4 years since my last review, so time for an upgrade! For me, the Irvine Spectrum is a planned trip…read moreas it's about a 30-minute drive each way. The important thing to know is that if you come during the holidays or on a weekend, it will be busy. The good thing is, as long as you don't mind parking on the very upper levels and walking a bit, I've always been able to find parking. But if you don't like walking at all, this probably isn't the center for you, and there's a lot of walking if you want to explore everything! What I love about this center is that you have everything from Nordstrom to Target, literally! You can find some very unique restaurants, along with typical chains, so there's something for everyone. We'll occasionally see a movie here as well, but that's another review. What impresses me the most is how well-maintained and clean everything is. Even the elevators in the parking garages are graffiti-free, which is very unusual. Now, not all the locations have maintained their interiors as well, but that's on them and not the Irvine Spectrum. My favorite time to come is still in December. We've always found the night atmosphere to have a lot of great energy. And yes, there are a lot of teens who hang around and have loud fun; they're harmless and add to the energy.

I think this is a great place for shopping and a good experience…read more There is plenty of parking and several parking structures in addition to uncovered parking. It is free parking which is nice and that is a good value. There are several shops, restaurants, Target, Apple store, cheesecake factory, a comedy club, a movie theater, a ferris wheel and much more. Some of the shops are more high end, so expensive. It is usually very crowded and it seems like everyone in OC is there on the weekends. I haven't really dealt with any of the mall staff, so can't talk about their service but I do see some of them cleaning pretty regularly, so that is good. There are a few bathrooms scattered around the mall, that are not in the restaurants. There are some nice water fountains too. It is a pretty large open air mall, hopefully you plan your shopping experience out well, otherwise prepare to walk a lot. Enjoy the photos.

A clean, well‑kept open‑air plaza sitting at the base of Quail Hill…read more It includes several restaurants--Japanese, Indian, Mediterranean, and Italian--plus Mixue (cheap, though I don't think it tastes very good). This Mediterranean‑style shopping center also makes a nice place to stroll around after a meal. 一座很乾淨整潔，位於鵪鶉丘社區山腳下的精緻露天商場。 包含多家餐廳（日本菜、印度菜、地中海菜、義大利菜）和蜜雪冰城（雖然我覺得便宜但不好喝）。 這座地中海建築風格的商場也很適合飯後逛逛。

Quiet, pleasant, peaceful plaza. Nice place to hang with family and friends. Can go to the fitness…read morestudio or grab a bite. Abundant parking. Conveniently located right by the 405. I felt safe here.

South Coast Plaza is my favorite mall in SoCal! There's such a great variety of stores, from…read moreeveryday shopping to luxury brands, and you can easily spend hours here. The location is also a huge plus, with several other great shopping centers nearby, so you have even more options without having to go far. Definitely one of my go-to shopping destinations whenever I'm in the area!

My childhood consists of memories at south coast plaza. But today has very much changed my views…read moreabout this upscale mall. I might never return after the treatment my fiance and I received. It was over 100 degrees today and we wanted to walk our little corgi around the mall because it was too hot to be walking our dog outside. Walking outside in that weather or even anything over 80 degrees is dangerous to dogs, they can have heat strokes or severe burns on their paws. We never had problems walking our pup at indoor malls. On many occasions coming here to do errands I would see others bring their pups, so today I brought mine with my fiancé to go shopping and spend family time together. Our dog is small and well behaved, he doesn't bark and if he does it's usually because he's super excited. Sales associates and kids we passed by loved him and petted him. He was being a good boy. However, we were told to leave the property by atleast 4 security guards, all within 5 minutes! So ridiculous. Even as we were leaving we kept getting stopped by one asking us to leave. I don't understand the harshness of these guards, do they not know it's literally scorching outside? I get dogs are not allowed here but I've seen many times people bring their dogs. Why target us? I'm not sure what the problem is with these security guards. There are other things to be worrying about. Real unprofessional for a "upscale" mall,

I didn't know this place existed. Such a fun walk through. The surfliner Amtrak train stop is…read moreright here and this marketplace was so lively on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with lots of food options and music. Parking garages all over and it's $2.00 per hour to park. Please come and create your own adventure.

River Street Marketplace is a development and shopping area located in San Juan Capistrano. There…read moreis ample parking ($2/hour) but you can also take the train as the Metrolink station is right there. It reminds me of the SoCo plaza in Costa Mesa but it has a pretty common vibe where there are indoor shops, outdoor seating, play areas, and restaurants. This place in particular also has some old school charms like the River Street Ranch (a petting zoo) with modern boutique shops and a food hall. It's a place to hang out when it's nice outside and it's packed with people.

It's honestly a nice place to go with friends and the overall vibe is pretty chill. The only issue…read moreI've had is with the employees at the Hollister store. Every time I go, the customer service feels off. It's like someone doodood in their cereal before their shift . The employees always seem like they don't want to be there, and whenever I ask for help, I'll get an eye roll or a rude attitude. I completely understand that everyone has bad days and I'm not judging anyone for that, but when it happens EVERY single time I go, it becomes noticeable and really takes away from the experience. They could at least fake a smile or make an effort to be welcoming. If you want to shop at Hollister, I'd honestly recommend going to the Spectrum location or somewhere else instead.

It's a chill and convenient shopping choice. It has all or most of the stores you need with no…read morenonsense. No crowds. No mess. No parking wars. It's a hidden gem. If you're okay with the slower pace vibes, you'll be pleased. This location is a practical destination. You're welcome! ;)

Came to check out Nike. Lots of selections…read more Parking was quite difficult to find. You can also pay $10 for valet parking. Plenty of stores to walk around. A very pleasant outlet mall. Service was friendly, speedy and accurate. Value for money was very good.

This was an outdoor kind plaza with over a few hundred stores. They had big entertainment spots…read morelike Dave & Busters, Lucky Strike and AMC too. Parkings were all around. We were able to get one quickly. As I walked around, I saw mostly the well-known brand store. There were some local ones as well. Stores were mostly small to medium size. Discounts varied from store to store. Staff members in stores were friendly. Restrooms and common areas were clean. Overall a nice shopping destination but it's smaller with fewer product varieties within the stores.

Located within the Kaleidoscope Center, this place has so much potential. I came here with friends…read moreon a Saturday evening, and this area had a lively atmosphere happening. The selection of little shops, some were open and some were closed, are so cute. The shops that were open, looked inviting and friendly. The prices on items were somewhat reasonable. During the day, depending upon which day, this place can seem dead or bleak. I don't know how some businesses survive here. Overall, I enjoyed my experience. As much as I want to love the Kaleidoscope, I really liked Union Market, and I would return to this spot, just for the adorable small businesses located inside. The Kaleidoscope, itself, is really run down and disappointing. Please read my separate review on my opinion of Kaleidoscope. If you ever consider going here, most definitely head to Union Market. Enjoy!!!

I was really surprised to come to Union Market around 6pm and see how empty it was. It was…read moredisappointing to see there were only 2 restaurants open, and one of them you had to ring a bell for the people to even greet you. This space is huge and really cool with a lot of artwork on the walls. There's great potential, but I think malls are a dying breed since covid. This spot has a couple really cool retail stores, including candle making and events with crafts. They also have a good sized bar, hangout areas, foosball, corn hole and more! They even have live music! It was just so sad to see how empty it was and how many businesses have shut down. I'm thinking this space is probably used more for private events.

We stumbled upon this accidentally when going to eat at the taco stand. Parking is crazy but once…read morein it's so much fun! It was fun exploring every nook and cranny. We didn't make it into every store, (the japanese bakery line was so long), but just the grounds of this little outdoor mall itself was enough.

The CAMP in Costa Mesa is unique outdoor shopping area. It's made up of a variety of different…read moreindependent businesses, so there's something interesting to explore but the parking situation really dampers the experience. I like the "arch" welcome you into the enclosed space. Also, I really like the outdoor atmosphere -- meant to feel relax & welcoming shopping center. For space that encourages people to shop, the space really makes parking hard by blocking half of the area for valet only. After circling around several times in the lot, you'll pull into a tagged sayings in every space - "Live it up", "Drink More Water", "Listen", etc!!! As you stroll through, you'll see many small, hippie stores.....but missed the vibe. The atmosphere is lacking and crowd is there.

Why haven't we been here before?? Great selections- can't wait to come back and try other options…read more We tried London chippy - check out my review on their page!! Amazing! Next time Doner place. Great idea to have this marketplace - can't even tell what's inside - or that there's an inside- if you don't know. Check it out!!

Fashion Island is a higher end outdoor mall with some interesting shops and an amazing food court…read more The grounds are beautiful, and it can be fun to just walk around and check everything out. If you have young children, the koi pond with its giant koi fishing can be a huge hit, as there are stepping stones through the middle of the pond and the layout is just gorgeous. There are also several quite amazing water fountains that they'll love running around. Plus it can even give you an excuse to do so! Not to mention, there are numerous stores to visit, including a legendary three or four-story Restoration Hardware with ocean views, an Apple store, tons of boutique clothing shops, Nordstroms, and a few places to enjoy lunch. There is also a PF Chang's with ocean views. Don't forget the amazing gelato place either! It moved from its old location so check the map. It's still there. Service-wise, this is higher end so you can expect decent service wherever you're at. Overall five stars. This is an OC institution.

Update on HUGE cockroach infestation at Fashion Island (FI), Newport Beach…read more Went to FI this 2026 summer and after three summers, I am happy to report the cockroaches are gone. The Irvine company that owns and runs FI never responded to my emails requesting they rid their sewers of the infestation but finally they have acted and now, FI is clean and cockroach free. Hope it stays that way because it was so tragic to experience such a traumatic event year after year. Now they must act and remove the rats scurrying around between Lululemon and Macys. Rats are easier to eliminate than cockroaches but shame on FI for allowing rats to roam freely. Rats are so gross!!!