Orange's First Restaurant Week Reaches Well Past the Plaza. Here's Where to Eat.

The Orange Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is running the first-ever Orange & Villa Park Restaurant Week from October 17 to 26, 2026. Its map lists 11 restaurants. The ones you can place by address run up North Tustin Street, out East Chapman toward Santiago Canyon, over to Batavia Street, and into Hotel FERA on The City Drive. Only a few are on the Plaza.

Where the week ended up matters because of who is organizing it. City Hall no longer puts on Orange's community calendar. The Chamber and a handful of nonprofits do, and this week is the newest piece of that arrangement.

Why the Chamber, and Why Now

The City of Orange's special events page says it plainly. "Due to the City's current financial situation, all events traditionally sponsored by the City have been put on hold until further notice." The same page says local nonprofits have stepped in to sponsor and host many of those events. This started in June 2024. Voice of OC reported that the council was dealing with an $8.7 million deficit at the time, and it ended City-hosted events unless a nonprofit picked them up. In July 2026, Voice of OC reported that Orange had faced a projected $20 million deficit as it closed this year's budget.

Restaurant Week isn't one of the old City events. It's a new program the Chamber built from scratch, and it runs on a different model. Instead of one event in one place, any eatery in Orange or Villa Park can sign up, including restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, caterers and pop-ups. The fee is $25 for Chamber members and $50 for everyone else.

Chamber CEO Pattie Cordova told the Orange County Register in September that the goal was "to get people through the doors of our local restaurants and keep those dollars circulating in our community." A program like that ends up wherever the restaurants that sign up happen to be. The map shows where that was.

The Map, Corridor by Corridor

When the Register checked in on September 7, the Chamber had what the paper called "a slim list" of five restaurants: Cafe Zocalo, Rutabegorz, Bagel Me!, Green Cheek Beer and The Peel. By the map's September 21 update, the list had grown to 11. Most of the new names are outside Old Towne.

North Tustin Street is the only corridor with two participants that have already posted their deals. Darya is promising drink promotions and complimentary appetizers. Less than a mile south, Green Tomato Grill describes its menu as bowls, salads, wraps, melts, tacos, breakfast and burgers with 16 house sauces and plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. During the week it's adding a free side or agave refresher to any order of $20 or more. Put the two together and you have dinner at one and an easy weekday lunch at the other on the same stretch of road.

East Chapman brings the longest track record. Da Bianca Trattoria says it has served Orange for more than 36 years with recipes from its founder, the original Bianca. It lists a "Best Italian Restaurant for 2026" award and will run a specially priced Restaurant Week menu next to its regular menu and nightly specials. At 7448 E. Chapman, it's the participant closest to Santiago Canyon.

Batavia Street and The City Drive cover the industrial north side and the hotel corridor near the freeways. Green Cheek Beer Co. was founded in 2017 and says it's best known for "hoppy beers, crispy lagers, big stouts, and hard seltzers." The Peel Craftbar & Kitchen, inside Hotel FERA, describes a chef-driven California menu built on local farms and seasonal ingredients, plus a cocktail program with house-made touches.

South Main and the Plaza hold the rest of the list. Black Market Meal Prep on South Main serves a hot lunch of made-to-order burgers and bowls Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can also build a week of meals from more than 20 protein, vegetable and carb options. Cafe Zocalo on Glassell is run by Mariana, a Mexico City native, and her husband Juan Carlos. Chilaquiles show up across the menu, from burritos to omelets, and the pastries are baked in-house every morning. Wazabi Sushi lists itself as the 2026 Best of Orange winner for Best Asian Food.

The list may still grow. The Register said restaurants could register through October 14, so the map could look different by opening day. As of the September 21 update, every participant with an address on the map is in Orange, even though Villa Park restaurants are eligible.

How the Passport Works

The Chamber's Restaurant Week page asks diners to sign up for a free passport. Here's what has been published so far:

1. Sign up for the free digital passport through the Chamber's page. The map's sign-in sends a one-time code by email.
2. Open the interactive map. It lists all 11 places and has a "Mark as Visited" button for each one.
3. Eat at participating restaurants. The Chamber's sponsor materials describe a "Dine & Win" entry for each visit to a participating restaurant.
4. Watch for prize details. Restaurants can donate gift cards worth $25 or more as passport prizes.

The public materials don't yet say how many check-ins you need or how winners are picked. The end date isn't settled either. The main Chamber page says October 17 to 26, but the Chamber's event listing gives October 17 to 25. If you're saving a dinner for the last Monday, check the Chamber page first.

The Rest of the Season Runs the Same Way

Restaurant Week starts the same Saturday morning as the City's free compost giveaway. That runs from 8 to 10 a.m. on October 17 at 637 W. Struck Ave., with two bags per household for Orange residents who bring proof of residency, while supplies last. After that, the city's fall and holiday dates come from the nonprofits named on the City's own events page:

• Treats in the Streets, October 29 from 4 to 7 p.m., hosted by Orange Plaza Traditions.
• Field of Valor, November 7 through midday November 12 at Handy Park, 2143 E. Oakmont, hosted by the Community Foundation of Orange. Opening ceremonies are at 11:30 a.m. on November 7, with a Marine Corps Birthday event on November 10 and a Veterans Day celebration and lunch at 11 a.m. on November 11.
• Christmas Market and Tree Lighting, December 6, also from Orange Plaza Traditions.
• Concerts in the Park, now presented by the Kiwanis of Orange as free Wednesday-night concerts at the Hart Park Bandshell. Kiwanis hasn't posted individual dates.

Most of those events are on the Plaza or in a neighborhood park. Restaurant Week is the one that reaches the rest of the city: Darya and Green Tomato Grill on Tustin Street, Da Bianca out on East Chapman, Green Cheek on Batavia and The Peel on The City Drive. If you live in east or north Orange, those are the closest stops on the map.

Getting a home ready to sell during a week when people are out exploring their own city? Cassie French and the Classy AF Interiors team can stage it to look its best in listing photos and showings. Request a free home valuation & staging plan, then go claim your free side at Green Tomato Grill.