The Best Restaurants in Costa Mesa, by the Record
The best restaurants in Costa Mesa, by the professional record: AAA, Michelin Guide, and Los Angeles Times have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Knife Pleat comes out on top.
Vaca and MoonGoat Coffee Roasters hold the next two places. Eater shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Michelin Guide next.
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Rank 1. Knife Pleat
Contemporary, Modern French
A Michelin-starred French fine dining room on the third floor of South Coast Plaza, which sounds like a punchline until you're actually sitting at the chef's counter watching a pristine kitchen run through a prix fixe that manages to feel personal rather than ceremonial. Tony Esnault's cooking leans classic French with a roaming curiosity. The patio is a quiet bonus, and the whole place moves at a pace that makes a mall feel very far away.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Los Angeles Times The 101 Best Restaurants in California
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Rank 2. Vaca
Rustic Spanish
The banquettes are printed with jokes, which tells you something about the mood at this rustic Spanish tapas bar from chef Amar Santana. Sherries and Spanish wines run deep, the bar area is a good-looking place to park yourself, and the kitchen sends out croquetas, paellas, and little grilled sandwiches layered with jamón ibérico and Manchego. Two outdoor patios round out the options when the weather cooperates, which in Costa Mesa it usually does.
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Rank 4. Populaire Modern Bistro
Modern French
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Rank 7. Paradise Dynasty
Chinese