Newport Beach’s Woody’s Wharf will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Sunday, June 1, a significant milestone in a fickle industry where, like the tide outside, concepts come and go.
What began in 1965 as a no-frills haven for local fishermen and blue-collar workers — a direct response to the exclusive yacht clubs dotting Newport Harbor — has since evolved into a beloved institution. As current co-owner Jamie Duarte explains, the eponymous founder, local fisherman Woody Payne, envisioned “a waterfront dive bar,” a place where “anyone could go sit at the water and eat or drink,” all while adhering to the philosophy of “good food, strong drinks, reasonable prices.”
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.Set back from the sidewalk’s edge and dwarfed by its behemoth neighbor, Peninsula Village, a mixed-use luxury residence, Woody’s would be easy to miss for the uninitiated were it not for the weathered, whale-shaped wooden sign announcing its presence. Once inside, the experience really begins: Arriving on a Tuesday afternoon with the sun bouncing off the water, an expansive bar greets guests, with a couple of regulars already settled on their stools. A pitched ceiling leads to floor-to-ceiling windows facing the channel, offering maximum views of the water. Veer to the left, and you’ll find a handful of tables, most of which are filled with hungry diners.
It’s a scene that would feel familiar to those who walked through the doors decades ago. To understand its appeal, one must look back at its past to see how this eatery-slash-bar’s vision took shape, creating a legacy that keeps crowds coming six decades later.
Nestling along the Rhine Channel, where it stands today, the area once housed a hub of boatyards, fishing operations and canneries, harking back to the true working heart of the harbor. Guests could walk in through the front door or park their vessel at the dock out back. Payne’s menu was simple yet hearty, with seafood, burgers, salads and more appearing on the menu. Combined with its ample bar and strong drinks, the Newport Boulevard joint soon attracted locals from the fishing community and out-of-towners alike.
Despite its waterfront-dive status (or, perhaps, because of it), Woody’s has played host to a slew of celebrities and athletes over the years, ranging from customers to employees and even a onetime owner/action movie star. John Wayne (who had his own seat at the end of the bar), Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart, as well as ballplayers Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin, made their way here at some point, according to Duarte.
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“John Wayne lived on the waterfront, and he and his buddies would come in and they would drink often,” he said. “One of our old bartenders told me that when Wayne’s buddies ‘got to that point,’ he would call John on the phone, and he would come down, pick them up and take them away.”
Woody’s Wharf owners Jamie Duarte, left, and Andy Yniguez in Newport Beach on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Their restaurant will be celebrating its 60th anniversary on May 30 through June 1. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)Duarte also notes that Dennis Rodman, the NBA star with a penchant for making headlines in the late ’90s and early aughts, would park his 42-foot racer on the dock before making his way inside. “Rodman was always fun,” he said. “He would come in with Carmen Electra and lots of other people. He was entertaining, to say the least.”
Beyond its famous clientele, Woody’s Wharf also had a couple of knockout names helping run the place. After Payne sold his namesake restaurant in the 1980s, action flick star and martial artist Chuck Norris bought the place for his then-wife, Dianne. In a 1996 interview with the New York Times, Norris explained his decision to buy the space: “She has always been very supportive of my goals. She never complained, even when we were scrimping and scraping.” When she told him that she wanted to dive into the restaurant business, he “rewarded her with a $600,000 restaurant, called Woody’s Wharf.”
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During the couple’s tenure as proprietors, they hired another martial arts ingénue, Jean-Claude Van Damme, who had then recently arrived in the United States from Belgium, to work as a bouncer. (Van Damme recalled his stint at Woody’s Wharf in an appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1992.)
Even after his stint as co-owner, Norris’ star power and superpatriot status helped, however inadvertently, sway a city commission during a particularly fraught fight over permitting issues. With Newport Beach residents characteristically up in arms over dancing at the restaurant — which they feared would bring noise, calls to police, and tipsy hoofers milling about after hours — the city was, in part, won over by Norris’ pedigree.
“If Chuck Norris used to own the place, I have to support it,” said former commissioner Kory Kramer in 2015.
Woody’s Wharf offers a scenic view for patio dinners on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The restaurant will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in Newport Beach May 30 through June 1.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)Today, Woody’s Wharf is owned by four men: Jamie Duarte, Greg Pappas, Ralph Nudo, and Andy Yniguez. Wisely, they’ve maintained Woody’s Wharf’s well-worn charm and allure, opting not to revamp either the space or its vibes, which would undoubtedly harm its legacy. Duarte, an attorney by trade and regular who had been coming to Woody’s for 26 years, bought into the business two years ago after helping the restaurant with some legal work.
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Yniguez, born and raised in Orange County, started out at Woody’s as a barback before making his way to the top. “It was good money, and I was just spending the money on Friday night, so it started working here one day a week, then worked my way up to bartender, eventually head bartender, then manager and I soon was invited to invest and be part of this place.”
The siren song of affordable fare, good drinks, evening grooves and a comparatively more down-to-earth crowd has kept this place a lively yet relaxed hotspot, especially in the summertime when people are known to either dive into the channel’s briny waters. “It’s got to be 20 or 30 people each summer” who plunge into the water, Duarte laughed.
The menu has stayed relatively the same with the occasional addition over the years. “It does change a little bit, but there’s some stuff we try to keep for nostalgic reasons, like our fish and chips — we’re known for the fish and chips,” said Duarte. “And our clam chowder. We have award winning clam chowder, so it’s got to stay the same. People expect it when they come in.”
In light of the neighborhood’s status as one of the priciest places in California, and with high-end eateries like Nobu and Buona Fortuna within walking distance, Woody’s has stayed afloat all these years without succumbing to tonier tastes or the whims of the mercurial espresso martini sect. Such enduring ethos, coupled with its colorful history, has allowed Woody’s Wharf to defy the industry odds, outlasting area establishments while cementing its status as a true waterfront legend.
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On Friday, May 30 at 4:30 p.m., the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and a handful of notables will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark 60 years, followed by live music 4 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, the restaurant will hold a $6 dinner buffet from 4 until 9 p.m. with live music going all weekend long.
Parched revelers can also look forward to $6 cocktails and $6 menu items daily from 6 to 9 p.m. throughout the month of June.
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