Tahoe City's Lakefront Winter Runs Through a Building in Bankruptcy Court

By Halloween, Tahoe City will have lost two of its best-known dinner rooms on the water. Jake's on the Lake closes at the end of October after 48 years. Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge is scheduled to begin a six-month, $5 million renovation this month and won't reopen until April. On October 29, during Jake's final days, the Tahoe City Farmers Market moves out of the cold into the building Jake's is leaving. That building is the Boatworks Mall, and its owner filed for Chapter 11 in August.

So from now until the snow builds, much of lakefront social life downtown comes down to one address with an unsettled future. The indoor market's last Thursday is December 17. The bankruptcy court's next status conference on the mall is also December 17.

Which Waterfront Rooms Close When

The closures are staggered. Each has its own reason, and they overlap through November.

Gar Woods is down the shore in Carnelian Bay, but it's part of the same picture. It's closed for floor refurbishment and equipment updates, so for most of November the North Shore's three big lakeside dinner rooms are all closed together. Gar Woods and Sunnyside have return dates. Jake's doesn't.

Jake's still has a few weeks. Through October it's running happy hour every day from 5 to 6:30 p.m., plus $5 glasses on Wine Wednesdays.

Why Jake's Is Closing

Jake's isn't closing because business dried up. In July, general partner Jeff Hill told Moonshine Ink that the decision came down to its relationship with the landlord. "Due to the dynamic with the landlord and other outside factors, a path hasn't really been presented to be able to move forward," Hill said. "Should a path illuminate, we would walk it, but I just don't see what that would be."

The landlord's situation has moved since then. Boatworks at Tahoe, LLC is owned by MJD Capital Partners, which bought the mall in 2019. It defaulted on a $14 million loan in January. On August 11 it filed for Chapter 11 in the Eastern District of California, one day before the property was set to be auctioned in foreclosure. The Sierra Sun reported that the notice of sale put the unpaid loan balance and other charges at over $15.5 million.

According to the company, the mall and the Inn at Boatworks will stay open while it seeks court approval of a reorganization plan. "Staying open is crucial for the business, the employees, and the community," said Marie Murphy, CEO of MJD Capital Partners. Murphy also said the company still plans a mixed-use redevelopment with hotel lodging, a spa, residential condominiums and independent commercial spaces. "For over four decades, Boatworks has been Tahoe City's place to be," she said.

So the restaurant that held a lease through all of this is leaving just as the building gets legal protection to stay open. As of early October, no local outlet has reported a new owner for the mall or a new operator for the Jake's space.

The Market Moves In on October 29

The Tahoe City Farmers Market bills itself as the region's only market on the shores of Lake Tahoe. It runs Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Commons Beach through October 22. On October 29 it moves indoors as the Fall Harvest Markets, inside Boatworks Mall. The hours stay the same, it runs every Thursday through December 17, and there's no market on Thanksgiving, November 26.

For seven Thursdays, that will bring the steadiest foot traffic the mall has had in a while. The building has struggled to draw people in. In July, Moonshine Ink reported that Boatworks was about half occupied. Hacienda del Lago, the mall's other restaurant anchor, closed in 2021, and its space is still empty. Allison Yonto, owner of the Tahoe Wine Collective, said at the time that about eight businesses there open daily. "Foot traffic is a big problem getting people to come through here," she said. Tenants still there include the Tahoe Wine Collective, Mountain Lotus Yoga and Tahoe Fit.

In September the court gave final approval to motions on cash collateral and the management agreement, and pushed the status conference to December 17. The final indoor market and the next look at the mall's future land on the same Thursday.

Where to Eat After Halloween

With the big rooms closed, the remaining dinner options are smaller and spread around downtown. Most sit on the river or up the hill rather than right on the shore. The hours below are what each restaurant posts on its own site, and none of those pages is dated. Call ahead before planning a winter evening around them.

• Bridgetender sits on the Truckee River with indoor seating and a patio. Its posted kitchen hours run every day: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar stays open an hour later.
• Savoie opened this summer in the restored Pfeifer House at 760 River Road, run by chefs Mark and Alison Sullivan. Its contact page lists Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.
• Wolfdale's serves dinner from 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Thanksgiving. It describes its dining as lake-view, not right on the water.
• Sierra Surf Club advertises lake views and serves breakfast daily from 7 to 11 a.m. It also offers all-day dining and a bar, but it doesn't post full hours for those. It's in the historic Tahoe Inn.
• Christy Hill has lake views from its dining room. On Thursday, October 8, it's serving a three-course, family-style locals' dinner for $50 per person. Reservations are at 530-583-8551.

October and November in Town

As the waterfront rooms close, the Tahoe City Downtown Association and the Tahoe City Public Utility District have filled the calendar. Most of these events are a short walk from Boatworks.

1. Tahoe Literary Festival, Oct. 9 to 11, at venues around Tahoe City.
2. Harvest Fest, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Tahoe City Community Center, 401 West Lake Blvd. Entry is free. Wristbands for unlimited activities cost $10 for ages 2 to 3 and $20 for ages 4 and up.
3. Zombie Crawl, Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 10 p.m., with food and drink specials around downtown and a free shuttle from Olympic Valley and the West Shore.
4. Haunted Historic Walking Tours, starting outside Sierra Surf Club: Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., and Oct. 31 at 10 a.m.
5. Placer Artists Tour, Nov. 6 to 8. North Tahoe galleries join for the first time, including The Eadington Gallery, Kiwi Kamera Gallery and North Tahoe Arts.
6. Community Christmas Tree Lighting, Nov. 28, at the Tahoe City Winter Sports Park. The Downtown Association lists it as new in 2026.

Put the Thursday markets inside Boatworks alongside this list, and most of the season's gatherings happen indoors or downtown rather than at lakeside tables.

What Comes Back in April

Sunnyside is the one lakefront closure with a firm, detailed plan. T S Restaurants ran the lodge for 39 years under a lease from the ownership group and is stepping away. The owners are now partnering with Local Food Group of Reno, which runs seven restaurants in Nevada, including all four Great Basin locations. The renovation covers the lodge, kitchen and dining room. It also moves the bar, adds more private dining, and includes work on the marina and waterfront.

CEO Mark Estee says the fried zucchini is staying. The Hula Pie is trademarked by T S Restaurants, so it can't come along, and Estee plans to develop a new dessert in its place. "You don't want to change everything, but you want to change the things that need to be changed," he said. More than 100 former employees have signed up to return, and staff are scheduled back in March ahead of the April reopening.

By then Gar Woods should have been back since December. Jake's lakefront space at Boatworks will likely still be empty until the court case is settled.

Ownership questions like the one at Boatworks shape North Shore lakefront property long before anything changes hands, and we track them closely. If you own on the water in Tahoe City and want to talk through what a stretch of downtown in transition means for your property, The Moore Team is glad to have that conversation. Schedule a free consultation.