Eleven Years In, The Village at Topanga Is Filling Its Restaurant Gaps One Suite at a Time

The storefront at 6316 Topanga Canyon Boulevard has gone dark under two names in two different ways. One suite held Veggie Grill until mid-2023. Another, Suite 1110, held XOC Tequila Grill. Meanwhile, Il Fornaio and EMC Seafood, both announced for The Village at Westfield Topanga in 2015, are still on its dining directory.

Both of those suites now have new tenants on the way. Their operators built their names in Santa Monica, Westwood, Hollywood and Rancho Cucamonga, and Woodland Hills is where they're entering the Valley.

The 2015 Names Are Still on the Directory

In July 2015, Eater LA reported EMC Seafood and Il Fornaio as incoming tenants of The Village, which was mostly slated to arrive that fall alongside retail such as REI and Costco. It also listed Tender Greens, Eureka! Burger and Sushi Katsu-ya among the eateries signed for the Westfield Topanga property. All five appear on the Village's dining directory today:

• EMC Seafood
• Il Fornaio
• Tender Greens
• Eureka!
• Sushi Katsu-ya

The current directory also lists JOEY Woodland Hills, Larsens Steakhouse, Wokcano, Pitfire Pizza, SusieCakes, Sloan's, CAVA, Bacio di Latte, Dan Modern Chinese, Sweetfin Poke, Alfred Coffee, Kabob Village, Protini Bar, Modern Bread and Bagel and Saint & Second.

With so many long-running tenants, a new restaurant usually arrives only when a single suite opens up. Saint & Second followed that path. What Now Los Angeles reported in August 2024 that it was building out the former Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que space, and by May 2025 the Daily News was reviewing it as an operating restaurant. The next two arrivals are following the same path.

Two Suites, Two Newcomers

The Veggie Grill Space Has Been Empty Since Mid-2023

Veggie Grill's exit came from the chain, and the Village had little to do with it. Hoodline reported that the plant-based chain closed six California locations in mid-2023, Topanga among them, to cut its store count after hybrid work changed how people ate lunch. That same year, CEO T.K. Pillan told Restaurant Dive that the company closed units whose economics stopped working once office-lunch traffic fell off.

The next tenant is a sandwich shop built for longer visits than a weekday lunch. In a September 17 announcement, Bread Head said it plans to open the Topanga Village location in December 2026. The space will have indoor and outdoor seating, large televisions carrying NFL Sunday Ticket, a curated beer list, and breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hoodline, citing What Now, reported that a liquor license application for the location is pending.

The chefs behind it are Alex Williams and Jordan Snyder. The two met at Trois Mec, and each has earned a Michelin star. Eater LA describes the shop's bread as falling between focaccia and ciabatta, with a springy interior and a crisp crust. It names two signatures coming to Woodland Hills. The Grinder is stacked with salami cotto, hot coppa, smoked ham and provolone. The mozzarella sandwich pairs fresh mozzarella with avocado, alfalfa sprouts, pickled red onion and za'atar spread.

Bread Head's existing shops run a weekday special rotation, which Hoodline listed as follows:

1. Monday: meatball sandwich
2. Tuesday: roast pork and broccoli rabe
3. Wednesday: Cuban
4. Thursday: Reuben
5. Friday: sausage and peppers

Suite 1110 Changed Plans Before It Changed Hands

The XOC Tequila Grill space has had more planning turns than the Veggie Grill suite. In July, What Now Los Angeles reported an ABC filing for Durango at 6316 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 1110. Durango would have been the second location for the brand, whose first is Durango Cocina & Rooftop above the Sanctity Hotel in Rancho Cucamonga, opened in spring 2025.

By early August, the same outlet reported that the space would instead become Casa Luna, a Mexican concept from the same company, Boulevard Hospitality Group. The signage was near Alfred Coffee. Owner Freddy Braidi told What Now that the team was aiming for early 2027. The group also runs Yamashiro Hollywood, Udatsu Sushi LA, and Cork & Batter Roadhouse in Simi Valley. The Village's own directory currently lists Casa Palma as coming soon, next to Bread Head.

Woodland Hills as the Way Into the Valley

The two operators share a pattern that goes beyond timing. Bread Head opened in Santa Monica in June 2024, then Manhattan Beach in June 2025 and Westwood in November 2025. Woodland Hills will be its fourth shop, and the company has said a fifth, in Thousand Oaks, is expected in Q2 2027. Eater framed the move simply as Bread Head expanding "to the Valley."

CEO Greg Willsey put it in terms of the real estate. In the company's announcement, he said, "It is a great privilege to be offered such crown jewel spaces after just over two years in operation." Hoodline pointed out the practical side. A turnkey, second-generation restaurant suite lets a growing brand enter the San Fernando Valley without building from bare walls. Hoodline counted Durango's planned move into another second-generation space at the same address and Original Tommy's announced Woodland Hills location as part of the same wave.

On the map, this puts Topanga Village in the middle of a westward route. Bread Head's next planned stop after Woodland Hills is Thousand Oaks. Boulevard Hospitality already runs Cork & Batter in Simi Valley. For both companies, the Topanga Canyon Boulevard address sits between their Westside or Hollywood flagships and the Conejo and Simi valleys.

The Holiday Calendar Around the Village

Bread Head's December target falls during the busiest stretch of the year for the Warner Center blocks. Across the street at Westfield Topanga, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., which carries a Canoga Park mailing address, the season is already underway.

• Photos with Santa runs November 13 through December 24 at Westfield Topanga, with walk-ups welcome daily until closing.
• Pet Night with Santa runs Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., November 17 through December 8.
• The Valley Cultural Foundation's Holiday Arts & Music Festival is Saturday, December 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Warner Park, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd. It's free and includes Santa photos, a fresh-snow play zone, a kids' crafts area, local vendors and food trucks, according to the festival's event page.
• Sensory Santa is on the Westfield Topanga calendar for Sunday, December 6.

Bread Head's Woodland Hills hours, exact opening day and grand-opening plans will be announced closer to the opening, according to the company's September release.

When a retail center as established as The Village signs new tenants, it can affect how buyers view the blocks around it. At Michelle Price Realty Group, we follow those changes along Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Ventura Boulevard closely. If you'd like to talk through what they mean for a home in Woodland Hills, we invite you to request a confidential consultation.