With this chain now a familiar site along the SoCal coast, the brand – despite having history that only stretches back to 1982 – has the classic 50s-style diner vibe down pat. The original Ruby’s Diner (Photo: Visit Newport Beach)Īt the tip of Balboa Pier, you’ll find the original Ruby’s Diner (1 Balboa Pier) housed in a converted bait shop. An order for an ‘everything’ frozen banana will serve up a chocolate dipped delight bristling with almonds, peanuts and rainbow sprinkles – a cooling and magnificent classic. While the donuts and sandwiches are baked into the name, everyone knows that this is where you primarily come to tick off your Balboa Bar or Frozen Banana ‘taste of Newport Beach’ essential. Victory Boulevard) is the sweet epicentre of Newport Beach nostalgia. Looking like its just fallen out of a glitch in time, Dad’s Donut & Bakery Shop (2501 W. Geared towards sustainable seafood, must have courses include the Dungeness Crab Stuffed Donuts and the Petite Filet served with creamed corn. Of course it’s dinner where the culinary fireworks really… fire, although the moments of simplicity on the plate are the ones that will linger longest on the memory’s taste buds. It’s all about the oceanfront view rooms, but if you don’t get one, then just turn the corner of the building and sink your feet into the warm sand instead.Īttached to the Lido House hotel, the glitzy yet somehow also quite cosy Mayor’s Table (3300 Newport Boulevard) has quickly established itself as one of the city’s most delectable places for a bite (a must, if you’re around for breakfast and hungry as a horse, is the hot chicken and waffles with pistachio butter).
A continental breakfast and loaner bikes and boogie boards are included free in the competitive room price. Nautical stripes and sailboat cushion prints abound, but it doesn’t feel too affected in this easy-going boutique. Oceanfront) – which describes itself as ‘Newport’s closest hotel to the beach’ – has garnered a reputation for its excellent customer service and good value for money. Attached is Crew Coffee & Cremerie where, besides the obvious, you can also pick up ice cream with imaginative flavours such as tequila basil or roasted banana.
Airy and laid-back, the interior mixes nautical touches with towering murals of champagne-sipping mermaids. The boutique, with a Cape Cod-style aesthetic, offers a central pool with private cabanas for rent on-site spa and the city’s only rooftop bar.
Recently opened on the site of the old town hall, the luxury Lido House (3300 Newport Boulevard) is the first hotel to open its doors on Newport’s Balboa Peninsula in over fifty years.