Downtown Livermore's holiday calendar comes down to three events on two Saturdays: a pajama shopping morning on Nov. 21, then an all-day open house and the Sights & Sounds Parade on Dec. 5. This year, though, the restaurants around those dates have shifted. A First Street dinner spot that lasted 22 years has set its final day. A Neapolitan restaurant group built its first Tri-Valley location from the ground up on South Livermore Avenue and plans to open on Tuesday, Nov. 17. A 452-space garage a few blocks away is about to handle its first parade night. Put those together and the busiest part of a December evening downtown now sits along one short stretch of South Livermore Avenue.
The First Street anchor that set its last day
Zephyr Grill & Bar opened on First Street in 2004. In October, Livermore Vine reported that the owners had set Oct. 31 as the restaurant's last day. They had tried to sell the business without the Zephyr name, hoping a new owner would keep the restaurant going, and that sale did not come together. The restaurant had reopened in November 2025 after a months-long closure that followed a small fire in its prep area in July 2025. The owners' other two restaurants, Zephyr Grill & Bar in Brentwood and Smith's Landing Seafood Grill in Antioch, are staying open.
Our August look at First Street treated Zephyr as a healthy business looking for a buyer. The October news changes that. The 1736 First St. dining room, a regular stop for holiday dinners on that block for two decades, will not be part of this season.
The newcomer built facing the park
Doppio Zero is opening in a different kind of space. Co-owner Gianni Chiloiro told Diablo's Dish column that the restaurant will open in downtown Livermore on November 17, with an opening party that includes live music and free food and drinks. The group is known for Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta. Chiloiro and co-owner Angelo Sannino already run restaurants in the South Bay, San Francisco, Concord and Walnut Creek.
Diablo calls the Livermore location fairly unique and reports the team designed and built this location from scratch as part of the newly expanded section of Blacksmith Square. The plan includes an indoor-outdoor bar that looks out over the central park, with water misters for hot afternoons. The address is 23 South Livermore Avenue.
The misters are a summer feature. In winter, the restaurant's setting is the expanded Blacksmith Square around it.
What the Blacksmith Square expansion adds
The City of Livermore's project page describes the expansion as 13,200 square feet of new commercial space wrapped around a new 5,000-square-foot courtyard with fire pits, art pieces and landscaping. The developer is Red Bear Property Management, a company founded by Michael and Joe Madden. The historic corner building stays, and the new space faces Stockmen's Park. Plans from the groundbreaking included a three-story building with a second-floor restaurant and rooftop dining, along with a performance stage in the expanded courtyard.
The square's existing tenants are Swirl on the Square, Tap 25, Prints & Pints and Sweet Hope Naturals. Story Coffee has posted that it is coming to Blacksmith Square.
The City's page still lists the expansion as under construction, with completion estimated for the end of 2026. When it is finished, the planned courtyard will be the downtown space that connects most directly to Stockmen's Park.
The South Livermore Avenue cluster
Look at the addresses for this season's events and most of them land on one street.
| Spot | Address | What's there this season |
|---|---|---|
| Flagpole Plaza | South Livermore Avenue at First Street | Renovated plaza with outdoor dining areas, game tables and new lighting |
| Sweet Hope Naturals | 21 South Livermore Avenue | Christmas Charm Bar for car diffusers on Dec. 5 |
| Doppio Zero | 23 South Livermore Avenue | Slated to open Nov. 17 |
| Blacksmith Square | 37 South Livermore Avenue | Expansion with a planned courtyard and fire pits, estimated to finish by the end of 2026 |
| Wingen Bakery & Restaurant | 50 South Livermore Avenue | Hot cocoa, dinner service and face painting on Dec. 5 |
Flagpole Plaza anchors the north end. Livermore Vine reported that the city held a ribbon cutting on Nov. 19, 2025, to mark the end of a $3.46 million renovation. The upgraded plaza has stamped concrete sidewalks, designated outdoor dining areas, landscaping, better lighting and game tables. Before this round of work, the plaza's grass area had been covered with decomposed granite for outdoor dining in 2020. Last holiday season, the plaza had only just reopened. This year it sits at the First Street end of the block where Doppio Zero is opening.
First Street still has its regulars, including Paris Baguette at 1772 First St., which is offering 15% off any purchase during the Dec. 5 open house. The bookstore Word on the Street Books is listed at 2044 First St. The new restaurant energy this season, though, is on the cross street.
Two dates on the Livermore Downtown Inc. calendar
The new layout matters most on the two Saturdays Livermore Downtown Inc. has planned.
Saturday, Nov. 21: Earlier Than the Bird. This is a pajama-themed shopping morning across downtown from 7 to 10 a.m. Shops offer deals and giveaways, and anyone who shows up in pajamas gets the official giveaway. LDI is also running a gift drive for local teens, with donations dropped off at Pinot's Palette, 153 South L Street. The event falls four days after Doppio Zero's planned opening.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday Open House, then the parade. The open house runs all day. Participating businesses announced so far:
- Pinot's Palette, 153 South L Street: $1 mimosas and free ornament painting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus $10 off regular classes through January 31
- Saint James Aesthetics & Wellness, 2300 First Street: treatment specials and a free holiday photo booth
- Sauced BBQ & Spirits, 2300 First Street, Suite 120: seasonal menu items and holiday cocktails
- Sweet Hope Naturals, 21 South Livermore Avenue: a free gift with purchases of $75 or more
- Wingen Bakery & Restaurant, 50 South Livermore Avenue: hot cocoa, espresso drinks and full dinner service, with face painting by Fancy Faces by Kelly
- Paris Baguette, 1772 First Street: 15% off any purchase
LDI says it will announce more businesses. The Holiday Sights & Sounds Parade starts at 6 p.m. on First Street, and the tree lighting follows right after. It goes ahead rain or shine.
The first parade night with the L Street Garage
The open house and parade fill downtown from morning through evening, so parking is a bigger question on Dec. 5 than on any other day of the season. This year there is more of it. The four-level Livermore Village Parking Garage, also called the L Street Garage, opened to the public in late December 2025, according to Livermore Vine. It sits off South L Street between Railroad Avenue and First Street and holds 452 spaces. Downtown's two older garages, the Livermore Valley Center structure and the I Street Garage, hold 774 spaces between them. Together the three garages have 1,226 spaces, and this will be the first Sights & Sounds Parade since the newest one opened.
The project also widened the landscaped path to First Street east of the garage and added crosswalks on L Street and Veterans Way. Coming from the L Street side, you can park, walk up to First Street for the parade route, and still be close to Pinot's Palette at 153 South L Street.
Earlier stops for a Dec. 5 afternoon
Two openings from earlier this year and one short walk fill the hours before the parade.
- Primrose Bakery, 154 S. J St. The European cake bakery from owners Jesse and Jessica Eiland soft-opened Aug. 4, the East Bay Times reported.
- Dumont Creamery & Café, 2375 Railroad Ave., Suite 101. Its first East Bay location held a ribbon cutting Sept. 17 and a grand opening Sept. 18, according to Livermore Vine.
- Flagpole Plaza to South Livermore Avenue. Grab a game table at the plaza, then walk south past Sweet Hope Naturals and Doppio Zero to Blacksmith Square before heading back to First Street by 6 p.m.
More is on the way. Traditions Meat Co., a full-service butcher shop, has announced plans for 2558 Old First St. and expects to open in spring 2027.
If one of the new places on South Livermore Avenue has you wondering what downtown Livermore's changes mean for a home a few blocks away, Glen Dsouza can walk you through the numbers over coffee at whichever spot you choose. Schedule a free consultation.
