My Irvine/OC mini restaurant guide: girly lunch date spots

If you know me personally, you should also be familiar with my intense fondness for cute cafes and restaurants. And by “cute” I mean dainty, estrogen-friendly, places-you-have-to-wittingly-drag-your-boyfriend-to establishments that specialize in the following: sandwiches, organic salads, vegetarian offerings, cupcakes, latte art… and chocolate. Of course, lots and lots of chocolate.

In fact, over the course of my four-year undergrad career, I made it a personal mission of mine to scope out all the best, cutest spots in the area to enjoy a nice long session of girl talk. (Thank you, higher education!)

In the process, I’ve ventured down PCH, explored downtown areas, and even discovered some lesser-known spots that I probably wouldn’t have ever known about otherwise (ever heard of “Old Town Tustin”? ..yeah, me neither.)

So of course when my friend messaged me this evening to inquire about “cutesie lunch places in or near Irvine” (his words precisely), I was more than willing to provide an extensive list of my favorite tried and true spots. 

Then, halfway through it, I thought… hey, why not spread the wealth? 

In the past, I would’ve pledged exclusivity and been reluctant to share my findings—because nothing sucks more than hitting up your favorite cafe on a weekend afternoon only to find out that it’s bustling and filled to full capacity.

…okay, so I have some possessive, selfish tendencies.

Well, I’ve since moved on from those days—or, I like to call it growing up (here’s to wishful thinking.) Thus, in commemoration of my return home in less than a month (yikes!!!), here’s my work-in-progress list of the cutesiest, girliest, yummiest lunch date spots in the Irvine/OC area, sorted by region.

—All links will take you the restaurant’s Yelp page, because I think Yelp is the Bible for foodies.

Santa Ana/Anaheim/Tustin
(Don’t ask me why I bunched all three of these cities together—clearly living in the OC for 22 years hasn’t helped me much in the “good sense of direction” department.)

Freesoulcaffe (Tustin, CA)
This is a vegan cafe and probably my favorite spot at the moment. My salivary glands are practically having a field day right now just thinking about it! Their food is organic, fresh, and exceptional—if you think you might be vegetarian/vegan-averse, you must try this place because it just might change your life (and this is not a joke!) In fact, you will hardly know that you’re even eating vegan food because it’s that good.. until your stomach starts growling from hunger two hours later because it digested all the vegetables so quickly, that is! On top of its savory menu offerings, the place also boasts great desserts and some yummy drinks (stay away from the chai latte though—unless you like your drinks, um, watery and bland.) Though a tad pricier than I’m generally used to at about $10-16 a meal, I would still willingly dole out the money to enjoy a healthy(ish?) meal from their kitchens every so often to balance out the late night Del Taco binge I went on at 2 A.M. the preceding evening (finals week, anyone?) I also highly recommend this place as a casual study spot, as it offers free wifi and outdoor seating—and heaters in case it gets chilly!

Proof that guys can enjoy a plate of vegan food, too! (But we may have partaken in a small post-dinner snack after this… all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, to be exact.)

The Lost Bean (Old Town Tustin, CA)
I’m actually not a huge coffee drinker, but I will make an exception for The Lost Bean because their stuff is pure quality and deliciousness—not to mention their coffee beans are all organic and fair trade. I’ve only eaten here once (it was pretty dang good, if you’re curious), but since this is primarily a coffee/tea house rather than a full-on restaurant, their food offerings are rather limited. I would recommend this place if you aren’t too hungry and just want a light lunch since the main allure here really is their coffee (and teas!)… and free wifi.

Costa Mesa

Gypsy Den at The LAB*
Hoards of artistic/musical types frequent this cafe and I hear their breakfast and brunch items are supposedly good, though I have yet to try them for myself. From what I’ve seen and heard, most people go here for the soup/salad/sandwich combo (pick two) and the coffee. As I shared earlier, I’m not a big coffee drinker nor am I crazy about the food here, but a lot of people (“people” as in girls, because we all know men are dogs!**) rave about it so I guess they must be doing something right! However, I gotta give this establishment props for their indie, eclectic atmosphere. They’ve really tapped into the growing hipster scene. In finance, we would potentially refer to that as having a unique market position. In real people talk, we might just say cha-ching! They hit the jackpot!

*There’s another location in the Artists’ District in downtown Santa Ana, too, that boasts a spacier, nicer atmosphere overall IMO. However, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you happen to be in the area just because it’s farther from Irvine and you have to pay for parking!

**I apologize for the inappropriate and potentially offensive outburst. But uh, it’s all in good fun, I promise! (No one tell my boyfriend, please.)

East Borough
Call this “overpriced, glorified Vietnamese food” if you will, but don’t write your assumptions off as truth until you’ve actually tried the food here yourself—I say this only because I judged before I grubbed, too! East Borough is a small, outdoors Vietnamese-style (I’m so hesitant to call it what it is because my perceived reality of Vietnamese food from Little Saigon can’t wrap itself around the idea that the artfully packaged items here are authentic) restaurant offers the best Vietnamese(esque) sandwich, or banh mi, I-HAVE-EVER-HAD! Please give your taste buds something to celebrate and order the pork banh mi—the bread is toasted to perfection (crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and warm!) and the meat is succulent, fresh, and flavorful, unlike your typical chewy, cold Lee’s sandwich. The spring rolls are not too shabby either and I hear they make a mean beef stew! For the quality of food and clean, artsy atmosphere, I don’t mind paying a couple extra bucks to pig out in style. (The place really is nice—photos to come soon!)

Native Foods at The Camp*
Situated right next to East Borough is another gem of an establishment and vegan restaurant (I sure do love my vegan food!), Native Foods. Similar to Freesoulcaffe, the prices are high enough to make me feel like I’ve made a somewhat significant dent in my wallet post-meal, though I do believe that you’re getting what you’re paying for—all of the ingredients are high-quality and fresh and the presentation is flawless. Plus, if you can’t finish large portions in one sitting, you can always split an entree two-ways and treat yourselves to a drink and dessert (trust me, you want to do this!) without feeling too guilty about the costs incurred.

*There is another location at The District in Tustin but I prefer the atmosphere at this location.

Yes, I dragged the boyfriend here. He was practically kicking and screaming—from joy!—by the end of the meal because it was that good. We ate generously because it was Friday Happy Hour (50% off appetizers! 3-6 PM!)

The beaches (Corona Del Mar/Newport Beach/Laguna Beach)

Zinc Cafe (Corona Del Mar)
Located right off of PCH, Zinc Cafe is a charming, chic vegetarian restaurant overlooking the shore. I know you might be turned off and sick of me recommending vegetarian spots, but I take my food seriously—and this place has seriously great food, and drinks, and desserts (the holy trinity of girly date spots!) Their service is impeccable as well—the one time I ate here, the cashier/manager (?) gave me my entire meal for free simply because they ran out of the dish I’d originally intended to order!

The place was packed out on a weekday lunch so we sat at their outdoor tables.

Nick’s Laguna Beach
To be honest, I initially had low expectations for this place. The photos on their Yelp page just do not do them justice! I expected the restaurant to have a grungy, pub-like feel to it, but boy was I mistaken! Nick’s is clean and modern and the food is well-prepared and well worth the money—unlike several other “cute restaurants” along the beach. I feel like most of the time eating near the beach is a real hit-or-miss: the prices are higher than normal and more often than not, the majority of your bill is going towards the atmosphere rather than the food, which is usually sub par. Rest assured—Nick’s is neither of the above.  
If you’re of age, order the mimosa—preferably in the morning to accompany your brunch! ;)

Sun-Dried Tomato Cafe (Laguna Beach)
I ate dinner here during the 2010 OC Restaurant Week and had such a great experience that I’ve been itching to return ever since. The atmosphere is classy and simple and for some odd reason, outdoor seating near the beach just makes everything that much cuter. I highly recommend the lamb burger, pictured below:

I’m pretty sure my roomie is about half the size of her plate of food.

I know I left out a ton of great spots, but I’ll have to add to this list as more and more places come to mind. It’s currently 11:15 in the evening and my brain is begging me to shut it off and get to bed already! Here’s to being a grandma at age 23!

Got another suggestion?
Let me know! if my tastes align with yours, I’ll add it to the list!