The Perfect Weekend in Newport Beach: A Local’s Guide
A perfect weekend in Newport Beach doesn’t need a packed itinerary. The formula is actually pretty simple: somewhere beautiful to start the morning, a little shopping, a long brunch, something cold in your glass, and absolutely no reason to rush home.
Whether you’re local or making a weekend out of it, Newport is at its best when you leave a little room for plans to evolve. Here’s our edit of how to spend a very good weekend in Newport Beach—with brunch in Newport Beach naturally taking center stage.
Saturday Morning: Start by the Water
Coffee first. Plans second.
Start Saturday with a walk around Balboa Island, where the waterfront paths, boats, and harbor views deliver exactly the kind of morning Newport Beach does best. Grab a coffee, walk the island, and take your time—you have somewhere to be later, but not quite yet.
If you want to map out more things to do around the harbor, beaches, and surrounding neighborhoods, the Visit Newport Beach guide is a good place to start.
Late Morning: A Little Fashion Island Damage
From Balboa, head toward Fashion Island for a little shopping before brunch. Browse, pick up something you definitely didn’t come for, and call it part of the weekend.
With its open-air setting and mix of luxury brands, boutiques, and beauty stops, Fashion Island is one of those places that can easily turn a quick visit into an entire morning.
See what’s happening at Fashion Island before you go.
Saturday Brunch: SET, Obviously
Now for the important part.
When you’re ready for brunch in Newport Beach, head to SET Steak & Sushi. The garden-inspired patio brings lush greenery and a relaxed outdoor setting to weekend brunch, while the interior offers something moodier if you’d rather escape the afternoon sun.
And because SET is also a steakhouse in Newport Beach, brunch isn’t confined to the usual breakfast playbook. The experience brings the same elevated approach to ingredients, service, and drinks that you’d expect from a modern Newport Beach steakhouse.
Explore the weekend lineup: View SET’s Brunch Menu.
Aperol Spritz Tower, Table for Four
Some brunch orders are practical. The Aperol Spritz Tower is not trying to be one of them.
Made for the table, the tower turns one of the quintessential warm-weather cocktails into a full brunch moment. Bright, bubbly, bittersweet, and unmistakably orange, an Aperol Spritz is already built for a Newport Beach afternoon. Putting it in a tower simply understands the assignment.
It’s especially suited to birthdays, group brunches, or the friend who said they were “only staying for one.”
That shareable element is also what makes SET an easy choice for group dining in Newport Beach. Order for the table, settle into the patio, and see where the afternoon goes.
And Then There’s the Sarti Spritz
Aperol may be the familiar favorite, but there’s a new Italian aperitivo entering the chat: Sarti Rosa.
The vibrant pink aperitivo brings tropical and citrus notes to the spritz category, making a Sarti Spritz a fresh alternative when you want something bright, refreshing, and a little less expected.
Its arrival in Newport Beach feels particularly well timed. Spritz culture and coastal afternoons already belong together, and the Sarti Spritz adds a new option to the rotation for anyone ready to branch out from the classic orange pour.
Browse SET’s cocktails and beverages here: View the Beverage Menu.
Saturday Afternoon: Don’t Overbook It
After brunch, resist the urge to turn your weekend into a checklist.
Head toward the coast, wander Corona del Mar, or make your way down to Crystal Cove for an afternoon near the water. If brunch ran long, even better. Newport weekends tend to work best when the timeline gets a little blurry.
For trails, beaches, and information about the surrounding area, visit Crystal Cove State Park.
Saturday Night: Come Back for the Other Side of SET
If you want to see what SET looks like after dark, brunch is only half the story.
As the sun goes down, the garden-inspired patio settles under twinkling lights and the dimly lit interior takes on a more intimate feel. Dinner shifts toward the restaurant’s signature combination of steak and sushi in Newport Beach, with prime cuts, seafood, sushi, sashimi, cocktails, and an extensive wine list all in play.
It’s where the Newport Beach steakhouse side of SET really gets to show off.
Explore dinner before making plans: View SET’s Dinner Menu.
Sunday: Garden First, Brunch Again?
Sunday calls for something slower.
Start at Roger’s Gardens for a walk through the seasonal displays and garden spaces. It’s a Newport Beach institution for a reason and an easy way to spend a quiet morning before deciding what comes next.
Visit Roger’s Gardens to see what’s currently happening.
And if Saturday’s brunch deserves a repeat? No judgment here.
Why Newport Beach Does Weekends So Well
The appeal of a Newport Beach weekend is that you can make it as polished or as unplanned as you want. Beach in the morning, shopping before lunch, Champagne at noon, steak later that night—it all somehow makes sense here.
SET fits naturally into that rhythm because it isn’t limited to one kind of experience. Come for brunch in Newport Beach and an Aperol Spritz Tower with friends, stop in for a Sarti Spritz, or return later for steak in Newport Beach and sushi in Newport Beach.
It’s the versatility that keeps SET in the conversation around the best restaurant in Newport Beach for a full weekend experience—not just one meal.
Your Weekend, Handled
The coast is waiting. Fashion Island isn’t going anywhere. And the spritz tower has your name on it.
Weekend plans: handled.
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