Costa Mesa / Central Orange County
East 17th Street has the densest run of coffee we could confirm: Starbucks at 250 E. 17th, Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee at 270 E. 17th, Peet's at 424 E. 17th and a drive-thru Starbucks at 450 E. 17th. The Bristol Street pair of The CAMP and The LAB suits independent concepts (Daydrift, Vitaly Caffe, Work in Progress and Nook Coffee Bar), South Coast Plaza carries three Starbucks plus Cafe Collegium and HEYTEA, and The OC Mix at SOCO has Portola Coffee and several spaces its own map marks as available. Starbucks' locator shows 17 Costa Mesa stores but only two with a drive-thru (450 E. 17th Street and 250 Bristol Street), and Dutch Bros lists no Costa Mesa stand, so a drive-thru coffee site here generally means a minor conditional use permit and the lane standards in Section 13-50.
Population
110,330
Median HHI
$111,505
Median age
36.7
Homeownership
39.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Harbor Boulevard · Bristol Street · 17th Street · Newport Boulevard · Sunflower Avenue
Specific shopping centers in Costa Mesa that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
17th Street, eastside Costa Mesa
Anchors / key tenants: independent boutiques, dining, and specialty retail
Walkable eastside Costa Mesa shopping corridor. Tenants include Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee, Garduno's Italian, Almond Surfboards, Erin Cole bridal, and No Rest for Bridget. Strong neighborhood-and-Newport crossover.
3333 Bristol Street
Anchors / key tenants: Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom
Size: 2,700,000 SF
Global luxury shopping destination — 250+ boutiques, including Dior Beauty's largest West Coast flagship (May 2025). Adjacent to Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Recent leasing momentum with 21 new tenants signed. Restaurant mix includes Din Tai Fung. Brand and credit bar is highest in OC.
2937 Bristol Street
Anchors / key tenants: independent, sustainability-tilted lifestyle retail
Curated indie center mixing shopping with sports and outdoor activities. Strong fit for boutique fitness, specialty food, and lifestyle/sport brands that wouldn't work in a national mall.
2930 Bristol Street
Anchors / key tenants: independent retail and art markets
Across Bristol from The CAMP. Sister project: indie retailers, weekend art markets, and a defiantly non-mall identity. Better for first-unit creative concepts than national chains.
3303–3323 Hyland Avenue
Anchors / key tenants: high-end home design, food hall
Design-district positioning with OC MIX food hall and home-furnishing showrooms. Highest density of design/showroom users in OC outside South Coast Plaza itself.
1870 Harbor Boulevard
Anchors / key tenants: entertainment, dining, and nightlife
Westside Costa Mesa entertainment/dining center at Harbor/Newport split. Walkable to coastal residential and visitor traffic.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Costa Mesa rents. These are publicly visible coffee shop space businesses currently trading in the market.
Starbucks (450 E. 17th Street)
450 E 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Company-operated store with a drive-thru, per Starbucks' own locator. One of only two Costa Mesa Starbucks the locator shows with a drive-thru.
Starbucks (Bristol & Red Hill)
250 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Company-operated store with a drive-thru, per Starbucks' locator. Chipotle's locator lists a Chipotle at 260 Bristol Street.
Starbucks (17th & Westminster)
250 E. 17th Street, Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
In-cafe store on the 17th Street corridor, per Starbucks' locator.
Peet's Coffee
424 E. 17th Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
The only Costa Mesa address in Peet's own store list.
Sidecar Doughnuts and Coffee
270 E. 17th Street, #18, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Sidecar's own site calls this its flagship shop, on the 17th Street corridor, with an open kitchen. Travel Costa Mesa lists it among the 17th Street Promenade Shops.
Starbucks at South Coast Plaza (three locations)
South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
The center's directory lists Starbucks on Level 2 of the Din Tai Fung Wing, Level 1 of the Macy's Home Store Wing and Level 3 inside Macy's Men's Store. The same directory lists Cafe Collegium (Level 1, Macy's Home Store Wing) and HEYTEA (Level 1, Carousel Court).
Daydrift, Vitaly Caffe and Work in Progress
The CAMP, 2937 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
All three are in The CAMP's own store list: Daydrift as a coffee shop, Vitaly Caffe serving coffee, pastry and Italian meals, and Work in Progress pairing coffee with natural wine. The list marks most food tenants as having pet-friendly patios.
Nook Coffee Bar
The LAB Anti-Mall, 2930 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Listed on The LAB's Shops & Eats page, along with Good Town Doughnuts.
Portola Coffee
The OC Mix at SOCO, 3303 to 3323 Hyland Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Listed in the SOCO and The OC Mix directory under Food + Libations. The same page's OC Mix map marks 7 of its 24 numbered spaces as Available.
Starbucks (Harbor & Baker)
Costa Mesa Square, 3030 Harbor Boulevard, #J-2, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Starbucks' locator names the center as Costa Mesa Square. The locator also lists a licensed Starbucks inside the Target at 3030 Harbor Boulevard, Suite A.
01
Use permit by size: Table 13-47(a) permits a food or beverage establishment by right in C1, C2, C1-S and TC whether its indoor public area is under or over 300 sq ft, but requires a minor conditional use permit in CL. One exception matters for coffee: an establishment with less than 300 sq ft of public area in a multi-tenant center where 30% or more of the tenants are similar small food businesses needs a minor conditional use permit in every zone. Under Section 13-29 the Zoning Administrator decides minor conditional use permits.
02
Parking: Table 13-89 parks an establishment with 300 sq ft or less of public area at the retail rate of 4 spaces per 1,000 sq ft (minimum 6). Above 300 sq ft the rate jumps to 10 per 1,000 for the first 3,000 sq ft and 12 per 1,000 above that. Keeping the seating area at or under 300 sq ft can decide whether an inline 17th Street or Harbor Boulevard suite works. Patio seating is not counted (footnote 2 and Section 13-48(a)(1)(g)).
03
Outdoor seating: Table 13-47(b) permits a courtyard patio by right, and a patio in a setback or parking area by right if it adds no more than 50% of the indoor public area and (in parking areas) removes no more than five spaces or 25% of required parking. Larger patios need a minor conditional use permit. Section 13-48 requires a 4-foot clear path to entries, barriers no taller than 5 feet with the top 1.5 feet open, and patio closure from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
04
Drive-through: Table 13-47(a) makes a drive-through a minor conditional use permit in C1, C2 and CL (and in C1-S, TC and PD unless an approved master plan provides for it). Section 13-50 requires lanes at least 11 feet wide and 160 feet long from entrance to pick-up window, lane entrances 25 feet from street or alley driveways, stacking 10 feet from outdoor seating, and an operation statement on idling emissions. Within 200 feet of residential zoning, Section 13-49 adds walls, planters, no customer service from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and no truck deliveries from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
05
Roasting on site: Table 13-30 row 66 allows coffee roasting in conjunction with a food or beverage establishment only by minor conditional use permit in C1, C2, C1-S, TC and PDC, and row 65 does not allow stand-alone coffee roasting in any commercial zone (only by minor conditional use permit in the MG and MP industrial zones). A roaster-cafe should get its classification settled before signing.
06
Health and sewer: the OC Health Care Agency's Plan Check unit reviews plans for all new and remodeled food facilities, with a menu and equipment specification sheets, and its approval goes to the city building department before construction. The Costa Mesa Sanitary District requires every food service establishment to hold a wastewater discharge permit and requires a grease interceptor for new construction, a change of ownership, a change in operations, or a remodel that adds seating, kitchen area or under-slab plumbing. Budget for the interceptor in a second-generation space.
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.