"To rebuild a house because a restaurant is opening nearby is pretty special, right?" Nancy Silverton said that to the Palisadian-Post before Spacca Tutto opened on October 15. She described people coming up to her to say they had been on the fence about rebuilding and decided to go ahead once they heard she was coming.
The restaurant arrived at a useful time. In mid-November, the park on Alma Real starts closing its parking lots, playground, basketball courts and ball fields for a rebuild expected to last more than a year. Until those fields come back, the Village carries most of the neighborhood's public life by itself. That means the weekly market, the dinner reservation, the holiday-season errands and, before the year ends, the movies. Here is how the winter is set up.
What Goes Behind the Fence in Mid-November
Reconstruction at the Palisades Recreation Center, 851 Alma Real Dr., started October 26 with utility work and site clearing. Park Advisory Board President Andy Starrels described the larger closures at the board's October 15 meeting, speaking on behalf of Steadfast LA, and the Palisadian-Post reported what he said. Starting in mid-November, the following close:
- Both parking lots
- The playground
- The basketball courts
- The ball fields
- The maintenance yard
According to Starrels, the tennis and bocce courts will stay open "as long as possible." The tennis news has been good lately. The Palisades Tennis Center was finishing its own renovation, with two upper courts already reopened after resurfacing and new fencing. Board member Mike Tomas said the last two courts were scheduled to be finished on October 19, which would make all eight courts available.
Starrels was candid about the timing in that report. "There's no denying construction is tough, and a year-plus of construction at the park is going to have bumps and hurdles," he said.
The Programs Already Moved West
The rec center's classes and leagues didn't wait for the fences. The Council District 11 update from late August confirmed fall 2026 classes and youth programs at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center, including tennis, basketball, ballet, pickleball, ceramics and dance. Earlier relocation plans reported by the Palisadian-Post put Bantam and Rookie basketball at Rustic Canyon and flag football at Penmar.
For a family, that splits the week by purpose. Sports and classes happen at Rustic Canyon and Penmar. Dinner, errands and the market happen on Swarthmore and Sunset, and that second part of the week is the one that has grown since summer.
Spacca Tutto Was Designed for a Tuesday Night
Spacca Tutto is the clearest sign of what the Village is trying to be this winter. The Palisadian-Post reported that Rick Caruso wanted a neighborhood restaurant people would eat at several times a week, not a special-occasion room, and that goal is what led to the Italian steakhouse format. Silverton told the paper that to her a steakhouse means "a large menu with a lot of choices and familiar food that is appealing to a wide crowd."
It is her first restaurant in Pacific Palisades. It's a partnership between Mozza Restaurant Group, Caruso Restaurant Group and New School Hospitality, and it borrows from chi SPACCA on Melrose. That includes the Focaccia di Recco, a crisp, cheesy flatbread inspired by Recco, Italy. The steak list runs from Australian Wagyu to an aged Kansas Porterhouse. The lunch menu adds a dry-aged hanger steak panini and Nancy's burger, the sides include creamed spinach and loaded baked potatoes, and chocolate mousse closes things out. The bar focuses on martinis, negronis, and Italian and California wines.
AvroKO designed the room and the sheltered patio, which seat 108 in total. The design uses travertine, dark wood, burgundy fabrics and brass, and a central bar anchors the space under a hand-painted botanical mural. Spacca Tutto is at 15255 Palisades Village Lane and is open daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. The phone number is 310-459-3210.
The Village has more to offer than one restaurant. Alphabet Bar & Grill opened in August, and Angelini Ristorante & Bar, Porta Via and Blue Ribbon Sushi have all returned. City National Bank reopened its branch at 15273 Sunset Boulevard on October 5. It's open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the ATM runs around the clock.
The Village Calendar From Now to New Year's
With the park's lots and lawns closed, the Palisades Village calendar is the main shared calendar for the rest of 2026. These are the dates that are already set:
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., through December 30 | Pacific Palisades Farmers Market | Swarthmore Avenue at Palisades Village |
| November 10, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Giving Tuesday | Palisades Village |
| November 11, 3:30 p.m. | Palisades Branch Teen Council | Palisades Branch Library |
| Through December 31 | Scoop & Shop offer | Palisades Village |
| Before the end of 2026, date to be announced | Bay Theater reopening | 1035 N. Swarthmore Ave. |
The market's run through December 30 matters most of anything on the list. It gives the neighborhood a midweek gathering every Wednesday across the same weeks the park's fields and playground are closed.
The Bay Theater Is the Next Piece
On October 13, Paramount Pictures and Caruso announced that the Bay Theater will reopen before the end of the year. Deadline reported that no date has been set yet. The five-screen venue at 1035 N. Swarthmore Ave. has been closed since the fire and is being restored. Luxury cinema operator The Lot will run it, with first-run movies, classics, special screenings and immersive theatrical events. The Los Angeles Times reported that the plans include dining and cocktails in the theater along with upgraded sound and projection.
The name has a long history here. The original Bay Theater opened on Sunset Boulevard in 1949 and closed in 1978, and the current version opened in 2018. If it opens on schedule, the Village will have a movie theater by the holidays, while the park will still be months away from its first reopened field.
What Comes Back on the Park Side, and Roughly When
The park's return happens in stages. Here is what's known about the order:
- Tennis. All eight courts were scheduled to be in play once the last two were finished on October 19.
- Ball fields and the lower parking lot. Project leaders are aiming to reopen them for baseball season in March 2027, and Starrels said the dates "will be constantly fine-tuned" as subcontractors weigh in and weather affects the work.
- The full rebuild. Gensler, the project's designer, estimated 14 to 16 months for the whole rebuild when it announced the September groundbreaking. The January estimate in the city's Recreation and Parks board report was about 12 months, so the schedule has already grown once.
The park that reopens will be larger than the one that closed. The city's report describes an expanded building of about 28,000 square feet with two indoor basketball courts, two indoor pickleball courts and a multipurpose room. Gensler's design adds a two-level playground, a U10 soccer field, two lighted outdoor basketball courts, a gathering space called the Pali Hub, terraced seating, a Veterans Garden and bocce courts. Gensler describes all of the funding as philanthropic, with a budget of more than $50 million. Partners include Steadfast LA, LA Strong Sports and the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and Freeman Group is managing the project. The Palisadian-Post reported that the finished park goes back to city operation.
Until the first field reopens, the neighborhood's shared places are the Village blocks between Sunset and Swarthmore, with Rustic Canyon handling the classes and leagues.
If the next year of construction and reopenings has you thinking about your own plans in the Palisades, whether that's a rebuild, a sale or a first look at what the neighborhood offers now, Kati Cattaneo follows the rebuild closely and is glad to talk through what it means for you. Work With Kati.
