Orange County native and restaurateur Doug Pak founded his Irvine restaurant concept, Warehouse 72 Modern Bistro + Bar, with three elements in mind.

“Number one is beauty, number two is vitality and number three is positivity,” Pak said.

Pak opened the first Warehouse 72 in Houston, Texas, but made the decision to bring the concept to Orange County, where he has lived with his family for the past 15 years. The Irvine location inside the renovated Hyatt Regency Irvine will open to the public on August 15.

“Our mission is to create a welcoming space that fosters human connection and positive experiences,” Pak said.

One detail intended to add beauty is a 30-foot LED digital art installation that plays rotating 3D art images. On a recent visit, a loop of soothing scenes such as the ocean at sunset, a row of gondolas bobbing in the water in Italy, and cherry trees with pink petals floating in the breeze during dinner rotated.

A raw stone bar and large windows to let in lots of natural light are meant to create a sense of peaceful energy, Pak said. The dining room offers seating for families and lounges, while the outdoor area has seating around a central fireplace.

“Our outdoor/indoor bar and patio is designed for fun, and once it opens we can host private parties for up to 300 guests,” says Pak.

Executive chef Jaime Salazar curates the modern American menu, which includes a seasonal rotation of fresh ingredients from purveyors such as Salmon Creek Farms and Sadie Rose Baking. Salazar brings a decade of experience to his role at Warehouse 72, most recently serving as executive chef at a French brasserie in the Houston area before moving to Warehouse 72’s Texas location.

“When we designed this menu, we wanted to add a lot of ‘clean’ food,” says Salazar.

That means a menu rich in superfoods and antioxidants with ingredients like kimchi, which is thought to promote gut health, and aloe vera, which is thought to contain anti-inflammatory properties and aid digestion.

For example, a market salad contains baby cabbage, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, dried apricots and fresh blueberries. Australian lamb chops are herb-crusted and served with sweet potato and oak-smoked carrots, and wild-caught sea bass is miso-glazed and served with baby bok choy and kimchi fried rice.

“One of the things we pride ourselves on is using local suppliers. So, not being from this region, we did a lot of research to try to find some of the local fish here, and Pacific Fish has great options,” Salazar said.

Salazar also said the restaurant recently entered into an agreement with Malaya’s Microgreens, an Irvine hydroponic farm and microgreen supplier.

“Malaia started providing microgreens to us just last week,” Salazar said. “A lot of things that we can source locally and help the community around us is what we strive for on our menu.”

Brunch will also be available daily, featuring classic breakfast items like Eggs Benedict topped with traditional hollandaise and the ubiquitous avocado toast topped with arugula, cherry tomatoes, red onion and chile-in crisp oil. Diners will also find items like ube pancakes and chicken curry naan wrap, filled with grilled Jidori chicken breast, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro-cucumber raita.

Make a reservation on irvine.warehouse72.comas the opening hours are limited until August 30 when the restaurant will open daily for the whole day from 7 in the morning to 10 p.m