New Restaurants Coming to Firestone Boulevard in Downey

The former Walgreens at 9018 Firestone Boulevard has a new face. According to the City of Downey's August 2026 development report, construction on the façade is nearly complete. The 9,524-square-foot space inside is being split into two office suites and a restaurant with an outdoor dining area. The design firm on the project, Amor Architectural, says it secured the permits for that conversion. Neither the firm nor the City names the restaurant.

A mile or so east, the former Sears at Stonewood Center looks about the same as it has for years. That building has been under active building permits since March.

The two buildings point in opposite directions, and the same mismatch shows up up and down the corridor. On Firestone right now, the outside of a building is the least reliable clue to when you'll be able to eat or play inside it.

Every project runs on two clocks

When a commercial building on Firestone changes hands or changes use, the City tracks the work in separate pieces. Reading the City's development activity reports, each project moves through roughly these stages:

1. Planning approval. Staff or the Planning Commission signs off on the use and the design.
2. Façade and site permits. These cover the exterior work: the new storefront, the patio, the parking restripe.
3. Tenant improvement permits. These cover the interior: kitchens, restrooms, the actual restaurant.
4. Construction and inspections on that interior work, plus any signage program and, for some uses, police or fire sign-offs.

The exterior and the interior aren't required to move together. This summer the City Council adopted a zoning text amendment so that staff can approve this type of façade and site improvement administratively instead of sending it to a public hearing. That shortcut speeds up the exterior. The interior still runs on its own permit track. So a fresh storefront can show up well before anyone behind it is ready to serve a meal.

With that in mind, here is where each project actually sits as of early October 2026.

The old Sears looks untouched and is furthest along

Round One Entertainment's plan for the former Sears at Stonewood is a family bowling and arcade center. It follows Round1's Spo-Cha format, which adds indoor sports challenges, and it also includes a newer Round1 concept with a central food hall. The Planning Commission approved it unanimously on December 3, 2025. The City issued a building permit for a central kitchen on March 4, 2026, an updated version on April 17, and another tenant improvement permit on May 19. Construction and inspections are ongoing.

You can't see any of this from the parking lot because the whole project is interior work. In its December 4, 2025 coverage, The Downey Patriot reported that the building footprint isn't expanding and that City staff found the project exempt from CEQA review because it reuses an existing structure.

A few details from that story matter if you live near the mall:

• Parking demand goes down. The entertainment and restaurant uses require about 521 spaces combined. Sears, classified as retail, required more than 700. Stonewood as a whole has more than 4,600.
• The hours are late, with rules. Round1 proposed opening from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. Everyone shows ID at the door from 10 p.m. Unaccompanied minors under 18 must leave at that point and can return only with a guardian 25 or older, up to four minors per guardian. At midnight, the same rule applies to unaccompanied patrons under 21. Alcohol sales end 30 minutes before closing.
• There are sign-offs still to come. The Fire Department required upgraded sprinklers, alarms and hydrants. The Police Department requires a security plan and a police permit before the doors open.

No opening date has been announced. The Patriot noted that similar Round1 conversions have taken 12 to 18 months. Counted from the December approval, that range would run from this winter to mid-2027. That's arithmetic, not a forecast, and Stonewood's own directory still lists Round1 Bowling & Arcade as "Coming Soon." The City's August report also lists "YUU (Food Hall)" among Stonewood's new and upcoming tenants.

Broken Yolk has both clocks running

The block at 8222–8228 Firestone shows the slow version of the process. The application went in on February 7, 2023, and the City approved it administratively on April 1, 2024. The plan covers three tenant spaces, likely restaurants with outdoor dining. Broken Yolk is the only confirmed tenant.

As of the August report, construction on the façade was nearly complete. Interior permits were issued May 7, 2026, and construction and inspections were ongoing. The City's table gives 2026 as the anticipated completion year. Broken Yolk's own Downey page lists 8224 Firestone Blvd. and says "Coming Soon" with no date.

This is the clearest case on the boulevard of exterior and interior moving at the same time. Of all the "coming soon" signs on Firestone, it's the one with a named operator, active interior permits, and a completion year on the City's books.

The new face at 9018 is still waiting for a name

Back at the former Walgreens, the paperwork is further along than the silence suggests. The City approved the site plan administratively on February 10, 2026. The façade permit came the same month. Interior plans were submitted in December 2025 and January 2026, and the City issued permits for them in May and August 2026. The revised sign program was resubmitted on August 26, and staff said an approval letter was forthcoming.

So the building has interior permits for two spaces, and the City lists the completion date as TBD. Nothing published so far names who will run the restaurant. Until a name appears, 9018 is a finished-looking building with a blank where its opening date would go.

The Firestone is approved and still in plan check

The project with the biggest change to street life is at 8124–8140 Firestone and is called The Firestone. It remodels a 15,707-square-foot commercial building and a 1,646-square-foot accessory building. It adds 1,488 square feet of outdoor food vendors and a combined 2,753 square feet of outdoor dining, and it restripes the adjoining parking.

The application was filed August 26, 2025. It went through several rounds of City comment letters and resubmittals, and it received its approval letter on August 11, 2026, after the zoning text amendment took effect.

That approval covers the design. The building plans, submitted for plan check on December 30, 2025, got a staff comment letter, and as of August the City was waiting on the applicant's resubmittal. The sign program filed April 13, 2026, is waiting on a resubmittal too. The anticipated completion is TBD.

The Firestone is the reverse of the Sears building. Its design approval is the newest thing about it, and the interior work that comes next hasn't been permitted. A conceptual rendering in the City report carries the label "Las Cocinas." No operator or vendor lineup has been published, so the name may change.

Farther down the boulevard at 8606 Firestone, Pepe's official Downey page still says "Coming soon," with hours to be announced.

What's actually open, and what's on the calendar

All of the corridor's finished work this year has been inside Stonewood. Stonewood's refresh page describes new paint and lighting, food court upgrades, new flooring and columns, and refreshed entrances. The City's August report says that work is continuing. The Patriot reported in May that the mall is doing the renovation in stages so stores and restaurants can stay open.

Here's what has opened:

• Windsor opened May 15 near H&M.
• See's Candies was scheduled to reopen May 29 in a larger space near Buffalo Wild Wings.
• Lovisa, Shiekh Shoes and SEOUL POP are listed as recent openings. Bath & Body Works, JD Sports and Shoe Palace have expanded or renovated.

Potato Corner advertised a grand opening for October 3–4 at 251 Stonewood St., Space C03. Stonewood's refresh page still lists it as opening soon, along with Panini Kabob Grill.

And here's what's coming up:

• Saturday, October 10, 1–3 p.m. in Center Court: Mariachi Diamante de Downey and a Simply Crafted pop-up market. This closes Stonewood's Hispanic Heritage Month Saturdays.
• Saturday, November 14, 9 a.m.: Santa's arrival, announced for the Food Court with food, games and giveaways. The booking page also gives a different photo location, so check before you go.

The City usually posts these development reports every month or two. The latest one available, August 2026, is the source for every permit date above. When the next report comes out, look for two changes before believing a "coming soon" sign: a named operator at 9018, and a building permit for The Firestone.

If you own a home near Firestone and want to talk through how these projects could change your block, or you just want to compare notes on what's opening next, I'm glad to help in English or Spanish. Reach out to Karina Chavez and let's connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.