"After more than two decades as a cornerstone of Westlake Village dining, the lakeside property enters a thoughtful reinvention." That is how Yār on the Lake describes itself. The restaurant sits where Zin Bistro Americana served The Landing at Westlake Lake for years.
That sentence covers most of Westlake Village's restaurant year. Many of the 2026 openings, renamings and announcements went into spaces people here have driven past for a long time: the lakeside room at The Landing, the corner that used to be 101 North at The Shoppes, a cafe counter on Russell Ranch Road, and a former fitness studio in County Line Shopping Center. Even the two spaces still waiting for tenants have a past. If you've watched the town change this year, you've mostly seen familiar rooms change hands.
The lakeside room kept its view and changed its menu
Zin Bistro Americana announced early this year that it would close for renovations through March and come back as Yār on the Lake, according to Conejo Valley Guide. An update set dinner service to start Tuesday, April 14.
Yār is Persian for friend. The restaurant says siblings Rouz and Mehrnoush Yazdanyar reimagined the space, and it connects the project to their father, Ebrahim Yazdanyar, who immigrated from Iran in the 1980s and put down roots in this community. Rigo Salas is the chef.
"While the space has been beautifully transformed, its essence remains the same: a dedication to creating meaningful moments around the table."
That line also comes from Yār's own About page. It's an unusual promise for a restaurant that changed its name, its cuisine and its interior all at once.
The kitchen now cooks Mediterranean coastal food with Persian hospitality. The menu is built around mezze, seafood and saffron tahdig. Yār is taking reservations on Resy at 32131 Lindero Canyon Road, the same lakefront address diners already know.
So the town's most visible dining change of 2026 happened without a new building or a new location. The room stayed put and the menu changed.
At The Shoppes, an empty corner went to a Los Angeles kitchen
Things moved differently on Russell Ranch Road. Conejo Valley Guide reported that 101 North Eatery & Bar had been closed since the Christmas holiday. Its website had expired, and its Instagram said it was "closed until further notice."
The new tenant came from outside the Conejo Valley. Osteria La Buca already had restaurants on Melrose and in Sherman Oaks. Its pitch is handmade pasta, seasonal dishes and ingredients from its own private farm in West LA and nearby farmers markets. Dinner service started Monday, April 27, and lunch followed on Wednesday, April 29.
Six months later, it has settled in. OpenTable shows open reservations and a diner review dated October 18, 2026. The restaurant's own site lists the Westlake Village location at 30760 Russell Ranch Road.
The two spring arrivals differ in one useful way. At The Landing, the people behind Yār describe their place as a continuation. At The Shoppes, the room went to an established Los Angeles group expanding into the Conejo Valley. In both cases the address stayed the same.
Same counter, same menu, new sign
The smallest change of the year was also the most literal version of the pattern. In January, Conejo Valley Guide reported that Cici's Cafe at 30990 Russell Ranch Road had become Lady C's. The owners, staff and menu all stayed the same. The cafe explained the rename as a trademark issue after 20 years in business.
So in one stretch of Russell Ranch Road, a single year brought a new name on an old cafe and a new kitchen in an old restaurant space.
The year's changes, address by address
Here is 2026's restaurant activity laid out by space, with each address and what came before:
- The Landing at Westlake Lake, 32131 Lindero Canyon Road. Formerly Zin Bistro Americana. Now Yār on the Lake, serving dinner since April.
- The Shoppes at Westlake Village, Russell Ranch Road. Formerly 101 North Eatery & Bar. Now Osteria La Buca, serving dinner since April 27.
- 30990 Russell Ranch Road. Formerly Cici's Cafe. Now Lady C's, renamed in January with the same owners.
- 4619 Lakeview Canyon Road, County Line Shopping Center. Formerly StretchCoast. La Gita Kitchen and Focacceria is announced for late 2026.
- 31125 Via Colinas, Suite 907, The Shoppes. Next to Prince St. Pizza. H&H Bagels is announced, with no date yet.
- 968-12 S. Westlake Boulevard, Westlake Plaza. CAVA, opened in May.
CAVA is the one finished opening on the list that doesn't come with a named predecessor. Patch reported on Monday, May 11, that the Mediterranean fast-casual chain would open in Westlake Plaza that Friday. The story quoted regional director Corey Cheek. The menu is build-your-own bowls, salads and pitas, and CAVA's location page lists the address as 968-12 S. Westlake Boulevard. It's a national chain, but it opened in a shopping center where the town has bought groceries and picked up coffee for decades.
The spaces that went dark
Some rooms changed hands this year, and others just emptied out, often in the same few blocks.
Crumbl closed its Westlake Village store at 30768 Russell Ranch Road by late August, after four years there. The listing pointed cookie customers to the Newbury Park store.
Boule de Pain French Bakery Cafe had planned to start serving artisan breads and breakfast on February 1, sharing Suite G at The Shoppes with Novo Cafe, according to Conejo Valley Guide. By June, the same outlet's archive noted the bakery was gone. The plan was to share space with a cafe that was already operating, a low-risk way to test a new idea.
A closure nearby didn't touch Westlake Village. Eater LA's August closings roundup reported that the Calabasas Marmalade Cafe shut on August 31. The same report says the Westlake Village Marmalade stayed open.
What fills the next two rooms
The two restaurants still on the way follow the same pattern. Each one is headed into a specific, already-built space with a known neighbor or a known history.
H&H Bagels, next to Prince St. Pizza
Conejo Valley View reported in early October that H&H Bagels, the New York water-bagel name, plans to open at 31125 Via Colinas, Suite 907, at The Shoppes, next to Prince St. Pizza. As of that report, no opening date or local franchise operator had been named. The Shoppes' dining directory still lists it as "Coming Soon." Once it opens, The Shoppes will have a New York pizza counter and a New York bagel shop side by side.
La Gita Kitchen and Focacceria, in County Line Shopping Center
The other upcoming opening has the strongest local roots of the year. La Gita Kitchen and Focacceria is going into the former StretchCoast space at 4619 Lakeview Canyon Road, in County Line Shopping Center. It's co-owned by Kyle Lopez and his mother, Mary Harrigan, a co-founder of Stonefire Grill. The plan is a takeout and catering kitchen serving focaccia, sandwiches, salads and charbroiled chicken, according to Conejo Valley Guide. In May, What Now Los Angeles put the target at the fourth quarter, which runs through December. No opening day has been announced.
Retail is turning over too. MINISO is listed as coming to the former Tilly's space at The Shoppes, with no opening date announced.
By the end of 2026, The Shoppes could have a New York bagel counter and a new retail anchor alongside its new Italian dining room, all in spaces that other businesses used first. County Line could have a focaccia kitchen in a former fitness studio. And the lake will still have its longtime restaurant, now called Yār.
If you're curious how a well-known space affects what it's worth to the next tenant, or how that same idea applies to a home on a familiar street, Nico Torres follows these changes closely and is happy to talk through what they mean for your corner of Westlake Village. Work with Nico.
