Essential San Francisco Brewery Cellarmaker Is Leaving SoMa and Taking Production to the East Bay

The new year will bring some big changes to what’s arguably San Francisco’s best brewery. According to an Instagram post on Thursday, Cellarmaker Brewing Co. will close its original Howard Street location at the end of the year and move its production to the East Bay. The brewery has acquired Berkeley’s the Rare Barrel, which opened in 2013 as a sour-beer lover’s paradise. The post explains that while Cellarmaker will transition to brewing its beer out of the Rare Barrel space, it’ll continue to produce the Rare Barrel product line out of the facility, too.

Cellarmaker’s House of Pizza in Bernal Heights will remain open; that restaurant and taproom opened in 2019 bringing crispy-edged Detroit-style pizza to the neighborhood along with a full lineup of the brewery’s pale ales and IPAs. An Oakland outpost is also in the works and according to the Instagram announcement, should open in February 2023. The brewery plans to debut that location before turning its attention to the Berkeley Rare Barrel taproom, which they hope to reopen later in the spring.

This Daly City steakhouse is closing at the end of the year

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Daly City’s Val’s Restaurant and Lounge will close its doors for good at the end of the year. The old-school steakhouse has been around since the 1950s serving prime rib and veal parmigiana. Co-owner Greg Taylor declined to provide details about the reason for the closure and told the paper a firm date for the closure has yet to be set.

Some updates on that rooftop Nikkei restaurant coming to Union Square

The San Francisco Standard spotted a mention of an upcoming Union Square restaurant in a real estate press release. According to the Registry SF, Chotto Matte will open at 100 Stockton Street, formerly the Macy’s Men's store, in the second quarter of 2023. The Japanese-Peruvian restaurant with locations in Miami and Nashville is taking over a 15,000-square-foot space on the building’s rooftop.

Hainan chicken arrives in San Leandro

There’s a new restaurant open in San Leandro that specializes in Hainan chicken, the dish comprising of poached, skin-on chicken and seasoned rice, the Mercury News reports. Special Hainan Chicken is now open at 699 Lewelling Boulevard, Suite 104, serving a menu of design-your-own noodle soup from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Tuesday, according to the restaurant website.

Oakland’s OK’s Deli opens online ordering

Congrats to East Bay diners: OK’s Deli is now offering online ordering on Thursdays and Fridays so you can snag your highly Instagrammable, super-stacked sandwiches for pick-up. The menu changes frequently so head to the deli website for a current list of options.