6 Best Restaurants in Catalina Island, Orange County and Catalina Island

Set on an expansive deck overlooking the water and a few boats, Descanso Beach Club serves a wide range of favorites: grilled burgers, street tacos, clam chowder, salads, and layered nachos. Try the island's sweet signature cocktail, Buffalo Milk---a mix of fruit liqueurs, vodka, and whipped cream. Firepits and chic beach cabanas add to the scene, as does the sound of happy and terrified screams from the zipliners in the canyon above the beach. There is a shop to purchase beach items, and a stand to rent kayaks and snorkel equipment.

Grab a stool at this little snack bar on the Green Pleasure Pier for people-watching while drinking a draft beer and munching on a burrito, fish-and-chips, or signature buffalo burger.

Overlooking the harbor, this open-to-the-sea-air patio is the preferred spot to dine on freshly caught fish, savory chowders, and all manner of shellfish. Order a swordfish steak, the lobster roll, or the sand dabs if they are on the menu. Save room for homemade Key lime pie or java mud pie. The dining room has a nautical vibe. Fishing rods serve as room dividers, and plank floors lend a casual feel inside and out. Vintage black-and-white photos acknowledge the island's famed sportfishing legacy. Happy hour offers craft beers, potent cocktails, and tasty bites like fried calamari and oyster shooters.

There is no Starbucks on the island, so the Catalina Coffee & Cookie Company is very popular in the morning. While you're grabbing your coffees, lattes, and mochas, you may want to kick-start the day with fresh-baked pastries, a hot breakfast burrito, or one of their custom made-to-order bagel sandwiches. Sit outside at one of the tables in the quaint Metropole Market Place.

Seafood rules at the popular, newly renovated Lobster Trap. Try the grilled swordfish with mixed veggies, grilled salmon salad, seafood pasta, tacos, and burritos. Locals and visitors sit at the open kitchen counter or large bar with hooks underneath for bags and outlets to charge your devices. Some prefer the elevated tables in the "Money Matters" boat. 

A hop, skip, and a jump from the bay, this popular second-floor restaurant keeps regulars happy with sizzling steaks and locally caught swordfish and shrimp. The sultry black-and-blue decor and old-fashioned supper club feel creates a romantic atmosphere set off with stunning harbor views.