Hey Mesa Nation and welcome back to this week’s article on the Hitching Post. Have you guys ever wished for more food shops, cafes and more? Well lucky for you, Costa Mesa is opening 4 new restaurants. Let’s talk about it!
Erewhon
Taking the place of the old T-Shirt Warehouse is L.A.’s famous Erewhon. For those who don’t know what Erewhon is, it is an upscale, luxury grocery store. Erewhon has a variety of things from viral Hailey Bieber smoothies, all the way to fancy dish soap. They believe in reducing waste and supporting improved communities in Los Angeles. Their products are all made with healthy, whole ingredients that are cleaner than most grocery store products. They also are one of the trendier places as of 2022, and since then have been a tourist attraction.
Joe and the Juice
Another new food chain we are getting on 17th street is Joe and the Juice, which will be taking the place of Nektar Juice Bar. Joe and the Juice has gone viral on social media for years being best known for their Tunacado pressed sandwich! While they have opened a location in California before, this is now the first one we have to Costa Mesa! The owner of the company first got his inspiration from Starbucks’ vibe, but they wanted to have signature food instead of drinks. The owner has said that he really liked tuna sandwiches, so he figured, why not try a tuna sandwich shop. After that, the owner thought of a cool design, and out came Joe and the Juice.
Bear Flag Fish Company
Another on 17th street is the infamous Bear Flag, taking Santa Monica Seafood’s place. In Orange County, there are already quite a couple of locations, but none in Costa Mesa. In case you haven’t heard of Bear Flag, it is a seafood focused restaurant, famously known for their poke. They have varieties of different fish, and you can have it in any form, sushi, tacos, burritos, plates, anything!
The owner was once a fishermen, trained to catch fish, and know how to take care of them. The business started when he, his dad, and his brother realized that the fish they had caught could go to use more than just the three of them. Since the owner had also been a chef’s apprentice before, they decided to open Bear Flag, named after their dad’s boat. After the doors opened in 2007, they never closed. Their business took off, and luckily for us Costa Mesa locals, we all got to try some of their fish.
Climb ice Cream
Lasty, located at SOCO is a brand new home made ice cream shop called Climb. Climb was transformed from owner Jojo’s lifetime dream. Having journeyed across the world, she had made a list of the world’s best ice cream flavors, and from then on, sparked her idea. By September of 2024 she had created her own flavors, and had some friends over for tasting. Word spread like wildfire and she soon had over 50 guests waiting at her door to try her ice cream. From then on came her little ice cream shop, Climb.
So Mesa Nation, after hearing your 3 options, which new restaurant will you be trying? Maybe the Hailey Bieber smoothie? A tunacado?A Poke bowl? Or perhaps some ice cream? Let us know what’s good!!
