7 Places to Eat in Orange County This New Year’s Eve
Goodbye, 2021. It’s nice knowing you, but we think it’s best if we head our separate ways. With 2022 just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how to end this year with a bang—and with a truly delicious meal from a local restaurant. Whether you’re staying in or heading out on Dec. 31, here are eight OC restaurants that will help make your last meal of 2021 absolutely magical. New Year’s Eve OC
Staying In
Fork + Knife
Fork + Knife is offering a menu chock-full of sharable bites that are sure to get the party started. For starters, consider the classic charcuterie and cheese platter or the flavorful Winter “Kristi” Salad with persimmons, pomegranate and a tangy cider vinaigrette. For light bites, we’re eyeing the piquillo cheese ball skewers with Alp Blossom gougères, the hatch chili and lobster deviled eggs with crispy bacon and the lamb-stuffed grape leaves with rice, feta and mint. Prices vary for each dish, and orders must be placed by Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. Simply set your table, pop the bubbly and enjoy!
Location: Costa Mesa
New Year’s Eve OC
Going Out
Tavern House
Head to a local favorite, Tavern House, for a special NYE menu featuring dishes like French onion soup, Lobster Bisque, seared La Belle Farms duck foie gras and Filet Mignon Surf & Turf. Don’t miss out on cheers-ing the two festive cocktails of the month: the Naughty or Nice (made with vodka, cinnamon-mulled cranberry juice and ginger beer) and the French 75 (made with Cognac, lemon and champagne). And luckily for you, Tavern House is also hosting a New Year’s Day brunch, so you can sip those bloody marys and start 2022 on the right foot—with a bay view, of course!
Local Insight: Still searching for Christmas Eve dinner plans? Head to Tavern House for a Christmas Eve dinner celebration filled with festive dishes in the coziest setting.
Location: Newport Beach
New Year’s Eve OC
Cafe Sevilla
Kickoff the new year with a taste of Spain at Cafe Sevilla. This year’s special menu includes a caramelized onion tartlet with Cabrales blue cheese, a toasted pine nut and arugula salad, a roasted tenderloin and grilled prawn romesco with winter kale and fingerling potatoes and Maine lobster paella with chorizo, shellfish, chicken and bomba rice. To finish it off, the restaurant is ending the meal with a rich Black Forest chocolate cake. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
Locations: Costa Mesa and Long Beach
Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano
Take the Spanish traditions a step further by eating grapes, toasting Cava and taking part in one of two celebrations at the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Dinner Under the Stars package (at 8:30 p.m.) includes a four-course dinner from Ysidora Restaurant & Lounge’s Chef Aaron Obregon, and the Late Night Under the Stars package (at 10 p.m.) will feature live entertainment, street tacos, a midnight Cava toast and more.
Location: San Juan Capistrano
New Year’s Eve OC
Pasea Hotel & Spa
Pasea Hotel & Spa is keeping the NYE party going all night long! Start out at Tanner’s for a delicious three-course prix fixe dinner with items like lobster dumplings and pan-roasted striped bass, then head upstairs to the Treehouse rooftop lounge for a live DJ, open bar and light bites from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. After ringing in the new year with champagne bottle service, head back into Tanner’s for a late-night buffet full of after-party favorites from 1-3 a.m.
Location: Huntington Beach
Lido House
Start the new year off with some romance with a NYE celebration at Lido House! First, attend the New Year’s Soiree at The Mayor’s Table Pacific Pub & Kitchen for live music, a welcome glass of champagne and a special four-course meal with indulgent plates like a caviar tasting and Wagyu tartare, truffle crab and dumplings, aged duck foie gras and blue cheese and baked pear. Then, head up to the rooftop for Topside ‘Til Midnight, where you’ll party with music, drinks and a midnight buffet of munchies all night long.
Location: Newport Beach
The Blind Pig
The Blind Pig will be hosting a masquerade-style NYE party on Dec. 31 with a special drink and food menu featuring lobster thermidor and a champagne cocktail. For those who’d rather watch the ball drop on TV, their full food menu will also be available for take-home orders.
Location: Yorba Linda and Rancho Santa Margarita
Born and raised near the Pacific Coast, Jordan Nishkian is a California girl through and through. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Creative Writing and a BA in Anthropology, and her favorite place to be is curled up in a comfy chair with a book in her hand and a pen in her hair.
