While New Year’s Eve brings an onslaught of beer-soaked parties and midnight-hour tomfoolery, there is a distinct pleasure in choosing a more refined and relaxing route. Ringing in 2026 with a standout meal, one that offers great service, choice ingredients and a special atmosphere, is the perfect way to make a grand entrance into Jan. 1. If you’re looking for a more top-drawer affair, these five eateries are offering menus and settings perfect for your final celebration of the year.
Word to the wise: Book your table sooner rather than later as these spots fill up quickly.
The Cellar (Fullerton): This subterranean dining room, designed by a craftsman who also worked on Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, offers a luxe backdrop for your New Year’s Eve fete, with reservations between 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The prix-fixe meal is p[riced at $150 per person, including tax and gratuity as well as a champagne split to take home. DIners select one dish from four courses, beginning with starters like poached asparagus with hollandaise or steak tartare with salted duck egg, leading to such entrees as filet mignon with grilled broccolini and brown-butter carrot puree, braised short rib with chive mash, or spiced Jidori chicken with curry and sauteed kale. Finish the night with champagne creme brulee or red velvet sheet cake. Find it: 305, North Harbor Blvd., Fullerton; 714-525-5682
Darkroom (Santa Ana): Known for its high-concept approach, Darkroom, the lauded spot from chefs Zach Scherer and Drew Adams, will offer a bombastic dining experience: NYE @ Darkroom (starting at $215 per person) will feature a six-course meal, including a starter, offering dishes like Kanpachi, preserved tomato and lime leaf; crab with yeasted brown butter potato, diced potato and crispy potato; risotto and comte with ham and black truffle; swordfish; Wanderer wagyu loin with sunchoke and leek soubise; and late-berry curd semifreddo with salted licorice marshmallow. (Note: Darkroom’s NYE @ Chrysalis, the restaurant’s second dining program on New Year’s Eve, is sold out.). Find it: 3751 South Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, 657-777-3275
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Le Hut Dinette (Santa Ana): From the founders of Heritage Barbecue, this “new-school diner” concept heightens comfort food with touches of barbecue and Filipino flavors from talented chef Ryan Garlitos. This multicourse New Year’s Eve menu is a celebration of satisfying classics reimagined for a celebratory night. Starters include Kumamoto oysters with smoked coconut vinegar mignonette and blue prawn shrimp cocktail, followed by spiny lobster bisque layered with roasted lobster shell ginataan and lemongrass. A showstopping heritage prime rib roast with French onion au jus and horseradish, accompanied by a loaded baked potato with aged gouda and miso creme fraiche, anchor the evening. And for dessert? An ice cream sundae with Butter Qream vanilla topped with chocolate sauce, bourbon strawberries and toasted almond matcha crumble. (Also of note: With its hemispherical exterior sheathed in corrugated steel, floor-to-ceiling windows and neo-diner interior decor, Le Hut Dinette is looker inside and out.) Find it: 730 N. Poinsettia St., Santa Ana, 714-450-5600
Vaquera (San Juan Capistrano): Smack dab inside River Street Marketplace, head to this spot for an a la carte dinner that homes in on wood-fired fare. Highlights here include meatballs with gremolata and garlic bread, charred heirloom carrots with chili honey, lime and toasted seeds. For heartier dishes, check out the oak-grilled striped bass or steaks like an 8-ounce Black Hawk Farms filet or the 22-ounce ribeye for two paired with herb-roasted marble potatoes, broccolini and beef demi sauce. Other items include burrata salad with prosciutto, candied walnuts and persimmon or a green goddess little gems salad with red and gold beets and pistachios. And don’t miss their new pizza menu. Seating options include indoor, patio or, even better, a spot at the expansive, horseshoe-shaped bar. Not only does the bar offer comfy seats, but it’s an ideal spot for people watching. 31904 Paseo Adelanto, San Juan Capistrano, 949-749-4200
View (Newport Beach): Featuring both indoor and patio seating, this contemporary, scenic restaurant at the Vea Newport Beach hotel offers a three-course prix-fixe dinner featuring filet mignon with truffle butter, sea bass with lemon and brown butter or crispy tofu with harissa and basil oil. Other highlights include live music, and a requisite champagne toasts. Cost $132 per person. 900 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, 949-640-4000