Orange County restaurants opening in 2026 to put on your radar ...Middle East

Orange County certainly saw its fair share of goodbyes in 2025. The loss of 55-year-old Spaghetti Bender, along with acclaimed spots like Detention, Gema and Tustin’s the Black Marlin, hit hard. However, the region has a bounty of new eateries to look forward to in 2026. From two incoming Din Tai Fung locations and chef Michael Campbell’s latest concepts to a Chicago hot-dog staple and a New York City cookie icon, there are plenty of new menus and venues on the horizon.

Note that this isn’t a comprehensive list (more and more eateries will undoubtedly be revealed as the year progresses), but consider it a taste of what’s to expect.

Cajun seafood-boil spot the Boiling Crab, a Michelin-awarded restaurant from Taiwan that has locations throughout California and Texas, as well as international spots in Australia and Saudi Arabia, is coming to Brea. No word yet as to exactly when it will open in 2026.

Meanwhile, in Costa Mesa, Collegium Cafe, an offshoot of Collegium, a successful Los Angeles-based, made-in-Italy sneaker brand, will open at South Coast Plaza. This is the shoe brand’s second cafe. Set to open in early 2026.

Expanding its reach to two new cities in Orange County this year, Din Tai Fung, the Michelin-awarded restaurant noted for its xiao long bao (soup dumplings), will open at Irvine Spectrum Center and Brea Mall. The Taiwanese eatery currently has locations in Downtown Disney and at South Coast Plaza.

Noted for its cheese‐foam and boba-tea creations, Hey Tea is slated to open this June at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. This location will be run by the team behind the Beverly Hills location.

Perhaps the most anticipated opening this year will be Jim’s Original, a Chicago street-food staple since 1939. In fact, it will be its first location ever outside the Windy City, set to open in the city of Orange. “We will try to open in mid February or late February pending unexpected delays,” said third-generation co-owner Jim Christopoulos. In addition to creating the Maxwell Street Polish, Jim’s Original is also known for its bone-in pork chop sandwich (recommend by the late Anthony Bourdain), cheeseburger and fish sandwich offerings.

Irvine-based sushi restaurant Kura Sushi, noted as the country’s largest revolving sushi bar chain, will open a new location in Orange at the Village at Orange. It’s slated to open this spring. Kura currently has locations in Brea, Cypress, Irvine and Garden Grove.

New York City’s big cookie purveyor Levain Cookies will open in Newport Beach at Fashion Island. Best friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald founded the bakery acclaimed for its large cookie offerings. Two years later, the New York Times described their bakes as “what may possibly be the largest, most divine chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan.” More details about the upcoming spot will be announced in coming months.

With one location already in Tustin, Manaao Thai Comfort Food, which, as its name suggests, specializes in hearty and comforting Thai fare, will come to the Irvine Spectrum Center sometime this year.

The long-awaited Miramar Food Hall is poised to open its doors in Orange County’s southern-most city in early to  mid 2026. The opening date has been pushed back from its initial 2025 opening date. Most notably, the food hall will occupy the historic Miramar Theatre in San Clemente, inside a circa-1938 structure formerly the space of a movie theater and bowling alley. Inaugural tenants will include eateries with Southern California roots, like San Diego County’s Cosmos Burger, Ricebunn, Immersion Coffee Co. and Thyda Sieng’s Hen Haus. Also of note, Seattle-based Moto Pizza will make its California debut here.

Debbie Lee, the lauded Los Angeles-based chef who has appeared on “Chopped” and “Food Network Star,” was announced as the first marquee name for the OCVibe Market Hall in Anaheim. She will helm two Korean-American spots: Pado, a more formal eatery that will serve as a raw and seafood bar, and Mokja, a more casual spot designed as a Korean bodega and snack cafe.  An official opening date has yet to be announced. The $4 billion mixed-use megaproject featuring housing, entertainment, restaurants and more around the Honda Center, will open in phases starting mid-2026.

Chef Michael Campbell, the chef-founder of Pacific Pearl Cafe in San Juan Capistrano, will open a second location in Costa Mesa in mid- to late-January, located at the Met on Anton Blvd.

First announced three years ago, Porto’s Bakery and Cafe should see an opening sometime this year in Downtown Disney, with construction “officially underway” as of early December. Porto’s will open in the site of the former La Brea Bakery, which  was announced during the D23 Expo in 2022 at the Anaheim Convention Center. This will be Porto’s seventh location in Southern California.

ALSO READ: The Orange County restaurant closures of 2025 that hit the hardest

With an anticipated opening date of Jan.15, Pura Vida Miami will bring health-conscious fare, ranging  from bowls and salads to avocado toast and wraps, to South Coast Plaza.

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James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole will bring his high-end sushi spot Uchi is the tony shores of Newport Beach. Uchi Newport Beach will be Hai Hospitality’s eighth Uchi location, following the openings of Uchi in Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, West Hollywood, Scottsdale and Charlotte.

Also from Pacific Pearl Cafe’s Campbell is an entirely new concept called White Rooster opening in Dana Point. Campbell calls it “everyday food done with care, depth and chef-driven flavor,” adding that his breakfast-lunch spot will feature a menu “meant to be eaten after surfing, after driving, after living.”

Founded nearly 40 years ago by chef Zov Karamardian and now run by three generations of the Karamardian family, Zov’s will open its newest location this spring in San Clemente at 155 Avenida Del Mar.

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