Riviera Village Gave 47 Parking Spaces to Dinner Tables, and the Block Is Rearranging Around Them

Riviera Village kept its outdoor dining decks this year. A city staff report set out a five-year extension for the seven decks built in the curb lanes of Catalina, Avenue I and Elena, running to May 19, 2031. Those decks sit on up to 47 public parking spaces. That's a big number in a shopping district whose first organized meeting, more than 70 years ago, was largely about where customers would leave their cars.

The decision explains a lot about the past twelve months. A Hermosa Beach institution has expanded into the Village, saying the outdoor dining was part of the draw. A fine-dining room has finished its first year in the building that doubles as the Halloween parking garage. And this Saturday, October 31, the Village's oldest problem comes back for an evening when Catalina Avenue closes to cars.

Parking was the Village's first argument

Riviera Village began as the shopping area for Clifford Reid's Hollywood Riviera housing development. According to the Daily Breeze's South Bay History column from October 12, 2026, shop owners met at the Windjammer cafe at Catalina Avenue and Avenue I in December 1954. They met again on February 10, 1955, as the Hollywood Riviera Village Association, with building contractor Forrest B. Yoder as president. They had already hired Victor Gruen Associates to lay out the triangle of small shops with "ample parking." The column reports that parking was one of the first issues the new group took up, because the lots were apparently not as ample as hoped.

The question never went away. In 2019, the center's management considered building an underground garage beneath the main lot. The Daily Breeze notes the idea was tabled because of the cost. So the space problem got answered by keeping the curb lanes, not by digging. Starting during the pandemic, some of those lanes turned into dining rooms.

What the extension keeps, and who pays for it

The staff report and council presentation for the May 19, 2026 meeting set the terms. What Now Los Angeles reported that same month that the City Council had decided to extend the program for five years. Here are the terms as described in the city's legislative record:

• Seven decks. Four are on S. Catalina Avenue, two on Avenue I and one on S. Elena Avenue.
• A ceiling of 47 spaces. The extension adds no decks and no footprint. Decks can be moved or reconfigured as long as the total stays at or under 47 spaces.
• Restaurants pay rent for the curb. Participating businesses pay $2 per square foot per month. The Riviera Village Business Improvement District collects the fee and sends it to the city.
• The merchants keep the decks up. The BID covers maintenance and repairs.
• The city keeps a lever. The decks still need a Special Event Permit and must meet conditions on accessibility, safety and right-of-way use. The city can adjust or revoke the authorization and the fees.

The Riviera Village Association board voted unanimously to support the extension. Its May 19 minutes show it wanted the 47 spaces treated as a floating allocation, not pinned to the exact spots in use today. Seventy-one years after the Windjammer meetings, the Village's merchants are still the ones negotiating how its street space gets used.

The tables brought new tenants

The most visible change in 2026 happened at 1810 S. Catalina Avenue. Gabi James, a Spanish-French restaurant, closed there in late April after eight years. Martha's, open in Hermosa Beach since 1984, took over the 5,000-square-foot, two-story building between Fringe and Redondo Beach Brew. Co-owner Hilary Condren told What Now Los Angeles why he chose the Village:

"Redondo has a vibrant village. Their downtown, their heartbeat is on fire. Part of it is because they've made a decision to maintain the outdoor dining that they provided to all the restaurants during COVID."

What Now reported that Condren pointed to the deck extension as part of what makes the Village a good place to open. The upstairs room was another selling point, because the team had long wanted space for private events. The brand's executive chef is Johnny De Vivo, formerly executive chef at Rolling Hills Country Club. What Now described the menu as classic American grill, with smashburgers, baby back ribs, steak and short ribs, plus a few dishes from the team's Hermosa Italian restaurant, The Bottle Inn. Martha's says on its site that the Redondo location is now open, serving breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m.

A block north, Montauk just passed its first anniversary. The Daily Breeze reported that the 160-seat restaurant soft-opened October 23, 2025, at 1611 S. Catalina Avenue. Founder Lavae McClinnahan called the concept "sophisticated coastal dining," with white-linen tables inside, a patio with an herb garden used in the kitchen, and a jazz lounge. Its site lists dinner daily from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at Suite 150, and its events calendar runs through the fall.

Some long-running places have closed. Easy Reader reported in January that Rinaldi's Deli had closed after nearly 20 years in the Village. The anchor at the other end of the timeline is Hennessey's Tavern. Paul Hennessey opened it in June 1976, it marked its 50th anniversary this year, and it's now the oldest business still operating in Riviera Village. The Daily Breeze history column traces the Village's last big change in direction to 1995, when Starbucks replaced Winchell's Donuts and newer shops and restaurants followed.

Halloween turns the street back into a parking puzzle

On Saturday, October 31, the Riviera Village Halloween Trick or Treat closes Catalina Avenue to traffic from Avenue I to S. Elena Street from 3 to 8 p.m. Shops hand out candy outdoors until 6 p.m. or until it runs out. The Riviera Village Association describes the event as one that draws thousands of children each year. With a stretch of Catalina closed, the Village has to point all those visitors to lots instead of curbs.

The association's event page lists three options:

1. Plaza Riviera garage, 1611 S. Catalina Avenue. It has cashless paid parking at the corner of Catalina and Avenue I, and the association recommends Apple Pay or Google Pay for the fastest exit.
2. The triangle parking lot between Avenida Del Norte and S. Elena Street, plus individual spots on all streets.
3. Mira Mar Park, 201 Paseo de la Playa. This paid lot is two blocks away.

Plaza Riviera is also Montauk's address. If you're planning to have dinner once the candy runs out at 6, both the garage and the restaurant are in the same building at the north end of the closure. Martha's dinner service also starts at 5.

The rest of the season's calendar

The same blocks host the Village's other regular gatherings through the end of the year:

• Every Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Riviera Village Farmers Market runs year-round in the triangle parking lot at 1801 S. Elena Avenue, the same lot the association points Halloween visitors to.
• Saturday, October 31, 3 to 8 p.m. This is the Halloween Trick or Treat described above.
• Thursday, December 3, 5 to 9 p.m. For the Holiday Stroll, S. Catalina Avenue closes from Avenue I to S. Elena, and Avenue I closes from S. Catalina to S. Elena. Stores stay open late with refreshments, and the evening includes a carousel, Santa, the Grinch and the Jolly Maker's Market on Avenue I.

Avenue I, home to two of the seven dining decks, is also where the Jolly Maker's Market sets up during the Holiday Stroll.

Being able to walk to Catalina on a Sunday morning or a Halloween evening is part of what you get with a home near the Village, and it's something buyers ask about. If you live nearby and want to know how that walkability shows up in your home's value today, The Stucker Group is happy to walk you through it. Request Your Free Home Valuation and we'll put together a picture built around your street, not a citywide average.