Any recommendations for the area around the 210 and 57 area like Glendora, San Dimas, Pomona, Claremont, Upland or Ontario? I’m asking about a very specific area becayse I live in Claremont and I’m not looking to travel more than 20 minutes no traffic so nothing in the heart of the 626 or east of Rancho Cucamonga and I try not to go down to Rowland or Hacienda area because the traffic on the 57 is so volatile.
I’ve been living here on and off for the past couple years and constantly find myself reluctantly perusing Yelp soanybody have any good spots? I’m looking for one dollar sign kind of joints, any cuisine is okay and chains are okay as well.
Ashirwad, my favorite Indian restaurant in the LA basin. Their dishes are healthy and fresh. Try their Dosas, and ask for daily vegetable dish. Think their sweets are homemade.
Euro Cafe, great place for Portuguese sandwiches and desserts. Yeah, they have nata.
In Claremont downtown, you have Dr Grubb for when you want to indulge yourself just a bit. And Some Crust Bakery for design your own breakfast sliders. It’s great.
Hilltop’s Jamaican Market & Restaurant in Pomona has really good Jamaican food. Don’t their decor hold you back. Their beef paddies really stands out. (And I was from South Florida).
Donahoo’s Golden Chicken in Pomona for fried chicken. Klactch Coffee in San Dimas.
I spent 7 years living in Upland before we moved back to civilization due to personal and practical lifestyle reasons. I’ve got quite a few suggestions for you.
+1 to Some Crust, Viva Madrid, and Donahoo’s. The cakes at Some Crust are very good if you ever need one. The tapas at Viva Madrid are great. I don’t really drink coffee, but everyone loves Coffee Klatch (sp?). Juanita’s III (Ontario - located just right off the 4th Street exit on the 10) - This place has the best nachos in the area. They have ladies who make the tortillas fresh all day long, and while you’re waiting for your food and they’re not as busy, they might pass you a fresh one to snack on. My kids used to get freebies all the time. My favorite is the pork chile verde nachos with all the toppings. Ask for extra extra hot sauce and slather that on…it’s a tad on the spicy side, but it’s so good. Prices are way reasonable and portions are huge. My husband also likes the burritos and my kids enjoyed the potato tacos. We try to go every time we find ourselves back in the neighborhood. San Biago’s Pizza (Upland and Montclair) - Laid-back Sicilian-style pizza. The pizza is really good here. The Sicilian thick crust is no joke, and fills you up fast. The location on Mountain off the 10 used to be cash only, not sure if that’s still the case. However the Upland Colonies location will take plastic. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream (Upland and Rancho Cucamonga) - This place makes some of the best ice cream in the area. Their flavors are robust and much like what they claim to be. Graham Central Station really tastes like a graham cracker in ice cream form. Love chocolate and peanut butter, then the Buckeye is for you. I don’t like bananas, but their banana cream pie is fantastic…the bits of crispy vanilla wafer cookies are great. We also like blueberry crumble, strawberry cheesecake, and the kids like the sherbets and sorbets. They have $1 scoop Wednesdays. Upland is a walk-up window location and Rancho is more like a shop. https://store.claros.com/ (Upland) - Get all your Italian market needs here. I love their deli, and get an upgraded prosciutto sandwich every time I visit. They have pastas, sauces, and great bulk sausages. http://oldworlddeli.com/ (Upland and West Covina) - They make a fabulous broasted chicken. Really it’s a lot like fried chicken. The potato wedges that come with it are great, too. The deli salads are good here, too. I love their pasta salad. https://m.yelp.com/biz/pho-mai-upland (Upland) - Located in the same strip mall as Handel’s and San Biagio. I started going here right before I moved. The nice Vietnamese family makes good pho and beef stew. Prices are reasonable for the area. PHO HA VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT - Home (Rancho Cucamonga) - Solid pho. Spiced and seasoned well. The family knows what they’re doing. This was close to our house, so we went whenever I had a craving. Darvish Restaurant (Claremont - close to the colleges) - Habib is a great guy and his Persian food is very good. The lunch specials are reasonable because for $10 you get a lot of food. I am in love with his basmati rice with saffron. We’ve done large family dinners and parties there, and were treated very well. The Back Abbey (downtown Claremont) - One of the first gastropubs to open in the area. It’s a family-owned place (they also own Union on Yale down the street and Petisco’s taco stand down the street). The beer selection is quite good, if you’re into beer. Their burgers are fantastic, as are their duck-fat fries. They are the best duck-fat fries I’ve ever had because they are so ducky. They make all their own sauces. My kid loves the fresh pretzel and grape soda. It can get pretty busy, but I love sitting on the patio on a nice evening. Service here is always great. Uno Tre Otto (downtown Claremont) - This used to be La Piccoletta one of the best Italian places in Claremont until the owners rebranded it. The quality is still high, but it’s not as homey as it used to be. Apparently, it’s owned by The Back Abbey family, too. Lounge 425 - Hotel Casa 425 (downtown Claremont) - The patio lounge/bar is one of the nicest places to sit and have a cocktail in the area. The courtyard is lit up, and the mood is casual. We usually come here after having dinner in Claremont before going home. Kazama Sushi (downtown Claremont) - It used to be owned by a former Sushi Zo chef and was down the street from my house in Upland. He and his wife ran the place and the fish and rice quality were fantastic. They then moved to Claremont to a new upscale location where the food continued to be good. Not sure if they still own it. There are a plethora of sushi places in Upland along Foothill Blvd…and I never understood why. However, I would suggest that you stay away from California Garden Sushi on the eastern end of Foothill in Upland…that place was terrible. http://www.claremontcheese.com/ (downtown Claremont) - Great cheese selection and good sandwiches.
There are plenty more places in the area…it’s not a complete culinary wasteland filled with chains. I’ll add more when I’ve had time to really think about it, and will also provide you with places to avoid…because there’s a few clunckers in the neighborhood, too.
Enjoy!
Miss Donut and Bagel in La Verne on Bonita & D Street (can’t speak to the Foothill Blvd. location, but if related probably also good). they used to have great donuts and also tuna fish on bagel sandwich.
El Merendero in Pomona (Garey location or by Fairplex) their burritos could feed you for three days. I went strictly for beans, rice, guac, cheese and sauce, but they’ve got a variety of goods-point and ask and they’ll throw it in.
Tropical Mexico - restaurant has been business since at least the 70’s, maybe earlier…the dirt parking lot, shaggy pepper trees, and converted residence have long disappeared but the tradition is still there and strong margaritas. It was a standard in my Cal Poly grad school days (early 80’s).along with El Merendero … S. East End Ave., below Mission. Mexico Lindo on Garey is related. tropmex.com
I’ve had more time to ponder and realized that I completely forgot about a few places. Donut Man (Glendora) - Solid donuts. The highlights are fresh strawberry donuts, fresh peach donuts, and tiger tails. They also make a mean cruller and buttermilk bar. the cheesecake filled ones are great, too. The strawberry and peach donuts are like eating pie but in donut form. A tiger tail can easily feed 3 people…or 1 if it’s fresh and still warm. Fan-freaking-tastic. Jim and his staff know what they’re doing. Kick Back Jack’s (formerly BC Cafe) (Claremont and Rancho Cucamonga) - Breakfast or brunch here on the weekends is ridiculous. Lines out the door. But their breakfasts/bunches are generous and solid. Their blueberry pancakes taste like blueberry muffins. The corned beef hash is the way I like it…thin and crispy patties that are pillowy soft inside. For lunch, they’ll fry fresh chips with your sandwich…I’m a sucker for fresh-fried chips. The Heights Restaurant and Bar (Upland) - Nice place to have a drink with a view of the valley. The Happy Hour deals here are good. Sycamore Inn (Upland) - This old inn was converted into a higher-end steaks and chops place likely in the 70s or 80s. They have a solid happy hour menu with a great bar. The bartenders know how to make great classic cocktails here. Upland Farmer’s Market (Upland) - The some of the food vendors are solid. The elote corn people on the northern most end of the market roast some great corn. If Brody’s Hawaiian BBQ shows up, eat there. Skip the Chinese food stalls…trust me. The Baking Company of Rancho Cucamonga makes some great bread for sandwiches, toast, or French toast. China Point (Rancho Cucamonga) - The black bean noodles here are really good. Want more spice? Ask for extra spicy. It’s pretty good Chinese take-out food if you don’t want to go too far away. Caffe Allegro (Upland and La Verne) - Bistro fusion of Italian and French dishes. They make some great seafood pastas and a solid chicken parm. Limerick’s Tavern (Upland and coming soon Alhambra) - Solid pub food, good beers, priced well. We’ve had many a date night with friends here. Kishi Japanese (Upland) - If you ever find the need for Teppan grill, Kishi is the place to go. It’s been owned by the same family for ages. They treat you well, and the food (and show) is good. Don’t go to Mora down the street…that place has changed hands at least 3 times when I lived there.
I am not a fan of Bert & Rocky’s ice cream. Handel’s and Dr. Bob’s are far superior. I imagine that I’ll be adding more to this thread as I remember all the really good stuff I used to eat when we lived there…or some of the terrible places I think should be avoided. Enjoy!
Really tasty sides, waffles and of course fried chicken. Turkey greens, yams and Mac n cheese are great. Waffle is good and fried chicken is lightly battered and fried to order. Oh yeah, red beans and rice is good too.
Also, on Foothill there is a place called El Tarasco Market. The carnitas, chips, and guacamole (smooth one) are really good. They chop the carnitas nice and chunky too. The burritos are about $5 and can be two meals, YMMV.
El Tarasco Market
8161 E Foothill Blvd
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
Irine’s Cafe Bakery in Glendora has very good Greek/Mediterranean food, anything with filo dough (crazy over the top pie/cheesecake hybrids) and really tasty stuffed grape leaves - sort of braised and very savory. Service is very attentive.
Mazamany in Glendora is a Lebanese eatery that I didn’t get a chance to try but I think is worth seeking out. Anyone have luck with this place?
Rika’s Empanadas has a wide selection of empanadas (some interesting ones like blue cheese, bacon and prunes, fatay (Arabian), and tuna. I didn’t try the pizzas, but a young lad grabbed one to go while I was there, and it was loaded down with a ton of cheese and topped with a bunch of red peppers, ham and olives - not for “the faint of heart,” or Napolitano schoolers.
Sate House in Walnut has some of the better examples of Indonesian dishes we’ve had in SoCal. Great saté, kangkong and nasi dishes. The owner is very nice and will offer suggestions for newbies.
Just a warning, I think @A5KOBE mentioned some time ago that Viva Madrid isn’t as good as it used to be. I’ve not been back since we moved out of the area 5-6 years ago.
The Back Abbey has a great selection of beers to choose from. The duck fat fries aren’t as good as they used to be. The burgers there are okay. Union on Yale (owned by the same people) executes food better. Casa 425 is great for courtyard cocktails.
