Location: 75 to 99 Plaza Square, Orange, CA 92866

Parking: Mostly three-hour lots around the shopping area and street parking, plus one lot shown on a map for all-day parking (on the corner of Chapman and Lemon St.)

Orange Circle is one of the most unique shopping places you will find in Orange County. An outdoor shopping area, it is well known for its antique stores (which includes a record store, some clothes boutiques and more), along with its one-of-a-kind restaurants. In fact, the best “excuses” for going to Orange Circle are to go antiquing and partake of some of the food. It is not a typical outdoor mall, in that its layout and feel is more of an old-town city (the area of Orange where it’s located is considered Old Town Orange).

Antiquing at Orange Circle

Orange Circle is full of antique shops—you won’t find any other place so full of antique stores in one concentrated area. And these are serious antique stores—almost every single one has cabinets full of antiques and retro items. One store markets itself as being geared toward estate items, and another is full of large antique pieces of furniture. It’s a place to browse and window shop, but for a serious antique-hunter, it’s the absolute perfect “antique mall” (in fact, one of the shops is called the “Antique Mall of Treasures”).

The antiques you’ll find at Orange Circle can include items that are more “retro” than vintage, sometimes, also—toys from the 70s and 80s can also be found in some places.

Watson’s is just one of the eateries worth checking out at Orange Circle; it features a vintage American look throughout.

Eating in Orange Circle

A day of antiquing in Orange Circle would not be complete without checking out some of its special eateries. There is everything from barbecue to Italian to old-fashioned Americana-themed restaurants to more cafe-themed restaurants.

Baked goods and sweets can easily be found at places like the Pie Hole and at the various cafes, which carry anything from gelato to crepes. If you prefer “regular” ice cream, Watson’s, which is also an Americana-themed restaurant, has ice cream available to go. No doubt there are other ice cream and pastry shops throughout the Circle.

So if you need a break from the mundane and want to get out to a place with an old town feel—and plenty of antiquing opportunities—make sure to try out Orange Circle!

More outside shopping areas nearby: California Marketplace, Orange County Marketplace