Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: California

CALIFORNIA — Mother's Day this year falls on Sunday, May 9 — a day annually set aside to celebrate mamas, including stepmoms, foster moms, grandmothers and even aunties, who shape our lives and love us like no other.

Restaurants and chefs throughout California are readying feasts — for on-site dining or takeout — to make it a memorable day. And whether the moms in your life prefer egg & quiche brunches, steak, lobster, BBQ, pasta dishes, Latin-inspired fare or sweet treats, Patch has you covered.

Scroll through our annual Mother's Day dining guide for reservation inspiration, find her faves and make your plans.

If you know of other local restaurants offering specials, share details with your fellow Patch readers in the comments section. And before heading out, confirm the various dining deals are still proceeding as planned.

And wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all, from Patch!

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BASKIN-ROBBINS: For your sweet mom, how about a Floral Bouquet Cake? Cake and ice cream flavors can be selected, and it's topped with an ice cream cone bouquet of pastel frosting flowers. Order online here or in-person. Find shops here.

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BLACK ANGUS STEAKHOUSE: Restaurants will open early — 11 a.m. — on Mother's Day with a limited-time Prime Rib and Lobster Tail special. Menu here, and reservations advised. For those celebrating at home, a Prime Rib Family Meal To-Go ($99) also is available. Location finder here.

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CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN: Show Mom you love her with a heart-shaped pizza from CPK. The pizzas are available in all varieties on May 9. And running through May 6 is a special promo — just mention Every Mother Counts when ordering — and the chain will donate 20% of purchase to the organization committed to helping women around the world enter motherhood, survive and thrive. Order online at cpk.com and enter MOM20 at checkout. More details here. Find CPKs here.
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CAPITAL GRILLE: A heat-and serve, three-course takeout dinner is offered for pre-order and May 8-9 pick-up. Options include: beef tenderloin; lobster tails; salad; sides; & dessert. Order info here. Brunch (with lobster frittata, NY strip steak & eggs and filet) and dinner also will be served at the restaurant on Mother's Day. Bookings here. Capital Grille is in Costa Mesa.

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CRACKER BARREL: A new "homestyle favorites" menu rolls out just in time for Mother's Day, so treat Ma to such limited-time specials as Hand-Breaded Fried Chicken Tenders, Sweet n’ Smoky Glazed Tenders, “Barrel Bites”: sweet Biscuit Beignets and Loaded Hashbrown Casserole Tots. Or opt for "Mother’s Day Family Meal Basket Special" — an All-Day Pancake Breakfast Family Meal Basket or Sunday Homestyle Chicken® Family Meal Basket. Gift-card deals offered, too. Menu info here. Locations in Camarillo, Rialto, Rocklin, Sacramento, Santa Maria and Victorville.

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DICKEY'S BARBECUE PIT: Just in time for Mother's Day for BBQ-lovin' mamas, the chain is launching its new summer menu with Sweet King’s Hawaiian® Pulled Pork Sandwich with Dr Pepper® Barbecue Sauce and Texas Sweet Corn. Or keep meal-prep easy with to-go, family and picnic packs. Locations throughout the Golden State.

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EDDIE V'S: Mother's Day brunch is offered on-site from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with full dinner menu available all day, or bring home a four-course dinner. Brunch is three courses ($49 for adult/$15 for child) with choices of salad, soups, lobster quiche, steak & eggs and more. Take-home bundles serve two ($150) or four to six ($250), for Friday or Saturday pick-up. Included: tenderloin or sea bass; shrimp cocktail; salad; sides; dessert; and chocolate-covered strawberries & a rose for Mom. Find more info here. Eddie V's are in La Jolla, San Diego, Newport Beach and Palm Desert .

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EL TORITO: Enjoy a Mother's Day "All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Brunch," from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., with churro pancakes, salads, fajita, taco, omelette & soup stations, plus dessert bar and bottomless mimosas. (Marina del Rey location will offer a four-course plated brunch menu.) Prices vary by locale. Info here. Restaurants are throughout California.

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EL POLLO LOCO: Family meals, ranging from eight to 16 pieces of chicken, plus sides, tortillas and salsa, could make an easy, at-home feast. Location finder here. Also ... residents of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties can nominate their selfless mamas, those who "put themselves last," to win a $5,000 grant to fulfill her dreams in the #StrongLikeAMadre contest. Details here.

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EUREKA!: A Mother’s Day, prix-fixe menu runs May 7-10 ($30) with choice of starter, entree of either Fresno Fig Burger, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Cowboy Burger, Veggie Beet Burger or Cobb Salad, paired with "Mommy’s On A Break" cocktail. Participating restaurants in Bakersfield, Berkeley, Carlsbad, Cerritos, Claremont, Concord, Cupertino, Fresno, Hawthorne, Huntington Beach, Indian Wells, Irvine, Mountain View, Redlands, Roseville, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and Woodland Hills.

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FLEMING'S PRIME STEAKHOUSE: Treat Mom to a three-course menu featuring filet mignon and choice of lobster scampi or crab-stuffed shrimp. Starting at $80 per guest and offered May 8-9 beginning at 11 a.m. Locations in El Segundo, Fresno, La Jolla, Los Angeles/L.A. LIVE, Newport Beach, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Rancho Cucamonga, San Diego, Santa Clara, Walnut Creek and Woodland Hills.

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FOGO DE CHAO: A Mother’s Day To-Go Package, with everything needed for at-home, Brazilian-inspired celebration, can be ordered by May 8 for pick-up Sunday, May 9 or Monday, May 10. Details here. Gift card deals also running through June 20: Receive $25 bonus e-card with every $125 gift card purchase. Locations in Beverly Hills, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.

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GELSON'S MARKET: Celebrate with brunch to-go, or such treats as hand-dipped, chocolate strawberries, flowers and charcuterie plates. Brunch options include salmon, artichoke fennel and prosciutto salad, crab cakes with pixie tangerine salad, citrus grilled chicken with Greek salad & more. Serving sizes for two with sides of fresh fruit, baguette and Nutella chocolate bites. Pre-orders advised for pick-up May 8-9. Ordering info here.

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HARRAH'S RESORT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: On Mother's Day, Fiore Steakhouse will be offering 55% off shrimp cocktails and a $70 Filet Scandi (a seared filet mignon with whipped potatoes, asparagus, jumbo shrimp and bearnaise). Book here. The resort is at 777 Harrah's Rincon Way in Funner.

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HOOTERS: In honor of Mother’s Day - for one day only, Sunday, May 9 — diners can enjoy 10 free Boneless Wings with purchase of any 10 wings at participating restaurants. Check to see if your nearest locale is hosting the offer. Locations in Southern and Central California.

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IKE'S LOVE & SANDWICHES: A Mother's Day BOGO — buy-one-get-one-free — deal is offered on sandwiches from the Bay Area-founded enterprise. Valid in-store at all 73 Ike’s locations. Choose from menu of more than 800 unique sandwiches, all cleverly named and designed by Ike Shehadeh, himself. View menus online to see the exclusive offerings near you. Location finder here.
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JOE'S CRAB SHACK: Seafood-loving mothers can enjoy a four-course, prix-fixe menu ($35.99) for Mother's Day weekend, May 7-9, that offers appetizer option of crab & shrimp dip or mozzarella bricks, salad choice, four entree seafood-focused selections and dessert. Click here for details. Sites in Garden Grove, Oceanside, Redondo, San Diego and Sacramento.

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MACARONI GRILL: Choose from Mother’s Day specials, including a Family-Size Lasagna Bolognese (serves eight to 10) for $65, or a three-course dinner (serves four to five) that features choice of starter, Lasagna Bolognese or Florentine Chicken Penne, sides and dessert for $100. Pre-order here for May 9 pick-up. Location finder here.

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MORTON'S THE STEAKHOUSE: Celebrate with Steak & Lobster Oscar ($59) with Old Bay puff pastry & asparagus. Sides, dessert & wine can be added. Or select a dinner-for-two for takeout ($179), including salad, filet or lobster, accompaniments, dessert & wine pairing. Details here. Locations in Anaheim, Burbank, Los Angeles, Palm Desert, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana and Woodland Hills.

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OLIVE GARDEN: Family Bundles, that serve four to six or up to 12, offer selections including spaghetti, lasagna, chicken or shrimp scampi, plus options for breadsticks, salad or soup. Order in advance for curbside pick-up. Some locales open for dine-in. Find your nearest Olive Garden here.

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P.F. CHANG'S: Celebrate Mom with a pre-fixe, four-course menu ($50) that includes glass of wine. Selections include: Chang’s Lettuce Wraps; Dynamite Shrimp; soup; Miso Glazed Salmon; Mongolian Beef; Peking Duck; and desserts of cheesecake or The Great Wall of Chocolate. Bundle to-go meals also offered, as well as gift-card deals. Info here. Location finder here.

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PATXI'S PIZZA: Treat pizza-loving Mamas to a $3 dessert pizza (like the S’Mores or Roasted Caramel Apple pizzas!) or a $10, 10-inch, thin-crust specialty pizza, with purchase of regularly priced pizza, at Patxi's locations all weekend — May 7-9 — throughout California. Available for dine-in or takeout. See stores here.

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PIEOLOGY: A BOGO Mother's Day special lets patrons buy a custom pizza and score another custom pie for free on Sunday, May 9. For in-store purchase only at participating locations. And another offer: Purchase a $25 gift card and receive a $5 bonus card, valid through July 31. Find your local shop from this list & confirm participation.

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RED LOBSTER: Family takeout menus start at $7.99 per person or take advantge of gift-card deal running through end of June: For every $50 spent on gift cards purchased in-restaurant or online, guests receive coupon for $10 off orders of $30 or more during July and August. Among new menu adds: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich; Crispy Cod Sandwich (Codzilla™); Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger; and Baja Shrimp and Sesame-Soy Salmon bowls. Find sites & ordering info here.

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RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE: Pre-order an at-home, Mother's Day feast for four ($180), that includes starter, beef tenderloin, sides and cheesecake. Orders must be placed 48 hours in advance of pick-up. In-restaurant dining also offered. Locations in Anaheim, Del Mar, Fresno, Irvine, Marina del Rey, Palm Desert, Pasadena, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, Walnut Creek & Woodland Hills.

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SEASONS 52: Brunch will be served on-site May 9 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., with starters, soup and entree choices of quiche, French toast, ham or shrimp & grits. Or select the Mother’s Day Green Box To-Go, serving two or four to six. Warm and serve at home with selections of ham, salmon or beef tenderloin, plus sides and dessert. Orders must be placed in advance for pick-up Friday or Saturday. Find details here. Locations in Costa Mesa, San Diego and Sacramento.

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STK STEAKHOUSE: Celebrate with the "Mother’s Day Roses & Rosé Brunch & Dinner," with classic dishes & roses for every mom. Or order the "Mother’s Day Baskets For 2," with two Surf & Turfs with grilled prawns, cheesecake & bottle of Whispering Angel Rosé (red & white also available). To book reservation or pre-order, follow this link. Locations listed here.

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TCBY: On Sunday, May 9, mothers will receive a free six-ounce cup or cone of yogurt at participating locations. Toppings are extra. Location finder here. Call stores to check for participation.

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WENDY'S: To celebrate Mother’s Day weekend, May 8-9, customers can score a free, small Frosty or small Frosty-cinno with any purchase via the Wendy’s Mobile App at participating restaurants. Use this list to check with your nearby location for participation in the offer.

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YOGURTLAND: Make the day sweet with an eGift card for Mom, available through May 9. Purchase a $25 eGift card, and score a $5 bonus card via email to use on visit between May 10-31. Bonus cards are valid for in-store food or beverage purchases and not valid for online, third-party delivery. Info here. Find locales here.
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FOR REGION-SPECIFIC MOTHER'S DAY DINING GUIDES:

• Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: SF Bay Area
• Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: Inland Empire
• Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: San Diego Co.
• Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: Orange County
• Mother's Day Dining Deals & Restaurant Guide 2021: Greater L.A.

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ALSO SEE: California's County Fair Guide: Where To Find The Fun In 2021