Zephyr Bar & Grill, the steakhouse and bar that has anchored downtown Livermore's First Street for more than two decades, will serve its final dinner on October 31, 2026. The closure comes less than a year after the restaurant reopened from a fire that shut it down for months, and after a lengthy, ultimately unsuccessful attempt by its owners to sell the business.
A 22-Year Run Comes to an End
Zephyr first opened on First Street in June 2004. Lynn and Randy Tei are its owners, according to Patch. The restaurant, located at 1736 First Street in Livermore, built its reputation on a bar and traditional dining room serving classic American steakhouse fare, seafood, pasta, desserts, martinis, cocktails and wine. The Teis also operate a sister location on First Street in Brentwood.
The owners announced the closure in a social media post, saying they tried to sell the Livermore location for several months before making the decision. Our hope was to find a new owner who could carry the restaurant forward, they said, per the same post. When a buyer never materialized, that inability to find one led directly to the restaurant's closure.
Rebuilding After a Kitchen Fire
The closure caps a turbulent stretch for the restaurant. A small fire broke out in the prep area in July 2025, forcing Zephyr to shut down for several months for cleaning, renovation and repairs, the Patch report notes. According to the Livermore Vine, the flames broke out the evening of July 1 and were quickly extinguished; no one was in the building at the time and no injuries were reported.
Zephyr reopened in November 2025 with an updated menu and new hours, nearly a year before the announced closure. The comeback didn't last. In March 2026, the restaurant was quietly listed for sale for $399,000 as the Teis looked to condense their business portfolio, the Vine reported in a separate story this past March. That listing cited more than $2.8 million in gross revenue and $14,300 in monthly rent for the space.
Owners Reflect on a Difficult Year
Lynn and Randy Tei described the past year as challenging for the restaurant and said the decision to close was difficult after everything that went into rebuilding and reopening, according to their social media announcement. They thanked the community and customers for their support over the years and expressed appreciation for past and present staff members. The owners also encouraged customers to visit the Livermore restaurant before it closes for good.
Until October 31, Zephyr will operate Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., per Patch's report.
Part of a Rougher Stretch for East Bay Restaurants
Zephyr's closure lands amid a broader wave of East Bay restaurant and bar shutdowns. Since November 2025, at least 10 popular East Bay food-and-drink businesses have announced they would close, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Owners cited a mix of tariffs, recession worries, post-pandemic shifts in customer habits and the rising cost of sustaining independent businesses, with no single factor to blame.
The Chronicle also pointed to a steep decline in alcohol consumption nationally, noting that the percentage of Americans who report drinking hit a nearly 90-year low in 2025, according to Gallup polling cited in its reporting. Other East Bay casualties in that same stretch included Oakland's Edith's Pie, which saw sales drop as much as 35% year over year before closing in November, and Berkeley's Standard Fare, which shut down on December 19 after adding dinner service failed to generate enough revenue to keep the business afloat.
The evidence gathered does not establish whether those broader pressures specifically contributed to Zephyr's closure beyond the Teis' unsuccessful search for a buyer and their description of a difficult year. For now, Livermore diners have through Halloween to say goodbye to the steakhouse that has served the downtown corridor for more than two decades.
