The biggest change at Fashion Island this year is a row of empty restaurants. The Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen closed in earlier years. P.F. Chang's closed in August, and it was the last restaurant left in that part of the center. The Irvine Company plans to rebuild the space as an ocean-facing dining area called the Coastal Overlook. Many of the year's other openings follow the same idea. Fashion Island is putting its money into the Pacific view it has always had and mostly ignored.
This is how the center has been rearranging itself through 2026. It also shows where to sit for lunch while the work goes on.
The row that faced away from the water
The Irvine Company has been open about what was wrong with the old buildings. In November 2025, a company spokesperson described the plan to the Orange County Business Journal this way:
"The renovation will reorient the existing brick-and-mortar space to face the ocean rather than turn its back to it, featuring expansive windows that capture panoramic Pacific views for guests to shop and dine by the coast."
According to the same report, the new area will take over the space The Cheesecake Factory left. It will be redesigned to match RH and the other ocean-facing buildings nearby. Gerard Widder, Fashion Island's vice president and general manager, told the Business Journal that it "will introduce fresh dining and lifestyle concepts that take full advantage of Fashion Island's remarkable location."
The Business Journal's September 14 update said the Irvine Company planned to start construction this fall. No tenants have been named and no opening date has been given. For now, the Coastal Overlook has a site and a design goal but no restaurant to book.
This is a big bet on a busy property. In its August report on the P.F. Chang's closure, the Business Journal ranked Fashion Island the second-largest shopping center in Orange County, with $876 million in taxable sales over 12 months. A center that size could have kept leasing to chains. It chose to empty a whole restaurant row and rebuild it to face the water.
The building that set the template
The plan is modeled on one building. In 2024, RH moved from its longtime spot by the koi pond into a 97,000-square-foot, four-story gallery on the south end of the center, facing the coast. The gallery opened on Friday, December 13, 2024, and RH Ocean Grill served its first guests on the roof that same day, as the Daily Pilot reported.
The Business Journal describes the rooftop as a glass-enclosed restaurant seating 260, with two wine bars on either side of the grand staircase entrance. The menu includes lobster rolls topped with caviar and grilled branzino. A Fashion Island spokesperson told the paper that guests had "responded enthusiastically to the beautiful coastal views and ocean breezes available while dining at RH Ocean Grill." The company says it will create "a similar coastal ambiance" in the Coastal Overlook.
RH's move also set off a chain of changes inside the center. The 7,300-square-foot store it left near the koi pond and Bloomingdale's became a Ralph Lauren boutique. One tenant moving toward the ocean freed up a central space for another new arrival.
What opened while the Overlook waits
The center has kept adding tenants all year, and several of them can be traced back to RH's move or the push toward the coast. In the order they opened:
- Ralph's Coffee, January 20. Ralph Lauren opened its boutique and café in RH's former space on the same day. The company called it the first Ralph's Coffee in California and its West Coast debut. The café is in Suite A201X and has outdoor seating. It's open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The menu includes Ralph's Roast, decaf and espresso blends, tea, pastries, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, and Ralph Lauren soft-serve ice cream.
- Telefèric Barcelona, August 20. This is the Padrosa siblings' first Orange County restaurant. It took over the former Hopdoddy space at 311 Newport Center Drive. The menu is built around family-style paellas and tapas such as gambas al ajillo. A corner market called El Merkat sells imported olive oils, tinned seafood, hand-carved jamón, Spanish wine, and paella kits that come with a traditional pan. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- Levain Bakery, September 4. Levain opened its first Orange County location at 315 Newport Center Drive. The Daily Pilot counted just under 400 people in line by 8:40 a.m., forty minutes after the doors opened. Along with the six-ounce cookies, there are breads, sandwiches, pastries, and full barista service.
- Jones Road, October 16 to 18. The beauty brand founded by Bobbi Brown held its grand-opening weekend in Suite 1089. Fashion Island lists it as an experiential beauty boutique.
Telefèric's founders mentioned the setting when they explained why they chose Newport Beach. "You have the sea, you have the vibe, it is very, very unique," Xavi Padrosa told the Daily Pilot. The restaurant also has Olé! Flamenco and Tapas evenings on the calendar.
Ben & Jerry's, which Fashion Island had announced for summer, is now listed as open in Suite A102.
Where the Pacific shows up at a table today
Until the Overlook opens, the ocean view is spread across a few specific spots. Fashion Island's own directory listings show what each one offers.
- RH Ocean Grill, on the roof of the RH Newport Beach gallery. RH and Fashion Island describe a year-round skylit garden with panoramic coastline views. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. It takes reservations.
- Mariposa at Neiman Marcus has a covered outdoor terrace overlooking the Pacific.
- Outdoor seating at street level is listed at R+D Kitchen, True Food Kitchen, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Great Maple, CUCINA enoteca, Bloomingdale's 59th & Lex Cafe, and Telefèric Barcelona.
- Ralph's Coffee has outdoor seating near the koi pond for a morning coffee, starting at 8 a.m. on weekdays.
Only two places on that list, RH Ocean Grill and Mariposa, actually advertise a Pacific view. The Coastal Overlook is meant to add a third.
Still behind the Coming Soon signs
The next wave is already on the directory. Amalfi is listed as coming soon to Suite A104. The chef is Erik De Marchi, who is from Emilia-Romagna and trained under Gino Angelini in Los Angeles. He founded Oliver's Osteria in Laguna Beach in 2018 and Oliver's Trattoria in Irvine in 2023. Fashion Island's listing says Amalfi will focus on Italian street food, including Neapolitan cuoppo, pizza al taglio, and pasta plates, for lunch and dinner.
GARAGE is listed for Suite 279 and Hill House Home for Suite 257. Neither has a published opening date. The same is true for the Coastal Overlook, which so far has a construction window of "this fall" and a mission statement. The Irvine Company says the space will host "innovative" restaurant concepts. The empty storefronts on the ocean side show where the center expects people to eat next.
Annie follows Newport Center's changes closely, from which tenants are coming in to which views are about to open up. If you'd like to talk about how that might affect a property near Fashion Island, The Annie Clougherty Team would be glad to hear from you. Request a private consultation.
