Maleza, the modern Mexican kitchen and mezcal bar born inside Drift Palm Springs, has grown into its own, opening its first standalone restaurant at The CAMP in Costa Mesa September 12-13 for dinner, with full lunch and dinner hours beginning September 16. For Irvine-based owner and operator TMC Hospitality, the opening marks a return to the company’s own backyard, with Executive Chef Marco Arreguín leading the kitchen.
Menu
Marco Arreguín brings more than a decade of culinary leadership to Maleza Costa Mesa, shaped by an upbringing that influenced his approach long before he set foot in a professional kitchen. Growing up as a first-generation immigrant in Santa Ana, one of Orange County’s most vibrant Mexican food communities, Arreguín was driven to master traditional techniques and understand the soul of a dish before exploring his own creativity. That foundation opened doors across Michelin-starred kitchens and high-profile concepts, including his role as Chef de Cuisine at Taco Maria, where his work helped lay the groundwork for the restaurant’s Michelin star recognition in 2019. He also spent time alongside Michael Cimarusti at Best Girl and Wes Avila at Kateen, MXO, and Hecho Libre. At Maleza, he puts Mexican cuisine on a pedestal while never departing from its regionally rooted traditions.
The menu spans lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with midday offerings like the Barbacoa Burrito and Protein Bowl complementing the dinner program, where acid and smoke dance across the menu, always in balance, across sections Crudo, Antojitos, Del Campo, Fuertes, and Postres. Crudos include a half-dozen Oysters dressed with housemade hot sauce and a jalapeño-cucumber mignonette; Hamachi Aguachile with salsa negra, onions, serranos, and sesame seeds; and Yellowtail Ceviche with tomatillo salsa, cucumber, jicama, red onion, and serrano. Antojitos, Maleza’s street-inspired snacks, honor the art of masa, with favorites like the Masa Cornbread, made with Oaxacan green masa, smoked butter, and salsa macha, and the Masa Dumplings, with adobo-braised beef, lemon, and salsa verde.
The Del Campo section spotlights seasonal produce, from the Grilled Maitake with blanco BBQ sauce, salsa macha, and smoked trout roe to Esquites, featuring the unexpected and bright kumquat, on the opening menu. Larger-format proteins, like the Branzino Veracruzana, finished with capers, Castelvetrano olives, Anaheim chile, and cilantro rice, and the Eye of Ribeye with celery root mole, crispy maitake mushroom, and tomatillo pico de gallo, anchor the Fuertes section. Postres include Churros served with dulce de leche and espresso ice cream, and Horchata Arroz con Leche, made with Oaxacan cornmeal crumble, almonds, and horchata ice cream.
Beverage Program
The craft cocktail menu is at the heart of Maleza Costa Mesa’s beverage program, featuring rotating seasonals and signatures. Late summer ingredients like grilled peach, tomato, and strawberry are celebrated across drinks like the Durazno, an egg sour built on grilled peach rye whiskey and peach amaro, and the Tomate, a gin sour layered with tomato vermouth. The bar team never strays too far from the familiar while exploring technique with cocktails like the Beso, a carrot-washed play on the classic Vesper. For the purists, the spirits list explores the depths of agave, with Maleza’s bar team passionate about not only mezcal and tequila but also lesser-known spirits like bacanora.
General Manager Andrew Parish, formerly of Porch & Swing and founder of Beveredge, brings a firsthand understanding of ingredient-driven cocktail programs to the beverage team, taking equal care in selecting Mexican wines from Valle de Guadalupe and beyond, and craft cervezas like Baja Brewing Company’s Por Favor IPA, to both complement the food and shine on their own. The non-alcoholic menu is no afterthought, featuring housemade tinctures and high-quality spirit alternatives like Cut Above’s Zero Proof Agave Blanco, in beverages like the Nalote, made with roasted corn, pineapple, and lemon.
Neighborhood, Design, + Restaurant Experience
The synergy between Maleza and The CAMP, Costa Mesa’s eco-friendly shopping and dining destination, is palpable, with a shared commitment to sophisticated yet unfussy experiences rooted in community. The opening marks a new addition to the evolving SoBECA neighborhood, alongside other 2026 newcomers to The CAMP and The Lab.
The CAMP is synonymous with community, with common spaces featuring picnic tables and high-tops, available to Maleza guests. Maleza’s ipe patio extends the dining experience outdoors, embraced by planter walls for privacy and layered with handmade Mexican wood furniture, bench seating with cushions, and fire torches that carry ambiance into the evening. Oversized Gravity Windows wrap the full exterior, opening the restaurant seamlessly to the outdoors and letting parties of two split between an inside seat and a patio seat without losing the conversation.
Designed by Long Beach-based Design Camp LA, the interior draws from a warm palette of terracottas, dusty creams, and deep espresso tones. A circular bar anchors the space, detailed with organic materials like a Zia Tile bar face and Rosso Levanto marble countertop, evoking a desert feel, a natural homage to the brand’s Palm Springs roots and its name, Spanish for wild growth. White oak millwork benches by local craftsman Danny Simon and handmade teak chairs by sustainable brand MasayaCo layer in texture and provide ample, comfortable seating around RAD Furniture dining tables. A hand-assembled, bespoke lighting piece by Vibia makes a statement and complements additional pendant light fixtures by Pern Baan. Original artwork by friend-of-the-brand Sean Spellman throughout the space adds a personal touch, while lush plants accent the central bar.
“Maleza found its footing at Drift Palm Springs, and everything we built there gave us the foundation to take it further,” said TMC Hospitality Co-Founder and CEO Philip Bates in a statement. “Opening a standalone location in Orange County, where so much of our team is rooted, feels like the right next chapter.”
“My deep respect for cooking began way before I started to cook in professional kitchens,” said Executive Chef Marco Arreguín. “The best way to learn about a culture is through food, and that belief has guided my entire career. It’s at the heart of everything I’m bringing to the Maleza kitchen.”
