Byblos Cafe-Closed

Byblos Cafe
129 W Chapman Ave
Orange
714-538-7180

Byblos Cafe is in the Orange Circle. The New Diner has been to a restaurant on the east part of the Orange Circle; Watson Drug & Soda Fountain, one on the north part; Beach Pit BBQ, and one on the south part; Felix Continental Cafe so it made sense to review a restaurant on the east side of the Orange Circle. So Byblos was my choice.

Walking around the Orange Circle I almost feel as though I will see Biff saying "Hello McFly, anybody home?" The city Orange tries to go back to the future, and bring that old time feel into today's hustle and bustle world.

The lentil soup-with celery, swiss chard, and lentils, comes with an order of kebobs. I don't eat much soup, and this may have been my first experience eating lentil soup. I was impressed with the soup, though it had a tangy sour taste, which comes from the Swiss chard. The broth was thin, I always thought lentil soup broth was a bit thicker, and the lentils were cooked perfectly. I would have liked this better if there wasn't the tangy sour taste.

Sirloin beef kebob with hummus, $10.99, with lentil soup. The first thing I noticed was the small portion! I know this was lunch, but the amount of beef was pretty small. The beef was perfectly cooked and very tender. They say it's sirloin and I'm sure it was, but this was more tender and flavorful than other Middle Eastern restaurants that called their kebobs, filet mignon.

The rice pilaf was nothing to write home about. It was there, it wasn't memorable, it added some carbs to the meal.

The hummus was wonderful. Most hummus is too tangy for me. This hummus was much more mild. It was very smooth, no lumps, and had the right consistency. It was made better by the warm pita bread. I hate going to Middle Eastern restaurants that serve cold pita bread.

Service was very good. I believe the owner was serving us. She was nice, friendly and informative. She was the only server and kept the 15 or so diners happy.

Overall I did enjoy my meal at Byblos Cafe, but I didn't think it's a good value. The portions are small and while the quality of the beef is very good, it's not worth making a trip back.

Roadside Cafe-Closed

Roadside Cafe
1822 N Glassell St
Orange
714-283-4901

I love broasted chicken and I'm always excited to find out about new broasted chicken restaurants. When I found out that Roadside Cafe serves up broasted chicken, I planned on going back to Hida'Way, to see which place in Orange serves up the best broasted chicken. I called up Hida'Way and the number was changed, so I called the new number and it was Roadside Cafe!!!

Guess the story is, Hida'Way's owner decided to get out of the restaurant business and turn his building into a laundromat!!! Roadside Cafe bought Hida'Way's broasted machines. So the city of Orange still has a restaurant that serves broasted chicken.

Roadside Cafe is an oasis among the many industrial buildings on the stretch of Glassell. The decor is great, with old signs and an old gas pump near the front door. This does remind you of a roadside cafe along Route 66.

I went to Roadside Cafe's website and found a coupon; eight pieces of broasted chicken,$9.49 on the coupon, $10.32 after sales tax. The eight pieces broke down into 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 breast pieces. I went on a Monday, and on their "Specials" board, the eight piece broasted chicken was $9.99. The regular price for the eight piece chicken is $10.95.

The chicken is cooked to order. For your stupid Yelpers, that means the chicken isn't sitting under heat lamps. It is only cooked after you ordered it. That means it may take 15-20 minutes to get your broasted chicken. What would you rather have; chicken that has been sitting under heat lamps for hours on end, or chicken cooked to order? I can't believe that people would complain about the wait time for cooked to order chicken. Stupid Yelpers.

I only had the breast piece. The skin was darker than other broasted chicken places I have been to. That usually means the oil they use to broast the chicken needs to be changed. But, the skin was light and crispy, like broasted chicken should be. The breast meat was pretty moist and flavorfull. Not the best broasted chicken but pretty good and certainly better than Hida'Way.

Service was great. The young lady who took my order was very nice and friendly. She told me about Hida'Way closing and how Roadside brought the broasting machines. Many other restaurants could take lesson in customer service from the people at Roadside Cafe.

I would go back to Roadside Cafe and give the broasted chicken another chance; like I said it wasn't the best broasted chicken I've had, but it was pretty good.

Mattern Sausage & Meats

Mattern Sausage & Meats
4327 E Chapman Ave
Orange
714-639-3550

I figured that pretentious jerk Orange County, had a good sized German population. There are two German restaurants in a two mile radius from The Honda Center. But I have never gone to either restaurant. I heard about Mattern Sausage and Meats, and though Mattern is more known for their sausage and deli meats, they do serve sandwiches, so I decided to give them a try. .

Mattern is in a small building with limited parking. I was surprised that many customers spoke German. But, I bet the INS would never check to see if these krauts were in the country, illegally. But they would bust the local car wash, to see if the Mexicans working there, were in the country illegally.




Poor boy, $5.90, German cold cuts with harvarti cheese on rye bread. The sandwiches come with mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes and cheese. This sandwich had meats I've never seen. German baloney and something that looked like a German mortadella, There was a good amount of meat on the sandwich, the meats were fresh and from what I could tell made from quality meats.

The rye bread was a bit tough and chewy and didn't stand out.

Service is very slow. For a first timers, it can be overwhelming. You take a number and they call out the number. But expect a long wait, they are so damn slow. I got there, got number 8, they were working with number 5 when I got there and it took about 20 minutes before I was helped, and #6 had left.

Then the lady who helped me wasn't helpful at all. She didn't ask what kind of cheese I wanted, she was short with her answers, and just took too damn long to make my sandwich.

I wasn't overwhelmed with the sandwiches at Mattern. It is pretty good but nothing great for sandwiches. I may go there for their sausages, which is interesting because some are freshly made but others are in the freezer. WTF?

Watson Drug & Soda Fountain-Closed

Watson Drug & Soda Fountain
116 E Chapman Ave
Orange
714-532-6315

Pasadena has the Fairoaks Pharmacy to take people back in time, well the City of Orange has Watson Drug & Soda Fountain. Watson has been around since 1899. A place that brings back memories of a time long gone and hopefully an end to things that are a sad part of American history. Walk into Watson and you have a drug store and pharmacy on the right side and the restaurant/soda fountain on the left side.

The soda fountain has a counter and some booths and tables. I bring up the counter because this weekend are we honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader in the civil rights movement. The lunch counter sit ins were one way to bring an end to the stupid Jim Crow laws and segregation laws.

I got the super sandwich, $9.25, with ham, roast beef, turkey, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on toasted French bread and for my side, I picked onion rings.

The meats on the sandwich were pretty dry and very average. The quality of the meat is about the same was Subway. Sure the meats were piled high but who cares when the meats especially the turkey and roast beef are dry. The lettuce and tomato were nice and fresh but the french bread was barely toasted. Again nothing special.

The onion rings were served warm, meaning they were sitting under heat lamps forever. They were also dry, hard as a rock and just plain bad.

Service is terrible. I walked up to the counter to take a look at the bottle sodas they carry and there was a girl behind the counter and never acknowledged me; even though I was standing right in front of her for 2-3 minutes. Too many restaurants do not realize the fact that they should greet every customer. I don't care what they are doing, acknowledge the fact they a customer is there. If you can't multi task, making a ice cream sundae and say hi to a customer, you should get another job. I ask the young girl if I can just sit anywhere. She said yes. I find a seat and I find out this girl is my server. I sit there for about five minutes before anybody comes to my table. Finally a busboy gives me a menu and gets me water. My server, barely came by my table. She is nice but is a terrible server, maybe the better word is she hasn't been trained on how to be a good server.

Watson is an overrated restaurant. It maybe a nice trip down memory lane but the food is average at best and the service is terrible.

Beach Pit BBQ- Orange-Closed

Beach Pit BBQ
128 N. Glassell St
Orange
714-633-7427

I reviewed the Beach Pit in Costa Mesa and was not impressed at all because I got terrible service and the ribs were average at best. The owner, Tim DeCinces, even made a comment on my review.

Well to show how lacking the snotty jerk people of the Orange Curtain can be about real BBQ, Beach Pit has expanded to three location and even has a BBQ stand at Anaheim Stadium. Beach Pit is real BBQ, they just don't do a good job of making good BBQ.

I figured I should give Beach Pit another try and went to their new Orange location. I actually went the day before, a Wednesday, for their all you can eat ribs deal but they were sold out of ribs. So I came back for lunch. The Orange location has counter service instead of table service. So I placed an order for the spare rib plate, $12.95, with double mac and cheese.

I find a table and when my plate arrives two small, skinny pieces of spare ribs are on my plate. The ribs are pretty fatty and a little oversmoked. Ribs shouldn't be falling off the bone, that is the suburan way. It should have a bit of a pull. The smoke flavor really overwhelmed the ribs. Smoke should enhance not overpower ribs.

The mac and cheese was creamy, smooth, with nice bread crumbs topping. Though it was a bit bland overall it was pretty good.

Service, unlike the Costa Mesa location, was good. When I went on Wednesday the guy taking my order was nice and helpful, apologizing several time for being out of ribs. It may come as a surprise to some people, since I got such terrible service at their Costa Mesa location, that I won't rip Beach Pit for running out of ribs on Wednesday. But, I understand BBQ places will run out of meats and usually don't hold it against the restaurant, unless it happens every time I visit a restaurant. People should also understand that a real BBQ restaurant can't just cook up an order of ribs since it takes six or more hours to smoke ribs. 8-12 hours for tri tip, brisket, and pulled pork. So it wasn't that big of a deal that Beach Pit ran out of ribs, but the guy taking the order handled the situation the right way; apologetic and nice with no attitude.

The young lady taking my lunch order was nice and friendly. The food arrived quickly. So Beach Pit the service at the Orange location is very good.

I was impressed with the mac and cheese and I got very good service at the Orange location. But I wouldn't go back to Beach Pit, expensive for very average food. I wouldn't go back even for their all you can eat ribs. Yes, it would have been a much better deal, $15.95, for all you can eat compared to $12.95 for two pieces of ribs. But the ribs just aren't that good. It maybe great for the clueless people of Orange County but the ribs aren't that good at all.

Straw Hat Pizza-Closed

Straw Hat Pizza
1716 W Chapman Ave
Orange
714-385-1048

Straw Hat Pizza used to have a ton of locations during the 1980's. But they all quickly closed and just disappeared. Now they seem to be making a comeback. I saw one on Harbor and Imperial Highway, in Fullerton/ La Habra, about 4-5 years ago. But within 2-3 months, that location closed down.

Now Straw Hat Pizza seems to be making a comeback. There is location on Central in Chino. And this location in Orange opened up about three months ago.

Straw Hat was the place to go after Little League baseball games. Thin crust pizza, a soda, and some change to play video games. Of course, I'm much older now and I have more mature tastes. But the pizza at Straw Hat today reminded me of the Straw Hat pizza of yesteryear. I got a medium half pepperoni and half sausage, $14.45.

The pizza is thin crust, almost cracker like crust. Not exactly my favorite type crust but it's ok. The sauce is sweet then has a bit of a kick to it. There were good amounts of sausage and pepperoni.

Service was good.

I don't think I would go back to Straw Hat. The pizza is good but pricey. Almost $15 for a medium? Straw Hat maybe good if I had coupons for it. Otherwise, no chance to go back.

Scottie's Smokehouse-Closed

Scottie's Smokehouse
129 E. Collins Ave
Orange
714-997-3844

While driving home from Tulsa Ribs, I saw a sign for Scottie's Smokehouse, so I had to drop in and see if this is a real BBQ place.

I ordered the Meat Combo A, $12.61. The combo included 2oz of brisket, 2 pork ribs, 1 andouille sausage, and two sides, double mac and cheese for me.

As readers of The New Diner knows, I usually only get ribs, but I wanted to get the combo. The piece of brisket you see in the picture was tender, was full of smoke flavor and when topped with their BBQ sauce, which is on the spicy side, was a great treat. But the piece of brisket under it, was tough, chewy and pretty bad.

The andouille was very good, with a nice snap and more on the mild side.

The ribs were damn good, St. Louis style spare ribs. But they confused me at first. They had a wonderful smoke smell but there was no pink at all. I'm not sure if they use liquid smoke or what, but the ribs were tender, flavorful, and had a ton of meat and little fat. A damn find example of what ribs should be like.

After dinner, I got the pulled pork sandwich, $6.20 on wheat bread. The pulled pork was tender and flavorful but again it confused me. Smoke flavor but no bark or pink. Not sure what the story is but either way Scottie's is a damn good BBQ place.

Service was good. There were three workers behind the counter and the guy taking orders was helpful. The owner came in later and was very nice and friendly. There are two tables and a counter that seats about four people. They also have seats outside but the scumbag smokers from the bar next door are smoking up a storm, so it's not comfortable to eat outside.

One thing to keep in mind, Thursday is Bike Night. They usually show up around 7pm. So it could be crowded at that time. But service is good and you will get your meal quickly.

I would go back to Scottie's again. Good food, reasonable prices and good service.

Sasoon Chicken-Closed

Sasoon Chicken
3440 E Chapman Ave
Orange
714-516-9600

Sasoon Chicken was right behind Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, so I put that on my to go list. So I went back and I was fairly impressed with the food.

I ordered a shish kabob and a shish tavouk kabob, which is chicken, $11.99. The shish kebob was small pieces of beef, fairly tender and flavorful. They spices here aren't that tangy, more mild. Which I like.

The shish tavouk, was tender pieces of chicken, mostly white meat. They were also flavorful but not tangy. I enjoyed the chicken and would order it again.

What I didn't like was the rice. They just cooked a new batch and it was watery. Not good. The hummus, which is ground chick peas and tahini, which is seasame seed paste, was very nice and mild. Not that tangy flavor I get from most Middle Eastern places.

Service was pretty good. Sasoon is the type of restaurant you order and pick up at the counter. But I waited a long time for the food to be ready. The reason was they needed to cook another batch of rice. Which is fine, but no need to rush. Make the food right. I would much rather wait a few minutes longer for good food, than have some half cooked, watery rice.

I would go back to Sasoon Chicken. I like the mild seasonings to their meats but I would stick with the chicken kabobs.

Zena's Lebanese Restaurant

Zena's
2094 N Tustin St
Ste C2
Orange
714-279-9511

Zenas is an expensive Lebanese restaurant. I noticed Zenas when I had lunch with a friend at the Subway next door. I should have walked in and looked at their menu.

I ordered the three skewer combo, $25.95, this had a chicken breast, kafta-ground beef, and beef skewer. All three skewers were good size and The chicken breast was very tangy and a bit on the dry side. I didn't care for this too much. the kafta skewer was overcooked on the outside and a bit dry on the inside but the quality of the ground beef was good. The beef skewer had three huge pieces of top sirloin. These were my favorite, very tender, cooked to about medium, and full of flavor. Among the best beef kebobs I've had.

The salad picture was given to me by the owner/server, either because he felt his service was slow, it was, or somebody canceled that salad. The salad was very tangy, too tangy for my taste, I only took a few bites. This is a theme at Zenas because the hummus was also too tangy for my tastes.

Service was below average. After I was seated, I could hear the server/owner talking to another guy a few tables from me. I turned and he was sitting at another table, as if there were no other customers. So it took at least five minutes before I could place my order. I didn't think it took any longer for my order to come but the server didn't come around often. He was too busy doing whatever. It took awhile for my drinks to get refilled, from them to clear the table, and get a box to go. There were maybe six other people in the dining room and a few more outside on the patio. So it wasn't busy by any means.

I would not go back to Zenas because the food isn't worth the very high prices. I will say the beef skewers are among the best I've had but $21? I could get a top sirloin steak for that price.

Hida'Way Restaurant-Closed

Hida'Way Restaurant
2117 N Orange Olive Rd
Orange
714-998-8756

While visiting a friend, who lives in the area, we passed by Hida' Way Restaurant. It looks like any neighborhood greasyspoon but I was attracted by their BROASTED Chicken sign!!! So I decide to drop in when I was in the area.

So I ordered two breast, $5.37. The owner told me it will take about eight minutes. I'm not in a hurry so I said no problem. I decide to eat there so I wait and talk with the owner about the restaurant. First on Yelp, you will find the restaurant listed as Hide Away Restaurant. It's been around for fourty years but now most of the business is take out.

The breasts finally arrive and I'm ready to dig in. I slice the breast and both of them are NOT done, yet. I would say they were about 90% done. So I told the owner, he quickly said he'll cook up two more. About 3-4 minutes later, he came out with the original pieces that he finished cooking. I checked to make sure they were done and they were. I found them to be OK, not like other broasted chicken I've had before.

I got the other two pieces and they were crispy and juicy, just like other broasted chicken I've had before. If you have a choice between broasted and regular fried chicken, get the broasted. The chicken is more crispy and juicy than regular fried chicken.

Service was good. The owner was very nice. Yes, I was put off by the first batch of chicken not being fully cooked. But I understand and he did make up for it.

I would go back to Hida'Way for the broasted chicken. They do have other things like broasted fish, shrimp, burgers and ribs. I may get a combo the next time I go.

Pacific Coast Hot Dogs

Pacific Coast Hotdogs
3438 E Chapman Ave
Orange
714-744-1415

There is a Pacific Coast Hotdogs in Huntington Beach, that I passed by a ton of times, though I've never stopped in. So when I found out that there is Pacific Coast Hotdog in Orange, I decided to finally give them a try.

I ordered the hot dog, $2.50 and the sauerkraut dog, $2.95. The hot dog comes with mustard, ketchup, relish and onions. Well no self respecting hot dog fan would eat a hot dog with ketchup on it. So I asked for no ketchup and no relish. This was an amazing hot dog. A great snap and wonderful flavor to this steamed hot dog. The bun was steamed and the onions were fresh. Well worth the price.

The sauerkraut dog also had that great snap and flavor. There was too much sauerkraut for my liking, so I took about 60% of it off. But the sauerkraut was nice and warm and fresh.

Service was very good. There was only one person working but he was working his tail off. There was a bit of a wait but not because he wasn't trying to get orders out. The amazing thing was he would wash his hands after handling money. So after each customer, he would wash his hands.

I would go back to Pacific Coast Hotdogs anytime. I may finally go try their Huntington Beach location.

Update Oct 31.




I went back to Pacific Coast Hot Dogs to try their chili dogs and fries. The chili dog, $2.75, came with mustard, onions and chili. It was the same hot dog, great snap and flavor but the chili was so bland, thin, and runny. It was so flavorless. I would stay away from the chili.

The fries, $1.86, was crispy and really good. A real treat. What a McDonald's fries hopes to be when they grow up.

I do like Pacific Coast Hot Dogs and would go back, but I would not order the chili. A simple hot dog with mustard and onions is the way to go. Also, I forgot to mention, the Orange location is cash only.

National Sports Grill- Orange-Closed

National Sports Bar
450 North State College Blvd.
Orange
714-935-0300

National Sports Grill has three location, Buena Park, Torrance, and Orange. The Orange location is within walking distance of Anaheim Stadium. So before an Angels game it can get very busy. I made the mistake of going right when CRYBABY Nation, I mean Red Sox nation, was lowering the standards of the neighborhood. Red Sox nation's logo should be a crying baby with white sheets and hood because they are the most racist and the biggest crybaby fans in all of sports. Those scumbag bastards cry over anything and everything. It was the Curse of the Bambino. It was Bucky Dent. It was Bill Buckner. No LOSERS. It was a sorry, team, filled with sorry players, owned by a bastard, racist, jerk owner. Oh get rid of that rat infest, dump of a stadium you play in. What a bunch of losers. Not even Cub fans cry that much. Maybe because Cubs fans are drunk most of the time?

Anyways I ordered the Fall Classic Cheeseburger, $7.75, which comes with shoestring fries. More on that later. Anyways the burger is good but nothing outstanding. Maybe a little better than the burger served at a greasy spoon. The burger was big about 1/4 pound and came with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese and National Sauce, which is mayo and ketchup combined. The beef was cooked just above rare, I would prefer it to be medium or medium rare at least.

Service was good. Even though all the crybabies were around, the server was quick and attentive. But I have some issues with how they ask about fries. The server asked if I wanted seasoned, waffle, or steak fries. She didn't bother to say that all those are extra. I picked waffle fries and they were $1 extra, ok 99 cents extra. It wasn't really her fault but restaurants that do this type of thing are scumbags. The other thing that pisses me off is restaurants that do not tell you that soft drink refills are not free. It is their responsibility to tell you, especially when a server asks a child if they want free refills.

Nationals is a good place to hang out before and after an Angel game. The food is decent but nothing special. But then again it is a sports bar. If you expect gourmet meals at a sports bar, you will always be disappointed.

Market Broiler-The Block of Orange

Market Broiler
20 City Blvd. West Bldg. J, Ste R-6
Orange, CA 92868
714-769-3474

The Block of Orange offers a decent range of restaurant choices and entertainment options. I think Market Broiler is one of the better restaurants options at The Block.

Market Broiler is a fish restaurant. I think one of the better values around. They offer a combo where you choose two or three entrees for $15 or $18. I ordered the mahi mahi, crab and shrimp cakes, and the teriyaki steak skewers. The mahi mahi is marinated in a miso ginger soy sauce and toppped with a sweet glaze. The mahi mahi was flakey and flavorful. The glaze was a little too sweet but nothing overwhelming.

The teriyaki steak skewers were cooked to medium rare. They were a bit tough and chewy but I wasn't expecting filet mignon. I was expecting to get lots of veggies on the skewer but as you can see in the picture they give you alot of steak.

When I first got my order they forgot the crap and shrimp cakes. When they arrived the crab and shrimp cakes looked very dry. When tasted them, they were very dry. Even the aioli dipping sauce didn't help the dryness. I think the cakes were left under a heating lamp too long. But it was filled with lots of crab, some shrimp and very little if any filler.

Service was good and friendly. But after dinner we talked for awhile and the server gave me the impression that he wanted us out of there ASAP.

I would go back to Market Broiler again though I may not order the crab and shrimp cakes again or at least make sure the cakes were fresh. Be aware that the parking at The Block is bad. You may drive around a few times before finding a parking space.

Alcatraz-Closed

Alcatraz
20 City Blvd West
Orange
714-939-8686

Located in The Block of Orange, Alcatraz has been around since The Block opened. They try to capture the spirit, landmarks, and sites of San Francisco. Too bad they can't capture the good quality food from SF.

I ordered the calamari and rock shrimp appetizer, $10.95 and the San Francisco crab melt,$11.95, on sourdough bread.

I thought the calamari and shrimp was too chewy and not fresh at all. I've never seen calamari served with a wasabi cocktail sauce. Interesting flavor but not as spicy as some cocktail sauces I've had with calamari. I did like the crunchy outside. But who really cares about a crunchy batter if the main part, calamari and shrimp aren't fresh and too chewy. The red stuff on the plate is actually ketchup. Why they would give plain ketchup for calamari is beyond me.

The crab melt was an interesting open faced sandwich. They mixed the crab with mustard, a very unusual taste. The spicyness of the mustard doesn't add to the flavor the crab. The crab is really imitation crab. Not exactly what you would expect and get from a SF area restaurant.

Service was pretty good. The server was nice and friendly. He made sure we had everything we needed.

I would not go back to Alcatraz Brewing Company again. The food is below average and I just don't think worth the price.

Hof's Hut-Orange-Closed

Hof's Hut
4050 Chapman Ave
Orange
714-634-8606

There used to be a lot more Hof's locations but I know 2-3 locations that have closed down within the past 2-3 years. Hof's Hut is a nice casual restaurant that used to serve good food at good prices.

I went to the Hof's Hut in Orange and ordered the crab and shrimp melt. It's shrimp and imitation crab served open faced with bacon, tomato, avocado and melted jack and cheddar cheese. The menu says sourdough bread but the bread wasn't sourdough. The amount of imitation crab and shrimp was lacking. The picture may make the melt look big but there wasn't a lot of shrimp or imitation crab. The bacon was crisp, but the avocado was mushy and not fresh at all. The fruit was very fresh but when the melt was served, cold fruit was put on the hot melt. Something isn't right. The melt is listed at $8.79 on the menu.

Service was good. The hostess greeted me at second I walked in. I sat at the counter and the waitress came within 2-3 minutes of me sitting down. The waitress was nice enough but within two minutes of her giving me my order, she asked how everything was. At least give me some more time before asking. I barely got one bite in before she asked. She also didn't see I needed a refill of water.

I used to like going to Hof's but I was a little disappointed on this trip back. Maybe the fact that a couple locations have closed is a sign the quality of the food is slipping. I don't think I would go back to Hof's.

Felix Continental Cafe-Closed

Felix Continental Cafe
36 Plaza Square
Orange
714-633-5842

I haven't gone o many Cuban restaurants. But one mof my first taste of Cuban cuisine was a Cuban sandwich and I have loved it ever since. I think Felix in Orange has one of the best Cuban sandwiches around. Felix is on the southwest side of the Orange Circle, which is Chapman and Glassell.

I went to Felix for lunch and the ordered the Cuban sandwich for $6.40. The sandwich is huge, as you can see from the pictures. The sandwich is filled with roast leg of pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on a Cuban baguette. The pork is nice and tender with lots of flavor. The ham is your regular lunch meat ham and the baguette is nicely toasted and chewy.

Service is good. I ordered the sandwich to good and they said it would be 10 minutes for my order. Ten minutes later the sandwich came and was pipping hot. The actual dining room is fairly small but they have outdoor seating but then you have to deal with scumbag smokers. I haven't tried any other items on the menu but the Cuban sandwich is good and a great deal.


Update May 22, 2008




I went back to Felix and again had the Cuban sandwich, now $7.95. It was still the same quality and quanity as the last time I went. A good sanwich.

I also ordered the Calamaritos Fritos, which is thin strips of squid lightly floured and deep fried. Cuban calamari, $7.50. I wasn't happy with this. The calamari was very chewy and not fresh at all. They also need to change the oil they deep fry the calamari. It's too diry and thus turns the calamari very dark brown.

Service was very good though the lady spoke with such a heavy accent, it was hard to understand her at times. But we weren't lacking for anything.

I know I should try something different but I do love a good Cuban sandwich. Maybe one day soon.