As of mid-October 2026 in Pacific Palisades, you can book a 10-seat omakase counter. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken from a chef who trained at the French Laundry and pick up a loaf from K Bakery on a Tuesday. You still can't shop at Gelson's or Ralphs. You also can't fill a prescription at Knolls Pharmacy or drop shirts at Ronny's Park Lane Cleaners in Marquez Knolls. All of that follows from one fact about commercial property. Businesses are coming back where a single owner could act quickly. Blocks split among several owners, or held by owners who haven't announced plans, are still waiting.
Swarthmore Had One Landlord, So It Moved First
Palisades Village reopened on Saturday, August 15, 2026. According to the Los Angeles Times, about 70% of its shops and restaurants opened that day. Caruso reported the center as 99% leased, and roughly one-third of the tenants are new. The Times reported that every business space in the Village was stripped to the studs, reinsulated and fitted with new kitchen equipment. That's a big job, and one owner controlled the whole thing.
The food lineup that came out of it looks like this:
- Alphabet Bar & Grill, from Timothy Hollingsworth and the h.wood Group, in the former Hank's space. It serves rotisserie chicken and burgers daily for lunch and dinner, and the menu includes a rotisserie-chicken noodle soup for kids.
- Ueki, a new omakase counter next to Blue Ribbon Sushi. Chef Hongki Lee runs one seating Wednesday through Friday and two on weekends.
- K Bakery, Kim Kedeshian's 15-year-old bakery, now in the former Jemma Pizzeria space, open Tuesday through Sunday.
- Returning in their old spots: Angelini Ristorante & Bar with its patio, Blue Ribbon Sushi with a larger patio over the lawn, Porta Via, and McConnell's Fine Ice Creams, which is open until 10 p.m.
- Alfred, back at 15217 Palisades Village Lane and open daily from 8 a.m.
Nancy Silverton's Spacca Tutto, an Italian-leaning steakhouse in the former Draycott space, is next. The Palisades Village site still lists it as coming soon, with an opening date of October 15. Carla Cafe's walk-up window near the green is set for spring 2027. Retail is filling in as well. Buck Mason is open at 15205 Palisades Village Lane, the Village directory lists Jacques Marie Mage as open, and TWP has opened at 15225 Palisades Village Lane.
The Village's control of Swarthmore goes beyond its original footprint. The Palisadian-Post reported that Caruso recently bought the building at 1011 to 1017 Swarthmore Avenue, which used to house a children's clothing shop and a dry cleaner. The same report says Caruso now owns much of the commercial property along the street.
Businesses Are Coming Back Where There Are Buildings
Outside the Village, several returning businesses haven't gone back to their old addresses. They have moved to whatever space is standing and ready.
Café Vida is the clearest example. Before the fire it sat in the Business Block building at Swarthmore and Sunset, along with Bank of America and Casa Nostra. The Palisadian-Post reports that no plans have been announced for that block and that it isn't under construction. Café Vida is coming back instead at 548 Palisades Drive in Highlands Plaza. It was aiming for October, but no report confirms it had opened as of October 12.
Gerry Blanck's Martial Arts Center used to be in the Marquez Knolls commercial district. It is now operating at the Highlands shopping center at Palisades Drive and Sunset. Starbucks, Moku Sushi and Spruzzo are there too, and the Post's commercial overview calls the Highlands "much further along" than the community's other business districts. The new Palisades General Store opened next door at 542 1/2 Palisades Drive. It soft-opened in mid-August and held its grand opening September 19, selling kitchenware, home goods, clothing and gifts.
Loomey's Toys is moving from 833 Via de la Paz to 15275 West Sunset Boulevard inside the Village, with a target opening of November 1. On Sunset, Pali Trading Post opened July 1 at 15248 West Sunset Boulevard, selling home goods and Palisades-themed gifts.
Via de la Paz is coming back faster than the rest of downtown. The building at 839 is nearing completion, and 843 Via de la Paz, the former Flour Pizzeria building, is nearly done. The Pacific Palisades Veterinary Center at 853 survived the fire and has reopened.
The Blocks Where Errands Used to Happen
Most of the places people ran errands are in the slower group.
The Palisadian-Post reported on September 4 that there was no significant construction at the former Gelson's site at Sunset and Via de la Paz. The paper described that store as reportedly the chain's highest-producing location before the fire. In March 2026, Gelson's announced plans to rebuild at 15424 Sunset Boulevard but gave no construction timeline or reopening date. Ralphs, across from 881 Alma Real Drive, had not started construction either.
881 Alma Real was the community's largest office building. Many of the neighborhood's doctors, dentists and orthodontists worked there. As of September, construction hadn't started, and the owner was reportedly still working on plans. The stretch of Sunset just south of Monument Street hadn't started construction, and neither had the former Chase property at La Cruz. Chipotle at 15207 West Sunset closed permanently on May 25, 2026. The Palisadian-Post reported that a source familiar with the restaurant's operations attributed the closure to thin profit margins.
The Post's column gives the reason plainly. Only part of the community's original 24,000 residents have returned, and insurance, construction costs, permitting and a shortage of tenants have made many property owners cautious.
Marquez Knolls Shows Why Shared Blocks Are Slower
The Marquez Knolls commercial district is where the ownership pattern shows most clearly. The Palisadian-Post reported in late August that four separate owners hold the strip. Here is how the pre-fire businesses were divided among them:
| Owner group | Businesses on those lots before the fire | Rebuild status, late August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Lintrathen Co. | Vittorio's, Ronny's Park Lane Cleaners, TLC Beauty Salon | Partnered with architect Rich Wilken |
| Bailey Trusts | Bailey Electric, Ronny's Market | Partnered with architect Rich Wilken |
| Innate Chiropractic Center owner | Gerry Blanck's Martial Arts Center, Palisades Plumbing, Palisades Screen and Glass | Partnered with architect Rich Wilken |
| Fourth owner group | Paws n' Claws, Palisades Animal Clinic, Knolls Pharmacy | Had not signed on |
Wilken said Vittorio's, Knolls Pharmacy, TLC Beauty Salon and Ronny's Park Lane Cleaners have shown interest in coming back. The report describes that as interest, not as signed leases or reopening dates. One owner hoped to finish construction in about a year, and tenants would still need time after that to build out their spaces. The Post's September overview noted that with several owners, each with its own insurer and finances, rebuilding usually gets more complicated and slower. It also pointed out that Marquez serves a different purpose from downtown, because residents used its businesses regularly.
Where an October Errand Run Actually Goes
As of mid-October 2026, a normal weekday of errands in the Palisades looks like this:
- Groceries at Vons near Sunset and Pacific Coast Highway. It survived the fire and was the first major Palisades grocery store to reopen. Erewhon at the Village is expected in January 2027, which would make it the second.
- Prescriptions at CVS, 864 Swarthmore Avenue, which reopened in August 2025.
- Produce on Wednesday afternoons at the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market on the Swarthmore stretch of the Village. It runs 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. through December 30 with more than a dozen vendors selling produce, eggs and flowers.
- Library books at the temporary Palisades Branch in the library parking lot at 861 Alma Real Drive, open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
- Coffee in the Highlands or the Village, at Starbucks on Palisades Drive or at Alfred from 8 a.m.
Dry cleaning is the gap. The Regal Cleaners building at 881 Via de la Paz survived the fire, but the Post's September overview confirmed only the neighboring veterinary center as reopened. The Palisades Recreation Center is also still a ways off. Ground was broken on September 17, 2026, and Gensler puts the full rebuild at 14 to 16 months. Later this season, Spacca Tutto is due October 15, Loomey's on November 1, and Erewhon and Staud in January, followed by Mother in February.
If you own on a block that's still waiting, or near one, you probably want to know what each reopening means for the streets around you. Danny Mishevski follows the Palisades commercial recovery address by address and is glad to walk you through how it's playing out near your home. Let's Connect.
