A rendering of the exterior of Koi Palace at Serramonte Mall in Daly City, expected to open in June. Courtesy Koi Palace.
From a revamped sports bar to a Japanese restaurant-marketplace hybrid, there’s plenty of new bites and beverages to look forward to in the coming year.
Notable local chains La Corneta Taqueria and Zareen’s are in the final stages of opening their newest outposts, and brand new concepts such as The Pro and Yutori are also set to debut.
January: The Pro, Palo Alto
The Old Pro, a downtown Palo Alto sports bar that shuttered in 2022 after nearly 60 years in business, is expected to reopen as The Pro in January.
Revitalized by Zola + BarZola owner Guillaume Bienaimé, the new sports bar will not have Bucky the mechanical bull, but it will have more of a focus on the food, Bienaimé said in a 2023 interview. Former Stanford and NFL quarterback Andrew Luck is one of its investors.
The Pro, 541 Ramona St., Palo Alto; 650-600-0531, Instagram: @thepropaloalto.
February: La Corneta Taqueria, Palo Alto
La Corneta Taqueria, which is expanding to downtown Palo Alto, offers a variety of Mexican food, including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, tostadas and more. Courtesy La Corneta Taqueria.
Since 1995, La Corneta Taqueria has been folding burritos and crafting tacos in San Francisco’s Glen Park neighborhood. In 2026, this Mexican institution is landing in downtown Palo Alto in the former SliderBar location on University Avenue. This will be the restaurant’s fifth location, with existing Peninsula eateries in San Carlos and Burlingame.
David Perez-Campos, the nephew of La Corenta founder Joe Campos and co-owner of La Corneta Palo Alto, said they are in the final stages of construction and are aiming for a February opening.
La Corneta Taqueria, 324 University Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @la.corneta.taqueria. Beginning February, open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
February: Yutori, Palo Alto
A rendering of the exterior of Yutori in Palo Alto, which will include outdoor seating and a Japanese garden. Courtesy Yutori.
A rendering of the cafe component of Yutori in Palo Alto, which will have its own ordering counter and seating area. Courtesy Yutori.
Yutori in Palo Alto will also have a bar serving cocktails with pan-Asian ingredients. Courtesy Yutori.
The team behind Stanford Shopping Center’s Taro San Japanese Noodle Bar is opening a Japanese restaurant and marketplace in the former Corner Bakery Cafe spot along El Camino Real.
The 120-seat restaurant will offer brunch and dinner and will include a bar serving pan-Asian-inspired cocktails. Yutori will also have a cafe with matcha and pastries, a grab-and-go section with sandwiches and poke and a marketplace with artisanal soy sauce, imported snacks, specialty knives and home goods.
Yutori, 3375 El Camino Real, Palo Alto.
February: Zareen’s, Sunnyvale
Zareen Khan, chef and restaurateur behind Zareen’s, is expanding her restaurant to Sunnyvale in 2026. Courtesy Mark Tuschman.
Pakistani Indian restaurant Zareen’s is expected to expand to downtown Sunnyvale in February, according to owner and namesake Zareen Khan.
First established in Mountain View in 2014, the restaurant now has locations in Palo Alto and Redwood City. Khan decided to expand to Sunnyvale in 2023, when she thought the lease to her Mountain View restaurant would end, and it’s taken more than two years to open.
“I love the vibe of the historic Murphy Street, which has this old downtown feeling,” Khan said.
Her fourth restaurant will have a similar menu to the other three and will seat about 38 inside with a parklet outside.
Zareen’s, 135 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale; Instagram: @zareensrestaurant.
March: Asia Live, Santa Clara
A rendering of the exterior of Asia Live, expected to open in Santa Clara in March. Courtesy Asia Live.
The ground-floor level of Asia Live will feature a sushi bar and a retail space. Rendering courtesy Asia Live.
A rendering of the cocktail bar within the main dining room at Asia Live. Courtesy Asia Live.
A two-story, 13,000-square-foot space in Westfield Valley Fair is in the process of being converted into an Asian food emporium. Owner George Chen, who’s also behind China Live in San Francisco, said he’s aiming for a March opening right after Chinese New Year for good feng shui.
Asia Live will feature a cafe with grab-and-go items and a full-service restaurant with an open kitchen, sushi and robata stations, tandoori ovens and an Indonesian rice table. It will also feature a bar, an outdoor patio and a rooftop terrace.
Asia Live, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., #1891, Santa Clara; Instagram: @asialivesv.
April: Bacio di Latte, Palo Alto
Bacio di Latte, a gelateria founded in Brazil coming in April to Palo Alto, offers at least 22 flavors of gelato at one time. Courtesy Bacio di Latte.
Just in time for summer heat, Brazilian gelato chain Bacio di Latte expects to land at Stanford Shopping Center in late April, according to a company representative.
The gelateria has more than 200 locations in Brazil and 16 in Southern California, but this will be the first in the Bay Area. At least 22 flavors are available at all times, with a new flavor introduced every three weeks.
Bacio di Latte, 660 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto; Instagram: @baciodilatte.us.
Spring: Kukje Bakery, Daly City
The exterior of Kukje Bakery in Daly City, expected to open in the spring. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
Kukje Supermarket, a Korean grocery store in Daly City since 2002, is opening a bakery across the street in the former Jade Dragon Restaurant space.
Expected to open in the spring, Kukje Bakery will offer housemade baked goods, such as castella cake and red bean buns, as well as a full espresso bar. The bakery will seat about 50 and will feature a self-serve pastry case.
Kukje Bakery, 2368 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City.
Spring: Kona Island Coffee, Mountain View
Hanna Mejia Hans and Jorge Mejia, owners of Kona Island Coffee, stand outside their mobile coffee truck. Courtesy Kona Island Coffee.
Sip on Hawaiian flavors at a new coffee shop coming to The Village at San Antonio in April or May. Kona Island Coffee has operated as a San Jose-based mobile coffee truck since 2023, specializing in drinks made from 100% Kona coffee as well as Hawaii-inspired crepes.
Many of the cafe’s specialty drinks are named after locations on the Big Island, such as the Captain Cook latte with honey, vanilla and cinnamon and the Honalo macchiato with hazelnut. In addition to espresso-based drinks, expect Kona coffee pour-overs along with matcha and tea from Hawaii.
Kona Island Coffee, 2565 California St., Suite 84, Mountain View; 408-513-6455, Instagram: @konaislandcoffee.
Late spring: Cedar & Sage, Palo Alto
A rendering of the outdoor patio space at Cedar & Sage, which includes infrared heaters and a fireplace. Courtesy Arcanum Architecture.
A rendering of the wine bar at Cedar & Sage, which features custom paintings depicting R&B and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists. Courtesy Arcanum Architecture.
A rendering of the exterior of Cedar & Sage Bistro & Lounge at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto. Courtesy Arcanum Architecture.
“The best damn party in Palo Alto” is coming to Stanford Shopping Center in late spring, according to owner JC Clow.
Cedar & Sage is a sister restaurant to Clow’s The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar, a fine-dining restaurant open in Orange County since 2007. Like The Winery, Cedar & Sage will offer a chef-driven and wine-focused menu. Expect live music most nights and decor depicting R&B and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artists.
Cedar & Sage Bistro & Lounge, 1301 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto; Instagram: @cedarandsagepaloalto.
June: Koi Palace, Daly City
A rendering of the exterior of Koi Palace at Serramonte Mall in Daly City. Courtesy Koi Palace.
A rendering of the exterior of Koi Palace at Serramonte Mall in Daly City. Courtesy Koi Palace.
The Cantonese institution Koi Palace is supersizing itself. In June, the 29-year-old restaurant plans to close its flagship location and move into a 20,000-square-foot space in Serramonte Center.
Serramonte Center is a growing Asian food hub, with both Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao and Marufuku Ramen coming soon.
Koi Palace, 3 Serramonte Center, Daly City; Instagram: @koipalace.
Fall: Croissanté, Palo Alto
A mango croissant from Croissanté, a bakery coming to Palo Alto in the fall ($8.70). Courtesy Croissanté.
California Avenue may soon be a destination for pastry lovers. Croissanté, a trendy French bakery with outposts in Santa Clara and Los Gatos, is coming to the former space of beloved dive bar Antonio’s Hut House.
Owner Sean Kang said that there was “a huge delay,” and he’s expecting to open the bakery in late 2026.
Croissanté, 321 California Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @croissante_bakery.
Fall: Arsicault Bakery, Palo Alto
Just a street over from Croissanté, Arsicault Bakery is expected to open in September or October at 388 Cambridge Ave., according to CEO Armando Lacayo.
This will be Arsicault’s fourth bakery but its first outside of San Francisco. Established in 2015, the French bakery is known for its buttery and flaky croissants. It will carry around 15 pastries at a time as well as sandwiches on housemade baguettes.
The bakery will be mostly focused on takeout, with little to no seating inside and 12-20 seats outside, Lacayo said.
Arsicault Bakery, 388 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @arsicaltbakery.
To be announced: Tai Er, Santa Clara
Tai Er’s signature sauerkraut fish features sliced snakehead fish poached in a pork bone broth with house-fermented Chinese sauerkraut, dried chili and numbing Sichuan peppercorn ($39). Courtesy Tai Er.
While a representative from Tai Er was not able to speak on the timeline of Tai Er’s opening at Westfield Valley Fair, the Sichuan restaurant is coming to the Santa Clara mall in 2026.
The global chain was founded in 2015 in Guangzhou, China, and has since expanded to more than 650 locations. Tai Er is known for its sauerkraut fish – sliced snakehead fish poached in a pork bone broth and layered with house-fermented Chinese sauerkraut – and opened its first Bay Area restaurant in September.
Tai Er Sichuan Cuisine, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit-A268, Santa Clara; Instagram: @taier_usa and @taier_bayarea.
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