Downtown & regional tenant churn — closures & resilience
Key Questions
Which Bay Area restaurants are closing soon?
Multiple closures include Fish & Bird on June 14 in Berkeley, Gold Palm on May 27 in Oakland, Eat Americana in San Francisco, Del Popolo shifting to frozen retail, Genova, Trumer, and Millennium. A San Jose Mexican restaurant also closed due to VTA light rail construction impacts.
Why is Fish & Bird shutting down?
Fish & Bird, a popular Berkeley izakaya known for creative Japanese cuisine, is closing next month as announced by the restaurant. It has been recognized as one of Berkeley's best Japanese restaurants.
What is happening with Gold Palm in Oakland?
The vibrant Oakland cocktail bar and restaurant Gold Palm is preparing for farewell and will serve its last dinner on May 27. This adds to the regional tenant churn in the area.
Are there any new restaurant openings in San Francisco?
Resilience is shown through new openings including SoMa Social, Mesón, Presidio Mess Hall in June, Rose SF, Oklava, There/There, Wolfsbane, Meyhouse, Kitchen Commons, and Il Parco. Oklava Café is opening inside a struggling SF food hall with Turkish offerings.
What caused the San Jose restaurant closure related to VTA?
The owner of a longtime Mexican restaurant in East San Jose stated that construction of the VTA light rail extension killed the business, leading to permanent closure. This highlights infrastructure project impacts on local eateries.
Is there any positive development in San Francisco food halls?
A new café called Oklava is opening at an ailing SF food hall, potentially signaling the start of a rebound with Turkish-style coffees, salads, pizza slices, and pastries.
What other notable closures have occurred recently in the Bay Area?
Notable April closures included Eat Americana in San Francisco and Chez TJ in Mountain View, alongside a decade-old Walnut Creek sushi restaurant appearing to have closed and SF losing a 30-year-old neighborhood diner.
How are new concepts like Wolfsbane contributing to the scene?
Wolfsbane, from the former Lord Stanley team, is opening in Dogpatch with a restrained, produce-driven tasting menu experience. This represents ongoing innovation amid the churn of closures.
Closures accelerate (Fish & Bird June 14, Gold Palm May 27, Eat Americana, Del Popolo pivot to frozen retail, Genova, Trumer, Millennium). Resilience via SoMa Social, Mesón, Presidio Mess Hall June, Rose SF, Oklava, There/There, Wolfsbane, Meyhouse, Kitchen Commons, Il Parco.