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Balboa Lily's

4.3 (527 reviews)
Open • 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

Balboa Lily's Photos

BALBOA LILY'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Hipster
Casual
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Balboa Lily's

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Reviews With Photos

Elle C.

Nice location, close to the beach, with plenty of people watching from passersby. We ordered: - Classic American Breakfast ($15.50): Eggs, House made Sausage, Country Potatoes - Crispy Broccoli ($7.50) - Lily's Bowl ($15.50) Standard fare, what one may expect from a casual beach community spot. Service was appreciatively pleasant and comfortably attentive.

Shawn S.

Nice cafe that offers both sit down and takeout service. Came for a quick coffee to go which was delicious and well made. They have plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the beautiful Newport Beach morning weather. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Great location with tons of surrounding activities.

Kale Spinach Salad
Liana M.

Cute little corner cafe in Newport Beach. Came here after whale watching with my husband. I had a salad and he had a turkey burger. The food was definitely good, but I just wished the salad was a little bigger cause I was still hungry after. Their menu is also very pork centric and I can't have pork so that was kind of challenging. But the coffee is excellent! I had the spicy mocha and it was so delicious. I'd definitely go back just for that. There are a lot of specialty lattes on their menu that look good though. Service was a little slow, but not too bad. Friendly and helpful staff.

The Gardener
Lance H.

Park at the pier and walk a minute to this tranquil little breakfast spot. Outdoor sitting is inside. All the perks of being outside while still being separate from the Main Street. Every flavored latte is incredible. The food is hearty or lite you choose. The service is fast and friendly. Knowledgeable of the menu which is important for me. Always love coming back.

Green Curry
Dylan C.

Let me tell you about this disappointing experience I had at this place. First, I ordered hot water with lemon, have not received my drink order and all my friends had their lattes and I am still waiting and 15 minutes have gone by. We also ordered water cups, had to ask twice on separate occasions! Everyone at my table (5 different people) hated their lattes too! Nobody could taste the flavors of what they ordered. So disappointing, like come on! Next I ordered green curry with no protein. WORST CURRY I have ever put in my mouth. No flavor, and I would say I eat curry often and that was extremely watered down with very little rice. There were no spices that were distinct flavors coming out of this curry and it was disappointing. I ate it cause I gave up on the restaurant and their poor service and food quality. Don't recommend this dish or the service. Big pass on this place!

Richard R.

Wow!!! This place was amazing!!! And the GF options were so welcoming. I enjoyed the breakfast burrito with the spuds and my wife got the breakfast fries and they were also amazing. Both were so flavorful and it was the right amount of food. The service was also top notch. I wish I had gotten their name but our waitress has green hair and she rocked it. She worked her behind off and absolutely rocked it. The entire team did an amazing job. We will be going back.

cardamom spice coffee
Mira H.

I ordered the cardamom spice coffee, and it was SO good! The atmosphere was lovely, and the staff was super friendly. This wasn't my first time here, and it definitely won't be my last! I'll be back for sure!

Honey lavender latte
Katherine P.

Just average. Casual restaurant near the water with parking lots close by within walking distance. Lots of outdoor seating. Lattes were the best part of the meal and so many different choices. The food was meh. I got the breakfast sandwich brioche bread wasn't that soft and egg was lacking seasoning, bacon was not crispy. The morning fries were soggy. Service was quick and friendly which helped the meal become an average one.

BEST PLACE!!!! Loved everything, it was my first time here and its first time that i liked everything , the coffee sizes are insane, WE GOT THE SMALL ONE ( in the picture)

Waffles with fruit
Dawny M.

Great little corner breakfast joint. The food was good nothing spectacular. The service was attentive and very friendly. There is a parking lot in the back so parking is not an issue. Great lattes!

Morning fries

Dude. I don't even know man. Alright so this is like the most bizarre serving experience I've had in a while. Denissee (I forget how to spell it), dude. What was your problem with us? Lol... like I don't understand why we were treated like shit. I get it when people are mean and you're not nice back, but we were nice guests??? I just don't understand treating people badly when we were nothing but nice like it started right off the bat. I gave the benefit of the doubt at first like ah maybe she's having a bad day, but then you completely avoided our table and asked the table beyond us how the food was..??? BRUH. That pissed me off. - You didn't even drop off the bill - You said you'd get my mom a knife, never did - You were gonna give us plastic silverware instead of getting us some clean utensils from the dish pit. I'm fully aware at my restaurant at least, you can run it yourself and polish it really quick for guests, you don't have to wait for the dish pit to do it, just take the matters into your own hands dude. (I do it all the time) - We asked for salt and another server brought out 2 pepper shakers - THEN YOU PUT OJ ON OUR TAB??? We had to ask Cara (I'm so sorry if I spelled your name wrong girl) to take it off our bill cuz you were nonexistent at this point. Literally vanished. The food? Mine was really good for the price. I got the morning fries but I wish my eggs were actually scrambled. That was an omelette lmao. But it's fine, it was genuinely good and great value for the price! Lots of avocado and eggs so good protein. My mom's burrito tho was way overpriced. I'm sorry but there was barely any eggs in that to make it worth the price point. It should've been like $10 because it was basically beans and cheese in it. Good flavor but the price? Not it. I loved the open windows and the cozy feel! Cute local spot for sure and the coffee is really amazing. Loved the latte we got. But the service man. What the... I'm not even one to write bad reviews, you can look through my history. I love writing positive reviews for local restaurants. However, Dennisse was so fricken rude for absolutely no reason. Cara deserves a raise, she was a sweetheart and calmed me down ngl. but Dennisse? No. I was ready to ask you when you came back to our table what the problem was, but you never came back to our table. We've come here before too and had a great experience, but this time? Wow it was just one thing after the next. Dennisse made it the worst though. No personality, slow, dismissive, like if you don't want to serve people don't be a server. I'm a server, we have our bad days, but man you don't take it out on nice people it's not fair. I never let my nice guests get treated like how you treated us. It's not right. I am gonna end this by saying Cara was so great though! Loved her!

Jaslean A.

The BEST lattes near the beach!!! This was our family vacations go to spot for morning coffee and it was EXCELLENT! The staff was so friendly and right when they opened us they greeted us and were ready for our big order! I loved my garden rose latte and my family enjoyed the lavender latte as well! They were so accommodating with our order and had delicious flavors! My husband liked his turmeric latte and the almond croissant was delicious as well as the chocolate! If you need delicious coffee for your beach walks this is your go to!!!

Mary M.

Really great food! Lovely mimosas! Nice atmosphere and can walk around nearby after you eat.

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29 days ago

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

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3 months ago

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2 months ago

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4 months ago

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

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7 months ago

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

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Eunjoo P.

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3 months ago

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17 days ago

Love the food, love the vibe of ocean breezes and people watching with great flavored lattes.

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9 months ago

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4 months ago

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11 months ago

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 months ago

Stopped by on my way to Whale Watching tour. I ordered the BLTA and it was delicious. Good prices and good service.

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2 years ago

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6 months ago

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5 months ago

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8 months ago

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Eunjoo P.

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9 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

I tried the lavender latte and the rose orange latte they were both decent. I'd say 5.5 out of 10.

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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2 years ago

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11 months ago

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Eunjoo P.

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2 years ago

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Eunjoo P.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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Eunjoo P.

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1 year ago

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26 days ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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7 months ago

Food was mediocre. Coffee options were great. Service was poor - only one waitress for the whole place. Ambiance was nothing spectacular.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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Balboa Lily's Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Balboa Lily's

Is breakfast served all day?

Balboa Lily's is a breakfast brunch place. It serves breakfast/ brunch dishes until it closes at 2:00pm

Do they take reservations?

Don't think they do

Is this waiter service or order up front then sit down?

Now it's half and half due to Covid.. Order at counter, waitress serves food.

View All 5 Questions

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Joe & The Juice

2.6(140 reviews)
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Excellent place to rest after constant walking and shopping. Also a grab and go place to continue…read moreshopping lol Decor and ambiance 5/5 Food overpriced that for sure! You will really overpay that smoothie 3/5 and flavor wise it cannot say it is worth it. Service? 1/5 terrible, rude, entitled people

Stopped by here to pick up a few sandwiches before heading to the beach. It was a great idea. First…read moreoff, we were greeted warmly and Jamie stood there and helped answered all our questions, and gave us really good recommendations. We got three sandwiches, two pastries, a coffee, smoothie and their wellness shots. The establishment was bright, clean and welcoming. I love the pops of pink everywhere. Jamie said the bread and pastries were imported from Denmark and everything was delicious. It's almost like a flatbread that holds its crisp, all without hurting the roof of your mouth. We got a spicy caesar, tunacado, and the steak. All sandwiches had fresh ingredients but the steak was my absolute favorite. I got the trust your gut smoothie, and it tasted good. The turmeric shot with extra ginger went down really smooth. The banana bread was delicious but the carrot cake was even better. I was overly impressed by this place, easy to find in the mall, welcoming staff, clean establishment and food were good and easy to enjoy at the beach, I can't wait to go try other flavors of smoothies and sandwiches. Can we also talk about how cute and practical their packaging is?!

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Inside

Joe & The Juice - You see the big chunks of unseasoned tuna??? That's no tuna mousse. It was bland chunks.

You see the big chunks of unseasoned tuna??? That's no tuna mousse. It was bland chunks.

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Great Maple - GM chopped salad

Great Maple

4.3(3.6k reviews)
1.6 mi
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Decided to drive down to Newport for the day, wound up browsing the shops at Fashion Island, and…read morethen wound up having lunch at Great Maple, one of the better, sit-down restaurants at the center. It's a bright and airy venue, with thick, clubby stools at the bar and a dual, indoor/outdoor dining area that's just right for the coastal California locale. We arrived near the end of the lunch rush, so we were quickly seated by the friendly Hostess, though there were still plenty of folks eating, and a lively buzz was still thrumming through the room. It was just the right energy for a Saturday lunch. Our server, Darren, was a hoot, with a slight shimmy to his step and personality for days -- sometimes that can be a bit much, but in this case his charisma added a much appreciated charm to the meal. While we didn't imbibe at this sitting, they do have a full bar with a nice selection of cocktails suitable for brunch or dinner, and it's easy to imagine whiling away quite a few hours here at another opportunity. The menu offers a number of clever twists on brunch and lunch mainstays, especially house-made doughnuts and a few Benedicts that push all the buttons of "well, this is something appealingly different." That said, we were just tad boring today as diners, ordering a Burger and the house BLT. We may have made some ordinary-sounding decisions, but Great Maple's versions of these favorites were far from ordinary at all. The burger is made with high quality beef that has just the right amount of fat to make it juicy while retaining the integrity of the flavor of the meat. Cheese, veggies and a fresh brioche bun rounded out the presentation, as did a perfectly achieved pink medium rare. This was a very good, very satisfying burger served with crispy, shoestring fries that really hit the spot. The BLT is built on Levain sourdough that is thick-cut and lightly toasted, and holds up nicely against the moisture in the tomatoes and bright, leafy lettuce. Aioli had a noticeable but mild, and very enjoyable, garlic accent that played really well with everything, walking the line between "spread" and "dressing," and becoming a meaningful component of the sandwich rather than being just an adornment. But the star of the sandwich was the smoky bacon, cut thick enough to retain a pleasing chew while also boasting the kind of char and crisp that make for the most enjoyable bacon on a sandwich. Really, this was a terrific BLT, far above what you normally get, and, as I said before, not anywhere near as ordinary as you may think. So, a very good lunch at Great Maple, and very good reason to plan another visit very soon. Kudos to everyone.

Great Maple is like an urban lodge with woodsy touches and modern decor. It was very nice inside…read more We had a reservation for brunch and were seated right away. Most of the food was really good, but there were a couple of misses as well. What we ordered: + Fried Chicken and Doughnuts - I was really excited to try their famous maple bacon donuts, but they were surprisingly bad. These donuts were dense, like day-old bread. It has good reviews, so maybe I'm just partial to light, airy donuts. The fried chicken was good though. + Ribeye Hash - hubby ordered this and really enjoyed it. It was huge. + Kids Pancakes with scrambled eggs - we were surprised our little one didn't like the pancakes (which he usually loves), but after we tasted it, we understood why. It had a weird sour after-taste. I've had buttermilk pancakes before, and they never tasted sour. Also, the texture was not fluffy, but kinda flat, and the color was very light. Maybe it wasn't fully cooked (see photo). However, he devoured the scrambled eggs, which he usually doesn't touch. + Chilaquiles - very good. It was a tower. + Modern American Breakfast - pretty good. The vegan avocado toast was average. Overall, this is a nice brunch place with some good options. Other than the donuts and pancakes, the rest of the food was really good.

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Great Maple - Inside; few to no customers

Inside; few to no customers

Great Maple - Fried Chicken and Doughnut, Bloody Mary

Fried Chicken and Doughnut, Bloody Mary

Great Maple - Inside Seating

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Inside Seating

Kaleido Rolls - Shrimp Roll

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4.7(22 reviews)
1.7 mi

Kaleido Rolls in the Fashion Island food court, Newport Beach, is known for fresh and healthy…read morespring rolls. The concept reimagines Vietnamese style rice paper rolls with unconventional, flavorful fillings and specialized sauces.  The rolls are fresh, tasty, and "packed" with ingredients. Popular, unique options include Chicken Caesar with approximately 22 gram of protein, Spicy Tuna, Smoked Salmon, Prosciutto, and shrimp. They creative combinations like smoked salmon with horseradish cream cheese or prosciutto with mozzarella. The menu is gluten free, and roughly half of the options are vegan like roasted eggplant. Kaleido Rolls is highly recommended for those looking for a light, healthy, and high-quality lunch or snack, particularly if you are in the Newport Beach area and want a fresh alternative to heavier, fried, or fast-food options.

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Kaleido Rolls - Kaleido Rolls location, next to Chick-fil-A and Mochinut

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Zay'z Artisanal Deli

Zay'z Artisanal Deli

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0.7 mi
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Amazing sandwiches Owner is so nice, generous and help…read morefull. Ingredients are so fresh Just drove 4 hours round trip just to get one of his sandwiches You'll love it I promise.

My husband and I were out for a walk on Balboa Island and decided to grab a bite to eat. We…read morestumbled across Says Artisanal Deli and were pleasantly surprised. The sandwich selection offered a great variety of options and instantly reminded us of some of the delis we visited in Italy. The employee mentioned that fresh focaccia would be ready in about 10 minutes, which was a thoughtful heads-up and definitely worth the wait. I ordered the Carissimo, while my husband--who tends to prefer simpler flavors--went with the Not a Muffuletta without the olive salad. At first, the price for two sandwiches felt a little steep, but after taking a few bites, it felt justified. The focaccia was fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with quality ingredients. If I had one small suggestion, it would be slightly thinner bread to let the fillings shine even more. That said, both sandwiches were delicious, satisfying, and surprisingly light while still filling. As with many spots on Balboa Island, seating is limited, so I'd recommend planning to take your food to go and enjoy it on the beach or at one of the nearby benches. Overall, though pricier for a sandwich, this is a wonderful addition to the island and a great spot for a summer lunch.

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Zay'z Artisanal Deli
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Beach Hut Deli - Inside

Inside

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Balboa Lily's - coffee - Updated November 2026

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