Hey, all. Have to go out to Upland tomorrow night. Have plenty of time to grab some dinner. Any recommendations? My little exploratory search on Yelp didn’t yield anything that looked terribly promising. Thanks.
If you have time, I think this is worth the drive:
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I used to live there. Depends on what you’re looking for, and how much you want to spend.
Sycamore Inn offers great happy hour. Good drinks and steakhouse apps.
San Biaggio Pizza is terrific. Go Sicilian if you’re hungry. It’s cash only, so be prepared. If you head over to the location on Mountain, grab dessert at Handel’s Ice Cream. It’s some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The location on Campus takes plastic, but there isn’t a Handel’s nearby.
Juanita’s on Grove in Ontario has fantastic burritos and nachos. Don’t go to the Upland location…different owner. The tortillas are made fresh in-house. I’m in love with the Chile Verde nachos with everything…the hot sauce is home made and so amazing! I miss this place so much!
There’s an oddly high number of sushi joints in Upland…and I was never able to figure out why. But the best place is Kazama in Claremont. The chef used to work out in the city at Sushi Zo or something like it…sorry, can’t remember…but the fish is great and service is always good.
Vince’s Spaghetti is a big draw in the area, but I’m not impressed. Skip California Sushi on Foothill…not good at all. The Heights on Campus has a fantastic view of the lights in the valley, but the food is pretty pedestrian.
Also in Claremont is The Back Abbey, which is a gastropub with excellent Niman Ranch burgers (ground fresh daily) and the most amazing Kennebuc French fries fried in duck fat. Deliciously ducky. All condiments are made in-house, too. Just beer and wine. If you want cocktails go around the corner to the lounge at Casa 425. Sit in the courtyard and enjoy fantastic cocktails.
I haven’t lived there in about 3 years, but worked in the area up until about a year ago, so I’m fairly well-versed in the offerings. I’ve likely forgotten or skipped over something good, but these were my favorites.
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Best spicy seafood noodles in town with handmade noodles. If you like spicy ask them to make it extra spicy. The chiles are fried in oil which gives the entire broth an amazing smokiness.
No joke, I have yet to find a version in SGV as good as this one.
Avoid the rest of the menu. It’s pretty average Chinese-American fare.
http://m.yelp.com/biz_photos/china-point-rancho-cucamonga?select=DBKJ8SpB8WoIKA4aFAOEyQ
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2nd Juanita’s & Back Abbey.
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no joke, you’re starting to sound like me Portos.
and that ain’t no fucking joke.
I hope everything is Ok with you. 
El Tarasco meat market for excellent carnitas. Huge chunks. Burrito or tacos for me. The burrito does have rice but the amount of carnitas is ample. Also to note, this burrito is huge and around $5. Also love their “smooth” guacamole in the coolers near the exit/entrance. No seating, but there is a nice park nearby.
El Tarasco is a true gem and dive as well!
Upland German Deli for reubens, chicken schnitzel sandwiches, and there amazing desserts. I really enjoy their linzer tort and their apple strudel is no joke, maybe the best apple strudel in the LA/OC area. Also nice German potato salad and spätzle.
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These places may be better for lunch.
For dinner, if you like beer and burgers, no brainier is Back Abbey.
A little bit further on the 210 and you can hit up Slaters 50/50 in Rancho Cucamonga. I like the Mac n cheese balls.
Also in Claremont there is nondescript taco place called Petiscos. Fish and pork tacos are good and the elote is as well.
+1 The Back Abbey. Good Food, Nice Vibe. Can be noisy inside tho.
If you don’t mind a super casual place, i.e. a dive, try Ashirwad The Blessings (vegetarian). Fresh Indian home cooking.
If you are into coffee, Klatch in San Dimas in one of the better ones in Southland.
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Thank you all for the copious amount of info. Due to working a bit late and the magic that is the 10 E on Friday night, I was only able to swing through the drive-thru at Juanita’s in Ontario. Hit the spot. Old school hard shell tacos with little cups of hot sauce have the power to make me instantly happy. Even more notable was the staff - when I drove up to the window, they are all in such very good spirits. Next time I am out there, Back Abbey for sure. Gotta say that I am very intrigued by this place in Colton. Maybe on my next journey towards PS. Thanks again everyone!
Route 66 tamales and tacos. Hole in the wall on the corner of Foothill and Grove. Very good tamales and tacos. Both are on the smaller side which I prefer. Tacos come with cilantro, onions and guac sauce. They give you a bottle if ref and green salsa on the side to pour as you like. Good cantaloupe agua fresca.
I’d come back if in the area.
I’m rescind my rec for Back Abbey. We went back recently on a Friday night, and it wasn’t as good as it’s been in the past. It wasn’t too busy. We caught a table outside. Service was okay…the food was not as good as we remembered. The duck fat fries were not duck-y…they were good Belgian-style frites, but there wasn’t a trace of duck aroma. The burgers were lacking in flavor, too…not seasoned properly nor were they cooked to my liking…mine was completely over. It was incredibly disappointing. We’ve since moved out of this area for quite some time now, and don’t have as much reason to return.
Anybody have more recent recs in the Upland Claremont area? I’m going to my daughter’s dance competition in the area. Should be done around 5:30-6. Worst case scenario we’ll head back to civilization and eat in the Rowland Heights area.
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Sanamluang is in Claremont and right off the freeway. I was there for lunch this week and it was great…and also really reasonably priced.
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Thanks @attran99 this is perfect. We were so sad when Ruen Pair closed in Rowland Heights. I’ve only been to the Hollywood Sanamluang once or twice. Pics on Yelp look good.
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