Storied dive bar Lucky 13 has been on the verge of being razed for condos for almost twenty years, but the time eventually came for this city favorite to close in early December. Although the website still lists the restaurant as temporarily closed, the location at 1455 3rd Street Promenade is closed, with branding and food items all removed from the area this month. ", 5. The Sacramento Bee reports ownership sold the business to competitor Hot off the Griddle, which will open its third location in the BarnBurner space. Email: dianne.deguzman@sfgate.com. SANTA CLARA Konjoe Burger shut down its Santa Clara location on January 21, the Chronicle spotted. Now, the restaurant is celebrating 60 years. Flower Moon, a lunar eclipse and a meteor shower unfold this week. Californias historic snowpack remains massive. BERKELEY Windchaser Wine Co., an East Bay favorite for Mendocino and El Dorado-area wines, closed its original location at 1375 Fourth Street to move to a TBD-announced new location in Richmond. OAKLAND On March 25, Kingston 11, one of the East Bays favorite restaurants for oxtail, salmon, and jerk chicken, will close its doors for good. The restaurant group announced in June that they were closing in Santa Monica following impacts from the pandemic and invited the public to join an online auction through June 22. Granted, the remaining San Francisco location is only temporarily closed, but with the Marina and Palo Alto locations gone and now the Uptown location at 2100 Franklin Street its anyones guess how long the remaining restaurant will hang on. COLE VALLEY Reverie Cafe, situated in the heart of Cole Valley for more than 20 years, will close on February 19. Thank you for your continued love and support of my Vida, it reads. Nopalito, a popular Mexican food restaurant in San Francisco's Nopa neighborhood, has closed its Inner Sunset location permanently. OUTER RICHMOND It may not technically count as a closure, but the recent revelation that the National Park Service will not be looking for an operator to reopen Louis over by Lands End feels like its closing all over again. Woods Bar & Brewery, a fixture of Uptown Oakland's nightlife scene, is closing permanently after seven years after being unable to reach a new agreement with its landlord. Restaurateur and star bartender Thad Vogler has permanently shuttered three of his San Francisco based restaurants that include Trou Normand, Nommo, and Obispo. Longstanding Harrington's Bar and Grill announced that it would permanently close after 85 years. Jose Maria Aguirre pouring wine at Maum in Palo Alto, Calif. on Friday, April 26, 2019. Its shocking, says owner Eugene Power. Co-owner Paul Rustigian, the grandson of founders Rose and Paul Agajan, says thanks to the staff and customers in a statement. Most have been able to find ways to adapt and survive. A running list of notable Bay Area restaurants and bars that have permanently closed. According to the Press Democrat, the closure comes after financial issues brought on by the pandemic. "It's hard," said Sue. Cliff House. BERKELEY Elmwood Chinese restaurant Tai San, a mainstay on Telegraph Avenue for about 30 years, closed on February 28. Vive La Tarte's two other locations, in Noe Valley and SoMa, remain in operation. Hoodline, Vietnamese restaurant Them Ky in the Tenderloin has shuttered after 27 years in business, Tablehopper reported. The stylish bar announced it would permanently close its San Francisco and New York City locations after struggling to stay afloat in recent months. SACRAMENTO The Sacramento Bee also has news of Hoppy Brewing Co. closing its restaurant, Hoppys Railyard Kitchen & Garden, as of January 2. SAN JOSE The San Jose location of sandwich chain Earl of Sandwich is closing after five years, with franchise owner Trang Nguyen telling the Mercury News that business just never recovered. Nguyen says after COVID-19 hit, with employees working from home and San Jose State students not attending school as often, sales decreased by as much as 85 percent. INNER RICHMOND An Inner Richmond Korean restaurant has closed, an Eater SF tipster noted. According to the San Francisco Business Times, Hard Water was previously hit with an eviction notice earlier this year by its Pier 3 landlord that alleged past due rent in the amount of $424,535.27 (plus attorney fees). Following months of temporary closure, PRIMA restaurant has closed for good after a 43-year run in Walnut Creek. After 10 years on Valencia Street serving Venezuelan food, the owners of Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen made the decision to close on Aug. 30. "We are very sorry to report that Bar Agricole is closed effective immediately due to the increasing daily risk of COVID-19 infection to our employees and guests," read a message on the bar's website. Read the full story here. INNER RICHMOND An Eater tipster pointed out that Five Happiness, a Taiwanese and Shanghainese restaurant on Geary Boulevard at 6th Avenue has closed. China, inside Westfield San Francisco Centre, has permanently closed after nine years. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, Bay Area restaurants, bars that permanently closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were places where we spent hours lingering over ephemeral souffles and haute cuisine that somehow reminded us of home; where we listened to oral histories and the close murmurs of strangers sitting at elbows length from us. Email her at Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com. Bok lahong, a green papaya salad with soft-shell crab, at Nyum Bai. The restaurant made the announcement on Instagram, writing, "This pandemic has been difficult for many small businesses, us included, but heres to positive thoughts of what the future will bring as we all move forward." Every nights menu was full of surprises. The business is expected to transform into Walias other Peninsula-based restaurant, Saffron Indian Bistro, which is in San Carlos. M.Y. Prior to SFGATE, she was an associate editor at East Bay Express and freelance writer covering the Bay Area music scene. The bar, best known as a hangout spot for fans of the San Jose Sharks, held a closing party over the. Free from pretension and with plenty of warmth to spare, the Franciscas team was the model of hospitality for all. Caffe Vita. The smokehouse concept was casual and oriented toward punchy flavors, with items like a French dip sandwich with smoked brisket and Emmenthaler cheese and a deceptively meaty smoked cabbage with cheese and paprika vinaigrette. As ICU capacity has remained below 15 percent in the four regions under the order, it remains to be seen just how many restaurants will survive the extended dine-in closure, and whether a relief package will be enough to save them. GRANITE BAY After less than a year in business, digital-ax-throwing bar Get Axed has closed. The restaurant was known for preparing a variety of Sichuanese dishes. Walzwerk, an East German restaurant in the Mission, is closing after 21 years. The Crepe House located at 1132 Valencia St. in San Francisco will permanently close by the end of May, citing that business had dropped by 70%. Read more. A running list of notable Bay Area restaurants and bars that have permanently closed. POLK GULCH Indian restaurant Shalimar went dark sometime in the last number of months, but no one knew for sure if it was really lights out for good until Tablehopper confirmed with the restaurant. Browse by region, re-watch your favorite segments, and enjoy food reviewed by regular Bay Area residents! He grew up in the East Bay Area and is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where he studied media theory and production, political science, and journalism. needs these 5 sites to thrive so the city can recover, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Shelives in San Francisco with her rabbit, Cheeto. The shop's locations in Concord and Berkeley will remain open, as well as outposts in San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas, and San Francisco, the Mercury News reports. Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle 2019. No San Francisco restaurant was quicker to reinvent itself in the face of the pandemic than Prairie. SFGATE reports owner Jeanine Egan blames high rent and low foot traffic, brought on by the pandemic. This is a curated list of the Bay Areas most notable and permanent restaurant and bar closures, with new updates published once a week. Were running on fumes, Jones says. Run by Saboor and Maria Zafari, the restaurant was known for its Mediterranean food with Afghan inflections. 8. Mauerpark, a German cafe in the Castro, announced that it would permanently close Aug. 12 after a struggle to keep business afloat in San Francisco. But coupled with that news is the tidbit that Heshers Pizza, which provided food for the tap house, will take over the space and remain open daily. The fast food giants outpost at Fishermans Wharf closed in late December, the company confirmed to the outlet, saying in part that the company reviews its restaurant portfolio on a regular basis to make the best decisions for our business moving forward.. Please enter a valid email and try again. More Bay Area restaurants hosted their final service hour as May came to an end. Hard Water, a whiskey bar owned by Charles Phan, closed after 10 years in San Francisco. 10. Thanks to its enormous space, the business employed 90 staff; according to the San Francisco Business Times, that means 90 layoffs. The comprehensive list of every restaurant ever featured on Check, Please! She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California, and is a Bay Area native. The brand's original Bay Area locations remain active. Scroll through the slideshow at the top of the article to see other restaurants that have shuttered this year. "After a lot of careful consideration, and partly because of the uncertainty of the restaurant world, I have sadly decided to walk away from the restaurant. According to a message left by the owner on Yelp, the restaurant will eventually. The chain, founded in the Bay Area in 1987, was in business for 33 years, and moved its headquarters to Pleasanton in 2014, Pleasanton Weekly reported. The restaurant, originally slated to debut in spring 2018, went through a few tumultuous delays in opening. Willie Bird plans to continue running its business by focusing on retail. "Current market conditions attributed to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place policies have decimated company revenues," a statement on the restaurant's website reads. 2. Its not entirely clear when the restaurant closed for good, but a Hoodline reporter notes the space is already cleared out of tables and chairs. She received an M.A. The restaurants menu included dishes such as green onion pancakes and sheng jian bao. Dobbs Ferry, at 409 Gough St., has permanently closed in Hayes Valley after nine years. One of San Francisco's long-running restaurants, the Cliff House announced that it will be . At Benu, I recall the scratchiness of the vinyl records that provided dining room music; my colleague, meanwhile, still talks about how one course seemed like the most delicious carrot shes ever eaten in her life. Closes In Santa Monica Due To Pandemic, San Mateo's Vault 164 Restaurant Closes Permanently, Santa Monica Steak 'n Shake Closes On Third Street Amid Pandemic, Popular Los Gatos Eatery Shutters: Nick's Next Door, Celebrity Deaths in 2020: The Legends We Lost, 10 Stories That Warmed Our Hearts In 2020, 35 Of California's Biggest Moments In Photos, 20 California Guinness World Records Broken In 2020, 10 Ways Life Changed In California In 2020. The Palo Alto Vietnamese restaurant permanently closed its doors on Nov. 15, as first reported by the Bay Area News Group. Ancora co-owner Joe Conte told the Chronicle the restaurant never recovered after a drop in sales during the early January storms. ", 6. Even so, the casual concept has a lot going on: Customers have been picking up brown paper bags full of ambitious, six-course dinners that they can reheat at home, featuring dishes like sticky pork spare ribs, cloudy beef bone soup, light and gooey acorn choux pastries and spicy squid and cucumber salad. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group) Sweet Tomatoes The 97 . The Mercury News reports the company hopes to redeploy and add resources to other locations where we can continue our growth but provided managers and team members the opportunity to relocate to one of the restaurants eight other restaurants in the Bay Area. BIERHAUS OAKLAND The Bierhaus Oakland beer garden, closed for the length of the pandemic, has now shuttered for good. CASTRO Neighborhood bar Harveys closed suddenly on Sunday, January 22 after being in business since 1974. Perello is still negotiating with her landlord to figure out how to keep the restaurant in the space and has been actively keeping in touch with her employees, all of whom she had to lay off at the onset of the pandemic. According to the outlet, owners Matt Levin and Melanie Roth say the business never fully recovered from the impacts of the pandemic. Everything.. CALIFORNIA In 2020, we were forced to witness a spate of "we're closed" signs appear across multiple businesses in our communities. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com. in English from UC Berkeley. The Little Pear opened a decade ago at 3407 Blackhawk Plaza Circle. After 30 years of serving breakfast staples, Art's Cafe closed its doors in July. POTRERO HILL El Sur, known for serving Argentinan-style empanadas, has closed its cafe at 300 De Haro Street in Potrero Hill, an Eater tipster first spotted. An announcement on the restaurant website explains there may be a comeback down the line. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. "Hard Water was born with the goal for the bar to be a place where you can take your best friend to have a drink that you know they will remember for the rest of their life," read the farewell message on Instagram. Its unclear when the restaurant closed, exactly, but the Houston-based chains only other location in the area in downtown Sacramento shuttered in 2021. Its unclear when the restaurant closed, but the business website announces simply sorry, we are permanently closed.. Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, a well-liked breakfast and lunch chain headquartered in Pleasanton, is permanently closing all of its more than 50 locations in three states due to financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus crisis, the restaurant announced Friday. Los Angeles-born Broad Street Oyster Co. will take over the Ghirardelli Square location. Martin De Porres G. on Yelp (R), Douglas Zimmerman/SF Gate / Douglas Zimmerman. The restaurant announced its end on Tuesday, February 21 via Instagram with a brief statement from owner Evette Mercado. The restaurant had been a fixture of San Francisco for the last 30 years. This was never my intention but because we are in unprecedented times, I have been forced to make this difficult decision to close. On Instagram, chef-owner Nite Yun shared that her lease had ended, but she hopes to resurface her Cambodian restaurant, known for its pork chops and noodle soup, at a new location in the near future.. Restaurants A-Z | San Francisco | East Bay | Peninsula/South Bay | North Bay. The impending closure of Yu-Raku was first announced in April when chef-owner Sakae Yuizuma shared on Instagram that he was looking forward to retirement. The cherished Santa Rosa deli closed its doors at the end of May after nearly five decades in business, as first reported by the Press Democrat. The Eville Eye first shared the news in a post on Instagram. The business owners cited a rent increase as to why they called it quits on the more than 20-year-old restaurant. Stay tuned for updates on the prized 40th Street bar and restaurant (and its handsome streetside outdoor patio). But cultural shifts, from the pandemic to the nationwide unrest over racial injustice, have invigorated the team to reorient the restaurant more explicitly toward justice and equity. Oops. Were always thinking of Cafe Ohlone as a fluid thing that can move past any one location. While working on plans for a future brick-and-mortar home for the cafe, Medina and Trevino hope to present the Cafe Ohlone experience in the form of boxes filled with foraged items and ready-to-cook food sometime in the fall. The 33-year-old Chinese restaurant in Oakland quietly closed last month, according to Berkeleyside. The closed restaurants of the Top 100 list. Longtime Santa Monica restaurant Enterprise Fish Co. closed its doors and left its original location after more than 41 years in the city. Bay Area,' invites you to explore the culinary landscape of the Bay Area. The state panel is preparing a final report that will suggest how to compensate Black residents to address the harms caused by the states history of slavery. Send her an email at amanda.bartlett@sfgate.com. Souplantation, the buffet-style restaurant chain founded and headquartered in San Diego, is permanently closing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ingas cookies and sweets includes seasonal assortment, pears and apples at Dear Inga, located at 3560 18th St., in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, December 6, 2019. RESTAURANT. Now, the restaurant is celebrating 60 years. Owner Jill Ritchies catering side of the business will also shut down, and Ritchie is instead shifting toward a new longevity lifestyle business, the Jill Zone. One of San Francisco's long-running restaurants, the Cliff House announced that it will be shuttering on Dec. 31, after months of being closed during the pandemic. So much of Piperade's charm is in its cozy dining room in the Financial District where, over the past 18 years, San Franciscans have chased seafood pintxos and tissue-thin slices of cured Bayonne ham with glasses of Spanish wine. Nizario's three other San Francisco locations still remain in operation. The owners shared the news with a goodbye note posted to their storefront that read, My wife and [I] have decided to start a new journey, and have sold the establishment to a new owner. Its unclear if Great Wall Chinese Restaurant will continue operating under the same name in the near future. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Californios. "We did just that by searching for the best and the rarest whiskey in the US.. Mission Cheese, a cheese shop and wine bar on Valencia Street, announced it is closing for good at the end of the year. Lalimes, the acclaimed North Berkeley restaurant, announced in late April that it was closing its doors after 35 years in business. Here are just some of the eateries that have closed in the Golden State permanently: 1. Eater San Francisco and the San Francisco Chronicle have working lists of Bay Area restaurant closures that are updated at alarmingly frequent intervals. OAKLAND Burma Bear, an Oakland restaurant that specialized in both barbecue and Burmese dishes, closed for good on January 19. Corso, a Tuscan restaurant in North Berkeley, is closing after 12 years, according to Berkeleyside. SAN RAFAEL The Northgate Mall location of the restaurant and beerhall BJs will close on April 12. Nick's on Grand, Nick's on Mission, and Nick's Kitchen. MILLBRAE The Michelin Guide-approved Hong Kong Flower Lounge at 51 Millbrae Avenue closed on December 31. In a Facebook post, owners Haig and Cindy Krikorian broke the news, saying that, in the end, "Covid 19 has made the decision for us." Hemsley says he plans to reveal his next project in the coming weeks. More Bay Area restaurants announce permanent closures By Susana Guerrero Updated Dec 5, 2021 6:26 a.m. As 2021 rapidly comes to an end, more Bay Area restaurants bid adieu after years in service. She grew up in the Seattle area and received her B.A. Or that an arepa filled with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil could work so well? Stoddard's: Tucked away in the Leather District, this retro drinking . In a statement sent to The Chronicle, David Pearson, managing director of the Meadowood Estate, said the resorts owners are committed to rebuilding what was lost to the Glass Fire. For a catalog of April closures, see SFGATEs roundup. Spicy pork loin sandwich at The Sentinel in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, April 17, 2019. Closes In Santa Monica Due To Pandemic. EMERYVILLE The last barbecue chicken pizzas have been served on Bay Street as California Pizza Kitchen has closed its restaurant in Emeryville. Let's recognize and celebrate what they brought into our lives and in some cases, might again. RICHMOND In other restaurant happenings, East Bay Nosh was also tipped off to the fact that Richmond favorite Mississippi Catfish closed up shop at its 12440 San Pablo Avenue space. A running list of notable Bay Area restaurants and bars that have permanently closed by Dianne de Guzman, Paolo Bicchieri, and Lauren Saria Updated Dec 21, 2022, 10:50am PST If you. CITY. Popular Los Gatos Eatery Shutters: Nick's Next Door. SOMA Chef Peter Hemsleys fine dining restaurant Palette will close on February 15 at 816 Folsom Street in SoMa. A notice from the company says all the workers will be transferred to nearby locations. Some of those long-gone businesses include Willie Bird Turkey Store & Deli in Santa Rosa and Yu-Raku in San Mateo, which first announced its closure plans in April. The market sold specialty items and was a resident of a nearly 118-year-old building. Read more, Popular North Beach restaurant, The House, announced in a Facebook post that owners Larry and Angela Tse decided to close the 26-year-old restaurant after careful consideration, thanking the community for supporting the restaurant over the years. The company has 97 restaurants, including 44 in California. And every restaurant on our original list was affected, faced with making some unbelievable changes. Dear Inga has gone on pause for the pandemic, though in the summer it reincarnated for a short time as the Dear Inga Smokehouse. Peggy Sue's located on San Pedro Square at 29 N San Pedro St. in San Jose has closed after 20 years. OAKLAND Umami Burger, the Los Angeles-born Shake Shack competitor, has closed its final Bay Area location. SFGATE reports owners Betty and Steven Chang are all set to retire. Unfortunately the world is a different place now and the vision we had for the San Jose location is becoming harder and harder to maintain, the post reads. RICHMOND DISTRICT PPQ Dungeness Island, an absolute titan in the Bay Areas Dungeness crab world, closed its 2332 Clement Street restaurant on February 20. Hoodline reports the Japanese restaurant took over after ownership pivoted from their original Nash Hot Chicken & Ramen business, which was located in the same space. The farewell post was long and honest, citing everything from lease issues to terrible weather to the pandemics impacts as to reasons for the shuttering. What happened on first day of CHP drug dealing crackdown in S.F. He didn't want to pass on the rising costs of beef and pork to customers. The restaurant made the announcement on its website citing changes in restaurant economics.. "We will miss you dearly and the wonderful times we shared during weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, showers, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays or just a simple meal 'in the garden.' Kyoto Japanese Restaurant, 1610 Lancaster Drive, held its final service Nov. 8. The restaurant's last day in service was May 10. "Well folksthat's ITend of an era & another nail in the coffin of Rock 'n Roll," the club wrote on Facebook. South Asian restaurant Rasa had its last service day on May 8 after eight years in Burlingame. Once we have more clarity, we will let you know.". FISHERMANS WHARF According to SFGATE, McDonalds has closed one of its high-profile locations in San Francisco. According to owner Roger Soudah the closure comes after months of back-and-forth with the landlord over lease negotiations. The shops locations in Concord and Berkeley will remain open, as well as outposts in San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas, and San Francisco, the Mercury News reports. The Bistro Garden at Coldwater, a longtime establishment known for its fine dining, chocolate souffls and a "garden" atmosphere that often served as a Hollywood backdrop, is closing after 30 years in Studio City, owners announced in August. GHIRARDELLI SQUARE San Francisco Cheese School will leave the waterfront after four years. In the case of Willie Bird Turkey, the nearly five-decade-old business decided to close its deli operation after struggling to remain financially afloat during the pandemic. "It was a privilege to operate in arguably the most beautiful setting in the world," the restaurant said in a statement on Facebook. The 1950s-themed diner shuttered after 20 years in San Jose, posting a sign that read, "Thank you for your support and patronage over the past 20 years at this location. PALO ALTO Tin Pot Creamery is pivoting to grocery store sales and closing its three scoop shops in San Mateo, Campbell, and Palo Alto. After more than 23 years in Union Square, an email sent to Farallon Restaurant employees said the business was closing permanently. RANK. East Bay Nosh reports the decade-old cafe and go-to for breakfast sandwiches posted a note to its website, saying unfortunately we can no longer overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and current economic climate.. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the Dixon, Novato, and Napa locations have closed, leaving just seven locations of the Italian food spot. SAN JOSE The cheddar chive biscuits will be baked no more as the Red Lobster location at Almaden Expressway near Blossom Hill Road will close its doors after 39 years of serving South San Jose. Co-owner Nicolas Bernadi attributed both closures to not being able to work out reduced rent agreements with landlords during a time when business for them is down between 30 and 70%. 2. "Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertain future of the restaurant industry, it is with great sorrow and emotional upheaval that after 30 years, The Bistro Garden at Coldwater will be closing," the Niklas and Pappas families said in a joint statement. Chef Val Cantu, matre d Carolyn Cantu and sommelier Charlotte Randolph opened Californios in 2015, gaining accolades for their nightly 16-course menus. After 21 years of being independently owned and operated, Sunny Donuts announced that a "drop in sales" amid the ongoing pandemic was the cause of its closure. Worth Ranch BBQ in San Ramon and The Little Pear in Danville have closed, Chef Rodney Worth said. The Inner Sunset diner was located at 747 Irving St. After 83 continuous years of business, Louis' Restaurant, a San Francisco institution near Ocean Beach, is closing its doors permanently due to the coronavirus pandemic. PALO ALTO Cudos, a custard and doughnut shop at 855 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, closed on March 13. It's one of several restaurants and businesses closing in Santa Monica in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. A popular South Bay/Peninsula restaurant chain announced in July that its Cupertino location is the latest to join that list. They say that the loss of venue doesnt spell the end of their project. Already a new restaurant called Kokio Republic, formerly a Korean fried chicken food truck, is open in the space at 711 Geary Street. Santa Monica steakhouse Pacific Dining Car is closing its Westside location and will continue working to reopen its Los Angeles restaurant. From fine dining . Longtime owner Aaron Toensing partnered with Lori Baker and Jeffrey Banker, the couple behind the now-closed Pac-Heights restaurant Baker and Banker, to give the restaurant a second lease on life, but announced on Tuesday that the restaurant was no longer sustainable.. "Thank you to the many customers who have supported us over the years," they said on Facebook. And while the reasons behind the decision to shutter varied, both restaurant owners made the challenging decision to close for good. Where to eat in the Bay Area. Manager David Facer told the San Francisco Chronicle the closure is a sign of the times, especially after COVID. The bar was first known as Elephant Walk, then changed its name in 1996 to honor Supervisor Harvey Milk. The restaurant was meant to show off the freshest seafood offerings of the day. Big H Deli. And while restaurants were allowed to reopen to varying degrees during the summer within the 58 counties in the state, many were subject to tight capacity limits and/or could only serve guests outside. what happened to gerber plum baby food,