South SF’s Oldest Craft Brewery Shutters, 75-Year-Old Fairfax Bar Goes Dark, and More Bay Area Restaurant Closures

Typically a running list of Bay Area restaurant closures, this item has changed focus during the current coronavirus crisis. It will now list all local bars and restaurants that have announced that they will not reopen once the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order has lifted. If you see a spot that we have missed, please send us an email.

AUGUST 10

FAIRFAX — Peri’s, a bar that’s served thirsty Marinites for 75 years, has permanently closed, owner Michael Peri tells KPIX. He’s the third generation to run the spot, but “COVID hit and COVID just snuffed out any plausibility of Peri’s being able to survive,” he says.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — Armstrong Brewing Co., the first post-Prohibition brewery and taproom in South SF, has closed, its website says. The spot was known for wild beers like “pineapple upside-down cherry sour” and a committment to community involvement, but “made the difficult decision to close ... due to the restriction COVID has placed on small businesses like ours.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Badlands, a Castro District gay bar that’s served sweaty crowds since 2000 and began as a brunch and dinner spot back in 1975, has closed for good, SFist reports. Allegations of racism had swirled around the venue for years, including a Human Rights Commission investigation in 2005. Per Facebook, Badlands owner says that “later this fall a new bar, under new ownership, will open in the Badlands location. The name of the new bar and other details will be announced later, closer to the opening date.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Anchor & Hope, a SoMa seafood spot that opened to packed dinings rooms in 2008, has permanently closed, the SF Chronicle notes. The restaurant’s high-ceilinged Minna Street space is now available for $21,250 per month.

PALO ALTO — Mayfield Bakery and Cafe, a popular Peninsula spot for scrambles, croissants, and salads, has permanently closed, Palo Alto Weekly reports. Tim Stannard, the head of Mayfield owners Bacchus Management, says via statement that “the impact of the COVID-19 virus and the subsequent shelter-in-place orders have reduced revenues to an unsustainable level.”

SAN FRANCISCO — The Saratoga, a swanky Tenderloin cocktails-and-burgers spot that’s also owned by Bacchus, appears to also be closed. While Bacchus refused to comment, numerous Eater SF readers have emailed to say that it’s closed for good, and the restaurant is listed as permanently closed on both Yelp and OpenTable.

BERKELEY — Snack Shack, a Northside burgers-and-shakes spot, closed when the pandemic began and will not reopen, Berkeleyside reports.

CAMPBELL — The Campbell location of national chain Rita’s Italian Ice has closed for good, the East Bay Times reports. “We lost the financial battle with COVID-19 and [are] heartbroken that we have decided to close permanently,” franchise owner Ramya Ramamurthy says.

OAKLAND — The Oakland outpost of 4505 Burgers, chef Ryan Farr’s popular Nopa burger and smoked meats destination, closed “indefinitely” after only a year in business, the SF Chronicle reports. Despite its vast patio, outdoor dining wasn’t attracting enough business, Farr says, so he shut the spot down. Via Instagram, the restaurant says that it hopes “to bring our BBQ back to the East Bay in a new, creative way.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Decade-old carnival-themed restaurant Straw quietly closed its Lower Haight doors last fall, but the business remained open for events and catering until the pandemic shut that down, too, J Weekly reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Serpentine, the 13-year-old brunch and dinner spot in the Dogpatch, has closed for good. The restaurant’s Paycheck Protection program funds were dwindling, and owner Tommy Halvorson says that “Once we have to start paying for labor we’d have to do triple what we’re doing now just to break even.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Baker Street Bistro, which has served French dishes like onion soup gratinée and boeuf Bourguignon to Cow Hollow diners for 30 years, has permanently closed. “We tried holding on as long as we could,” chef-owner Danel de Betelu said in a statement, “but it is time to face reality and the financial difficulties brought on by COVID-19.” Its owners are focusing on their other project, the recently-reopened Mason Danel, which will now offer some of Bakers Street’s greatest hits.

SAN FRANCISCO — The windows of North Beach Italian spot Trattoria Pinocchio are plastered with a slew of bigoted, racist, and otherwise offensive signs written in Italian and English. The owner of the restaurant has refused comment, but as the signs are taped on from the interior side of the space, it seems likely that the nose is growing from inside the house. According to neighboring businesses that spoke with KRON 4, the restaurant is closed for good, which they say is likely for the best.

SAN FRANCISCO — Vinyl Coffee & Wine Bar is now dark on Divis, but its owner says that it’ll move to 1673 Haight Street, Hoodline reports.

SAN MATEO — Vault 164, an eight-your-old fine dining restaurant inside an historic San Mateo bank, has closed for good, the East Bay Times reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — After a smidgen over a year in business, the SoMa location of 100-year-old ramen chain Hinodeya has permanently closed, the SF Chronicle reports. According to its website, its Japantown location remains open for takeout and delivery.

SAN FRANCISCO — Mauerpark, a three-year-old German café in the Castro, will close for good on August 14, Hoodline reports. Via an email to customers, owner Salome Buelow said that “this industry has always been a difficult one, especially in large expensive cities such as San Francisco. Covid-19 has only made it more so.”

NOVATO — Checker NY Deli closed its doors after only a year in business, the SF Chronicle reports. The sandwich spot’s owner says via Facebook that “Momentum was growing. Then we got to March and COVID-19 knocked on our doors. Business went to ground,” and the restaurant served its last sandwich on July 31.

SAN FRANCISCO — CatHead’s BBQ, a SoMa smokes meats destination known for long lines, and an appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, closed on August 2, the SF Chronicle reports.

JULY 29

SAN FRANCISCO — Three-year-old Divisadero tapas spot Barvale has closed for good, Hoodline reports. The restaurant is owned by prolific SF restaurant group Back of the House, which will operate a pop-up serving dishes from Mission standby Beretta (which they also own), a sign in its window says. “While sad to see this chapter close, we are optimistic about our future here on Divisadero, and hope that you will support us in our new endeavor,” the company says via Instagram.

SAN BRUNO — For ten years, the Tanforan location of Hooters, a national chain known for wings and sexually suggestive branding, has served patrons within its self-described “delightfully tacky yet unrefined” walls. In June, the spot announced via Instagram that it had closed for good, writing “thank you to our beautiful Hooters girls who made San Bruno’s aura so unique from other Hooters. We wish you all the best on your amazing journies to become nurses, radiologists, hairstylists, entrepreneurs, mother, and more.”

SAN FRANCISCO — After 12 years serving up Carolina-style smokes meats, Sneaky’s BBQ has permanently closed. “The situation is sad and frustrating,” it said in an email to patrons, but did not give specifics regarding the closure.

SAN JOSE — Peggy Sue’s Diner, a retro-style burgers-and-shakes spot in San Pedro square, has shuttered, the Bay Area News Group reports. “Thank you for your support and patronage over the past 20 years at this location,” a sign at the spot reads. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve you.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Velvet Cantina, at 14-year-old Mission District Mexican restaurant known for well-crafted margaritas and reliable food, permanently closed this month. “Given the health risks to both staff and customers and the financial uncertainty of running a restaurant in the age of Coronavirus,” owner Matt Tognazzini said, “it doesn’t make sense to continue operations.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Cha-Am Thai, a Yerba Buena Gardens-adjacent Thai restaurant, closed on June 28, Hoodline reports. “We are sad to say goodbye, but it has been a true pleasure serving this community,” a note posted to its window says. “We will miss you all!”

SAN FRANCISCO — Art’s Cafe, a tiny Korean American diner in the Inner Sunset, will not reopen when the pandemic ends, the SF Chronicle was first to report. Mom-and-pop owners Sarah and Hae Ryong Youn decided to retire, ending 30 years of hash brown sandwiches and bibimbap.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tacro destination Vive La Tarte has joined the long list of Ferry Building institutions that have closed in recent months, the SF Chronicle reports. To score Vive La Tarte’s baked goods, granolas, and cheesecake, one must now visit its Noe Valley location, which is open with limited hours.

SAN FRANCISCO — FiDi sushi bar Mikaku, a restaurant adjacent to Hotel 32One, has closed for good, Hoodline reports.

CUPERTINO — The 33-year-old Cupertino location of Hobee’s, a local chain known for its blueberry coffee cake, has called it quits, in part due to coronavirus-related losses, the Bay Area News Group reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jeanne d’Arc, the 48-year-old restaurant once referred to by the SF Chronicle as the “Frenchiest French bistro in San Francisco,” closed permanently at the beginning of the pandemic, Hoodline first reported. Via Facebook, owners Micheline and Claude Lambert said the Union Square restaurant (it was in the basement of the Cornell Hotel de France) “has been the achievement of our life.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Since 1999, Cafe Madeleine has served cake, sandwiches, and pastries from its Union Street shop. That location closed this month, but the cafe’s SoMa and FiDi spots remain, Hoodline reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Ocean Beach diner Louis’ announced its permanent closure on July 13 after 83 years in business. The tiny, cliff-perched spot temporarily closed at the beginning of the pandemic, and its owners eventually said that “with everything we have seen and heard regarding reopening for indoor dining we felt it was an unsafe environment for us and our employees.”

OAKLAND — 15-year-old Chinatown dim sum destination Sun Sing Pastry has permanently closed, Hoodline reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Market Street Japanese pub fare spot Izakaya Roku — as well as JapaCurry, its popular truck — is ending a decade of extra spicy ramen and crispy katsu curry, SF Gate reports. “Due to the global pandemic we are all facing, we have made the difficult decision to close both,” the business wrote on Instagram.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline reports that the Summer Place, a 23-year-old lounge at the corner of Bush and Mason Streets, has quietly made its temporary closure at the beginning of SF’s shelter in place a permanent one.

POINT REYES STATION — Osteria Stellina, a Cal-Italian farm-to-table favorite, has stopped tossing clam bucatini and oyster pizza after nearly a dozen years, the SF Chronicle reports. In a statement to media, chef-owner Christian Caizzo said it was a struggle to serve expensive ingredients in a remote setting, and the town does get sleepy in the winter, while Caizzo self-describes as not particularly social media savvy.

SAN FRANCISCO — The House, a 26-year-old North Beach spot that served Asian fusion food, announced that it had closed for good on July 9, SF Gate reports.

SAN LEANDRO — Miraglia Catering Company opened during World War II, and closed this month, another victim of the pandemic. “We had the dot-com demise, the bottom fell out then,” owner Cheryl Miraglia tells ABC 7. “My husband had health challenges. He had a heart transplant and then after that there was the 2008 recession. But nothing like this. It’s so surreal.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Ichiban Kan, the 20-year-old San Francisco shop known for its selection of imported foods and snacks (its Pocky selection was hard to beat) has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, the SF Business Times reports. Its Japantown flagship announced its permanent closure in March, a few years after its second location, in the Outer Sunset, also closed for good.

SAN FRANCISCO — SoMa neighborhood staple Picnic on Third, a so-called “culinary cafe” serving fresh, daily-changing lunch offerings, has closed for good after co-owner Natalia Bushyager says an immune disorder makes it unsafe for her to have contact with customers and staff during the pandemic.

SAN FRANCISCO — Nizario’s Pizza, a late-night slice shop with locations across San Francisco, announced on its website that its Castro spot has permanently closed, Hoodline reports. According to its owners, their lease expired at the end of April and “due to the COVID-19 situation, we couldn’t commit to a high monthly rent.”

JULY 8

SAN FRANCISCO — Nico, the Michelin-starred French spot that, in pre-pandemic times, was supposed to be the home of longterm pop-up Gap Year at Nico, has closed. Owners Andrea and Nicholas Delaroque are working with the Morris’s Paul Einbund to reopen inside its space this fall with “a new concept better tailored to dining in the age of coronavirus,” the SF Business Times reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Inner Sunset location of Nopalito, the Mexican spot from the Nopa team, has permanently closed, the SF Chronicle reports. “I’m going to miss the neighborhood and the community we built while working there,” chef-owner Gonzalo Guzman says.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tenderloin Vietnamese standby Them Ky has closed permanently, Tablehopper reports, after 27 years in the game.

ALAMEDA — Mama Papa Lithuania, the region’s only Lithuanian spot, will close at the month, the SF Chronicle reports. Owner Vaidas Sukys is running for Lithuanian Parliament and is therefore moving back to his home country, saying he’d rather shutter the cozy restaurant than hustle to sell the business.

OAKLAND — Independent Brewing Company, the first brewery to open in Jack London Square, announced its closure via Facebook last weekend. SF Gate spoke to owner Steve McDaniel, who said “We’d been closed for three months already, and the county didn’t have any plan available for when we could reopen more fully. So, we were faced with at least another three months of zero revenue. That wasn’t working well for us or our landlord.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline was the first to note that Beachside Coffee Bar & Kitchen, an Outer Sunset breakfast and lunch spot, closed its doors last month. The nine-year-old spot was opened by Java Beach owners Patrick and Buffy Maguire, but since 2018 had been under the ownership of James Kelliher, who also owns Judah Street vegan spot Judahlicious.

SAN FRANCISCO — Hoodline reports that Estela’s Donburi, a Lower Nob Hill restaurant that began as a sandwich shop and pivoted to Japanese rice bowls last year, has closed for good.

BERKELEY — Owner Juan Romo has shuttered La Calle 10, his two-year-old Latin barbecue spot, Berkeleyside reports. In its place, Romo has opened Italy on Gilman, a pizza/pasta/panini spot.

WALNUT CREEK — Prima Ristorante, a 43-year-old upscale Italian spot, has permanently closed, the San Jose Mercury News reports. “The longer the restaurant has been closed, the harder it has been to find a way to successfully reopen,” co-owner John Rittmaster says. “We’ve finally come to the realization that we won’t.”

EAST BAY — Chef Rodney Worth has closed two of his spots in Contra Costa County: four-year-old San Ramon barbecue spot Worth Ranch; and the Little Pear, a 10-year-old brunch/lunch restaurant in Danville, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Tablehopper was the first to report that ICHI Sushi, a 14-year-old omakase spot on Mission Street, has permanently closed after its owners — one of whom is immunocompromised — couldn’t figure out a way to safely reopen. They’re now seeking a buyer for the business.

BERKELEY — Pacific Standard Tap Room, a nearly four-year-old outpost of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, has closed for good, Berkeleyside reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Stacks, the Hayes Valley pancake spot known handing out free coffee to the throngs of waiting breakfast-goers that packed its sidewalks, appears to be closed for good, Hoodline reports, as its phone line is disconnected and its social media is dormant.

BERKELEY — Cafe Ohlone, the only restaurant of its kind in the world, was forced to shutter when its landlord, University Press Books, closed its doors. Its menu of items like acorn soup and venison meatballs — foods of of Northern California’s indigenous Ohlone people — might soon be available as a meal kit or “crafted box,” its owners say.

SAN FRANCISCO — Divisadero wine bar Indian Paradox has permanently shuttered, Tablehopper reports. The restaurant’s tight quarters made reopening a challenge in an age of social distancing, owner Kavitha Raghavan says.

JUNE 23

SAN FRANCISCO — Burger spot Popsons has closed its Market Street location, SF Gate reports, as owner Alvin Garcia says it has been struggling since its opening in 2016. “Wrong timing, wrong neighborhood, many factors played into it [and] it just didn’t work out for us,” Garcia says. The business is now popping up inside Mission District bar Teeth, which has been shuttered during the pandemic. Garcia says he’s not sure how long that pop-up will last, and the Gate reports that “the future of Popsons is uncertain.”

SANTA ROSA — Bruno’s, a 10-year-old neighborhood spot known for its packed Sunday brunches, has closed for good, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.

BERKELEY — The Cantina restaurants operated by kitchen incubator La Cocina won’t return to UC Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union when the school’s students do, the Daily Californian reports. The non-profit, which is intended to to boost BIPOC women who want to launch food businesses, had signed a short-term contract to run a group of restaurants on the first floor of the student union, but that ended on May 31. Bahar Navab, executive director of the ASUC Student Union, says that it won’t be renewed, as “this model is not sustainable and prevents the Student Union from contributing commercial funds to student services and programming.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Castro Republic, the window-lined triangular restaurant at Market and 16th Streets, is closed for good, Hoodline reports. “Financially, we can’t reopen,” owner Juan Romo says of his four-year-old spot, which was not open for takeout during the pandemic due to safety concerns, Romo says. He’s hoping someone will take over the lease to the sunny spot, and asks interested parties to send him an email.

SAN FRANCISCO — Destino, Market Street’s 20-year-old pisco bar, has permanently closed its doors, Tablehopper reports. Owner James Schenk says that he hopes to reopen in a new location nearby — and his catering business will be up and running soonish.

SAN FRANCISCO — Dobbs Ferry, a nine-year-old bar and restaurant in Hayes Valley, is permanently closed, Hoodline first reported. Husband and wife team Steve Izzo and Lee Ann Frahm Izzo, who bought the spot two years ago, said that even with a loan, they were unable to remain afloat during the coronavirus crisis.

PALO ALTO — Maum, a Michelin-starred modern Korean fine-dining spot that’s only been open for two years, will not reopen to the public, owners Meichih and Michael Kim say. It will instead become a retail operation, selling pantry staples and prepared foods out of its downtown Palo Alto space, as the Kims say that Maum’s three-hour-long, communal table seated format wasn’t practical in an ongoing pandemic.

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s Tops, the 85-year-old diner where Market Street meets the freeway, has permanently closed. Its vinyl booths have already been pulled out, Hoodline reports, and its owners reportedly told a Broke-Ass Stuart reader that the place was shuttered for good.

SAN FRANCISCO — Walzwerk, the Mission District’s 21-year-old East German restaurant, permanently closed on June 20. “Our world has changed and we understand why” the restaurant said on its site. “Change is good and we are ready!”

OAKLAND — Liba, the 11-year-old falafel truck turned fast-casual restaurant, has closed for good, Berkeleyside first reported. “The things that don’t work about this industry were magnified by the problems that I was about to face while navigating operations during COVID times,” founder Gail Lillian says.

JUNE 11

SAN FRANCISCO — Potrero Hill sushi bar Skool has permanently closed, its owners announced via Instagram. The owners of the 10-year-old neighborhood spot said that “we did not predict our tenure would end at this time, due to all that is going on within our community, state and world we have chosen this the smart time to close our business.”

OAKLAND — Stork Club, an Oakland bar that’s been in business since 1918, won’t reopen after the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place is lifted. Via Facebook, the venue announced the closure, writing “well folks...that’s IT...end of an era & another nail in the coffin of Rock ‘n Roll.”

SAN MATEO — Viognier, the San Mateo restaurant that gave famed chef Gary Danko his start, has closed for good, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Owner Joany Draeger says that “fine dining in the format we offer has been in a general decline and, therefore, the clientele that appreciate this type of experience has also declined,” hence the decision to shutter.

SAN JOSE — Sino Restaurant + Lounge, an upscale cocktail bar and dim sum spot on Santana Row, has closed for good as the pandemic made the future of the business uncertain, the East Bay Times reports.

BELMONT — The Van’s, a 1915 World’s Fair teahouse turned 1930s tea house turned neighborhood restaurant, has permanently close, Palo Alto Online reports. Owner Loring De Martini. who took over the venue in 1973, says that “he’s in the process of selling the property, which he said will become condos.”

LOS GATOS — Artisanal Los Gatos candy shop Chocolate Dream Box will closed for good in May, the San Jose Mercury News reports, after 26 years in business.

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco location of Hakkasan, a 12-restaurant chain owned by an Abu Dhabi-based investment company, has closed for good, the SF Chronicle reports. The Union Square Cantonese spot opened in 2013 with much fanfare, following a much-discussed $7 million buildout of the space.

SAN FRANCISCO — Ingleside Terrace bakery Zanze’s Cheesecake has closed its doors after 42 years in business. Founder Sam Zanze tells the SF Chronicle he hopes to strike a wholesale deal with local retailers to carry his beloved desserts, and says he’s “still working out the details.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Paul Bavaro’s Mission District bars, Thieves Tavern and Blind Cat, will not reopen after the pandemic, Hoodline reports.

OAKLAND — The Lede, a lunch counter from former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell that opened just last September inside coworking operation/production space StudioToBe, has apparently shuttered, after the ‘landlord cancelled our lease,” the restaurant’s Instagram bio copy reads.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Stud, one of the best-known LGBTQ bars in San Francisco, moved out of the SoMa space it’s occupied since 1987. Its ownership collective say that they are looking for a space to move into, but so far, have not identified a new location.

SAN FRANCISCO — According to a message posted to Facebook by the owners of Toy Boat Dessert Cafe, an Inner Richmond ice cream shop known for its vintage posters, collectibles, and frozen treats, the business is closed and is now on the market. Owners Jesse and Roberta Fink, a married couple who founded the spot in 1982, say that they hope “someone full of vigor and vim will take over Toy Boat, and keep The Boat afloat for many years to come.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Angkor Borei, one of the city’s only Cambodian restaurants, is closing after 30 years in business, Hoodline reports. The final day for the Bernal Heights business will be Monday, June 15.

SAN FRANCISCO — According to its website, Iza Ramen’s SoMa location has permanently closed, but its Lower Haight spot is open.

LOS GATOS — Popular Los Gatos restaurant Nick’s Next Door has closed for good, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Chef/owner Nick Difu said in a Facebook post that “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.”

OAKLAND — Miliki, one of the only Nigerian restaurants in Oakland and a hub for the East Bay’s West African community, has closed permanently, the SF Chronicle reports.

MAY 19

NATIONWIDE — Specialty’s Cafe and Bakery, a 33-year-old, Pleasanton-based downtown office worker standby with 55 locations across California, Illinois, and Washington, announced that its last day in business would be Tuesday, May 19. According to a note posted to its website, “current market conditions attributed to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place policies have decimated company revenues.”

OAKLAND — Reem’s, chef Reem Assil’s Arab bakery, closed its doors to customers in April and pivoted to serve as a commissary for frontline workers. Assil now says that that closure to sit-down diners is permanent, and says that the long term plan could turn the spot into a worker-owned catering, wholesale, and community-focused collective.

SAN JOSE — The San Pedro Square Market, a San Jose food hall, reopened for curbside takeout on Monday May 18, but some of its longstanding vendors are missing, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The leases have expired for Chocatoo (a dessert bar), Blush Raw Bar Lounge, Konjoe Burger Bar, and an ice cream stand called Treatbot’s, so they’re all closed for good.

PT REYES — After the landlord of West Marin’s Station House Cafe allegedly increased its rent from $8,372 per month to $28,000, owner Sheryl Cahill announced via Facebook that the spot would be forced to shutter. She later told the SF Chronicle that she took down the post after its comment section became a hotbed of threats against the owners of the property, but the facts of the matter remain, and the 46-year-old spot will close on May 31. Update: According to the Pt. Reyes Light Cahill was able to extend her lease for a few months, and the Cafe “will stay open longer than planned.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Tenderloin beer bar Mikkeller is on the market, Uptown Almanac was first to report. It (along with its shuttered/rebranded counterparts in LA and Oakland) was a a collaboration between Chuck Stilphen (founder of popular Oakland beer bar the Trappist) and Mikkeller founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, but while Mikkeller says that “it is not correct that it is closed permanently,” Stilphen says that “I personally am getting out of the business,” and that listing seems to tell the tale. Interested buyers can snap the spot up for a cool $390K.

BAY AREA-WIDE — The permanent closure of San Diego-based buffet chain Souplantation has made local waves, as KRON 4 reports that the company’s Sweet Tomatoes buffets, at least seven of which are in the Bay Area, will also shutter.

SAN FRANCISCO — Archive Bar & Kitchen, a SoMa social house that opened in 2013, has closed for good “due to the economic impact of the shelter in place,” co-owner Gabriel Bryant tells Eater SF via email. “The craziest part of this is that it was set to be sold on April 1st. The buyers backed out and now I am forced to file bankruptcy. This place was my dream and now it has turned into a nightmare.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Ristorante Franchino, a 32-year-old, family-owned, North Beach Italian spot, announced via Instagram that they will not reopen when the shelter-in-place lifts. The SF Chronicle reports that spot’s lease is up on June 1, and it “couldn’t come to an agreement with the landlord on an extension,” so shuttering seemed like the only option.

FREMONT — East Bay country music bar the Saddle Rack has been open since the mid-1970s, but it won’t reopen when bars are allowed to resume service, the East Bay Times reports. “We have been unable to come up with a viable solution to reopen the Saddle Rack while ensuring the safety of our family,” its owners said via Instagram, therefore it’s closing for good.

OAKLAND — Bakery and cafe PieTisserie has closed the doors of its Lake Merritt storefront, Hoodline was first to report. Via Instagram, owner Jaynelle St. Jean says that its bakery remains in operation, however, and sales will be online only for now on.

SANTA ROSA — Sonoma County dessert shop the Whole Pie survived a Thanksgiving PG&E shutdown that endangered hundreds of orders, but the crisis has been too much for the business, owner Trish Davis tells ABC 7, and it won’t reopen when the shelter in place lifts.

SAN FRANCISCO — Peter Hood, the owner of Mission District brunch and shake spot St. Francis Fountain, says his restaurant is unlikely to reopen after the pandemic, and San Francisco, not COVID-19, is to blame. “We could survive a pandemic,” Hood tells SF Gate, but “why even try in a city that has been actively driving small businesses out of business for over a decade...It may say ‘Died in Pandemic’ on our tombstone, but the truth is, being a small business in San Francisco, we were already dead.”

MAY 4

SAN FRANCISCO — Local distillery Seven Stills has placed its Outer Sunset taproom, at 3645 Lawton Street, on the market. The spot had been shuttered for 90 days by California’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) due to admitted violations of liquor laws as of February. Eater SF confirmed that a listing for the spot (it’s since been edited, here is a screengrab) that appeared on Craigslist about two weeks ago is legitimate, and that its listed lease rate of $1,500 per month includes its “bar, taps, seating, sinks, coolers, and prep area.” Following the publication of this report, Seven Stills CEO Tim Obert emailed Eater SF to say that “Because we now have two production facilities in the Mission Bay and the Bayview we’re looking to sell the Bayview facility to a new brewery,” a sale first announced in early February. “Because [the Bayview distillery’s] license is tied to the Outer Sunset Taproom we were considering selling it as a package if we had an interested buyer for $2M but that’s just what we’re asking for the key money for the two locations. We’re definitely not selling the company and definitely not selling the Outer Sunset Taproom on its own.” Obert subsequently spoke with SF Gate, saying that the listing for the Lawton spot took him by surprise, but that “We were looking to consolidate. We’re kind of in a position now where we’re considering just keeping the Bayview location.” It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out!

OAKLAND — A Hoodline tipster first noted that Momo & Curry, an Oakland spin-off of Himalayan restaurant/food truck empire Everest Momo, has posted a sign on its window that “thanks customers and notes that the restaurant was not able to make it through shelter-in-place financially.”

SAN JOSE — Japantown’s popular Banana Crepe restaurant is closing for good, as its owners head off to retirement, the East Bay Times reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pause Wine Bar, which was opened by the team behind Dogpatch’s Yield back in 2011, has closed for good, Hoodline reports.

SAN FRANCISCO — Lower Haight Thai restaurant Thep Phanom, which has served diners at Haight and Waller Streets for 34 years, “sold off all its furniture and stock, and its phone is now disconnected,” the SF Chronicle reports. The spot was remodeled and renamed Janchay’s Bistro back in 2018, but it looks like the new name never stuck.

OAKLAND — La Guerrera’s Kitchen, a mother-daughter owned Mexican spot that shared a space with Fruitvale bar Aloha Club, tells the SF Chronicle that they won’t renewing their lease in the spot — but there are plans in the works for a bigger location elsewhere in Oakland.

BERKELEY — Seven months after it opened, the Tartine Bakery inside the Graduate Hotel has closed. Tartine co-owner Liz Pruiett says that the hotel ended its contract with the company after coronavirus-related drops in business, but workers say the spot wasn’t ever that busy.

SAN FRANCISCO — The 301 Hayes Street location of local mini-chain the Grove will not reopen, its owners say, after its payment protection loan allegedly wasn’t submitted by its bank.

SAN JOSE — Emperor Norton’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, which has served patrons for the last 45 years, has closed for good due to increasing rent, labor and food costs, and an inability to recover from coronavirus-related business challenges, NBC Bay Area reports.

BERKELEY — Lalime’s, a 35-year-old Mediterranean spot with a loyal clientele, permanently closed, the SF Chronicle reports, after owners Cindy and Haig Krikorian said via Facebook that “Covid 19 has made the decision for us, Lalime’s is retiring.”

APRIL 20

OAKLAND — Bica Coffeehouse, an Oakland neighborhood fave, has closed for good, the shop said via Instagram. “Bica has been on a great run,” its owner says, “but sadly that run has come to a halt after nearly 10 years.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Mestiza Taqueria, a SoMa restaurant focused on Mexican/Filipino street food, has permanently closed, the SF Chronicle reports. The restaurant had recently joined Filipinos Feed the Frontlines, a relief effort for small businesses and healthcare workers, but it apparently wasn’t enough to save the three-year-old street food spot.

BAY AREA — Quickly, an international boba shop company with numerous locations across the Bay Area, says via Facebook that more than 50 of its U.S. locations have been closed for good, SF Weekly reports. The chain is known in SF for allegedly flouting zoning laws and bringing down SF Supervisor Ed Jew in a 2007 bribery scandal. It’s unclear which Quickly’s Bay Area locations — if any — will reopen.

OAKLAND — Tertulia Coffee, a less than four-year-old Oakland coffee shop known for its displays of work from “emerging artists of color,” has closed for good, Hoodline reports. In a Facebook post, Tertulia owner Tim Sanchez says that “the business has taken a toll on [co-owner Maria Sanchez] and I in more ways than one, and so we tried our hardest to fight to the end to keep it open but couldn’t do it any longer.”

OAKLAND — Benchmark Oakland, the 9th Street location of the Kensington pizzeria company, has been permanently closed, a message on its website says. “The end is nowhere is sight, and it is likely that our industry will be forever changed when this is over,” the message reads. “We lack the capital to navigate that future.”

PETALUMA — Three Twins Ice Cream, a North Bay–based ice cream company with scoop shops in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood, Berkeley, and Larkspur, completely ceased operations on April 17, its owner said via Facebook. Founder Neal Gottlieb says that the company, which launched in 2005, was never profitable, and the coronavirus crisis was the last straw.

OAKLAND — Via Facebook, Black Spring Coffee, the Telegraph Avenue spot that served coffee during the day and was home to newly opened Bizzy’s Dry Bar at night, has closed as its “landlord has a different vision for the space that doesn’t involve us.” It’s unclear what the closure means for Bizzy’s, a nonalcoholic wine, beer, and cocktail bar that temporarily closed when the coronavirus crisis began.

OAKLAND — Gaylord’s Caffe Espresso, a classic Piedmont Avenue coffee shop, has been emptied and appears to be closed for good, local reporter Darwin Bond Graham tweeted Friday. A recorded message left for those who call its listed telephone number confirms the permanent closure, and says “to everyone who’s walked through its doors over the years, thanks.”

PALO ALTO — Gordon Biersch co-founder Dan Gordon announced during an April 13 Palo Alto City Council meeting that his eponymous barbecue spot and tavern, Dan Gordon’s, has closed permanently, the SF Chronicle reports.

APRIL 6

SAN FRANCISCO — Pop-up turned Bernal Heights restaurant Hillside Supper Club has permanently closed, owners Tony Ferrari and Jonathan Sutton announced via Instagram. The community-focused California rustic restaurant says that the decision to close was made “in light of the circumstances around COVID-19,” and that “it breaks our heart to go out this way and not be able to continue feeding the neighborhood, seeing your smiles, and hearing your laughs.”

OAKLAND — Camburger, a burger spot located at 430 13th Street, has been permanently closed, Hoodline reports. According to an April 2 Facebook post from the restaurant, it will reopen “under new management” as a restaurant called Oakland Street Food Co.

SAN LEANDRO — Cleophus Quealy Beer Co. will close permanently at the end of April, as business had been slow for the last six months, and the coronavirus crisis dealt the final blow, the SF Chronicle reports. The five-year-old brewery distributed its beers to bars and restaurants in the region, but its taproom (shuttered by fears of coronavirus) contributed 75 percent of its revenue, so without it, the business couldn’t soldier on.

SAN FRANCISCO — Bistro Aix, a 24-year-old Marina French spot honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, has permanently closed. Its phone line has been disconnected, and its OpenTable says it’s closed, the SF Chronicle reports. A photo sent to Eater SF by a tipster shows a sign confirming the closure on its door.

SAN FRANCISCO — It appears that Lower Haight neighborhood spot Cafe du Soleil won’t reopen following the shelter in place, and neighbors tell Broke Ass Stuart that the Fillmore and Waller restaurant has already been emptied. In a subsequent report, Hoodline says that a failed lease negotiation is to blame, but that restaurant owner Mustapha Hakkou hopes to reopen in the neighborhood.

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Mountain View’s oldest restaurant, a burger-and-fry spot called Clarke’s Charcoal Broiler, will not reopen after the coronavirus crisis ends, the San Jose Mercury News reports. A note on the 75-year-old restaurant’s website says that “due to COVID-19 and the current extended shelter in place, it has made it impossible for us to continue on,” and the place closed for good on March 31.

MARCH 23

SOMA — Slim’s, the 30-year-old Boz Scaggs-owned bar, music venue, and occasional pop-up restaurant venue, decided to shut its doors late last year, and informed employees on March 18 that it would not reopen when the state’s closure of all bars ends. The closure “was a long-term decision based on things that had nothing to do with the current situation,” Scaggs tells the SF Chronicle.

MISSION — Locanda, a well-liked rustic/Roman spot from Craig and Annie Stoll, the folks behind Delfina and Pizzeria Delfina, will not reopen after the dining room closure order is lifted, the SF Chronicle has confirmed. Co-owner Craig Stoll says that the restaurant “was never really profitable” and that “we kept it going as long as we did because we love it.”

MISSION — The Valencia Street location of the Crepe House will not reopen after the statewide dining room closure ends, Mission Local reports. Its owner says that rent hikes, business decreases, and a proposed bike lane helped him make the decision, and the shutdown was the final straw.

MARINA — The Marina location of healthy food-centric Plant Cafe Organic posted a sign announcing its closure in early March, Tablehopper reports.

MISSION — Al’s Deli closed on March 7 after less than a year of business. 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.

INNER SUNSET — After ten years, craft beer spot Social Kitchen & Brewery shuttered on March 7 and will not reopen, Hoodline reports. According to head brewer Sean Halpin, “an inability to agree on a new lease with its landlord” is to blame.

LOWER HAIGHT — Neighborhood sports bar and pub Mad Dog In The Fog, once the site of an FBI raid after an SF political operative used its ATM during an alleged explosives scheme, announced via Facebook that it would permanently shutter its current location, Hoodline reports.