A typical Huntington Beach September day includes the colorful umbrellas opened to provide shade for diners eating outdoors along the restaurants, pubs and cafes of Main Street. With over 10 types of ethnic cuisine, diners are pleased to find enough variety to stick around on vacation or drop by during road trips to sample the offerings. Affordable meals at fair prices are the draw at this intimate, street-front seat, a window on the world and the beach.

We simply love September in Huntington Beach. Locals joke only partially that it's the time that they get their beach city back. What they are referring to, of course, is the summer crowds that fill the city and beaches from June through August. Parking lots are full, traffic comes to a halt, and restaurants can be packed as you wait for a table up to an hour. But not so in September.

Downtown Huntington Beach is comprised of a five block stretch of businesses, shops, and mixed residential /commercial living. From the shops to the library and art center, you'll find plenty of ways to spend your time, but dining is by far one of the most popular activities. In fact, it's the one thing that continues to drive revenue after the sun goes down.

While the breakfast crowd is more quiet, things begin to pick up by lunch and dinner, then, after around 9 p.m. at night the club atmosphere takes over. You'll find some action on the sidewalks during that time, but most the outdoor cafes find their liveliest crowds during the day. With Irish, Mediterranean, Italian, American, Pizza, Seafood, Thai, Sushi, BBQ and Mexican, the menus are varied and generally affordable. Restaurant names include Smokin Mo's, Avila's El Ranchito, Spiral Sushi, Shorehouse Cafe, Longboard Pub, Gallagher's, Killarney, BJ's Pizza, Coach's, Sugar Shack, No Ka Oi, Sharkeez, and more!

Prices on a meal outdoors can range from a few dollars to up to $50 for the works, with cocktails and a view of the entertaining crowd that passes by on Main.