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It’s always a shock to discover that your go-to cafe has gone for good, seemingly without notice. In this weekly report, we at Nosh seek to track every notable East Bay restaurant closure. Since, unlike restaurant openings, these shutdowns often happen quietly, your tips and emails are what keeps this column going. They’re always welcome at editors@eastbaynosh.org.
Thanks to a Nosh reader for first alerting us that El Cerrito just lost this old-school San Pablo Avenue favorite. A sign on the door confirms the spacious Hong Kong-style restaurant (with a roomy parking lot) is permanently closed.
When contacted by phone, a staff member presumed Nosh was a curious customer (we are!) due to a language barrier, and mentioned recent high inflation, staff shortages and not enough business as reasons for the sudden closure before leaving the call to continue cleaning out the space.
The comfortable, affordable restaurant had a fan base as lengthy as its menu of specialties, and will be sorely missed by locals. Aroma/HK Home Kitchen was at 10140 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito.
This budget-friendly bagel shop, part of a Northern California chain, is the latest restaurant to depart Center Street in downtown Berkeley, where it was a staple for 12 years. In good news, especially for students, the shop will reopen soon in the former Fat Slice at 2375 Telegraph Ave., still near campus and just up the street. Bagel Street Cafe Center St. was at 2148 Center St. in Berkeley.
Nosh was surprised to hear from a reader that this fun, budget-friendly spot for crispy, Korean-style fried chicken had suddenly closed; though the sign on the door says the closure is temporary, the location has been erased from the main website and the number is down.
For five years, Bonchon Berkeley drew consistent numbers of students, locals and nearby office professionals, including through the pandemic and during significant neighborhood construction. Franchise headquarters did not return our request for more information. (Local Bonchons that remain open include outposts in San Leandro and Pleasanton.) Bonchon was at 2050 Berkeley Way in Berkeley.
Chef Sarah Kirnon (Miss Ollie’s) announced on Instagram that they will move on from their temporary digs at Forage Kitchen after final service on Oct. 7, after only a couple of months at that location. The news came as a surprise given the chef’s cultlike following for their prized Caribbean food, and instant critical acclaim at the new space, including a rave review from The Chronicle’s Soleil Ho. Kirnon’s movements will be tracked to wherever they land next for sure, and we’ll keep fans posted. Holders House was inside Forage Kitchen at 478 25th St. in Oakland.
There was such optimism around the Oct. 2021 move to south Berkeley for The Kebabery, the cozy, savory, casual kebab offshoot from the team behind Oakland’s beloved restaurant Camino.
When Camino closed in 2018, chef-owner Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain poured their hearts and talent into a new little neighborhood restaurant, providing fast-casual kebab plates (including delectable, smokey king trumpet mushrooms), first for grateful Longfellow locals at their original location at 4201 Market St. in Oakland.
The team’s initial hope was to expand into more than one location, but the pandemic led to a focus on a move and reopening on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley instead. When adjacent sister eatery Sesame, A Tiny Bakery closed last week, folks never suspected The Kebabery would be next, but as Moore told Elena Kadvany of The Chronicle, “We’re tired.”
Staffing shortages, inconsistent traffic, and the fallout from the last few years, especially, have caused the team to say a fond good-bye to the restaurant industry for the moment and move on. The Kebabery’s last day is Oct. 8. The Kebabery was at 2969 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.
Nosh noticed the Solano Avenue location of Organic Greens is temporarily closed until further notice, due to some plumbing issues the team hopes will soon be resolved by the landlord. Please note the Berkeley minichain’s other two locations downtown and in the Elmwood neighborhood remain open. Organic Greens Solano is at 1615 Solano Ave. in Berkeley.
With the exciting news of upcoming pizza restaurant Pizzeria da Laura moving into the space, it bears mentioning that Fabrizio Cercatore’s grand passion project on Shattuck Square, opened in 2018, has officially come to a close. The restaurant, wine bar, caffe, gelateria and, yes, pizzeria the size of a piazza at the heart of downtown Berkeley cycled through the pandemic on waves of hope and then doubt, opening briefly (once as a La Perla pop-up) only to then see the doors closed and gates firmly bolted just as quickly.
Ever cheerful, Cercatore would like to remind his fans that Passione Emporio on Fifth remains open, as it has been all pandemic, for pasta, pizza and gelato at 2324 Fifth St. Passione Caffe was at 91 Shattuck Sq. in downtown Berkeley.
Just a quick note, since Berkeley’s Revolution Cafe is not marked closed on Yelp and new reviews have recently posted: An in-person visit revealed that the vegan restaurant was unfortunately evicted back in July, has cleared out, and is quite permanently closed. Revolution Cafe was at 2160 University Ave. in Berkeley.
As bittersweetly posted on the ice cream company’s Instagram and told by The Chronicle, Smitten and its famed freshly-churned, made-to-order ice cream has left Rockridge for reasons unexplained. The hip, elaborate Rockridge scoop shop closed in September. Smitten Ice Cream shops remain open in San Francisco and San Jose. Smitten Ice Cream was at 5800 College Ave. in Oakland.
A sign on Gilman Street’s Thai Corner says it is temporarily closed due to a staffing shortage. Thai Corner is at 1277-1279 Gilman St. in Berkeley.
Featured image: Smitten in Rockridge. Credit: Smitten/Instagram
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