{"id":9803,"date":"2026-05-27T18:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9803"},"modified":"2026-05-27T18:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T18:32:16","slug":"storied-irvine-steakhouse-gullivers-announces-closure-after-56-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9803","title":{"rendered":"Storied Irvine steakhouse Gulliver\u2019s announces closure after 56 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Gulliver\u2019s, 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.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s family purchased Gulliver\u2019s in 1997 and has run it ever since.<\/p>\n

Hungry? Sign up for The Eat Index, our weekly food newsletter, and find out where to eat and get the latest restaurant happenings in Orange County. Subscribe here.<\/div>\n

\u201cToday was the day that I announced the news to the entire team,\u201d said Mazor in a phone interview. \u201cFifty-six years, almost six decades old in Irvine at the same spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The upcoming closure was not the family\u2019s decision, he added. The restaurant sits on a large lot with plans for an upcoming redevelopment, according to Mazor. The landlord \u201cdecided that they\u2019re not renewing any more leases for the restaurants,\u201d he claimed. \u201cThey\u2019re moving on to a very large project.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong><\/em> 3 new restaurants coming to Orange County, plus a longtime favorite expands<\/p>\n

For generations of diners, Gulliver\u2019s 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. \u201cSo many families in Orange County and beyond celebrated so many events, so many generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The holiday seasons, in particular, become something of local lore.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur holiday seasons were just unbelievable,\u201d said Mazor. \u201cThe decorations were legendary. Every holiday was memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

He also pointed to the restaurant\u2019s work with Marines from Camp Pendleton and with Orangewood Foundation children during the holidays as some of Gulliver\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOnce people join us, they rarely ever leave,\u201d he said. \u201cSo now it\u2019s just a big family that\u2019s been going for so many years. It really is something unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking the news to employees was brutal, he added. \u201cThere was a lot of crying today,\u201d noted Mazor.<\/p>\n

For now, the restaurateur plans to rest after three decades of running the restaurant. Another Gulliver\u2019s could happen someday perhaps, he said, but not immediately. \u201cThere might be a Gulliver\u2019s in a different location, but not right now,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter so many years, it\u2019s time to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Until June 30, the MacArthur Boulevard restaurant will remain open for diners who want to make one last visit. \u201cThey embraced us for so many years,\u201d said Mazor of the Orange County community. \u201cGulliver\u2019s was always a celebratory location. Year after year after year, you saw the same people and the same families.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the thing we will miss the most,\u201d he added. \u201cThe warmth and that feeling of people coming in and dining with us for so many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christened after Jonathan Swift\u2019s \u201cGulliver\u2019s Travels,\u201d 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\u2019s website, John Wayne, the onetime Orange County resident and cowboy cosplayer nonpareil, was reportedly a regular.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Read more Late pass sends Rosenqvist past Malukas for the closest Indianapolis 500 in history<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The restaurant has been across from John Wayne Airport since 1970 and the Duke was reportedly a regular at one time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nStoried Irvine steakhouse Gulliver\u2019s announces closure after 56 years - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9803\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Storied Irvine steakhouse Gulliver\u2019s announces closure after 56 years - 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