On April 6, the Seal Beach Planning Commission approved a waffle and ice cream shop for Main Street in about 20 minutes. Nobody emailed a comment. Nobody spoke during public comment. According to the Sun, applicant Georges Hoebrechts said he had just flown in from Belgium for the hearing and was flying back the next day. The commissioners asked whether he would serve coffee, set a rule that outdoor benches stay 8 feet clear of the café tables, and voted yes unanimously.
That shop is one of several food businesses moving into Main Street's vacancies. Most of the empty storefronts on the street are coming back as kitchens, bakeries and dessert counters. The city has also changed how it handles new businesses, which shortens the gap between a "For Lease" sign and an open door.
From Nine Empty Spaces to Six
The Sun has been counting the empty windows for more than a year. It counted nine empty spaces on Main in August 2025 and six in June 2026.
- August 2025: the empty spaces included 137 Main, the former Bank of America building, the Sun's old office at 216 Main, unit 226 and unit 246.
- Since then: Seal Beach Vintage opened on the 200 block and Cozy Bear pet grooming on the 100 block.
- June 2026: the Sun's inventory placed Seal Beach Vintage at 246 Main and said at least two more spaces would open soon.
Dropping from nine to six is good news, but how the spaces are filling matters more. Count the spaces that have opened or are under way since then, and most of them will serve food.
The Street, Address by Address
Here is where each of the active spaces stood heading into the end of October, using the most recent public updates:
| Address | What was there | What's going in | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 137 Main | Old Town Café | Chaupain Artisan Bakery | Remodel underway; "coming soon" |
| 208 Main | Bank of America | Full-service restaurant | Permits issued; demolition underway in August |
| 210 Main | Vacant | Solera Kitchen + Wine Bar | Open since June 2026 |
| 226 Main | Christian Science Reading Room | Belgian waffle, ice cream and coffee shop | Approved April 6; no opening date announced |
| 246 Main | Vacant | Seal Beach Vintage | Open |
| 327 Main | Vacant | Zaine Ashton Boys Collection | Had been scheduled to open June 3, 2026 |
| Main St. and PCH | Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf | Owners want a long-term tenant | Available |
One correction for anyone keeping track: the June inventory put the waffle shop at 216 Main, but the city staff report the Sun quoted lists it at 226 Main, the former reading room. The Sun's old office was at 216.
210 Main Showed What a New Opening Can Do
Solera Kitchen + Wine Bar was the first of the new food spaces to open, and it set the tone. Solera had a soft opening on June 15 and held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting with the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce on June 29. Its announcement on Business Wire said it served more than 1,200 guests in its first 15 days.
Operator and certified sommelier Brandon Martini co-founded Solera with entrepreneur Todd Wohrman. Executive Chef Michael Droma, whose résumé includes The Bazaar by José Andrés, Sotto, Cantinetta Luca and Sugo Social, runs the kitchen. The restaurant is built on a sommelier-picked wine list, a seasonal from-scratch menu and charcuterie made in-house. Its own site describes the food as New American with European influences.
"People come to Seal Beach and they want to slow down. We built a place that makes that easy." Brandon Martini, co-founder, in Solera's opening announcement
Solera is an evening place built for long dinners and shared plates. The two food spaces coming next cover the rest of the day.
137 and 226 Fill In the Morning and the Afternoon
Chaupain Artisan Bakery at 137 Main takes over the old Old Town Café space, which was already empty in the Sun's August 2025 count. Patch reported on August 31 that signs on the building gave a late-2026 opening, and that husband-and-wife founders Sarah and Sami Ellouze will sell handmade pastries, fresh bread and lunch. In an Instagram post that Patch quoted, the owners wrote that "Seal Beach holds a special place in Sarah's heart, with memories dating back to her childhood." In July, Community Development Director Shaun Temple confirmed to the Sun that the bakery was replacing the café.
Chaupain is already established elsewhere in Orange County. Its locations page lists four other OC shops, plus Seal Beach marked "COMING SOON!" at 137 Main as of its late-September update. The menu runs from bread and French pastries to breakfast, lunch and coffee.
The waffle shop at 226 Main will serve Belgian waffles, ice cream and coffee, with tables outside and seating on both floors of the old reading room building. At the hearing, the leasing representative said Hoebrechts had owned restaurants in Belgium and hoped "to bring like authentic Belgium waffles to the U.S." The Sun reported in August that the shop had run an online survey of Old Town on Nextdoor and still had no opening date.
When both open, a short walk up Main Street will offer a pastry and coffee in the morning, a waffle in the afternoon and a wine bar dinner at night, all within a few blocks.
208 Main and the Corner at PCH Are Still Open Questions
The old Bank of America building at 208 Main is the largest conversion on the street and has had the longest approval process. A March 2025 report from What Now described the plan as a full-service restaurant with alcohol, live entertainment and a patio. It identified the owner as 208 Main Street LLC. The California Coastal Commission approved the change from bank to restaurant in October 2025. By August 2026, according to the Sun, a demolition crew was working inside and city and state permits had been issued.
The owners have not announced a tenant. That makes 208 Main the one big food space on the street where the plans are approved and construction has started, but nobody knows yet what restaurant is going in.
The former Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway is the other open question. District Two Councilman Ben Wong said the building's owners want a long-term tenant, and city staff suggested a bagel shop. That suggestion is another food idea, and for the busiest corner on the street.
The City Started Recruiting Tenants
Part of what's speeding things up is at City Hall. The Sun reported that the city's new Ad Hoc Business First Committee was formed to recruit businesses instead of waiting for them to apply, and that a Business Concierge Program is part of that effort. Wong told the Chamber of Commerce's August 13 networking breakfast that the waffle shop owner got through planning permits in six weeks. He credited Management Analyst Jennifer Robles, who serves as the city's business concierge. Robles and Temple also tracked down the owners of the empty Coffee Bean building to talk about who might move in.
"Now, Main Street might not be specifically my area, my district, but we're still all Seal Beach, right?" Councilman Ben Wong, as reported by the Sun
Next, the city committee is expected to take up Main Street beautification and the Main Street Specific Plan, the rulebook for what can be built and operated along the street.
The Refilled Street This Holiday Season
The next few weeks of events will bring crowds past the new spaces:
- Friday, October 30. The Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce lists Halloween Trick or Treat on Main Street.
- Saturday, October 31. The city lists its annual Trunk or Treat in the city parking lots on Main Street and Electric Avenue. The listing gives two different time ranges, so check with the city before you go.
- Saturday, November 21, 4 to 7 p.m. The Chamber's tree lighting at the base of the Seal Beach Pier, with children's sledding, crafts, Santa, carolers, cookies, hot cocoa and a life-size snowman.
- Friday, December 4, 7 p.m. The Seal Beach Lions Club's 48th annual Christmas Parade, running from the pier up Main Street to PCH, with the theme "A Red, White, and Blue Christmas."
If Chaupain's late-2026 target holds, the bakery at 137 Main could be open for the parade.
Main Street's storefronts help shape what homes nearby are worth, and every new opening changes how buyers see Old Town. If you own near Main Street and want to know how this year's openings affect your home's value, the team at KND Real Estate Group will walk you through it. Get a Free Home Valuation.
