Jack London Square's Waterfront Hotel and Jack's Bistro [Photo: Flickr/Jachdeja]
Between rising rents and the health care fiasco, the costs of operating a restaurant in San Francisco have never been higher, and there are few signs that the trend will quell. Thus, more than a few people have already speculated that over the next couple years, as newcomers seek out spaces and leases expire, restaurateurs' migration eastward will become more and more pronounced. Oakland's Temescal 'hood has already gotten the Wall Street Journal treatment and Jack London Square continues to boom. Among the happenings in the Jack London revitalization project alone:
1) Lito Saldana's Cocina Poblana, a modern Mexican restaurant boasting the largest tequila collection in the East Bay, opened two weeks ago in the former Pizzeria SFO space.
2) Due in 2009, construction is underway for Jack London Market, the place that "aims to be the largest public market on the West Coast."
3) As mentioned earlier, Joie de Vivre has taken over the Waterfront Plaza Hotel and will put a Joey Altman restaurant in the onetime Jack's Bistro space on the ground floor (pictured above). The cuisine, you'll recall, will be of the sun.
4) Also, since we read this tidbit about once a week, we thought we'd share that Oakland is thrilled that the Sunday farmers market at JLS is the only place you can buy fresh crabs directly off the boat.
· Jack London Square attracts hip food tenants [CCT]
· A New Gourmet Ghetto [WSJ]
