Zephyr Grill & Bar in downtown Livermore is closing on October 31, ending a run that began in June 2004. The restaurant’s owners, Lynn and Randy Tei, said the decision followed months of trying to find a buyer for the Livermore business after a difficult stretch that included a fire and a lengthy closure.
What Zephyr confirmed about the closure
Patch reported that Zephyr Grill & Bar announced on Wednesday, October 7, that its Livermore restaurant would close on October 31 after more than 22 years on First Street. The restaurant said in its announcement that it had spent recent months exploring a sale of the Livermore operation, with the hope that a new owner could keep the restaurant going in the community.
According to Patch, the Teis said that plan did not come together. In their farewell message, they described the choice as the close of a chapter after an especially hard year for the business. The announcement also made clear that the decision was tied to the unsuccessful effort to sell the restaurant, not to a single publicly stated issue.
Tri-Valley Weekly identified the restaurant as Zephyr Grill & Bar at 1736 First St. in downtown Livermore and reported that October 31, 2026, would be its final day of service. The outlet also reported Zephyr’s final service hours in Livermore as 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
For local diners, that means the closure affects one confirmed city and one confirmed restaurant, the Livermore location. Reports from Patch, Pleasanton Weekly and Tri-Valley Weekly all said the other restaurants operated by the Teis are not part of this closure.
The fire, reopening, and attempted sale
Patch and Pleasanton Weekly both reported that a small fire broke out in Zephyr’s prep area in July 2025. Patch said no one was injured, but the restaurant closed for several months for renovations. Pleasanton Weekly reported that the fire and subsequent water damage led to restoration work before the business reopened in November 2025.
That reopening was recent enough to make the closure notable for regular customers. In comments carried by Patch, the owners said they rebuilt and reopened with hope for the restaurant’s future after the July 2025 fire forced the business to shut down for several months.
The attempted sale surfaced publicly in March 2026. Patch, citing Livermore Vine, reported that the restaurant was put on the market in March for $399,000. Pleasanton Weekly reported that the business and its assets were being marketed, but that the Zephyr name was not included in the sale.
That detail matters because it shows the owners were looking for a handoff of the Livermore site rather than an immediate end to service. Still, by early October, the owners said the hoped-for transition had not happened, and they moved ahead with a closing date.
What stays open, and what Zephyr meant to diners
The closure does not end the Teis’ broader restaurant business. Tri-Valley Weekly reported, citing Zephyr operations manager Jose Ferreira, that only the Livermore location is closing. The owners’ Zephyr Grill & Bar in Brentwood and Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill in Antioch remain open.
Zephyr’s Livermore restaurant built its following around a broad menu that outlets including Patch, Pleasanton Weekly and Tri-Valley Weekly described with steak, seafood, pasta and burgers. That mix helped the downtown spot serve more than one kind of meal, from casual dinners to special occasions.
Patch also described the restaurant as a popular community gathering place. In the owners’ farewell message, they thanked guests for the reservations, celebrations and holiday meals that filled the dining room over the years, underscoring how much of the restaurant’s legacy was tied to repeat customers and milestone meals.
For home cooks, the story is also a reminder of how much local restaurants shape regional food culture. Zephyr’s years in Livermore were linked with steakhouse standards, seafood dishes and a downtown dining routine that many Bay Area families came to know over time.