As Irvine gets closer to the opening of the Canopy at Great Park, developers revealed more about the food and lifestyle brands coming to the 12-acre experiential retail and dining destination.
Local development company Almquist, responsible for other Orange County retail destinations that include River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano and Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton, shared a list of confirmed tenants joining the project in an announcement this week.
“With The Canopy at Great Park, we are delivering a fresh take on the neighborhood center, one that seamlessly blends convenience with a dynamic gathering place,” Dan Almquist, chief executive officer of Almquist, said in a statement.
The list of tenants includes familiar favorites and highly anticipated newcomers ready to serve the Great Park neighborhoods and beyond.
Taiwanese tea brand Chicha San Chen, celebrated for earning the highest rating from the International Taste Institute, will open at the center along with Philz Coffee, a handcrafted specialty coffee chain with locations throughout Orange County.
Osen Urban Table, a spinoff from Irvine’s Izakaya Osen, will open a handroll-focused concept and modern Asian fusion grill JJANG Yakiniku, and Social House will feature tabletop grilled meats.
New York Bagel establishment, made famous by cameos on shows like “Seinfeld” and “Sex and the City,” will bring its first Orange County location to the Canopy, serving classic loose bagels and bagel sandwiches. Shootz, known for the modern Hawaiian-inspired street food such as kimchi butter chicken katsu sando and Spam musubi served at its locations in San Juan Capistrano and Stanton, will open its sixth location at the center. San Diego-founded Tijuana-style taqueria the Taco Stand will also join the roster along with the Southern California staple, In-N-Out Burger.
In terms of retail, shoppers can look forward to children’s lifestyle brand Rylee + Cru, women’s activewear from Free People Movement, jewelry by Sunfeel and sneakerhead favorite Solestage. Hot Pilates classes will be offered at Sol Studio.
The Canopy will be anchored by T&T Supermarket, Canada’s largest Asian grocery chain. Chief executive Tina Lee spoke about T&T‘s distinctive offerings at a ground-breaking ceremony in Irvine last year.
“We are a really unique Asian food destination,” Lee said. “We are not a cookie-cutter grocery store.”
T&T Supermarket has more than 33 stores in Canada and opened its first U.S. location in Bellevue, Wash. in 2024. The popular grocery store was started by Lee’s mother, Cindy Lee, nearly 30 years ago, with the ambition of becoming the Asian answer to chain grocery stores like Safeway. The Orange County store is projected to be a 34,000-square-foot space.
Almquist said he is confident the carefully curated mix of dining and retail his team is sourcing for the Canopy will exceed the expectations the community surrounding the Great Park has for the new center.
“As the Great Park continues to evolve, we believe this location will truly become a one-of-a-kind draw for the community.”
A look at the first retail and dining tenants coming to the Canopy in Irvine
