Pacifica Pier closes, cafe likely to be demolished due to giant crack in concrete walkway

A substantial crack in the concrete walkway along Pacifica’s Municipal Pier has necessitated the closure of the entire structure, city officials announced. 

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The pier was closed due to “cracking, separation, and displacement of the concrete walkway and structural elements near the Pier abutment,” the city of Pacifica wrote in a news release Thursday. Photos uploaded by the city show a large fracture spanning the entire height of the popular landmark close to the coffee shop Chit Chat Cafe. 

Chit Chat Cafe, which is on the pier, has since been closed and will likely need to be torn down, the cafe wrote on social media Thursday. 

“The Pacifica Pier is closed for good. Our cafe on the pier will be demolished shortly,” Chit Chat Cafe wrote in a Facebook post. On Instagram, the cafe wrote that its pier location has been closed “due to… maybe falling in to the ocean,” and asked that customers support its location in Pacifica’s Manor neighborhood in the meantime. 

The Pacifica Municipal Pier is a popular gathering place for San Mateo County’s fishing and crabbing communities. Throngs of people are known to frequent the pier during California’s Dungeness crab season.

“This is a loss for all of Pacifica and the fishing/crabbing community,” Chit Chat Cafe wrote on Facebook. “Tourism will be affected. Our staff deserve some support. The fishermen and crabbers have lost a gathering place, and some have lost their livelihood.”

This is not the first time the pier has closed in recent years: A large storm caused $20 million in damage to the structure in 2024, forcing it to close for several weeks. 

The pier will continue to be closed until Pacifica’s structural engineer determines that it is safe for public use, the city wrote.