Costa Mesa, United States
Knife Pleat
Chef Tony Esnault's seasonal menus, spanning four- and six-course dinners, a three-course lunch, and Saturday afternoon tea, sit at the summit of Orange County's fine-dining tier.
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United States
Costa Mesa
Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries in Costa Mesa from the En Primeur Club guide.
Accolades in Costa Mesa
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ANQI in South Coast Plaza and Mastro’s Ocean Club in Costa Mesa hold a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Ospi Costa Mesa in Paseo 17 and Verde Restaurant in East Side Costa Mesa also have exceptional wine programs. The latest Michelin awards for Knife Pleat, Hana re and Vaca are Plates. Eight exceptional wine programs are published citywide.
Knife Pleat in South Coast Plaza runs seasonal French tasting menus with an extensive wine list. Vaca in Town Center serves modern Spanish tapas with an extensive list of sherries and Spanish wines, and its latest Michelin award is a Plate. Mastro’s Ocean Club in Costa Mesa is a steakhouse and seafood restaurant with a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and an exceptional wine program. Citywide, our guide counts four Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence awards and one Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
Wine lists and Wine Spectator awards
Eight exceptional wine programs are published citywide, alongside four Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence awards and one Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The lists below sit in Town Center, the Costa Mesa neighborhood and South Coast Plaza.
Vaca
Vaca is a modern Spanish tapas restaurant in Town Center, with a la carte and prix fixe service and an exceptional wine program. Chef Amar Santana's room keeps an extensive list of sherries and Spanish wines, in a rustic setting with a semi-open kitchen. Michelin awarded Vaca a Plate for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Mastro’s Ocean Club
Mastro’s Ocean Club is a classic steakhouse and seafood restaurant in Costa Mesa, with an a la carte menu of premium steaks and fresh seafood. The wine program is exceptional and the list is extensive. It holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2026, and Opinionated About Dining ranked it number 694 on Casual in North America for 2024.
ANQI
ANQI is a California Vietnamese restaurant in South Coast Plaza, serving small plates and an a la carte menu, including Filet Mignon Potstickers. Sake and craft cocktails accompany the wine list. It holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2026, and Opinionated About Dining ranked it number 462 on Top Restaurants in North America for 2024.
Tasting menus and omakase
Structured menus here include seasonal French tasting menus, a 10-seat Japanese omakase and monthly Italian tasting menus. Knife Pleat in South Coast Plaza and Hana re in The Lab both carry a Michelin Plate for 2026, and Il Girasole in Costa Mesa pairs its monthly menu with an exceptional wine program.
Knife Pleat
Knife Pleat is a contemporary French restaurant in South Coast Plaza, in a penthouse with an open kitchen. Chef Tony Esnault serves seasonal tasting menus, including four- and six-course dinners and Saturday afternoon tea, and an a la carte menu. The wine program is exceptional, with an extensive wine list. The latest Michelin award is a Plate for 2026, following earlier star awards.
Hana re
Hana re is a Japanese omakase restaurant in The Lab, with 10 seats at the counter. Chef Atsushi Yokoyama serves a leisurely omakase from seasonal California and Japanese ingredients. The restaurant pours sake. The latest Michelin award is a Plate for 2026, following a star award and a later Plate.
Il Girasole
Il Girasole is a modern Italian restaurant in Costa Mesa. The multi-course tasting menu changes monthly and uses seasonal California ingredients. A la carte service is offered as well. The wine program is exceptional, with an extensive wine list and craft cocktails.
Planning FAQ
Which neighborhoods hold the serious wine lists?
Serious wine lists in our guide sit in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Town Center, Paseo 17 and East Side Costa Mesa. Knife Pleat, Mastro’s Ocean Club and Il Girasole have exceptional wine programs and extensive lists. Vaca pours an extensive list of sherries and Spanish wines. Ospi Costa Mesa has an exceptional program and an extensive list. Verde Restaurant has an exceptional wine program.
How many Michelin-starred restaurants does Costa Mesa have?
Costa Mesa has no Michelin-starred restaurants in our guide. Knife Pleat in South Coast Plaza, Hana re in The Lab and Vaca in Town Center each carry a Michelin Plate as their latest dated Michelin award. Knife Pleat and Hana re also have older star awards dated before those Plates.
Where are the tasting menus?
Structured menus in our guide include Knife Pleat and Populaire in South Coast Plaza, Hana re in The Lab, Il Girasole and Manpuku in Costa Mesa, Shunka in Eastside, and Leatherby's Cafe Rouge in Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Knife Pleat runs seasonal tasting menus. Hana re is a 10-seat omakase counter. Populaire runs a nightly 7-course tasting menu.
Which places hold Wine Spectator awards?
Four restaurants in our guide hold a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and one holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. ANQI in South Coast Plaza and Mastro’s Ocean Club in Costa Mesa hold the Best of Award of Excellence for 2026. ANQI pours sake and craft cocktails. Mastro’s Ocean Club is a steakhouse and seafood restaurant with an exceptional wine program and an extensive list.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Costa Mesa
Where to eat in Costa Mesa
Selected entries from the current guide for Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa, United States
Costa Mesa, United States
Hana re
For serious Japanese dining south of Los Angeles, it anchors the upper bracket of the region's fine dining scene.
Costa Mesa, United States
ANQI
ANQI has earned consecutive recognition on the Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America list from 2023 through 2025, making it one of the more consistently cited Asian fusion addresses in Orange County..
Costa Mesa, United States
Mastro’s Ocean Club
On East Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Mastro's Ocean Club occupies the premium end of Southern California's seafood dining tier, ranked #694 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list for 2024 and carrying. The menu draws on Pacific Coast provenance in a setting that leans toward occasion dining, open nightly from 4 or 5 pm.
Costa Mesa, United States
Vaca
Vaca brings the convivial energy of a Spanish mercado to Costa Mesa's Town Center Drive, earning consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions in 2024 and 2025. The menu draws on the ingredient-forward traditions of Catalonia and the Basque Country, where sourcing and technique carry equal weight.
Costa Mesa, United States
Amorelia Mexican Cafe
Amorelia Mexican Cafe occupies a strip-mall address on Harbor Boulevard that understates what it delivers: a focused Mexican kitchen in a corner of Costa Mesa better known for its range of international dining than for regional Mexican specificity. Against a local field that skews toward fine-dining formats at venues like Knife Pleat and Hana re, Amorelia represents the neighbourhood's more casual, neighbourhood-rooted tier.
Costa Mesa, United States
Arc Food & Libations
Arc Food & Libations occupies a suite on Hyland Avenue in Costa Mesa, positioning itself within a dining corridor that increasingly draws serious eaters away from coastal Orange County's resort clusters. The name signals an ambition that extends beyond a single cuisine category, and its address places it among a growing concentration of independent operators testing how far ingredient-driven cooking can travel in this market.
Costa Mesa, United States
Beach Pit BBQ
Beach Pit BBQ on Tustin Avenue sits inside Costa Mesa's broader tradition of no-frills, product-driven cooking that punches above its price point. The format follows the classic American BBQ ritual: choose your cut, take your place, eat with intention. In a city better known for its high-design dining rooms, this is the counter-argument.
Costa Mesa, United States
Butcher's House Brasserie
A meat-forward brasserie on Hyland Avenue, Butcher's House sits in Costa Mesa's mid-city dining corridor alongside some of Orange County's more ambitious tables. The format signals a European-style chophouse sensibility, serious protein, direct technique, and a room designed around the act of eating well rather than performing it.
Costa Mesa, United States
Cafe Rio
Cafe Rio at 253 E 17th St sits inside Costa Mesa's casual dining corridor, where the menu structure tells a clearer story than any single dish. The format here reflects a broader Southern California tradition of accessible, build-your-own formats that prioritize throughput and customization over tasting-menu ceremony. Worth understanding in the context of the city's wider range of options before you book.
Costa Mesa, United States
Casa de Onda
Casa de Onda sits on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, a stretch where Southern California's dining scene plays out in close quarters with everything from Spanish taverns to Japanese omakase counters.
Costa Mesa, United States
Collage
Collage occupies a recognizable address on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa, sitting within a dining corridor that draws comparison to the broader Orange County fine-dining scene. The restaurant's name suggests a layered, assembled approach to cuisine, positioning it among the few Costa Mesa addresses where format and ambition converge. For visitors planning ahead, the Bristol Street location places it close to South Coast Plaza and the city's concentrated restaurant cluster.
Costa Mesa, United States
Costa Contemporary Kitchen
Costa Contemporary Kitchen sits at 650 Anton Blvd in Costa Mesa, operating within a South Orange County dining scene that has grown increasingly competitive at the upper tier. Reservations and current menu details are best confirmed directly with the venue.
Costa Mesa, United States
Descanso
Descanso sits at 1555 Adams Ave in Costa Mesa's mid-city corridor, drawing a loyal local crowd that returns not for occasion dining but for the kind of reliable, neighbourhood-rooted experience that defines the area's less-heralded dining tier. In a city where South Coast Plaza adjacency pulls most attention toward the higher-end room, Descanso holds its ground through consistency and a regulars-first atmosphere.
Costa Mesa, United States
Eat Chow
Eat Chow occupies a casual but considered space on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa, placing it in a different tier from the neighborhood's white-tablecloth circuit. Where venues like Knife Pleat operate at the formal end of Orange County dining, Eat Chow draws a crowd that values a more relaxed format without sacrificing kitchen ambition. It sits at 1802 Newport Blvd, easily reached from the 55 freeway corridor.
Costa Mesa, United States
Filomena's Italian Kitchen & Market
A Newport Boulevard fixture in Costa Mesa, Filomena's Italian Kitchen & Market occupies the overlap between casual neighborhood dining and old-school Italian-American hospitality. The kitchen-and-market format signals a dual identity that suits regular visits as much as occasion dinners. For locals along the 92627 corridor, it functions less as a destination than as a default, the kind of place you return to without much deliberation.
Costa Mesa, United States
George's Cafe
George's Cafe sits at 600 Town Center Dr in Costa Mesa, positioned within the Town Center retail corridor that anchors much of the city's casual dining activity.
Costa Mesa, United States
Golden Dragon
Golden Dragon at 2023 Harbor Blvd sits within Costa Mesa's layered dining scene, where Chinese-American restaurants have long anchored the city's mid-century commercial corridors.
Costa Mesa, United States
Il Dolce
Il Dolce sits on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, a stretch that has developed a more varied dining character than its retail-corridor appearance suggests. The name signals Italian, and the Harbor Boulevard address places it within reach of South Coast Plaza's dense dining orbit. Details on format, pricing, and booking are best confirmed directly with the venue.
Costa Mesa, United States
Il Girasole
Il Girasole on Hyland Avenue sits within Costa Mesa's quietly ambitious dining corridor, where Italian cooking traditions hold ground alongside the city's more headline-grabbing contemporary programs. For occasion dining in Orange County's interior, it occupies a niche that rewards those who look past the South Coast Plaza adjacency and seek a table with some longevity behind it.
Costa Mesa, United States
Izakaya Hachi
Izakaya Hachi brings the after-work izakaya tradition to Costa Mesa's Bristol Street corridor, where small plates, grilled skewers, and Japanese drinking snacks form a format that sits well outside the omakase tier dominating Orange County's Japanese dining scene. The address places it among a cluster of independent operators, making it a practical first stop before or after exploring the broader South Coast Plaza dining orbit.
Costa Mesa, United States
Kenwood's Kitchen & Tap
Kenwood's Kitchen & Tap occupies a casual-anchor position along Adams Avenue in Costa Mesa, where the neighborhood's midrange dining scene runs parallel to the more formal options at South Coast Plaza. The format reads as an American kitchen-and-tap concept, fitting a tier where accessibility and a full bar program coexist with substantive food. For Costa Mesa, that positioning fills a practical gap between quick-service and the $$$$-tier counters nearby.
Costa Mesa, United States
La Cave
La Cave at 1695 Irvine Ave occupies a distinctive position in Costa Mesa's dining conversation, drawing comparisons to the city's most serious restaurants without the institutional weight of a hotel dining room. The format rewards planning over impulse, and the address alone has accumulated enough local reputation to make advance research worthwhile before you go.
Costa Mesa, United States
Leatherby's Cafe Rouge
Leatherby's Cafe Rouge sits inside the Segerstrom Center for the Arts complex in Costa Mesa, positioning it within one of Orange County's most concentrated dining and cultural corridors. The address at 615 Town Center Dr places it squarely in the South Coast Metro district, where the dining conversation ranges from French-leaning fine dining at Knife Pleat to modern Japanese at Hana re. Confirm current hours and menu details directly before visiting.
Costa Mesa
Where to stay in Costa Mesa
Selected entries from the current guide for Costa Mesa.
No venues found.
Costa Mesa
Where to go for a drink in Costa Mesa
Selected entries from the current guide for Costa Mesa.
Costa Mesa, United States
Brewing Reserve of California
Brewing Reserve of California operates out of Costa Mesa's College Avenue corridor, occupying a tier of California craft programs that prioritize depth of process over volume. For those tracking the West Coast's more deliberate brewing and bar culture, it sits alongside the neighbourhood's more considered drinking options rather than its high-turnover venues.
Costa Mesa, United States
East Borough
East Borough occupies a Bristol Street address in Costa Mesa that quietly rewards those who seek out thoughtful cocktail programming over spectacle. The bar sits within a broader South Coast Plaza corridor where drinking culture has grown more deliberate, and its approach to the craft positions it firmly in the technical tier of Orange County's bar scene.
Costa Mesa, United States
Hamamori Restaurant and Sushi Bar
Hamamori Restaurant and Sushi Bar occupies a measured position in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza dining corridor, serving Japanese cuisine in a format that draws both mall-adjacent visitors and local regulars. The restaurant and sushi bar combination places it in a dual-format tier common to Orange County's more established Japanese dining addresses, offering counter seating alongside full table service.
Costa Mesa, United States
Sushi Shibucho
Sushi Shibucho on West 19th Street is one of Costa Mesa's most quietly serious Japanese counters, operating in the tradition of Edomae technique within an Orange County dining scene that rarely demands this level of focus. The address, a modest strip on the west side of town, gives little away about what happens at the counter inside.
Costa Mesa, United States
The Wayfarer
The Wayfarer occupies a quietly residential stretch of West 19th Street in Costa Mesa, sitting within a city that has built a serious dining reputation over the past decade. The address places it away from the South Coast Plaza corridor, which tends to reward venues that earn repeat visits through the meal itself rather than foot traffic.
Costa Mesa, United States
Trenta Pizza & Cucina and Trenta Lounge
Trenta Pizza & Cucina and Trenta Lounge occupies a dual-format position on Superior Avenue in Costa Mesa, combining a full-service Italian kitchen with a separate lounge concept. The address places it within reach of the city's densest restaurant corridor, giving it a competitive context that rewards the casual visitor and the repeat diner alike. It operates as a neighbourhood anchor in a city that rewards that kind of dual-purpose investment.
Costa Mesa
Which wineries to visit in Costa Mesa
Selected entries from the current guide for Costa Mesa.
No venues found.
Venue lists for Costa Mesa
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