Gulliver’s, the Irvine restaurant known for prime rib, continental fare, English Inn atmosphere and decades of business and special-occasion dinners, will close its doors for good on June 30, ending a nearly six-decade run.
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Located across from John Wayne Airport, the restaurant, noted for its brick facade and ovular sign, has been at the same location since 1970, according to its current owner, founded by Al Levie and Hans Prager, the noted restaurateur behind the Ritz in Newport Beach. Oded Mazor’s family purchased Gulliver’s in 1997 and has run it ever since.
“Today was the day that I announced the news to the entire team,” said Mazor in a phone interview. “Fifty-six years, almost six decades old in Irvine at the same spot.”
The upcoming closure was not the family’s decision, he added. The restaurant sits on a large lot with plans for an upcoming redevelopment, according to Mazor. The landlord “decided that they’re not renewing any more leases for the restaurants,” he claimed. “They’re moving on to a very large project.”
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For generations of diners, Gulliver’s was a restaurant that hosted major milestones for families, where birthdays, anniversaries, rehearsal and holiday dinners filled the dining room each year. Mazor recalled watching children grow up, then later returning with spouses and children of their own. “So many families in Orange County and beyond celebrated so many events, so many generations,” he said.
The holiday seasons, in particular, become something of local lore.
“Our holiday seasons were just unbelievable,” said Mazor. “The decorations were legendary. Every holiday was memorable.”
He also pointed to the restaurant’s work with Marines from Camp Pendleton and with Orangewood Foundation children during the holidays as some of Gulliver’s proudest moments. But its longest-running legacy might be its staff. Some employees have worked there for more than four decades, according to Mazor, with the average team member having been with the eatery for roughly 20 years.
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“Once people join us, they rarely ever leave,” he said. “So now it’s just a big family that’s been going for so many years. It really is something unique.”
Breaking the news to employees was brutal, he added. “There was a lot of crying today,” noted Mazor.
For now, the restaurateur plans to rest after three decades of running the restaurant. Another Gulliver’s could happen someday perhaps, he said, but not immediately. “There might be a Gulliver’s in a different location, but not right now,” he said. “After so many years, it’s time to rest.”
Until June 30, the MacArthur Boulevard restaurant will remain open for diners who want to make one last visit. “They embraced us for so many years,” said Mazor of the Orange County community. “Gulliver’s was always a celebratory location. Year after year after year, you saw the same people and the same families.”
That’s the thing we will miss the most,” he added. “The warmth and that feeling of people coming in and dining with us for so many years.”
Christened after Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” the restaurant leans into its namesake with a display of illustrated print from the book and other 18th century-inspired flourishes. According to the restaurant’s website, John Wayne, the onetime Orange County resident and cowboy cosplayer nonpareil, was reportedly a regular.
The menu remains a hearty steakhouse throwback, including steaks, rack of lamb, ribs, duck, cream soups, spinach souffle, Yorkshire pudding and creamed corn. Diners past and present have until the end of June bid it adieu one last time.
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