Count the downtown Napa food changes of 2026 and most of them are moves. Old names took new addresses, and familiar operators opened second spots. That makes the outlier easy to see. On Saturday, Nov. 14, Oenotri closes at 1425 First St. It opened in 2010, and no other downtown restaurant change this year is a full departure on its scale.
The Press Democrat reported the closing on Nov. 4, citing the restaurant's own announcement that it will close permanently and keep serving guests through its last day. That gives anyone reading this on Thursday two dinner services and a Saturday.
What Leaves With Oenotri
Chef-owner Tyler Rodde opened Oenotri in the Napa Square complex in 2010 and cooked from Italy's southern regions: Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria and Sicily. In its first year, a Press Democrat reviewer called it "pretty amazing." The name comes from the Oenotrians, a Greek tribe that settled along southern Italy's coast long before Rome existed.
Outside recognition came early and kept coming. The Napa Valley Register lists these honors:
- 2011: Named one of the San Francisco Chronicle's 100 best restaurants in the Bay Area
- 2012: Added to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list
- 2015 through 2018: Back on the Chronicle's top 100 every year
The cooking ran on the garden. In a 2023 interview cited in the Press Democrat's closing story, Rodde said 10 to 30% of the menu changed every day depending on the harvest. He also said the restaurant's No. 1 seller was its garden lettuces, mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette. Pizzas came out of an imported wood-burning oven. He called the margherita a classic, along with the shrimp linguine with chili, white wine and chives.
The closing post called Oenotri "a gathering place, a second home, a family, and a part of so many people's stories." Many of the farewell comments came from Napa's wine trade. Staglin Family Vineyard thanked the restaurant for supporting "our wine and all wines!"
Downtown's 2026, Mapped
Most of what changed downtown this year came from businesses already here, moving a few doors or adding a location.
| Business | Address | What changed in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Don Perico Mexican Restaurant | 1300 First St., Suite 201 | Reopened at a new address after a 10-month hiatus |
| Valencia Cafe | 1408 Clay St. | Owner Nicolas Valencia changed formats, from Valencia Market to a restaurant in the former Petit Soleil space |
| Roman Holiday Gelato | Oxbow Public Market, 610 First St. | Opened a second shop at Oxbow |
| Matrix | 1045 Franklin St. | New late-night lounge, hosting the DuWende food pop-up |
| Riza Plants | 1300 First St., Suite 355 | Retail shop closes Friday, Nov. 13; the business continues as a design studio |
| Oenotri | 1425 First St. | Closes permanently Saturday, Nov. 14 |
Of the six, only Matrix is a new name downtown. Three are existing operators changing addresses, formats or locations. Riza is closing a storefront, not the business. Oenotri is the only one ending entirely.
The Moves That Kept Names Downtown
Don Perico shows the pattern best. The Press Democrat describes it as a downtown favorite since 1994. This is its second relocation. It moved to 1106 First St. in 2014, and that site is now set to become a luxury hotel under construction. The new space at 1300 First St. is a few steps from the old one. According to the Press Democrat's June report, owners Marco and Berenice Castañeda credit community support with carrying the restaurant through an earthquake, flooding, the COVID-19 pandemic and now this relocation. The Napa Valley Register has since reviewed it at the new address.
Valencia Cafe followed the same instinct. When the lease ended on Valencia Market, Nicolas Valencia moved into restaurant service at 1408 Clay St., the former Petit Soleil space, rather than leaving downtown. The Register photographed it serving customers this summer.
At the other end of First Street, Roman Holiday Gelato opened a second shop inside Oxbow Public Market at 610 First St. Photos in the Register's feature show it serving customers in early October.
Each of these changes kept a known operator within a short walk of where downtown regulars already found them. The one new concept, Matrix at 1045 Franklin St., fills hours the rest of the list mostly doesn't. The Napa Valley Register featured it as a late-night lounge, with DuWende serving Asian-inspired comfort food as a pop-up.
One Weekend, Two Goodbyes on First Street
Oenotri's last service follows another First Street closing by one day. Riza Plants, which calls itself Napa's "botanical boutique," closes its shop at 1300 First St., Suite 355, on Friday, Nov. 13. It opened in the First Street Napa complex in October 2020.
Riza's story fits the year's pattern more than Oenotri's does. Founder and CEO Alyssa Piombo told the Napa Valley Register that the commercial plant maintenance and interior plant design side "has grown so much that we are putting all of our energy into it." The business is becoming Riza Indoor Plant Maintenance and Design Studio. It will design, install and care for plants for wineries, hotels and businesses across Napa Valley, and it will keep offering workshops and event rentals. Piombo called it "an exciting new chapter rather than a goodbye." A closing sale has been running since Wednesday, Oct. 14.
So the 1300 First St. complex gained Don Perico in Suite 201 this year, and Suite 355 empties Friday. Three blocks of First Street hold most of downtown's 2026 changes.
The Question Rodde Raised in 2023
Three years ago, Rodde told the Press Democrat that downtown Napa's restaurants were "hitting that critical mass… we'll see if the day-trip crowd can meet that supply." The paper included the line in its closing story. The restaurant's farewell message does not give a reason for closing, and the Register reported that Rodde could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 2026 map does show where downtown's operators put their bets this year. They moved Don Perico a few steps, turned Valencia Market into a cafe, put a second gelato counter inside Oxbow, and turned a plant shop into a service business. All of those bets stay inside the same few blocks.
Before Saturday
If Oenotri is part of your downtown routine, here are the dates that matter after this post goes up Thursday:
- Thursday, Nov. 12, through Saturday, Nov. 14: Oenotri, 1425 First St., serves its final days and is open to guests through Saturday.
- Friday, Nov. 13: Last day for Riza Plants' storefront at 1300 First St., Suite 355, with the closing sale running until then.
- This November: Riza opens its new studio for plant design and maintenance. Details are at rizaplants.com.
After Saturday, the nearest names from this year's list are Don Perico and Riza's old complex up the block at 1300 First St., Valencia Cafe on Clay Street, and Roman Holiday at Oxbow.
Don Perico kept its name through a move, and Riza is carrying its name into a new studio while changing how it operates. Agents who want the same control over their own business can work with Merge Real Estate. We handle compliance, E&O and transaction coordination so your name stays on the door. Launch Your Brand with Merge.
