Best Restaurants Open Monday in Irvine 2026

Why a Monday list matters in Irvine

Irvine was built around office parks rather than a downtown, and its kitchens follow the working week. That cuts both ways on a Monday. The independent rooms that close on Sundays, Bistango chief among them, treat Monday as the first night of their week and open fully, while the Spectrum and Park Place rooms keep their seven-day hours. The one gap is the sushi counters: Ootoro on Michelson closes both Sunday and Monday, so an omakase Monday is out.

The order below leads with the weekday rooms a local would name first, Bistango and the high-end Mastro's Ocean Club, then Andrei's, the wood-fired North Italia, the Mexican Puesto and the whiskey-led Bosscat Kitchen. Irvine has no Michelin star of its own, so the markers here are steakhouse pedigree and the strength of the kitchen rather than guide recognition. Every name links to its full review, and hours are checked against each restaurant's published schedule. For the rest of the week, start with the Irvine dining guide.

The Monday list

Bistango

Contemporary American, art-and-jazz dining · Von Karman, Irvine · about $55–95 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–21:00

Bistango is the room an Irvine regular names first, a gallery-walled dining room at 19100 Von Karman Avenue where rotating contemporary art and live jazz run alongside the kitchen. It is one of the city's true weekday tables, closed on Sundays and fully open on a Monday from half-eleven through dinner to nine. The menu runs Cal-Mediterranean, the ahi tartare, the lobster ravioli and the grilled steaks the reliable order, with most meals between $55 and $95 a head. It is the Monday booking when the omakase counters across town have gone dark, and the bar runs live music Monday through Saturday.

Mastro's Ocean Club

Steak and seafood · Irvine Spectrum · about $90–160 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 16:00–21:00

The highest-end Monday table in Irvine sits at 772 Spectrum Center Drive, where Mastro's pairs USDA prime steaks with a chilled seafood tower and a live-music lounge. Monday service starts at four, and the order is the bone-in ribeye, the butter-poached lobster and the warm butter cake to finish. Expect $90 to $160 a head before the wine list adds to it. It is the Irvine room to book for a Monday celebration or to close a deal, and the lounge keeps a louder, walk-in-friendly scene when the dining room is full. Reserve on OpenTable for the prime evening window.

Andrei's

New American, farm-to-table · Park Place, Irvine · about $50–90 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–21:00

Andrei's, the conscious-cuisine room at 2607 Main Street near Park Place, runs a sustainability-driven kitchen built in memory of its founders' son, with profits directed to a youth charity. It opens Monday from half-eleven straight through to nine, the rare polished Irvine room that treats Monday as a full service day. The menu leans seasonal and Californian, the short-rib, the day-boat fish and the garden vegetables the order, with most meals $50 to $90 a head. The patio and the open kitchen make it an easy Monday booking for a relaxed business lunch or an unhurried early dinner.

North Italia

Wood-fired Italian · Michelson, Irvine · about $45–80 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 11:00–16:00, dinner 16:00–22:00

North Italia at 2957 Michelson Drive brings a scratch-pasta and wood-fired menu to a handsome room near Park Place, and Monday is a full day, lunch from eleven into dinner that runs to ten. The strozzapreti, the wood-fired pizzas and the housemade pastas are the order, with most meals between $45 and $80 a head. It is the well-run, dependable Monday option for a relaxed lunch that drifts into the afternoon or an early weeknight dinner, and the bar handles a solo diner or a walk-in without fuss. Book ahead for a Monday evening table near the open kitchen.

Puesto

Chef-driven Mexican · Park Place, Irvine · about $40–75 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:00–21:00

Puesto at 3311 Michelson Drive in Park Place is the city's best Mexican room, open Monday from eleven, built on its signature crispy-cheese tacos and a serious agave list. The kitchen pushes the format well past the usual taqueria, with masa milled in-house and a long mezcal and margarita programme. Most meals run $40 to $75 a head. It is the Monday booking for a livelier table than the steakhouses offer, good for a group or a casual celebration, and the patio is the seat to ask for when the weather holds. Reservations help even on a weeknight.

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations

New American, whiskey bar · Von Karman, Irvine · about $35–70 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 11:00–21:00

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations at 18169 Von Karman Avenue pairs scratch Southern-leaning American cooking with one of Orange County's deepest whiskey lists, more than four hundred labels behind the bar. It opens Monday from eleven to nine, which makes it the late-afternoon and weeknight-dinner pick on Von Karman. The chicken and waffles, the burger and the bourbon flights are the order, with most meals $35 to $70 a head. It is the relaxed Monday booking for a drink-led dinner or a low-key group, and the bar seats walk-ins comfortably when the dining room is busy.

How to book a Monday table in Irvine

Irvine is an easy reservation city on a Monday, since the weeknight trade is lighter than the weekend. Bistango, Mastro's Ocean Club, Andrei's and North Italia all take Monday bookings on OpenTable, and a same-day table is usually possible away from the prime 7pm window. Bosscat Kitchen and Puesto run a strong walk-in bar, which makes either an easy solo dining in Irvine stop on a Monday. Planning a relaxed weeknight group? Mastro's and Bistango both suit an Irvine team dinner or impressing clients over dinner. Book ahead only for the Spectrum steak room, which fills first.

Frequently asked questions

Which upscale restaurants are open on Monday in Irvine?

Irvine's best independent rooms keep weekday hours, so Monday is one of the easier nights to book them. The strongest upscale Monday tables are the art-and-jazz dining room Bistango on Von Karman and the steak-and-seafood room Mastro's Ocean Club at the Spectrum, joined by Andrei's, North Italia, Puesto and Bosscat Kitchen. The omakase counters at Ootoro close Monday, so a verified list helps here.

Is Bistango open on Monday in Irvine?

Yes. Bistango opens Monday from 11:30am to 9pm at 19100 Von Karman Avenue, serving lunch straight through to dinner. It is one of the city's defining weekday rooms, a gallery-walled dining room with rotating contemporary art and live jazz at the bar Monday through Saturday. A meal runs roughly $55 to $95 a head. Because it closes on Sundays, Monday is the first night of its week, and it is the strongest upscale Monday booking in the office-park core.

Are there fine-dining steakhouses open Monday in Irvine?

Yes. Mastro's Ocean Club at 772 Spectrum Center Drive is the high-end Monday steak option, open from 4pm to 9pm, pairing USDA prime cuts with a cold seafood tower and a live-music lounge. Expect $90 to $160 a head before wine. For more steak rooms beyond Irvine, see the best steakhouses worldwide. The Spectrum location keeps seven-day hours, so Monday service is reliable, but book the prime evening window on OpenTable ahead.

Where can I eat a relaxed Monday lunch in Irvine?

North Italia on Michelson and Puesto in Park Place are the easy Monday-lunch picks, both open from eleven. North Italia runs scratch pasta and wood-fired pizza in a handsome room, while Puesto builds chef-driven Mexican around in-house masa and crispy-cheese tacos. Andrei's near Park Place also serves a full Monday lunch from 11:30. All three suit an unhurried weekday meal or a casual Irvine team lunch, and each takes walk-ins at the bar.

Does Irvine have a Michelin restaurant open on Monday?

No. Irvine has no Michelin star of its own, so the markers on this list are steakhouse pedigree, kitchen strength and a serious bar rather than guide recognition. For a starred meal in Southern California you would head to Los Angeles or Orange County's coast; plan that midweek and start with the Irvine dining guide. For a Monday in Irvine, the six rooms here are the upscale options that actually open.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule and reservation platform as of June 2026; confirm directly before travelling, as service days change. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.