WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – They’re big shoes (big boat shoes?) to fill. When Walnut Creek Yacht Club sailed into the sunset after decades serving downtown Walnut Creek, everyone knew the restaurant’s former spot wouldn’t stay vacant for long.
Sure enough, plans emerged almost immediately for a new restaurant to take Walnut Creek Yacht Club’s place.
We were the first place to break news of the new spot. At the time, it was operating under a codename: Stillwater.
Now, though, we have lots of new details about the proposed new spot–including its name!
It looks like the replacement will be a seafood-forward concept called Oceania Fish Bar.
The City of Walnut Creek is currently reviewing a project listing for “Oceania Fish Bar” at the Yacht Club’s former address (1555 Bonanza St.). The city page identifies it as Application No. Y25-099 and lists the project as Under Review.
According to the City of Walnut Creek’s project description, the proposal includes:
- A 1,360-square-foot addition to the ground floor
- A 1,179-square-foot addition to the second floor
- Expanding the building from 3,767 square feet to 6,306 square feet
- New outdoor seating
- A new trash enclosure
- Removing all parking
- Exterior changes to the existing building
Basically, the former WC Yacht Club space would be totally revamped, in the same way that Stanford’s was gutted to build Original Joe’s, and a former PG&E office (good riddance) was transformed into the stunning Stereo41.
The entitlements requested include Design Review and an Administrative Use Permit (Alcohol). This is still in the planning phase, but it does seem to be moving forward rapidly.
The city listing names David Ghaben as the project applicant. Separate reporting says the project is being led by members of the Ghaben family (including Mike, David, and Rolla) and frames Oceania as a seafood-focused “fish bar” concept.
That’s the same family of restaurateurs behind Lita and the aforementioned Stereo41 in Walnut Creek, as well as multiple other restaurants around the 925. So the replacement for WC Yacht Club seems to be in good, experience (and well-capitalized) hands.
So, when will Oceania open? No official opening date has been posted by the city, and the project is still Under Review. Our best guess is 2027 at the latest, but even that may prove aggressive.
Because the project is in the city’s pipeline, the next “tell” will be movement on planning approvals and the alcohol use permit. The city has also published the planner contact on the project page, which is often a sign that the concept is far enough along to be trackable in a concrete way.
We’ll be following this one closely and will let you know as soon as we learn more. Make sure to join my free 925 News newsletter so I can keep you updated on Oceania, and share an opening date when we have one!
