The Wild Artichoke

I have been here three times and every time I am amazed by the food. To be honest I have only ordered off of their menu once the other times I tried their specials. Our favorite special was a skirt steak that was cooked perfectly, my husband and I had it a few years ago and we still talk about it today. This is a small restaurant so make reservations I was sent away one time for not making one.

AMAZING!!! A completely different experience from my previous Unilocal review… as we left the previous place & drove alil’ ways down the road, we happily made our way here!!! The hostess/​waitress had the most infectious smile & was soo warm & inviting… from the refreshing iced tea. outstanding artichoke dip. juicy & mouthwatering free-​range fried chicken. to the decadent strawberry rhubarb pie… it was such a lovely experience & you can bet WE will be BACK!!!

Oh my word this place is a tiny little gem, fantastic food. I would call it more French inspired than American though. If you are looking for an adventure, get the chef’s choice and wait for the surprise. First dish was WAY too spicy for me, but was perfect for my boyfriend. The chef was very responsive to requests on preferences. We chose this option because EVERYTHING looked good. The food on other tables smelled delicious. The environment was quiet and intimate. The staff are really invested in their work. You could tell the Chef’s are in love with their job and have passion making their art. I can’t wait to go back.

Wonderful small restaurant with very attentive staff. These folks appeared to be in love with what they are doing. My wife had a halibut that was simply outstanding. I had the shrimp scampi with pasta that was very beyond my expectations. We were both eating light so we we’re reluctant to get some of the cream sauces that sounded amazing.

Haven’t been here is a while and I’m asking myself why??? The best dinner we have had in a really long time! Great food and great service!

I had no idea this hidden gem was right around the corner from me! I have only eaten lunch there, but can’t wait to have dinner there soon. It has great ambiance and the food is delicious! Wish I could have lunch there everyday!

Dee lish!!! Had the filet and swordfish! Service was incomparable! Definitely recommend

We were in the area and my wife wanted to try this place. I’m glad we did! It only has 10 tables so cool place if it is only for you and your significant other because of the ambience. We there for lunch and ordered off their lunch menu and the specials got that day. My meatloaf was outstanding! Cooked and seasoned perfectly. The vegetable medley was delicious and the mash potatoes were good too. What I loved about my dish was there was not that much gravy. Just the right amount for my mash potatoes; thus allowing me to taste the meatloaf and veggies. My off order the ravioli appetizer and the Spinach salad. Both were excellent by her standards and the little bites I had, she was right! One reason giving my 5 score was do to our server Stephanie. When we arrived she brought our water and mentioned she was bringing out some bread with artichoke spread. When she brought our order she mentioned that they were making done more of the bread and spread. It never came out and Stephanie apologized and we said that was okay because our meal was plenty, no worries. Well when she brought back my Visa card she had put an order of the bread and spread in a to go boxes and gave us instructions on warming up the artichoke spread. Stephanie did not have to do that. Thank you Stephanie it was delicious when we ate it later that evening.
If you are in Yorba Linda, a good option got lunch.
Thx!
Herman

We chose this restaurant because… well…there aren’t too many nice restaurants in the area and a friend told me this place was pretty good. Anyway. We thought we would need to make a reservation for a Tuesday evening but as it turns out we were the only people in the place. To put things in perspective, this is a small restaurant so when I say we were the only people in there you have to understand that this place can only hold a few people anyway.
The hostess was also our server and she was great. She totally recommended dishes and made sure our evening was perfect. My friend ordered the special which was a pork chop with some sort of blueberry sauce. I don’t eat pork so I couldn’t sample it but I know she talked about this pork chop for about a week. I ordered a pasta dish that was delicious. The bread they brought out before dinner was fresh and the butter wasn’t hard as a rock.
The prices were reasonable but I just wish they had a better wine list. There weren’t many options so I’d definitely take my own bottle the next time I go. Oh yeah, if you’re reading this and feel inclined to check out the menu just know that they only cook with fresh seasonal items. So, not everything may be available when you go. Works for me! I don’t want some previously frozen stuff.

This place is intimate with about ten tables. Food is excellent. I do have a hard time with the menu as it doesn’t really excite me, much. I usually order appetizers, very good. The Lemon Tart dessert is top-​notch.

Saturday at noon and place is packed. My wife and I split a, super burrito. Huge big enough for 3 people. Tasted really good. Service was very good.

Where shall I begin? This place was highly recommended by family members. I think we’d have done better at Olive Garden. Nice ambience, but that was probably all that I enjoyed.
For starters, we ordered the Artichoke Beignets. My thought has always been that anything deep-​fried can’t be bad. I stand corrected. Oh sure, the outer crispy layer of fried breading was divine. It was when my palate met the partially frozen baby artichoke nestled in the center of said beignet that I became quite disgusted.
Then there was the salad mix-​up. Our party of nine ordered a variety of salads. I decided on the salad special, hot spinach salad. When it was brought out by a grumpy young man, it was split on two plates. One of the other members in our party mentioned that she would split her salad with her husband but the young man brought them a full salad. Believe it or not, we would have been better off keeping the split salad because it was visibly a larger portion than the single salad. After some confusion (while the young server man fervently insisted that we had ordered what he was trying to serve us), everything was straightened out and we became happy campers. That is, until the entrees were served.
I decided to try Lori’s Favorite, a mélange of «sauteed fresh baby artichokes, oven roasted eggplant, shiitake and white mushrooms, with fresh basil chiffonade, in a zesty tomato cream sauce, tossed with a pinch of smoked mozzarella and topped with fresh parmesan cheese, and served with your choice of pasta.» The sauce did not live up to my expectations and the pasta was undercooked in some areas and overcooked in others. Thumbs down.
One of the other people in my party found a hair in her entrée. She hesitated to send it back and had resigned herself to continuing her meal until we urged her to have another serving brought out.
Our server, a pleasant young woman, brought out a complimentary gelato and brownie dessert to share in honor of one of our party members’ birthday. It was a very nice gesture on the restaurant’s part, but in my opinion not enough compensation for all the issues that we experienced during our meal. Food was ok, but I’ve had much better. In the restaurant’s defense my husband said it was probably due to the size of our party. I feel that if they cannot handle a larger group they should exercise better judgment. I won’t be going back there.

I just discovered this hidden gem & I’m excited to have found it.
The food was great & the service was amazing! Rose & Brian were excellent servers. Brian was extremely friendly & had some great jokes. He was able to answer all my questions I had about the wines and he knew which one would compliment my dish.
And Rose was the most polite server I have had in a long time. She had a great personality! I was uncertain on what I should order & what she recommended to me was on point! The Chicken Gorgonzola was delicious!
The food was well prepared.
I’m definitely going to recommend this restaurant to my family & friends! Can’t wait to come back!
If you want excellent service ask for the servers Brian and Rose.

We had a team dinner at the Wild Artichoke and I was blown away. The food, the service (love Carla!!!), everything was amazing. I had the warm artichoke paste on bread, the thin crust pizza appetizer, Barbara’s Bolognese, and the black/​white chocolate cheesecake. Between the size of the restaurant, the excellent service, and the outstanding food, I left feeling as if I had been a guest in the home of someone who loves food and celebrates life.
I know that sounds flowery but folks, that is exactly how you feel when you’re finished. I would live there if I could.

This is the most amazing tiny restaurant with the biggest style you’ll ever find!
This 8 to 10 table restaurant in a Yorba Linda strip mall is unbelievable! I have been coming here for over 10 years and each time I am pleased and amazed at the food choices and the way the chef has designed the plate and food for the ultimate in appearance and satisfaction. We have done the chef choice pairing three times with family and friends and are extremely pleased every time. Every meal, the chef/​owner himself comes out to greet us and then to ask how the food was. His family eats here most every night as well. I would rank the quality of food and service right up there with Summit House and Taps for supremacy. We will continue to go here multiple times a year and continue undoubtedly to be happily pleased with every meal.

This a hidden gem in Yorba Linda! This is now our second time dinning here and our most recent trip was no let down. We made reservations several days before Friday for a group of five people for a Birthday celebration. When we placed the reservation, I made a special request to see if escargot would be available that evening and he without hesitation agreed to have it as an option that evening (and to my delight, it was an option that evening). The staff was attentive and even able to accommodate a 6^th person who made a surprise visit. The food was amazing and presented beautifully. -
Needless to say we were very happy with our dinner, the service and atmosphere of the Wild Artichoke. Thanks for making the night amazing—

I love this place. Every time we eat here, I leave happy and satisfied. From the exterior you would never guess what delicious goodness is being served behind the door. The food is always prepared to perfection in every way! Honestly I have had just about everything they serve, but I always go back to the filet. I just learned about the chefs surprise — wait staff (whom I think are fantastic) will ask (2) questions –do you have any allergies and something else, then the chef will work his magic. I believe (still convincing myself) that will be my next order (trying to tell the world so I do not order the filet again).
Make reservations and enjoy!

Came for a last minute Anniversary dinner and we’re so glad we did.
We ordered the Chef’s tasting and each of the 4 courses with wine paring was superb.
Definitely plan to dine here when you’ll be in the area!

I’ve been coming to the Wild Artichoke for almost 10 years and it’s always pleasant to come back and visit whenever I’m in Yorba Linda, which is rare nowadays. The restaurant is very small; I would say they could seat about 20 people comfortably. The servers are all genuinely nice and attentive. In fact, the last time I was here with two other girlfriends, our server knew that we wanted to try each other’s entrees, so she split everything up accordingly so that we didn’t have to awkwardly dip over into each other’s plates. I know it’s a minor detail, but no other server at any other restaurant has offered that kind of thoughtful service.
The food here is always delicious but since I’m a creature of habit, I always order Lori’s Favorite pasta dish. And like the name suggests, most of the items on the menu include artichoke in some form or another. Be sure to have a glass of wine with your meal – it will complete the experience.

Don’t judge the book by its cover. The Wild Artichoke may not look appealing from the outside and the décor is a lil dated, but the food and service is top notch. I took Unilocalers’ advice and came here to celebrate my 2^nd yr anniversary with El Hubby. Amazing and memorable food and great service. We were very please with our experience.
We had…
–CALAMARI $ 9 — It was delicious. Lightly breaded and seasoned well. It came with 3 sauces. All were delish especially the green pesto looking sauce.
–HALIBUT in pistachio sauce — Fish was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. It was one of the specials of the night. I’d get it again.
–RANCH FILET MIGNON $ 35– It is ridiculous… ridiculously good! I’ve never had a filet mignon so tender and soft. GET IT!
–BUDDY’s BROWNIE SUNDAE — Came with 3 kinds of house-​made ice cream: coffee (super strong coffee liquor flavor), vanilla and pumpkin. It was the perfect dessert to end our meal. Brownie was warm, rich and gooey. So good! Oh and Buddy is the chef’s dog who passed away. That’s why it came with a sugar cookie shaped like a dog bone. RIP Buddy!
Service was great. The chef came out and greeted each table and thanked us for coming. That’s very cool!
Keep in mind that it’s not great for big groups unless you call and make an arrangement. The restaurant is really small and only has 8 small tables so I recommend to make a reservation.