Two food and drink spots opened in the Merced area during the past month: Joy Tea Bar, a sister-owned tea and coffee shop at Fahren's Park Plaza in Merced, and a brand-new Del Taco drive-thru in Turlock that opened September 25. The bigger story for new restaurants in Merced is what is on the way: a Chipotle with a Chipotlane, a Poki Bowl, and an Angry Chickz are all under construction together at Yosemite Crossing on G Street.
This is the New Restaurant Openings roundup for October 2026, covering openings and public announcements from mid-September through mid-October across Merced County and nearby Central Valley communities. Every entry below was verified against an official page, the venue's own social media, or reputable local coverage before it was included. Announced-but-not-yet-open spots are clearly marked with their announced status, and nothing is listed that could not be confirmed.
Now Open
Two openings were confirmed in the past month: a new local tea and coffee shop in Merced and a new drive-thru in Turlock, just north of the county line.
Joy Tea Bar · Merced · Opened mid-September 2026
Joy Tea Bar is now open in Merced. The locally owned, sister-run tea and coffee shop moved from its popular mobile pop-up into a permanent home at Fahren's Park Plaza, 3360 N Highway 59, Suite E, when it opened in mid-September 2026. The menu centers on matcha, Vietnamese coffee, specialty chai, and boba drinks, and the shop is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ABC30's coverage of the opening noted the sisters behind the brand built the tea shop following the success of their pop-up, and the Merced Sun-Star featured the opening in a September 15 story.
Del Taco · Turlock · Opened September 25, 2026
The new Del Taco in Turlock is open for business. The drive-thru restaurant at 2705 W Monte Vista Avenue, near Monte Vista Crossings, celebrated its opening on September 25, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting hosted with the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. It serves the chain's Mexican-American drive-thru menu with both drive-thru and indoor dining, and its hours run 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The location is owned and operated by franchise partners the Sagars, their 17th Del Taco in the region, and it sits just north of the Merced County line along Highway 99. Find hours, the full menu, and directions on the official Del Taco location page.
Opening Soon: Announced, No Dates Yet
Four more openings are in the works in Merced, and all were confirmed in local reporting within the past month. None has a firm opening date yet, so each is marked here as announced but not yet open, exactly as the sources state.
Chipotle with a Chipotlane · Yosemite Crossing, North Merced
A Chipotle with a Chipotlane drive-thru lane for digital-order pickup is under construction at Yosemite Crossing on G Street in North Merced, according to a Merced Sun-Star report from October 1, 2026. It will be Merced's third Chipotle. No opening date has been announced.
Poki Bowl · Yosemite Crossing, North Merced
A build-your-own Poki Bowl is coming to the same Yosemite Crossing complex on G Street. The bowl concept lets diners pick a protein, a base, toppings, and sauces in one order. The spot was announced in 2026 and construction is underway; no opening date has been announced.
Angry Chickz · Yosemite Crossing, North Merced
Angry Chickz, the Southern California-born chain known for Nashville-style hot chicken sliders and tenders, is the third member of the G Street trio. Its menu offers six heat levels, from the no-heat Country level up to the signature Angry, coated with Carolina Reaper pepper. Local reporting confirms the chain is coming to Yosemite Crossing; no opening date has been announced yet.
Dunkin' · Campus Parkway Plaza, Merced
Merced's first Dunkin' is still preparing to open at Campus Parkway Plaza, at the intersection of Campus Parkway and East Mission Avenue. An earlier target of late July or early August 2026 has passed, and as of an October 1, 2026 report the shop had not yet opened. No new opening date has been confirmed. This roundup will be updated the month the store actually opens.
The Merced Sun-Star's October 1 story on the three restaurants under construction at Yosemite Crossing is the source for the G Street progress, alongside earlier reporting that confirmed each brand by name.
What About the Rest of Merced County?
No confirmed restaurant, cafe, coffee shop, or bar openings were reported this month in Atwater, Livingston, Winton, Chowchilla, McSwain, Catheys Valley, Mariposa, or Los Banos. Those communities are covered every month in this roundup, and the list will not be padded: the moment an opening or a firm announcement is confirmed in any of them, it earns its own entry here with a source link.
Why a Growing Dining Scene Matters for Home Sellers
A steady stream of new restaurants and coffee shops is one of the clearest signs a community is drawing investment, and it is a detail buyers notice on tour: new storefronts, busier shopping centers, and more reasons to stay close to home. For sellers, a strengthening local dining scene is worth weaving into how you present your Merced neighborhood or your Turlock street, because it speaks to the everyday quality of life a buyer is really purchasing.
For the fuller picture of what is being built across the county, from the G Street restaurants to road work and new clinics, the City Development Tracker: October 2026 walks through every active project with its source. And if a new opportunity or a change of plans has you thinking about selling, schedule a free consultation and we can talk about your timeline and what your home could achieve in today's market.
What New Restaurants Opened in Merced This Month?
What new restaurants opened in Merced this month?
The standout opening near Merced this month is Joy Tea Bar, a sister-owned tea and coffee shop that opened in mid-September 2026 at Fahren's Park Plaza, 3360 N Highway 59, Suite E, in Merced, serving matcha, Vietnamese coffee, chai, and boba drinks. Just north of the county line in Turlock, a new Del Taco drive-thru opened September 25, 2026, at 2705 W Monte Vista Avenue. No new full-service restaurants opened in Merced proper within the past month; the next wave, led by a Chipotle with a Chipotlane at Yosemite Crossing on G Street, is still under construction.
Where is the new Del Taco in Turlock?
The new Del Taco is at 2705 W Monte Vista Avenue in Turlock, near the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center. It opened Thursday, September 25, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted with the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. It offers drive-thru and indoor dining, and it is open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
When will the new Chipotle in Merced open?
No opening date has been announced yet. Merced's third Chipotle, which will include a Chipotlane drive-thru lane for digital-order pickup, is under construction at the Yosemite Crossing shopping center on G Street in North Merced, along with a Poki Bowl and an Angry Chickz. As of an October 1, 2026 report, the buildings were still under construction.
Is Joy Tea Bar a new coffee shop in Merced?
Yes. Joy Tea Bar is a locally owned, sister-run tea and coffee shop that grew from a mobile pop-up into a brick-and-mortar storefront in mid-September 2026 at 3360 N Highway 59, Suite E, in Merced's Fahren's Park Plaza. The menu centers on matcha, Vietnamese coffee, specialty chai, and boba drinks, and it is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Are any new restaurants opening in Atwater, Livingston, or Mariposa soon?
No new restaurant openings or opening-date announcements were confirmed this month in Atwater, Livingston, Winton, Chowchilla, McSwain, Catheys Valley, or Mariposa. This New Restaurant Openings report is published monthly and will cover those communities as soon as an opening or a firm announcement is confirmed with a source.
The Seller's Agent. Monica combines deep Merced County market knowledge with a polished, confident approach that gets results for home sellers across the Central Valley. Serving Merced, Atwater, McSwain, Livingston, Turlock, Winton, Chowchilla, Catheys Valley, and Mariposa. She publishes this New Restaurant Openings roundup monthly.
The Seller's Agent. Who You Choose Matters.
Enjoy exploring the new spots, Merced. And when you are ready to talk about your home, Monica is here: a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your goals and what your property could achieve in today's market. Call (209) 345-3836 or use the form below.
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