Anaheim and all of Orange County has much to offer. Not only can you go to Disneyland but it also has wonderful beaches, places to walk, excellent restaurants and good shops. Here we will talk about everything you need to know about the best malls in Anaheim near Disneyland, as well as outstanding outlets in the area and where to find the most famous fashion stores.
Best Shopping Malls in Anaheim & Orange County
South Coast Plaza
After a trip to Disneyland or if you are in Orange County for any other reason, there is a place that shopaholics need to visit. We are talking about South Coast Plaza, the largest mall in California and one of the best malls in Anaheim area and in the whole United States. That is because this shopping center has an amazing mix of top-notch brands such as Hermès, Fendi or Dior with fast fashion brands like Uniqlo and H&M.
There are more that 200 shops in here sou you can be sure to find anything you are looking for. Coming to South Coast Plaza is like a dream come true for luxury brands lovers since in only one place you can find stores like Balenciaga, Prada and Valentino or the french brands Chanel & Louis Vuitton. Also, here it is a Tiffany & Co jewelry, but this a special location because it also includes the french restaurant Petrossian where you can actually could have breakfast (or lunch) at Tiffany.
Anaheim Malls near Disneyland
Other featured fashion stores in the mall includes Ralph Lauren, the H&M premium brand: COS, Sandro, Hugo Boss, ba&sh and department stores such as Bloomingdale´s and Saks Fifth Avenue. And with a mall as big as this, it must have plenty of restaurants. And of course it complies as there are dozens of options to go for lunch or dinner. Some of the best places are AnQi, Vaca, Din Tai Fung or have amazing seafood in Water Grill.
- Other Stores: Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Celine, Christian Louboutin, Fendi, Ganni, J.Crew, John Varvatos
Downtown Disney
Disneyland has a small shopping center on its premises. Its name is Downtown Disney and it brings together several shops and restaurants, most of them selling products related to Disney characters. The largest store in this mall in Anaheim is called World of Disney. It is really big and sells everything you can imagine in products from your favorite movies and series of the company as well as theme park products. Other interesting stores include Disney Home (where they sell home-decor and kitchen items), Wonderground Gallery (here you can get Disney-inspired artwork) or Star Wars Trading Post which, as its name suggests, sells only toys, clothing and collectibles from this movie saga.
Not only are there Disney-owned stores in this mall, but you can also visit Sephora, Pandora, the Lego Store, or the Pelé Soccer sports store. Without a doubt, Downtown Disney is famous for its restaurants. Some of the most popular are Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen for amazing New Orleans style food, as well as Tortilla Jo’s or the Italian restaurant Naples. After having dinner you can go for a treat at Marcelines Confectionery or for some ice cream at Salt & Straw. Something very important that you should know is that you can enter Downtown Disney without problems even if you do not have a ticket to enter the theme parks.
- Other Stores: The Disney Dress Shop, Disney Pin Traders The Lego Store, Pandora, Sugarboo & Co, Sunglass Icon
Irvine Spectrum Center
One of the nicest shopping centers in Orange County is the Irvine Spectrum Center. There is no doubt why it is one of the most popular malls in the area since there are not only excellent shops but also restaurants and places to have fun as well as having an excellent outdoor design. Something that makes this mall different is the giant Ferris Wheel. If you go up you can see wonderful views of the area and it only costs $5 per person. That is not the only attraction of the mall since they also have a carousel, a comedy club, escape rooms or the Spectrum Climber, a structure that children can climb and have fun.
And if that were not enough, here you can also go to Duff’s Cake Mix, from the famous pastry chef Duff Goldman where you can decorate your cake or cupcake. Another fun place for kids and grownups is the Hello Kitty Cafe. But first of all, Irvine Spectrum Center is a shopping center and having good stores is something extremely important. Its commercial offer is not bad at all and among the brands that you will find in the mall are Anthropologie, H&M, Adidas, Lululemon, Old Navy, Stance or Urban Outfiters.
If you are a baseball fan you should visit the Baseballism store. You can also visit the Sephora makeup store, the Nordstrom department store or Target. Finally, their dining options are pretty good as there is something for everyone such as Paul Martin’s, Wood Rach, Brio (which offers Italian food) or the renown Brazilian restaurant Fogo De Chao.
- Other Featured Stores: Apple Store, Brandy Melville, Cotton: On, Dr. Martens, Fabletics, Lucky Brand, Quiksilver
MainPlace Mall
Among all the malls in Anaheim, the one that is closest to Disneyland is MainPlace Mall. You can reach this place in only 15 minutes by car. Although there are several closed spaces and its facilities look a bit old there are still good stores in the mall including Macy’s and JCPenney. Also its selection of fashion brands is pretty decent and includes H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Cotton:On, Forever 21, Aeropostale or the shoe store Aldo. There are also several restaurants and a food court. You can also have fun in this shopping center, either bowling at Round 1 or watching a movie at Picture Show Theater.
- Featured Stores: Champs, The Children´s Place, Express, Foot Locker, Q, Vans, Victoria´s Secret
Los Cerritos Center
Another good place to go shopping in in Orange County is Los Cerritos Center. It is located in the city that gives it its name: Cerritos, CA. It has been open for more than 50 years and with more than 150 stores makes it is one of the largest malls in Anaheim and it surroundings cities. And among all these shopping options there are several quite attractive fashion brands such as Guess Originals, Armani Exchange, Michael Kors and the Japanese fast fashion brand Uniqlo. You can also visit the famous Spanish clothing store Zara, as well as Forever 21 and the Apple Store.
This shopping center has much more to offer including several interesting sports stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Treasures (where you can find clothing, collectibles, caps and other items from your favorite sports teams) or the sports brands Adidas and Fabletics. A short distance away is the revolutionary grocery store Amazon Fresh, where you can buy whatever you want without going through the checkout.
- Other Featured Stores: Abercrombie & Fitch, Aldo, Banana Republic, GAP, JD Sports, Kiehl´s, Macy´s, Miniso
Brea Mall
There are other malls in Anaheim to discover and one of them is Brea Mall. It is located north of the city and has been open since 1971. Among its more than 150 stores we can mention Tommy Bahama, H&M, Guess by Marciano, Banana Republic or the department stores Nordstrom, JCPenney and Macy’s (there is also a vacant space that belonged to Sears that will be remodeled to build a gym, other stores and apartments). If you are a fan of athleisure, there are several stores that could interest you in Brea Mall, such as Lululemon, Athleta or FP Movement, a subsidiary brand of Free People that specializes in this type of sports fashion.
Also there also some good options to buy bags and accessories and give your look a special touch such as Alex and Ani, Swarovski or Coach. On the other hand, there are excellent places to eat, highlighting national chains such as The Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin or Blaze Pizza.
- Featured Stores: Ann Taylor, Apple Store, BoxLunch, Cotton:On, Michael Kors, Pottery Barn, Sephora, Talbots
Fashion Island
Fashion Island should be a must stop for all shopaholics visiting Orange County. It has wonderful shops, a lovingly elegant open-air architectural design and good places to eat. And it also has a privileged location very close to the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. Its commercial offer stands out above all for its department stores. These include Macy’s and three luxury stores: Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. All four are very good but the one that stands out the most is Neiman Marcus as it has exclusive spaces in its store for famous luxury fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Saint Laurent and Chanel.
Speaking of this last brand, they also have a store inside the mall dedicated exclusively to their line of skin care and makeup products. And if you are looking for these types of products, you can’t miss Ulta Beauty or the Beauty Heaven section of the Nordstrom store. Lucky Brand, Indochino, Vince or Zadig & Voltaire are other stores that are present in this shopping center in Newport Beach, as well as the Californian brand Marine Layer. Another must-see store on Fashion Island is the renowned furniture store Restoration Hardware, considered one of the best in the country.
- Other Featured Stores: Allbirds, Alo, Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, Bonobos, Elie Tahari, Johnny Was, Rebecca Taylor
The Best Outlets in Anaheim
The Outlets at Orange
This place has it all. The Outlets at Orange are not only the closest outlets to Disneyland but also have excellent brands, good discounts and places to eat. If you’re staying near the theme parks, you can get to the best outlet in Anaheim in less than fifteen minutes. And it is very worth going to this place since it has more than 100 stores. Some of the best are Neiman Marcus Last Call, Bloomingdale’s Outlet or Nordstrom Rack which, as you might guess, are the outlet versions of the famous luxury department stores. Other interesting stores that you can find in the outlets are Original Penguin, Nike, Lucky Brand, GAP o Polo Ralph Lauren.
If you are tired of shopping, this outlet has several places to eat and also to have fun. Among its wide variety of restaurants are Market Broiler (specialized in seafood), Saddle Ranch, Johny Rockets or BJ´s Restaurant. And for dessert you can go to Haagen Dazs, Cinnabon or for a donut at Krispy Kreme. Unlike other outlets, this place has several places to have fun including Dave & Buster’s, movie theaters or the Thrill It Fun Center where you can play laser tag, climb rock walls or even ride a mechanical bull.
- Other Featured Stores: Adidas, American Eagle, Columbia, DKNY, Ecco, Papaya, Victoria´s Secret
Outlets at San Clemente
And if you’re in southern Orange County, don’t worry, there’s also a good outlet nearby. Its name is Outlets at San Clemente, in the city of San Clemente and near from the North Beach and the San Clemente Pier. It’s not as big as the previous mall we mentioned, but there are good stores. For example, you can go shopping at Calvin Klein, Nautica, Eddie Bauer or the Levi’s outlets stores as well as many sports brands stores like Under Armour, Lululemon, New Balance and Puma. There are many more stores in the outlet so you can spend the whole afternoon shopping. The outlet also has several restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, Ruby’s or Panera Bread.
- Other Featured Stores: Asics, Carter´s, Chico´s, H&M, Nike, Skechers, White House Black Market
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