad.

If you only have time for a drink, there are tons of photo-worthy creations. We tried the strawberry matcha, ube cream cold tea brew and a custard cold brew.

Basilur Tea & Coffee opens at 9 a.m. and is located in The Source OC.

Flippoly

Flippoly serves a number of overflowing breakfast sandwich creations. We selected the Original Egg, which is created with grilled scrambled eggs, house sauce, cheddar cheese and parsley on a brioche loaf.

Their most popular offering, Bulgogi BBQ, is served on a brioche loaf with Bulgogi (Korean barbecued meat), grilled scrambled egg, house sauce, cheddar cheese and parsley.

We couldn’t resist ordering the delicious Korean coffee drink called Dalgona, which is whipped and creamy and topped with honeycomb toffee chunks. These chunks reminded me of the packaged sponge toffee available as candy in the 1960s, only softer and with richer flavor. The whole idea behind the toffee chucks is that it should be dropped into the drink to melt and release a tasty sweetness. And yes, it was “Flippin Awesome.”

Flippoly is located in The Source OC.

Broken Yolk

It was tough to narrow down our choices from the extensive menu offered at Broken Yolk. Their most popular item is the Cinna-Cakes, with sweet buttermilk pancake batter swirled with cinnamon sauce, drizzled with cream-cheese icing and sprinkled with cinnamon, which smelled absolutely divine. Complete your brunch experience with a mimosa or bloody Mary flight. It isn’t just the food that warmed our hearts, the team at Broken Yolk are committed to supporting their community though several ongoing initiatives.

Hungry breakfast lovers can order online or join their wait list. We were lucky to hit Broken Yolk early on a Sunday morning and walked in without a reservation.

In exchange for a gratuity, this family-friendly restaurant offers balloon creations by Twist and Shout Balloons. It was definitely a thrill for the kids and entertained them while we enjoyed our meals.

We tried:

• The Mom Omelet with spinach, mushroom, onion, red and green bell pepper is topped with avocado, salsa fresca, and sour cream. Omelets come with a selection of sides and a biscuit, toast, or muffin.
• Two half benedicts: Chicken & Waffle Benedict is a Belgian waffle topped with crispy chicken tenders, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. The Golden State Benedict is a toasted English muffin topped with grilled tomato, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, and a sriracha drizzle.
• The kid’s meals were a hit and included the main, two sides and a drink which could be upgraded to hot chocolate with whipped cream or junior blueberry/strawberry smoothie. We chose the Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes and the French Toast.

Broken Yolk opens at 7 a.m. and is located next to Knott’s Berry Farm at 8010 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park.

Best places for dinner in Buena Park

Miss Shabu Restaurant and Sake Bar

The kids were eager to try Korean-style hot pot at Miss Shabu. Shabu shabu envelops you in amazing aromas as you cook family-style in simmering broth right at the table. The kids loved to cook and this interactive experience had our normally selective kids trying all sorts of meats and seafood, and even got them to eat their veggies. The menu provides a great variety of high quality, fresh seafood (white fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, clams, baby octopus and salmon), thinly sliced meats (brisket, beef belly, pork loin, pork belly, lamb, chicken breast, top blade, rib eye and tripe), vegetables, broths and noodles and you can try them all during your all-you-can-eat dining experience.

The kids enjoyed seaweed, shrimp, rib eye and ramen noodles. They couldn’t get enough and were happy to pick from the menu. We loved the spicy seafood broth, brisket, pork belly, and squid.

Our shabu shabu experience was not complete without sampling some sake. Our server recommended the popular Yuki cantaloupe flavored Nigori sake. Its mild and sweet flavor and cloudy appearance went down smooth.

The cost for all-you-can-eat shabu shabu: Adults – $38.99, Children 5-10 years $19.99.

Tip: Reservations can be made for parties of six or more.

Miss Shabu Restarant and Sake Bar is located at 5450 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, California

Video: Miss Shabu Restaurant and Sake Bar

Koreatown Pizza Co.

We opted for one of Koreatown Pizza’s most popular pizzas, The Kingsley. The hand rolled golden crust is stuffed with sweet potato mousse and topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. The pie was loaded with tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, corn cheese, Korean Bulgogi barbecue beef, fried crown onion, house sauce and scallions. Our eyes widened as they delivered this masterpiece to our table. It tasted even better than it looked. Come hungry!

Other unique crusts offered include Mocha flavored, stuffed with cream cheese, organic broccoli, blended cream and stuffed mozzarella.

Koreatown Pizza Co. can be found at 5236 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, California.

Gaucho Grill

We knew we had hit the right spot, when we could smell the enticing smoky aroma of barbecue from the parking lot. Our mouths immediately started watering.

Gaucho Grill uses an authentic Argentine asado to create its traditional flavorful meats on an open fire using hot coals and wood on a parrilla (heavy iron grate). They are famous for their meat parrillada, which is a meat lovers dream. It includes Entraña (skirt steak), mollejas (sweetbreads), Jdori chicken, New York Strip, rib eye and chorizo sausage. Their perfectly marbled Tomahawk Rib Eye steaks are also big sellers.

We came for the sharing menu and cocktails. We tried:

• Provoleta – Grilled provolone, oregano, extra virgin olive oil
• The beef and smoked short ribs empanadas
• New Calamari Marplatense with lemon, olives, almonds, aioli, parsley
• From the kids’ menu, the skirt steak at $8 was a tender delicious offering that the kids still rave about.

Handcrafted cocktails – Gaucho style

• Mercado – Vodka, lime juice, cucumber purée, simple syrup, Tajín rim.
• Gaucho Smoked Penicillin – Bourbon, fresh squeezed lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup, infused in smoking box. When the friendly server brought the cocktail to the table, we knew it was the ultimate Instagramable moment.

Gaucho Grill is located at 5980 Orangethorpe Ave, Buena Park, California.

Video: Gaucho Grill Buena Park.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant

Since 1934, the famous original fried chicken dinner served at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant is still a favorite for visitors and one of the best places to eat at Knott’s Berry Farm California Marketplace. The warm welcoming atmosphere with rustic furnishing is reminiscent of a western farmhouse.

Be sure to save room for a slice of boysenberry pie. Reservations should be made in advance.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant is located in the California Marketplace outside of the Knott’s park admission gates so you can visit whenever and as often as you want.

Best ice cream in Buena Park

Honeymee

Honeymee is known as one of the best places in Buena Park for soft serve ice cream. The unsuspecting location is overshadowed by the menu’s quality ingredients. Their ice cream is made with fresh organic, kosher-certified California milk (what they call true milk) and sweetened with pure honeycomb.  When we visited, they were in the process of trying out a few new flavors to add to the Honeymee roster. These two new milkshake flavors, mango and blueberry, were fresh, rich and creamy.

For the chocolate lover, the “Dear Chocolate” ice cream was served with Ghirardelli chocolate sauce sprinkled with sea salt from France. It smelled as good as it tasted.

Our other choice was “Sweetie,” ice cream swirled with 100% natural honey for a more subtle and classic taste.

Did you know? Certified real California milk is from California farmers and is fortified to exceed U.S. nutritional standards making its consistency creamer without adding extra fat or calories?

Honeymee is located at 5231 Beach Blvd Suite B in Buena Park, California.

Best place for coffee in Buena Park

Smoking Tiger Coffee and Bread

Smoking Tiger opened in 2020 with the “goal to create a space where people of all ages can come together to create shared memories and embrace cultural differences without barrier.” They serve iconic Korean flavors such as yuzu, honey oat and mugwort. The chill vibes inside make it the ideal spot to use as a workspace or to meet a friend. The brand serves as a lifestyle with its merchandise line, commitment to sharing culture, rich flavors, and young community.

Smoking Tiger Coffee and Bread is located at 4600 Beach Blvd J in Buena Park, California

Best place to sample Korean Food

The Source OC

When you #VisitBuenaPark, you must stop at The Source OC. When we visited, we were able to explore the seemingly endless dining possibilities. This entertainment destination and shopping mall has a wide range of offerings with a variety of retail shops and dining options to satisfy all your cravings, including numerous restaurants and two food courts with Korean street food and sweets. We contemplated the idea of eating at The Source OC every day for a week straight to be able to try all the mouthwatering options.

Here is a small sampling of the delights we found, and many of which are a first to be served in North America, outside of Korea.

Old Ferry Donuts, founded in Seoul, South Korea, specializes in cream-filled donuts and handmade flavored milk such as vanilla, chocolate, banana, mint white chocolate and royal milk tea.

At Don Melt, try croffles, a popular Korean street food that is a cross between a waffle and a croissant or their very tall, twisted soft serve ice cream.

The Sweetbox dessert shop features Tanghulu, a traditional Chinese snack of crunchy sugar coated fruits on a bamboo stick, endless flavors of macarons, regular or decorated with adorable characters and Dragon Beard Candy, a hand-stretched sugar confectionary similar to candy floss.

Myungrang Korean Hotdog has hotdogs wrapped in a crispy chewy dough of rice flour batter. There are many varieties to choose from, squid-ink and mozzarella, to deep fried sweet potato or potato cubes layered on top of the outside dough.

The Source OC is located at 6940 Beach Blvd. in Buena Park, California.

Where to stay in Buena Park

Staying in Buena Park is a great option to use as a base for exploring other Southern California areas and attractions nearby. Most hotels offer a free shuttle to Disneyland or can help arrange shuttle services.

DoubleTree by Hilton

We stayed at the recently renovated DoubleTree by Hilton, conveniently located a few steps from The Source OC, six miles from Disneyland and less than one mile to Knott’s Berry Farm, Medieval Times and the Pirates Dinner Adventure. The hotel provides a free shuttle to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Buena Park Mall.

The hotel is bright and clean and offers large spacious guest rooms and suites, perfect for families.

There are two dining options: Ventanas or Marbles Lounge, as well as room service for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Starbucks is available from Marbles Lounge. The large outdoor pool and hot tub provide a great space to relax after a busy day exploring.

The hotel is located at 7000 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, California.

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Wendy Nordvik-Carr and Melanie were guests of Visit Buena Park, which did not preview or approve this story.

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