Bayside Restaurant

Bayside Restaurant is a fine dining and live entertainment destination at 900 Bayside Drive in Newport Beach, overlooking Newport Harbor from a prime waterfront location. Founded in 1999 by John and Marc Ghoukassian under the motto 'Dining as Art,' the restaurant built its identity on the deliberate integration of culinary excellence, rotating modern art exhibitions, and nightly live music into a single seamless experience. Valet parking is complimentary. Live music is the evening constant: jazz and contemporary acoustic performers fill the bar and lounge area every night, with Sunday brunch offering its own live accompaniment. The room has a lively bar section adjacent to the stage and a quieter main dining room for those who prefer to separate the two experiences. The outdoor patio overlooks the harbor. The bar and lounge are widely praised as one of the more enjoyable waterfront music listening environments in Orange County. For a listener who wants dinner, harbor views, and live jazz without the casual trappings of a neighborhood bar, Bayside hits all three marks. The venue tends to program the same core group of accomplished local jazz musicians in regular rotations rather than booking touring headliners, which means the music is consistently good and the performers know the room and the crowd. It is a date night venue par excellence.