Fashion Island's Coastal Overlook: Plans for Ocean-View Dining

In August, P.F. Chang's closed at Fashion Island after 32 years. It was the last of three national chains that had held the same corner of the Newport Beach center for most of the past three decades. The Irvine Company does not plan to fill the block with another familiar name. It plans to turn the building toward the Pacific. Every food and coffee opening at the center this year points the same way. Fashion Island is trading the chains it was known for in favor of concepts that are new to the region, and the ocean view is now the organizing idea.

Three Restaurants, One Corner, Thirty-Eight Years

The New York Post covered the closure and quoted the local history account Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror. That account called the trio "the three powerhouses that ruled that corner of the retail center for three decades" and listed each restaurant's run.

The closures came gradually. The Cheesecake Factory's 2023 exit left P.F. Chang's alone in that part of the center for about three years. The Orange County Business Journal reported in September that P.F. Chang's was "the final restaurant in that part of the shopping center to close its doors." With the whole block empty, the Irvine Company can rework it as one project.

A Building That Turned Its Back on the View

The Irvine Company has been unusually candid about the old block's main flaw. A company spokesperson told the Orange County Business Journal in November 2025 that 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."

The project is called the Coastal Overlook. In the same report, the company said the space will be redone to match the look of RH and the neighboring ocean-facing buildings. The plan keeps the existing structure and changes which way it faces. For three decades, diners in that corner ate looking inward toward the center. The redesign is meant to face them toward the ocean.

Gerard Widder, who became Fashion Island's vice president and general manager in mid-2024, described the plan in that November 2025 report. He said the area "will introduce fresh dining and lifestyle concepts that take full advantage of Fashion Island's remarkable location." In its September 2026 coverage, the Business Journal reported that the center expects the space to be a venue for "innovative" restaurant concepts.

RH Ocean Grill Was the Proof of Concept

The model for the Coastal Overlook is a short walk away. In 2024, RH moved from its longtime Fashion Island space into a 97,000-square-foot, four-story building on the south end of the center, facing the coastline. RH Ocean Grill sits on its roof. The Business Journal described it as a glass-enclosed restaurant seating 260, with two wine bars flanking the grand staircase entrance and a menu that includes caviar-topped lobster rolls and grilled branzino.

Fashion Island has said directly that RH is what it wants to repeat. A spokesperson told the Orange County Business Journal this fall that "the community has responded enthusiastically to the beautiful coastal views and ocean breezes available while dining at RH Ocean Grill, and we will deliver a similar coastal ambiance in a refreshed restaurant space in this area of the center."

Fashion Island ranks as the second-largest shopping center in Orange County by 12-month taxable sales, at $876 million in the figure the Business Journal cited in August 2026.

The 2026 Openings Follow the Same Rule

The rest of Fashion Island's 2026 food and coffee openings fit the same pattern. Each one brings something the center or the region did not have before, and none is a national casual-dining chain.

• Ralph Lauren and Ralph's Coffee, opened January 20, 2026. Ralph Lauren's opening announcement called the café its California debut. It is in Suite A201, in the former 7,300-square-foot RH space beside the koi pond near Bloomingdale's. RH's move to the south end freed up that spot.
• Telefèric Barcelona, opened August 20, 2026. The restaurant took over the former Hopdoddy space and is listed at Suite 311.
• Levain Bakery, opened September 4, 2026. Fashion Island's fall magazine says this is the New York bakery's first Orange County location. Levain is known for six-ounce cookies, and the café also serves artisan breads, sandwiches and pastries, with full barista service that includes the Cookie Milk Latte. It is listed at Suite 315.

Two of these have a direct link to the Coastal Overlook. Ralph's Coffee only had a home because RH moved to the ocean-facing south end. Levain's founders, Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, opened their first shop on the Upper West Side in 1995, and they described Newport Beach as "the next natural step." Brands with that kind of following are the tenants the Irvine Company is courting.

One more restaurant is on the way. Fashion Island's directory lists Amalfi as coming soon at Suite A104, from Chef Erik De Marchi, who founded Oliver's Osteria in Laguna Beach and Oliver's Trattoria in Irvine. No opening date has been posted. The directory does not place it in the Coastal Overlook.

Retail has kept the same pace. Tommy Bahama Home reopened its expanded showroom at Suite 953 with a new interior-design studio on August 8 and 9. Jones Road at Suite 1089 scheduled its grand opening for October 16 through 18, and FARM Rio at Suite 1057 scheduled an opening celebration for October 17.

What Is Set, and What Is Still Open

The Coastal Overlook has a building, a direction and a model. As of the Business Journal's September report, it did not yet have named tenants or an opening date. That report said construction was expected to start this fall.

The center has said what kind of tenant it wants: "fresh dining and lifestyle concepts" and "innovative" restaurants, in a setting meant to feel like RH Ocean Grill. This year's openings, from a California-first coffee bar to an Orange County-first bakery, show the kind of names it has been signing.

A Fashion Island Afternoon Before the Overlook Opens

While the old corner is under renovation, here is where the ocean views and new openings are now:

1. Ocean view. RH Ocean Grill, on the rooftop of the four-story RH building at the south end, is the only place at Fashion Island that offers what the Coastal Overlook is designed to offer.
2. Coffee by the koi pond. Ralph's Coffee, Suite A201, near Bloomingdale's.
3. Something to take home. Levain Bakery, Suite 315, for cookies and a Cookie Milk Latte.
4. A sit-down dinner. Telefèric Barcelona, Suite 311, in the former Hopdoddy space.

The empty block where CPK, The Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Chang's once stood is the next piece. When it reopens, the building will face the Pacific.

Changes like the Coastal Overlook affect how Newport Beach feels day to day, and they can matter to homeowners deciding when to make a move. If you would like a local view on how Fashion Island's changes fit into the wider Newport Beach picture, Candice Blair Group is happy to talk it through with you. Contact Us.