Known for its plethora of sunshine and outdoor activities, Orange County’s coast is an inviting place for groups. Less known is the region’s robust food and beverage scenes, which both add to the attendee experience.
From group-friendly fine dining and farm-to-table opportunities to foodie tours and local brewery and winery tastings, Anaheim and the Orange County coast are as delicious as Disney is magical.
Anaheim
Anaheim is home to several tempting foodie neighborhoods where attendees can taste an eclectic array of culinary offerings.
According to Vicky Betzig, director, client services for Visit Anaheim, the most popular—and closest to the Anaheim Convention Center—is historic Downtown Anaheim, including the Anaheim Packing District.
Betzig recommends beginning a culinary exploration of the area at Anaheim Packing House, a former Sunkist citrus packinghouse that’s now a food hall featuring more than 20 eateries.
“They’re serving up a wide range of cuisines, from flavorful international dishes and down-home Southern comfort fare to artisan coffee and handcrafted desserts,” she says, adding planners can utilize a number of group areas here, including Cooks Chapel, a sleek all-white private venue with a chef’s kitchen and bar.
Around the corner from the Anaheim Packing District, Downtown Anaheim also features the newly revitalized Center Street Promenade, where meeting attendees will find unique local shops and chef-driven restaurants.
“In particular, Caffe Primo delivers an enticing seafood and raw bar, with plenty of indoor and outdoor group space,” Betzig says.
If the group is after a high-end dining experience, The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon offers a rustic yet elegant ambience and top-notch service.
The delicious menu here includes signature handmade popovers with seasonal preserves and steaks prepared to “absolute perfection,” according to Betzig, who adds planners can book one of the restaurant’s four private dining spaces, all with views of Anaheim landmarks.
“After dinner, lead your group to The Ranch Saloon, where they can have the space to themselves and learn to line dance for the remainder of the evening,” she says.
For a farm-to-table culinary experience in an outdoor setting, Betzig recommends the Original Manaserro Farms, where attendees can gather at a long communal table.
“Chef demos are a hit with groups, as they prepare multicourse meals right before attendees’ eyes made from the fresh produce surrounding the event space,” she says. “This event is served with a welcomed pairing of mimosas for brunch or wine with lunch or dinner.”
Anaheim, as elsewhere in Orange County, also features a growing number of craft breweries and wineries with event space for group gatherings.
The historic Anaheim Brewery accommodates up to 100 people in its beer garden, where Betzig says attendees can enjoy a pint made with the same ingredients and methods as the original Anaheim Brewery of the 1800s.
Newport Beach
“Newport Beach Vineyards & Winery allows planners to host an exceptional event nestled among the vines or in their exquisite 1,000-square-foot wine cave,” Betzig says, adding flights of wine, pairings with cheeses and charcuterie, and a tour of the 3.5-acre estate can be arranged.
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According to Michelle Donahue, senior vice president of sales at Visit Newport Beach, Newport Beach has come into its own as a bona fide culinary destination, with leading restaurants including Cucina Enoteca Newport Beach, Fig+Olive, Red O and Pizzeria Mozza, “raising the high-water mark for dining in this beautiful coastal city.”
In addition to fine dining, Donahue adds, Newport Beach is a mecca for casual eateries, including Ruby’s Diner, Bear Flag Fish, Slapfish and Balboa Bar.
Group-friendly dining at Balboa Bay Resort includes Waterline Newport Beach, which has two private dining rooms and a new wine room that are all available for private parties, and A&O Kitchen+Bar, which has Newport Harbor views.
“A&O’s enlarged horseshoe-shaped bar, innovative cuisine and outdoor fire pits make for a wonderful locale for groups to gather post-meeting,” Donahue says.
Huntington Beach
Four Sons Brewing, located in Huntington Beach, continues to grow in popularity since its September 2014 opening.
According to Jennifer Tong, communications coordinator at Visit Huntington Beach, the brewery’s beer, including Beach Pail Pale Ale and Land of Hopportunity American IPA, is served in over 40 restaurants across Orange County and Los Angeles.
“As a family-owned and operated microbrewery, their taproom offers a lively yet relaxed atmosphere with big-screen TVs and games,” she says, adding the brewery accommodates private group parties.
Coming to Huntington Beach’s Pacific City neighborhood in 2016 is Ways and Means at Home, a culinary retail store affiliated with the Ways & Means Oyster House.
According to Tong, the store will sell chef-inspired items from around the world, host special tastings and welcome in-store demonstrations by top chefs.
Laguna Beach
In Laguna Beach, group-friendly dining can be found at Studio, Montage Laguna Beach’s signature restaurant that features modern French with California-influenced cuisine in an oceanfront setting.
“For an intimate experience, groups can enjoy the private dining room overlooking the Pacific,” says Lana Johnson, media contact for Visit Laguna Beach. “They can also arrange to dine at the chef’s table, a warmly appointed dining room adjacent to the kitchen, complete with a stone fireplace and the interactive attention of chef Craig Strong and his staff.”
Three Seventy Common Kitchen+Drink, another group-friendly restaurant, features comfort food and emphasizes the farm-to-fork movement. According to Johnson, it has a private upstairs dining room that’s great for group gatherings.
For groups seeking a sampling of tastes, Flavors of Laguna is a year-round guided walking tour that showcases the culinary delights of Laguna Beach.
The approximately four-hour tour throughout downtown includes tastings at five to six eateries, and along the way the guide will share historic facts and anecdotes about the area.
Dana Point also offers group dining experiences at several locales such as Tavern on the Coast and Stonehill Tavern, Michael Mina’s contemporary tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point.
