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The Pleasanton Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit last week that allows Naschmarkt, an Austrian restaurant located downtown, to stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays.
According to the restaurant’s general manager, Rene Lopez, the intent behind extending the restaurant’s hours of operation was to offer the community an upscale, after-hours destination in downtown where people can enjoy some late-night drinks and limited food options that isn’t necessarily a traditional late-night bar with overtly loud music.
“We want a nice place where people can come in (and) hang out … I don’t want to start a nightclub,” Lopez told the Pleasanton Weekly.
In its first year in downtown Pleasanton, Naschmarkt opened in April 2025 in the multi-tenant building at 310 Main St. The restaurant features Austrian specialties, including classic wiener schnitzel, apple strudel and soft pretzels served with Austrian beer-cheese sauce.
Since its opening last year, the restaurant has been operating every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., except for Friday and Saturday when the restaurant stays open for an additional 30 minutes.
But according to Lopez, restaurant employees kept hearing customers complain about not having anywhere to go for drinks after Naschmarkt closed for the night.
“They were like, ‘Well, why don’t you guys stay open late?'” Lopez said.
But in order to do so, the restaurant had to submit a conditional use permit to the city’s Planning Commission.
“A bar requires Planning Commission review and approval of a CUP, pursuant to Pleasanton Municipal Code,” according to the Feb. 11 commission staff report. “A restaurant that sells alcoholic beverages any time after 11 p.m. is classified as a bar per PMC Section 18.08.055. As such, the CUP application is before the Planning Commission for consideration.”
The permit received commission approval without any discussion because it was placed on the consent calendar, which is typically reserved for items deemed routine and is usually approved with a single vote, requiring minimal to no debate.
Now, thanks to the approved permit, the Austrian eatery is set to remain open until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
The move comes a month after Middle 8, a ’70s-themed bar located within the same multi-tenant building, closed its doors for good.
Lopez said that apart from drinks, the restaurant will also offer limited food service like small plates and appetizers — the limited menu is still being finalized, according to Lopez.
He said Naschmarkt will be working on implementing these new extended hours starting this Friday (Feb. 20).
In the Feb. 11 Planning Commission staff report, the city made note of the surrounding residential areas and the potential land use conflicts related to parking and noise. However, staff took these “spill-over effects” into account and concluded that the conditions of approval for the permit will help mitigate these potential issues.
“Conditions of approval have been included to ensure the safety and general welfare of the surrounding area is maintained, while minimizing spillover effects such as noise and parking,” according to staff.
Heather Tiernan, communications manager for the city of Pleasanton, told the Weekly it has not received any appeals for Naschmarkt’s conditional use permit and that the appeal period ends this Saturday (Feb. 21).
