Ritter’s Steam Kettle Cooking
One of Orange County's few "Cajun" restaurants fizzled out in the early 2020s
In 2012, Ritter’s Steam Kettle Cooking opened in Santa Ana to some local acclaim, bringing a kitchen tool – steam kettle bowls that gently raise temperatures to safely cook creamy soups – into the local discourse. Using the steam kettle, Ritter’s specialized in “pan roasts,” seafood and tomato stews, and offered a take on Cajun cooking inspired by the chef-owner’s prior time in Las Vegas. It spawned additional locations in Los Angeles and Huntington Beach.
A decade later, we were searching for authentic Cajun food in Orange County, and came across the Santa Ana Ritter’s, which along with a few other places made us give up our quest: None were better than approximations of the restaurants we’ve visited and loved in New Orleans.
In these images, you can see Ritter’s pan roast, fried okra, jambalaya, bacon wrapped shrimp, and a fried shrimp po’ boy as they were in 2022. They were all serviceable, none great – flat flavors with no Cajun magic – and the restaurant felt almost abandoned, with minimal staffing and service, though food came out fairly quickly. Our entire group was disappointed enough that we had no desire to try desserts, nor return to give it another shot.
Ritter’s closed its Huntington Beach location in 2020, then its Santa Ana restaurant in 2023.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2012
Closed: 2023
Addresses
1421 W. MacArthur Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Instagram: @rittersskc