Fab Food, Killer Chocolates And a Posh Resort: 36 Hours in Huntington Beach, California

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Fantastic restaurants. Beaches that stretch on just shy of forever. A great, walkable downtown. Amazing chocolates. A great harbor tour. And a luxurious, family-friendly resort.

I grew up in California and spend a good deal of time there. But somehow I’d never spent a night in Huntington Beach until last month. My flight from Toronto to LAX was delayed eight hours, so I pretty much had only one day. But I got a pretty good idea how you could make a great visit work, so here’s my experience.

WHERE TO STAY

I was able to spend a couple of nights at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, which is right across the road from the beach and connected by a pedestrian walkway that crosses Pacific Coast Highway. The rooms are enormous; a large living/work area with a king-size bed, a desk, chair and a sofa bed, plus a large balcony. There’s a big-screen TV, of course, and a large bathroom. The swimming pool is quite large and very pretty, and they also have waterslides for the kids. The hotel also a nice shopping village with a pretty fountain and several shops, as well as a 24-hour gym and a spa. There’s a pedestrian bridge to take you over Pacific Coast Highway for easy beach access. It’s a very short drive or a roughly one kilometer walk to the Pier or to downtown Huntington Beach.

WHAT TO EAT

DINNER AT THE HYATT

The lively Watertable Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency does a great job at dinner. I had a fabulous Monton de Spice cocktail with tanteo jalapeño tequila, pineapple, lime, agave, angostura bitters as well as an  Apple and fennel salad with mixed greens, parmesan, spiced almonds and an apple cider vinaigrette. I kept it simple for dinner and ordered the bone-in chicken breast, which was fabulous. It came with chive mashed potatoes, roasted heirloom carrots, harissa vinaigrette and a lovely curried coconut yogurt. There’s also a nice bar.

BREAKFAST DOWNTOWN

Located in the heart of Main Street, Sugar Shack Café is an iconic dining spot that’s been serving hungry guests in the same location since 1967. That was the Summer of Love in San Francisco, and the year Huntington Beach residents fell in love with this casual restaurant. They’re known for their all-day breakfasts, with a menu that goes on just shy of forever and a vast array of dishes to choose from. They’re famous for their eggs benedict, but also for raisin bread French Toast and three-egg omelettes. Not to mention three-egg burritos, because, well, two eggs just isn’t enough. Lunch items include patty melts, avocado and sprouts (hey, this is California) and chili with fries, along that with daily specials such as meat loaf and “turkey with all the fixins.” There’s indoor dining and a nice outdoor spot on Main Street with big umbrellas to shield you from the sun.

PACIFIC CITY LUNCH

Located behind a door inside Bluegold Restaurant in the posh Pacific City shopping center, LSXO is an offshoot of Little Sister restaurant, which has outlets in several Southern California cities. It’s a small but visually stunning restaurant with beautiful artefacts from Vietnam and lovely views of the beach. The cocktails are to die for, most notably the Cool Runnings with rum, elyx, pineapple, all spice, cognac and passion fruit. It comes in a bronze cup shaped like a pineapple and is topped with a small umbrella, a flower and several chunks of colourful fruit, such as orange or blackberries. It’s definitely one of the most attractive drinks I’ve seen anywhere, and it tastes just as good. Mind you, it packs a wallop at lunch time, so you might want to arrange a room at the Hyatt for your afternoon nap. The “soupy” noodles are terrific, and the “shaky shaky beef” is tremendous; served with just the right amount of spice and plated with watercress, baby tomatoes and burnt butter soy with tomato garlic fried rice that’s lick-the-plate good. They play loud music, often hip hop, so it’s not a spot for a business meeting. But it’s tasty as can be, and the space is gorgeous.

A CHOCOLATE BREAK

Bella Sophia is a killer chocolate shop at the Pacific City shopping center. It’s also got quite a story behind it.

Owners Steph and Jim Shafer were both badly affected by the pandemic when it hit early in 2020. Steph was a physiotherapist who worked with Olympic athletes, but in-person training ground to a halt. Jim was at an assistant principal at a local private school, and we all know what happened to schools in March of 2020.

They had been making chocolates and other sweets as what Steph calls a “side hustle,” but with a teenage daughter at home and no jobs, they figured it was time to try it full-time.

Steph posted some photos of her chocolates on Instagram and used hashtags like “shop local” and “support local.” Her phone lit up with orders.

With COVID in full flight, they started out delivering chocolates to people who waited in their cars. A spot came up at the Pacific City center last year. Steph admitted to the landlord that she had no retail experience, but she talked her way into getting the space. Their shop is now wildly popular and they’re thinking of a major expansion.

Steph is a talented painter and designs dazzling chocolates and bon bons. Jim helps out and also manages the finances. Their daughter, Isabella, for whom the shop is named, is learning the ropes and sometimes handles the cash register, which is increasingly busy as word of the family’s chocolate magic spreads.

The concept is not only beautiful chocolate, but pure ingredients and no added sugar. A look through their shop might reveal chocolates that are shaped like a hamburger, or maybe a pair of tall, red high-heels or a surfboard.

Jim tells me they get their chocolate from places such as Belize, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

“We like to work with smaller, family-owned farms. We like to know where our chocolate is coming from.”

Their chocolates have been included in gift bags handed to stars at both the Academy Awards and the Emmys.

I sampled a couple of chocolates in the shop, including a crème brulee/white chocolate treat and a dark chocolate filled with 25-year-old Macallans scotch, and found them exquisite.

DUKE’S FOR DINNER

Located alongside the Huntington Beach Pier, Duke’s is a great seafood restaurant with killer sunsets. Order a Mai Tai and some crab won tons and watch the sun go down, then dig into a plate of macadamia nut-crusted mahi mahi, or maybe even a steak. The ahi poke tacos come in a crunchy shell with plenty of avocado, and they’re delicious. They often have live shows at night, so check out the hula dancing and the great Hawaiian music. Duke’s is named for the legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku, and you’ll find nice displays of surfing and personal memorabilia near the front desk.

WHAT TO DO

HARBOR TOUR

Prince Charters has five ships that can take you or a group around the curves and swirls of Huntington Beach’s pretty harbor. When I went, Captain Doug Misterly was playing great 1960’s surf music over the P.A. system, including tunes from Jan and Dean. (It’s worth noting that Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame is on the board of the Huntington Beach tourism board.) Misterly pointed out beautiful mansions and some quirky homes with oddball decorations, such as pirates and crocodiles. The harbor has something like 5.5 miles of canals, so there’s plenty to see. There’s even a small area with a circular beach. You’ll find several shops that can rent you a canoe or kayak, or a stand-up paddleboard. There’s even an electric boat rental place if you’re not in the mood for exercise.

Click here for a video.

INTERNATIONAL SURFING MUSEUM

There’s a small but fun International Surfing Museum in downtown Huntington Beach, which focuses on the history of surfing in California but also has monstrous, and monstrously heavy, old surfboards once ridden by the likes of surf legend Duke Kahanamoku. You’ll also find great surfing photos and posters and a small but fine book shop.

CHECK OUT THE BEACH

There are two state beaches in Huntington Beach and three others, including Huntington Dog Beach. The entire western front of the city is pretty much one big stretch of beautiful sand. You’ll find fire pits along the way, as well as casual restaurants and beach volleyball spots. There are great bike lanes all up and down the beach, and plenty of places to rent one. The Hyatt Regency has a rental shop, as well. Don’t miss a chance to walk out on the Huntington Beach Pier to check the surfers. Just like the beach, there’s no charge.

Click here for a brief surfing video taken from the Pier.

SHOP (BUT PLEASE DON’T DROP)

Pacific City is a lovely, outdoor shopping mecca with such shops as lululemon, Tommy Bahamas, Bearfruit Jewelry. Besides Bluegold and LSXO, check out Ola Mexican Kitchen, Old Crow Smokehouse, Four Sons Brewing and other dining/drinking places. Main Street has a ton of surf shops and boutique stores to check out. They close off part of the street for a farmers’ market on Tuesdays from 2 to 11 p.m., with fruits, veggies, art, music and more. A few minutes from downtown, Old World Village is done up like a small, German town and features European restaurants and shops.

JUST THE FACTS

Huntington Beach is roughly 45 minutes from LAX and just 20 minutes from John Wayne/Orange County Airport. 

TOURISM INFORMATION

https://www.surfcityusa.com/