After 20 years of operating as the Mission Viejo Mall, the city’s largest shopping center was rebranded to The Shops at Mission Viejo in 1999, expanding its footprint and becoming a lighter, brighter space akin to other Simon Mall properties. Today, roughly 150 vendors include two noteworthy art galleries (Art Center Gallery and LagunaArt.com Gallery), Orange County’s southernmost Apple Store, numerous mid-tier clothing and beauty retailers, and several department stores. Construction projects in the parking lots will expand the footprint to include more outdoor shopping, dining, and gathering spaces.
While this isn’t a great mall for foodies – a Ruby’s sits abandoned near one entrance – there are currently Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs locations, a food court with a recently opened Mongolian BBQ, as well as a nice Middle Eastern dessert shop called The Baklava serving namesake flaky pastries and Turkish delights. Multiple cool toy shops, including a Lego Store, Optimus Toys, and Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle, are close to Round1, one of the county’s largest arcades, as attractions for kids and collectors alike.
