Javier’s is an Irvine mainstay. Their Irvine Spectrum Center restaurant opened in 2004 and has become one of the most popular restaurants in Orange County.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this success,” restaurateur Javier Sosa, patriarch of the family, said recently. “I have Irvine and Orange County to thank. It’s the world for us. The people here have been so loyal and so good to us.”

Sosa and his daughter Silvia, who runs the Irvine location, partnered with Irvine Company on a 2021 expansion of their outdoor dining area. The transformation includes a beautiful thatched-roof patio and lush landscaping – 750 palms, birds of paradise and other exotic species.

“We have a very distinct style and vision for this restaurant,” Silvia Sosa says. “We wanted to give guests the feeling they are surrounded by nature.”