Best Places to Eat in Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa is a foodie town featuring Ramen Row, Mexican food, Michelin-rated, amazing coffee options and several vegan restaurants. My newest find is Fermentation Farm, a restaurant that “farms beneficial bacteria and yeast for our probiotic benefit.”  The grilled raw cheese with sauerkraut is a cold night’s comfort food.

Costa Mesa is 35 miles south of LAX, between the surf capital, Huntington Beach, and swanky Newport Beach and 30 minutes from Disneyland. I live in Costa Mesa half the year and visited often when my daughter was working here. We can vouch for the sunny California weather, and world-class shopping, but mostly the variety of restaurants. Here is our list of recommendations so far.

Costa Mesa Restaurants for Dinner

La Vida Cantina for bottomless [brunch] Bloody Mary’s

1870 Harbor Blvd.

We liked the fresh Mexican food at this Costa Mesa restaurant so much that we have been there several times. So fresh that they happily created an onion-free ceviche and guacamole for me.

• Great location. La Vida Cantina has a fun outdoor patio in Triangle Square, which is right off of Harbor Boulevard and literally in the center of everything in Newport Beach/Costa Mesa
• Margarita inventions and bottomless mimosas or Bloody Mary’s for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Note: The atmosphere is casual and fine for kids of all ages, except for Friday evenings after 7 – the music is turned up and the bar gets packed.

TRENTA Pizza & Cucina

This picture says it all.  Trenta Pizza & Cucina brings Italian food full of flavor to Costa Mesa with authentic, wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta dishes, crafted with fresh, high-quality ingredients. My Italian husband judges all destinations by its pizza and Trenta is a winner.  He recommends the carbonara and the Bologna pizza with spicy salame.

Cafe Sevilla Restaurant and Tapas Bar: Paella family style

Located directly across from La Vida Cantina in Triangle Square, Sevilla’s atmosphere is upscale family style. The large paella dishes easily serve four adults. And the fire pits and outdoor heaters create a lively nighttime setting.

Since tapas is all about tasting a variety of dishes, we ordered the divided paella, half Valenciana (chicken, calamari, mussels, shrimp, sausage) and half vegetarian (roasted mushrooms and a vegetable variety).

My son said the braised BBQ short ribs were rich and delicious and my husband ordered the chicken skewers, which we all demolished. The indoor dining room entertained guests with live music and flamenco dancing. During happy hour, tapas cost between $5-9 and all craft cocktails sell for $10.

Hakata Ikkousha Ramen

Hakata Ikkousha Ramen in Costa Mesa offers a masterful take on Japanese comfort food, crafted by an award-winning chef who brings authentic flavors and expert techniques to every dish. Their perfectly crispy tonkatsu, tender and flavorful, is a standout, complemented by house-made sauces and traditional sides.

Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar: Firepit tables set the tone

This is upscale dining on a gorgeous patio. The restaurant is attached to the Avenue of the Arts hotel in a more corporate section of Costa Mesa. Silver Trumpet takes outdoor seating to a new level, with dining around a gorgeous fire table. The atmosphere sets the tone – blue skies, good food, cozy ambience.

I recommend starting with an ice cold super dirty martini and passing on the brussel sprouts (nothing special) appetizer. For dinner, I recommend the salmon. Everyone in my family agreed it was their favorite dish at Silver Trumpet. The dessert menu changes often, but we can vouch for the delicious apple crisp if that is available.

Ai Pono Cafe

Ai Pono in Costa Mesa delivers aloha with attitude. Their authentic Hawaiian dishes are served with a  no-nonsense, dark humor energy (wait till you read the menu!)  My son eats here every single time he visits SoCal and usually orders Da Chefs Plate – grilled Mahi Mahi, black magic beef, spicy poke, rice and the classic Hawaiian mac salad. I am a fan of their guava cheesecake.

Pie Society Bar: Try the Good Banter

Disclosure: This meal was hosted for review purposes.

Pie Society Bar is part pizza parlor, part speakeasy. In true speakeasy style, there are no big signs telling you where it is, but you do not need a password to get in.

The mixologist there knows her stuff. We chatted for a while about cocktail preferences and she recommended I try her original creation, Good Banter. It was so good that I posted it on my Instagram.

My daughter and her friend ordered Everybody Wants Some (tequila, elderflower, jalapeno honey) and Pretty Bird (rum, coconut white, egg white). Not my favorite but the girls raved about them.

For dinner at Pie Society, we tried the vegan margherita pizza with cashew cheese and everyone was a fan. The shaved kale salad was my favorite dish; I could have made a meal out of that because it is huge. The roasted artichoke sounded great but it honestly didn’t taste like much. The sauce, however, was delicious when we drenched our roasted cauliflower in it.

Breakfast and Brunch Options

Toast Kitchen + Bakery for day drinkers and breakfast lovers

1767 Newport Blvd.

Disclosure: One visit to Toast was hosted for review purposes.

Hearty breakfast and brunch options pair nicely with the unique cocktail menu. I don’t usually order cocktails at lunch but the menu was so intriguing, I joined the day drinkers club.

I started with There Will Be Blood Orange, a bourbon, rosemary and blood orange cocktail that expertly highlighted the bourbon instead of sweetening it up. If you prefer sweet, my daughter liked the Peach Emoji (mescal, aperol and peach). To refresh the taste buds, we ordered the cucumber chia seed limeade – a little on the sweet side but light and tasty.

The table was stuffed with quiche and burgers and omelets and no crumbs were left behind. Ube French Toast stuffed with ube pastry creme, is my son’s go-to when he is in town.

The pie selection is epic and we have tried a few! The pies could be shared but the size suggests single-serve or at least that’s what I tell my family. Based on our experience with the blueberry taro pie (interesting color and slightly sweet flavor) and the rhubarb / strawberry pie (tangy and light), I would bet that there is no “bad pie” at Toast.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Soak up the sun at a table outside but be sure to check out the pie case inside.

Not so Favorite: Pancakes R Us

We had to try this family restaurant just because of the name. We were starving and some of the trendy breakfast spots had a one-hour wait. In hindsight, we should have waited the hour because this was an overall disappointment.

For starters, Pancakes R Us coffee is barely drinkable. The restaurant offers a variety of pancake types: vegan, gluten free, multi-grain and traditional. We tried them all and they all get a hard pass EXCEPT for the nut and oat pancake.

Pancakes R Us has a kids menu with both breakfast and lunch/dinner options.

So. Many. Vegan Food Options

Vegan food is like any other cuisine, really. I mean, I’m not Italian, but I love Italian food. Same goes for vegan. It can be delicious. I love trying the different vegan food spots:  Nice Burger, Seabirds, Vibe,  (try the Buddha Bowl followed by banana bread), The Plot, Good Town Doughnuts.

Seabirds Kitchen

Disclosure: This meal was hosted for review purposes.

This restaurant offers creative vegan creations.  We started with cauliflower ceviche—genius idea and tasty except that they just couldn’t remove the onions. We tried twice but they kept showing up. Seabirds’ warm cauliflower salad made up for it.

There’s a kids menu with interesting options such as avocado bites, ABJ – almond butter and jelly.

VIBE

“Gluten-free, plant-based and everything from scratch.” Chef /founder/owner Josh Leibowitz bowls creations are healthy, tasty creations. My son lives for the Mediterranean Bowl and my favorite is the Macro Bowl – (quinoa + beet hummus + golden sauerkraut toppings).  The vegan banana bread is thick sliced and so so good.  NOTE: Don’t sleep on the homemade cheesy kale chips.

Sweet Treats in Costa Mesa

Good Town Doughnuts

2930 Bristol St. inside The LAB Anti-Mall.  

There are So. Many. Doughnut shops in LA and Orange County. Literally, it’s like there’s one on every corner. And that’s not counting Dunkin.

When you want to step outside the doughnut box, head to Good Town Doughnuts. I don’t think even the most dedicated doughnut lover would be able to tell the vegan donuts apart from the regular doughnuts at Good Town Doughnuts. Amazing flavors like cherry blossom and strawberry lemonade are tasty and worth a try. We planned to buy one but wound up buying six so we could try them all. Our favorite was the frosted raspberry and the gluten-free chocolate donut – dense and chocolatey.

Churrería El Moro at Mercado Gonzales Northgate Market

Mexico City’s most famous churro – watch as the churreros make them fresh daily. Choose from a variety of sauces: chocolate, caramel and leche condesada. Follow with thick, creamy hot chocolate.

Favorite: Fill Hawaiian Bakery

1767 Newport Blvd.

This yummy spot near Toast Restaurant infuses mochi batter into its donut batter for a chewier gooey-er donut experience. Fun flavors like Taro Glazed, Ube Haupia Crunch and Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll were hard to pass up even though we had just brunched at Toast.

My daughter liked the mochi doughnuts more than I did but my taste buds must be wrong because there is always a line to get into this spot.

SheBuysTravel Tip: Plan to wait 15-30 minutes. There can be a long line to get your fill.

Coffee: Nook Coffee Bar

My daughter is the coffee drinker and she gave The Nook’s cold brew an 8 out of 10.  As a tea drinker, I was happy to see interesting latte options, including the honey oat latte and the spanish latte and a variety of matcha teas on the menu.

WIP Coffee

Inventive coffee mixes: rosemary latte, mint matcha tea, wines, bites and food pop-ups. Near breweries.

Cowboys and Poodles

Cowboys & Poodles is a unique speakeasy-style bar in Costa Mesa, California. Hidden behind the facade of a western goods store, this trendy spot offers a fun and quirky atmosphere with a focus on creative cocktails like Poodle Punch and Ranchers Old Fashioned.

Randolph Street Breweries (all dog friendly)

• Bootleggers Brewery is a brewery that specializes in small-batch beers. They have a wide variety of beers on tap, including a coffee chipotle stout, and other IPAs, stouts, and lagers.
• Salty Bear Brewing Co. is a brewery that “infuses California soul into each and every beer.”  Adjacent to The Camp, guests are encouraged to bring food from one of The Camp restaurants to enjoy with their beer.  
• Green Cheek Beer Co. is a brewery and brewpub that serves a variety of beers and food. They have a large outdoor patio and are open late.
• Gunwhale Ales is a brewery and taproom that is “hops forward & yeast driven.” Focused on farmhouse and “coastal” ales, they have a large and evolving selection of beers on tap.

Here is an up-to-date calendar of events in Costa Mesa.