The ocean-facing edge of Fashion Island has lost its restaurants one at a time. First The Cheesecake Factory left, then California Pizza Kitchen. In August 2026 P.F. Chang's closed, and it was the last restaurant still open in that part of the center. The space with the best view in Newport Center is now waiting on a rebuild.
The Irvine Company calls the project Coastal Overlook. The plan turns the building around so it faces the water. Last year an Irvine Company spokesperson told the Orange County Business Journal 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."
So the old corner is between tenants. Everything new at Fashion Island this fall is happening somewhere else on the property, and that tells you a lot about where the center's attention is right now.
The Model Is Already Open at the South End
The Irvine Company has pointed to a specific example. The Business Journal reported that the company was "inspired by the recent success of the RH Gallery and its RH Ocean Grill." That's the 97,000-square-foot, four-story building on the south end of the center, facing the coastline, which RH moved into in 2024.
A Fashion Island spokesperson told the same outlet 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." Gerard Widder, the mall's vice president and general manager, told the Business Journal last November that the new area "will introduce fresh dining and lifestyle concepts that take full advantage of Fashion Island's remarkable location."
Three things aren't public yet. As of the Business Journal's September 14 report, no tenants had been named and no completion date had been given. Construction was described as planned for "this fall," and the report did not say work had begun.
The Business Journal ranks Fashion Island as the second-largest shopping center in Orange County by taxable sales, at $876 million over 12 months. A center doing that kind of business keeps adding tenants while one wing is in flux, and that's exactly what it has done since August.
The New Tables Landed Elsewhere
The two food openings of the past two months both went into spaces away from the overlook.
Telefèric Barcelona opened August 20 in the former Hopdoddy Burger space. It's the owners' first Orange County location. The address is 311 Newport Center Drive, and the focus is Spanish tapas, paellas and cocktails. The Newport Beach menu leans on shared plates like patatas bravas, crab croquetas and pan con tomate, plus lobster, mixed and squid-ink paellas. When it opened, the Daily Pilot listed hours of 11 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Those hours are from August, so call ahead before planning a late dinner around them.
Levain Bakery opened September 4 at 315 Newport Center Drive. It's the New York bakery's first Orange County shop, with cookies, breads, pastries, sandwiches and coffee. The Business Journal placed it on the Macy's side of the center and reported long lines on opening weekend, with Levain's newly appointed co-chief executive, Taya Stenson, on hand to greet them.
The two addresses are a few doors apart, so a Spanish dinner and a six-ounce cookie make one short walk. That stretch now has two of the newest reasons to come to Fashion Island at all.
October's Retail Openings Keep Filling In
The shops follow the same pattern. Here's what's opening, in order:
- Jones Road, Suite 1089, has its grand opening weekend October 16 through 18.
- FARM Rio, Suite 1057, holds its grand opening event October 17 from 2 to 5 p.m.
- Garage is listed as coming soon in Suite 279, with no opening date yet.
- Hill House Home was announced as coming soon in an Irvine Company release on September 28, with no date or suite given.
Two of those openings fall on the same weekend as the center's biggest event of the season, which is no coincidence.
StyleWeekOC Uses the Whole Center Except the Corner
StyleWeekOC runs October 14 through 18 under the theme "Sunlit Glamoratti," with fashion shows, retail activations and panels. This year it's paired with the Newport Beach Film Festival, which runs October 15 through 22. The published schedule puts events in the department stores, the courtyard and the lawn:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 4 to 7 p.m. is the kickoff on Bloomingdale's Level 1. The Daily Pilot reported it's free and open to the public, with 20 beauty brands.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is the runway show on Neiman Marcus Level 2. The center's schedule marks it sold out, with limited first-come seating.
- Friday, Oct. 16 has a culinary-fashion event with Telefèric Barcelona and CUCINA enoteca in the Neiman Marcus–Bloomingdale's Courtyard, plus a marketplace on Macy's Lawn with Fetneh Blake, OrangeTwist and Sienna Brown. The Irvine Company names St. John, Alice + Olivia, L'Agence, Varley, Todd Snyder, Arc'teryx and Monica Vinader among the fashion participants tied to the food-and-fashion event.
- The weekend brings talks with Jamie Chung and Keltie Knight, a documentary premiere, and a Guerlain fragrance masterclass.
Not everything is free. Several events on the schedule link out to RSVPs or tickets, and the free status has only been confirmed for the Bloomingdale's kickoff. The restaurant that opened in August already has a role in the week, with a seat in the courtyard program.
The Spirit Run Picked the Bay
Fashion Island's longest-running community event is leaving this year. The Newport Spirit Run is in its 42nd year, and on Sunday, October 18 it moves from Fashion Island to Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, with courses that cross Upper Newport Bay. According to Stu News Newport, the 2026 edition adds a half marathon next to the usual 5K and mile distances for ages 7 and up. It also adds a Beach Dash for ages 4 to 6 next to the Toddler Trot, names the Newport Bay Conservancy as a beneficiary, and takes steps to cut waste and single-use plastics. The same report calls it the first road race along the Bay in more than 20 years. Race details and registration are on the Newport Spirit Run site.
The organizers haven't said why they left Fashion Island. The new course does, however, run the race along open water, the same view the Irvine Company is now designing its old restaurant row around.
That makes October 18 a crowded Sunday in Newport Center. Runners will be at the Dunes in the morning, Jones Road's grand opening weekend wraps up, and StyleWeekOC holds its final day.
The Holiday Calendar Hasn't Posted Yet
Fashion Island hasn't announced its 2026 holiday program as of this writing. The most recent listing on the center's site is for 2025. That season ran from November 21 to December 28 and featured a 90-foot tree, snowfall, music and a choreographed light display in the Neiman Marcus–Bloomingdale's Courtyard. The courtyard hosting StyleWeekOC this month is where the tree stood last year. Whether this year's tree goes up there again, and whether any fencing around the Coastal Overlook site will be up by then, will be clear once the center posts its schedule.
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