A Brasserie Turned Family Grill Kicks Off Willow Glen's Holiday Season on Lincoln Avenue

Where does a family eat on Lincoln Avenue on a December weeknight if one kid wants a burger, one parent wants a cocktail, and nobody wants a hushed dining room? Since mid-October, there's a new answer at 1202 Lincoln Ave. That's where Black Sheep Brasserie served French dinners for years.

The building is the same, and so is the owner. The audience is what changed. That change matches the rest of Willow Glen's holiday calendar this year, which is built mostly around free daytime events for all ages.

The Room at 1202 Lincoln Changed Who It Serves

For about two years, 1202 Lincoln ran as two restaurants. Stacks served breakfast during the day and Black Sheep Brasserie took over in the evening, according to the Mercury News. South Bay restaurateur Don Durante and his partners founded Black Sheep in 2015 as a modern take on Le Mouton Noir, his restaurant that ran for 20 years in Saratoga.

The evening restaurant is now Stacks' Wild Oak Grill. Its website lists the opening as Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Nate Habash owns both the Stacks Restaurant Group and Black Sheep Brasserie. He told the Mercury News he made the switch to "better align with community preferences," and he described the old room and the new one side by side:

"While Black Sheep offered an intimate, date-night atmosphere," the grill is "designed to be a welcoming, family-friendly restaurant featuring an approachable price point, sports on TV and a great cocktail selection."

Willow Glen isn't the first Wild Oak. Habash opened the Morgan Hill location earlier this year, in the space Opa! used to occupy, and the Lincoln Avenue menu brings over its most popular dishes.

What Stayed on the Menu and What Arrived

Longtime Black Sheep regulars haven't lost everything. The new menu has three parts, all under one roof, and the hours run long enough to cover most of the day.

• Kept from Black Sheep: the tomahawk pork chop, Mary's roasted half-chicken, rack of lamb and the shrimp skillet. Habash told the Mercury News that other French dishes will come back as occasional specials.
• Brought over from Morgan Hill: baby back ribs, pasta jambalaya, hanger steak with housemade chimichurri, grilled salmon and the house burger.
• Still Stacks in the morning: chicken-fried steak with mushroom gravy, Texas-toast French toast with fruit compote, and chilaquiles.

Stacks' Wild Oak is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Breakfast and lunch are served until 2 p.m. A restaurant that serves pancakes at 7 a.m. and ribs at 9 p.m. fits a holiday season planned around kids' schedules. That's what the Downtown Willow Glen Business Association has planned for December.

The Holiday Calendar Points the Same Way

The business association's lineup for November and December is mostly free, mostly during the day, and mostly open to anyone who walks up. Two of the events take place inside the Garden Theater at 1165 Lincoln Ave.

The makers market features more than 20 local artists and makers and doesn't require a ticket. Funcheap lists it as "Autumn in Willow Glen," with the same address, date and hours, and credits San Jose Makers as the organizer. For Selfies with Santa, the association asks families to bring their own camera.

The trolley's pricing is set up for families. A child's ticket costs half the adult fare, and children under 2 ride free on a lap. Each ride lasts 30 minutes and leaves on time. Some nights, a group can book the whole trolley privately. Dogs aren't allowed. The trolley page has the current schedule and tickets.

The One Afternoon Built for Adults

The Holiday Bubbly Walk on Dec. 5 is the only event on the calendar built around drinking, and its rules show it. Check-in at the Bank of America lot runs from noon to 3 p.m., and the walk starts at 2 p.m. Here's how the afternoon works:

1. Check in at 1245 Lincoln Ave. to get a wristband, a glass and a map of the tasting stops.
2. Have your ID ready, since it will be checked.
3. Taste at participating businesses along Lincoln Avenue. Finish or pour out your wine at each stop before walking to the next one.

Price is the main reason to plan ahead. Tickets cost $60 plus fees through Nov. 29 and go up to $65 plus fees starting Nov. 30. Friends who come along but aren't drinking don't need a ticket. So even the adults-only afternoon works for a mixed group.

Another Newcomer on the Same Blocks

Wild Oak is the biggest change on Lincoln Avenue this fall, but it isn't the only new business this year. Crewners Barber Shop opened its Willow Glen location at 1393 Lincoln Ave. on Feb. 17, after operating in downtown San Jose and Japantown, The San Jose Blog reported.

One December Saturday, Start to Finish

The Dec. 12 calendar fits around Wild Oak's hours with very little planning. Here's one way the day could go:

1. 9 a.m.: The Willow Glen Farmers' Market opens at Willow Glen Elementary and runs until 1 p.m., rain or shine.
2. 10 a.m.: Selfies with Santa starts at the Garden Theater, 1165 Lincoln Ave., and runs until 1 p.m.
3. Before 2 p.m.: Have a late breakfast or lunch at Stacks inside 1202 Lincoln Ave. Breakfast and lunch end at 2.
4. 5:15 p.m.: Take the first trolley from the Bank of America lot for a 30-minute ride.
5. After the ride: Have dinner at Wild Oak, which stays open until 10 p.m. on Saturdays. The baby back ribs come from the Morgan Hill menu, and the tomahawk pork chop is a holdover from Black Sheep.

The full day also works on Sunday, Dec. 13, minus the farmers market, which only runs on Saturdays. On Dec. 19 and 20, Santa is still at the Garden Theater, but the trolley's last night is Dec. 17.

If Lincoln Avenue's changing storefronts have you wondering what they mean for your own home on these blocks, the team at Milestone Realty follows Willow Glen one address at a time. Get a free home valuation or schedule a consultation, and we'll walk through the neighborhood with you, maybe over breakfast at Stacks.