Costa Mesa's Best New Restaurants in 2026
Where should I eat in Costa Mesa right now if I want something new and chef-driven?
Costa Mesa's dining scene has hit a new stride in 2026, with a cluster of chef-driven openings across Bristol Street, SOCO/The OC Mix, The MET, the LAB Anti-Mall, and Triangle Square. From a 14-seat omakase counter to a Pacific Rim café near Segerstrom Center, the city now offers serious dining options that rival any neighborhood in Orange County.
I've been living in this county long enough to remember when Costa Mesa's food story was mostly South Coast Plaza food courts and a handful of reliable strip-mall standouts. What's happened here in the first half of 2026 is genuinely different. The openings aren't random, they're clustering around specific hubs, and they're attracting chefs and concepts with real culinary ambitions.
If you're thinking about this city as a place to live, invest, or simply eat well, here's what's worth knowing right now.
The Hottest New Openings in Costa Mesa (Early 2026)
According to a Locale Magazine roundup updated in mid-August 2026, eight new Costa Mesa restaurants have generated the most buzz this year. A few that stand out:
Highball + Naisho Omakase (Bristol Street)
This is the one generating the most conversation among serious diners I know. Highball is the cocktail bar side; Naisho is the omakase counter tucked behind it. With only 14 seats, you're looking at a genuinely intimate, reservation-required experience. Bristol Street has historically been more commuter corridor than culinary destination, but this opening (along with others nearby) is quietly rewriting that narrative from breakfast through late night.
Hassun at SOCO/The OC Mix (Hyland Ave.)
The Los Angeles Times reported in April 2026 that Hassun, a traditional Japanese sushi and izakaya-style restaurant, was set to open at South Coast Collection in May 2026, taking over the former Shuck Oyster Bar space. The OC Mix already had a reputation as one of the more curated food destinations in the county. Hassun deepens that identity considerably.
Pacific Pearl Café at The MET (Anton Blvd.)
Chef Michael Campbell's concept brings a Pacific Rim sensibility to the Anton Boulevard corridor near South Coast Plaza and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. This is its second Southern California location, which ties Costa Mesa into a broader regional culinary conversation. The MET's proximity to the Segerstrom arts complex makes it a natural pre-theater and business-lunch destination, and Pacific Pearl fits that energy well.
Earlybird Breakfast Burritos (LAB Anti-Mall)
Not every great opening has to be a tasting menu. Earlybird at the LAB is exactly what the name says, and it's been drawing lines. The LAB Anti-Mall has always had an independent, counter-culture personality that sets it apart from Costa Mesa's more polished retail centers, and Earlybird fits that character perfectly.
Tiny's Burger (South Coast Plaza) + LJ's Lounge (Triangle Square)
Two more from the Locale Magazine list worth noting: Tiny's brings a focused burger concept into South Coast Plaza's orbit, while LJ's Lounge gives Triangle Square a late-night option with a lounge feel. These aren't destination dining in the omakase sense, but they matter for the city's overall food ecosystem, more options at more price points, spread across more neighborhoods.
Why Costa Mesa's Food Scene Is Accelerating
This isn't happening by accident. Orange County's restaurant market showed real resilience heading into 2026. The Orange County Business Journal reported that the county's restaurant chains collectively captured roughly an 8% increase in sales year-over-year in 2025, even against broader industry headwinds. A separate OCBJ analysis put the figure closer to 8.5% for some segments. That's prior-year data, but it signals the kind of market confidence that encourages new operators to open.
Costa Mesa–founded Panini Kabob Grill is a useful benchmark here. As of April 2025 data, the brand had climbed to No. 16 on a local restaurant chain ranking with a 14% jump in sales to $183 million and a 17% increase in Orange County headcount. That's a 2025 figure, not a current 2026 metric, but it illustrates the strength of Costa Mesa-connected restaurant brands going into this year.
The city's geography also helps. Costa Mesa sits between Newport Beach, Irvine, and Laguna Beach, three markets with significant disposable income and strong dining cultures. Chefs and investors who want to reach that audience without Newport Beach rents have found Costa Mesa increasingly attractive.
The Hubs: Where to Focus Your Eating
Costa Mesa's dining energy isn't evenly distributed. If you want to eat strategically, here's how the geography breaks down in mid-2026:
- Bristol Street corridor: Morning to late night, with Highball/Naisho anchoring the evening end and Earlybird (nearby at the LAB) covering breakfast. The corridor has more range than it's had in years.
- SOCO/The OC Mix (Hyland Ave.): The most curated food environment in the city. Hassun's arrival makes it worth a dedicated visit even if you've been before.
- The MET/Anton Blvd.: Best for pre-Segerstrom dinners, business lunches, and anything that benefits from a slightly quieter, more polished setting. Pacific Pearl fits here naturally.
- South Coast Plaza/Triangle Square/LAB Anti-Mall: Higher foot traffic, more casual concepts, but the new openings (Tiny's, LJ's, Earlybird) add genuine texture to what's available.
- Harbor Blvd./Westside: More neighborhood-oriented, residential-adjacent eating. Less buzzy, but important for the city's everyday dining culture.
For a deeper look at how Costa Mesa's anchors shape the city's identity, I wrote about The MET and Segerstrom as Costa Mesa's two defining anchors, the dining scene makes a lot more sense when you understand what's driving foot traffic to each corridor.
What This Means If You're Buying in Costa Mesa
A thriving dining and lifestyle scene isn't just pleasant to live near, it's a real factor in property values and neighborhood trajectory. Buyers I work with in Costa Mesa consistently ask about walkability to restaurants, proximity to The OC Mix, and what the neighborhood feels like on a Saturday morning. The answers are getting better.
Recent Zillow market data puts Costa Mesa's median sale price at $1,365,000, with homes averaging 63 days on market and 116 active listings as of August 2026. That's a meaningful data point, but it's an area-level median, what a specific home is worth depends on the street, condition, build year, and timing.
For context on how Costa Mesa fits into the broader Orange County coastal market, here's where the numbers land across the region I cover:
Area | Median Sale Price | Median Days on Market |
|---|---|---|
Newport Beach | $3,750,000 | 36 |
Newport Coast | $12,350,000 | 42 |
Corona del Mar | $3,895,000 | 54 |
Costa Mesa | $1,432,500 | 55 |
Laguna Beach | $3,729,330 | 29 |
Huntington Beach | $1,300,000 | 26 |
Irvine | $1,410,000 | 19 |
Coto de Caza | $2,037,500 | 49 |
Costa Mesa is one of the more accessible entry points into the coastal Orange County market, and its evolving food and lifestyle scene is part of what's sustaining buyer interest. If you're curious how it fits into your broader lifestyle priorities, I've also written about how Costa Mesa fits into the coastal Orange County lifestyle, it's a good companion read to this one.
For investors looking at restaurant spaces, mixed-use buildings, or retail condos in Costa Mesa specifically: purchases in Orange County typically involve opening escrow with an escrow company that holds funds and manages documentation through closing. Costs including the county documentary transfer tax are negotiated between buyer and seller in the purchase contract. The county rate itself is fixed by law at $0.55 per $500 of consideration per the Orange County Clerk-Recorder, but who pays it is a negotiated term, not a fixed obligation on either side. Confirm your own numbers with your escrow officer and attorney.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the hottest new restaurants that opened in Costa Mesa in 2026?
The most talked-about openings as of mid-August 2026 include Highball and Naisho Omakase on Bristol Street, Hassun (a Japanese sushi and izakaya concept) at SOCO/The OC Mix, Pacific Pearl Café at The MET, Earlybird Breakfast Burritos at the LAB Anti-Mall, Tiny's Burger at South Coast Plaza, and LJ's Lounge at Triangle Square. Most opened in the first half of 2026 and have had time to find their footing by late summer. Locale Magazine flagged all of these in a mid-August 2026 roundup.
What is Highball and Naisho Omakase like, and do I need reservations?
Highball is the cocktail bar component; Naisho is the omakase counter behind it, with only 14 seats. The limited capacity makes it a special-occasion spot by design, and reservations are almost certainly required, walk-ins at a 14-seat counter are rarely a realistic option. It sits on Bristol Street, which has historically been more of a commuter corridor than a dining destination, making this one of the more interesting additions to that stretch of the city.
Is Costa Mesa becoming one of Orange County's best cities for food?
It's a credible argument in 2026. The concentration of new chef-driven openings across multiple hubs (Bristol, SOCO/The OC Mix, The MET, the LAB) gives Costa Mesa a range that most OC cities can't match at its price point. It's not trying to be Newport Beach or Laguna Beach, it has its own identity, leaning toward creative, accessible, and genuinely diverse. The Orange County Business Journal reported 8% year-over-year restaurant sales growth across the county in 2025, and Costa Mesa is clearly a beneficiary of that momentum.
Which Costa Mesa neighborhoods or centers have the best concentration of new restaurants?
SOCO/The OC Mix on Hyland Avenue has the most curated food environment in the city, and Hassun's arrival in May 2026 deepened that. Bristol Street now has a genuine morning-to-late-night food narrative. The MET on Anton Boulevard is the best corridor for pre-theater and business dining near Segerstrom Center. The LAB Anti-Mall, South Coast Plaza, and Triangle Square each added new concepts in early 2026 that layer casual, playful options onto already high-traffic destinations.
What's the story behind Pacific Pearl Café at The MET?
Pacific Pearl Café is chef Michael Campbell's Pacific Rim concept, and the Costa Mesa location is its second Southern California outpost. It opened at The MET on Anton Boulevard in early 2026, positioning itself near South Coast Plaza and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a natural fit for pre-show dinners and business lunches. The second-location status ties Costa Mesa into a broader regional culinary conversation and signals that serious operators see the city as a viable market for growth.
Costa Mesa's dining scene in 2026 isn't a trend, it's a genuine shift in what the city offers, and it's making the neighborhoods around these hubs more desirable to live in. If you're thinking about buying in Costa Mesa or want to understand how the lifestyle picture translates to real property values, I'm happy to walk you through it. Schedule a conversation with me here and let's talk about what Costa Mesa looks like for your situation specifically.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Vanessa Moore | CA DRE# 01930133; Harcourts Mariners Mile | CA DRE# 02222263, regulated by the California Department of Real Estate. This article is general information only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice, confirm your own numbers with your attorney, tax advisor, lender, or escrow officer.
