Just a month after being forced to close their San Francisco location, Millennium, the popular, high-end vegan restaurant that flourished for more than 20 years in downtown San Francisco, is reopening tonight on College Avenue in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood. Though the principle owners, Larry and Ann Wheat, decided to retire from the restaurant business after the SF closure, founding chef Eric Tucker and General Manager Alison Bagby’s incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign means Millennium’s cuisine will stay alive in the Bay Area.
The new space is slightly smaller than the original, but Tucker and Bagby used the move as a chance to update the vibe to something that’s more modern and rustic, including dark wood finishes throughout and ditching the white tablecloths for sustainable wood tabletops. They’re still working on opening the back patio, complete with retractable awning, and hope to have it ready for brunch in the fall.
The menu: Due to space constraints, Millennium’s new menu will be slightly pared down. However, diners can expect the same intriguing plant and grain-based dishes as before with a few less expensive options since Tucker acknowledges not everyone wants to spend $20+ on an entrée. Per Inside Scoop, opening dishes include an organic masa mushroom tamale, Brentwood corn stew with chile negro, and a pastry roulade with farro-chard risotto.
Millennium opens softly tonight at 5912 College Ave.; Regular hours are Sunday-Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 5:30-10:30 p.m.
— Daisy Barringer