Orange County’s culinary landscape saw a year of contrasts in 2024. While newcomers like Smoke Queen Barbecue, 61 Hundred Bread and the ambitious Darkroom made their brick-and-mortar mark, a surprising number of longtime favorites dimmed their lights, leaving a bittersweet taste.
Myriad factors go into a restaurant deciding to close for good: a failure to connect with diners, bone-weary owners yearning to retire after years in the game, changing culinary tastes, required demolition to make way for new construction, soaring rent prices, byzantine red tape processes and more.
According to the National Restaurant Association, a “successful” restaurant typically has a success rate of around 20% of being considered truly profitable, with many failing within their first year. In addition to outside forces, quotidian costs related to labor, inventory, rent, utilities, advertising, equipment issues and restaurant POS system technology all factor into whether or not a restaurant pulls a profit at day’s end.
Of the many closures befalling Orange County’s dining landscape this year, the one that, arguably, stung most was Felix Continental Cafe in Old Towne Orange. After 45 years, the venerable institution known for its Cuban and Spanish fare, and widely considered an unofficial landmark in Orange, served its last dish in late August. “I’m sorry to see it go,” said Al Ricci, landlord of the Old Towne Orange property, in an interview. “It added a lot to Old Towne. It was different, not just another pizza place.” A replacement restaurant has yet to be announced.
Another Orange stalwart bidding adieu was El Taco, the brainchild of Taco Bell founder Glen Bell, a local institution for more than 60 years. Boil Daddy, one of the fastest growing Cajun seafood restaurants on the West Coast, took over the space following the taco joint’s closure.
Silky Sullivan’s in Fountain Valley, an Irish pub and comfort food joint that acted as a community hub for more than 40 years at the corner of Slater Avenue and San Mateo Street in Fountain Valley, shuttered in November. The building will be demolished to make way for a new multi-use housing complex that will feature an estimated 270 luxury apartment rentals. (In related unfortunate news, a miscreant stole the Silk Sullivan’s sign following the restaurant’s closures; the owners would like it back.) Bill Madden, co-owner of Silky Sullivan’s, said he plans on reopening Silky Sullivan’s at another Fountain Valley location.
Harpoon Henry’s at the Dana Point Harbor announced its impending closure in the summer of 2025. The coastal enclave’s 50-year-old seafood spot, along with a handful of other nearby eateries, will shutter to make way for building demolition as part of the harbor’s ongoing $550 million overhaul. Restaurant founder Robert Mardian, Jr.’s other harbor eatery, Wind & Sea, will remain open until 2026.
Iva Lee’s in San Clemente called it quits in March after 21 years in business. “The decision to close comes after much contemplation and consideration of various factors,” said owners Lisa and Eric Wagoner in a joint statement. “Despite the challenges faced by the restaurant industry, we want to emphasize that the closure is not due to rent increases by our landlords.”
And in put-a-pin-in-it news, the historic, family-owned Penguin Cafe, which originally opened at a malt shop in 1942, temporarily closed after 82 years in Laguna Beach. Seeing as how its closure is being billed as a temporary one, fans of the octogenarian eatery could enjoy it again should Penguin Cafe reopen in the future.
Other longtime restaurants taking their final bow include Cassano’s in San Clemente, which shut its doors after 38 years; Sushi Laguna closing after 24 years in Laguna Beach; and Avila’s El Ranchito shuttering its Huntington Beach location after 25 years (its 11 other spots remain open) due, in part, to a kitchen fire, with its owner explaining, “We acted as quickly as we could to clean up and rebuild, however we faced more challenges than anticipated.”
A near-miss included 27-year-old Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point, which closed in January, only to reopen three months later with a refreshed look, new owners and a new menu (with an adult sandbox to boot).
Additional farewells in 2024 included Veg’d, located inside a former Del Taco in Costa Mesa, which closed in February after three years. Chef Matthew Kenney’s vegan drive-through concept served 100% plant-based fare, dealing a crushing blow to those who eschew carnivorous, dairy-laced meals. Irvine’s Southern-style restaurant Porch & Swing closed in April after four years in business and a glowing 2020 review in the Orange County Register. Vegilicious said goodbye after 12 years in Huntington Beach, with husband-wife team Akira and Ana Nakao deciding to return to Japan where they will open a similar concept. H.H. Cotton’s in San Clemente shuttered in September after eight years. And Brick called it quits in March after 13 years in San Clemente; chef-owner David Pratt opened Finca a few months later inside San Juan Capistrano’s River Street Marketplace.
ALSO SEE: Orange County restaurant closures of 2023
Corazon Taste of Mexico, which opened in 2019 in Fullerton then moved to Brea in 2021, closed in February, shifting to a catering business model. Despite landing on Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants of 2023 list, as well as a rave review from Orange County Register food critic Brad A. Johnson in 2021, chef-owner Fernando Romero decided to shutter his lauded eatery. “This decision was not made lightly, and we are truly saddened to share this news with you,” Romero said in an emailed statement. “While this chapter may be closing, we are excited to embark on a new adventure.” He later opened Revolucion Cantina & Mezcaleria in Fullerton.
Pizzeria Mozza in Newport Beach called it quits in October. Nancy Silverton and Joseph Bastianich’s acclaimed pizzeria and Italian spot called it quits after 13 years; no explanation was given as to why they decided to close the space. Their Los Angeles and London locations remain open.
The Blind Pig, Tony Monaco’s speakeasy-style restaurant in Yorba Linda, closed in August to make way for Blind Coyote Cantina, his new Mexi-Cali concept. “It just felt like it was time to make a change and I’ve had this cantina concept in my back pocket for a while now,” said Monaco.
Gracias Madre, the far-out, plant-based restaurant at the corner of Dover and Westcliff drives in Newport Beach, closed in May after eight years. “It’s been a good run,” said Lisa Bonbright, partner and co-owner of LSR (Love Serve Remember, the parent company of both Gracias Madre and Cafe Gratitude), at the time of the closure. She didn’t cite reasons as to why Gracias Madre closed its doors. Nick’s Restaurant, the casual yet upscale American fare spot with locations in Laguna Beach and San Clemente, will take over the space.
The once tried-and-true chain restaurant, wherein menus are often created in boardrooms rather than kitchens, showed continued sluggishness in 2024: El Torito, the Cali-Mexi restaurant owned by Xperience Restaurant Group, noted for “Taco Tuesdays,” closed two locations in O.C. this year: a 50-year-old eatery in Westminster and a 39-year-old spot at the Dana Point Harbor, with the latter location closing due, in part, to the harbor’s ongoing renovation. (“The whole harbor is being redeveloped, so there was no offer of lease renewal,” explained Randy Sharpe, former president and CEO of Xperience Restaurant Group, which owns the Mexican casual dining chain.) Coco’s closed its Brea location in October after 45 years in business.
Rubio’s filed for bankruptcy days after shuttering 48 restaurants in California, including locations in Anaheim Hills, Brea, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach (Beach Boulevard), La Habra, Lake Forest, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, Santa Ana, Seal Beach and Tustin. Phew.
Even Chili’s Grill and Bar, which saw a resurgence in popularity this year, especially with the Gen Z set, after viral social-media presence, took a minor hit in Orange County, closing its 29-year-old Irvine location in April.
A chain that is synonymous with Southern California, In N Out, saw its first closure ever — yes, ever. The family-owned burger joint closed its 18-year-old Oakland location in March, citing crime in the area that had endangered both customers and employees.
Under the gone-too-soon category, both Cali Dumpling, the successful dumpling wholesale business that opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Orange in July, and Mo Mi Mei, a Cantonese street food spot opening in August in Costa Mesa, closed their doors after five months and two months in business, respectively. (Allan Tea, Cali Dumpling founder, said, shortly after the closure, “We quickly learned that our community was craving something broader, and we’re grateful for the feedback that guided us. Moving forward, we’re pivoting to a modern Chinese dining experience.”) And Maizano, the fine-dining restaurant at Mercado González, closed nearly one year after opening inside the Costa Mesa market hall.
