The Saddest San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Closures of 2022

Welcome to Year in Eater 2022, Eater’s annual tradition of celebrating the past 12 months with help from some of the Bay Area’s top food and restaurant industry experts. Between now and the end of the year, Eater SF will post daily questions about the Bay Area restaurant scene with answers from those who know it best.

Although I didn’t go very frequently, Black Star Pirate BBQ in Richmond was a bummer to see close. It was a quirky spot that served things like brisket and smoked turkey near the Richmond Bridge and was close to my neighborhood.

— Alan Chazaro, food reporter at KQED

Ugh all of them? I was especially bummed when I heard that Family Cafe in North Beach closed. It was such a sweet spot.

— Sarah Henkin, manager at Omnivore Books

Hotline’s closure after just a few months in the Outer Sunset really bummed me out. I thought Eddo Kim and Clara Lee’s vision of bringing the Korean-Chinese food they grew up eating to the Avenues was so exciting. I hope they’ll bring it back in some capacity someday.

— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor

Venticello — this restaurant had been my safe haven and escape for almost thirty years. So many wonderful meals. (Editor’s note: Vetincello closed in November 2021.)

— Tonya Pitts, sommelier and wine director at One Market Restaurant

It took me a second to resurface the pain, but it’s easily Trouble Coffee’s shuttering for me. Details are still sparse on what really went down, though owner Giulietta Carrelli is still selling beans and merch here and there. Really, it’s sad because that shop represents a part of San Francisco that’s increasingly hard to reach: gritty, athletic, outdoorsy people who want strong coffee to — as Carrelli would put it — “live fast and die old.”

— Paolo Bicchieri, Eater SF reporter

Arinell Pizza in the Mission. More of a nostalgia bummer. So many blurry nights spent walking under its glowing sign, balancing on the bar stools with greasy slices trying to save me from the next morning’s hangover!

— Patricia Chang, freelance editorial and commercial photographer

I was a diner kid growing up so I was sad to see Daughter’s Diner go. Really, it’s sad to see any of them go.

— Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic at the San Francisco Chronicle

There were so many closures this year, it’s hard to pick one that made me the saddest — in truth, there’s lots of sadness behind any bar or restaurant closure, no matter how long the place has stood. But the two closures I’ll mention that stood out to me this year were the Lede and the Kebabery, both of which had a lot of heart and love behind them, but didn’t make it through 2022.

— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor

A string of restaurant closures this fall in my neighborhood had me feeling extremely emo. First, 93-year-old Oakland bakery Taste of Denmark, my go-to for cream cheese danishes on the weekend and strawberry cake on my birthday, closed seemingly out of the blue. Then it was brunch destination Aunt Mary’s Cafe, followed by neighborhood pub Commonwealth. Telegraph Avenue is worse for these losses, and so is my near-constant need for coffee and pastries.

— Madeline Wells, SFGATE food reporter

Farmhouse Kitchen had a short-lived pop-up in the Lower Haight that was magical. I’m happy Cafe du Soleil took over the spot, but I miss having such good Thai food so close to home. RIP to Trouble Coffee as well. I crave your cinnamon-sugar toast more than you’ll ever know.

— Nick Bastone, reporter at Axios SF