Best Tasting Menus in Costa Mesa

Hana re

1 Michelin star

Hana re earned a Michelin Star in 2024 and holds a Michelin Plate in 2025, placing it among the more decorated Japanese restaurants in Orange County. For serious Japanese dining south of Los Angeles, it anchors the upper bracket of the region's fine dining scene.

Il Girasole

Exceptional wine program

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.

Knife Pleat

1 Michelin star · Exceptional wine program

Holding a Michelin star since 2024 and ranked 20th on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list for 2024, Knife Pleat brings classically rooted French technique to the Penthouse level of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. 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.

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.

Manpuku

Manpuku on Baker Street occupies a quieter register in Costa Mesa's dining scene, sitting at a different pitch from the white-tablecloth formality of Hana re or the contemporary ambition of Knife Pleat. Where those rooms lean into ceremony, Manpuku trades in the kind of everyday Japanese comfort that draws neighbourhood regulars rather than occasion diners. The address on Baker Street places it within easy reach of South Coast Plaza's broader dining corridor.

Populaire

Populaire occupies a considered spot in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza corridor, where the dining conversation has grown increasingly serious over the past decade. The address places it within reach of Knife Pleat and Hana re, two of Orange County's most demanding tables, which says something about the competitive register this stretch now commands. Confirm details directly with the venue before visiting.

Shunka

Shunka occupies a strip-mall address on East 17th Street that Costa Mesa's more attentive diners have quietly claimed as their own. The restaurant sits within a dining corridor that includes heavy-hitters like Hana re and Knife Pleat, positioning it inside a concentrated pocket of serious cooking on the city's east side. Sparse signage and an understated approach to self-promotion are, in this part of Orange County, often the clearest indicators of intent.