It’s a Thursday night in downtown Tahoe City during fall’s shoulder season and believe it or not, the place is going off. There’s a line out the door for a table at Sylva, the new dinner hotspot that opened last November, and the bar and restaurant are filled at the evo-owned Sierra Surf Club, which opened in March in the historic Tahoe Inn building.
On one side of town, people line up for tacos and ice cream at the food truck land in front of the now-closed Willard’s Sports Shop building, where the Little Truckee Ice Creamery and Morelos Tacos have set up pop-up shops. And on the other end of town, locals file in for trivia night at Tahoe National Brewing Co. and a wine tasting and craft class at Tahoe Wine Collective.
In other words: Tahoe City finally has a buzz in the air again. “When we moved here in 2017, I could see it: Tahoe City was this magical place. But it felt like nothing was happening here. It had hit this lull,” says Alex Looby, owner of Christy Hill, the Sandbar, and the newest addition, Minglewood, a casual breakfast and lunch café that opened in July where Syd’s Bagels used to be. “Everyone is afraid of change, but there are exciting things happening in Tahoe City now, from farmers’ markets to live music on the beach. There are all of these reasons for people to get out of their cars, walk through town, and enjoy themselves.”
While Truckee has seen steady improvements over the years with new businesses becoming popular mainstays, it’s been many years of question marks for the Tahoe City scene. Projects like the Tahoe City Lodge, the new Safeway, and the Boatworks Mall development have been long stalled, and many businesses have come and gone in recent years, leaving vacant buildings and shuttered storefronts. Jake’s on the Lake, a Tahoe City institution for nearly 50 years, will be closing for this winter, starting Nov. 1, due to lease negotiations and seasonal vulnerability, according to owner Jeff Hill, who says he hopes to reopen in the spring. All of that has left people wondering if the town still has the vibrancy it was once known for. Can a business open in Tahoe City now and not just survive but thrive?
New Restaurants Are Flourishing
Bryce Phillips, the owner of evo, considered a few locales before he decided Tahoe City was the spot to open a new hotel and restaurant. “We started thinking about northern California for evo years ago and while we considered going to the city given the concentration of customers, we ended up gravitating to outdoor recreation and a community that we resonated with,” Phillips says. “It’s crystal clear that Tahoe City is a special place. The location, people, and history drew us in, while the opportunity to be a part of positive change is what really sold us.”
The evo Hotel and adjacent Sierra Surf Club opened last spring in the locations previously housed by, respectively, America’s Best Value Inn and the Blue Agave restaurant, which had been closed since 2022. Both locations underwent major interior and exterior renovations before opening. The hotel has a sauna and cold plunge, or you could just run across the street and jump in the lake.
“The evo Hotel, evo retail, and Sierra Surf Club have been very well received so far. And it’s early and just starting to ramp up,” Phillips added. “We are very excited about the future, inspired to create a gathering place for the local community and those traveling to Tahoe to recreate.”
Creating a gathering space for the community was also the intention of the owners of the new Minglewood café, which is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. “We wanted this to be the place you go for everything: a cup of coffee, breakfast or lunch, a business meeting, a beer at the end of the day,” says Alex Looby, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Amanda. Eventually, they plan to add in evening programming like trivia, live music, or karaoke.
Sylva, owned by husband-and-wife duo Andrew Shimer, the former chef from Christy Hill, and Chata Villa, had a banner summer, with long waitlists and packed tables.
The restaurant has garnered press and excellent reviews for its always-changing seasonal menu and fresh take on American cuisine. “If Tahoe City becomes known for having multiple great restaurants, that’s great for all of us,” says Shimer. “The more reasons people have to come spend time in Tahoe City, the better.”
Infrastructure Projects Are Underway
If you’ve driven through Tahoe City recently, you’ll know that cone season is well underway. The $34 million Fanny Bridge reconstruction project has been diverting traffic since August, with the over 90-year-old bridge currently closed to cars. A new single-span bridge is expected to open in November with improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, including bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the bridge.
The bridge construction is impacting business and foot traffic at restaurants like the Bridgetender, but co-owner Scott Zumwalt — who’s also one of the owners at West Shore Market and Shadyside Lounge, which opened in 2023, says loyal locals are still finding their way in. “People are making an effort to come in and support us, and we appreciate that,” Zumwalt says. “But we have seen a big drop in foot and bike traffic and people driving by and stopping in.”
Also at the wye in Tahoe City, the new Safeway project — which has taken much longer than anticipated — is finally seeing progress. The grocery store is now hiring and expected to open for business in its new spot Oct. 16.
Funds generated from the TOT-TBID program have been used for everything from the ongoing historic preservation of the Watson Cabin, one of the original structures in downtown Tahoe City, to restoration of the bike path along the West Shore to a new singletrack bypass trail constructed by the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) adjacent to the Tahoe XC trails.
“The thing I’ve noticed most is there’s this energy behind the restaurants and businesses and a consistency of experience that we didn’t have before,” says Kirstin Guinn, marketing director for the North Tahoe Community Alliance. “Tahoe City has a staple movie theater, a number of excellent bakeries, a bustling farmers market, and a packed concert series. It feels like a small town that’s thriving with a great local feel.”
The Future Looks Bright
Some projects in town are taking longer than expected but will hopefully be worth the wait. The owners of a new juice and coffee bar in Tahoe City have finally received permitting and plan to open by the end of this year. Called Press + Pour, the juice shop will be located in the Cobblestone Center in the space where Gravity Shop, a bike store, was once. (Editor’s note: The juice shop is owned in part by Moonshine Ink staffer Melissa Siig.) They’ll serve cold-pressed juices, smoothies, grab-and-go paninis, and craft coffee. Currently, the plan is to be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until sunset.
“Change is inevitable and shoulder season is always hard on local businesses, but we can all do our part to keep it local,” says Chris Taylor, general manager of the new Press + Pour and the adjacent Tahoe Tap Haus, which will be undergoing a rebranding in the year to come. “I make an intentional choice to support our local establishments, go to the smaller places, and spread the love.”
Savoie, an upscale restaurant that is expected to open in the old Pfeiffer House building at the west entrance to town, is another long-awaited project. The original Pfeiffer House restaurant closed in 2019, and since then the building has been vacant while undergoing a massive remodel. Alison Sullivan, co-owner of Savoie, said they hope to open by early 2026 and will be serving French and Italian-inspired alpine fare in a completely renovated space.
The Tahoe City Lodge — where the dilapidated Hendrickson building once sat and was torn down in 2019 — may still be an empty lot that’s been entangled in legal issues, but the project is still tracking, according to Samir Tuma, managing partner of Kila Tahoe, the developers for the lodge. Recent progress for the project includes restoring 1.7 acres of a stream environment zone on the Tahoe City golf course, managing that restoration, and pouring concrete that will eventually facilitate construction of the lodge.
“The capital markets are recovering, and construction pricing is stabilizing, so we are targeting significant construction in 2026,” Tuma tells Moonshine Ink. “I understand people’s frustrations about the project. Nobody is more frustrated than I am. We are optimistic that the project will make significant progress in the coming year.”
Approvals from Placer County for the lodge construction are valid through April 2027.
Lastly, construction of the new Tahoe Cross-Country Lodge broke ground in June, after years in the making. This new lodge — a refurbished historic 1930s Tahoe home — will eventually offer a year-round café and a new trailhead base lodge, with access near North Tahoe High School on Polaris Road. The lodge is currently on track to be completed by winter 2028.
Most business owners in Tahoe City can all agree on one thing: What’s good for some is good for all. “It’s a synergy. What’s better for the town is better for all of us,” says Zumwalt. “If one business is doing well, it means town is doing well. And that’s good news for all of us.”
