The cozy interior at Sade's in Carmel, Calif., featuring bartender-owner Parker Logan. Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

As the evening coastal fog rolls in and creates a canopy above the tree tops, Carmel, known more for its lack of addresses than its late nights, grinds to stillness. But after dark, the town's not completely dead - if you know where to look.

Carmel's two major legacy and late-night drinking establishments, Barmel and Sade's, have carried on for decades, playing host to all comers, from millionaires to movie stars to those simply down on their luck but lucky enough to find respite on a bar stool for an evening.

But that's all about to change as both legendary watering holes, due to landlord disputes, are set to go dark themselves for good.

Will Sade's live to see 100?

Hang a left off Ocean Avenue as you make your way down toward the beach onto Lincoln Street and walk about a half block south and you'll likely continue right by Sade's. During daylight hours, that is.

Sade's was founded in 1926, but it may not live to see its 100th birthday. The oversized plate glass storefront features a Dutch door and a small carved sign that hangs overhead with the bar's name and the year of its founding. Inside, the space is no larger than a studio apartment, packed with bar stools strewn around a U-shaped bar with a prominent "cash only" sign among the bottles of booze and bar souvenirs gathered from patrons over the decades.

The exterior at Sade's in Carmel, Calif. Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

But don't let Sade's modest size fool you - the place is a bigger-than-life institution. On any given night from about 9 p.m. on, crowds are so robust they spill out into the street and mingle. Some are waiting to get in. Others are ducking out for a smoke or to continue a conversation in the ocean air.

Others still seemingly are there to just take it all in. It is Carmel's oldest dive bar, and the town's hub for generations of Carmelites and guests.

Sade's, as it's been for nearly a century, is for "everyone else" in Carmel, owner Parker Logan told SFGATE on Wednesday. "We proudly carry that torch," he said. "We march with that torch and so many of my customers - and believe me they come from every corner of the globe - they are so excited when they discover it."

In 2010, Logan started to work at Sade's as a favor to then-owner Frank Grupe: "I always loved Sade's, but I really [started] working there on a whim," he said. "I was a regular there, the owner said, ‘Can you work Tuesday?' And I said, ‘This Tuesday?' He said, ‘No, every Tuesday.'"

The arrangement grew into a full-time job. But by 2011, Logan told Grupe he could only stay on if he could somehow have first right of refusal to own the business once Grupe retired. While Grupe wasn't planning on retiring any time soon, the two sealed the deal with a contract on a cocktail napkin.

A customer outside Sade's in Carmel, Calif. After nearly a century, Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

Roy Kirkorian and Sade's bar owner Parker Logan pose inside Sade's. The bar, a nearly century-old Carmel institution, is at risk of closing on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

When Grupe did retire in 2018, Logan officially bought the bar. The business and liquor license officially transferred to his name by 2019. Holding the liquor license is key, as Carmel only has three licenses for drinking-only establishments available (the other two are currently held by Barmel and A.W. Shucks). That means if or when the current landlord closes Sade's, which Logan says will happen when his current lease ends on Jan. 31, 2026, he still owns the liquor license, which he could, in theory, take with him to open Sade's in another space, pending approval from the city.

The current owners of the building that houses Sade's are Lizette Fiallo and Maria Martinez, who bought property in 2018 for $8 million. Both confirmed that the bar's last day of operation will be in January 2026, and said that the two sides could not reach an agreement over a new lease.

"We were negotiating in good faith with him for a while, but at this point in time, honestly, he's gone rogue," Martinez told SFGATE on Thursday. "At this point, it's not likely we're going to be able to come to terms with him. I don't want to share a lot here, but we are getting a lot of input in the community for the best thing. We have a lot of people coming to us. We're very committed to the community of Carmel."

Logan, who said he currently pays $9,100 a month for the 400-square-foot space, said the owners want to place a "high-end" cocktail lounge to be owned and managed by a known restaurateur in town in the Sade's space.

The cozy interior at Sade's in Carmel, Calif. Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

A sign hangs from Sade's bar in Camel, Calif., on July 26, 2025. After nearly a century, Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

Without naming who that might be, Martinez confirmed that negotiations are underway with other restaurateurs in town: "We've had a lot of interest on this space way before, even throughout the years," she said. "We started the negotiations with Parker. Parker was the one who felt like he didn't want to pay what we were looking for. He's the one who pushed us. Yes, we are in active conversations with different candidates."

Logan disputes the notion that he did not negotiate in good faith or wasn't amenable to a rent adjustment. He maintains he's wanted to rework a new long-term lease since he took over the establishment. "The [existing] lease was scary and scratched up and crossed off, and when I [took over the business] I said, ‘Boy, we should have a nice new lease. Let's have a long-term relationship here.'"

But, he said, the owners never fully engaged him. "I knew this was coming," he said of the bar's end.

Barmel on the brink

If the Sade's situation seems dire, then Barmel's has reached an even more critical breaking point, with a terminated lease and ensuing lawsuit.

Gabe Georis is the son of Gaston Georis, who along with his brother, Walter, opened Carmel's La Boheme (now the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce favorite La Bicyclette) in 1974. Along with La Bicyclette, the younger Georis owns and runs Barmel, about a block south of Ocean Avenue on San Carlos Street in a little retail and dining alcove known as Carmel Square.

The exterior at Barmel in Carmel, Calif., on July 26, 2025. Barmel is currently locked in a legal dispute with its landlord and could have its lease terminated in less than two months. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

In 2009, Georis started a Spanish restaurant called Mundaka next door to where Barmel is now located; he took over the bar space, then called Ody's, in 2013. The Mundaka space became a Mexican restaurant called Pescadero, and is now called Barmel Supper Club. It serves as the restaurant arm of the popular bar.

On July 8, Carmel attorney Mark O'Connor, on Georis' behalf, filed a complaint against his landlord, Carmel Square owner Johanna White, alleging breach of contract. The lawsuit came in the wake of Georis being issued a 60-day termination of his lease in early June alleging he had violated terms of his lease.

Georis' lawsuit says rents were arbitrarily adjusted and that when it came to repairs - including a leak in the bathroom and issues with the roof, electrical, gas and water - the owner "chose to ignore, evade or deny their repair and maintenance obligations," the lawsuit says.

A bartender at Barmel in Carmel, Calif., mixes a drink on July 26, 2025. Barmel is one of two legacy bars in Carmel that may close in the coming months. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

In spite of all of these problems, Georis says he sought a renewed lease but was not given one. Prior to being given notice of termination, owner White issued several notices of default, which Georis' lawsuit calls "inaccurate, defective or pretextual." When the 60-day termination notice was sent to Georis on June 4, he responded with his complaint.

"I'm not a confrontational type of person. I'd like to be able to resolve this, but I was backed into a corner," Georis told SFGATE on Thursday. "This is my family's income, my main source of income and is for my employees as well. I tried to work it out, much to my attorney's dismay, for a long period of time. I'm hopeful the lawsuit will resolve things."

A small crowd gathers inside Barmel in Carmel, Calif., on July 26, 2025. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

Georis said he has been looking for someone to buy Barmel since January but feels that White has stood in the way of that happening. He noted he hopes that he can "walk away with dignity and a little cash. I hope to sell it, not just leave."

Barmel, he said, comes with the use permit that would "most likely stay with the location." He also acknowledged that he and Logan from Sade's have had discussions about a possible relocation for that bar into the Barmel space, but elaborated little beyond that.

"I like doing business where I'm an asset to the community, where things are positive, where it's not a contentious battle," he said, noting that he's currently focused on a possible patio expansion to La Bicyclette, which he feels is an example of a helpful addition to the town. "I'd rather not have to live my life in conflict. I would rather find a resolution."

"She's going to try this case in the courthouse where this belongs, not in the papers like Gabe did," Donald Drummond, a San Rafael-based attorney representing Barmel's landlord, told SFGATE on Friday. "Despite Gabe's multiple notices in the last year for violations of the lease, and failure to comply - without terminating the lease - he didn't do anything in response. The activities continued, that's why we're where we are."

When asked about what specific violations Georis had allegedly done, Drummond declined to comment further: "I'm not going to go into that. That's what we're going to go into in the courthouse," he said. "Suffice it to say, the notices were accurate. The final [notice] on June 4 was also accurate based on misconduct on his part and breaches of the leases."

With all that being said, Drummond added that his client White still hopes for some kind of outcome that works for the two parties: "I would think that a resolution would come out of the purchase and sale of the businesses," he said.

While Barmel might not have the same provenance and long history as Sade's, for many, just being there and having a drink evokes strong memories.

San Jose residents Connor and Kaylyn Cassidy were in Carmel the last weekend in July, celebrating both her birthday and their sixth wedding anniversary. On Saturday afternoon, they stopped into Barmel, the place their wedding party chose to keep the party going after their Carmel reception venue had shut down.

A bartender at Barmel in Carmel, Calif., mixes a drink on July 26, 2025. Barmel is one of two legacy bars in Carmel that may close in the upcoming months. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

"We came here the night after our wedding, with our wedding party and stuff, so it's kind of got a sentimental value to it," Connor told SFGATE.

When asked about the significance of having older bars for everyday folks living in or visiting Carmel, both agreed that there's nothing more important for the town now than to protect some of its roots for "regular people."

"It's important for this place to hold on to the older culture it has," Connor said. "It gives a place character. It's definitely important."

"This is a place we wanted to come back and visit. Everything's the exact same. It's a place we love," Kaylyn concluded.

A possible collaboration?

While both Sade's and Barmel are on the clock, with disputes that seem to have no way out for either, there still is a glimmer of hope for the future for perhaps at least one of the legacy bars to continue in the constantly changing wealthy oceanfront community.

Logan is a known entity around town, especially as he campaigned for a city council seat last fall. He feels that Carmelites and visitors are still loyal enough to their history and to the kind of camaraderie Sade's brings to not let that bar die.

Recent graduates from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., pose at the bar at Sade's in Carmel, Calif. Sade's, a Carmel institution for nearly a century, faces closure on Jan. 31, 2026. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

"I'm very hopeful my city will stand up for a 100-year-old bar," Logan said, also hinting that Barmel and Sade's could be linked in a more permanent way in the future. "There's Barmel. There may be an opportunity - I may go in over there. Is there a possibility I can buy him out? - that's something that's been talked about."

But for the time being, even with the pending loss of two of Carmel's top (and only) drinking institutions in the offing, Logan said he's not giving up hope - and neither should his patrons.

The almost century-old bar at Sade's in Carmel, Calif. Sade's will likely close for good on Jan. 31, 2026, because of a landlord dispute. (Courtesy Parker Logan)

"I've been looking for other locations, and I'm going to put up a fight with the city. Hopefully it's a fair fight," he said. "The support I've been gathering from people all over the place, they're willing to pay for my attorney, to navigate how Sade's will be saved; I have a good feeling that in the long run I will land on my feet. But right now, it's a complete unknown."

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