Promenade Cafe & Market: Irvine Spectrum’s Best Kept Restaurant Secret

The indoor-outdoor dining scene has always been big in Orange County, thanks in part to the spectacular (mostly) year-round sunshine. And now, luxury apartments such as Promenade at Irvine Spectrum are bringing this favorite pastime on-site for convenience and social dining experiences.

We sat down with Promenade Cafe & Market General Manager Chaz Griffin to find out more about this one-of-a-kind amenity space.

What’s your role at Promenade Cafe & Market?

I oversee four of the six cafes that we (Aramark) operate for the Irvine Company. I relocated to Southern California from New England about three years ago, switching from the Higher Education Dining Sector to the Business Dining Sector. I love the weather here and enjoy golfing, beach volleyball, and the brewery scene.

Tell us a little bit about Promenade Cafe & Market

Promenade Cafe & Market is a unique operation for us. It is a very large open space, with plenty of seating and workstations. The Market doubles up as the “clubhouse” for the property, and with that, the work-from-home trend right now keeps us pretty busy. The Cafe & Market offers “create your own salad” and deli stations, Starbucks Coffee, a full beer and wine menu including Sabe Cocktails, as well as a wide variety of retail snack items. We also serve bottled beverages and a big selection of retail beer, wine, hard seltzers, hard kombuchas, and more.

Is there a favorite dish the residents can’t get enough of?

Our flatbreads! We have a wide variety of specials such as Hawaiian, Meat Lovers, & Artichoke along with the ability to customize your own.

How do you come up with your monthly specials?

Our specials are very much dictated by the season. We try to incorporate seasonal ingredients based on our produce vendor’s availability. Beyond that, at the Cafe, we also choose specials based on our events, such as NFL Sunday Specials or Happy Hour Specials at the bar, etc.

Which dishes do you plan to include on the menu that you think will speak to eating well?

Luis Velazco, the Food Service Director of Promenade Cafe & Market, recently launched a full-service salad and deli bar. At this station, the guest has the ability to completely customize their own salad, bowl, sandwich, wrap, or even flatbread. With the New Year’s healthy eating rage, the create your own salad bar is an ideal New Year’s resolution fix! The customers simply tell the cook what he/she would like, and we make the salad to order.

There’s always something going on*

Featuring live music, Wine Wednesdays, and a host of other happy hour specials, there’s always something going on at Promenade Cafe & Market. This is when residents come out, meet their friends, or make some new ones!

Live Music

• Every Thursday night in January
• Discounted appetizers, wine, & draft beer from 4pm-close

Wine Wednesdays

• From 5-7pm
• $5 wristband for purchase at the cafe to attend
• Guests will receive a tasting of all wines available, amount depends on supplier. Varies by week
• Light snacks will be provided
• Discounted appetizers

Charcuterie Boards

• Priced per-person and intended for resident “in-home” holiday events
• Call to order for next day pick-up

Happy Hour

• Discounted appetizers, wine, & draft beer from 4pm-close

Virtually Tour Promenade

At Promenade Cafe & Market, there are countless ways to enjoy delicious food, appetizers, wine, and beer selections. Now offering catering for large groups or parties.

*Subject to change in accordance with state and local Covid-related protocols.