27 Best American Restaurants in Irvine

“It's worth your while to come and experience it.“

“Went with my parents for an early Christmas dinner and service was great… food was delicious… and atmosphere was on point!“

“This place is amazing. I go with with SHORT RIB MELT every time, the BEST sandwich I have ever had!!“

“I just discovered the most incredible hidden gem and I have to share it—because it might just be my new favorite restaurant in the world! 🌟 This place is a dedicated gluten free restaurant (yes, you read that right!) and every single dish blew me away. I honestly still can’t believe how amazing the food was. The croissant was so buttery, flaky, and perfect I had to double check that it was really gluten free—it’s a dream come true. 🥐 The popovers with house-made jam and honey butter were out-of-this-world delicious, the Brisket Benedict was rich and comforting with perfectly poached eggs, and the Steak Frites rivaled any French bistro. Every bite was pure heaven. But what really makes this place so special are the wonderful owners, Laura and Michael. Their passion, warmth, and dedication show in everything they do. Laura is a true genius—she spent 7 years perfecting her very own gluten free flour blend and dough, and you can even buy it to take home for fresh bread, pizza, or cinnamon rolls. It rises and bakes like traditional dough, and the flavor is unbelievable. 🍞✨ The restaurant itself is gorgeous, the service was wonderful, and the food… I’ll be dreaming about it until I can go back. We went for brunch, but I can’t wait to try dinner next. If you’re gluten free, this is your paradise. If you’re not gluten free, I challenge you to come here and tell me you can tell the difference. You can’t. That’s how good it is. 🙌 Run, don’t walk—this is one of those rare places that feels like magic. ✨“

“Great food, highly recommend the fried chicken. Servers are fantastic.“

“Ate at the Jamboree location in Tustin and cashier Ali was courteous, kind, knowledgeable and very helpful in helping us understand the menu options. Even offered a couple samples to make sure we ordered something we’d enjoy. Great customer service!“

“I had to write a review because Café Irvine absolutely exceeded my expectations. I ordered the breakfast burrito with bacon, and it was huge — packed, flavorful, and they give both green and red salsa, which I appreciate since I always run out elsewhere. The portion was so generous I only ate half and saved the rest.

I also got the iced Spanish latte, and it was perfect: strong coffee flavor, not overly sweet, with a subtle cinnamon finish. Easily one of my new favorite coffee spots in the area.

The café offers healthier options, and the entire deli is kosher and halal, which is impressive for a place this size. The menu rotates every few months, so there’s always something new to try.

Location-wise, it’s inside the 19000 MacArthur “pancake” building with free parking validation, which is a huge perk in this area. UCI students and building employees get 20% off.

What really makes it special is how passionate the owner is — not from the restaurant industry originally, but genuinely invested in serving good, wholesome food. Minority-owned, community-oriented, and it shows.

Whether you’re working nearby, staying in a hotel close by, or just passing through the Irvine/Newport area, this spot is absolutely worth checking out. I’ll definitely be back — and I’ll be using them for catering soon too.“

“We had a wonderful experience dining here! Our server, Nia, was incredibly friendly and welcoming, which made the evening even more enjoyable. The portions were generous, and every sandwich we tried was absolutely amazing, full of flavor and beautifully prepared. Highly recommend!“

“had the ahi tuna salad. it was awesome.“

“Wonderful time with grandson“

“The hotel is clean and hygienic. Quiet on vacation. Like🥰🥰“

“Great Food and atmosphere! Mosic was our server and he was awesome. Asked what we were into for both food and cocktails and his recommendations were spot on. The Panama Prescription was divine and I loved the shrimp and grits. My husband had the 12 hour short rib and I can’t tell you which was better. We will be back with friends!“

“The best Prime Rib and excellent service“

“Went with my parents for an early Christmas dinner and service was great… food was delicious… and atmosphere was on point!“

“Great servers! Good food!“

“Food was good. However, the prices are on the higher end for the amount of food they provide. The dining area is very calm and relaxing. Not many people when I was there around 5pm.

Happy Hour is Daily from 4:30pm to 6pm.“

“I had been eating lunch there for over eight years before our office relocated. The prices are great, the staff is friendly and remembers your preferences, and the food is both tasty and cleanly prepared. Order ahead from their app would help you skip the lunch time wait.“

“Nice comfortable stay for business trip or in passing through to another location. Property smelled nice and felt very nice, clean, strong AC throughout. The room was well designed and very comfortable for our family of 3 staying in a King with sofa pull out. Very nice touch that the kitchen faucet was filtered water. The only downside if there is one is that the lobby area was a bit small for the breakfast area but it was fine during the week, I would imagine it could be a bit crammed on a busy weekend. Breakfast was adequate and a nice change from the typical free breakfast by offering made to order eggs and one sweet item (crepes). I would consider staying again if I was in the area.“

“Had an amazing family dinner with my sisters here . The Food was delivered quickly and was delicious. Carrot cake is fabulous we ordered the 2 half garlic chicken and full rack family meal which comes with your choice of pasta , salad bread sticks. Added their yummy mashed potatoes also bbq salad with delicious dressing my favorite.“

“For a hotel restaurant and bar. It's done very well. Moving on.

The staff is extremely nice and professional. The options are great for quick bites, lunch or dinner.

The food tastes fresh. The drinks are great.

Upon walking up to the bar area I was greeted immediately. Staff immediately gave me a menu. And mentioned a special that day. They also let me know that there was a happy hour. Happy hour!? Can't go wrong there can we lol.

I've had the club sandwich, wings and burger.

Club sandwich. Pretty much your average club sandwich. However the ingredients are fresh. Yes it's processed turkey slices. But that's ok. They're good quality ones at that. And they don't skimp. It was a very large well proportioned sandwich.

Wings. Alright these are the star of the show.
Simple but done right. You know when you just want something good? And everywhere just over does it trying to be different? Not these. Simple hot wings cooked to perfection. Highly recommend.

Burger.
Ok this is actually insanely good with the bacon.
And their fries are nice and crispy tasty freshness.

So would I recommend this place? Most definitely.
And if you're staying here. No need to go off site for food. The food here is legit.

Enjoy!“

“I have been here a total of two times and it was enough to get me hooked. The first time I tried the patty melt with the bacon ranch fries and a snickerdoodle melt and aside from the nacho cheese on the fries (I prefer cheddar is all), all I can say is YUM 😋 Then the second time I had the spicy crispy chicken sandwich with garlic parm fries and a vanilla melt and oh. my. lanta is that sandwich aptly named. I have NEVER had something so perfectly crispy before 🤯 the fries were good, but a tad oily due to the seasoning for my liking and the vanilla melt was tasty. It's a but pricy, but I joined the rewards program and they seem to offer a lot of goodies.

The staff has also been pleasant each time I've gone which only helps enhance the experience.

Ten out of ten, WILL go again 💋🤌🏾“

“Food is just OK. Many times the people here don’t know how to cook chicken. The chicken is always too raw and pink. Besides that sometimes they don’t cook food all the way through. However, I’ve had a decent experience with the food and generally I like it. Just stay away from the pizza, not too great. Good value for your dollar as well, and the drinks are great. Lots of options and great + diverse seating, although they fill up quickly.

P.S. their dole whip is delicious.“

“Great service and amazing food“

“Had a great time having dinner with the steak was juicy and tender with an amazing great taste.“

“This Marriott hotel eatery felt calm and open, with valet service right at arrival. The space had a relaxed, airy energy, especially on a quiet Wednesday night.

Our attendant was kind, present, and made the entire meal feel smooth. Dishes arrived quickly, which we liked, as a few noisy kids were running around.

The food was truly pleasing. The sprouts had rich flavor, though a little oily. The thin-crust pizza was great for sharing, with plenty of tasty toppings. The star of the night was the ocean fish—cooked to perfection and paired extremely well with the greens on the side.

I would return again, especially if friends stay at the hotel.“