I absolutely love to hang out at The OC Mix Mart. Not a hipster myself, but mom to one...so I feel quite comfy here. The people are friendly, and easy to chit chat with - and that's my thing. Portolla Coffee Lab is simply BRILLIANT. I like to have a flavored coffee, and follow it up with a complimentary flavored cold beer at the We Olive & Wine Bar next door. Yes, I invented this, and I swear - you simply MUST do it, if you love bold coffees and craft brews. There is chill seating outside, and you have to cruise around and people watch. But be sure to hit up Shuck Oyster bar. OHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!!!! yum. And The Iron Press is the spot for lunch, and more craft brews. AMAZINGLY TASTY. Yes, there are retail shops to enjoy - and I like digging through vinyl albums - overpriced as hell....but shopping is way down my list on life activities. WAY after coffee, beer, wine, and food! read more

Quietly tucked away in the SOCO furniture kingdom, you would have no idea you were literally 100 yards from the 405 freeway! A great alternative from visiting the LAB or fighting traffic in the south coast metro area. Ample parking and a spacious layout provide for a relaxing visit. The mall layout reminds me much like malls in Japan with little boundaries and stores that almost seemingly intertwine with each other. Definitely a hipster, scenester place to be noticed. It is a haven for mac loving, organic, artists with blown up egos. Definitely a great place to visit to grab a drink and take a look at some on the unique alternative stores available. I hope it stays this way, and old rich does not try to move in with tacky fly by night stores. read more

Update on Tuesdays/Thursdays food truck stop - this is a really cool place to grab lunch when they bring in the food trucks. You won't find a ton of trucks (3 were here today) but you WILL find plenty of tables and seating. According to the website, they will be open Tuesday through Sunday starting on May 13th. Limited hours on Sunday, closed on Monday. read more

Love the concept of the community tables and couches in the middle of this low-key shopping area. One of these days when you're studying and sipping your excellent Portola coffee, take a break and check out the other establishments. Starting right next to the Portola Coffee Lab in the community area, browse the little flower shop. The florist at Fleur Les Fete makes gorgeous and unique arrangements, which you see on display at some of the Mart stores. You didn't want to swing by Vons anyway to pick up a tired, old, boring flower arrangement. Across the way from the florist, pick up a couple pieces of handmade jewelry for charity at Deer Lovely. Check out the unique cards at Newport Paper House right next door. Your boyfriend/girlfriend/anyfriend will love them, and you'll feel so clever for finding something unique (there's that word again). Finally, enjoy happy hour at We Olive, where there is delicious wine accompanied by some kick-ass tapas. You can't go wrong with carefully selected (and discounted) glasses of wine and tasty, freshly prepared tapas. read more

This is a pretty mixed placed, hidden in a lot of furniture stores yet somehow over hyped. Sure there's a sweet Farmer's market on the weekends with organic products and a good variety of delicious food trucks. Also there's a great little popsicle/ice cream stand with so many flavors. The plaza itself however is where the opinions clash. As it is a a mixture of stores and ownership, different things can be said for each place. Some shops are extremely friendly and catering to all sorts of customers, answering questions with patience and friendly service. Others give you a cold shoulder when you don't fit in with their usual clientele. In fact, the cheese shop in particular plain out ignored me before serving samples to some other clients. While some shops were bit cold in customer service they didn't disregard you. Yes there's a bit of a pretentious vibe in their air but don't let that stop you from exploring. There's a great selection of shops and finds here, even if the majority of them are on the pricey side. It's a nice and decently friendly location. Great to find a unique gift or a strange little treasure before grabbing a wonderful drink at Portola Coffee lab. If overpriced beachy Cali clothes are your thing then there's plenty here for you. People say it's some cool hipster hotspot but no, it's not. It's an organic & environment conscious,art gathering, mini gourmet shopping center with lots of expensive baby clothes and random in-between. I feel that's it's meant for a slightly older target group and their kids or grand kids. While there are quite a few shops that I would like to give a score of zero if it was available, in general this is a nice place to shop around and hang out. Warning: Watch out for tons of adorable (and some not so well behaved) little children. read more

Pretty cool place to go shopping for furniture. They have a mix of high end (Perch), mid range (La-z-boy) and low end (easy living) furniture stores here so a lot of different options to choose from. I spent most of my time at Design Within Reach and Perch. I've been getting the Design Within Reach catalog for a few years and from time to time will purchase from them over the internet so it's nice that there is now a showroom near by that I can go to. Perch is a pretty high end store but the service there is impeccable. Upon entering they have a coffee bar and right away they will offer to make you one from their selection. Pretty nice of them. While wandering through the store I found a bar setup on display that had 2 functional beer taps and you can actually help yourself to a glass!! how nice is that?? It was a little too early in the day for me to start downing beers but I did have a small taste of each. I did go on a Sunday so a few of the eateries were closed (looking at you taco maria), which I understand. But overall this was a great shopping experience, this coming from a person that is a terrible shopper. I wont hesitate to come back when ready to purchase something and I got some really great ideas. read more

I LOVE this place! very relaxing and chill atmosphere. this is definitely one of my favorite places to study. I wouldn't recommend this place if you're more of a person who wants to study in a super quiet setting like the library though. it's really easy to find a table, but a little bit harder if you want to find a table with an outlet. also, it isn't open very late (depending on the days, it closes around 6 or 8 p.m.) also, it's a great place to hang out with friends and grab some coffee (Portola Coffee Lab), drinks (We Olive & Wine Bar), cheese (Cellar Cheese Shop) dinner (Taco Maria), tea (Seventh Tea Bar), etc. they have clothing stores here as well, but they're more on the pricey end. what makes it even more awesome is that every Saturday they have a Farmer's Market (along with food trucks) right outside of the OC Mix on Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. I highly recommend checking the OC Mix, I'm sure you're bound to find something you like. read more

------------------------------------------------------------- Pros: - Very Hipster, lots of sitting Cons: - Expensive ------------------------------------------------------------- THE BASICS Time/Date Attended: - 10/25/15 Atmosphere: - Hipster Line: - It's like a small mall Level of Busyness: - medium Food Type: - They have an oyster bar, coffee bar, small sandwich places Fullness level: - n/a Cost: - $$$ Would I Come Back?: - yes ------------------------------------------------------------- HOW WAS THE VISIT? - I don't picture myself buying anything from here. It's like south coast plaza. But it's a nice place to bring a date. Lots of restaurants outside of the complex. A few inside. Lots of seating everywhere. The last time I came, everyone brought their macbooks to do homework or something. Overall, a nice place to walk and browse. ------------------------------------------------------------- read more

This quaint shopping center is awesome. Not really brand name stores like Gap or Banana, but lots of cute boutique with gorgeous stuff from furniture to sunglasses to hats and candies and many things in between including food and delicious gourmet olive oil. I've met quite a few of the sales staff and owners and they are very personable. The outdoor patio and fountain is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon with someone to catch-up. read more

I, like many others, stumbled upon the OC Mix thanks to the Portola Lab. I'm SO thankful I did! There are so many amazing gems hidden in this area. I haven't even tried them all yet. One highlight I want to mention is the delectable French chocolatier that JUST opened up. It was incredibly serendipitous of me to stumble upon the OC Mix literally the day after the chocolatier opened. I also found my favorite chocolate/fruit combination (dark chocolate and orange). I had to get it. Yes, it's expensive. So, it's a once-in-a-while treat. So, sue me! With a couple of awesome, trendy bars, brand new tapas place and--of course--the main attraction: The Portola Coffee lab, there's really not much missing from this place. I'll definitely have to check out the farmer's market here ... thanks for the tip, Hazel read more

Hmmm....I don't know...I'm not feelin' it here. Maybe because it's hipster, expensive and oh yeah...hipster and expensive. This is a place to window shop and stroll around. I'm always in a hurry and really don't have huge chunks of time to kill. I love to shop online or shop with a purpose. I guess this is a good place to come and kill a few hours if you have nothing better to do. I was itchy to get out of here...maybe because the hubs was even itchier than I was. read more

The OC Mart Mix is a blend of small boutique shops and food shops. It reminds me a little like the Chelsea Market in New York, So Cal style. The layout is a an open building where you walk through the various paths that take you along unique shops that are selling items anywhere from Fashion, Spices, Bikes, Cheese Shop (try the goat caramel....the best), Coffee, Wine Tasting, and Ice Cream (really good made fresh daily). The website says Shopping and Dining....they don't have restaurants open yet in the OC Mart building. You can grab a coffee at Portola Coffee Lab or wine taste at We Olive & Wine Bar. Some new restaurants have opened up at the SOCO that is nearby, might want to try The Iron Press (Waffle place like Bruxie) or Waiiha Sushi. The stores do close early, on Saturday most were closed by 7pm, which kind of early on a weekend. Was a little disappointed with many of the shops closed...kind of makes you wonder if they are trying appeal to the night crowd. read more

I almost don't want to review because I don't want this area getting too popular. It's sort of the place you past with a glance and wonder what is in there, but you don't actually know until you go. Lots of quaint little boutique like shops and hip trendy restaurants, bars, coffee shops. You can walk through all stores which I love-- feels very open, airy, light. There are so many neat things to check out here tucked into one plaza. Portola and Seventh Tea Bar are here. There's even a climbing store, a cheese store, a garden/ furniture store/ Susie's Cakes. read more

This place needs more reviews and more stars! Another hidden gem in Orange County! This place is in the boonies and is near the freeway. It's no wonder that they don't get much business. I think this'll soon change once people start hearing about this place more. The OC Mix Mart has an urban vibe with random knick knacks you can buy as presents. All the shops have glass windows so you can see all the ins and outs of the stores which is pretty unique. I had a meeting at the Portola coffee shop inside the mart and had this interesting spicy iced tea drink. I wasn't a big fan of it but it won't refrain me from coming back and trying something else. There's also a GREAT sandwich shop next door called "Be-Wiched" that serves some tasty looking sandwiches. The owner recommends the Mediterranean sandwich (i'm definitely going to try it next time!) Grade: A read more

I just came back from some baby event hosted by Granola Babies. Event = not so great but OC Mart Mix = pretty nifty! Reminds me of the Camp. It has a variety of gourmet food items and shops. Yes I tried Portola (see review)! It's a really cute place to check out, I'm sure you'd find something you like. I didn't get a chance to really go shopping there but overall looked like they have some cool items. There are lots of lounging areas and there are 2 restroom areas. One with single stall and one with multiple stalls. Definitely worth checking out. read more

The OC Mart Mix is either going to explode in popularity or fail spectacularly. Right now it's just under the radar. It's tucked away behind a wall of furniture showrooms, but in the heart of it there's lots of cool shops and nooks filled with crafty artisan goods, from clothes to coffee to wine to food. Shuck Oyster Bar and Iron Press are impressive food spots. We Olive & Wine Bar has a great selection of olive oil and wines. And Portola Coffee Lab has a variety of coffees from around the world. Most of the goods come at a premium, so you might not find a bargain. But everything screams hand-made, or quality, or just unique. I hope it succeeds, cuz the Spectrum and South Coast Plaza dominate the landscape and it's nice to see something steering away from that path. It's kinda slow and quiet. But its remoteness lends to a nicer atmosphere: relaxed, quietly paced, low-key. Ironically that could kill the whole operation. You still need customers to sell to. But if they can find a balance between serenity and foot traffic, this whole place could thrive. read more

The original packing district. I have no other way to describe this place besides the word hipster. They have Portola coffee, Birdie (for acai bowls), and other small hipster boutiques. It's a cute place to go for a date, but it's relatively small. Unless you're planning to eat there, don't expect to spend more than 20 minutes walking around. P.S. There's a small farmer's market that is held here every Saturday morning. I suggest going to this and then visiting the OC Mix. It may be more worth the drive out there. read more

Completely impressed by this place. I finally came here to check out this place off the 405 fwy. I have friends that rave about the coffee at Portola so I decided to swing by after a day of flea marketing and swap meets. I love how everything inside seems like one big compound of independent shops. I spoke to the owner of Dear Lovely about overhead and sort of started things spinning in my head about looking into a space here. There was a lot of empty space and spaces that were obviously under construction with signs announcing coming soon. I love it.. Lots of boutiques featuring local and independent designers, artist and lots of recycled items which I am a big fan of the re-using concept and upcycling. You can also rent the space out for special events! It's awesome and I love the entire concept! The Olive oil tasting and wine tasting is next on my list. Now the coffee.. Portola. OMG The best latte ever! read more

Really cool location. I came to the OC Mart Mix a few days ago for a Yelp Elite event, and got a quick preview of what they had to offer. The stores are very simplistic and sort of shabby-chic. There are stores for... Olive oil, home furnishings, clothes, & more. Very nice location--looking forward to seeing what will develop in the near future :) read more

Shop and eat local!!! I am so in love with this place. I come here all the time because there's so many great restaurants and shops and it is just beautiful here. I love the fact that these stores are locally owned businesses. There are great little shops here that sell clothing for men, women and children. There's other shops as well such as a spice shop and a great cheese shop which also sells delicious sandwiches. The Portola Coffee Lab and Birdie Bowl are my favorite places to purchase delicious beverages. I always come here for the Saturday farmers market and end up getting some ice cream inside the OC Mix or something to drink. It is so serene here and there are many beautiful plants that give this place life. This is a great place to spend a relaxing day at to browse around some shops and get some yummy food and drinks. You should definitely come on a beautiful day and sit outside! read more

SOCO & The OC Mix - One of my favorite places to visit. - Shopping Centers Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Really nice upscale/hipster shopping center. Gets busy but never feels crowded. Has a nice indoor/outdoor feel. Farmers market on Saturday and they used to have a food truck meet up but not sure if that's still happening. Plenty of foodie places to eat and home of my favorite coffee bar, Portola. So slide into your skinniest of skinny pants, wax up that mustache and enjoy a gourmet stroll through hipster's paradise. read more

Very hipster. Randomly located on the side of the freeway. But I definitely dig it. Fantastic coffee joint, delicious ice cream, and some great restaurants. It's just a nice place to meet up with friends or even hang out solo while you get some work done. Great for people watching! :) I have yet to try the wine bar, but I will get to that. ASAP. read more

I really enjoyed the limited time I had to spend here. The shops are unique and fun. A nice to place to find corkey decor items and vintage stuff..although it comes with a price tag. One place had all sorts of different old furniture pieces. One that looked like it came from an old fashion candy store. A fresh mix of interesting tea, coffee, and wine bars too. The only down side was that some of the stores were not open on Sunday. What?? I cannot shop on a weekend? read more

SOCO & The OC Mix - Shopping Centers Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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The OC Mart Mix is definitely an adult-friendly area. Yes, I am an adult, but I'm also a college student which does make a difference. I will admit, the atmosphere is very hip and the stores are all aesthetically-pleasing, but it's all just a tad upscale for me. Nonetheless, it's fun to walk around the OC Mart Mix and look at all the cute shops! read more

So, I have been to the SOCO a few times to go shopping at TPT Home, the other home decor shops, and Christopher Garren's bakery, but for some reason, I never went into the OC Mart Mix. Luckily I wanted to try Portola Coffee Lab, which is located inside the OC Mart Mix. I was really loving the OC Mart Mix. it reminded me a lot of the Market at the Santa Monica Mall, but better because it combines eateries with cute clothing and home decor boutiques. Another added bonus was there were a lot of children's shops. Finally!! I was surprised on the lack of cool children's shops the had in the OC, they had a few cute children boutiques in the OC Mart. They even have a Fashion Boot Camp where kids can design and sew their own fantastic pieces. I can't wait until my little one is old enough to enroll. The OC Mart Mix is like Fred Segal, but more updated and modern and with plenty of parking. There's the Anti-Mall, the Camp, and now the OC Mart Mix, the OC is finally getting more hip. It is about damn time! :) I will definitley be back! read more

I came here for a Yelp Event on St. Patty's Day and wanted to show my mom all the cute shops. My mom and I came here on Saturday, when they were having the farmer's market outside. Gatehouse, really cute shop with amazing indoor and outdoor furniture, accessories and gifts. Milk and honey baby, they have cute baby gear, my mom almost bought some teething clothes, but they were a bit expensive. Paper House, my mom bought a card for my sister, whom just had a baby girl, yeah! This area doesn't seem so busy, I sure hope it picks up for all the businesses around. read more

I really like this new, trendy, hipster type place near South Coast. I actually came to their Grand Opening when they first opened up the space several months ago but there weren't many retailers there yet. It's an indoor but very open space type mall with independent shops and cafe/restaurants. Lots of little shops with cute crafts, clothing, jewelry to browse. I totally love window shopping here, but not really sure if I will ever buy anything from the artsy fartsy stores. However, I will return to the olive oil store to purchase bottles of olive oils once mine run out - it is the sister location to the one in Long Beach, which me and my husband frequent. There's also a small farmer's market right outside in the parking lot every Saturday. Adjacent to OC Mart Mix there are lots of big furniture and specialty stores, that might be fun to window shop at as well. read more

This review is for Van Brunt Optical Haus in particular... I do happen to like the entire shopping complex, but this is a shoutout for this lovely find. Eyeglass shopping is the worst. The salespeople are high octane, so many of the frames are ghastly, and the process is slow. Plus, you know, it's stressful to pick something that you're gonna be stuck with for years. Van Brunt is an exception to the rule. It's a wee shop, located between We Olive and Portola. The open, accessible, approachable store display is a good metaphor for the service. Jessica, the salesperson staffing Van Brunt on the day I came in, was smart, efficient, knowledgeable, and nice. (Quite pretty, too.) She truly made me glad I'd broken my glasses, if only to experience my first positive eyeglass-related retail experience. read more

Messy, urban, boutiquey, and unique. Its kinda like the Lab and Crew anti-mall, but takes it to another level. Inside this place is a bike shop with a good selection of beach cruisers, an awesome coffee shop, cheese shop, wine bar, various clothing shops, antique/reclaimed wood store. read more

The place is visually very cute, and I really wanted to like it. There were also a lot of options, a little on the pricier side just FYI, but I don't mind that for quality. The downside: I stood at the Bistro counter for a while (no employees in sight), then I moved to the Coffee bar line, and waited patiently- When I got to the front I asked if someone could seat me at the Bistro, and the employees seemed confused. I had to walk around myself and look for someone that could seat me. When I finally sat down, I ordered. My meal was never brought to me- the chef dropped it at the Bistro counter and called it out (like a fast-food place). I had to get up, leaving my valuables at the table, and bring my meal to my table. Then when I attempted to connect my laptop to the wifi to get some work done, the internet was extremely weak and spotty. So all in all, it was a total waste of time. The juice bar had really good beet juice though- I took it to-go and went somewhere else with actual functioning wifi. read more

Cute and interesting space that reminds me of Anaheim Packing District but with less food options and with furniture and clothing stores too. Ambiance is semi-industrial with exposed ceilings and cement floors and an open loft feel. There is ample indoor and outdoor seating if you just want to sit and chat. It's also a lot less crowded than Anaheim Packing District, which is quite nice. Though they don't have a ton of food and drink options, I like that they have variety given what they do have. For drinks, they have kombucha, coffee, wine, and spirits. For food, it seems like they have a handful of places as well. Only con I observed is that most of the shops and stores close relatively early, at least on a weekday (Wednesday). Would be interesting to see what it's like on the weekends. read more

A fun place, lots of eclectic shops and places to eat. The coffee lab is crazy cool and I don't love coffee that much. The Farmers Market & Food Trucks on Saturdays is also a lot of fun. Overall a cool place to go for a different experience... read more

Combine a Mexican-style indoor swap meet with the indie-fueled Crafted LA and you've got all the (slightly overpriced) charms of the OC Mart Mix. Roaming the small-but-large spaces and shops is a chill vibe indeed. The shops are independent stores offering a unique selection of wares one might not find elsewhere. I was particularly partial to the cheese shop and the spices shop. We attended for a recent Yelp event, and I hated being around other Yelpers. But, hey, that's just how I am. I hate people in general, and Yelpers are just a few steps below Hipsters in my mind. But, I'm not one to mark down a venue open to the public on the quality of their clientele. But stop in and support the vendors. You may just find that special little bauble, food or drink that sets all your other shopping experiences apart. read more

I made my first trip to the Mix Mart today, it was perfectly busy enough, for a Monday afternoon. Lots of people at the Tea place, laptops & conversations. Some stand out shops right away were probably the Cheese shop, however I did not taste anything. As for decor & wares shops, I was particularly fond of H & H, Heirlooms & Hardware. a mix of vintage goods such as cameras, hardware, framed cameos, etc. Their niche however is the repurposed wood recreations of shelves, display racks and rolling carts, custom made to order, very industrial vibe. Great shop aesthetic! I was also entertained by another outlying shop, UNI Home Store, an eclectic mix of vintage wares and new decor accessories. I admired a furniture store on another corner, but name eludes me. Unfortunately the shop I most admired Lee Stanton, a British & European antique vendor out of L.A. I believe, was closed. Anyway at first blush, this is a great collective of independent vendors, an artsy, refreshing anti-mall moments away from the behemoth South Coast Plaza. A great place to shop, grab lunch, meet a friend, bring your stroller and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. read more

A great place for hipsters or friends to hang out. This place is littered with succulents and looks very trendy in general. There are many interior design stores and small specialty shops inside. I love their specialty food shops, like their portella coffee, olive oil shop, cheese shop, spice shop, and their ice cream. Their clothing boutiques are a bit pricey, but cute. They have a good sale for Black Friday though. read more

A friend suggested to visit the OC Mart Mix while I was visiting. It somewhat reminded me of a marketplace plaza that we would find in SF or Napa but it falls short on the execution. It just feels so empty inside. I don't think this mall would ever survive without its Portola Coffee Lab, N'ice, the cheese monger and Olive wine bar, TBH! It's pretty chill; mostly students come here to "study" and some just lounge and people watch. I'm looking forward to checking out their farmers' market next time. Maybe I'll update my review after my next visit. read more

I love that it's not crowded on a Saturday. There are plenty of seating outdoors and beautiful desert plants and greenery dancing in your eyes - great for a hang out or a quiet read. Definitely a relaxing and tranquil environment that's good for families as well as all ages. read more

SOCO & The OC Mix - Outdoor plants and seating - Shopping Centers Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Artsy Fartsy. Come here all you hipsters! they have everything for you! Plenty of parking! Too many things to look at in here! Its that hidden gem that no one knows about! read more

The best way for me to describe this is: When country girl meets modern urban. This place has local vendors showcasing their strengths. The spice place has some great spices and herbs. The apparel is trendy. The coffee place is a zoo. People go moo for the cheese place. There is also a Tea Lounge that I want to try in the future for their baked goods. All in all, great place to hang out on a lazy sunday afternoon. read more

Eclectic mix of shops. Something for everyone. A place where people from every walk of life can meet whether for coffee or tea or an impromptu business meeting. A refreshing bit of culture among the manufactured, pedestrian jungles of orange county. Definitely worth another visit when all the shops are open. read more