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Remember Newport Beach Restaurant Week? It was hosted by the Newport Beach Restaurant Association in early March and became so popular that it expanded to two weeks.
The Newport Beach City Council disbanded the Restaurant Association in 2021 after 25 years of service to the city’s restaurants. Fortunately, Orange County Restaurant Week is still going strong, and celebrates its 17th Restaurant Week March 2-8.
More than 200 restaurants are participating in Orange County Restaurant Week, including 30 in Newport Beach—an impressive number.
This week-long culinary extravaganza brings foodies together to enjoy the best of Orange County’s dining scene. Participating restaurants are showcasing their creativity with specially curated menus and creative cocktails, offering diners the perfect opportunity to discover new flavors and revisit their favorite local eateries.
Guests can savor a variety of Prix-Fixe menus, with lunch options priced between $15 and $25, and dinner experiences ranging from $25 to $50 plus luxe dining experiences priced at $60 to $120.
The OC Restaurant Week website offers links to all of the participating restaurants and their menus. You can look up restaurants by name or city, plus various categories including Date Night, Girls’ Night Out, Breakfast/Brunch, Vegetarian Dining, Desserts, and several others.
OC Restaurant Week is now the largest and most celebrated culinary event in Orange County. More than 200,000 people dine out during OC Restaurant Week, according to the Orange County Restaurant Association which coordinates Restaurant Week. The average OC Restaurant Week enthusiast dines out at least three times during the week-long event, with Date Night one of the most searched dining guide categories.
“A lot of restaurants are really focusing on fun date nights—in fact twice the number we had last year,” said Pamela Waitt, Founder of OC Restaurant Week and President of OC Restaurant Association, “People get so excited for it. Sometimes best friends will go out and do it.”
This year’s event kicks off with an exclusive Restaurant Week VIP Launch Party at the Marriott Irvine Spectrum on Saturday, March 1 from 2 to 5 p.m. This reimagined and upgraded celebration offers a more intimate and exclusive experience, featuring fewer attendees than in years past to ensure a premium experience for all. But don’t worry, there will still be plenty of food and adult beverages. Three dozen restaurants will be serving signature bites, while 30 Paso Robles wineries will be pouring tastes. This event usually sells out but check the Restaurant Week website in case tickets are still available.
Newport Menus
The Newport Beach restaurants participating in Restaurant Week are offering a variety of menus, ranging from a three-course $20 lunch menu at Muldoon’s Irish Pub to a three-course dinner for $70 at Five Crowns.
Obe of the best deals is a $15 lunch at ZOOD Persian California Kitchen. You get a choice of entrees, plus a soft drink and dessert.
One of the most interesting menus is at A+O Restaurant at Balboa Bay Resort. It’s old school fondue for $35 and includes creamy parmesan and smoked gouda fondue with andouille sausage, pretzel bites, gold bar zucchini, Italian bread sticks, dried fruit, baguette, broccoli, A+O focaccia, roasted brussels sprouts and herb roasted marble potatoes. A one-day advance booking is required for this fun feast.
A+O also has a Date Night dinner option. For $60 per person, start with a Chandon Brut toast, then enjoy a harvest salad, surf and turf entrée, and a maple bourbon baked custard for dessert.
One of my favorite chefs is Riley Huddleston at Mayor’s Table restaurant in the Lido House hotel. He has a three-course lunch menu for $25 and a four-course dinner menu for $45.
And then there’s chef Jared Cook at Olea restaurant. He has a three-course menu for $60 that includes choice of starters, entrees and dessert.
Lighthouse Café has a terrific $25 brunch menu served daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. that includes a small mimosa carafe (or substitute coffee or another beverage), a place of beignets, and a choice of four entrees including brioche French toast or Mahi Mahi tacos. The beignets alone are a highlight—they are amazing!
Red O “Taste of Mexico” in Fashion Island has an impressive $25 lunch menu available Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s a two-course menu with a choice of three starters and four entrees, including my favorite–braised short rib enchilada with red guajillo chile sauce, jack cheese, crema, red rice and refried beans.
21 Oceanfront Restaurant has an impressive four-course dinner menu for $79 per person, with 20 percent of all dinner sales donated to the California Fire Foundation. There are paired wine suggestions for each course (for an extra charge).
The Bungalow Restaurant in Corona del Mar has a $50 dinner menu with four options for the first course and four for the second, or for a $20 supplement you can get Australian lobster tail.
Great Maple in Fashion Island has a terrific $35 dinner menu that includes a beverage, choice of two starters and three entrees (the lemon shrimp pasta is fabulous), and for dessert one of their signature maple bacon doughnuts made to order (or choose the seasonal doughnut of the month).
Visit www.OCrestaurantweek.com to browse all the menus from Newport Beach and Corona del Mar restaurants.