Greer's OC

After nearly four decades serving the Newport Beach community, Champagnes Kitchen has officially opened its new Huntington Beach location, the first expansion for the family-owned restaurant since the original debuted in 1989.

Situated in the former IHOP space at Main Street and Olive, the 3,950-square-foot restaurant brings the brand's approachable service, elevated comfort food and family-friendly atmosphere to the heart of downtown Huntington Beach. At 1,000 square feet larger than the Newport Beach original, the new space gives the team plenty of room to grow.

The opening caps nearly a year of lease negotiations and roughly four and a half months of intensive construction and renovation. Working alongside longtime commercial builder Slater Builders and Steiner Studios, the Tobey family completely reimagined the aging space from the ground up, modernizing it while preserving the welcoming neighborhood feel that has long defined the Champagnes Kitchen experience.

Heading up the new location is a leadership team with deep roots in Orange County hospitality. Executive Chef Daniel Cherri, formerly of Lounge Group, leads the back-of-house culinary program. General Manager and Bar Manager Jordan Ramirez brings eight years of experience from Playa Mesa, where he built a strong background in operations, hospitality and team leadership. The connection runs deeper than the org chart: owner Matt Tobey and Cherri go back several years to their time working together at Wild Goose in Costa Mesa, and Ramirez and Cherri previously crossed paths through Lounge Group. It is a team with real chemistry, both personally and professionally.

Together, they are aiming to make Champagnes Kitchen Huntington Beach a go-to all-day dining destination for locals and visitors, with an emphasis on quality ingredients, approachable pricing and genuine hospitality.

The menu balances lighter fare with heartier options. Standouts include the Kale Super Food Salad, tossed with quinoa, apples, fennel, dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds, candied almonds, mint, almond cheese and champagne vinaigrette, and the Hot Father Sandwich, piled high with griddled mortadella, capicola, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncini, Italian dressing and mayo on a fresh baguette.

Dinner brings dishes like Southern Fried Chicken with whipped potatoes, garlic green beans and chicken au jus, alongside a Pan Seared Rib Eye with sauteed broccolini, medjool dates, almonds and mint chimichurri. Save room for dessert: pastry chef Winnona, a CIA graduate, turns out lemon and hazelnut chocolate tarts, beignets and fresh cookies, including a Salted Toffee cookie worth skipping nothing else for.

With a wide variety of gluten-free and vegan options, the restaurant was designed to welcome everyone, whether guests are stopping in for a family breakfast, a casual lunch, date night cocktails or a solo meal near the beach.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for May 22 at 11 a.m. Regular hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.