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, a food court, and several department stores.
While this isn’t a great mall for foodies – a Ruby’s sits abandoned near one entrance and a Mongolian BBQ has been “coming soon” in the food court for some time – there are Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs locations, as well as a Middle Eastern dessert shop called The Baklava serving Dubai chocolates and namesake flaky pastries. 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.
