Sushi Roku Debuts New Small Plates and Signature Sushi

Sushi Roku has added new dishes to its menu, blending bright, chilled small plates with bold takes on its Roku Signature Style Sushi. The new offerings are now available at all Sushi Roku locations, including Sushi Roku Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

New additions include a seaweed salad with hiyashi wakame, cucumber, arare and wasabi citrus vinaigrette; tuna tataki with onion, chives, garlic chips and mizore ponzu; octopus carpaccio with red yuzu kosho, lemon zest, micro cilantro and yuzu chili ponzu; salmon hanabi with spicy salmon, crispy rice and serrano chili; and grilled salmon served with golden Yukon mashed potatoes, green apple, bok choy and citrus kumquat.

The Roku Signature Style Sushi lineup is offered a la carte and served with seaweed, meant to be eaten like a hand roll. Options include salmon belly sushi with caviar and cilantro mayo, truffle crab sushi with snow crab, avocado, truffle and champagne butter, and A5 Wagyu sushi with kizami wasabi, garlic chips and sesame soy.

Sushi Roku has long been considered a pioneer of contemporary sushi, pairing traditional Japanese technique with global flavors and seasonal California ingredients. The kitchen sources fish from around the world, prepared with the precision of seasoned sushi chefs.

The beverage program is equally deep. Certified sake sommeliers and mixologists have built a beverage menu to match the food, with a sake selection spanning traditional Junmai, Ginjo and Daiginjo styles along with flavored, Nigori and sparkling varieties. The wine list leans into labels that complement Japanese cuisine, from crisp whites and premium French Champagnes to full-bodied reds.

The new menu is available now at all locations for dine-in, takeout and delivery through third-party apps.

Katella Commons Adds Five More Reasons to Get Hungry at OCVIBE

The dining lineup at Katella Commons just keeps getting better.

OCVIBE, the 100-acre development wrapping around Honda Center, announced five new dining concepts joining the 50,000-square-foot market hall set to open in early 2027. This latest round brings a genuinely exciting mix of Mexican, Filipino, Chinese and Italian flavors, and several of the operators have deep roots right here in Orange County.

First up is Don Churros Gomez, a third-generation family churro business led by brothers Jaime and Ricky Nuñez Gomez. Their grandfather, known simply as "Don Churros," created the family recipe back in 1969 in Yahualica, Jalisco. Guests at Katella Commons can expect traditional thin-style churros along with other authentic Mexican desserts that honor generations of craftsmanship.

Then there's MFK | Modern Filipino Kitchen, and this one's a real comeback story. Chef Henry Pineda and his wife, Panda, first opened MFK in Anaheim back in 2017, only to lose the restaurant to a fire. They regrouped with Lola's by MFK, a Filipino brunch concept, and now, a decade later, they're bringing MFK back with a modern menu built specifically for Katella Commons. If you know their story, you know this one is personal.

Chef Guoming "Sam" Xin, known around the food world as the "Noodle Man," is bringing his hand-pulled noodle expertise to the market hall with Mojo and Pull & Roll. Xin's culinary journey started in Zhengzhou, China, where he opened his first restaurant, Noodle City, before earning certification as a Senior Noodle Technician in Beijing. More than two decades of experience later, he's ready to show OC what real Northern Chinese noodle craft looks like.

And for dessert, Newport Beach's own Gelato Paradiso is joining the roster. Founded in 1999, this local favorite has been scooping authentic Italian gelato for more than 25 years, with roughly 80% of its ingredients imported directly from Italy. Expect classics like pistacchio, stracciatella and bacio, plus rotating seasonal flavors made fresh daily in small batches.

This new group joins an already stacked lineup announced earlier this summer, including Amiga Amore, Burritos La Palma, Evil Cooks, Manaao Thai Comfort Food and two new concepts from DARKROOM's Chef Zach Scherer: OC Pizza Cult and Wanderfowl. Add in the news that chef Roy Choi is bringing his acclaimed Best Friend restaurant to OCVIBE, and it's clear this district is shaping up to be one of the most exciting food destinations in the county.

Katella Commons opens to the public in early 2027, following the debut of OCVIBE's 5,000-capacity concert hall in March. The Weave, the district's commercial office building and future home of co-working operator Kiln, along with the first phase of OCVIBE's public art program, is also slated to open in 2027.

Telefèric Barcelona Brings Spanish Flavor to Fashion Island

Newport Beach has a new spot for tapas and paella. Telefèric Barcelona, the family-owned Spanish restaurant group behind eight other California and Arizona locations, has opened its ninth U.S. restaurant at Fashion Island.

The Padrosa family, siblings Xavi and Maria, trace the concept back to their original restaurant in Sant Cugat, Spain, which opened in 1992. The brand made its U.S. debut in Walnut Creek in 2016, and 2026 marks a decade of growth stateside, with recent openings in Scottsdale and La Jolla leading up to Newport Beach.

The menu, led by Executive Chef Óscar Cabezas, leans into family-style sharing. Expect patatas bravas, 38-month-cured jamón ibérico de bellota, gambas al ajillo, and grilled octopus with potato cream and Pimentón XO. Wagyu empanadas with braised short rib and croquetas stuffed with jamón or king crab round out the tapas list, and every dish starts with ingredients imported from Spain.

Paella is the centerpiece, prepared to order and available with socarrat, the crisp caramelized rice that forms at the bottom of a properly cooked pan. Options include a surf-and-turf Paella Mixta, a Paella Fiesta with lobster and ribeye, a Lobster Paella built on Canadian lobster and gulf shrimp, and a Veggie Paella with shiitake mushrooms and broccolini.

At the bar, Barcelona-style gin and tonics and house-made sangrías share the list with more than 100 wines from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Rías Baixas.

Maria Padrosa oversaw the design, sourcing furniture and tile directly from Spanish artisans for a room finished in whitewashed walls, hand-glazed tile and natural wood, with an open kitchen and paella station as the visual anchor. An in-house market, El Merkat, sells imported olive oils, tinned seafood, artisanal cheeses and at-home paella kits.

The restaurant also handles private events and corporate catering, from pickup orders to full-service affairs with live paella cooking and flamenco entertainment. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday, 3 to 5 p.m.

Telefèric Barcelona Newport Beach is located at 311 Newport Center Drive. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information, visit telefericbarcelona.com. Reservations can be made here. 

Image Credit Telefèric Barcelona