First look inside San Clemente's Miramar Food Hall
The morning weather tried to make a whole thing of it - gray skies, a late-spring mist, the full June Gloom - but San Clemente wasn't having it. By Thursday, June 18, flip-flop wearing throngs had already made their way to North Beach to see whether the long-promised, long-delayed Miramar Food Hall was finally worth all the wait.
Inside, the space gives a little drama via vaulted, wood-beamed ceilings that peak to a narrow row of skylights, allowing enough natural light to make the place feel coastal without screaming "beachy." How refreshing, even if finding parking briefly tests your patience.
Food options, 15 of them, line both sides of the L-shaped hall, with sandwiches, street tacos, lobster rolls, pizza and more. Outside, a sprawling patio gives diners room to linger, people-watch and make repeat visits to the dedicated outdoor bar, one of two on the property.
Opening day came with the usual soft-opening tells. Not every counter was fully humming. Some vendors were still finding their rhythm. Parking was, unsurprisingly, parking. (A parking lot can be found on Avenida Pico, next to Ole Hanson Beach Club, or, you know, take the train.) But after years of waiting, the curious crowd appeared ready to give Miramar some grace.
At Sidelines, owner Anthony Sloma was taking in the first-day rush from behind a counter. The stand serves sandwiches, among other comfort fare, and an early star has already emerged, according to Sloma.
"Our most popular is our Philly cheesesteak," he said.
For now, the cheesesteak comes with white American cheese, not Cheez Whiz, which may be a minor heartbreak for some purists. Sloma, who is from Philadelphia, knows this all too well.
"We're working on it," he explained. "We're working on a recipe for the Cheez Whiz."
Sidelines previously operated in Oceanside and had a food truck at Camp Pendleton before moving to San Clemente. Like many vendors, Sloma said the first few weeks will be about learning the room. "When is it busy? What's the flow like? What's the demographic?" he said. "Is there a lot of families? What are the busy hours?"
At El Puerto Street Tacos, owner Catalina Morales was more direct about the appetite surrounding Miramar's debut. "People have been waiting for it for six years," Morales said. "I think it's going to be really popular."
Morales, who said El Puerto has seven other locations, was born in Oaxaca and moved to the States when she was 8. Her Miramar stand leans into street tacos and homemade cooking. "All our stuff is from scratch," she said.
Adriana Francisco, who was working with El Puerto on opening day, said she was hoping to see "business pick up" as more people discover the hall. Judging by the tacos moving across the counter, that shouldn't be a problem.
Then there is Moto Pizza, the Seattle-born pizzeria from owner Lee Kindell, whose square pies have earned a rabid following. He calls his hybrid-style pies “odd pizza.”
For starters, his dough uses a 100-year-old one, and the pizzas pull inspiration from New York, Detroit and Roman styles, with Filipino and other Asian influences folded in (e.g., a slip of kimchi tops each slice of the beef adobo).
"I took what I love of New York pizzas, of Detroit pizza, of Roman-style pizza and I put them all together," Kindell said. "And of course, I'm Filipino, so I bring a lot of my Asian love and influences to what I do."
The San Clemente location made sense, he said, because of its place between Los Angeles and San Diego, where Moto already had fans.
“I had so many people from San Diego wanting us to open and so many people from Los Angeles," he said. "Kind of being in the middle, this was a great opportunity for us."
Still, the day's best bite might have been the garlic butter lobster roll from Lobster Lab Seafood. Not my go-to Neptunian dish (too eye-rollingly aware of itself, too East Coast), the one here is rich, warm and excessive, but also slightly crispy from the toasted buns.
Malissa Beaty of Capo Beach agreed. She came after seeing an Instagram ad and immediately messaged a friend.
"I was like, ‘It's opening. We should go,'" said Beaty, who moved to Capo Beach three years ago and noted she had watched the property sit empty the entire time.
"When suddenly there was progress on the construction, I got very excited," she said.
Her first impression was that Miramar reminded her of River Street Marketplace’s dedicated food hall: polished and family-friendly.
"It really seems that families need a place to go where there is something for everyone - the space for the kids, the dogs, the adults, food, alcohol and music," Beaty said. "So I can see this filling that need."
Asked for her favorite bite, she didn’t hesitate. "For sure the lobster roll," Beaty said. "I got the butter, the garlic butter style. And it was so good."
After years of staring at a vacant space, South County finally has something to argue over, eat through and return to. The lineup includes Cosmos Burger, El Puerto Street Tacos, Graciously Thai, La Vida, Lobster Lab, Immersion Coffee Co., Sidelines Sandwiches, The Pita, RolledUp SC, Norigiri and It's Allll Rice.
Miramar Food Hall joins a list of new food halls in Orange County, including Rodeo River Street in San Juan Capistrano and Mercado González in Costa Mesa, along with the upcoming Katella Commons in Anaheim, part of the massive OC Vibe development.
Find it:1720 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, miramarfoodhall.com
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 5:19 PM.