A new restaurant and bar is moving into a long-vacant East Vallejo storefront, with owner Pardeep Sharma targeting the beginning of September 2026 to open Vallejo Taphouse at 905 Lincoln Rd. E. The space is currently undergoing cosmetic remodeling as crews prepare to convert the former Mexican restaurant into a scratch-kitchen taphouse with more than a passing resemblance to Sharma's existing Antioch operation.
Sharma owns Vallejo Taphouse, which he's positioning as a community-focused restaurant and tap house, according to WhatNow. The concept follows a format similar to the owners' Antioch Taphouse & Restaurant, which Sharma opened at 2709 Hillcrest Ave. in June 2025 as a full-service dining venue with more than 30 craft beers on tap and live entertainment. Sharma first teased the Vallejo expansion in social media posts in July, promoting it as a family-friendly restaurant and bar, and local residents commented on the early announcement, expressing interest in new dining options.
A Familiar Building Gets New Life
The building at 905 Lincoln Road East previously housed The Coconut Grove Mexican Grill & Bar, a Mexican restaurant and live music venue that closed around late 2023. Commercial real estate records show the single-story structure spans 4,246 square feet and sits on a half-acre corner lot in East Vallejo, having been built in 1984. The property is located near Miller Avenue, adjacent to the Daniels Manor residential subdivision, on a stretch of Lincoln Road East that functions as a primary east-west commercial route through the neighborhood.
Previous occupants of the site held a California Type 47 liquor license, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, a designation that requires operators to run a bona fide eating place with full kitchen facilities and regular hot meal service alongside beer, wine, and spirits. It's unclear whether Vallejo Taphouse will hold the same license type, but the requirement underscores why the concept is built around scratch cooking rather than a bar-first model.
Scratch-Made Menu With A Craft Beer Twist
The menu will lean on American-style food, including chicken fettuccine, pizza, and fish and chips, per the WhatNow report. Chicken fettuccine is already one of Antioch Taphouse's most popular offerings, suggesting the Vallejo location will lean on proven crowd-pleasers rather than starting from scratch on its recipe lineup. At the Antioch restaurant, the pub-style menu shares space with Indian-influenced dishes such as butter chicken and garlic naan, according to Joe Coffee, though it's not yet clear whether those items will carry over to the Vallejo menu.
Vallejo Taphouse says it cuts meats in-house and prepares sauces and other components from scratch, with pasta sauces made to order rather than pulled from a warmer. The restaurant also plans collaborations with local businesses, most notably Mare Island Brewing Co., whose beer will be used in a beer-batter preparation on the menu. Mare Island Brewing was founded in Vallejo in 2014 by winemakers Kent Fortner and Ryan Gibbons and now operates three taprooms across the North Bay, according to Mare Island Brewing Co., including locations at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal, the Mare Island Coal Sheds, and downtown Benicia.
Vallejo's Industrial Past Meets Its Dining Present
The brewery's name nods to Mare Island itself, the shipyard across the Napa River from downtown Vallejo that served as a U.S. Navy base from 1854 until its closure in 1996. It was the first U.S. naval base established on the Pacific Coast, and since its closure, it has been repurposed for local commercial, industrial, and culinary ventures. That transformation mirrors what's happening on a smaller scale along Lincoln Road East, where suburban commercial corridors across Solano County have seen ongoing restaurant turnover as independent operators take over standalone buildings built in the 1980s.
Beyond food, Vallejo Taphouse will offer a selection of drinks to round out its bar program. No firm opening date beyond the early-September target has been confirmed, and details on final permits, alcohol licensing, and the complete launch menu remain outstanding as the remodeling continues.
