The three restaurants, steakhouse, raw bar, and rooftop pool bar planned for Hotel MOHI at 17490 Monterey Road do not exist yet. The project is still working through a Type 47 liquor license filing and a 2027 opening window with no fixed date. But the chef who will run that kitchen, Lance Ramhurst, is already cooking in Morgan Hill at a much smaller restaurant on Depot Street called MOHI Farm. Hotel MOHI is still in development, while MOHI Farm is open.
MOHI Farm, MOHI Social, and Hotel MOHI all trace back to the same operator, Frank Leal and his Leal Hospitality group. Hotel MOHI is planned for Monterey Road, while MOHI Farm operates in a repurposed agricultural building on Depot Street.
One Operator, Three Names
MOHI Farm sits at the corner of E Third and Depot Street inside the old Sunsweet building, near Alara Cellars and Coffee Guys. It's a farm-to-table restaurant built around produce from Leal's own farm and seasonal ingredients pulled from the Morgan Hill Farmers Market, which means the menu shifts with what's actually ready to pick rather than staying fixed. A few blocks away, MOHI Social runs as a pop-up restaurant inside the Granada Theatre, a live downtown food option distinct from the coming hotel project, according to Leal's own site.
Both of those are small, contained, and already generating a track record. Hotel MOHI is the opposite: three restaurants, a steakhouse, a raw bar, an artisan bakery, a rooftop pool bar, multiple outdoor courtyards, conference and event space, and a full pool and spa, all under one roof at 17490 Monterey Road, according to reporting on the project's liquor license filing. Chef Ramhurst, who trained at Atlantic Cape Community College, will oversee that entire operation. His current work at MOHI Farm is a separate part of Leal Hospitality's portfolio.
If you live near downtown and have eaten at MOHI Farm this year, you have seen Chef Ramhurst at work there; Hotel MOHI remains a separate project.
Silos and MOHI Farm on Depot Street
MOHI Farm isn't the only new Depot Street restaurant leaning on old agricultural buildings, and that repetition is the second half of the story. A few doors down, a cocktail bar called Silos opened inside four actual steel grain silos at 17480 Depot Street. The operators are the team behind Oak & Rye in Los Gatos, and they built the space to preserve historical remnants from the original granary operation, with a floorplan that reads more speakeasy than sports bar. No reservations, open seating, cocktails and spirits, tinned seafood, and sweets, Wednesday through Sunday.
Silos and MOHI Farm have no ownership overlap. They are different operators with different concepts and menus, and both occupy repurposed agricultural buildings on Depot Street.
Hotel MOHI and the Depot Street Restaurants
Leal's group operates MOHI Farm and MOHI Social. The same group is preparing Hotel MOHI for a permanent address on the main street. Plans for Hotel MOHI include three restaurants, a steakhouse, a raw bar, a rooftop bar, and event space.
None of that changes what's true right now: the flagship doesn't exist, and MOHI Farm does. While Hotel MOHI is still in development, you can eat at MOHI Farm or catch a MOHI Social pop-up night at the Granada Theatre.
The Curb Is About to Get Stricter Right Where All of This Is Happening
There's a second, more immediate change worth knowing if you're planning to spend an evening on this stretch. The City of Morgan Hill is rolling out a new downtown parking management strategy this fall, and the timing lines up almost exactly with the corridor where Silos, MOHI Farm, and the future Hotel MOHI all sit.
The rollout breaks into three phases:
- A public education campaign running from mid-September 2026 through January 2027, using parking maps, window posters, and direct business outreach.
- New 20-minute short-term parking signage, green curb markings, and pavement demarcation installed in late October, specifically on side streets closest to Monterey Road.
- A 60-day courtesy-notice period in November and December, during which parking enforcement will issue warnings instead of citations while drivers adjust.
Eighteen spaces downtown are being converted to 20-minute short-term parking, which the city notes equals about 1.4 percent of total downtown parking capacity. The stated goal is faster turnover for customers, easier pickup and drop-off, and less congestion from food delivery traffic, all of which points directly at a corridor that's suddenly hosting more foot traffic than it used to. The city has also been clear that all public parking, including the Downtown Parking Garage, stays free through this transition.
What This Adds Up To
Depot Street's grain silos and packing buildings are part of downtown Morgan Hill's dining scene. MOHI Farm and Silos are operating on Depot Street, while Hotel MOHI is planned for Monterey Road; the city is also updating downtown curb management.
If you're weighing what a home near this corridor of downtown Morgan Hill is actually worth, given how fast the surrounding block is changing, Erica Trinchero can walk you through what that shift means for value and timing. Book a consultation to talk specifics.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
