Gnar Bar

That bright red roof at Lansing and Albion makes this corner hard to miss, but the real story is how many different pieces of Mendocino life have passed through this one little commercial building.

Overview

The building at 10450 Lansing Street sits at the corner of Lansing and Albion Streets, directly across from Rotary Park, in one of the busiest walking areas of Mendocino village.

Today the most visible business here is Gnar Bar, an Asian-fusion grab-and-go restaurant serving dishes that include poke, ramen, sushi, noodles, rice bowls, snacks and drinks. Gnar Bar describes its location simply as the corner of Lansing and Albion across from Rotary Park, and the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce lists the business at 10450 Lansing Street.

But Gnar Bar is only the newest chapter at an address that has been serving travelers, residents, shoppers and hungry kids for generations.

Location

The corner of Lansing and Albion Streets, across from Rotary Park, is one of the most heavily walked intersections in the village. Its red roof makes the small commercial building an easy landmark for visitors trying to orient themselves downtown.

History

One of the most interesting clues to the property's earlier history comes from California's historic-resource records. The state's Mendocino historic-site inventory identifies 10450 Lansing Street as the "Shell Building" and gives a construction date of 1923.

That official record adds weight to a longtime local memory that this corner was once Charlie Tyrell's Shell station. The exact dates of Tyrell's operation still need more documentation, but the Shell connection itself is considerably stronger than just a remembered story because the historic inventory preserves the "Shell Building" name at this exact address.

Before poke bowls, ramen, toys and cups of coffee, motorists could pull into this corner for gasoline and service.

As Mendocino changed from a working lumber and fishing community into a village increasingly shaped by tourism, small shops and restaurants, this corner changed with it.

One later business was Tote Fête, remembered as a popular food stop around the 1990s. Community memories especially recall slices of pesto and pepperoni pizza, families stopping there after taking their children to the nearby toy store, and leftover unsold food being given to homeless people.

The address later became home to Moody's Organic Coffee Bar. Older Mendocino visitor guides place Moody's Internet Coffee Cafe or Moody's Organic Coffee Bar at 10450 Lansing Street, and travel writing from 2014 was still directing visitors there for coffee.

The same address has also been associated with the Village Toy Store. A Mendocino family travel guide listed the Village Toy Store at 10450 Lansing Street and described it as a shop specializing in traditional, non-battery toys and kites. That fits neatly with the community memories of families combining a stop for pizza with a visit to the toy store.

The Building Today

Today the building has another identity. Gnar Bar operates at 10450 Lansing Street as an Asian-fusion eatery. Its own website describes it as a grab-and-go restaurant at Lansing and Albion across from Rotary Park, while the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce describes the business as serving Asian-fusion food, snacks and drinks.

Its menu and reputation have taken the little building in yet another direction, with ramen, poke, sushi, musubi and other Asian- and Hawaiian-influenced dishes replacing gasoline pumps, pizza slices, toys and cups of coffee. A 2025 restaurant review likewise places Gnar Bar at 10450 Lansing Street and highlights its poke, Spam musubi, ramen and chicken karaage.

The business is new compared with many Mendocino institutions, but its location is anything but new.

Why It Matters

One small building can hold very different memories depending on when someone first knew it. A gas station, a pizza stop, a toy store, a coffee bar and an Asian-fusion kitchen have all occupied the same walls. The businesses changed, but the corner kept serving Mendocino.

Community Memories

The oldest remembered identity for this corner is the Shell station, recalled locally as Charlie Tyrell's Shell station.

A later generation remembers Tote Fête, particularly pesto pizza, pepperoni pizza and stopping there with children after visiting the toy store. There is also a particularly generous memory from the 1990s: unsold food reportedly being given to homeless people rather than simply being thrown away.

Those memories have not all been independently documented, so they are best preserved for what they are — firsthand pieces of community history.

Someone driving through Mendocino decades ago might remember the Shell station. A child might remember the toy store. Someone else remembers a slice of pesto pizza. A later visitor remembers Moody's coffee. And someone walking past the same red-roofed corner today probably knows it for ramen or a poke bowl from Gnar Bar.

Timeline

1923 — The state historic-resource inventory dates the "Shell Building" at 10450 Lansing Street.

Mid-century — The corner is remembered locally as Charlie Tyrell's Shell station.

1990s — Tote Fête operates here, remembered for pesto and pepperoni pizza.

Late 1990s–2010s — Moody's Organic Coffee Bar / Moody's Internet Coffee Cafe occupies the address; the Village Toy Store is also listed here.

2025 — Gnar Bar is reviewed at 10450 Lansing Street for its poke, Spam musubi, ramen and chicken karaage.

2026 — Gnar Bar continues operating at the corner of Lansing and Albion.

Sources: This article blends verifiable historical and current information with community memories supplied through the original Buildings and Businesses in Mendocino post. Historical documentation includes the California Office of Historic Preservation's Mendocino historic-resource inventory, which identifies 10450 Lansing Street as the "Shell Building" and dates it to 1923; older Mendocino visitor and business guides documenting Moody's Organic Coffee Bar / Moody's Internet Coffee Cafe at the address; travel material documenting the Village Toy Store at 10450 Lansing Street; the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce; and Gnar Bar's official website for the present business and location. Original post text and community comment thread provided by Gee Bee, with contributor memories from Chuck Ross, Karen Hamilton, and Anna Roeth. The recollections concerning Charlie Tyrell's Shell station, Tote Fête, its pizza, and the practice of giving leftover food to homeless people are preserved as community memories unless additional documentary records are located.