Chipotle Replaces Long-Shuttered Irvine Restaurant

Edwin Goei

It's been a long while since Vessia in Irvine shuttered, about a year. The owner and namesake, Franco Vessia, closed the long-standing Italian restaurant at the Crossroads in Irvine to focus on his newer Frankie's Steak and Seafood in Temecula. But then, that restaurant had to close also this past summer. The fates of both eateries have become standard tales in this moribund economy.

Now the former Vessia space has become a Chipotle. Not just a Chipotle, but an actual milestone: It's the 20th Chipotle in Orange County. I walked in to check it out the other day and it has to be one of the largest Chipotle's I've seen.

Vessia was a known hangout for the Irvine City Council. Now, Chipotle is sure to be the same for Woodbridge High School students, a more mature group. Yes, that was a pathetic attempt at a joke.

3966 B. Barranca Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92606