The restaurant mural revival is upon us, says Elle Decor magazine, which recently deemed site-specific artwork “the ultimate timeless eatery flex.” At these Irvine restaurants, murals provide reason enough to go – and can turn first-time visitors into regulars.
P.F. Chang’s
Irvine Spectrum Center
It is hard to take your eyes off the striking mural of a woman in red overlooking the dining room. Sixty-five large-scale murals featuring traditional Chinese motifs were created for the company as it expanded across the U.S. in the 1990s. This one debuted in 2024 with a more character-driven and contemporary feel, part of a global brand redesign. The mural adds immeasurably to the dining experience, whether that involves the signature lettuce wraps, the new salt and pepper prawns or the Great Wall of Chocolate dessert.
Dive Oyster Bar
Irvine Spectrum Center
An undersea mural depicts a diver flanked by a huge octopus with enveloping tentacles. The art provides a whimsical backdrop for fresh oysters or the Cajun-Creole steam-kettle cooking associated with New Orleans’ festive French Quarter. Consider the starring house pan roast with blue crab, clams, mussels, andouille sausage and shrimp or take a deep dive with Hot Cheetos truffle mac.
Warehouse 72
Hyatt Regency
Think murals in motion at this experiential concept. The white/off-white dining room complements its modern American cuisine with on-the-minute contemporary art – most provocatively its ever-changing full-wall digital projections. Scenes alternately serene (islands, cherry blossoms) and stimulating (flying whales, imagined environments) provide endlessly engaging backdrops for dishes such as black-truffle arancini with flash-fried risotto.
