Los Gatos’ north end is about to get a serious glow-up. Michelin-recognized Mentone and fan-favorite Manresa Bread are officially headed to The Junction, the long-anticipated mixed-use hub in the North 40 redevelopment. The two concepts will share space in the Spur Building at the center of the project, with developers targeting a September 2026 groundbreaking. For locals, that translates to Riviera-style dinners at night and a bread-and-pastry magnet in the mornings, all within the same block.
According to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Mentone has signed onto roughly 4,500 square feet, while Manresa Bread is taking about 1,900 square feet. A separate announcement from Harmonie Park Development pegs their combined footprint at around 7,170 square feet and notes that the project is slated to break ground this September, per GlobeNewswire.
What each concept will bring
Mentone, the Aptos-based restaurant founded by David Kinch, is already listed in the MICHELIN Guide and has built a reputation for its Riviera-inspired menu and wood-fired pizzas. It is the kind of spot that turns a neighborhood center into a date-night destination.
Manresa Bread, led by Avery Ruzicka, has grown from a single commissary operation into a regional bakery and café. Its own materials highlight retail loaves, pastries and a focus on in-house milling, the sort of detail that tends to attract early-morning regulars. At The Junction, the idea is that Manresa Bread will catch the breakfast and coffee crowd, while Mentone pulls in the evening diners, covering both ends of the day in one cluster of storefronts.
A familiar team behind the expansion
David Kinch, best known for the now-closed, three-Michelin-starred Manresa, has been shifting his presence in recent years toward more casual sister projects, with Mentone serving as one of those key plays. SFGATE reported that Kinch and his partners had been eyeing The Junction for multiple concepts as far back as 2023, positioning the group to maintain a high-profile foothold in Los Gatos.
Manresa Bread, which already operates across the Peninsula, brings the bakery expertise from the Manresa universe into the new space. For anyone who has ever stood in line for one of its loaves, the prospect of a Los Gatos outpost is unlikely to spark complaints.
Where The Junction fits
The Junction is part of the broader North 40 redevelopment and is being pitched as a roughly 68,000-square-foot specialty retail and dining center with about 300 residential units nearby, according to GlobeNewswire. The developer and its leasing team describe the site as a neighborhood-serving hub for residents and nearby offices, with Good Samaritan Hospital and several tech campuses just minutes away. In other words, they are betting that elevated food concepts will have a ready-made customer base from day one.
Harmonie Park has cast Mentone and Manresa Bread as founding tenants for a lineup that is expected to combine daily essentials with destination dining. The two signings set the tone for the kind of place The Junction is trying to become.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for September 2026, though the teams have not shared specific opening dates yet, according to GlobeNewswire. For Los Gatos diners who followed Manresa’s roughly two-decade run on Village Lane, the new deals signal that the town’s food scene is still a magnet for chefs and bakers with regional followings, per the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
