Waking up in an incredibly comfortable bed surrounded by luxurious high thread count sheets sounds amazing doesn’t it? It is-and amazing is exactly how you’ll be feeling when waking up in your suite at the Avenue of the Arts Hotel. The perfect amount of light peering into your room wakes you up naturally and has you feeling refreshed. It’s time to fuel up for more exploring in the perfect solo travel destination that is Costa Mesa.
Time to Get Crackin
Your next thought after some dreamy sleep is breakfast, naturally. And while there are many wonderful restaurant options to choose from for breakfast in Costa Mesa, the motto of the solo traveler is doing whatever you want—and yup, that means getting some fried chicken for breakfast.
Now, before you-the diner who lives for finer fare scoffs, remember— fine dining doesn’t always mean five courses and a live pianist playing in the background. FINE here means fresh ingredients, a fun atmosphere and as always, crafty adult beverages. The Crack Shack is one helluva way to start your morning.
Getting to the Crack Shack right at 10 am puts you in a prime position to get a good seat. And yes people do get here right at 10 by the way because they get it. It gets busy and they don’t want to miss out—you shouldn’t either.
Setting Michael Rosen’s Vision aBlais
With the assistance of celebrity chef, Richard Blais, CEO Michael Rosen’s vision and love for all things chicken is brought to life. The unstoppable duo and their team have turned an ordinary yet American classic into something egg-strordinary. Their specialized ingredients like “crack-spice” awaken the five senses with their finger-friendly food, a cool atmosphere, all while listening to the sounds of happy eaters around you.
There isn’t one thing on the menu a chicken lover should pass up but just as SoCal does best, there are vegan and vegetarian options for the those who are too chicken (no pun intended) to dive into the plethora of bird-based options at the Crack Shack.
This chick was clucky enough to try several items which quickly became some of my favorites and will be yours too:
The Fire Bird-Spicy fried thigh, cool ranch, crispy onions, pickles, potato roll
Mini Biscuits (6pc) with miso-maple butter
Mexican Poutine: Schmaltz fries, pollo asado, jalapeño cheese wiz
Fried Chicken with “Crack Spice”-No sauce needed!
Baja Chop
guac, radish, cotija, charred poblano dressing
After this buffet of goodness, expect to leave clucking full and with a bonus treat of chicken puns to add to your arsenal.
Time to leave the coop (this is the last of the puns I swear) and walk some of this amazingness off at the Costa Mesa Farmers Market. Located in the SOCO collection, fresh and local ingredients can be found here every Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm.
Produce at the Costa Mesa Farmers Market
They have everything you might need, clothes stores, coffee shops, and the most essential item-wine.
LCA Wine
LCA Wine is your perfect next stop for not just wine tasting but a true lesson in wine education. They have wines from all over the world as displayed by their wine world map on the wall. Take home a Tempranillo and be transported to Spain in an instant.
Quaderna Via Tempranillo
They display wines by region which is a fun way to learn and become more wine savvy. Everyone will feel welcomed but if you’re a novice, this is one place you won’t feel shunned or overshadowed by those with superior wine knowledge.
By now, you can safely say you’ve had a fun and adventurous solo day but really the fun is just beginning.
Country Club Costa Mesa
You’ll fall in love with this next stop because it has everything from great food and great drinks, and makes you feel like it’s an exclusive club. The Country Club Costa Mesa is a solo traveler’s refuge from the world of family-friendly restaurants. This 21 and over paradise is located on the popular 17th street in Costa Mesa and has been making people feel like VIP’s since the 1950’s.
The country club is a great combination of dark and mysterious, warm and intimate— where you can sit at their 80-foot long marble bar and strike up long conversations with bartenders while enjoying one of their many fine drinks. If dark and mysterious isn’t your thing, you can sit on their patio area for a more bright-eyed view.
Marble Bar at the Country Club Costa Mesa
Craft Cocktails, Baby.
A dark and mysterious bar wouldn’t be complete without a range of craft cocktails. Start your visit with my personal favorites “Cape Kidnappers made of Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Benedictine, Sherry, Lemon. Or if you like Mezcal, try the “Diamante Dunes”-Agua De Cortez Mezcal, Bacardi 8 Rum, Almond Milk, Rose, Lemon, Orange.
From left to right: “Cape Kidnappers”-Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Benedictine, Sherry, Lemon. “Diamante Dunes”-Agua De Cortez MeZcal, Bacardi 8 Rum, Almond Milk, Rose, Lemon, Orange
The menu boasts a diverse selection of tasty treats created by Chef Zachary Scherer and his team. And Donut get me started on the variety of doughy treats offered here—that’s right, the sugary goodness changes every weekend.
This being one of the most solo travel, kid-less friendly spots around, you’re going to have to hit it up on more than once. Lucky for you, they have happy hour on weekdays from 3 to 6 pm and offer brunch from 10 am to 4 pm on weekends. They also offer live Jazz on Tuesday nights. If that isn’t a perfect evening, what is life?
With a jam-packed couple of days, you’ll have no shortage of fun things to do while visiting Costa Mesa. It’s time to take that road trip to this solo-travel friendly destination.
Note: As a travel writer, I was hosted by Travel Costa Mesa. All opinions are my own.
