Watch: After Closing Longtime Home Base, An East Bay Favorite Watering Hole Is Back

WALNUT CREEK, CA — A Walnut Creek favorite has found a second life downtown, as the longtime Massés sports bar announces a move to a new location and a renewed future after closing its North Main Street home.

The brother and sister behind the 31-year-old institution revealed plans to reopen at 1411 Locust St., framing the transition not as an ending, but as a rebirth.

“Let us be clear: this is not the end,” owners Milisa Barrett and Eric Paden wrote. “We’re not going away.”

Their parents, Maury and Christine Paden, opened the 10,000-square-foot billiards hall and sports bar in 1994, turning it into a local hub for pool, sports, and late-night gatherings. Barrett and Paden took over in 2013 and now lead the move into its next era.

The shift comes after years of uncertainty over the North Main Street property, which the family never owned. A 2020 attempt to buy the land fell through amid complications and the COVID-19 pandemic, and ownership of the parcel changed again in 2024—ultimately forcing the business to relocate.

A Porsche dealership will be going up in place of the bar. But instead of shutting down, the owners pivoted.

They secured a new downtown space and pledged to bring back everything customers loved: karaoke nights, wings, nachos, pitchers of beer, and the same community-driven atmosphere that defined Massés for decades.

Fans responded with a mix of nostalgia and excitement, flooding social media with messages celebrating the memories while looking ahead to the reopening. Many called the move a chance to keep a local institution alive in a new form.

For Massés, the address may be changing—but the identity is not.

"We’ve got some work to do!" announced the siblings on Facebook "But we’re excited to share our next chapter with you as we announce- our new home at 1411 Locust St. Walnut Creek! @walnutcreekdowntown #staytuned"

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