**UPDATE 4/8/2024** Since I first posted about these places in March there have been a few updates: first, Shake Shack’s E. 17th Street location will open May 9. Second, in the spot vacated by the beloved Fill, the mochi doughnut bakery formerly located next to Toast off Newport Boulevard, we now know the new tenant: Newport Beach’s Hook & Anchor! What a great get for that area, which also has relatively new offerings KJB Pho and Eggrolls, k-fried joint BB.Q CHICKEN, and the eclectic Elixir Tea Bar. And finally, the long-vacant Boston Market location off of Harbor Boulevard near Adams Avenue will be replaced with the city’s second Mendocino Farms. And finally, La Carniceria Waygu reports it is about 2 weeks away from opening 🙌
Original post below ⤵️
City Council this week has literally nothing on the agenda other than the consent calendar, which, grumbling about inefficiency and lost time aside, provides a nice respite from city business. So let’s dive into something totally different.
Almost in spite of itself, Costa Mesa has become the “city of (food) arts”, with amazing restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other specialty food services like butchers, bakeries and caterers flocking here. As pointed out on the news last year, Costa Mesa has become a prime destination for those looking for an “eatcation”, as it is the only city in Orange County to boast Michelin starred restaurants (at the time of this writing).
So I am excited to share with you today the new food options that I’ve heard are coming to town in 2024. These are on top of some really buzzy ones that have recently opened, including: the incredible, gigantic love letter to Mexican cuisine that is Mercado González Northgate Market, the mills-its-own-flour specialty bakery and brunch shop Eller Bakery (which serves, in my humble but somewhat experienced opinion, the best brunch in town), BEI Restaurant, the very delicious looking big sister restaurant to Harbor Boulevard’s EZ Kebab, BobaPOP Tea Bar, an East Coast boba joint that just soft-opened on W. 19th Street, and Carlsbad/Oceanside vegan institution The Plot that just recently opened in the CAMP. So we’re already eating well, and believe it or not, it’s going to get even better.
So here’s what I’ve heard is coming to Costa Mesatown in 2024:
Costa Mesa get’s its first Shake Shack
The original Shake Shack (pictured at left, in Madison Square Park in New York City) spawned a national empire of burgers, hot dogs, crinkle cut fries, and, of course, milkshakes. However, this slightly upscale take on fast food also serves beer and wine. The E. 17th Street location in Costa Mesa is quickly taking shape after demolishing the A-frame former home of Pancakes R Us (which moved across the street). Interestingly Shake Shack decided not to install a drive-thru, which is a huge win for this area.
Ramen Tatsunoya is also coming to E. 17th Street
Ramen Tatsunoya (its Silver Lake location pictured at right) will be setting up shop next to French’s Cupcake Bakery, in the same shopping center as Lounge Burger and the small-format Target. Ramen has quickly become a signature cuisine of Costa Mesa, with a significant number of delicious options setting up closer to the freeway triangle, but very few have located in either Westside or Eastside. So having this very well liked institution from Japan open its third location in the United States here is fantastic news.
Newport Boulevard’s Triangle Square welcomes Prince St. Pizza
Another New York City-turned-national chain, Prince St. Pizza will be coming to Triangle Square. Triangle Square has been really suffering of late, with reports of poor security, visible maintenance issues, and several prominent storefront vacancies. However, the addition of a trendy spot like this one reminds me that these kinds of places are always just a few success stories away from turning things around.
Costa Mesa adds yet ANOTHER specialty butcher in La Carniceria Wagyu
Verly well-liked Brea-based butcher La Carniceria Wagyu (pictured right) just put up its branding on the former Randy’s Doughnuts location on E. 17th Street. Before Randy’s, this location housed Fork & Knife, a truly awesome grab-and-go concept from chef Jonathan Blackford (who upped and moved his operation to Florida because, well, California has a long way to go before it can claim to be “small business friendly”). With Sections and The Butchery nearby, you will have absolutely no excuse not to host a bougie grilling party this summer.
And if for grilling yourself isn’t your thing, hopefully Harper Barbeque will open sooner rather than later…
Allegedly still in the works following painful COVID-related delays, Harper Barbeque looks to translate a local artisan’s beloved custom barbeque rig business into a sit-down restaurant concept. And not only are the proprietors local, the shop is named for Harper, the forerunner town to Costa Mesa itself. It’s coming together on Cabrillo Street. As we need about a million more of these little neighborhood institutions, I am really rooting for this one.
Rumors of an ARC-related concept coming to Paseo 17 Plaza
The Paseo 17 Plaza, home to GreenLeaf Kitchen and the relatively new Milligram Coffee and Kitchen (itself an offshoot of Common Room Roasters, which used to be located on Industrial Way in Newport Beach before finding a bigger location in Long Beach), has undergone a radical transformation in the last 2-3 years. Now equipped with a beautiful and serene fountain area lined by trees and old-growth vines, the center is rumored to be preparing for another restaurant concept from the ARC Restaurant group (locations include ARC Butcher & Baker in Newport Beach, as well as event-oriented ARC Food and Libations on Hyland Avenue in Costa Mesa). As an aside, ARC is owned by former Newport Beach Mayor (and current City Council Member) Noah Blom, who has made a name for himself as a particularly colorful local politician. Not only did his restaurants openly flout COVID shutdown and mask orders, he was also caught drinking wine on the dais. Honestly, I’ve seen Newport Beach City Council meetings too, and I’m not sure I totally blame him.
And finally… where oh where will Carlos Salgado open his new restaurant?
Remember those Michelin starred restaurants i touted up top? Well, sadly, we actually lost one last year when the revered Taco María closed. Salgado has been looking around for something a bit bigger to put the concept on better financial footing, but I’ve heard nothing regarding where that location might end up being. Just as Santa Anans have been looking on at Costa Mesa’s Mercado Gonzalez with a touch of resentment that the Gonzalez family chose Costa Mesa rather than Santa Ana for its premier showcase store, I would personally feel a bit hurt if Salgado took Taco María to another city. But Salgado’s gotta do what he’s gotta do. I just hope he does it soon!
That’s all I got for now. What did I miss? Drop your news and rumors in the comments 🙂
UDPATE: I knew I forgot one! Amid much speculation that the former site of the beloved Oh Those Donuts shop on Newport Boulevard would become yet another cannabis dispensary, Celebrity Chef Matty Matheson announced instead that he was going to use the spot to bring his burger concept Matty’s Pattys to the United States. Broke: cannabis joints. Woke: burger joints to feed cannabis customers. I am once again stunned that no one has figured out that all of these former doughnut shops need to become cannabis donut shops. The concept would basically print money. But in the meantime the burgers sound like a great addition!
UPDATE 2: I had a conversation with one of the waiters at the ridiculously delicious Tacos Madre on Harbor Boulevard where he mentioned that they were going to open a second location that was more upscale. While it looks like from its Instagram that the new place will be in Santa Ana (😭) I think he said it would be reasonably close to Costa Mesa. So we’ll keep an eye on that, too! STRIKE THAT – this location is open! Just opened a few weeks ago looks like. Check them out on Yelp!
Goat Hill Rodeo 
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