29 Things We Want to Drink and Eat on Catalina Island During Leap Year
It doesn’t matter when you want to dine on the island, there’s always something delicious to devour. But since Leap Year – and February 29 — only comes every four years, we decided to compile our 29 favorite things to drink and eat on Catalina Island.
Places to eat breakfast on Catalina Island
It’s no surprise that we love breakfast at the Catalina Coffee & Cookie Co. Not only are they our sister company, they also have all kinds of customizable options that make breakfast a never-ending buffet of choices. Right this second our fave is a bacon and cheddar sandwich on a biscuit with roasted veggies and herbed cream cheese. But that could change tomorrow – and that’s the fun of it all.
If we’re looking for a sit-down breakfast, we head down to the Pancake Cottage, where their eggs bennie is just the way to start the day.
Favorite Catalina Island restaurants for lunch
Buffalo burgers. Yes, we know that technically it’s a bison burger. No matter what you call it, this beef alternative is delicious. Our favorite spot to get one is at the DC-3 Café at the Airport in the Sky.
Not much beats Maggie’s Blue Rose for lunch (or dinner for that matter). We’re particularly fond of the fish tacos and the avocado enchiladas, but frankly, we love it all.
Big enough to share with a friend or two, the carnitas nachos at the Buffalo Nickel are so good you’ll be craving them from halfway across the country. Trust us, we know.
When we are looking for something a little healthier, we dive into the Cobb Salad at Catalina Charlies.
Another favorite place for lunch on the island is Café Metropole, where their gyro pita is to die for. Get with sweet potato fries – IYKYK.
Great places to get a snack on the island
It may seem crazy to those who aren’t nearly as addicted as we are, but one of our favorite afternoon snacks are the French fries at Coney Island West. They go perfect with a burger – but we love them just by themselves as well.
One of our all-time Catalina favorite foods can be found at the Naughty Fox. Their ahi poke nachos are a delectable combination of perfect poke with a great place to watch the world go by.
There’s more than one fabulous place to enjoy the view in Avalon and Topside by NDMK certainly fits the bill. We love enjoying their soup of the day while checking out South Beach.
Arcade gaming makes you hungry. That’s why we love the boneless wings at Three Palms Avalon Arcade. That and the fact you can turn the kids loose in the arcade and have a beer with those boneless wings.
Speaking of turning the kids loose, Lloyd’s of Avalon is every child’s dream come true candy store. While you can run amuck here with an array of goodies, our fave is saltwater taffy still warm from the taffy machine.
While we’ve got our sweet tooth going on, there’s a couple of places that can’t be missed: Sailor’s Delight and Scoop’s offer delicious ice cream treats and the cinnamon rolls at Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co will have you dreaming of them for days.
The best restaurants for dinner on Catalina Island
From high-end steakhouse to cheap eats on the beach, dinner in Avalon can be just about anything you want it to be – and that’s what makes it so much fun.
Steve’s Steakhouse and Seafood is always a great choice for a fine meal, no matter what you order – especially the filet mignon with hollandaise.
It’s an island – seafood is always a wise decision. Shrimp is our go-to, but for our favorite? It’s a toss up between the da bomb shrimp at NDMK and the firecracker shrimp at El Galleon.
Fresh fish at the Lobster Trap is another can’t-go-wrong option. Macadamia nut crusted halibut may just be one of the best things ever. Opening shortly after Leap Day, their newly remodeled restaurant offers plenty of room to enjoy.
Another favorite is Bluewater Avalon, where the cioppino and the fresh fish are our go-to choices on what is always a tempting menu.
The M Restaurant never disappoints, especially when you order their calamari or their sand dabs, both made with classic island recipes.
When we’re craving some culinary innovation, we book a reservation at the Avalon Grille, where an ever-changing seasonal menu always offers a surprise or two, and the fried green beans must start out every meal.
Casual options for dinner are also delicious, including grabbing a burger at Luau Larry’s, tacos at the Sand Trap or some nachos at Coyote Joe’s.
Best drinks at bars on Catalina
One of our favorite restaurants is also home to home of our favorite cocktails. You can’t go wrong with Mojitos at Bluewater. A little lime, a little mint and just enough rum and you’ve got yourself a perfect recipe for a perfect happy hour.
You can have Catalina’s signature cocktail at any bar in town, but we love having a buffalo milk at Two Harbors. The deceptively delicious concoction was allegedly developed here and we haven’t found any evidence to contradict the claim.
Craving a beer? Catalina sports it own nano-brewery, with a rotating menu of beers brewed on the island, served daily at the Catalina Island Brew House.
It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, it’s always the right season for a Descanso destroyer at the Descanso Beach Club. Almost as famous as a Buffalo Milk, there’s just something about having your toes in the sand that makes this cocktail perfect.
Places to eat on Catalina Island
Hopefully we’ve inspired you with an array of things to drink and eat on Catalina Island. While we can’t promise all 29, the Catalina Food Tour is the perfect way to start sampling.