The ocean-facing corner of Fashion Island once held three of the most familiar names in mall dining. The Cheesecake Factory left first. California Pizza Kitchen followed. In August 2026, P.F. Chang's became the last restaurant in that part of the center to close. The space now waits for a renovation the Irvine Company calls the Coastal Overlook. As of mid-September, construction was planned to start "this fall," with no tenants named and no opening date.
Over the same summer, the two most talked-about food openings at the center went somewhere else. Telefèric Barcelona and Levain Bakery opened within about two weeks of each other, a few doors apart near Macy's. For this season and probably beyond it, Fashion Island's newest menus and its best Pacific views are in different parts of the property. Planning a dinner there starts with knowing which one you want.
The Corner That Emptied One Lease at a Time
The ocean-facing cluster didn't close all at once. The Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen closed in earlier years. P.F. Chang's stayed open into the summer of 2026, and the Orange County Business Journal reported on August 31 that it had shut down that month. That cleared the last obstacle to the renovation.
The plan for that space is a change in direction, literally. In 2025, an Irvine Company spokesperson described how the redesign would change the building:
"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."
So the restaurants that stood there for years looked away from the view the new project is being built around. The model for the redesign is a few minutes' walk away. In 2024, RH Gallery and its RH Ocean Grill moved into a 97,000-square-foot, four-story building on the south end of the center, facing the coastline. Fashion Island told the Business Journal that "the community has responded enthusiastically to the beautiful coastal views and ocean breezes available while dining at RH Ocean Grill," and that the Coastal Overlook will deliver "a similar coastal ambiance."
Until the Coastal Overlook opens, RH Ocean Grill is the center's one restaurant in our research built around the ocean view. Everything else that opened in 2026 went elsewhere.
Where the Summer's Two Big Openings Landed
The more consequential arrival is Telefèric Barcelona. The Business Journal reported it was scheduled to open on August 20, and by August 21 the Daily Pilot was covering it as open at 311 Newport Center Drive. It is the family-owned group's ninth restaurant worldwide and its first in Orange County, run by siblings Xavi and Maria Padrosa. The menu centers on Spanish tapas and paella, and the restaurant includes a small market selling Spanish goods.
The address has its own history. Telefèric took over the former Hopdoddy Burger Bar space on the Macy's side of the center. Hopdoddy closed in December 2025, and the Business Journal named its replacement in March 2026. One casual burger concept leaving and an international tapas group moving in shows the center's priorities clearly. While the ocean-facing side waits for construction, the Macy's side is where a sit-down restaurant with a reservation-worthy menu could open right away.
About two weeks later, on September 4, Levain Bakery opened its first Orange County store at 315 Newport Center Drive, near Macy's and Sushi Roku. The bakery began in New York in 1995, founded by best friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, and it is known for the 6-ounce cookies the Daily Pilot put in its headline. The Newport store also serves sandwiches and barista drinks, which makes it a lunch stop as well as a dessert stop.
Levain also tied the opening to local causes. Opening-day proceeds were designated for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, and the bakery says it donates unsold goods to Abound Food Care.
Together, 311 and 315 Newport Center Drive give the Macy's side something it hasn't had in one stretch before. A Spanish dinner and a New York bakery now sit a short walk apart, both first-in-county openings, both from the same summer.
The Smaller Counters Filling In Around Them
The bigger names drew the headlines, but the rest of 2026's additions follow the same pattern. They are compact counter-service spots tucked into existing courtyards and stores, away from the closed corner. Here is what the center's directory and local reporting show as of late September, starting with the earliest dated opening:
- Ralph's Coffee, Suite A201X. It opened on January 20, 2026, alongside the Ralph Lauren store, The directory lists it under coffee, tea and desserts.
- Ben & Jerry's, Suite A102 in Atrium Court. It was already open when Newport Signal reported on September 1, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for September 17. That date marks a ceremony, not the first day of business.
- Lola Café, Suite A107. The directory labels this Oaxacan and Mexican café "Now Open" but gives no opening date.
- Hudsons Cookies, Suite 1131. This is a second location in the Nordstrom Courtyard, also listed as "Now Open" without a date. Hudsons already appeared in the Orange County Register's December 2025 guide to Fashion Island dining, so the courtyard spot adds to an existing presence.
Counting Levain, Fashion Island now has two cookie counters, and Ralph's Coffee adds another sweets stop. Dessert options have grown far faster in 2026 than sit-down dinner options. Among this year's arrivals, Telefèric is the only new full-service restaurant on the dated record.
One more name is still pending. Amalfi by Oliver's was reported in October 2025 as coming to Suite A104, serving Italian street food for lunch and dinner. The December 2025 Register guide listed it among the food-court choices as if it were already serving, but the center's directory still shows it as "Coming Soon." Until that label changes, it belongs on a watch list, not an evening plan.
What the Coastal Overlook Has and Hasn't Promised
Everything on the record about the Coastal Overlook describes intent, not a lineup. Fashion Island has said the project will be a venue for "innovative" restaurant concepts. In November 2025, the center's vice president and general manager, Gerard Widder, told the Business Journal that "this new area will introduce fresh dining and lifestyle concepts that take full advantage of Fashion Island's remarkable location."
The September 14 report is the most recent account we found. It still names no operators, gives no completion date, and says only that construction is expected to begin this fall. It also says nothing about access or closures around the former restaurant space during construction. Anyone planning around that corner has a start season and nothing more.
That makes the timeline lopsided. Over the coming months, the ocean-facing corner moves from empty to under construction, then eventually to a new set of tenants. Meanwhile, the Macy's side and the courtyards keep the openings that have already happened. Telefèric's tapas, Levain's cookies, Lola Café and the new Ben & Jerry's are all open now. When the Coastal Overlook opens, it will compete with restaurants that will have had a full year or more to build a regular crowd.
Until then, a waterfront dinner at Fashion Island means RH Ocean Grill. A new menu means heading toward Macy's, where 311 and 315 Newport Center Drive now sit side by side.
At Coastal OC Real Estate Group, we track these changes in Newport Beach as they happen, from a new lease on Newport Center Drive to an announcement for the Coastal Overlook. If you'd like to know how the center's next chapter could shape your corner of Newport Beach, we're glad to talk it through over coffee at Fashion Island. Work With Us.
