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OC’s Top Tourist Draws Elevate Dining Options

Disneyland put Anaheim and Orange County on the tourism map, but there’s plenty more to see, do, and taste in the area than just visiting the happiest place on Earth.

Culinary tourism is considered a significant segment of the tourism industry and often ranks high in importance to tourists—which explains why many resorts and hotels have refocused their efforts to provide guests and locals with a more refined dining experience.

According to data from Visit California, tourism spending in Orange County in 2023 increased by 5.3%, reaching $15.8 billion. Dining was a key component of that total.

Below is a sampling of new, and updated dining options at several of OC’s busier tourism hubs.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken: 90 Years Strong

There’s another theme park in Orange County with a notable restaurant that’s celebrating a landmark anniversary: Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm.

The restaurant turned 90 on June 13 and is still serving what longtime customers say is the best fried chicken in town.

According to Knott’s Berry Farm, the story of the restaurant begins in the 1920s when Walter and Cordelia Knott began farming their acres of leased land in the farm community of Buena Park.

To make ends meet, Cordelia began serving hot biscuits and homemade preserves to customers of the family’s roadside produce stand. Word spread, and by 1934 it became necessary for Cordelia to expand her menu to include her now famous country-fried chicken.

On opening day (June 13, 1934), Cordelia served eight 65-cent dinners on her own wedding china. By 1940, visitors were standing in line for hours to enjoy Walter’s boysenberries and Cordelia’s chicken.

The challenge of entertaining the crowds led Walter to create an authentic Ghost Town on the property, thereby creating Southern California’s first “themed” amusement park.

Seating for 1,000

Today, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant serves an average of 1,000 chickens daily, making it one of the largest, full service, single location restaurants in the world, with seating for 1,000 diners in eight separate dining rooms.

Mrs. Knott’s traditional chicken dinner hasn’t changed much since 1934 with its family-style dining that includes country-fried chicken, choice of cherry rhubarb appetizer or chicken noodle soup, tossed green salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, choice of kernel corn or cabbage with ham, plus all-you-can-eat buttermilk biscuits with butter and preserves.

You can also add a piece of Mrs. Knott’s famous boysenberry pie or boysenberry sherbet for dessert.

On July 6, celebrate National Fried Chicken Day at the restaurant. Enjoy special fried chicken dishes and celebrate this delicious occasion with photo ops and a discount only available on this day.

Next door to the theme park is the Knott’s Hotel, which features Thirty Acres Kitchen—named after the original 30 acres the Knotts family farmed back in the 1920s. The restaurant is billed as a New American family-friendly restaurant serving a seasonal, rustic dining menu inspired by local ingredients and classic cooking techniques.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant: 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, (714) 220-5055, knotts.com/dining/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-restaurant

Watertable: 10 Years Strong

Watertable at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa marked its 10-year anniversary in April. The resort’s water table is positioned exactly at sea level, hence the restaurant’s name.

The menu was created by Manfred Lassahn, executive chef of the resort and the mastermind behind Watertable. The restaurant features innovative contemporary American fare that takes its inspiration from the restaurant’s backyard of the Pacific Ocean.

Lassahn has served in executive-level culinary roles within the Hyatt Hotels Corp. for nearly three decades, including a recognition as Hyatt Hotels’ Chef of the Year.

His dishes are seasonally dictated, naturally raised and sustainably sourced offerings. He has also worked with the Southern California Food Allergy Institute to designate recipes and items on his menus that accommodate dietary allergies.

Notable dishes include bone marrow with mushrooms, madeira, parsley and grilled sourdough baguette; Strawberry and Pickled Cucumber Salad with arugula, frisée, radicchio, salted pecans, strawberry vinaigrette and matcha ricotta; Branzino with onion soubise, chard, butter beans, tomatoes, olives and capers; and Seared Duck Breast with strawberry rhubarb sauce, roasted cauliflower, pee wee potatoes, pancetta, almonds and orange chimichurri.

According to Lassahn, “My inspiration stems from my family heritage as a first-generation American of German descent, valuing seasonality and preserving flavors year-round. As culinary trends evolve, it is my responsibility to create this year’s ‘little black dress’ of food, incorporating innovative ideas while honoring timeless culinary essence. I stay observant and embrace both new and resurfacing trends.”

Watertable has received Wine Spectator’s coveted Best of Award of Excellence every year since 2019.

The restaurant also serves breakfast, as well as a late-night bar menu.

Watertable: 21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, (714) 845-4776, watertablehb.com

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Sonia Chung
Sonia Chung
Sonia Chung joined the Orange County Business Journal in 2021 as their Marketing Creative Director. In her role she creates all visual content as it relates to the marketing needs for the sales and events teams. Her responsibilities include the creation of marketing materials for six annual corporate events, weekly print advertisements, sales flyers in correspondence to the editorial calendar, social media graphics, PowerPoint presentation decks, e-blasts, and maintains the online presence for Orange County Business Journal’s corporate events.
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