Zuni, Nari, and State Bird Suspend Service, and More Coronavirus-Related Restaurant Closings

For restaurants trying to weather the storm of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), times are bleak. In San Francisco, with staggering costs for rent and labor, keeping a restaurant afloat is never easy, but with customers working from home and practicing social distancing, the toll is sinking food businesses. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association and others are predicting widespread closures in the coming weeks and months, both temporary and permanent, according to the SF Business Times.

Here’s a running list of Bay Area restaurants’ coronavirus-related closings thus far. But the situation is changing rapidly, and this article will be updated regularly, so if you spot any closings, please submit a tip.

MARCH 16

• Michelin-starred chef Pim Techamuanvivit announced that she’ll be temporarily closing the dining rooms at both of her restaurants, Nari and Kin Khao, effective Monday. And even though the chef has decried delivery apps, she’s developed an entirely new menu for takeout, which can be picked up at either of the restaurants.
• Robin, the new-school sushi spot, is closing doors for the next two weeks, “out of an abundance of caution and a desire to stop the spread of this virus.”
• Dandelion Chocolate, despite still holding its Craft Chocolate Festival a couple of weeks ago, is now suspending retail at all three locations, including the big chocolate factory, Valencia Street, and the Ferry Building. The team is promising delivery options for now, and writes, “We look forward to sharing a hot chocolate with you when this has passed.”
• Indian Paradox, the colorful wine bar on Divis that pairs spicy reds with street snacks, is closing for the rest of March, without any clear end date.
• New Californian sister restaurants State Bird Provisions and The Progress are temporarily closing for a minimum of two weeks. Chef-owners Stuart and Nicole Brioza urged followers, “Please, please, please incorporate farmers [and] farm markets in your future meals as we need them to be on the front lines, continuing to provide us all with good, healthy food for years to come!”
• SF institution Zuni Cafe is suspending business, and thanking their guests, farmers, and ranchers. They teased a new project, saying, “In the coming days we will be starting a new project that we are hopeful will keep our farmers connected to everyone.”
• Effective Monday, Sightglass Coffee is temporarily closing all cafes in SF, as well as the roastery in LA. Fans can still buy beans online.
• Ramen Shop, the noodle soup spot started by a couple of Chez Panisse alums, is temporarily closed as of Monday. “This is the hardest thing that we have done in the life of this restaurant,” the team shared on social media.
• Pastry chef Michelle Polzine of 20th Century Cafe announced that “not to be outdone by a [pandemic],” she’s been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and is temporarily closing to regroup. “I plan to keep on living, making delicious food, and in general, being as feisty, and ornery as ever,” she shared on social media, and signed off with “love and burnt honey.”
• Piccino Cafe and Noon All Day in Dogpatch are pausing the pizza, pasta, and veggies until the end of the month.
• Ichi Sushi won’t be serving its modern sashimi or nigiri for the next two weeks.

MARCH 15

• As of Sunday, March 15, all of Fort Point Beer’s bar and restaurant locations (two in San Francisco and one in Mill Valley) are temporarily closed. “We sincerely believe that reducing opportunities for social gathering will help slow the speed of COVID-19,” the brewery posted on Instagram.
• Corridor, the Hi Neighbor Group’s counter-service fine dining restaurant in the mid-Market, is closed temporarily as of Sunday, March 15. In a statement, the restaurant attributed the closure to “due to the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on business.” Sister restaurants Trestle and the Vault remain open for the time being.
• Michelin-starred minimalist California spot Lord Stanley announced via Instagram that it will close from Monday, March 16 to March 29. “We find it our responsibility to make decisions that are not only for the best for our employees and our guests,” they write, “but also for the community at large.”
• Noe Valley’s Firefly restaurant will temporarily close on Monday, March 16. In an Instagram post, they say “we are devastated” but that “we do this for the safety of our staff, our customers and for the public good.”
• Michelin-starred Hayes Valley restaurant Rich Table will temporarily close on Monday, March 16. “Right now what is most important is the well-being of those around us,” they say via Instagram, and they “encourage our guests and staff to care for themselves and their loved ones by social distancing and staying home as much as possible.” The NoPa and Hayes Valley locations of its spin-off, RT Rotisserie, will remain open for takeout and delivery only.
• Berkeley Mexican destination Comal said Sunday, March 15 that it would close “effective immediately” as “it is incumbent on all of us to take any steps we can now to elimiunate further spread.”
• All U.S. locations of Blue Bottle Coffee will close Monday, March 16, CEO Bryan Meehan said. “While we wish we could remain open to offer you a safe haven in these uncertain times, we simply do not have the benefit of enough information to ensure our public spaces are safe. We will reevaluate these cafe closures in two weeks and will only reopen when we feel it is safe to do so.” Whatever happens, Meehan promises to continue paying staff for the next three months. Beans are available online.
• Family-owned Mexican spot El Buen Comer says via Instagram that “public safety always comes first” so it will close until further notice.
• New Guamanian spor Prubechu says that it has “we tried everything we could to keep our doors open” but “the safety of our employees and our guests is our highest priority and we have made the incredibly difficult decision to close our doors for at least 2 weeks.”
• The Instagram profile of Liholiho Yacht Club notes its temporary closure, and in a post, the Hawaii-inspired restaurant says that it and its basement bar, Louie’s Gen-Gen Room, will close until further notice.
• Flour + Water and spinoff Flour + Water Pizzeria are both closed as of Sunday, March 15, the restaurants said in seperate posts. “While this state of emergency is certainly disruptive to our daily lives, we must continue to spread positivity, practice patience, and approach the situation with empathy,” they say.
• Noe Valley Sardinian destination La Cicca says in an Instagram post that it “will be closing temporarily through these unforeseen times.” They hope to reopen in the next 3-4 weeks, they say.
• Via a video posted to Instagram, David Nayfeld, the executive chef and co-owner of Divisadero Street Italian spots Che Fico and Che Fico Alimentari said that both restaurants would be closed for at least the next week. They’re hoping to begin offering delivery options soon and to-go orders in the near future.

MARCH 14

• Portola District ice cream shop Churn Urban Creamery announced its temporary closure via Instagram Saturday.
• According to a March 13 post on Instagram, Palo Alto’s Vino Enoteca “will take this time to cease operations starting 3/16 until it is safe to resume business.”
• Mission Chinese Food will close temporarily on Monday, March 16, the restaurant tweeted Friday night. The spot is still open for its usual hours on March 14 and 15 for “eat-in, takeout and delivery,” they say.

• Steep Creamery & Tea, the boba and Thai-style rolled ice cream shop with three locations in SF, is temporarily closed. In an Instagram announcement, the shop said closing was “the right & responsible” thing to do: “We don’t know if this is it. We don’t know what’s next. Truth is, no ones really knows.”
• Per Instagram, Nick’s Pizza in Oakland is closed at least through the end of the weekend (through March 15).
• Oakland’s Benchmark Pizza will close for three weeks beginning on March 17, its website says.
• Union Square fine dining destination Sons and Daughters announced via Instagram that it would close for two weeks as of Friday, March 13.

MARCH 13

• Bar Agricole, Trou Normand, and Nommo — staples of San Francisco’s craft cocktail scene — are all closed, effective immediately. Bar Agricole was already planning to close and to move to a new location in the Mission later this year, but “these uncertain times” pushed the timing of that closure up by about a month. On its website, Trou Normand noted that it would reopen as soon as public health officials indicate that it’s safe to do so. Nommo will also be closed until further notice.
• The Mina Group’s Ramen Bar is temporarily closed. A press release noted that business has been down since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and that sister restaurant Pabu, which remains open, may serve some Ramen Bar dishes in the interim.
• Hina Yakitori, a Divisadero Street yakitori hot spot known for its omakase-style tasting menu (and current heatmap selectee), will close temporarily after having a final day of service on Saturday, March 14. Chef Tommy Cleary tells Eater that the restaurant hasn’t been lacking in customers, and that he’s making the decision strictly in hopes of stopping the spread of coronavirus: “Jeopardizing the public for profit is not the way to go.” The restaurant’s staff will remain on payroll during the closure, Cleary says. He says he’ll monitor the news weekly to make a decision on when the restaurant will reopen.
• Ju-ni, the nearby 12-seat omakase spot (which shares some of the same co-owners as Hina), will close for one week, from March 16–21, and will reevaluate at the end of the week. “This is for the protection of you, our guests, and also our team, who we consider family,” the restaurant posted on Instagram.
• La Taqueria, the golden burrito icon in the Mission, is closing temporarily due to health and safety concerns. It will be folding its final tacos on Sunday, March 15. An Instagram post reassured fans that employees would be paid.

• Piperade, the Basque restaurant near Levi’s Plaza, that’s served beautifully sauced fish and stuffed peppers for nearly 20 years, is temporarily closing starting on Monday, March 16. Chef-owner Gerald Hirogoyen paraphrased the Governator, saying “As Arnold would say, #wewillbeback.”

• Al’s Deli has closed after less than a year of smoked salmon hot pockets and falafel corn dog bites (although we might miss the pink flamingo wallpaper in the bathroom most of all). Chef Aaron London said the more casual spinoff from Michelin-starred Al’s Place never reached the big volume that he hoped, and the onset of coronavirus fears didn’t help.
• Two of the largest restaurants in Oakland Chinatown, Peony Seafood and Buffet Fortuna, are closing temporarily, according to the SF Chronicle. The president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce estimated that neighborhood restaurants have lost 50 to 75 percent of their business.
• Vegan Picnic, the vegan deli that stacks comforting sandwiches, has temporarily closed its Union Street location until April 1, as confirmed on the company’s website. The Polk Street location remains open.
• Grant and Green Saloon, a jazzy dive bar in North Beach, is closing indefinitely on March 26, Hoodline reported first. A Facebook post cited coronavirus concerns, and hoped for relief for small businesses.
• South Park Cafe, which just reopened in the fall with fresh funding from a credit card startup, was one of the first restaurants to close temporarily, after an employee tested positive for the new coronavirus.