Bubala’s by the Bay: The End of a Provincetown Era

For more than three decades, Bubala’s By the Bay has occupied one of Provincetown’s most visible corners: 183–185 Commercial Street, where its bright yellow façade, sprawling patio, harbor backdrop, and steady stream of diners became part of the West End landscape. In 2026, however, Bubala’s is serving what is expected to be its final season, bringing an end to a restaurant with roots stretching deeper than its familiar yellow building suggests.

The waterfront property has a history tied to Provincetown’s working harbor. In the early 20th century, the site was home to the Fisherman Cold Storage Company. After Atlantic Coast Fisheries acquired the property, the complex was abandoned and demolished in the 1930s. The town twice declined opportunities to purchase the land for parking, and in 1951 Christopher “Marcey” Salvador bought the nearly half-acre parcel. In 1958, Salvador and his wife, Elizabeth, built the Sea View Restaurant there.

Bubala’s itself first appeared during the 1993 season as “Bubala’s at Night,” operating upstairs at Café Edwige. The following year, John “Jingles” Yingling brought the concept to the former Sea View Restaurant. By 1995, the building had acquired its unforgettable taxi-yellow color and whimsical rooftop birds, advertising itself simply as “the yellow place with the birds on the roof.”

Yingling was already a major figure in Provincetown’s restaurant scene. He had opened Spiritus Pizza in 1971 and later became associated with Local 186 across the street. His son Guillermo “Gui” Yingling eventually joined him in the ownership of Bubala’s, continuing the family connection to several Commercial Street businesses. Over the years, Bubala’s developed a personality that was less about formal dining than about Provincetown itself: seafood and cocktails, live music, drag events, longtime employees, locals mixing with visitors, and perhaps most famously, people-watching from the patio.

That long run is now nearing its conclusion. Yingling has said that operating a restaurant of Bubala’s size has become increasingly challenging, citing rising food costs as well as the difficulty of finding workers and housing for them. The property was put under agreement for a reported $7 million with Provincetown restaurateur and developer Victor DePoalo, owner of Victor’s.

DePoalo’s plans would dramatically reshape the site. The latest proposal calls for demolishing Bubala’s and replacing it with a three-story mixed-use development containing a 100-seat restaurant, nine hotel rooms, eight market-rate condominiums, and two deed-restricted affordable condominiums. Plans also include a public boardwalk running from Commercial Street toward the harbor, with access to the beach.

The redevelopment is not yet a done deal. Although DePoalo secured approvals from the Zoning Board of Appeals and Historic District Commission, the project was still encountering resistance at the Planning Board as of August 2026, where questions remain about permits, waivers, design, and public access.

Whatever ultimately rises on this valuable stretch of waterfront, replacing Bubala’s will mean more than changing a building. Provincetown has always reinvented itself, but certain places become markers of an era. For 33 summers, Bubala’s has been one of them—a yellow, noisy, breezy front-row seat to Commercial Street, where dinner often came with a side of Provincetown passing by.