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Step inside the Stable Café at the Alameda County Fairgrounds to discover an old-time diner with polished leather-toned stools and artful depictions of Pleasanton’s heritage as a famed horse-racing venue.
The important things to know about the café are the tamales offered on Saturday and the regular menu with daily specials available to the public until March 25. Located off Valley Avenue at the end of the road through the free Gate 12 entrance, the café serves homemade tamales with green or red chili sauce for $3.50 each. Recent online reviews note the everyday value of the French toast plate with three toasts, two eggs, and bacon, ham, or sausage for $11.85. Daily special plates are $13.00.
Maria Juárez reopened the café on June 14, 2024, the first day of the Alameda County Fair as the horse racing and carnival rides began rolling. She invested in new equipment and storage to improve the operation of the café, originally established around 1988.
The former owner, Esther Hall, had gained a faithful following after serving American-style breakfasts to horsemen from the stables behind the café and regulars before closing in September 2023.
Many Tri-Vallley residents did not know the café had reopened. Since the Stable Café is part of racing and stabling area operations, the diner is not advertised on the fairgrounds’ website. Hall kept the Facebook page and website which created additional marketing challenges for Juárez.
In November 2024, while Golden State Racing ran weekend race meets, jockey Alexander Chavez fueled up at the café for his four races that afternoon. Seated at the counter with his agent Brent Harmon, Chavez ate one of owner Maria Juárez’s daily specials, chuletas (pork chops). “We often eat tacos. This owner offers more food like birria (slow simmered meat in chili pepper broth) and chuletas,” said Harmon.
Across the room, Melissa Belloli enjoyed her new EMT assignment with one of the two Royal Ambulances in attendance to support the 900 horsemen then based at the Fairgrounds. “I like the Pleasanton post with the chance to eat street tacos and chicken quesadillas,” said Belloli.
On a return trip to the Stable Café in early February, a truck stacked high with hay rumbled through the stable rows to feed the 478 horses remaining in the stalls. Only one ambulance waited outside the stables in case of injury to any of the 500 horsemen. A lonely red pickup truck ambled toward the exit.
In October 2024, Golden State Racing had consolidated its Northern California racing and stabling at the fairgrounds. But racing on the oldest, one-mile dirt track in the U.S. ended on Dec. 15. Equestrians and horse owners expected to run another season on the 167-year-old track. But the late January announcement about the termination of Pleasanton racing and stabling on March 25 took most people by surprise. Owners may move their horses to race in Arcadia. Many others expect to transport them to courses out of state.
A fairgrounds official confirmed in early February that the Stable Café would also close on March 25.
During a February visit to the café after the announced closing, a trainer and horse owner finished off their respective lunches of a double cheeseburger and the daily special of chamorro (spicy beef stew). These café regulars are East Bay residents who relocated their horses to Pleasanton after Golden Gate Meadows in Albany closed in June 2024. Next month, they will eat their last Denver omelet or pozole stew and move their respective horses to Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash.
In town to visit her parents, Amador Valley High School graduate Carly Kreiser said she has eaten at the café since childhood. “My family had a box at the races every summer, and we knew the former owner. We come to the café and take out the carnitas burritos — they last for two meals.”
The most popular items at the café, said Juárez, are tacos, burritos with carnitas or pastor (seasoned pork), and chilaquiles. “People like the chicken fajitas and chili rellenos specials. The favorite omelet is the Stable with ham and sausage, veggies, cheese, bell peppers and hash browns or country potatoes and toast which is $11.25.”
Sarah Jennings’ office for her job as assistant superintendent of the stabling area is across the driveway from the café. A regular who orders carne asada steak tacos and a Dr. Pepper for breakfast or lunch, Jennings said, “The café is an integral part of racing culture in Pleasanton. This is the only foodservice available to the horsemen including jockeys and owners, and Maria caters to their favorites and to her other customers.”
Juárez lives in Walnut Creek with her husband Rodrigo Moreno who runs Taqueria Plaza Mexico, their restaurant in Antioch that serves Mexican specialties at lunch and dinner. An experienced restaurateur, Juárez expected to stay longer in Pleasanton than nine months and is unhappy to leave.
“We were busy in the summer with racing and Fair visitors, and business during the racing season was okay,” said Juarez. “We built connections and friendship with the horsemen, the Fairgrounds people, event visitors and more. This is such a nice community.”
Jennings, like the horsemen and Juárez, will be gone at the end of March. Until then, she and the regulars from inside and outside the stables, will trot over to the café to grab a meal. The café is open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Tamales and pozole may win hearts on Saturdays.
This is so sad. New owner is great and I am sorry to see this happen.