New Restaurants in Newbury Park: Fall 2026 Openings and Changes

In late July, Judy's Donuts on Michael Drive posted on Instagram that after 44 years it is looking for a new owner. About six weeks later and a short drive west on Wendy Drive, Magma Modern Italian Pizzeria held its grand opening in the space Pizza Twist used to fill. Those two events tell the same story about Newbury Park's restaurants this year. Newcomers are mostly moving into rooms that already served food, so the real question at many familiar addresses is who runs the kitchen next.

Since January, Sette Sorelle took over Selvin's space, Magma took Pizza Twist's, Mahina Sushi took Tomodachi's, and Sourdough & Co. is preparing the former Jimmy John's. On Michael Drive, one address has had two restaurants in under two years, and two longtime businesses are deciding how their own next chapters will go.

Two new operators in Conejo Gateway Plaza

The clearest example is the Conejo Gateway Plaza on Wendy Drive, where two restaurant spaces changed hands within weeks of each other.

Magma Pizzeria opened at 711 Wendy Drive in the former Pizza Twist space. Its grand opening was set for September 8 at 3 p.m., with 20% off dine-in pizzas that first week. Magma isn't a national chain arriving cold. It's the second location of a shop that opened in the Moorpark Marketplace in February 2023. Before opening, the owners said the Newbury Park space would have indoor and outdoor seating plus a deli and grab-and-go counter stocked with goods imported from Italy. The current menu includes pizza, burrata and gnocchi alla Sorrentina. Its online ordering page was listing hours and taking scheduled orders as of today, October 2.

Down the row at 771 Wendy Drive, the former Tomodachi Sushi is now Mahina Sushi under new ownership. A local restaurant directory dates the opening to late August 2026. Mahina calls itself a neighborhood sushi bar. The menu covers nigiri, sashimi, more than 30 specialty rolls, ramen and teriyaki.

Here's how the handoffs line up across the west end so far this year:

The Sette Sorelle row shows how quickly some of these turnovers happen. Selvin's closed on December 31. Sette Sorelle had its signs up within weeks and opened January 21, with initial dinner hours of 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

One Michael Drive address, two Italian kitchens

A takeover doesn't guarantee a long run, and 2385 Michael Drive shows why. Cedro Italian Restaurant opened there in January 2024 and closed on November 23, 2025, moving to a new location in Los Angeles County. Pulcinella Ristorante opened in the same space in December 2025, within weeks of Cedro leaving, and closed in the May/June 2026 time frame.

That means two Italian restaurants in roughly two and a half years, with only weeks between them. Since Pulcinella closed, local coverage hasn't named a next tenant. Conejo Valley Guide's July, August and September news archives don't mention a new occupant for that address. For now, it's the one address in this story without an announced next operator.

Short stays like these make the long-running neighbors on the same street stand out more.

The longtimers are planning their own next chapter

Two Michael Drive businesses with long histories are dealing with the same question of continuity in very different ways.

El Sancho Loco Taqueria opened on Michael Drive on July 1, 2010. For its 16th anniversary this summer, it announced a new name, Casa de Sancho, with the tagline "Authentic Latin Cuisine." The announcement doesn't mention a change of ownership or a new menu. The restaurant's website still uses the El Sancho Loco name and links to live online ordering. So far, the change is a new name chosen by the business itself, with no handoff to new owners.

Judy's Donuts at 2393 Michael Drive is taking the other route. The shop carries standard donuts but specializes in custom orders for occasions. Its July 24 Instagram post said that after 44 years, it is in the process of looking for a new owner. As of early October, no sale or closure had been reported. The only confirmed fact is that the search is underway.

Judy's has a precedent in town. Marcello Ristorante served Italian food at 140 West Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks for more than 36 years and closed in late August 2026, with a new Italian restaurant planned for the space. Capri Trattoria and Pizzeria opened at that address on September 22. That handoff took about a month and kept the same cuisine, so a long run ending doesn't have to leave an empty storefront.

Still on the way along Ventu Park Road and Broadbeck Drive

Most of the remaining west-end food news has been announced but not yet confirmed. That matters if you're making plans, because a "coming soon" sign and an open door are months apart for several of these.

Open now

• Wingstop opened May 5, 2026, at 421 S. Reino Road, Suite D, in the Newbury Park Place plaza, with wings, tenders and sides.
• Makenna Koffee opened April 12, 2026, at 2700 Teller Road, Suite A. It comes from close to home. The family started the business in Simi Valley in 2019, and its theme draws on a founder's background in the Southern California and Hawaii surf business. In June, the Ventura County Star listed the Teller Road shop among the company's county locations in a story about its expansion.

Announced, no opening date

• Sourdough & Co. is coming to 520 N. Ventu Park Road, Suite 180, in the former Jimmy John's. The company's own location page still says "Coming Soon" and is taking job applications. The local announcement mentions sandwiches, flatbreads, soups and salads. The brand is a franchise system with locations in many states.
• Cotti Coffee is headed to The Village at Newbury Park, 1025 Broadbeck Drive, Suite D. A July report said the site was hiring. As of a September 14 check, a county openings tracker still listed it with no date.
• Mochinut was announced in May for the Ralphs-anchored Ventu Park Shopping Center at 587 Ventu Park Road, at the southwest corner of Ventu Park Road and Hillcrest Drive. It sells rice-flour mochi donuts, Korean rice corn dogs, and drinks like smoothies, coffee and matcha. No opening date has been confirmed since.

Sourdough & Co. fits the year's pattern by moving into a former sandwich shop. If Mochinut opens, it will join Star Donuts on Newbury Road, Sugarbox Donuts on Kimber Drive, Newbury Donut on Wendy Drive and Judy's on Michael Drive among the west end's donut shops. Its timing could overlap with Judy's search for a new owner.

The next updates to look for are a sign at 2385 Michael Drive, a sale announcement from Judy's, and opening dates for the three Ventu Park and Broadbeck projects. Until those arrive, Magma, Mahina, Sette Sorelle, Wingstop and Makenna are the confirmed new places to try on the west end.

When a longtime business hands off to a new owner, the handoff itself is often what makes or breaks it. Homes work the same way. If you own in Newbury Park and are thinking about your own next step, or want to talk through what a sale and a move would look like, Paul Coleman can help you plan it with clear communication from the first conversation to closing. Let's Connect.