A Market, Newport Beach

A Market, Newport Beach

3400 W Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92663

By Donna Warwick

A cup of coffee, a great sandwich and the most amazing toffee brownies are always ready for the customers of this newly renovated, Newport Beach establishment.  Built in the shadow of the Coast Highway/Newport Boulevard bridge in 1925, this former service station has received new life as a neighborhood café.  The “A’” in the café’s name comes from the famous Arches Restaurant that shared the corner property and was the restaurant part of the service station/restaurant landmark.  The Arches closed in 2011 and a new restaurant called “A’s” opened with new owners.  The landmark restaurant is once again thriving with its new management.  These same owners simultaneously opened A Market in the gas station building next door to the restaurant as a more casual, café/market option to its more formal, steakhouse neighbor on the same property.

Without changing the original architectural details, the new finishes in this former gas station successfully brings the space into the 21^st century while retaining the charm from its previous life.   A fresh, farmhouse style compliments the simple, high quality food that customers enjoy.

An engineered, wood plank floor provides rustic texture and is a forgiving finish to the customer traffic and food preparation area behind the counter.  The hand-chiseled ceiling beams are stained a similar color to the floor, visually connecting the two surface treatments.  Black, polished, engineered counters contrast the white, semi-gloss walls and shaker cabinetry.  The reflective finishes of the serving stands, mercury glass pendants, large mirror, metal tabletops and chrome appliances help make the space feel clean and bright.

Distressed farm tables, French café chairs and newspapers strewn on tables invite customers to sit down and relax either inside or at the café tables outside.  The black from the chalkboard menus and chalkboard wall over the refrigerators connect with the black counters and other black accents creating balance and accentuating the classic black and white color scheme.  A brick wall provides more rustic character in the wine room while the black wine racks show off the colorful foil tops on the wine bottles.

 With its fresh, farmhouse feel and great food and drinks, A Market is always on my list of favorite places to go for coffee or lunch with a friend.