While Orange County played host to a bonanza of eatery openings in 2023 — most notably, Mercado González in Costa Mesa, Gema in San Clemente and JW Hayes BBQ found inside a liquor store — it also saw a slew of closures, with a handful of cherished restaurants saying farewell after decades in the culinary game.
Owning and operating a successful business, especially one that prepares and sells food, is no easy feat. But in California, it can be a lucrative one. According to an analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, Californians spend the most on dining in a two-week period, forking over approximately $140 per consumer. (Only diners in Hawaii spend more than Golden State residents.) But with the price of commercial real estate (some of the highest in the country), labor costs, food service permitting, and state sales and corporate taxes, California is also one of the priciest places to run a restaurant.
Myriad factors went into O.C. restaurant closures of 2023, ranging from temporary pauses and real estate redevelopment to owner retirement and financial strife. Here are some of the eateries we said goodbye to in 2023.
Of this year’s many closures, Taco María — which didn’t close for good, but announced a temporary hiatus in July while chef-owner Carlos Salgado searched for a more suitable location — is the one readers and gastronomes alike ask about the most. One of only three Orange County spots with Michelin-star pedigree, the acclaimed restaurant was located inside the OC Mix at SoCo Collection, a luxury mall abutting the 405. Not the best fit, according to Salgado, who decided to pause service in order to find a more fitting locale. “We’ve known for a few years that Taco Maria has outgrown this space, and it’s become evident that now — at our ten-year mark and the end of our current lease — is the right time to find a new home for our work,” he said in July. The impending announcement of Taco Maria’s next location, whenever that will happen, should be one of 2024’s biggest food stories.
Another closure that broke the hearts of its diehard fanbase was Angelo’s and Vinci’s in Fullerton, which closed its doors in August after 52 years. Opening in 1971, Angelo’s and Vinci’s, named after Renaissance artists Michelangelo and Leonardo, respectively, was noted for both its Italian-American fare and its ornate Italian-fantasia décor, which included cherubs and trapeze mannequins dangling from the ceiling, a year-round Christmas tree, and an angel sculpture with a neon halo. “This restaurant has been my life for 40 years, 24/7,” Cynthia Peck, who owned the restaurant during its final stages, told the Orange County Register in July. “It’s a constant. And it’s always with me. My phone and answering emails and talking, doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff, being in front with the guests. It’s a passion.” Peck decided to retire after running the place since 1986. The restaurant and surrounding buildings will be renovated as part of the Fox Block Development, a shopping and dining center being built out at Harbor Boulevard and Ellis Place.
SEE ALSO: First look inside Mercado González, Costa Mesa’s colossal new food hall and marketplace
Tanner’s Restaurant at Paséa Hotel and Spa in Huntington Beach closed in October to make way for a $5 million renovation. It will return with a new food and beverage program slated for spring 2024. During the restaurant’s reimagining, Paséa opened a pop-up concept called The Study Kitchen and Bar.
Two taco spots of note closed this year: Taco Loco, a Laguna beach mainstay since 1987, announced its permanent closure in September. The taco stand, featuring a handful of seats and a hand-written taco menu posted outside its door, was a throwback to Laguna Beach’s quirky past. The PCH eatery was also once featured in a GQ fashion spread. Meanwhile, Pour Vida Tortillas and Taps, which landed on our 75 best restaurants in Orange County list for such concoctions as pineapple skirt steak and vanilla bean short rib tacos, announced the closure of its Anaheim space on Aug. 23, only to shutter its Fullerton location one day later, bringing the entire business to a halt. Jimmy and Chrissie Martinez, the husband-and-wife team who own and operate Pour Vida, said that they could no longer afford to keep the Fullerton location, which reportedly costs around $25,000 each month to lease.
The Stand Natural Foods, a Laguna Beach vegan eatery that lasted a whopping 48 years, closed on Sept. 5. The owner cited financial factors, like the rising cost of organic food and long term-lease issues, as reasons for the closure.
SEE ALSO: This excellent OC restaurant can (and should) change the face of dining in San Clemente
Citing ongoing construction outside its doors, which eliminated much of the nearby parking, Hambone’s Bar and Grill in Huntington Beach closed on Dec. 3. “In 2022 we were on an upswing after COVID,” said Bill Bitar, who, along with his wife, Lillian, opened the restaurant in 2015. “We jumped in sales by around 30 percent between 2021 and 2022 but then in March of 2023 after parking became an issue, we saw a decline. We had to make a decision.” Hambone’s Bar and Grill’s Bellflower location remains open.
Another Huntington Beach spot, HB Hot, the taproom and hot-chicken sandwich spot inside Bella Terra shopping center, closed on Dec. 6. “Part of the reason we had decided to go to Bella Terra was because of the location,” said HB Hot owner Duke Dufresne, adding that “coming out of COVID things just never went back to the way they used to be.”
Phantom Ales, part of Anaheim’s collection of craft breweries, closed in August. Making the announcement on its social media page, a fan of the brewery commented, “This is the saddest news I heard this week. I had so many great memories here, and I’ll definitely miss the mead daiquiris and the Guava Brick, and most importantly the chill vibes where it almost felt like a second home.”
On July 7, Taps Fish House and Brewery shut its doors for good amid allegations of financial woes and accusations of mismanagement. The Brea restaurant, which had served the community since 1999, sparked an empire that, during its lifespan, grew to five locations throughout Orange County.
SEE ALSO: Some of O.C.’s best Texas-style barbecue can be found inside this liquor store
La Brea Bakery, one of the original businesses at the outdoor shopping mall next to Disneyland, closed its Downtown Disney location on Jan. 9 after more than two decades of operation. On that same day, La Brea Bakery, which is owned by Aspire Bakeries, also shuttered its flagship Los Angeles store on La Brea Avenue after 34 years. And Brea’s Corner Bakery, which operated for 19 years at the corner of Imperial Highway and South Brea Boulevard, called it quits on Aug. 17.
El Torito, the fast-casual Mexican chain owned by Xperience Restaurant Group, closed two long-standing restaurants in Orange and Dana Point after 33 years and 39 years in business, respectively. Xperience was unable to secure a new lease with Simon Property Group, which owns the Orange property, and had to close its seaside location due to the Dana Point Harbor’s $450 million redevelopment project now underway. Regarding the Orange El Torito loss, Randy Sharpe, president and CEO of Xperience Restaurant Group, said, “We invested significant time, energy, and resources in ensuring we retain this very successful location. Unfortunately, our efforts did not yield the desired outcome.”
