Popular SF Izakaya and Coastal Cal-Italian Spot Permanently Close

Coronavirus-related restaurant closures continue to sweep the Bay Area, with announcements over the weekend that two cozy spots with decade-long followings are both shuttering. On Market Street in the city, Izakaya Roku — as well as JapaCurry, its popular truck — is ending a decade of extra spicy ramen and crispy katsu curry, SF Gate reports. Up the coast in Point Reyes Station, Osteria Stellina, the Cal-Italian farm-to-table favorite, has stopped tossing clam bucatini and oyster pizza after nearly a dozen years, the SF Chronicle reports.

Izakaya Roku opened in 2013 on Market Street, serving Japanese pub fare. It was the first brick-and-mortar restaurant for owner Jay Hamada, rolling off of the popularity of his JapaCurry food truck, which some say was the first Japanese food truck in the Bay Area. The business announced in an Instagram post that both the restaurant and the truck are closing for good. SF Gate also spotted that the bright orange truck is up for sale for $80,000 on Craigslist.

“Due to the global pandemic we are all facing, we have made the difficult decision to close both Izakaya Roku and JapaCurry, [and the] last day will be July 31 … ” the post reads. “Thank you for your support during COVID-19 and the past 10 years.” It’s sad news for regulars, who cozied up to comforting bowls, whether catching up with a friend or venturing on into a night of beer at Zeitgeist or karaoke at the Mint. It seems the izakaya was far enough up Market to dodge all of the shutters and vacancies that have plagued Mid-Market over the past few years, but it couldn’t survive coronavirus.

Osteria Stellina

Osteria Stellina opened in 2008 in Point Reyes Station, serving local fish and sourcing from surrounding farms. Michael Bauer, the former food critic from the Chronicle, was a fan, and the Cal-Italian spot became both a local favorite and a road-trip destination. 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.

Point Reyes Station is a food destination, and the coastal town seems to be hanging in these days. Just across the street, 46-year-old Station House Cafe nearly closed due to a massive rent spike, but narrowly escaped for now. Cowgirl Creamery is still kicking it at the other end of town, and the cheese shop is an outstanding option for picnic supplies. A few more towns up the road, Hog Island Oyster Company might be in the warmest water, with millions of extra oysters, and fewer restaurants and diners to slurp them up.

• Popular Japanese food truck and SF restaurant will close at end of the month [SF Gate]
• Osteria Stellina, an 11-year-old farm-to-table restaurant in West Marin, to close [SF Chronicle]