New outdoor dining areas coming to 3 Corona del Mar restaurants
Those looking to dine al fresco in Newport Beach will soon have more options as three popular Corona del Mar restaurants move forward with plans to add outdoor seating.
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve sidewalk dining areas facing East Coast Highway at Rothschild’s Fine Italian Restaurant, The Bungalow and Avila’s El Ranchito. The Bungalow currently has outdoor dining in the rear of the restaurant, which will remain.
The three new areas could open as early as this summer.
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Newport Beach leaders for decades have contemplated the idea of outdoor dining along East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar as a way to help enhance and revitalize the area, said Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rosansky, a former councilman.
“These businesses are well-established, reputable businesses, and they’re adding a whole new energy to Corona del Mar,” Rosansky said.
Outdoor dining previously wasn’t possible because the sidewalks along East Coast Highway were too narrow, city staff said. However, the city recently finished a nearly $500,000 project that included widening sidewalks to give pedestrians more space and adding landscaping such as palm trees and other plants between Begonia and Carnation avenues.
The three restaurant owners then approached the city with a plan to have outdoor dining take up some of the newly expanded walkway. The Planning Commission signed off on the proposals in early June.
Rothschild’s 210-square-foot outdoor seating area will accommodate up to 24 people. It will be enclosed by a black wrought-iron fence, and the planter at the corner of the building will be modified to create a terraced area, plans show.
The Bungalow will have a 266-square-foot outdoor area with 10 tables seating up to 20 people. That space also will be enclosed by a wrought-iron fence.
Avila’s El Ranchito’s 460-square-foot outdoor area will provide tables seating parties of two and four. The total capacity was not immediately available.
In an effort to reduce noise from the dining areas traveling into nearby homes, all three patios will close at 10 p.m. daily, according to city staff.
Jim Walker, who co-owns The Bungalow, said he began envisioning an outdoor patio facing East Coast Highway when he bought the restaurant about 16 years ago.
“After waiting 16 years, I’m really happy we’re at this point,” he said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm. It’s going to create a great energy for that part of Corona del Mar.”
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Hannah Fry, hannah.fry@latimes.com
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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