"Outdoor living plays an integral part in the Orange County lifestyle, and this additional open-air space adds a significant point of emphasis in our revitalization plans." Patsy Sanquist, general manager of The Shops at Mission Viejo, said that in an email to the Orange County Business Journal in November 2025. The same article said the outdoor area and its new tenants were "slated to open in late 2026, in time for the holiday season."
Late 2026 is here, and the holiday season is close. The village is opening one tenant at a time. One restaurant has posted a December date. Three other confirmed names have no published opening date, and the mall directory lists two of them as "Coming Soon." One restaurant that announced a Mission Viejo location this year has said it will open in 2027. Plan your holidays around the Mission Viejo calendar that already exists, and count the village as a bonus.
The Corner Behind the Construction Fencing
If you drive Crown Valley Parkway near the I-5, you have passed the site many times. According to the OCBJ report, the new outdoor space is going in on the southeast corner of The Shops, between Old Navy and the Macy's women's store. OCBJ described it as 50,000 square feet of outdoor space. Simon's own development page puts it at 52,000 square feet of "green space, inspired dining, and fresh retail experiences." The page says the village is "coming" and gives no opening date.
The plan includes more than restaurants. OCBJ reported that Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn will move into larger spaces near the new area, which will also have outdoor dining terraces. That shifts the center of gravity of the whole southeast side of the mall. When the corner is finished, a dinner reservation, a furniture showroom and a coffee stop will all sit within a short walk of each other, outdoors.
North Italia Has Posted a Date
So far, one tenant has published an opening date. North Italia's Mission Viejo location page reads "Opening 12/16" and lists the address as 555 The Shops at Mission Viejo, Suite #1100, with a phone number already in place. The page was updated in early October 2026. It prints the month and day but no year, so read December 16 as the restaurant's current target, not a guarantee.
If North Italia opens on that date, it will have about a week of holiday dining before Christmas Eve. That's enough to make it an option for a family dinner after shopping. It probably won't be enough time to plan a large group reservation around a new kitchen's first days.
Where Every Confirmed Name Stands in Mid-October
The other village names come from the developer, the mall directory and local news. None of them has posted a date like North Italia's.
| Tenant | What it is | Status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North Italia | Full-service Italian restaurant | Restaurant site lists "Opening 12/16" |
| Pacific Catch | Full-service seafood restaurant | Named by Simon as a village anchor; no date published |
| Arhaus | Two-level home furnishings store | Mall directory lists "Coming Soon" |
| Blue Bottle Coffee | Coffee bar | Mall directory lists "Coming Soon" |
| Gus's BBQ | Barbecue and Southern comfort food | Co-owner expects late spring or summer 2027 |
Pacific Catch's arrival was reported by WhatNow in April 2025, and the chain's own location directory still doesn't list Mission Viejo. Blue Bottle was reported by WhatNow in February 2026 as joining the village, and that story said no opening date had been announced. Simon's page also says that "additional dining and retail concepts" will be "announced soon," so the list may get longer before the village is finished.
Gus's BBQ Shows How Long the Rollout Will Run
The clearest sign that the village is a long project is a restaurant that won't open this season at all. In June 2026, the Orange County Register reported that Gus's BBQ, the South Pasadena barbecue spot that has been operating since 1946, will open its first Orange County location in the mall's new Outdoor Village. According to the Register, co-owner John Bicos said the Mission Viejo location "will open sometime in late spring or summer of 2027."
The Register describes the menu as beef brisket, Memphis-style baby back ribs, pulled pork, Southern fried chicken, and cast-iron cornbread with jalapeño jelly and honey butter. WhatNow's June report also mentions weekend brunch and craft beer and cocktails, and gives the address as 555 The Shops Blvd. Gus's will join the village well after the holiday season it was supposed to open in, and that is a reasonable way to think about the rest of the project. Pieces will open as each tenant's build-out is finished. The late-2026 target reported in 2025 marks the start of that process.
The Mall Already Has New Tenants Inside
New tenants are not all waiting on the outdoor corner. In November 2025, OCBJ reported that Uniqlo, Sbarro, Iron King Mongolian BBQ, Mr. Inkwells Piercing Studio and Jamba Juice had recently opened at The Shops. The mall's store directory now marks Build-A-Bear Workshop and Emilia George as "Now Open." It lists BoxLunch and Hot Topic as "Coming Soon" but doesn't say whether either will be in the village.
For a holiday shopping list this year, these are the stores that are already open.
Plan the Season Around Dates That Are Already Set
The Mission Viejo holiday calendar is already fixed, and most of it is outside the mall. These are the dates to work around, in order:
- Friday, November 6: Santa arrives at The Shops at Mission Viejo. The mall's Santa Photo Experience page lists him there through December 24.
- Saturday, November 21: The Mission Viejo Activities Committee holds its 55th annual Gifts & Goodies Holiday Boutique at the Norman Murray Community & Senior Center, 24932 Veterans Way, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 80 crafters are expected, and admission and parking are free.
- Thursday, November 26: Santa photos at the mall are closed for Thanksgiving.
- Friday, November 27: Santa photos run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Black Friday. Those are the photo hours, not the mall's storewide hours.
- Sunday, November 29: The city's Santa's Arrival & Celebration at Civic Center Plaza, 200 Civic Center Drive. Festival activities start at 3 p.m., and Santa arrives at 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 16: North Italia's listed opening date in the new village.
- Thursday, December 24: Last day of Santa photos at the mall.
On the list, the village's only firm date falls late in the season, more than five weeks after Santa sets up inside. If you want to visit the new corner during the holidays, the second half of December is the realistic window. The tenants without dates could open before or after that, and Gus's BBQ is expected in 2027. For more weekend ideas around town, see our guide to the farmers market and themed night markets at North Paseo.
Projects like the outdoor village are part of what buyers look at in Mission Viejo, even when they open in stages. If you're wondering how that change might affect your own home's value, The Bowen Team can walk you through what we're seeing across Mission Viejo. Start with an Instant Home Valuation, and we'll take it from there.
