Golden Age Glamour Moves Into the Heisler Building: Noble Ace Opens
The Old Hollywood-inspired supper club opened June 29 at 400 S. Coast Hwy with Mastro's veteran Magellan Moore in the kitchen and Elizabeth and Tom Schreiber behind it.
The most-watched restaurant address on Coast Highway is lit again. Noble Ace, a Golden Age Hollywood-inspired speakeasy and restaurant, opened Monday, June 29, at 400 S. Coast Hwy in the Heisler Building across from Main Beach, ending a dark spell that began when Bodega and its rooftop sister venue Skyloft closed on January 4, 2025.
Behind the project are longtime friends and collaborators: Chef Magellan Moore, formerly of Mastro's Ocean Club, and Elizabeth Schreiber. The two met years ago working together in the Mastro's orbit, and Moore leads the culinary program at Noble Ace, with his cooking described by Schreiber as the 'magic behind Noble Ace.'
The opening is a staffed-up, veteran-heavy bet on a room that demands one. General Manager Hillari Galindo arrived after two decades split between Mastro's Ocean Club and Red O in Newport Beach, and Assistant GM Danny Reyes returned to Laguna after starting his career in town at Odessa. Design came from Ralitsa Kombakis of Studio Rallou, blending the Heisler Building's 1930s bones with a modern supper club feel.
The concept is layered: not fine dining, but elevated, with different levels of dining to fit the night. 'We want the person who's coming in after work to get the burger and the beer. And then we want to elevate that experience all the way to our Chef's Table, which is going to be changing weekly. That's five courses,' Schreiber told What Now Orange County before the opening. 'This is like if Hillstone and Mastro's had a baby.'
The menu carries Moore's signature indulgences, including a caviar program with plays on the roe like hamachi with caviar and classic blini presentations. The room seats up to 150 guests across several distinct areas: a casual bar with a baby grand piano and live music, an upstairs main dining room, an intimate den built for date nights, wine lockers for regulars, and an 18-person private dining room. A 10-seat Chef's Table room with a glass view into the kitchen is the room's most theatrical corner.
Behind the bar, the pours lean creative: a cantaloupe and olive oil martini and a mezcal and cucumber Collins are among the house signatures, alongside a large wine list and hand-squeezed fresh juices for the cocktail program. On the plate, executive chef Moore's modern American menu runs from chive and cheddar biscuits to Bolognese rigatoni and spiced branzino paired with a roasted corn and jalapeno waffle. A five-course seated brunch is planned as a follow-up.
Live music plays seven days a week, a deliberate throwback to the supper club era the room is channeling: brass, dark green, tangerine and velvet accents, all of it with a coastal note. 'Our overall vibe is Old Hollywood, so think brass, dark green, tangerine, and velvet accents, but also coastal,' Schreiber said.
The Heisler Building space has turned over more than once in recent memory, previously holding Tommy Bahama, Laguna Fish Co. and Bodega. The Schreiber family's connection to the coast runs deeper than the lease: Schreiber, a Newport Beach native, has said the project is full circle after years spent coming down to Laguna with her husband. 'I don't think Laguna Beach has seen anything like this, and I think it will bring people together. We're excited to bring this to guests, to bring hospitality back, and to become everyone's favorite spot,' she said.
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