Sauced BBQ & Spirits | The Market Place

Cleverly named sauces like Pig Candy and Hot Tin Roof add ambiance to this authentic, slow-cooked Southern barbecue. Start with Bumpkins – egg rolls with brisket, pimento cheese and chipotle blackberry sauce. Continue with pork belly burnt ends or the behemoth Dinosaur Beef Rib. Sandwiches and smash burgers often get an Asian spin. There are beer and shot combos; make a cocktail a double for $4 more.

Paris Baguette | Campus Plaza

To find baguettes and croissants of such high quality at a bakery-cafe with five locations in Paris as well as three in Irvine represents a miracle of consistency. Make it a meal with, say, a prosciutto baguette or smoked-salmon croissant. Fans also flock for matcha-mochi doughnuts, chicken Caesar salads, souffle cheesecakes and hazelnut lattes.

Katsu Bar | Culver Plaza

Curry plates star with deep-fried slices of chicken, pork or vegetables benefiting from distinctive rosemary- and salt-infused breading. Shrimp curry is new. So are fried yubu pockets – Korea’s generous answer to Japanese sushi – presented as a four-piece assortment. Also popular are Japanese milk-bread sandwiches such as the Rosemary Katsu, above. Heftier versions on buns come in Nashville, Baja and Kamikaze options.