The Orange County Register reported that people were waiting in the Fashion Island parking lot by 4 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Levain Bakery opened its first Orange County location at 8 a.m., and the Daily Pilot counted just under 400 people in line by 8:40. Opening-day proceeds went to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
Four days earlier, the Orange County Business Journal had reported that P.F. Chang's was closed. That left the center's ocean-facing restaurant section with no restaurants at all.
Those two stories explain how Fashion Island eats this fall. The center has added real food draws this year, and every one of them opened somewhere other than the corner with the best view. That corner is waiting on a rebuild the Irvine Company calls the Coastal Overlook. It has no posted opening date and no named tenants.
The ocean corner closed over several years
This happened in stages. The Cheesecake Factory closed about two years before the Business Journal's November 2025 report on the Coastal Overlook plans. California Pizza Kitchen also closed in an earlier year. P.F. Chang's closed in August 2026, and the Business Journal called it the last restaurant in that part of the center to close.
For anyone who used that row as a default for a weeknight dinner, the change is simple. The casual sit-down chain cluster on the ocean side is gone. Nothing built yet takes its place.
What the Irvine Company says it is building
The Irvine Company is basing the plan on one recent success. RH moved from its longtime Fashion Island space to a four-story building on the south end of the center, facing the coastline. Its glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant, RH Ocean Grill, seats 260 and has two wine bars flanking the grand staircase entrance. Gerard Widder, Fashion Island's vice president and general manager, told the Business Journal the company aims to model the Coastal Overlook on RH Gallery and RH Ocean Grill.
The key design change is which way the building faces. An Irvine Company spokesperson described it this way to the Business Journal:
"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."
In August, after P.F. Chang's closed, Fashion Island told the Business Journal it would "deliver a similar coastal ambiance in a refreshed restaurant space in this area of the center." Neither report gives a construction schedule, an opening season or a single tenant name. The two reports also describe the location a little differently. The November 2025 story put the hub in the former Cheesecake Factory space. The August 2026 story connects the renovation to the newly empty P.F. Chang's space. Whichever storefront the plans finally use, the restaurant seats with an ocean view at Fashion Island right now are on RH's rooftop.
The year's openings all landed somewhere else
The rest of Fashion Island has been busy while the ocean side sits empty. These are the 2026 food openings with confirmed dates:
| Opened | Name | Where | What it replaced or added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 20 | Ralph's Coffee, inside Ralph Lauren | 4401 Newport Center Drive | Brand's first coffee shop in California, in the former RH space by the koi pond near Bloomingdale's |
| Aug. 20 | Telefèric Barcelona | 311 Newport Center Drive, Suite 311 | Former Hopdoddy Burger Bar space |
| Sept. 4 | Levain Bakery | 315 Newport Center Drive | First Orange County location, near Barnes & Noble |
Each one has a draw of its own. According to Ralph Lauren's announcement, Ralph's Coffee has artisan green tile, a patterned tile floor and an exclusive Newport Beach mug alongside the Ralph's Roast blends. Telefèric is the first Orange County location for siblings Maria and Xavi Padrosa, whose tapas concept started in Barcelona. Levain is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., so it covers both a morning coffee run and a late dessert stop.
Fashion Island's directory also lists Ben & Jerry's and Lola Café as "Now Open," with no opening dates posted.
The Irvine Company has numbers behind the shift. In its September report on mall dining, the Register said Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum together now have 83 dining and specialty-dining concepts, according to the Irvine Company, and 16 of them opened within the past two years. Ken Gillett, president of Irvine Company Retail Properties, told the Register that "restaurants have become much more than an amenity to shopping."
Traffic estimates point the same way. The Register cited Placer.ai estimates showing Fashion Island visits rose year over year in every month from January through August 2026, including a 6% gain in August. That compares with 14.8% at Irvine Spectrum and 6.3% at South Coast Plaza in the same month. The Register also noted that Placer.ai cannot separate dining visits from other trips or prove cause and effect. Still, Fashion Island drew more visitors through a year in which its best-known restaurant row emptied. The draw has moved to coffee, cookies and tapas in other parts of the center.
Amalfi has been "Coming Soon" for about a year
One opening is still pending. Fashion Island's directory lists Amalfi as "Coming Soon" in Suite A104. It is an Italian street-food concept from chef Erik De Marchi, who founded Oliver's Osteria in Laguna Beach in 2018 and Oliver's Trattoria in Irvine in 2023. The listing describes Neapolitan cuoppo, pizza al taglio and pasta plates in a takeout format.
WhatNow Orange County reported Amalfi as coming soon in October 2025, with no opening date announced. A year later, the label has not changed. Amalfi follows the same pattern as the rest of 2026. The next confirmed food at Fashion Island is a small counter with a chef behind it, set away from the ocean edge.
What's on Fashion Island's calendar this week through November
Fashion Island's events page shows the near-term schedule, and several of the dates involve this year's new arrivals:
- Through Oct. 31: Telefèric Barcelona is pouring a Halloween cocktail.
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 6 to 9 p.m.: THE LOT hosts Girl Dinner & a Movie.
- Sunday, Nov. 8 through Saturday, Nov. 28: Orange County Foster Teen Donation Drive.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6 to 7 p.m.: Levain Bakery x Barnes & Noble.
- Through Jan. 24, 2027: Football Season at Zentrl Kitchen + Bar.
The holiday calendar is not posted yet. Fashion Island has not announced 2026 dates for Nights of Coastal Lights. Last season it ran from Nov. 21 through Dec. 28, 2025, with nightly lightings of the 90-foot tree in the Neiman Marcus–Bloomingdale's Courtyard. If this year follows that pattern, the tree lighting will be the biggest seasonal draw, and the ocean corner will still be empty while it runs.
At ER² For You, we follow changes like the Coastal Overlook because they shape everyday life near Newport Center, and how your days look nearby is part of what a home there is worth. If you want our read on how changes at Fashion Island and Newport Center connect to your own plans, schedule a consultation and we'll go through it with you.
