Crews have been working at both ends of the 2000 block of Broadway since early October. They are installing the automated bollards that will close the block between Jefferson Avenue and Main Street to cars for good, and the City plans to repave the roadway in early 2027. Meanwhile, the Entertainment Zone that let people carry a beer or a glass of wine down the middle of Broadway this summer has been switched off, and the City says it hopes to schedule another event "sometime in 2027."
So the block heads into the holidays as a permanent car-free street with no street drinking. That leaves it as what it has been since the pandemic: a long outdoor dining room, and the restaurants along it decide how it feels on any given night.
What's going in at Main and Jefferson
The City tried closing parts of Broadway during COVID-19 and found the pedestrian zones made downtown livelier, according to the Broadway Pedestrian Mall project page. Private cars are barred from the 2000 block. Emergency vehicles, maintenance vehicles and a limited number of construction vehicles can still get in, and bikes and scooters are still allowed.
It took several steps to make that permanent.
When | What happened |
|---|---|
Jan. 8, 2024 | City Council approved closing the 2000 block and part of Redwood Creek to vehicles for good, as Redwood City Pulse reported |
May 2024 | Council voted 6–0 to make the pedestrian mall permanent after a one-month delay for more comment, per the Mercury News |
Feb. 9, 2026 | Council approved buying 10 bollards on its consent agenda |
May 11, 2026 | Council adopted the Entertainment Zone ordinance for the same block |
June and July 2026 | The Entertainment Zone was switched on three times |
Oct. 5, 2026 | Bollard installation began at the Main Street and Jefferson Avenue ends |
Early 2027 | Repaving of the mall roadway is planned |
Support for the closure was lopsided from the start. When the January 2024 decision was made, 93% of 62 survey respondents and 14 of 15 participating businesses backed it. Respondents also raised concerns about wayfinding, trash and micromobility, according to the Pulse.
The bollards are meant to replace the temporary setup with something fixed. Four of the ten are retractable and six are fixed, so emergency, maintenance and Recology vehicles can still get through. Redwood City Pulse reported a contract cap of $439,300 for the bollards and a total project cost of about $520,000 with installation and site prep. The money comes from the City's Parking Fund, with no expected hit to the general fund.
So the block that used to close to cars stays closed now because of what's built into the street. The bollards don't change the drinking rules, which follow a separate ordinance.
The switch the City flips
The Entertainment Zone ordinance Council adopted on May 11 uses a new state law, Senate Bill 969. The zone covers the 2000 block of Broadway and the stretch of Redwood Creek from Broadway to the Main Street parking lot. The City calls it the Peninsula's first. Many people assume it means open drinking on Broadway any time. It doesn't. Here's how it works, according to the City's Entertainment Zones page:
- Only during City Special Events. The zone can only be switched on for a City Special Event, with at least 72 hours' notice to businesses and residents.
- A 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. window. Events can happen any day of the week within those hours, as long as at least one business in the zone takes part.
- Only businesses that open onto the zone can sell. That means addresses from 2000 to 2099 Broadway.
- Designated cups, 21 and over. Participating businesses serve in designated cups. Anyone under 21 can come in but can't drink, and no outside alcohol can be brought into or out of the zone.
"Open consumption of alcohol in the Entertainment Zone (or anywhere else in Redwood City) outside of City Special Events is still prohibited."
That line from the City's FAQ explains why the zone is quiet this winter. The Entertainment Zones article of the municipal code, as transcribed on a third-party code site, also limits drinks to beer and wine. Each activation also requires a notice posted at City Hall and online. That's the quickest way to tell whether a given afternoon counts. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're planning anything around these rules, the City's page and the code are the authority.
The summer test was small. The first activation, on Thursday, June 11 from 3 to 5 p.m., expected about 400 people. The July activation, on Saturday, July 18 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., expected about 300. The City's launch announcement described July 18 as a pre-event for the Soccer on the Square watch party for the third-place match. It also listed Saturday, June 20 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. as one of the first three planned activations. The San Mateo Daily Journal reported that City staff found the weekday debut lightly attended. One participant told the paper they hoped for more activations and a larger zone that might take in Alhambra Irish House on Main Street.
The City has posted no activation notice for November or December, and its own page points to 2027 for the next event.
What the block runs on when the switch is off
With no street events on the schedule, the 2000 block works the way it has since the closure. Each restaurant runs its own share of the outdoor seating. The City's August 2026 Downtown Dining Guide lists a dense stretch of places with Broadway addresses between 2000 and 2099:
- Mazra, 2021 Broadway
- Vesta, 2022 Broadway
- Vino Santo, 2030 Broadway
- La Maja Empanadas, 2033 Broadway
- Nick the Greek, 2034 Broadway
- Zareen's, 2039 Broadway
- LV Mar, 2042 Broadway
- Blacksmith, 2048 Broadway
- Bao, 2050 Broadway
- Rockn Wraps, 2053 Broadway, with Pizzeria Cardamomo at 2053A
- The Sandwich Guy, 2070 Broadway
- Nighthawk, 2086 Broadway
- May's Vietnamese Restaurant, 2088 Broadway
- Vons Chicken, 2090 Broadway
- Margarita's, 2098 Broadway
That address range matches the one the Entertainment Zone uses to decide who can sell alcohol. These are the addresses eligible to sell when the City switches it back on, and the City says it will post a list of participating businesses once participation is confirmed.
Two of those addresses have updates this fall. Vesta's website says the restaurant closed for a refresh from September 29 to October 1 and reopened Friday, October 2. It lists Monday through Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Palo Alto Online profiled Vesta in May and listed the same hours. Mazra's website shows an October 2026 menu for its 2021 Broadway location.
The tables out on the pavement are each restaurant's own decision. Under the City's outdoor business program, putting furniture or a platform in the public right-of-way takes building and encroachment permits plus a license agreement. The posted FY 2026–27 fee schedule charges an annual use fee of $11.65 per square foot. In a March 2025 staff report, the City counted 51 businesses that had applied to the program since 2022. That update also set separate standards for parklets on pedestrian streets like this block and banned smoking and vaping in parklets and sidewalk cafes.
So when you walk the block on a weeknight this month, the outdoor seating you see is what each restaurant pays for and permits on its own. The City's summer events added a layer on top of that.
Where the block fits in November and December
The bigger downtown events this season are a short walk away, so the block works as a place to eat before or after.
Zoppé Italian Family Circus runs November 6 through 29 in the Main Library parking lot at 1044 Middlefield Road, with evening shows and weekend matinees. The first weekend lands right after this post goes up.
Día de los Muertos is on the City calendar for Sunday, November 8 at 3:30 p.m.
ART on the Square's 11th Annual Holiday Show is Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway, just past the Main Street end of the mall. The listing says admission is free and more than 25 artists will take part.
Hometown Holidays is listed for Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m. to "6:00 pm-ish" downtown, with a parade and the traditional tree lighting. The City calls the schedule and times tentative, and route details haven't been posted yet. The same day, the City's Kids Pop-up Shop runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. downtown.
None of these dates comes with an Entertainment Zone activation. That could change if the City posts a notice at least 72 hours ahead, but its own page says the next one is a 2027 hope. Meanwhile, the bollard work and the early 2027 repaving will keep reshaping the two ends of the block where Main Street and Jefferson Avenue meet Broadway.
If you live near downtown and want to know how changes like the pedestrian mall and the bollards could affect the blocks around your home, Sandra Darrow is happy to talk it through with you. Schedule a free, personalized market consultation, and we'll go over what's being built near you and how it fits your plans.
