It’s a Thursday night in downtown Tahoe City during fall’s shoulder season and believe it or not, the place is going off. There’s a line out the door for a table at Sylva, the new dinner hotspot that opened last November, and the bar and restaurant are filled at the evo-owned Sierra Surf Club, which opened in March in the historic Tahoe Inn building.
On one side of town, people line up for tacos and ice cream at the food truck land in front of the now-closed Willard’s Sports Shop building, where the Little Truckee Ice Creamery and Morelos Tacos have set up pop-up shops. And on the other end of town, locals file in for trivia night at Tahoe National Brewing Co. and a wine tasting and craft class at Tahoe Wine Collective.
In other words: Tahoe City finally has a buzz in the air again. “When we moved here in 2017, I could see it: Tahoe City was this magical place. But it felt like nothing was happening here. It had hit this lull,” says Alex Looby, owner of Christy Hill, the Sandbar, and the newest addition, Minglewood, a casual breakfast and lunch café that opened in July where Syd’s Bagels used to be. “Everyone is afraid of change, but there are exciting things happening in Tahoe City now, from farmers’ markets to live music on the beach. There are all of these reasons for people to get out of their cars, walk through town, and enjoy themselves.”
While Truckee has seen steady improvements over the years with new businesses becoming popular mainstays, it’s been many years of question marks for the Tahoe City scene. Projects like the Tahoe City Lodge, the new Safeway, and the Boatworks Mall development have been long stalled, and many businesses have come and gone in recent years, leaving vacant buildings and shuttered storefronts. Jake’s on the Lake, a Tahoe City institution for nearly 50 years, will be closing for this winter, starting Nov. 1, due to lease negotiations and seasonal vulnerability, according to owner Jeff Hill, who says he hopes to reopen in the spring. All of that has left people wondering if the town still has the vibrancy it was once known for. Can a business open in Tahoe City now and not just survive but thrive?