In March 2015, the pitch for Pacific Pearl centered on one very large restaurant. The developer's representative told the Pleasanton City Council that the planned center at Stoneridge Drive and El Charro Road would include a 60,000-square-foot restaurant that could also work as a banquet facility, run by an unnamed operator of Chinese restaurants elsewhere in the Bay Area, according to Pleasanton Weekly.
This fall, four new tenants are coming to the center: a Taiwanese tea shop, a Japanese crepe counter, a frozen yogurt shop and a ramen restaurant. Together they will occupy 5,308 square feet, or less than a tenth of the space once pictured for that single banquet room.
That difference shows what Pacific Pearl turned into. It was approved as a center built around large formats, but over eight years it has filled in with small counters, many of them selling tea, dessert or noodles. The 2026 additions continue that trend. For anyone who lives on the east side of Pleasanton, it has become a place to go after dinner as much as a place to go for dinner.
What the council approved in 2015
The 2015 plan called for a 112,000-square-foot center with five buildings on an 11.5-acre parcel. The city had set that land aside for retail when it approved the Staples Ranch Specific Plan in 2009. The proposed anchor was Marina Food, which the developer described as a supermarket with an international food court. Roughly a third to half of the tenants were expected to be restaurants.
The Planning Commission added a few limits to keep the mix varied. It capped the number of medical offices and held barbershops and beauty salons to no more than 5,000 square feet each. The plan routed all traffic through a signal on Stoneridge Drive, with no driveways onto El Charro except a gated emergency road. That is why every visit today still starts and ends at the same Stoneridge entrance.
What opened in 2018
By the July 2018 grand opening, the anchor had changed. Pleasanton Weekly's coverage described a center anchored by Pleasanton's second 99 Ranch Market. It was owned by Danville-based Blake-Griggs Properties and managed by Vestar, with 26 retail and commercial spaces and only one or two still available for lease. The first businesses had opened late in 2017 while construction finished around them.
In the same article, Heath McCue, the center's senior marketing director, said that before Pacific Pearl, Tri-Valley locals "would travel to Oakland or further for culturally authentic meals." That was the bet. Once the storefronts were leased, the bet showed up as a series of compact restaurants and counters rather than one destination dining hall.
The counter cluster, by the numbers
The center's store directory now lists 29 businesses, up from 26 spaces at the 2018 opening. It does not list a banquet restaurant. Most of the food tenants are small-format restaurants, and a large share serve something you can carry out in one hand.
| Role on an evening out | Tenants on the current directory |
|---|---|
| Sit-down dinner | Chubby Cattle, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, Mumu Hot Pot, MalaTown, Fiery Shanghai, Bonchon Chicken, A2B Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, Myeongdong Ja Jang, Top Pot |
| Noodles and quick plates | The Special Noodle House, Yin Ji Chang Fen, CloudDISH |
| Tea, pastry and dessert | 85° Bakery Café, Happy Lemon, Matsu Matcha, SomiSomi Soft Serve & Taiyaki, Chicha San Chen |
| Coming soon | Eight Turn Crepe, Yogurtland, HiroNori Craft Ramen |
Chubby Cattle is the closest thing the center has to the old banquet-hall idea, and it is a newer arrival. Patch reported in September 2025 that the Japanese barbecue chain had opened its first Bay Area location at 2693 Stoneridge Drive. It has a grill at each table, all-you-can-eat steak and sushi, and a self-serve station with milk tea and soft serve. At the time, Patch listed tiers from $58 to $88 per person, with lower member prices, and hours running until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Pricing a year later may differ, so check before you plan a birthday dinner around it.
Even Chubby Cattle's draw is spread out over a long meal. Like most of the center, it offers many small things rather than one big plate.
The fall 2026 arrivals, and where each one stands
In mid-August, Patch and the Mercury News reported four new tenants. Three of the four are tea or dessert shops.
| Tenant | Address | Size | Directory status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicha San Chen | 2709 Stoneridge Dr. | 1,037 sq. ft. | Tagged "New" on the center's directory, with posted hours |
| Eight Turn Crepe | 2693 Stoneridge Dr. | 1,647 sq. ft. | Still "Coming Soon"; the August target was late September or early October |
| Yogurtland | 2709 Stoneridge Dr. | 1,220 sq. ft. | "Coming Soon"; no opening date announced |
| HiroNori Craft Ramen | 2709 Stoneridge Dr. | 1,404 sq. ft. | "Coming Soon"; no opening date announced |
Chicha San Chen is the one you can visit now. The Taiwanese chain serves freshly brewed tea, milk tea and fruit tea. Its Pleasanton store joins Bay Area locations in Berkeley, Cupertino, Daly City, Fremont and San Jose, according to the Mercury News. For Tri-Valley tea fans, that means one less drive over the hill.
Eight Turn Crepe is a New York brand. It makes crepes from gluten-free rice flour, fills them with sweet or savory ingredients and rolls them into a handheld paper cone. The Mercury News reported that Pleasanton will be the chain's first store in Northern California. The early-October target has passed, and the store is still tagged "Coming Soon," so treat any opening date as unconfirmed until the directory changes.
Yogurtland will be the center's self-serve option, with rotating frozen yogurt, ice cream and plant-based flavors plus a toppings bar.
HiroNori Craft Ramen is the one new tenant serving dinner. The Mercury News reported that it holds a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide and makes bone broths and house-made noodles. It already has locations in Cupertino, Fremont, San Mateo and Santa Clara. When it opens, it will join The Special Noodle House and Yin Ji Chang Fen in the noodles-and-quick-plates group, so that group will grow along with the dessert counters.
How the cluster changes an evening out
When one center has five tea, pastry and dessert counters open now and two more on the way, you can plan an evening there differently. Dinner and dessert no longer have to happen at the same table. You can have hot pot at Mumu or a grill table at Chubby Cattle, then walk to SomiSomi for taiyaki or to Matsu Matcha for a drink, and never move the car. Once Eight Turn and Yogurtland open, the walk will have more stops.
A few practical notes for anyone heading over:
- Entry: The Stoneridge Drive signal is the only way in. El Charro carries only a gated emergency road, as approved in 2015. Coming from I-580, use the El Charro Road exit.
- Neighbors: The center sits just south of the San Francisco Premium Outlets, so it is easy to add a shopping stop before or after.
- Before you go: The Pacific Pearl directory is the quickest place to see which of the new tenants has switched from "Coming Soon" to open.
The 2015 plan put about a third to half of the storefronts in restaurants and expected one oversized room to draw the crowds. Eight years after opening, many restaurants of 1,000 to 1,700 square feet are doing that job instead, and HiroNori's 1,404 square feet of ramen will be among the next to open.
If you live near Staples Ranch and want to talk about how places like Pacific Pearl shape everyday life on Pleasanton's east side, I'm always happy to compare notes over a cup of tea. You can reach me anytime through Rathore Homes. Let's Connect.
