Something counterintuitive happened on Laurel Street over the past year. The block absorbed a run of closures and came out the other side with a stronger food-and-drink scene than it had going in.
That outcome was not accidental. It reflects something specific about how this street fills its own gaps.
The Closures That Set the Stage
San Carlos Life documented the losses: after 33 years, the beloved cobbler retired. His neighbor Jimmy at Guy's Barbershop did the same. Blind Tasting closed quietly. Paxti's Pizza followed. For a stretch, the absences were visible enough to feel.
What moved into those spaces tells you more about Laurel Street's character than any of the departures do.
The Operators Who Moved In Already Lived Here
Christian Conte owns Drakes, one of Laurel Street's most established bars. When the former Sneakers American Grill went dark, he took the space and opened Highlands Sports Bar & Grill, naming it after one of San Carlos's own parks. The concept runs 36 craft beers on tap, large-screen TVs in every booth, and a full lunch-and-dinner menu with cocktails and happy hour. An operator who could have opened anywhere put more chips on the same block where he already runs a business.
The same logic shows up across the other new arrivals. Esnaf opened in the former Cuisinett space, bringing Turkish food to a street that skews heavily Italian and Greek. Elia Restaurant, which co-owner Fatih Ulas has grown to four Bay Area locations, took over the former Taurus space. Ulas told the Mercury News in January 2026 that he "owns three other Elia locations in Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and San Carlos" before moving into Campbell — meaning San Carlos was not the experiment. It was the base.
Impasto by Terun joined the stretch as well, delivering the pizzeria many residents had been anticipating. One more opening is pending: Rouge is slated for 890 Laurel Street, co-owned by Huseyin and Sema Tosun, landing alongside Lou's Cafe, Lulu's on Laurel Street, and Nothing Bundt Cakes. An opening date has not been announced, but the address adds to an already dense stretch.
The thread running through all of it: when a space opened up, the people who claimed it were already embedded in Peninsula restaurant culture. The street did not get colonized by outside money seeking a new market. It got deeper.
The Anchors That Kept the Foundation Solid
The new arrivals are the headline, but Laurel Street's resilience comes from the businesses that never wavered.
Pranzi draws sustained praise; TripAdvisor reviewers in 2026 single it out among a street full of strong options. Salt and Brine, Number5 Kitchen, and Amara fill out a stretch where the challenge is not finding somewhere good to eat but choosing between several.
The drink culture runs in two distinct directions. Domenico Winery is family-owned and has been producing award-winning Cal-Italia varietals for over 20 years. It runs ticketed events year-round; the 2026 Annual Orphan Barrel Tasting brought a crowd on a March Sunday afternoon at the winery. Devil's Canyon Brewing Company operates at a different register entirely: award-winning craft beer, a covered back patio, and a calendar of programming that includes breadmaking classes, comedy nights, and rotating special events. Hapa's Brewing Company has built its own steady following; Brainstormer Trivia nights there have become a recurring fixture.
The Sunday Farmers Market anchors the week without fanfare. Every Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Laurel Street between San Carlos Avenue and Cherry Street: fresh produce, specialty food, bread, flowers, baked goods, and local vendors. It has run consistently for years and the foot traffic it generates every Sunday morning is part of what keeps the surrounding blocks commercially alive.
How a Week on the Street Fills In
The variety of what Laurel Street now covers — across cuisine type, format, and occasion — is wider than it has been in recent memory. Breakfast and weekend brunch at Lou's Cafe or a Farmers Market loop. A Tuesday dinner at Elia for Greek seafood. A Friday night at Devil's Canyon with a beer and whatever event is on the calendar. A Saturday at Domenico for a tasting. Sunday morning market, Sunday afternoon at Highlands for whatever game is on. Impasto for pizza when you do not want to wait on a reservation. Pranzi when you do.
That range, built without a single anchor tenant or outside developer driving the process, is what distinguishes how Laurel Street works from how most commercial strips get revitalized. The cuisine diversity arrived through individual operators making individual bets on the same block.
The Programming That Runs on Top
What separates a street with good restaurants from one that becomes a genuine civic hub is the programming that layers on top. Laurel Street has that layer, and the 2026 calendar is specific about it.
Hometown Days runs May 15 through 17 at Burton Park: live entertainment, rides, games, parade, music, and a full weekend of activity. The event has run since 1979. The Summer Concert Series follows, with free music at Burton Park every Friday through July and August. Flanagan Field at the same park hosts outdoor family movies on alternating Saturday evenings at sunset during those same months.
The Art and Wine Faire returns October 10 and 11, 2026. Over 200 artists, three entertainment stages, beer and wine, and food vendors fill Laurel Street and San Carlos Avenue for the weekend. The event draws over 40,000 people annually. Burton Park adds an overnight dimension August 7 and 8: a community campout with tents, s'more roasting, field games, and a movie at dusk.
That calendar keeps foot traffic cycling through Laurel Street across all four seasons, which is the underlying reason operators keep choosing it over comparable streets on the Peninsula.
What It Adds Up To
Laurel Street in 2026 has more cuisine variety, more anchored operators, and more event programming than it did three years ago. The businesses that filled the new spaces share one consistent thread: run by people who already had a stake in the Peninsula before signing a lease here. The churn that looked like decline was a selection process, and the street that came through it is more interesting than the one that went in.
For anyone living in San Carlos right now, the street deserves more of your weekday attention than it has probably gotten.
If you want to talk about what all of this means for the San Carlos market, Bob Bredel has been watching this neighborhood since 2007 and is happy to give you a straight answer. Call Bob.
