Hendrix, the seven-plus-year-old restaurant on the border of Laguna Niguel and Dana Point, has sat vacant since it closed in 2024, with many locals waiting to see what would come next.
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The wait it over.
Good Boy, a new eatery from Specialty Restaurants Corporation, is slated to open in early 2027 at Ocean Ranch Village, taking over the former Hendrix Restaurant and Bar space.
“We saw an opportunity to create something fresh for Laguna Niguel while remaining grounded in the warmth and hospitality guests expect from Specialty Restaurants,” said Ryan Smith, chief operating officer for Specialty Restaurants, in a written release from Shea Properties, the Aliso Viejo-based real estate company that operates the plaza and shopping center.
The new restaurant will be a “steak-forward concept” with a “no-veto menu,” a phrase that, broadly speaking, means “something for everyone,” the press release continued. While the menu has yet to be revealed, Good Boy will be open for at least brunch and dinner.
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Specialty Restaurants, a decades-old restaurant group founded by David Tallichet and based in Costa Mesa, has a portfolio that includes Orange Hill in Orange, along with restaurants in Los Angeles, Florida, New York and Ohio.
Hendrix was the brainchild of the late Rainer Schwarz and John Nye, the duo behind Driftwood Kitchen and The Deck. Before that, the site was a Fred’s Mexican Cafe and Chevy’s.
Once open, Good Boy will share space with other eateries at the same Golden Lantern complex like Bottega Angelina, Seasurf Fish Co. and Yoshiharu Ramen, as well as an upcoming Trader Joe’s stones-throw move to a bigger space.
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