Ritz Restaurant could return to Newport Beach at Mariner’s Mile
The iconic Ritz Restaurant, renowned at its previous location for its old-school elegance, celebrity sightings and lunchtime cocktails, is a step closer to heading back to Newport Beach, this time with waterfront views on Mariner’s Mile.
The Planning Commission on Thursday will consider an application from GP’s Landing LLC, which manages the property at 2801 W. Coast Hwy., also home to Billy’s at the Beach and a marina, to authorize a building remodel to accommodate the Ritz.
The restaurant aims to open by this summer in a spot previously occupied by the upscale seafood restaurant Chart House.
The Ritz first opened in Newport Beach in 1977 near the Newport Pier. In 1982, it moved to a space in the more upscale Newport Center, where it remained until February 2014, when the site manager, the Irvine Co., declined to renew the restaurant’s lease.
Patrons at the time were told the Ritz would reopen, but no details were provided.
The Ritz proposes to renovate the existing restaurant space on West Coast Highway to reconfigure the dining area, alter the building’s facade and add a retractable awning that would extend over a relocated outdoor patio, according to a city staff report. The large sunshades that the Ritz hopes to have on the patio are prohibited under the current city-issued permit.
Under the plan, a 340-square-foot portion of the first-level restaurant and an 823-square-foot portion of the third-level office area would be converted to outdoor areas.
The restaurant also is seeking to extend outdoor dining hours to include 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and to have live entertainment consisting of a piano or three non-amplified musicians inside the restaurant daily. Patio hours are currently authorized for 5 p.m. to midnight Saturdays, the staff report states.
Representatives of Grill Concepts, which includes the Ritz, could not be reached for comment.
The restaurant’s application for an alcohol license is pending with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, according to online records.
Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.