James Beard Award-winning chef Roy Choi will open a second location of his Korean barbecue concept Best Friend at OCVIBE, the $5 billion mixed-use district under construction around Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The restaurant is slated to debut in Fall 2027, making it the first signature dining concept to be confirmed for the development — and only the second permanent Best Friend location in the country.
The Concept & Its Roots
Best Friend launched at Park MGM Las Vegas, where it built a following for its immersive take on Korean barbecue, bold flavor profiles, and Southern California cultural references. The Anaheim outpost is designed to go further: OCVIBE and Choi have indicated the restaurant will be tailored specifically to Orange County, incorporating locally inspired design, region-specific menu features, and community collaborations that reflect the area's cultural diversity. Choi spent part of his childhood in Anaheim, where his parents operated a Korean restaurant — a biographical thread that gives the project added resonance beyond typical chef-driven expansion.
"Orange County has always been an important part of my life and my career," said Choi. "Best Friend is perfect because it has built an incredible following with guests from across Orange County, and now we have the opportunity to create something that's truly for this community and by this community."
The Broader Culinary Program
For operators and foodservice professionals tracking restaurant expansion in mixed-use hospitality environments, OCVIBE represents a significant case study in curated culinary programming at scale. Best Friend is the first of multiple chef-driven signature restaurants OCVIBE says it will announce in coming months. Those concepts will sit alongside Katella Commons, a 50,000-square-foot chef-driven market hall set to open in early 2027, collectively building toward a district with more than 35 food and beverage experiences.
Anthony Olheiser, Senior Vice President of Hospitality at OCVIBE, framed the selection process in terms that will resonate across the hospitality and restaurant development sector: "We're building a culinary program defined by diversity of perspective, authenticity and exceptional quality, where each concept has been chosen not only for its own merits, but for how it enhances the collection as a whole."
The district — privately funded and targeting full completion in 2033 — will ultimately include more than 2,000 residences, three entertainment venues, 20 acres of open space, and three miles of walking trails surrounding the NHL arena. Visit Anaheim President & CEO Mike Waterman noted that chef-driven dining is increasingly central to destination appeal: "Today's travelers are looking for authentic dining experiences that reflect the character of the places they visit."
Choi's broader industry profile reinforces the strategic logic of the partnership. He first reshaped American foodservice through Kogi BBQ, the Los Angeles food truck widely credited with accelerating the modern food truck movement, before building a portfolio of acclaimed restaurants and earning national media recognition. Best Friend channels that cultural cachet into a full-service, experiential dining format — exactly the kind of concept mixed-use developers have been competing to secure as the lines between dining, entertainment, and placemaking continue to blur.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
