The Trough Sandwich Kitchen is coming to 2000 Main Street, Suite 400 in Irvine.
According to owner Tony Monaco, the all-day sandwich destination should open at the Eighteen Main project sometime in mid-January 2023.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Monaco has become something of an Orange County hit maker with his Blind Pig restaurant group. Irvine will be the group’s fifth location in total, with the eponymous flagship Blind Pig going strong in Rancho Santa Margarita and Yorba Linda, and Trough operating spots in R.S.M. as well as Anaheim.
However, Monaco says the Irvine iteration of Trough will have a new and unique feel. While the to-go favorites from the other two locations will be available, the larger space afforded by the Eighteen Main layout will create a “more of a welcoming environment.” With the addition of “a couple more TVs and a little beer bar,” he envisions this Trough location as the type of place not just to grab breakfast or lunch, but to “sit down and eat and enjoy a game.”
At Eighteen Main, a curated collection of restaurants at the center of the Irvine Concourse, The Trough Sandwich Kitchen will be in good company. The complex will also feature the first Orange County outpost of Silver Lake favorite Izakaya Osen, The Goldfinch (from the team behind Long Beach’s The 908), and a third, as yet unannounced concept that What Now Orange County will be sure to report back on.
